The Celebrations Begin

Yesterday was my birthday and the local family (minus the kids who were in school and Vanessa who had to work) took me out for lunch. My choice?

Trish's Red Bird Cafe. 

Tucked away in tiny Dayton, a town a few miles outside of Lafayette, everything is homemade and delicious and the service is friendly and fast. Each table gets a free plate of beignets while you wait for your food, and then I received a free slice of homemade key lime pie to celebrate my birthday.

When we got home I had a bit of a food coma and decided to take a birthday nap.

Apparently, everyone else had had the same idea! Not to worry - the birthday girl got them all to make room.

The local family is all coming over for dinner and cake and ice cream on Sunday, but I went ahead and opened the gifts that the non locals had sent. 

Two packages of some much needed Janome bobbins came from Jessie and her family along with a "mystery gift" that she's gone in on with a few of her siblings. (It is on the way but no ETA yet.)

I think Jessie felt a little sheepish about bobbins as a birthday gift, but you absolutely CANNOT sew without them, and I was all out so this was a very big need. Those two packs should be enough as I continue my Feast sewing and then move on to the holidays and Christmas gifts. Heartfelt thanks, Jessie; I will use these every day!

A flat, stiff envelope with "Do Not Bend" stickers plastered all over it arrived from Cole and his family. I figured it was a new family portrait of them all, or maybe just of the girls.

It was a stunning lino print (aka linocut) by artist Sydney Munns. (It's still wrapped in clear plastic, hence the glare.)

After working with hundreds of block print fabrics, I recognized immediately that the painting was block printed, and Cole confirmed that it was a lino print when he called me that evening.

 A few details were added by hand and the artist signed it at the bottom.

Cole explained that he had seen one of her lino prints on Facebook Marketplace and was intrigued so he'd contacted her and asked her about doing a horsey print for me. Turns out she is a horsey girl herself and was happy to do so.

 He's also sending me a frame for it, and then I will hang it in our home, somewhere I can see it often. I really like it.

All the kids and their families called me as did some longtime friends so I spent the rest of the day talking to those I love most and just enjoying the day. (I couldn't use the new phone Craig got me as I hadn't set it up yet, but I will soon!)

Thank you, Craig and all, for making me feel so loved.

And, there is still cake and ice cream to look forward to on Sunday. (True confession, SOMEONE has already gotten into the ice cream. Probably Pepper, right?)

Stay 'tooned!

Newer, Stronger, & Longer

Second Post of the Day

These old clothes racks have held up well, especially when you consider how heavy 18th century clothing can be. (Wool, anyone?)

But their wheels are small so they don't roll very well, and the top racks are tippy and not very sturdy. 

So, with my birthday coming up, I gifted myself with a new clothes rack.

It's much sturdier, with larger wheels, two shelves below instead of one on top, it's taller and can be adjusted to three different heights, the top pole is longer,

and the final selling point was that the ends have pull-out extensions. Just what I need for those bum rolls and Frances Rumps that can take up so much space on the racks!

Who would think that a clothes rack would be so exciting! I must really be an adult now, right? Hah!

Stay 'tooned!

Birthdays, a Balloon Bash, & the January Give Away

First Post of the Day

It's only January 11, but already we have celebrated two family birthdays.

Lisa's birthday is December 30, but due illness in the family, her celebration was postponed a week.

Craig and I were healthy, though, so we took her out for lunch on her birthday.

We went downtown to The Black Sparrow, a local restaurant in one of the historic downtown buildings so it has a lot of ambiance and charm inside. Plus, all the food is made from scratch and is delicious!

We spent the day together watching football (Illinois played in the Music City Bowl and won!) and had gifts and Hershey pie that evening.

The next Sunday was a big day for both Ian and Mila. In our church, twelve year olds are invited to begin serving during meetings, help on service projects, etc. Ian turns twelve this year and so his name was read to the congregation and then he was sustained by everyone present.

Good night, when did this guy become a young man?? And so tall? I predict that by my birthday in August he will be taller than me. (Although at the rate he is growing, it may be well before that.)

It was also a big day for Mila. She was celebrating her birthday that day!

We gathered that evening at her home for dinner and gifts and then just hung out as a family.

Gus is always delighted when there are more people around who are candidates for throwing a ball for him. I have never seen a dog more obsessed with catching and running after balls.

He will bring one to you and plop it in your lap. 

Ignore it! Don't even push it onto the floor or throw "just one"; Gus will consider that an invitation and repeatedly put balls into your lap. (Ask me how I know that.)

If a ball in your lap doesn't get you to play, then Gus will put the ball in a spot where it is more visible. Just in case you hadn't noticed the bajillion balls that had already been plopped into your lap.

Since this was a birthday party, there were balloons. And suddenly this delightful interchange happened between Gus and Lukie.

That dog is actually batting the balloon with his nose - he's not trying to catch it! He's hitting it back to Lukie!

Both Lisa and Mila's birthdays were celebrated that evening and master cook Curt made their favorite dishes. Lisa asked for carnitas. To enter the January Give Away, guess what he made for Mila. Here are some hints:

~ It is her favorite, most requested dish.

~ It is not a main dish. (Although, if you're Mila it would be! LOL)

~ This dish is often found at picnics.

As always, comment on any blog post (starting with this one) posted between now and Tuesday evening, 1/13 at 11:59 PM Eastern. I'll spin to win on either Wednesday or Thursday. If someone does guess correctly, they will get a special prize but you don't have to guess correctly to win.

What's the prize? I'm still choosing something. 

Stay 'tooned!

Jessie's Here, the Short & Sweets are Here, & the Goose is Gone

My four Short and Sweet Stablemates have arrived.

There are two greens, but I've got a friend who is getting my extra and then I bought a red from another friend, so I will have the full set soon.

The blue has a little overspray on its forelock but I'm fine with that. I bought them simply for my own enjoyment.

I really like the Christmas Candy Zebras from 2019 so I am glad to add these minis to my candy-striped collection. 

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I will put these out with other Christmas decorations

and the big Christmas Candy Zebras will join them. 

Can't wait to add that mini red to the line up!

Quick Catch Ups

~ Jessica, Andrew, Cambria, and Titan arrived last night!

Curt's family came over and we celebrated Jessie's birthday together. 

Mila and Lukie played the Happy Birthday piano roll (all ten verses) while we sang to her. Despite having spent the past 24 hours in a car, I think she enjoyed her birthday.

Curt and Vanessa took Titan and Cambria to their home for a cousins sleep over in their basement. Jessie and Andrew are staying here with us.

Lisa was down in Indy during the celebration; she'd volunteered to pick Kyle up at the airport and unfortunately, his flight was delayed. They didn't get back into town until 2:30 this morning! He stayed overnight in her spare bedroom and we will meet up at Church later this morning.

~ Cambria's friend, Tay, has been hospitalized two more times this month and she was just released to go home last night from the most recent stay.

In between those hospital stays, she was able to record a music video with Cambria and the other kids that attend the after-school music academy.

 I can't share the video yet, but this is a screen shot from filming. Cambria and Tay are on the front row.

Any prayers, karma, good thoughts et al are very, very welcome. Tay's home, but she is still very sick.

~ The goose is no longer on the lake. I hope that means it has joined another group or found a new mate. And, for the first time in six days, geese were flying over our home and settling into the lake again. Not sure why there was such an absence. 

Off to Church and then more Thanksgiving gathering fun this afternoon! Stay 'tooned!

Happy Birthday, Jessica!

Second Post of the Day

It's a double bonus day today!  Mountain Mama Jessica and her family are on their way for the Thanksgiving holiday and arrive this evening! 

That's huge in and of itself, but today is also Jessica's birthday!

This girl arrived on Thanksgiving Day, and every couple of years, Thanksgiving falls again on her birthday.

That was the best Thanksgiving Day I ever had. There is nothing better to be thankful for than a newborn baby, especially one as sweet as Jessie is.

Jessie is a dental hygienist and a good one. I know that from personal experience. (I am very, very, VERY touchy about my teeth!)

One of her favorite things in life is the great outdoors.

If there's a place to go hiking and exploring nearby,

she's there, accompanied by Andrew and their kids.

Ice skating with two of her brothers at a family gathering for Thanksgiving a few years ago.

Since she was young, she has been performing in musicals and operas.

Playing Ado Annie in the Champaign (Illinois) Civic Theater's production of Oklahoma. 

She was 17, playing the loose woman, and doing a lot of kissing of men who were in their 30s. Not gonna lie, I held my breath every time I watched those men kiss her! Watch it, boys! Mama Bear is in the house!

Speaking of Mama Bear, performing in musicals together is her family's other hobby.

As Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Shrek the Musical, 2025

Playing the younger (and evil) Miss Trunchbull, Matilda, 2024

Happiest of birthdays, Jessie. I love you and I cannot WAIT for you and your family to arrive this evening. There is a cake and ice cream waiting for you. xoxy

And that concludes the year-long birthday series I have been doing for Craig, our kids, and their spouses. Hope you have enjoyed getting to learn a little about each one in the process.

Happy Birthday, Curt!

 Second Post of the Day

Today is Local Son Curt's birthday. 

He is our fifth child and middle son.  

I cannot imagine our family without his wonderful sense of humor and kind, helpful nature.

He is also the child who got injured the most. Why? Who knows! But the family joke became (and remains), "Never name a child a name that rhymes with 'hurt.'"

He was pretty irrepressible as a child, and I mean that in a good way. He enjoyed finding the fun in anything we were doing.

Dancing with Cole at a family sock hop.

Delivering newspapers with Craig, Kyle, and Cole. (Our family had the neighborhood covered - we did five routes daily for years! It was very much a family project.)

He played soccer from childhood through high school and captained Urbana High School's boys' team while his long time friend, Ella captained the girls'. 

As an adult and parent, Curt coaches soccer. He is an excellent coach and I like to sit on the sidelines and watch, incognito as his mom, and hear the parents talk about his skills and how kind he is as he works with their kids.

Happy Birthday, Crut. (LOL Family joke.*) Not only is our family better off because you are a part of it, but you make a difference in so many ways in this world.  It needs more Cruts Curts in it!

* When Curt was little, he often misspelled his name on schoolwork as "Crut." It was an endearing error and one that still makes me smile and even get a bit teary!