🦋THE GIFT🐆
So it was Gina’s 38th birthday on July 5th…Victor and I drove from Massachusettes to Virginia all day on the 4th of July!!! We got there just in time to help tuck the boys in and watch the Clarke County fireworks from their back porch…a great surprise perk that came with their new house!!
This is the gift we gave Gina for her birthday…
Parker and Aaden helping her to open it…
I usually give her an outfit…she’s the only girl I have to dress up👛👗👠 So here is a butterfly print sleeveless top with a ruffle around the bottom, Nantucket red chinos, gold-tone necklace with red beads, Tom’s leopard canvas shoes, and a leopard dog leash (a hint of what’s to come in August
So, I chose this top for Gina because it has butterflies on it, she teaches yoga, loves animals and nature, so I thought the butterflies would be appropriate for her… While I was taking the photo of Gina below, Victor came running in the house all excited to show us the picture he had taken of this butterfly!! I happen to think it was syncronistic…perhaps Victor’s sister Rita or his mother, who both adored Gina, reaching from Beyond to wish her a Happy Birthday, in the form of a butterfly gift😇
Gina posing in front of her front door, with her new outfit on…Yes, she loves leopard…
Even her stairs are carpeted with leopard🐆
AFTERNOON CELEBRATION🍷
Gina wanted to spend her birthday afternoon at a vineyard…I know from this vista you probably think we flew to California or even Italy!! But actually, we were at Bluemont Vineyard, Bluemont, Virginia! (click here for info) My drink was amazing, so refreshing, strawberry basil sangria!!
Here is Victor, looking a little like the Godfather, with a Margarita pizza and a meat-lovers pizza, paired with the Vineyard’s Farm Table Red, all so very delicious!!
Even Aaden and Parker had a great time…very kid friendly!!
Victor and Gina enjoying their pizza…yum!!!
Such a wonderful way to spend a birthday afternoon🍇
THE CAKE🎂
Gina always makes the cakes for family birthdays, including her own!! Whoever is having a birthday will choose their 2 favorite ice cream flavors for their cake… She chose chocolate and salted caramel!!!😋 She also makes the ice cream and whipped cream from scratch with whole ingredients…but you could use store-bought ingredients, then this recipe will be so simple, it just takes time to freeze between layers.
She starts a couple of days before…she had some good little helpers… Left, soften 2 quarts of ice cream and spread on bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Top right…sprinkle 24 crushed Oreo cookies on top of ice cream, then freeze for no less than 2 hours, next spread 2nd layer of ice cream over crushed Oreos and then freeze. Bottom right…frost cake with whipped cream and freeze for a little longer before decorating it.
I frosted and decorated with my little helper…I used wildflowers that I picked from our walk around Gina and Tom’s property and placed them around the bottom of the cake, the top flower is a candle!!
EVENING FAMILY CELEBRATION
Singing happy birthday to Gina!!!
The view from Gina’s front porch, the end of a perfect day🙏🏽
Visions of My 70s 
What a perfect day! Happy Birthday to Gina!
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Yes, we had such a fun day!! Thank you Norine, hope you and your family had a good 4th❤️
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Happy birthday Gina !!!
Denise
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Thank you Denise, I’ll tell her❤️
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Looks like a perfect July 4th and birthday celebration!
Happy Happy birthday to Gina!
Remembering many happy birthday celebrations for you on the Cape.
Hope to connect in August.
Love to all, Claire
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Thank you Claire!! The 4th was spent driving, but we enjoy that!! Yes wonderful memories, and making more❤️ Hope we can connect before August😉
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So awesome! I can see both you and Victor in Gina, and she is as creative and talented as her mom! Looks like y’all had a great time and Gina enjoyed her birthday! Such a lovely and happy family! I do enjoy your blog💕
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Thank you Nancy!!! People often say she looks like me❤️ We always have fun when we visit them, I always tell Gina, it’s magic:)
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I love the recipe for the ice cream cake
Thank you Gina
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I know, right? Can I tell you how delicious that was, especially the salted caramel ice cream❤️ I’ve decided that’s what I’m having for my birthday cake but I’m having her put in heath bar chunks 😋
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What a beautiful story, Carol, from start to finish. So much joy to read.
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Thank you Cathy, I love to hear that people are enjoying my blog❤️ That vineyard was so beautiful, we truly felt like we were in Italy!!
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Wow Carolyn! Everything from the gift, the winery and the ice cream cake sounds like the makings of a perfect birthday. You are all very fortunate to have each other. I’m glad you had a wonderful time and were able to celebrate Gina’s birthday with her.
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Yes, it was such a fun day and little getaway for us!! As you know, there is nothing like spending time with our children and grandchildren🙏 Thank you for your kind comments Regina, hope you are enjoying the summer with your cute little granddaughter❤️
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What a lovely way to celebrate! I love the outfit!!
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Yes, my daughter always comes up with fun things to do!! I thought of you when the butterfly appeared at the same time as taking photos of that outfit, your posts of “When Fashion and Nature Collide” https://lismorepaper.com, how amazing was that⁉️
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Late Happy Birthday to Gina! She looks lovely in that outfit! And you are such a good stylist!!!!
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Thank you Ilze!! I love buying clothes for my daughter, no matter how old she is😉
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