A Box of Chocolates

I have to admit I was tricked, surprised, relieved, and totally blown away yesterday.  Firstly I get a phone call to come sit Elle for a while so Alicia can go to the doctors.  Of course I am worried, she said it was about some blood tests he needed to talk to her about.  My mother's alarm went off immediately.  So about 20 minutes after she leaves her house I go into Elle's room to change her and find this note on the change table.  The trickery begins, it is about 4pm when I get this and you can bet I struggled to wait till 5.45pm to lift that darn flap.

Wait I did though, well till about 5.30pm seriously what's a girl to do it was killing me..... This is what followed.  So now I am a little more worried,  see I never get surprised, I always somehow find out what's happening.  I don't mean to, but I am a natural detective, okay I can hear my girls all crying out "Don't you mean a bloody sticky beak"  No I am not a nosey parker I have a natural gift for finding things out.  Truly.

I do exactly as I am told get Elle ready and head home, belly churning.

I walk in and find helium balloons hanging from the ceiling all through the entry and a big 50th balloon on the front walk way.  Now I am really sweating.  See I don't like to be the centre of attention at all.  I can talk at things for a reason, you know to promote or share information that's okay but I hate the focus being on me.  I have always said to my family no surprise party thing ever, do you get me EVER!!!!!!!  I am sweating bullets right about now.  I am shunted into my room to get dressed and all the time I am almost hyper ventilating thinking the bloody kitchen must be full of family waiting to jump me.  EEk!!!!  I was terrified.  I did have a lovely moment where I thought Carmel or my mum might be out there waiting to surprise me and then I thought that's crazy I am flying to Sydney in a few days to meet Carmel and I just spoke to mum on the phone and she was still in Brisbane.  

Turned out that these three little misses, along with Adrian had decided that I would like to celebrate turning 50 with wait for it....

A 6 course Degustation Dinner prepared by a 2 Hat, 3 Michillen Star chef direct from England,  complete with a gorgeous little waitress named Celine.  Each course accompanied by a complimentary wine and all this in my own home with the people I love most in the world.  

So were they correct, did I enjoy it what do you think...

Course 1 yeah we ate the flowers too delish.  This was a crab dish.

Course 2 a crown of tiny weeny asparagus tips with salmon inside.

Course 3 Duck fillet with Duck roll and a sweet potatoe puree

Course 4 Salmon on a bed of hand shelled and hand split peas with the teeniest vegetable ever and a crispy skin wafer.

Course 5 Lamb with a rich Jus and a mushroom puree under that was to die for.

Tell me when was the last time you had a potato done like this and these teeny carrots and asparagus oh my.

Course 6 Strawberries and icecream yeah right this was amazing, a homemade vanilla icecream with strawberries in a warm brulee almost deliciousness.

Sorry but as the night wore on the pictures weren't so great our Paulie number one son in law.

Magic table setting and Pop in the background strapping the Princess into her high chair.

These two cannot help but in the shot ha ha!!

As you can see things get silly.

And sillier.  Always, always I love it actually.

My wonderful man gosh I love him.  He gave me the three most beautiful daughters and I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

Alicia first born and so loved.

Ashleigh first born twin by 2 minutes.

Danielle our last born but she's a fiesty little girl.

Thanks guys all of you for making my day so wonderful it was a brilliant surprise and I enjoyed it soooooo much.

So all my favourite people together from the littlest to the oldest it just doesn't get any better than that.  Bring on the next 50.