Friday Favorites: Alec's 16th Birthday Party

 We had a fun week celebrating Alec's birthday and enjoying some more snowy hikes.  

Ian, Evan, and I met up with our friends for a nice hike on Friday. It was a bit cold and windy but we all hiked for well over an hour at the Thompson Dam.  I took them on a "new" trail that they had not been on before.  All the water crossings were frozen solid but the trails were pretty soft if a but snowy. 



I spent my day Saturday playing chauffer driving Alec to karate and back and then dropping him off at a sweet 16 for one of his friends.  The only problem with attending a regional school is that none of Alec's friends live near us so it was a good 40 minute drive each way for dropping off and picking up.  Luckily the party was 8 hours long so I had a nice long break in between. 

We had an early birthday party for Alec on Sunday and he made himself a delicious strawberry cheesecake in place of a birthday cake.  We had the grandparents over and had pizzas from a local restaurant. 




We got to use his new whipped cream maker and Alec decided to make strawberry whipped cream.




He got the cutest socks that I just love.  


With no school on Monday and lots of rain and freezing rain, I spent a quiet day at home reading my latest book, working on the blog, and tackling things on my to do list.  Sometimes I just LOVE a good day at home when I know I don't have to leave and go anywhere! 

While it wasn't exactly warm on Wednesday, Evan and I decided it was warm enough to head out on a hike after he finished his schooling.  We picked a series of trails that were mostly flat so even though it was a bit icy it wasn't too treacherous. 






We kept seeing what looked like bare footprints in the snow for our whole 50 minute hike! So weird.



Alec had a 2 hour delay on Thursday and I liked the slow start to our day.  He loved that many of the local schools didn't bus their kids to school and his classes were pretty empty on what amounted to a 1/2 day.  My mother in law came over around lunchtime and Evan, Ian, and I played Rummikub with her.  By the time I picked Alec up the sun was shining and all the trees looked so pretty sparkling in the sun (but I didn't get a picture since everything had melted by the time I got back home).

You can't really tell in this photo but it was snowing all morning long!

Linking up with: On the Edge, 












Comments

  1. HollyJanuary 21, 2022 at 6:04 AM

    Happy Birthday Alec! Sounds like a wonderful time celebrating!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jennifer GoodwinJanuary 21, 2022 at 6:52 AM

    I love that Alec made his own cheesecake and whipped cream! That is a wonderful trait for a young man- cooking. His wife will appreciate that someday! Um, the bare footprints are creepy! Or did you say BEAR footprints? Either way...I'd be spooked! Where do you live? All the hiking trails are beautiful. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:33 PM

      He loves baking! Bare footprints with the toes and everything.. it was creepy! We live in Ct.

      Delete
  3. Penny @ Penny's PassionJanuary 21, 2022 at 7:03 AM

    That cheesecake looks delicious! I'm intrigued with the whip cream maker. Did you like it? I could always squeeze one more gadget into my kitchen. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:34 PM

      We did like the whip cream maker! It was easy to use and according to the box you can use it to make mousse too.

      Delete
  4. Andrea NineJanuary 21, 2022 at 8:19 AM

    Happy Birthday Alec! Looks like so much fun a yay snow! Send some to Indiana, LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Memphis BridgesJanuary 21, 2022 at 8:25 AM

    Glad it was a good birthday and so impressed with his cheesecake!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rebecca JoJanuary 21, 2022 at 8:38 AM

    Happy Birthday to your son!!!!!
    Loving his socks!!!!
    & that cheesecake - mmmm. that's how you celebrate

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lindsay's Sweet WorldJanuary 21, 2022 at 8:42 AM

    It looks soooo cold there. And those footprints are CRAZY. Why oh why would anybody have been walking around barefoot in the snow?! Maybe it's Bigfoot! Haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:35 PM

      It has been cold! Funny you should say that as Evan and I were joking that it was bigfoot!

      Delete
  8. Dara @ Not In JerseyJanuary 21, 2022 at 8:47 AM

    Happy birthday! An 8 hour party sounds pretty long!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:36 PM

      That's what I said! They had a lot of fun though; playing games, dancing, etc.

      Delete
  9. R's RueJanuary 21, 2022 at 9:09 AM

    Happy Birthday Alec. Hope you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rajani RehanaJanuary 21, 2022 at 9:16 AM

    Lovely post. Happy Birthday ��

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rajani RehanaJanuary 21, 2022 at 9:16 AM

    Read my new post

    ReplyDelete
  12. Julie's Creative LifestyleJanuary 21, 2022 at 9:21 AM

    Happy Birthday to Alec. It's great that you can get out for those hikes even though it's so cold out. We got lucky and had snow yesterday but it all melted very quickly. Have a nice week Joanne.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:37 PM

      It's getting harder and harder to hike but I keep lowering my standards of "warm enough to hike."

      Delete
  13. TorontoSAMJanuary 21, 2022 at 10:24 AM

    You definitely have a sasquatch! Hah! So strange. I'm glad you had a great week of outdoor time (and cheesecake!, also a nod to Betty White and the Golden Girls).

    ReplyDelete
  14. NicoleJanuary 21, 2022 at 11:08 AM

    Happy birthday to Alec! That cheesecake looks delicious! Those footprints are weird though. Maybe it was someone wearing those creepy toe shoes? Like toe socks, but shoes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:38 PM

      That was my guess; though I thought those toe shoes were only waterproof and not really warm...but what else could it be? Who walks around barefoot in the snow... for miles?!

      Delete
  15. Tanya January 21, 2022 at 11:14 AM

    All I could think of when I saw the footprints was BIGFOOT...ha, ha! I can't imagine anyone would walk barefoot in the snow. Happy birthday to Alec...looks like a fun celebration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:39 PM

      That's what my son and I were joking about as we kept seeing them!

      Delete
  16. JeanneJanuary 21, 2022 at 11:37 AM

    Happy Birthday to Alec! Enjoy the long rides with your 16 year old, these years pass quickly in retrospect. Your snowy photos remind me of what's missing here - We haven't had much snow yet this year, highly unusual.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Pat @ Mille Fiori FavoritiJanuary 21, 2022 at 12:50 PM

    Happy 16th Birthday to Alec! His strawberry cheesecake looked delicious and topped with strawberry whip cream brought it over the top! My son is also a wonderful cook and actually cooks more than my daughter-in-law as he enjoys it so much, which makes me happy.

    I've heard of a trend toward barefoot hiking--not sure what the benefit of that would be--but walking barefoot in the snow and cold sounds brutal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:40 PM

      Right?! I just kept thinking that would lead to frostbite.

      Delete
  18. Jodie's Touch of StyleJanuary 21, 2022 at 1:36 PM

    That cheesecake?? OMG. I used to make cheesecakes all of the time and still have my Philadelphia cheesecake recipe book. In fact, my husband jokes that it's how I got him to marry me!! I made him cheesecakes and my mom made him pies. Not anymore, haha.
    XOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 4:41 PM

      My husband jokes that my cooking and baking is what got him to marry me too!

      Delete
  19. Women Living Well After 50January 21, 2022 at 1:47 PM

    What lovely birthday celebrations and I want a pair of socks like Alec is wearing - SHHH I'm reading. The cheesecake looks delicious and one I might try. I made a baked ricotta cheesecake for the Festive Season which was a hit in our household. We are in Summer here in Australia but I do love seeing snow scenes. Have a lovely week. #weekendcoffeeshare

    ReplyDelete
  20. iamthewalrusJanuary 21, 2022 at 5:34 PM

    happy birthday. I really enjoyed all your fab photos;

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jo TraceyJanuary 21, 2022 at 5:46 PM

    Loved your wintry images. That cheesecake looks the business. As for the whipped cream maker, I've never heard of such a thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 21, 2022 at 6:52 PM

      Thank you! We got Alec his whipped cream maker for Christmas after reading a review on some other blog. We can't wait to play with it even more.

      Delete
  22. NatalieJanuary 21, 2022 at 6:21 PM

    Happy birthday to Alec. Beautiful cheesecake and great socks! Thank you for linking up with #weekendcoffeeshare.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sunshine and BooksJanuary 21, 2022 at 7:18 PM

    Happy birthday to Alec! It looks like you guys had a great time celebrating! I am always so impressed that you get out there to hike in the freezing cold weather. Way to make the best of it! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 22, 2022 at 6:04 AM

      Thanks! I decided a few years ago that I really needed to try harder to "enjoy" (or endure) the winter and that meant gearing up and getting out in it.

      Delete
  24. MarshaJanuary 21, 2022 at 10:53 PM

    Your son has an amazing talent! I love to get cheesecake for my birthday, too. I've only made a couple of cheesecakes in my entire life! Love your hikes so much!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 22, 2022 at 6:05 AM

      I am a huge cheesecake fan myself but I don't like to make it so it works out perfectly that he enjoys making it.

      Delete
  25. Nancy 's Fashion StyleJanuary 22, 2022 at 2:43 AM

    Happy belated birthday to your son! Bare foot prints? Oh my, someone loves the cold! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 22, 2022 at 6:06 AM

      Thank you! I know-- it was crazy to see those prints. Made me feel doubly cold to imagine walking in my bare feet.

      Delete
  26. NY Foodie FamilyJanuary 23, 2022 at 9:36 AM

    Happy birthday to your son! That cheesecake looks delicious! Hope you had a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Alex (ScribbleandScran)January 23, 2022 at 10:33 AM

    Cheesecake looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  28. LeanneJanuary 23, 2022 at 7:46 PM

    Hi Joanne - look at all that snow! Amazing - and a different view from your balcony too. Happy birthday to Alec and it looks like he made the most of it - loved the cheesecake and strawberry whipped cream too.

    ReplyDelete
  29. RowenaJanuary 24, 2022 at 11:21 AM

    Great to see Alec had a great 16th Birthday. My daughter is having her Sweet 16 in February, which isn't that far away now so I'd better get moving, especially as her brother has his 18th in March. I loved the snow photos. I've live in Sydney and it's supposed to be Summer here, although it's been raining a lot. Very humid. Hope you have a great week!
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    ReplyDelete

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