golden birthday celebration with heidi joy

Two short weeks after Christmas we celebrate her birthday. This year seemed extra sneaky, as a few short days before the big day, I realized that it was not just any birthday, but her 'golden' birthday. She turned eight on the eighth! She really is not picky about the type of celebration, as long as there is one ;) We usually pick a theme together, and she trusts me for the rest. This year, as you might guess, we went GOLD.

Golden Birthday Decor

As it turns out, I had decorated our Christmas tree in gold and white this year. (Each year I change it up a little). So rather than removing the ornaments and turning into a 'birthday tree' like usual, we just left it as is. One less thing to do before the party, and who doesn't love twinkle lights on their birthday?!

For the rest of the decor, I simply picked up a few golden balloons at the dollar store, a couple of gold shiny packages of paper plates, napkins, and silverware, and the for rest of the golden decor items, I shopped the house ;) Simple, inexpensive, and efficient.

Golden Birthday Cake

The golden birthday girl always gets to choose what kind of cake we serve, and she picked white cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting (in camouflage liners. This sweet girl wanted to make sure there was something appropriate for the her brothers <3). So, using our favorite gluten free-but -oh-so-yummy-trusty-cake-mix, I whipped these babies up, frosted them like a boss, and she added some glorious golden sprinkles!

(If you're interested in my buttercream frosting recipe, I'll leave it below.)

As far as games go, we kept it pretty simple with a few tried-and-true, old-school winners like pin the nose on the snowman (pin the tail on the donkey), penny slide (literally sliding a penny down a yard stick into a jar), and some sledding. The kiddos had fun just being together, but the hot chocolate station sure helped.

It just so happened that she received eight gifts on this golden birthday of hers. I could not haven planned that one better if I'd tried!!! (My semi-OCD party spirit was overjoyed about that happy accident. But I totally recommend planning that ;)

Some of her favorites were this terrarium kit, a gemstone dig, board game, and of course the gold fingernail polish. She was busy for days. Her sweet friends know her well.

And that chocolate buttercream frosting recipe:

1 Cup nondairy butter (we use this one)

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (my fave)

1/2 Cup organic cocoa powder

1 lb organic powdered sugar

Thoroughly blend butter and vanilla
Add in cocoa powder and mix until smooth
Add powdered sugar (little bits at a time) until all is mixed. If it looks too thick, add a touch of water or milk until your desired consistency. I like to test it by seeing if my spoon can stand up alone in the center of the bowl.
Makes enough for about 18 cupcakes

After creating boy birthdays for years for her big brothers, ending this party with a little free play in the way of princess dress-up / dance party (thanks again Greatest Showman soundtrack) totally threw me for a loop, but I was happy to sit back and watch the girls let loose by this point. (Treasured moments like these always show up in my Instagram stories 😉)

It doesn't take much to make them feel special. Just a little forethought, a good theme, and some yummy cake. If you ask her, it was "the best day ever!" I think we're golden. ;)