Miss Bee turned 12 on Sunday.  We packaged her invitations in red and pink polka dot bags with a label that said “It’s going to be swell, Phoebe is turning 12.”  Tucked inside was a strip of photos of her (like from a photo booth) and the invitation.

Miss Bee ordered Frito Pie for lunch, so the night before the wingding (as Daddy would call it) I made three big pots of chili.  Then Sunday morning we put the chili into crockpots to heat.  I set out all the toppings…cheese, sour cream, red, yellow and orange diced bell peppers, cilantro, and of course Fritos.  For those that preferred the salad route, we chopped tomotoes and romaine lettuce for taco salads.  It was fun watching everyone customize their own mug o’ chili…

That’s my niece bee, Violet, dipping her taquito into her chili.
Dinner was on your own and some decided to enjoy the photo booth we had set up in the study… I found all the artwork online and ran it off on card stock, then hot glued the props to paint sticks..



I debated about showing this next one, because it’s kind of creepy…like from “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?”

We also enjoyed a round of “Pin the Nose on Ruthie.”  I blew up a photo to poster size and guests enjoyed trying their chance at pinning a nose on the bullseye.

This is Earnie…not getting very close…
For dessert we enjoyed ice cream cake from Marble Slab and Auntie M made her famous strawberry cake.  Ruthie, the wienerful, enjoyed two giant brownies she found and promptly ate (the rest of the night’s outcome with the brownies I’ll save for another blog entry.)

We finished with opening presents (she’s wearing her jelly-bow from her Godsister Annie).  Then Miss Bee passed around her party favors — a S’more Kit with heart shaped peeps…

Happy birthday, my sweet girl.  Becoming your mother has been one of my greatest joys.