The Birthday Surprise!

The birthday surprise was a surprise for both of us….Far Guy had no idea what thoughtful gift he was going to come up with…he was starting to panic.  I have to admit I might have enjoyed his panic just a tad.  He was so busy last week my birthday was the last thing on his mind.

Our daughter Jen showed up with a new machine that she had purchased…Far Guy then offered to purchase it from her… for me!

 

It is a fancy smancy die cutter.

No more hand cranking a die machine…this one has a motor and grabs the sandwitched die and the paper comes out perfect.

For our Christmas Cards this year I wanted a fancy die cut piece of paper to surround a stamped image.

The machine does a marvelous job…this is a very intricate cutout…many tiny pieces of paper fall out all over!  If they don’t fall out then they are poked out.

 

It is a wonderful Birthday surprise!  Far Guy was off the hook…I was happy…and Jen can borrow it when ever she wants. It was a win win win situation.

Older

I am older today. 

I was looking through some of my old birthday photos and this one made Far Guy laugh out loud. 

Me and my baby brother…ready to shoot the photographer.  Far Guy said “Too bad you didn’t keep that holster!”

Doncha just love the full skirt with itchy can cans underneath accessorized by a apron with it’s own towel…and a really strange haircut…no chance of those bangs getting in my eyes…and my shoe is untied.  I am holding a figurine of a Collie.

My Mom took this photo and she marked it 11 years old so the year would be 1962.

Far Guy and I will go to lunch today with my parents…at one of our favorite places.  I got new mulching blades for my lawnmower so I am really happy…and Far Guy got me a nice surprize too…quite by accident…but I really like it!  When he asked me what I would like for my birthday I replied  “ I know you will pick out a really thoughtful gift.”

Wistful Wednesday: 1st Day of School 1967

This is a photo that my mother took on the first day of school.

 

I was a Junior that year, my other baby brother would have been almost 7 years old and in 1st Grade and my baby brother would have been in 8th grade that year.

Looks like we have all the school supplies we need. This was way before book bags or backpacks.  My mother must have thought my other baby brother was going to grow some and those pants could be rolled down as needed.

I think that plant was called Gold Drops.  It was an old plant that almost everyone had in their flower gardens.

Backwards Birthdays

Our youngest daughter started going backards with her birthdays …today she is 37 by her count and somewhat older by mine.

She was 18 days overdue.  Her husband asked me “ Why didn’t you wait a few more days and you could share a birthday?”  I replied “She was 18 days overdue.”  Far Guy said “ Good thing she was born when she was because someone was pretty cranky.”

The Doctor barely made it for her birth, she was born at 12:59 AM on a Thursday.  Of course I was there…Far Guy, the Doctor and  a Nurse.  Big Sister Trica was at our home with my baby brother…he was in college back then.

Aww look at those little feet!  The Doctor was thankful to have her here and okay because I had been having some problems.  She was a tad overdone and had lost weight…she weighed 5 Ibs and 5 Ounces and was 19 inches long.  Her skin was all wrinkly…and she was born hungry!

 

Here she is…almost 37…by her count!

In August of 1979 I wrote this…Jennifer is becoming quite independant.  I told her “No cookies”  She said “Know what?  I am mad at you.”

The same year I wrote… Counts to 20, says her ABC’s  reads  to herself, she looks at the pictures and makes up stories.

Happy Birthday Jen!  We are proud to be your parents!

Half a Wheel

We bought this half of a wheel in an antique shop in Baker Montana one summer.  We used to have a cow skull that went with it but a previous neighbor’s dog named Molly kept stealing it.   Eventually  it disappeared. (Molly’s Mom and Dad may have gotten tired of returning it.)

I used to put pots of flowers near it.  Now it is just a spot for weeds.

We had a busy Sunday.  Jen and Andy came over, we went out for lunch to kick off birthday week.  We stopped by Wallyworld to get a couple of cases of water when we had strong help…of course one of the workers in Wallyworld thought Blake was in the store and she got a little excited.  We use bottled water for coffee and then our coffee pot lasts a good long time! I drink coffee once in a great while and Far Guy cannot wake up without it.

I mulched the first batch of leaves in our yard…and so it begins.  Last year it was 7 mulchings…time will tell what it is this year.

I put a bunch of old landscape bricks for sale on a facebook marketplace and sold them and they were picked up…no more pile of bricks!  Cross something off the list!  Ah yes you actually have to make a list to cross something off.

My inside projects are kinda like the half a wheel…no big accomplishments.  I still have 22 Christmas ornaments to paint.