...54 y/o... gleh...

Recently- last week- that Once a year Semi-Traumatic anniversary of ones birth Rolled around...
In so Many words- My 54th (yes, 54, Fifty Four, Five Score & Four- well you get the Idea) Birthday...
gleh-

My Daddy had this saying... 'If I Had Known I Was Gonna Live This Long, I'd Took Better Care Of My-Self"

There were two Spur-of-the-Moment Soirees-
One involving Debbie, her middle son Ben, and Copious amounts of Chinese Food...

Big Brown Bags of Chow-Mein, Sweet and Sour, Fried Rice, Kung Pao, and Sesame Noodles...

Oh Yeah- Looks Good !!
Tastes Even Better !!

Ben, wanting me to get thru with the photo-op and 'Lets Get On With The Eating"...

Poor Debbie- what she Has to Put up with !?!


They brought me pressies- a Trifle Bowl, Pringles potato chips, a Huge container of late Blueberries- ummmmm-

And now...
If you are not Easily Frightened...
Or Faint of Heart...
-maybe you should Gird Your Loins, ( that always sounds like you should be tying Pork Chops together with twine to me for Some Reason)...

Here is my hot, sweatty, overwrought and underwhelming, Absolutey NO make-up, hair spray, or other Artifical Enhancement---

Me--- and my pretty B-day card...

...and do try to Ignore the cobwebs in the window corner-
I Saw You---
You looked, didn't you ?

Then the next day Shirley brought over a Scrumptious Supper of 'Southwest Orzo Salad' with sun dried tomatoes and black beans--- Really delicious too !!  (no pics, sorry...)

A Sesame Street Banner ( Age appropriate I'd say)

 Elmo !!    Big Bird !!    Cooookie Monster !!

Elegant Table Setting with a fine selection of Liquid Libation...

Shirley getting ready to take a PiKtsHur of me blowing out candles...
Ah---- Wheeeezeeee...

We even had Confetti Balloons !!

 

Shirley taking my photo whilst I was taking hers... Original eh ?

An outdoor Clock/ Themometer with Wrought Iron around... That we thought was defective/broken...
Until the next day we figured out we put the battery in backwards... 

Bamboo Wind-chime... 

Shirley always remember the Girls too- Here is a Nummery selection of 'Gourmet Seafood Appetizers in a Delicate Sauce'...

Alice partaking of said 'Delicate Sauce'....


Then:
Day Number Three of My Extended Birthday Celebratory  Week...

My Sweet Sister-in-Law Judy...

Can we say Va Va VaRoooommmm ???

She sent me this in the mail...

Can you read the label upside down ?

Cath----

Kidston---

Be still my Pounding Heart !!

A King Size  Duvet Cover !!!!???!!!

I need to add a few more

!!!???!!!

That Crazy Girl !!
Bought Me !!!
 A !!
King Size !!
Duvet Cover !!!

From !!
Cath !!
KIDSTON !!!!

And yes- My Bed will Totally look like the one on the insert... Just add Kitthehs times Three  !!

So All in All it has Been a Momentous Birthday Season...
Truly---
With all the Love, Kind Wishes, Sweet Remembrances, Foods, and Joyous Feeling of Bonhomie...

Well--- It has all left me with a Smile and such a Feeling of...

xoxo

I are Suneshine-ey !!

Lookey what I got....
Dee dad Deee Dah dee deeee...

The 'Sunshine Award' from  Jan at Stand and Stare !!

As a novice award winner I will follow Jans post suggestions of:

"1) Thank the person who nominated you.
Thanks again, Mrs Thrifty (and Jo for 'The Sunshine Award'!!)

2) List seven things about yourself.

3) Pass on the award to fifteen blogs (cheat here if necessary!)

I'm going 'free-style' again here and am passing it on to just five."


So heeere I go...


1) Did that - See way up at the beginning !! ;-}


2) Seven Things...


- # 1 Well, this is going to make me scratch my head- They need to be interesting things, right ?

My great grandparents on my maternal (My Mamas grandparents) side came from Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland... see the red A on the map from Google-

William Scotland Grant and Marion Walker Oswald were married in Bo'ness and soon after immigrated to Pennsylvania where he was a mining engineer- same as he was in Scotland.


-# 2  My most favorite movies were made before 1960... I can re-watch any thing Cary Grant ever made: North by Northwest, Monkey Business,
 Arsenic & Old Lace, and People Will Talk are my fav's.

-# 3  I have really big feet... womens size 12W and I mostly buy mens shoes- size 10...

-# 4  I will paper mache' just about anything that I get my hands on... Everything is better with a coat of Mod-Podge !! 

-# 5  My right ear has seven piercings... If I put earrings in them all my head Tilts to the Right.(uh huh- it really will !!)

-# 6  I am very warm natured. Everyone around me will be bundled in socks and boots and wooly coats. I will be warm and red-faced in a cotton sweater and clogs (no socks)...

-# 7  I am ambidextrous. I can switch hands while doing anything- hammering, stirring, typing, firing a gun. My late brother was the same. We used to drive folks in our family crazy !!

Whew !!
That was harder than I thought it was going to be...

3) of the rules- "Pass on the award to fifteen blogs (cheat here if necessary!)"
    Well, I am going to cheat !! I will leave it up to my Blog Followers to grab ahold of this award if they like !!
Go Ahead...
Feel Free...

You knowYou Really Want to !!

Again... Thanks to Jan at Stand & Stare for this Cheerful Award !!

xoxo

Getting Ticked...

...and I am not refering to 'Ticking of the Clock'...
Or
Mattress ticking or Pillow ticking...

The reference is to that good old fashioned Raising of the Blood Pressure getting my 'Ire' up and being just flat Put Out type of Ticking... Ticked Off !!

Remember Nice Trustworthy Carpenter Dude?

Nurhhhhh...
Trustworthy ?
Nice ?

Not so much now.

Got the decking all nice and finished up.

Got the balusters and rails around...

Did the water Drain/Grate thingy...

Installed concrete Stepping Stones and gravel path...

All nice with Weed-Cloth...

Heavily Graveled & Raked...

All of that is Well and Beauteous and is Just what I asked for....

And guess who I haven't seen in a Week and a Half ?!?

And it certainly looks like he won't be back either...
He apparently is getting hired to drive Truck and thus has left for Greener Pastures- or What-Ever...

So- No deck paint, no house paint, no patio roof repair, no front porch floor repair, and also included for 'Free' is leaving the yard littered with cut pieces of 2x4's, empty buckets, concrete blocks, bricks, containers of nails and screws...

Sigh...

Most of the Debris is easily cleared away. And as he was paid by the day for his work so no money was lost.

But, Dang It !! It is the principle of the Thing...
Don't get Bored or Tired or see Greener Pastures and leave Stuf UNDONE !!!

Focusing on the positive tho- the Deck is Safe & Sound.

My hidden surprise Pic of this-

Is actually this...

 I got it at Wal-Mart. End of the Season and under a $ 100... came with the throw pillows.. And the Bestest of All ?!?

Its a Glider !!

I must insert a Shrill 'Sk-squeeeee' here...

My Dear Shirley found this (we think its an Ikea sort of Rocker/Chair) at a Yard sale and has claimed it for her Very Own...

Doesn't she think she is "Miz Thang" ??

I did mention she might have to share it with Kuchi tho...

So I am trying to get it All Back together...
I am looking for a nice Wood Rocker for me and I have been Putting Spray paint on Whatever will hold still- Lamps, lights, side tables, bought new Fairy Lights... All to re-Decorate with...

It is All Good...

I've sat out early with Coffee and Sipped and Dreamed and  made a Hundred plans in my Head...

And Felt that Softening of Summer.
That evening Chill of perhaps an Early Autumn...
A wayward leaf dryly Skittering in the Breeze...

And  I just know in my Heart  that even with this 'Bump' in my plans,  this Deck will be a source of Joy for Years to Come !!!

Won't Have It Any Other Way !!

xoxo