These are some of the things I like to do when we have the family down. Cover the outdoor tables with quilts, or unfinished quilt tops. (If you don't sew, unfinished quilt tops can be picked up inexpensively; use them for a tablecloth in the summer at your party, and later, you can have them finished as quilts/comforters to give at Christmas.) I use wildflowers or whatever is blooming in the yard for informal arrangements in mason jars, and galvanized washtubs with ice to hold drinks, also fruits like apples for snacks, or watermelon. Bushel baskets are also good to have on hand; put pots of blooimg flowers in them for decor, or set one on the table to corral packages of buns. As far as entertainment, I've found that if the kids are amused, the adults will have a wonderful time as well, even if they don't get out and engage in the planned activities. Goat races sound like fun! Have plenty of helpers; someone can hold them at the starting gate and someone to make sure they get caught at the finish line. have some neutral area set aside for the races; you don't want any of the contestents bolting and taking out the buffet. VBG We raise dairy goats and sheep, and for the most part, either one in the yard is a huge No No. I've found it takes about 60 seconds for a goat or sheep get away from someone, rush over and strip all the flowers off some prized shrub (ACK!!), not to mention that some ornamental plants might be poisonious. I have a bowl of apple, orange, and banana peels handy for people to feed them over the fence as a treat, which people thinkis interesting. If we have any bottle babies, they can come in the yard briefly to amuse small children, but once they've eaten, been duly petted and admired, and maybe had their picture made with the guests, they go back out where they can stay out of trouble. If you raise chickens, I've found that children are fascinated by collecting eggs. Have extra egg cartons on hand so they can take "their" eggs home, and, if you expect very many kids, you might want to have extra eggs that you can sneak out to the hen house so everyone can "find" at least a half dozen. You might find that some of the older guests will want to tag along, just because it reminds them of when they were young and had to collect eggs as part of their daily chores. (have extra eggs for them too) You could have egg relay races; divide everyone into teams and give each one a spoon. Each team gets one raw egg they are supposed to hand carry in the spoon to destination X, then turn around and take back to the team, successfully hand off to the next person. Have extra eggs available for this too, as it would be a shame for one team to have to drop out if they break an egg. ;^) We have a pond, so one or two of the adults usually volunteers to take the kids fishing. Perfect for creating those Happy Family Memories, even if they don't catch anything. If you don't have fish, give them clean plastic peanut butter jars and let them look for frogs and tadpoles. (to be released back into the pond) and if you don't have a pond at all, send them out to hunt grasshoppers. (to be disposed of at the chicken house) Even a plain old nature walk is a neat idea; make your "trail" wander in and out of as many different kinds of terrain as you have; woods, field, around the pond, through the goat pen, explore the barn. The point is, it's all a different world from what most people know. Homemade ice cream to go with the birthday cake. The anticipation is the best part, especially if it's a hand cranked and all the kids can take a turn at "cooking". Oh, and don't forget to set aside an area for photos with the most picturesque, unobstructed view on your place. Remember, most people can get a photo of themselves standing next to a house or garage at home; you have wide open spaces for a background. Set a bench with a couple of baskets of flowers around that. Make sure there isn't distracting with telephone poles, overhead wires, or branches close enough to look like they're growing out of someone's head in thepicture. If you have a really nice barn, set people up far enough in front that you can see the barn in the background off to one side, without giving them the "mug shot" look of being posed against a blank wall. If possible, keep it not too far from where the pony or goats will be, as some people might one or both in the picture. Throughout the day, get each family group together to pose for a picture. (Also a nice gift later) Hope these give you some ideas, good luck with the party. :^)

I never "got" the point of spending money on gag gifts... I always try to get people something they can use or something they like or something they can *do*. Take photos & put in a scrapbook. Get photos from his family & make a scrapbook. If he reads, get a nice reading lamp with a fluorescent or soft white bulb & maybe a magnifier, like the lamps cross-stitchers use. big can (do we still call them cans now that they're plastic?) of his favorite coffee. renew his fishing license for him. subscription to National Geographic or other magazine. Give him a squeeze from his Kitchen Table nieces!

I gave myself a party for my 40th. The guests were given suggested comments, such as "My God, I thought you were 22!" Most of the gift were gags, and we had loads of fun. My friends gave me a surprise party for my 50th. My dad had just died that month, and I wasn't expecting any sort of celebration. But it was a great party. We all sang around the piano, and had a happy time. For my 60th, a friend threw me a jazz party with musicians, including a fabulous singer. Never had anyone sung "Happy Birthday" to me in quite that way! For my 70th last year, my kids gave me a surprise cocktail party at an old mansion. Somehow none of my friends leaked it, and once again I was completely surprised. They even brought in my BFF from Wisconsin. The evening was emotional and elegant, and I'll never forget it. I have so many wonderful memories of these events--for me, better than any "thing" I could have been given.

My cousin really went overboard LOL. Friday night he hosted a private dinner party at a restaurant for close friends and family; then on Saturday afternoon he had a large event in a local park, with several tents, music, food, drink, and invited a few of his favorite causes (Sierra Club for one) to set up booths. Me? I celebrated by training for and completing a half-marathon (not on my birthday, but that month) then had all the cake and ice cream I wanted!