The Birthday Dessert

was unexpected also.
when i asked the birthday girl what she wanted for her birthday dinner she asked for leanna's strawberry spinach salad.
i was surprised!
then when she said she wanted the strawberry trifle and the fruit pizza we had seen in the family fun magazine
i was even more surprised.
i ended up using sharyn's recipe for the fruit pizza
and it was a hit!

i even got to set the table with the fancy nancy plates and cups that didn't get used...

her biggest thrill was her present. she was sure that she knew what it was and couldn't wait to open it!

can you see her cute face in the background?
pure delight!!!

it was a great birthday! now we are off to sew!!!

Chuck E Cheese

was NOT my theme choice for this years birthday!
as a matter of fact, i had a fancy nancy parfait paty all planned when my little princess
decided that she wanted to go to chuck e cheese.

for those of you who know me or have followed my blog for awhile,
you are probably laughing because you know how much it killed me to agree.
but agree, i did... (very relunctantly)

every child should have at least one birthday with the big rat, right?

she did and she LOVED it!!!
and even victoria said it was the best day EVER...
(sorry leanna!)

(l to r: tyler, victoria, tate, mlp, rat, jocelyn, bella)

here's a group shot.
do you see that big ol' medal around her neck?
that's why she wanted to have the party, so she could get the medal!

and even though this was the table and there wasn't anything handmade or homemade about it,
the girls had a GREAT time and i didn't have to do a thing!
i didn't even get to make cute cupcakes.

nope, she wanted the white chuck e. cheese cake...

when the party was over, she said to me,

"see mommy, i told you it would be great!"

your right punkin, it was great!

great to see you beaming!

LOVE,

mommy

Happy Birthday Punkin!!!

your SIX!!!

(one years old-daddy painted your face around halloween time)

(two years old - a typical stay-at-home summer outfit.

this was the year of swimsuits and everything princess!)

(three years old - such a fashionista! if you can believe it, this was you ready to go shopping with me.

yes, i let you out of the house like this)

(four years old - you still love glitter and sparkle, but you are having a better time at putting your outfits together.)

(five years old - your fairy party was the perfect party for you. you loved to dress up in your sister's old dance costumes, put makeup on and dance!)

and at the age of six, you are still as girly and fashionable as EVER! you dress yourself 90% of the time and i love your individuality. you are a fantastic artist with a wonderful imagination! you love your baby brother and argue with bub constantly! you are strong minded and determined. you are sensitive and kind, loving and thoughtful. you love to bake, cook and make up your own recipes. you are content to sit in my sewing room with me and create. your favorite colors are aqua and pink. you learned to ride a quad and a motorcycle this year and can't wait to go camping! you aren't looking forward to sissy going off to college, but you are looking forward to having your own room and you are so excited that mommy is having a baby. you are a joy and a blessing! i pray that you will always be strong in spirit and true to the person the Lord intended you to be.

we love you and enjoy watching you grow, even though it's going by WAY to fast!!!

love mommy!

Meet Oliver

you'd think i was building an arc by the way all these animals

are finding their way into my home.
we now have two dogs and two cats...

wednesday night, while sissy was in the church parking lot, she heard a meow.
next thing you know, i'm at vons at 9:40 pm buying flea shampoo.
we spent an hour bathing this poor thing and ridding it's little body of a jillion fleas. ugh!
nancy is adjusting to a new kitty in the house. she's found a new place to hide.

on the shelf of my hoosier!!!

Lemonade stands

have always been a favorite of mine!

every time i see kids out selling lemonade, i stop. the excitement on their faces is always worth the bit of change. they are adorable!

kimba over at a soft place to land has a great post on having your own lemonade stand and it's a great opportunity to show off my friend carrie's stinkin' cute girls and their super cute lemonade stand that was a neighborhood hit!

ENJOY!

The Pocket Knife

bob has always carried a pocket knife.
he uses it to do everything from shortening straws to extracting splinters.
the pocket knife is a staple.

(a random conversation with the little princess.)

TLP - "Mom, when I grow up and be a mom will I have to carry a pocket knife?"
Me - "Punkin, when you grow up, you should only marry a man who carries a pocket knife."
TLP - "Why"
Me - "Because if a man carries a pocket knife then he'll probably be a very handy man, just like your daddy."
TLP - " Oh, yeah and if he doesn't, I'll buy him one for Father's Day!"
Me - {laughing} "That would be a good idea!"

the things that run through the minds of children always amaze me. i treasure these conversations and to be safe, i think we'll get her a pink swiss army knife when gets a bit older. you know, just in case her husband doesn't carry a pocket knife like the men in her life.

It's My Life

welcome back!

hope your week is been off to a great start!
here are this week's family history questions.

1. Can you remember what you daydreamed about as you looked out of your bedroom window? I don't remember daydreaming but I do remember the scary tree limb that took the form of a dangling leg in the dark. It scared me almost every night even though I knew what it was. I thought that if I kept my entire body covered head to toe the 'scary monsters' wouldn't be able to get me.

2. What was your parents' room like? The beds, the bedspreads, the easy chairs? Did you spend much time in there with them? Were you allowed to rest in their beds when you were sick? I don't remember how my mom & dad's room was decorated. They had their bed facing a sun room that was my mom's sewing room that led to the back yard. There was a tv on the dresser next to the bed and I remember watching the Wizard of Oz with my mom. When I was sick I would lay on the couch in the living room, watch tv and eat ice cream. as a child my mom would rub my forehead with a cool cloth.

3. Was there music in your house? Do you remember it being a quiet house or one filled with noise? When I was older and my mom ws married to Tom, I remember jazz music always playing. That's what I think of when I think of home. It was quiet. Just me and my sister. I enjoyed going to 'Bob's' house because there was always a bunch of people there and a lot going on.

4. Was there any place in your house that scared you? The basement? The attic? Or anyplace where you felt cozy, like halfway down the stairs? I don't remember anything scary except for the tree limb. I always found the couch in the family room to be my favorite spot. Usually with an afghan and a dog on my lap.

have a fabulous day!

I wasn't planning

on posting this for another couple weeks,
but given the obvious (if you were to see me...)
there is no sense in waiting.

so...for those of you who wanted to ask,
but were to polite to do so,

the answer is yes

have a blessed day!

Have I Gone Crazy? (2nd try)

is what loisann and roma asked when they found out i agreed to design a quilt using this halloween panel.
it's not really me, you see, and they just couldn't believe it.
but alas, yes.
yes, ladies...i did offer to design a quilt using this panel.
you know how i just LOVE halloween?
i thought it would look super cute on the bunkbeds. you know with matching pilowcases...

so after many hours, i came up with this.
perfect for the bunkbed!

and you know what?
it's a hit at the quilt shop, so there you go...
who would'a thought...

It's My Life

once again it's tuesday and it's time for some family history.

as we start a new month we'll work on a new section. this month we'll focus on the house of your growing up.

this week's questions are as follows...

1. What did your home look like? Was is a house or an apartment? What color was it? Was it one story or two? As a child i lived in a house. i'm not sure, but i think it was a beige color. it was a single story 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. as a teenager (the home i remember as my house) was a single story stucco home also. it was 3 bedrooms and 2 baths also.

2. What was your neighborhood like? the neighborhood i grew up in as a child was wonderful! we had many freinds and often played until the street lights came on. we would often play ding dong ditch, hide and seek and many other games. at christmas time, all the neighbor kids put on The Nativity. the mom's were all friends and would get together and do macrame and other crafts. it was a wonderful place all year long. as a teen the neighborhood was far different. it was a rural area with few neighbors. we were only really close to the neighbors right next door.

3. Did you have a lawn? Did you have flower beds? Did you have a garden? Did you help care for the flowers or garden? in my childhood home, i don't remember many flower beds and we didn't have a garden. i do remember well the olive tree in the front yard and the many avocado trees in the back yard. to raise money for christmas presents, we would pick and sell the avocados. we would load up our wagon and walk and walk to many neighborhoods to sell them. in contrast, my home as a teen had many flowers, beautiful trees and a garden. my mom took care of the flowers and the closet i got to helping with the garden was to bring the dinner left-overs to the compost pile.

4. Did you have a front stoop or porch? a front stoop on both. i've always wanted a front porch.

don't forget to sign up with mr linky so we can get to know more about you and have a great week!

Wishing

you all a safe and happy

fourth of july!

A Fabulous Find

a friend of mine found this and i just have to share it with you!

deb at homespun living converted an old table into an ironing table.

how cute is that!!! she's got a great blog and wonderful ideas.

enjoy!

Is your house dressed

for the 4th???
are you lacking inspiration???
go here for great ideas, decorating ideas, and recipes.

(photos compliments of country living)

Good Kitty, Bad Kitty...

it's a good thing auntie ineke is taking the bird to texas with her.