30 of 52

July is birthday month for our two youngest. Kara turned 10 on the 8th, and Kaela turned 8 on the 15th. We were out of town on a job during those dates, so their party got delayed. Sunday night we had a birthday supper/party for them.
Happy Birthday to my sweeties!





Nearly every year they've shared a party, and I usually have just had one cake for both of them, but this year they each wanted something different.

Kara picked Angel food cake, cheesecake filling/frosting with fresh fruit for hers

Kaela wanted "cake with frosting"....Hers was a chocolate cake, whipped frosting and then she decorated it it herself with a little play circus set I got her.



Dad has always lighted the birthday candles with our kids, and I have pictures of him nearly every birthday doing that. This year I am quite happy to say that because of this challenge we have a new tradition of having a picture of mom with the birthday child/ren!!

Kara and Kaela with their friends Hannah & Caitlyn, and cousin Katie

The girls and their new outfits. (Disregard the 7 on the birthday card....One Auntie got mixed up on the age, but it was such a cute card she couldn't not give it to her!! )

One of my summer projects.

It seems like house projects are an on-going thing. At our house it's very hard to ever get something completely completed! One of the down sides of finishing your own house! Our basement has been an on-going project ever since we built the house 17 years ago. At that time we had 4 teen age girls in the 4 basement bedrooms. When we got the space divided into rooms, we let each girl pick & decorate their own room. Since then we've played musical bedrooms many times, and have several make overs.
two years ago Relyssa picked out the paint for the bedroom she "inherited", and her sister painted it for her. We got her the comforter/sham set for her birthday, and then later I got the curtains, and the lamp for her birthday last year, but that was as far as we got then.
There are still some things that are not finished, and some that need re-done, but this room was on my list of summer projects to do while Relyssa was gone. My summer went way to fast! On Friday last week I found out that she was coming home about a week & half sooner than I expected, so we went into fast-forward gear! Everything moved out of the room, carpets shampooed, a closet unit put up, blind for the window, tie backs for the curtains, a queen bed instead of two twin mattresses on the floor, dresser painted & new knobs, a new rug & a new table/desk. Some other odds & ends, and now we're awaiting Miss Lyss to come home and hopefully enjoy her "new" personal space.




Laura enjoys crocheting, and made her this afghan using the colors she wanted.

The self portrait on the wall, and two art objects on the floor are some she made in school.


Another one of her art projects on this wall.

None of the basement bedrooms had closets put in them for a long time, and this unit has been our solution in two of the rooms. We like them! Nothing gets stuffed in the closet, & they take up very little room space.

29 of 52 weeks

My husband sells, installs & repairs blinds, draperies, rods, shades....Window coverings! Last week and the first part of this one we had an install on a motel out of town. It was about 82 rooms, and quite a few suites, so more than one window in those. Our Oldest daughter and 4th daughter came along to help us. These are some of the pictures from our week. I wish I would have gotten some of us when we got to spend some time in the pool/hot tub with the younger kids & grandkids we had along too. It was a family affair!
(Sorry, these are really not in any particular order!)

Me, Jeanne & Lynisha

Lynisha getting the cornices ready to go up.

Cornice up, final touches.

Some of the rods had to be cut down to fit. Leon & Lynisha hung rods & I came along & put up the black outs, sheers & side hangs.

28 of 52 weeks

Last year we decided to get bikes for Leon and I so that we could ride with the kids. We thought it would be a fun way to "do something" together that didn't cost $$. As life has a way of doing, we were mostly too busy, so didn't get much riding in. This spring/summer has been so packed full of work that there wasn't even time to get the bikes ready to ride (tires pumped up, chains fixed, gears working) let alone to ride.
Wanting to do something together on the 4th of July, we made a commitment to go on a bike ride so the day before Leon spent 1/2 the day getting all the bikes ready, and on the 4th we took off on our local hike & bike trail! We'd never been that direction before, and we rode all the way out to the archway. a 10 mile round trip. Kara & Kaela did great! not a complaint out of their mouths.

27 of 52 weeks

If you saw my last post, then you get a picture of what my sisters did for me the day before my birthday. I had informed everyone that I DID NOT need a party or anything else for this birthday, they gave me one when I turned 40, and that was enough, thank you very much!! My very much older and bossier "Sistah" informed me that she did not live here then, so didn't get in on the fun, so it didn't count, and SO THERE!
SO the girls settled for giving me a "WAKE" the morning before......(here) and letting everyone know far and wide that it was my birthday and to send me cards/greetings. And, do you know how many pages 80 facebook posts makes? I do......16!!!

So here's my 40's bash they threw:

Kara was born 2 weeks after I turned 40

This week on my birthday.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!
Our 2nd oldest daughter and her co-worker came home on Monday night and brought my younger kids home that had been out visiting their other sisters. I fixed supper & a yummy cake to celebrate.





Tuesday, On my birthday Jana fixed lunch, and we invited two more of her co-workers over. What a very special day! It had been 10 years since Jana was home to spend my birthday with me!




I was thrilled to get this picture, since it's been a long time since we had one of just us two together!


I got 28 cards, 3 e-mail greetings, 2 e-cards, and 80 happy birthday messages on my facebook page, plus a couple on here on my last post!!
Oh yes, and a red rose from my middle son, and a bouquet of fresh flowers from Jana!

My friend Sharon and I go back a long ways! Today she came down to spend a few days with me. I stood up with her at her wedding, and loved on her babies back when I was a teenager. We've been thru alot together.
Everyone keeps telling me that life at 50 is much more fun....so bring it on!

What can I say.......Happy Monday!

• Happy last day before the last day of June....
• I have had a wonderful summer so far.
• It's going way too fast.
• My kids have all been gone the last 4 days.
• I'm working fast & furious on my house
• My raised gardens are doing great
• I have a ton of raspberries getting ripe!
• The birds are eating my cherries & grapes :(
  
• I made & canned strawberry jam. :)
  
• I can't believe the year is 1/2 over
• I can't believe summer vacation is almost 1/2 over
• I still have a ton of things I want to accomplish before the end of July
• Leon is so busy with jobs, current & coming up, it feels like a freight train coming at us.

In conversation with some of my blogging friends, I've stated that I just don't stay in my p.j.'s in the morning. I live in town....I have family & friends here, my husband has his own business we run out of the house, UPS, FED-EX & the mailman often come to the door........

As I put on my FB page this morning,
"It's good to be prepared... alert, watching & ready".

(This is a very good thought spiritually, but a very good one in a natural sense too, especially when you have sisters like mine)

Because you never ever know who might show up at your house and walk right in unannounced at 7:30 a.m.


At least they brought me breakfast & presents!

26 of 52 weeks--HALF WAY!

More "oldies" for my weekly picture, and I'll finish up with them next week. I was going to do them all this week, but my kids are all gone for 4 days, and I'm trying to accomplish huge amounts of things without them coming along behind me making a mess.
Anyway, here's the start of them.

My Mom & I




1 year old- June 1960


The summer I was 10. My girlfriend & I Spending time at my Grandparents house, The same house where my mom now lives which is next door to us.

Teen age friends--at 15

My best friend & I--in our 20's.

Yes, I was still in my 20's. --26 to be exact.


1990--Our 13th Anniversary. 1/2 way thru being 30.


The "30's"--My sisters, their kids, Mom & my youngest 3 at the time.


35 years.
June, 1994