Today is INTERNATIONAL VERY GOOD LOOKING, DAMN SMART WOMAN'S DAY....
It was supposed to be our annual Fun and Games night on the 28th, with our home church group and a few other family and friends.....BUT, when I opened the front door of the Community Center, this fabulous sign was the first thing I saw. A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY....my very first one in my entire life and, needless to say, I started crying!! (We seem to cry a lot in our family but, thankfully, it is nearly ALWAYS tears of joy!)
They gave me this "AGED TO PERFECTION" badge to wear........(I can remember a time when just the word "aged" made me cringe...now...I'm just proud to still be around at 70!! :)
There were lots of balloons, brightly colored....... Thank you, beautiful daughter and 2 lovely little faries for making the room so festive and happy. I LOVED the red tablecloths on all the tables, too
Not only was this cake beautiful (even with the "70" candles on it!! lol), but it was absolutely delicious and served with Vanilla ice cream.... of course, you are NEVER too old to love ice cream and cake!! Thank you, kids !!
This bath gel and lotion set was most welcome....I love good smelling things for my bath. I am not a shower girl, much loving the long, hot soak in the bath tub, candles, music....the whole bit. 
A Country Vanilla candle....There is NO WAY a girl can have too many candles! I just love them!
OH, SHOOT....don't ya'll just love these funky tennis shoes? I sure do....I just LOVE them!
WOW...now this is one pretty birdbath. Thank you so much to my Handsome Son, Lovely Daughter*In*Law and all the little ones! This is going to look so pretty sitting just outside my french doors out back! (I actually wanted to fill it with English Ivy and Hydrangea room perfume chips, put a round, glass top over it and use it in the house but everyone looked at me strangely so I guess I'll put it outside for the little birds!) lol I think it's one of the prettiest I've seen.
Thanks to ALL my kids and grand kids and precious friends for such a wonderful time. I will never forget it and I love all of you so much!
We played card games, ate pizza, drank cokes, ate ice cream and cake, had snacks of all kinds...
It was one heck of a GREAT party!! I AM BLESSED ~
I found this little wooden, hand painted sign several years ago in a thrift store and have always enjoyed it. Every time I look at it, I am reminded how thankful I am to have, not just a house, but a HOME.
When Beautiful Daughter opened her gift from her KNIGHT IN SHINNING ARMOR on Christmas morning, the above is what she found.
Her Dear Sweet One and Only searched high and low and ............FOUND IT. The lady wasn't interested in selling it back to him.....at first. He was on a mission now, so he did not give up! No, sir, ree.....no way!
After making the lady an offer she couldn't refuse (we didn't ask!!), she did sell the dress and the beautiful, long train back to him.
I can't even begin to tell you how surprised and pleased and thrilled absolutely to death Beautiful Daughter was. After she finished crying her eyes almost out, she kept a smile on her face all day long. With 2 daughters and 2 future daughters-in-law that will have a chance to wear the lovely gown, Beautiful Daughter is so thankful to have her dress back where it belongs. If her hubby had given her a kings ransom, it wouldn't have even come close to this gift from his heart.
I've shared with you my prized Mackenzie-Childs enamelware tea kettle before...my first piece of this loved collection. This pattern is called COURTLEY CHECK and is my favorite, altho I like all of their patterns.
I now have a new piece....plus a 2008 calendar, with some fabulous pictures of their wares. I know I will drool all over the place with each new picture of the month. 
If you like this kind of thing, you should order a free catalog from their web site. Their items are rather pricey but it is such fun getting a piece every now and then and knowing you have a quality piece to pass along to your family; and just looking at their catalog is fun!
Don't you know that I love this piece! It is going to be so pretty to serve "goodies" on and beside all that....it looks great, just standing alone!
We have the National Ranching Heritage Center, which is a museum and historical park that preserves history of ranching in this area. There's 14 acres with over 30 historic ranch structures that have been relocated and restored to the origal condition.
Every Christmas season, the ranch holds a Candlelight at the Ranch night where all kinds of things go on during your nighttime tour. Folks in period costume, making candles, quilting, blacksmithing, sewing.......the list goes on and on. So very interesting. At first, you think, "How neat to live back in these simpler times!" Then, you see a house called a "dugout", dug into the side of a hill and below the ground and you see their dirt walls and dirt floors and you are soooo glad you didn't live back in THOSE times!! This fun night is to raise donations for the Ranch.
Of course, what would any kind of gathering be, here in Texas, without some western and cowboy music !?!
These ladies, in period dress, were inside one of the old houses, mending and.....eating, it looks like.
This fella was working on some kind of metal..not really sure what and there was no time to ask...too many people wanting to "see" and it was so cold and damp, we just moved thru pretty fast.
He/she (?) was making a large pot of coffee over an open fire in the fireplace.
These pretty ladies were inside an old stone, one room house...this kitchen area at the back, a bedroom, of sorts, at the front.
We were starved when we left, and chilled to the bone and, low and behold, we had to pass right in front of ROSAS CAFE AND TORTILLA FACTORY. I had tacos and afterwards, fresh (you can watch them making the flour tortillas while you are waiting for your order...and THAT is pretty fresh!!) a tortilla with warm honey. GOOD GRIEF, it was good!!
Another wonderful Christmas....and now, I am busy putting decorations away! I LOVE Christmas but I also LOVE when it is all over with for another year. WHEW......such a busy time.
A couple of the granddaughters got tickets to the SOLD OUT, HANNAH MONTANA concert in Austin, Texas the last of January. They were so thrilled and surprised that they both were speechless while tears rolled down their cheeks. They've wanted to go to one of her concerts forever!
PEACE AND JOY to all of you throughout the coming NEW YEAR.
My cousin's son got married yesterday.... If you will, click on the picture to enlarge this cake! It is so amazing. And....chocolate dipped strawberries are just about the best thing on the planet. I was totally impressed and wanted you to see it......
I won 3rd prize in a giveaway over at SUSAN'S blackberrycreek.typepad.com
I always make cookies with grand kids but since Christmas Eve is on Monday, I have a feeling everyone is going to be doing shopping, right thru the weekend.....soooooo.....just in case the kids can't get the time, I decided to do at least one batch of Christmas cookies for them. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas cookie! Never mind that they all had parties at school yesterday and had so much sugar I was just glad none of them were coming home with ME !! hee hee hee....Talk about hyper!
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE...these babies GREW! There they are, all OVER my pan! WHEW.....
I think this will be my last posting until after Christmas. Just so much to do and I want to get in a little rest, too, before the actual holidays. We may be traveling after Christmas day but I'll be sure to post when we return.
Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
That sweet BRITTNAY at adelinesshabbycottage.blogspot.com just tagged me for THE 8 THINGS MEME...There are no 8 things that attract me to my best friends....I just love them for who they are.
The most thankful thing, however, is that they love ME, with all my failings. I am blessed.
******
Before Christmas Eve, I still have a few things I would like to get done. I don't think I am EVER really "finished" for the big night....
It is cookie baking time in my red kitchen so I need to gather up all ingredients for the sugar cookies..... School is out here on Friday, oh, that's today.... so I will wait for some of the g-girls to help with the cookie making.
I need a few more candy canes, too.... I just read about the orgin of candy canes and it was so interesting and sweet. And...there's some candy one of the girls wants to try with crushed peppermints.
Hmmmm....I want to pick up another box of these...not too sweet, crunchy and just wonderful with a hot cup of coffee...these are Lemon. I think I'll get some more just like them. I saw a recipe the other day for making these delectable little sticks of wonderfulness!! I may try it someday but not right now!! I think the homemade ones were Cranberry! YUM...sounds like heaven.
I really want to use my vintage glass jars with their vintage, little glass knobs, sitting in their French Red wooden holder. I am thinking sparkly Sugar Cookies, hard Christmas candies, maybe those little Christmas cakes would look great here.
I need to pick up another box of PUFFS to go in my Christmas tissue holder. GOOD GRIEF!
I'll want to serve Egg Nog in all these festive Christmas cups...so I need to gather up all the ingredients...HEY, wait a minute. I remember seeing on some smart bloggers site that you could use store-bought Egg Nog, add the Egg Nog Ice Cream to it, sprinkle fresh grated Nutmeg on top and it would just knock your socks off. OK....that's just what I will do. It sounds just delicious!! Did I mention a splash of good rum will REALLY make it delicious!?! :) Oh, and while I am out getting the rum, I need to pick up something called Peppermint Schnops (or something like that..??) to go in hot chocolate. Sounds fabulous, hu?
