Only Happy Thoughts Today! It's My B-Day!

Today is my birthday, so there will be nothing but happy thoughts all day!!!! This is what's left of the cake that my daughter and Lil E made for me before they left. They got to stay longer than our other girls and their families, who had to get back for work and school.


My husband gave me a gift card to Belk's Department store. I went yesterday and got 5 new items for my wardrobe!!! I'll show them to you sometime!

My cousin, Malinda, gave me this awesome University of Tennessee jacket. It will be perfect to wear to the games this fall!!! Malinda is the one who makes the beautiful quilts. Our grandmother taught us both how to sew at the same time.

My dear blogger friend from Crazy Mom Tats (I don't know why she calls herself Crazy Mom, because she is one of the most sane people I know!) sent me this wonderful tatted book mark!! She sent it just because I told her I loved one she had made for someone else! She didn't know at the time that my birthday was today. She actually sent it inside a sympathy card. Now, wasn't that thoughtful? My friend Kim also sent a sympathy card. Wow!! The blogger world is amazing.

The first thing on my agenda today is to color the gray roots in my hair! Then, I'm going to my sewing room and only come out to go feed my mom. This evening, I'm going to a baby shower for one of my daughter's best friends. Her mom is one of my best friends, too.
Then, my husband is taking me out to dinner.


My father-in-law and husband planted the garden yesterday. It is a small plot between our houses. This is my father-in-law. He loves to be outdoors. He is moving on and staying busy. We are thankful. He is still very sad and lonely, though. We are trying to keep him company as much as we can without hovering! There is a fine line there.

Beautiful flowers that were given to my husband and me in memory of his mom.


We were given these three rose bushes. My husband thought that was very fitting for remembering his mom and the close relationship she had with our three daughters. We had the perfect spot for them in a neglected flower bed that we can see from our deck. We have been trying to decide what to put there for years. We have some work to do around this bed, now.

We were also given two peace lilies. We decided to put them on our front porch. Our cat likes to use them for a litter box if we have them inside the house (learned from experience!). The porch is covered and only gets late evening sunlight and no rain. (I think they need a little water from the looks of them in this photo) This is the perfect spot for these. I've been wanting some kind of large plants to put on our porch. Our house sits way back from the road so something small doesn't show up. These should thrive here in the spring through late fall. We will have to put them where the cat can't get to them inside the house in the winter, though.

This is the peony bush that is right outside my sewing room window. When we moved here 8 years ago, my grandmother-in-law had planted one peony. I have divided it yearly. Now, I have 10 separate plants and have given two away!!! I love them!!!!

I know it is Friday and that I have neglected my Fat Fighting Friday posts the past two, now three, weeks. I will get back to it next week. I did really well with all the food that people brought and now with a birthday cake! I have not gained an ounce from the last FFF post!
I think I have gotten the best of my allergies. The Z-pack seems to be taking care of the sinus infection, and the other suggestions that people have made seem to be working. Thanks.
Thanks for the caring comments about the flooding in the SE on my last two posts. I think the media is finally catching on that there is a disaster here.