Catch-up and Musta-Heard

I know. Corny title,  but what do you expect from me ?

It's been so long since I wrote a bona fide blog post, I've almost forgotten how. Sometimes I get so far behind in blogging about life around here, that I think, "Why bother? Some of that was so last month." Or the month before that.  My 50th birthday, for instance. I'm gonna say it's a current event till I'm 51.

The whole month of August I kind of celebrated and got spoiled rotten.  First by a gift card to a favorite store (which I mentioned once already) from a dear bloggy friend.  (Hi, Sally!) Love me a shopping trip to look forward to!


Steve hosted at their house the Sunday before my actual birthday;  they had a crab feast waiting for me! I didn't get pictures of that, though; by the time I thought of it, I was elbow-deep in Old Bay and juicy corn. My parents and sister and niece came later for dessert; they don't eat meat.  It was a beautiful August night, neither muggy nor buggy. A cool breeze and a table surrounded by my loves and a chair with a big "50" balloon tied to it." I felt pretty darn special.

We took the party inside for dessert.

     So much for decent lighting, but we did the best we could.

I had chosen cheesecake, so Sarah bought a sampler .  Chocolate raspberry for me--yum!

And another special evening my lovely daughter treated me to a lavish fondue dinner at The Melting Pot.   Can you say "loved.every.bite"? Filet mignon, tender chicken, tuna, vegetables, bread cubes--all delicious and all skewered and "fondued".  Sarah had asked me weeks in advance how I wanted to spend my birthday with her; she gave me choices, and I chose this one. The Melting Pot was a first for me, and she used a Groupon (she's the queen of frugality, but also is generous--an excellent combination, don't you think?). We went out the Saturday before my big day.

I just kept feeling like I wanted the evening to last forever. It's such a rarity to spend a
leisurely three hours with a grown-up daughter when she lives in another county .And now in another state.

Our flirtatious waiter snapped a couple pictures at my request.  He asked, "Besties?" And I said, "Yes! This is my daughter." He asked, "Whaaaat? You don't look old enough to be her mother."  Yeah, sucker .You want a big tip, don't you. Well, you're gonna get one if you keep those comments coming. Because I'm tipping. 

My daughter hates those same comments because she says , "See! Another person thinks we're about the same age, which means I must look OLD!"

I did get to spend my actual birthday with her on her very last day in Maryland. She was leaving for Florida that evening and had a lot of last-minute errands to run. So I ran them with her. 

The last stop was at my oldest son's house. The girls were all excited because they were going down to Florida for the few days  together. They truly love each other like sisters. 

I also got a big special lot of fat quarters (fabrics that measure 18x22 or so) from an online quilting forum I'm on. We have this birthday swap that is so much fun. I requested bright prints or black and white.


And flowers from a son and daughter-in-law, because it's just not a special occasion for me without some flowers. I have kind of made that known.

As evidenced by yet a second go-around of flowers. These are (were) the houseplants in an arrangement sent by my older sister. I didn't say I was good at keeping flowers alive, so I won't show what they look like now. 

The morning after my birthday, I found

my balloons like this in the kitchen. 

My mind feels like the Happy Birthday one, 

but my body feels like the other.

I was once a baby, right? Then I blinked and was 30-something like my

sister. Blinked again and I'm 50. 

I should just stop blinking .

Unfortunately, my parents left the party before I could get posed pictures with them. I was so upset about that. They weren't feeling well, but I didn't know that, and while we were taking pictures of the younger generation in the kitchen, my mom and dad slipped out. I failed to say. "We are going to take pictures of everyone in groups in the kitchen where the lighting is good." Oh well.  I tried not to let it ruin my birthday. You know, tried not to be a baby about it.  So I'll choose to remember that 99% of my birthday celebration was wonderful. And I will forever wish I had photos of my parents on that day.

I got this blurry one of my dad. I thought he looked happy.  I'm not sure why my son looked so stiff. He's normally pretty relaxed .All six and a half feet of him tend to sprawl on a couch.

Truly, I am one very blessed woman and have been for 50 years. In the next phase of my life, I am eagerly anticipating grandchildren. As of yet, no one has announced a pregnancy, but I pray and I wait patiently. In the meantime, I love on the littles and the not-so-littles in my everyday life, and pray for them all wherever they roam.