Celebration of Family – Connor’s birthday

At Nod, we believe your home should be a celebration of family. We'll be featuring our Managing Director, Michelle, at home celebrating her own family with recipes, crafts and décor created by our friend Sweet Paul. 

One of my favorite traditions is the “birthday dinner”.   The birthday boy or girl gets to choose their dish, I prepare it, and we all enjoy a delicious dinner together, followed by cake and the birthday song of course!  This is a tradition from my childhood, which makes it extra special for me.  Plus I love birthdays!

Today is Connor’s birthday, he’s 12!  Happy birthday Connor-Man!  Connor is my most easy going child.  When asked what he wants for his dinner, his response is whatever you want to make Mom.  (My daughter Emily on the other hand, wants steak and frites ala Julia Child for her birthday.)  So, after much prodding, Connor decides on spaghetti and meatballs, delicious.   I prepare dinner, with a little help from Dave (dad) and Everett (the baby) – Dave is the sous chef, Everett is the mixer.  We all sit down together and talk and eat and just enjoy being together.  Later there will be a sleep-over party with rowdy boys, but this evening it’s just the 6 of us – celebrating our favorite birthday boy.

Aside from being the Managing Director of The Land of Nod, mother to four kids (yes… FOUR!) and a gourmet cook, Michelle is a retail junky. From Zara to Marc Jacobs, Target to Nordstrom, she doesn’t discriminate, there’s room in her heart and closet for them all. And the addiction doesn’t stop at fashion, she’s painted her dining room at least 5 times, and changes rugs like most women change their sheets. Retail isn’t therapy for Michelle, it’s more like oxygen.