This is the birthday card I made for Jen, this past summer was all about the water and her years growing up at a resort on the lake. Those years were revisited for her this summer when she and her husband purchased a pontoon boat.
Thirty-five years ago, Far Guy got his wish for two little girls when our second and last daughter was born. She was an early birthday gift for me ..along with a Electric Avocado Green Can Opener. That can opener is upstairs in a box with a note on it that says..this must be Jen’s as I got it when she was born.
We began celebrating her birthday last night at 12:01. Throughout the summer I have been collecting gifts for her at garage sales and Antique Shops..thirty- five of them..one for every year. Next door neighbor Jo has been helping me find “stuff”. The first gift I gave her was a brass bell with a Carousel Horse on it..she gets a gift every time she rings the bell. What kinds of things did I wrap up? An apron just like her Grandmother H used to wear, a hankie that I got one year tucked into my birthday card when I was much younger, potholders ( she really needed them), candy necklaces that she used to enjoy as a child, a paper weight from the Val Chatel sale and a little yellow wooden bunny from Finland… are just a few of the treasures I found to irritate her with. Some of the gifts are met with tears ( the apron) some are met with smiles ( the candy necklace) some are just practical..like some new dish towels. It is an adventure of gifts..on one of those mile stone birthdays..smack dab in the middle..not a young thirty and not an old forty.
I was tempted to have Far Guy get the ladder out and find the box with the can opener in it..maybe next year..it is well on it’s way to being an Antique.
Trica is here with a mountain of photos. She is sitting across from me.
The scrapbook retreat is going well. I am making headway. The last of the gals to arrive was my oldest daughter, Trica..she is my roommate. She serenaded me all night long, early this morning I woke up because she was not snoring. Kinda like when she was little and slept in a bassinet and I would listen to her breathe all night long..I knew every little sigh she made and when she became restless and was about to wake up..well times have not changed very much. I am sure she gets her snoring from her father:)
Oh what a terrific idea! I'm going to start on that project for my daughter's next birthday...she just turned 43 on the 15th so it will give me almost an entire year to find things! Thanks! And wish your daughter a happy one from me too. (how did so much time go by so quickly??)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Jen! What a great idea to get a "special" gift for each year. Truly fun!
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Emma Rose
Happy 35th birthday Jen! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. My grandma had the green can opener, frig, pot & pans....it all should be coming back into style soon!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful update - - - - probably because I love to scrapbook and also love to do things with my daughters! I can tell how much you enjoy your girls from what you have written.
ReplyDeleteAbout the birthday - that is too much fun - - - giving all those presents. I might have to do that to my husband next year. He would get a kick out of it - - - - if I plan it right, I could start fifty-seven days before his fifty-eighth birthday! Thanks for that idea.
Here's sendin' Miss Jenn a very happy #35, she is a beauty! I love the college of her. You are a very special 'sis' to in celebrating her life in the grand fashion ya do.
ReplyDeleteMy first can opener was also an electric avocado green. I pitched mine!
You have a fun weekend sweetie!!!
I love scrapbooking retreats with all the young gals! Next one planned I can't attend. :( Have been to some great places for them. Not much sleep though. Great B-day fun! Need to try that..start early to plan! Thanks! Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteOMGosh! That is the most awesome idea!!
ReplyDeleteI swear kids age faster than their parents. Mine is going to be 36 soon--how did he get that old? ;)
Looks like such a fun time scrapping at such a pretty spot. I can relate to the listening to them breathe, so the snoring thing cracked me up! :)
Two great ideas--the gift-for-each-year and the scrapbook retreat. Sounds like you are having a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteLove the playful mosaic of Jen. Happy Birthday to her!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of fun in honoring her birthday. She's a lucky daughter. My parents were not into gifts but my in-laws were so that was nice. I know she will have a very happy birthday.
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