I recently celebrated my birthday! 30! Yikes! I always thought turning 30 would be a very difficult birthday — I was pretty content being a 20-something and I didn’t like the idea of entering a new decade. I can be a very sentimental person and I try so hard to be grateful for every day, so the passing of another year has always been a time of great reflection for me. When my sisters asked for my 30th birthday reflections, I soon realized that there really isn’t much to feel overly emotional about. I have everything I need — a great husband who makes me feel loved, a beautiful daughter who gives me constant joy and a sense of pride and purpose, a wonderful family who provides support (and entertainment!), and friends who make me laugh. I have traveled the world and intend to continue doing so. Life isn’t about things, but rather the people and experiences that make each day so special.

So, I had a wonderful birthday! Apparently my Homemade Mothering approach to life has rubbed off on my husband. He prepared a batch of homemade chocolate chip pancakes to start the day, my favorite birthday breakfast.

But his efforts didn’t stop with breakfast. Chris spent the entire afternoon baking a lemon layer cake completely from scratch. With little Evelyn as his sous-chef, he prepared the cake, lemon filling and lemon frosting. I came home from an afternoon massage to find the kitchen looking like a war zone – but right in the middle of it all stood a very proud man with his very gorgeous cake! Although Chris claimed it was “not structurally sound” (he has a master’s in engineering, after all) the cake looked great and tasted even better. His efforts proved that he truly is a Homemade Father! Here is the recipe he used.

My friends came over last night for the cake and champagne. It was so nice to have everyone here, and a great way to start a new decade.