Husband Turning 40 Want to Make Is Special

Can you dig up something from his past that he is proud of, dust it off and have it framed? Something he is proud of accomplishing in his 1st 40.
Or maybe something big on his bucket list - Frame a picture of yellowstone or whatever and give it to him as an act of solidarity that we are going to make this happen.

Yourself in a bow later that night??? ;)

Is he looking forward to something? Jumping out of an airplane, horseback riding, a fishing trip, see a favorite band on tour, ice skating, flying a friend/relative down he hasn't seen in a while and misses... anything at all you can surprise him with a really neat event?

I think if you put your time & energy into the meal, the wine, etc...maybe a nice cake (a grown up cake--almond torte?) he will appreciate that since he's a foodie!
For my husband's 50th I had a party at the house with all of his friends, relatives, etc. He didn't "want" a party but he ended up LOVING it. So glad I insisted!

Every time you go out to Walmart or something like that and swipe your card, take an extra $10 or so out as cash back. Then you can pay cash for an item and he won't see it show up. (Unless he reconciles the receipts with the Quicken...then he'll see you're taking cash out.

Beyond that, I have no idea. Since loves food, wine and family, maybe you could go to Micheal's or Hobby Lobby and get some wine glasses and glass etch. You'll also need contact paper, a paint brush and a little razor/scalpel. You make a stencil out of the contact paper, put it on the wine glasses and paint on the glass etch. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes. (I can't remember what the glass etch bottle says for length of time.) Then rinse off with water. Viola! You have custom made wine glasses. ??

I'm not sure if you're already set on having a gathering at your house? My husband just turned 40 last month. I told him that 5 couples were meeting at our house and then we were going out to dinner. (I told him that much b/c I didn't want him to think I was planning some big surprise party, and then be disappointed with the actual plan) So our friends came over and we all were having our pre-party drink. My husband kept saying he wanted to arrange a cab or a car service so no one would have to drive. Two of my girlfriends kept insisting that it was no big deal, they'd drive. About 30 minutes later the limo pulled up!! He was so surprised and excited - it was worth every penny. The limo took us to dinner and then to a different venue for karaoke. It was expensive, but we all felt so pampered and special. It was a really fun night.

My hubby just had a bday. I made sure he got some time alone to do whatever he wanted to do..or do nothing at all...but in peace and quiet. I made his favorite meals that weekend and every night we made love. He loves soccer so we got him an Adidas warm up suit. Your hubby loves wine and food so I think if you provide his favorites then he will be a happy camper. Maybe make him a card with "40 reasons I love you" and have the kids make their own also. He will treasure those for years to come!!

My hubby loved his bday and it was not full of presents and didn't take a ton of time to prepare.

I vote for your idea to make his favorite dinner and serve on china..and then let YOU be the dessert...maybe add some whipped cream too!!

Good luck and best wishes at celebrating a fabulous 40!!

as a surprise, I invited friends and family to his favorite restaurant, including his parents who had to fly in. i found his favorite cake from childhood. we spent 3 hours as a large group, eating great food, having ice cream cake, and just had a blast. it was a great way to turn 40!

if you are doing it at home, get him out of the house on a fake errand, maybe a golf trip or something. decorate up with a tablecloth and candles and china. make it a very adult party that he can really enjoy. serve his fave foods. he'll love you forever!

Does he have any hobbies? I took my husband for a golf weekend on his 40th. He didn't know what we were doing. He knew we were going out of town, but didn't know if it was overnight or just out to dinner. I packed his bags (suitcase and golf bag/shoes) while he was at work. Everything was loaded and ready to go when he got home from work. His best friend (and wife) were also driving up there (3 hours away) and renting a cabin at the same resort. We had our 2 kids, they had 2 of their grandkids, and hubby didn't know. He was thrilled with the cabin, but didn't know our friends were joining us and that he would be golfing. After we settled into our cabin, and went and picked up a birthday cake (nothing fancy), came back to our cabin, and there was a knock at the door....
SURPRISE! They came in and joined us for cake. The kiddos all watched a movie in the back bedroom (like a sleepover party for them!), and we adults had beer/wine and played cards. The next morning, the two guys played a great round of golf, me and my friend took all the kids to the beach and collected starfish, stopped at the resort diner and had old fashioned malts/milkshakes, and we met back up with the guys in the afternoon. Got cleaned up and went out to dinner together.
It was a lot of fun for all of us, but my husband still (over 3 years later) says it was the best birthday ever. He was so surprised.
:)

Get his favorite wine

decorate w/little white lights

frame a picture of you both from when you were younger (like a favorite
fun party picture or something)

make a list of 40 reason why he's special to you and why you love him

hide presents at the neighbors house that you trust or a friend's house, a
relative's house etc. (keep inexpensive ones in your trunk if won't look
there.)

A happy birthday sign out front

A CD of his favorite songs that you put toghether

A party w/some of his friends. You can hold it at a restaurant bar so it can be low-key and casual for an hour or two.

If you live in the town where he grew up in, go around w/a digital camera and take pictures of all of his old haunts: the house he grew up in, his high school, grade school, place hhe used to "hang out" etc.

tickets to his favorite sporting event

Have a customized wine label made & put it on his favorite wine.

Something engraved for his desk.
Have fun!