I am obsessed with my daughter: meet George, my miniature dachshund.  Greg and I are pretty pathetic in our love for her!  George recently turned ten and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her and her German heritage than with an Oktoberfest themed birthday party (with sausages, of course!).  Greg turned our backyard into a German beer garden with blue & white Oktoberfest pennant flags and a long beer hall table, scattered with beer coasters and white pumpkins.  While I don’t normally rush to big party stores for my decorations, for this theme, a little kitsch felt appropriate.  Greg’s other major contribution was a festive playlist that took me right back to my debaucherous weekend in Munich: e.g. Hey! Baby, 80s power ballads & Fliegerlied (I may or may not have been dancing on the table by the end of the night, possibly due to a few too many Oktoberfest brews!).  Amy further set the tone by making thematic signs and food cards; she also created a craft station for the kids, complete with George coloring books and dachshund stickers.  Though I’m not usually a costume person, I really wanted to dress as a beer maid!  However, all of the options out there were creepy, sexy versions (what’s with all of the slutty costumes?!!).  Instead I focused on the food with a classic Oktoberfest menu: sausages, pretzels, mustards and more.  For George’s birthday dessert, I made Ina Garten’s outrageous brownies with her German chocolate cupcake frosting: a winning combo.  I got a lot of flak for my ‘please no dog policy’ but the day was really all about George and she’s a people dog!