My Party

I want to thank all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday! Your sweet comments meant so much to me!

I walked into the restaurant where the celebration dinner was being held and was greeted by this LARGE 60 decorated with pictures of my life.
 Go ahead click on it and get some laughs. You know..big hair, short hair,etc. lol

It was Ceekay's idea and she did much of the planning and came up with the theme. My sweet daughter Sarah did the foot work till her sister Andrea and Ceekay got into town to help with final touches and decorating They did a great job and I love and appreciate them so much! Sarah did all the beautiful floral arrangements on the tables!

 Ceekay came up with the idea to get a 1951 birthday booklet from Cracker Barrel and use the pages out of it for the placemats. The girls got candy and toys out of that time period for favors and to lay on the table for decorations. It all was so nicely done! See my high school picture in the circle of the 60. The invitations had the same pic on them.

I can't thank my hubby enough for making it a very special evening and for footing the bill! lol

Some of the girls in my family. (from L to R)
Myself, Ceekay, my daughter Sarah, my daughter Andrea (who came from CA), my niece Aimee, my sister Barb, & my niece Jeni who all flew in from MI.

I went to the airport three times to get them all. They all came on different days and at different times. lol My poor nieces were so delayed in Detroit for about 5 hours and got in at 2 a.m.

It was sooo worth it! We had a blast and made very special memories! We laughed so hard we cried! My hubby got embarrassed at one restaurant! lol Of course, he was way out numbered these last 3 wks.

My sweet girls singing at the party. (They both have sung professionally.) God has given them beautiful voices. They have sung accross the country and in Korea while in college. They both have sung in community chorales with their symphonies.
Some of my guests requested that they sing. They didn't plan it but we all enjoyed it and appreciated them doing it!

All my beautiful guests!

I had two incredible birthday cakes!

A chocolate mocha with coconut and chocolate icing on top. YUM!

Also a pink lemonade! A little something for everyone! lol They were so moist! ( We have an amazing bakery in the area that is very popular!)

Spending a little one on one with Andrea. I miss her and wish she wasn't so far away. She and her Pastor husband are planting a church in CA. Her hubby and my two sweet grandgirls couldn't make the trip.

Sweet Sarah and her hubby.

My sweet sister and nieces.

Ceekay all the way from AZ. She stayed for another week after the others left and she flew out this morning! We had a great time!

I received some beautiful presents but none as precious as my family that came to celebrate with me.!

I've missed all of you and hope to get around to visit you in the next couple of days. I have lots more pics of things we did to share with you and a little project that got done just in the nick of time to accommodate all the company!  Here's a sneak preview!

See ya soon!

Guest Post from Ceekay!

Hi everyone from Chilly!! South Carolina! Ro and I have been non-stop for one week with one week to go! I flew in last Wednesday, her wonderful 60th birthday party was Friday. We had such a fantastic time with Ro's sister, 2 daughters, and 2 nieces. We have laughed and talked and shopped....Charming Charlies probably won't be the same!!

Some of you bloggers think that Ro and I are sisters. We are not....but we are sisters in Christ and have been best friends for 37+ years.
It is so funny, we go shopping, go to different areas, meet up, and we have the same items in our hands!

I had an interesting health issue while I was here...so if you are interested check over at My Journey with Teal blog!

We both miss our blogging....I have TONS of pictures to share. I don't know, but I think South Carolina's clocks move faster. Before we know it the day is over. So don't forget about us girls here.....we will be back soon.

Ceekay

Annual Decorating Class

Last night was my annual Decorating Class that I teach for ladies in our church. I always have a little pumpkin for them to take home, as well as many pages of notes.

The little piece of paper says:

Being a Chrisitian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes
you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and
scoops out the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. The He
carves you anew smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for the whole world to see.


We used pretty Fall paper goods.


I made mint tea with mint from my garden.

Hot cider is a must at this time of year. Flavored with the Wassail pkg. seen on the left. Sooo good!

I make Pumpkin Cobbler every year and it's always a big hit! I'll have to share the recipe sometime. It's soooo easy!

Everything in the kitchen...set for the event. The Keurig turned on with a variety of drinks to choose from.

Then it was time to teach. I use a slide presentation for part of the lesson.

Chairs are everywhere. It just started to rain and became a bit dark. I should have used a flash.

And, of course, the lovely ladies and their mentors.

After a large crowd, it's always nice to clean up and have things back to normal again.

There..... Much better!

It will be nice & tidy for a few days, at least. Then Ceekay, my sister, two nieces, and my two daughters will be flying in next week. What a fun week that will be. All seven of us together! Can't wait for you to get here, girls! Party time for us ! lol Lots of shopping, eating, laughing and Ceekay will do the crying, I'm sure. She is soooo sentimental! We love her though!

What have you been up to this week?

Thanks for stopping by...tilll next time!

Fall Foyer

The foyer is the first thing people see when entering our home. I added a few Fall touches to welcome them.
This is the front door shooting from our family room. When you enter you see the front staircase and dining room is to the left.

I've had these metal pumpkins from Kirkland for several years. They have been in different rooms and even outside on the porch. They will probably get painted at some point because they are showing signs of age. Hey, that's exactly what I have to do every morning with makeup, as I age . lol

Hubby said the pumpkins were too plain in and of themselves and that I needed to add color or something.

So out came the picks. Much better!

A floral basket sits at the top of the landing.

My pumpkin tree is at the top on the cat walk.

A night shot coming down the cat walk.

Shooting down from upstairs you see this table and mirror behind the front door.

A pumpkin display is on the floor.

Wall art is above the door! I did this a couple of years ago. It was an easy project.

Looking way up at the chandy.

This is the other side of the foyer leading up the stairs.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and that you have a fun filled, safe weekend!

Till next time!

Joining kristens @ Share Your Creations!

Broccoli Soup

Several ladies that visit my blog has asked for this soup recipe and I finally got around to taking a few pics and thought I'd share it with you!
It tastes heavenly, especially on a cool Fall evening!


Start with boiling broccoli and chicken bouillon cubes.  ( Recipe is at the end of post.)
The brown color you see is the bouillon cubes dissolving.

Velveeta Cheese cubed.

Half & Half and whole milk.

Flour mixed with milk.

Add to the cooking pot.

Cook on low till thickened.

Warm some French or Sourdough bread and ENJOY!

Soooo Yummy!

Broccoli Soup:  Serves 4 to 6


1 c. water
1 10 oz. of  broccoli
2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1 c. cubed Velveeta cheese
1 c. half & half
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Cook broccoli in water with bouillon cubes.   Do not drain.
Mix flour & milk and add to mixture.
Add cheese and blend on low heat.
Add half & half
Keep stirring till thickened.

I always double this recipe.
Let me know if you try it!  

I'm joining Michael @Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday