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A little blog about my big loves; family, friends, stitching and yep, chocolate!

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Unexpected Surprises ~ Part Deux

WARNING - HEAVY PICTURE POST!

This post was initially started on 6 August but didn't get completed or published until today, Sept. 2nd!

Boy! Has this been one busy month and a half! I celebrated my 50th birthday - UGH! Rob painted, sanded and generally fixed up the entire lower level (plus the upstairs bath) of the house, I removed wall paper (and didn't do a very good job of that) and then Rob had to try to fix the mess I made, Matt had his Eagle Scout ceremony and the big party at our house following, I refinished the bathroom cabinets in the boys bathroom, my parents came for a week long plus visit, I made lots of scissor fobs and seems like more ~ maybe I'll remember as I write this.

It has been a whirlwind of activity these last few weeks and I have so many things to share with you! First I just want to say thank you to all of you that sent such wonderful birthday wishes! This post is long overdue because I didn't feel like I could post on my blog about gifts until I had written thank you notes to everyone. I finally got them all mailed on Monday morning so if you don't have yours now, you should have it soon. In addition to all the good happenings, this has been a personally challenging month and I just have been overwhelmed. Fortunately, things are settling down and getting better and I'm ready to share!

Unexpected Surprise #1 - Never, when I started blogging, did I expect to make so many friends! But - that's exactly what has happened. To all of you who posted birthday wishes on my blog, or sent me an email or a card, thank you so very much! I was tickled to death to get each and every one. In addition to that, I got some other wonderful, unexpected gifts (in no particular order):

Unexpected surprise #2, Britta (no blog - it's a pity!) in England sent me this wonderful hornbook! Look how dainty (just like I USED to be) and pretty it is. She also included a beautiful mother of pearl button with the little girl and dog on it (oh so pretty), two darling charms (that Eiffel tower charm is going on my BBD Eiffel Tower pinkeep when I finish it) and this wonderful graph paper, note paper. And check out the pretty fabric envelope that her sweet card was tucked into. Isn't it wonderful? Britta, to say I was shocked is an understatement. You could have knocked me over with a feather! Thank you so very much; I'm so pleased to have something you stitched in my collection of beautiful things!



Unexpected Surprise #3; Robin in Virginia (no blog.....) has become a dear friend of mine over the last couple of years. She's the best person I know about sending sweet cards for no reason at all, and never seems to forget a special occasion. My birthday was no different. Look at the wonderful pinkeep she made for me. Robin knows I love Mary Garry designs and this is a beauty! I will keep it with my collection of lovelies all year long because who can stand to put something so pretty away? Thank you dear, Robin!


Unexpected Surprise #4: Melissa in Canada sent me this darling package with the sweetest card. I love the little thread winders (each one is a different color) and will put them to good use! I am so inspired to get a sewing basket like Roz's going (previous post) because they need a really pretty place to be kept. She also sent me three strands of gorgeous fall colored floss as well. I will have to find just the right project to use these. Thank you so much Melissa! I love your unexpected gift and am so glad we've become friends!


Unexpected Surprise #5; CARI in Virginia sent me the most decadent box of chocolates. The Fed Ex guy knocked on the door and when I opened it, I was so surprised! Will you look at these beautiful chocolates? I swear, you all KNOW how much I love chocolate! I was literally drooling with anticipation. Have you ever seen such pretty edibles in your life? I wish Cari, and all of you, could join me on my patio for a tall glass of iced tea (southern style!) and a chocolate. But, since there's not enough to go around, I'll eat them all! hee hee hee ~ sorry! I have to admit, they are long gone but I will enjoy the memory of such a sweet gift for a very long time! I think these may have been the BEST chocolates I have EVER had. Thank you so much, Cari.


Unexpected surprise #6 JOLENE sent me this beautiful package. Can you believe it? Fabric from the temple (SB), darling patterns and needles. Thank you so much Jolene. Uh-oh, I just noticed that one of the patterns Jolene sent me I forgot to include in the photograph - I'll show you that one next time! I love the patterns and the fabric and can't wait to get started on a new project. Thank you!



The day of my birthday I celebrated with my Rob and the boys. Rob cooked dinner, got the cake and I was treated quite well. I got some more beads for my Troll bracelets, I got a one hour massage gift certificate and a beautiful gold bangle from Hawaii. This one has the boys Hawaiian names engraved on it. For my 40th birthday, Rob gave me one with my Hawaiian name (Keli) on it. Maybe for 55 or 60 (if I make it that long), I'll get one with his name on it! The smaller one, a quilt pattern, we got the last time we visited Rob's sisters that live on Oahu. I love bracelets!!!

My DF Sally (no blog) had a birthday this month as well. She is in the process of decorating her craft room so I got her these Gingher scissors and made the fobs to go on them.


I think she liked them. Those big, white blobs are pearls.....

Also this month I was supposed to be helping LORAINE lead a SAL on SB's Sail Away. I haven't been any help at all but Loraine is doing a fantastic job. In honor of leading without actually doing any of the work, I decided to make all the Sailors a scissor fob. I made 20+ fobs and I took this pic at the 1/2 way point. (You'll get yours next time I see you, Deb!)

They're all the same, yet each one is slightly different. I hope everyone liked them and if you haven't received yours, by all means, shoot me an email! The blue and white pearls represent the colors of the sea and the individuality of each sailor, the turtle reminds us that no matter how quickly or slowly we stitch, that we will all get there eventually.
Here's a link to our SAL blog. Loraine did a great job with the blog and has one of my favorite Hawaiian singers in the playlist: Iz - go have a look and a listen.
Sail Away Stitch-a-long Blog
Here's a pic of my Sail Away progress to date:



My major activity this moth (August) was getting ready for Matt's Eagle Scout ceremony and party. I put an unbelievable amount of hours into a slideshow and in the script for the ceremony and the programs to hand out. I have cried at every Eagle Scout ceremony I've ever been to but not my own kid. I guess, after you've looked at the slideshow for something like 30+ hours, it's no longer quite as touching. I did shed a tear or two when Matt's pal Eric got up to speak but other than that, not so much. I won't go on about it more than I already have for the past few months other than to show a few pics.

Matt giving his speech and reflections on being in Scouts.

BFF Julie's son Josh leading the flag ceremony:

Matt's Cake (No! I did not bake/decorate it)

Me pinning the eagle medal on Matt:

Matt, his pal Eric (in blue shirt), his scoutmaster a fellow eagle scout named Tyler and another scout named Alex:

My mom and dad on the patio before the party:


A shot of the backyard before the party:

On the morning of Matt's party, my mom says, "Do you want me to recover the cushions on those old green chairs on the patio?" Surely she didn't mean today, the day of the party? Yep, that's exactly what she meant. While I readied the food and the patio, Rob got the ice, beer, wine, beer and sodas and beer, my dad vacuumed and my mom sewed the cushions. Here's a pic of my folks sitting on them just prior to heading off to the ceremony. Aren't they cute - my parents I mean, not the cushions (but the cushions are cute too). Can you believe they are both in their 70's? I only hope I age as well.....


I was also busy this month getting ready for my folks to come visit. For some reason, before they arrived, in the midst of all the other "stuff" I had going on, I got the bright idea to re-do the boys bathroom (which also serves as the guest bathroom). So, Rob painted the walls and I refinished the cabinets and bought and hung new window treatments and shower curtains. Refinishing the cabinets wasn't nearly as easy a task as I thought it was going to be but in the end, they turned out great. The old oak doors/drawers were just ick from all the moisture in the bathroom and I am so glad to have them gone! I still have a 4 drawers to finish (as you can see) but that'll get done in the next few weeks - no hurry now!


While my folks were in town, my dad, dh and boys golfed a lot. My mom and I shopped a lot. This is what I found at one of the antique stores:



Kind of pretty, don't you think? You can see that it used to be a pretty shade of blue but age has turned the top a lovely, deep green. I wish it still had the lock but that's okay, 'cause look what was inside:



The basket is marked Germany, as are the scissors. The larger pair of scissors are much more used, the gold is more worn than on the smaller pair but they're still pretty and they are still very sharp. The only thing that appears to be missing is a thimble (I think) . I paid all of $37 for this and while it's not in great shape, I just couldn't pass it up! Have you ever seen one like this - I've searched everywhere and can't find one. Any idea how old it might be? I don't know if it has any value but I just love it! I may try to recover the inside with new satin but then again, if I mess it up - I'd be sick so maybe I'll leave it be for the time being.

Also while my mom was here we hit a beautiful fabric store and got this old fashioned oil cloth. My mom is a talented sewer and I always manage to find a job or two for her when she visits! She made this cute, old fashioned apron for me. isn't it cute?





She also made this awesome tablecloth. The solid black is actually chalkboard cloth - shhhhh.... don't tell my boys (although I think they're too old to care) and it's not as shiny as it looks in the picture. I love it - I just wipe it down and keep on going. Didn't she do a great job?



Are you still with me? Here are a couple of pics of the new paint job. I used an off-white for the trim, a kahki color for the walls and a red for the accent walls. Here are a couple of shots of the new paint job:



And finally, sadly, my dear Aunt Nancy just passed away the night of the 31st. She had just begun her battle against lung cancer - we had a luminaria for her at the Relay for Life this spring. I will miss her as will all of her family and friends. She was a bundle of joy who loved Elvis and her family (not necessarily in that order!) and she will be sorely missed. Charlie, Dina and David, you are all in my heart and my prayers.

I hope that now that August has passed that I will have a little down time to stitch, visit your blogs and catch up on lots of things. I hope your summer has gone well, that your families are happy and healthy and that you know how much I appreciate your visits, your comments and your friendship.

Peace,
Terri

29 comments:

Nancy said...

You received so many wonderful gifts! What a nice birthday you had, and if I didn't already wish you a happy one Happy Belated Birthday! You have been so busy. I love all the fobs you made and the things your mom made from oil cloth, and I love your red fireplace!

Holly Hills Primitives said...

What a beautiful post! Sounds like you have been more than busy throughout August. You sure got some great b-day presents, congrats! Hope to see you sometime soon, Dawn

mainely stitching said...

Oh boy, I hardly know where to begin commenting!

Happy belated birthday, and congratulations to your son the Eagle Scout! I absolutely LOVE your German sewing kit that you found at the antiques sale - that's really a treasure. I'm very sorry to hear about your aunt, but I'm also hoping she didn't suffer too long. Your birthday gifts are all amazing - and you deserve them! Here's to a wonderful 50th year!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Terri, so glad you've had a lovely birthday, and your gifts are amazing! Sorry to read about your aunt: my condolences to you and your family.

SiobhĂ¡n said...

Yeah, don't know where to begin!! I'm so glad you had a great birthday--you deserve it. What fabulous gifts! Congratulations to your son. You have every right to be proud. Your parents look great. You are your mother, you do know that, right? :) All the stuff you did in the house looks great, but I think I'm in love with your bathroom. I love the two toned walls.

Margaret said...

You have definitely been busy! It's so much fun to see all the presents you received. So neat that you all have Hawaiian names! Do you have a connection to Hawaii besides relatives living there? I love Hawaii, but only visited the big island once. Thanks for sharing all that has been happening! The party, your parents, the refinishing and painting, everything! Hope you get to take it easy now! So sorry to hear about your aunt. Hugs to you and yours.

Dawn said...

Oh my you're spoil by your friends. You're so lucky. Congrats to Matt. Your home is beautiful! I was girl scout & hopefully my girls will follow in my steps. ~ Dawn ~

Missy Ann said...

Sorry to hear of your Aunt's passing.

I love chalk board cloth. I saw for sale a table runner made of it. I came thisclose to buying it. I stopped because I figure I could make it cheaper.

Great pictures, great kid, and you want to come over and help with my bathroom remodel?

Andrea said...

Another wonderful post, FINALLY! Girl, you've been BUSY!!
So happy you had a wonderful birthday, you totally deserve every single sweet thing you received!
I love the pics of your home, everything is so beautiful!
Your Mom is cute as a button, just like you! You look so much like her, so you're going to age very well indeed :-)
I'm so sorry about your Aunt, sounds like she was greatly loved....
Your Sail Away is so special, love how you've dedicated it to your sons!
Thank you again for the fob, it's so lovely and I think about you when I see it!
xoxo

From the Attic said...

What a busy time you have been having Terri. Both happy times and sad times. Sorry for the loss of your Aunt. Sounds as though you had a wonderful birthday with lovely gifts too. Hope you can find some time to relax and stitch for a while.

Chrissie

Carin said...

Wow, Terri, great post. I really enjoyed reading it and looking at all the pictures.

Happy belated birthday. I did know it was in August, but I don't know the exact date. :) I'm glad you are on my PIF list, so I can make it right.

You looked very proud with Matt!

Sorry to hear about your Aunt;

lots of hugs from me!

My Colonial Home said...

Morning Terri, I so enjoyed your post.

What wonderful friends you have and yes, blogging brings us friends we never knew we had! Beautiful thoughtful gifts as well.

Congrats to your son!!! Great cake by the way.

Love your re-do's in the house.

Karen
http://mycolonialhome.blogspot.com/
kmprimitives@yahoo.com

Cari said...

Oh my gosh Terri where do I begin? Thanks for the look into your busy life. Congratulations to your son on the Eagle Scout. That is such a wonderful accomplishment for your entire family. And your Mom and Dad are just wonderful. Sounds like you and your sweet mom are like 2 peas in a pod. And the painting, fob making, stitching.....do you get enough sleep girl? Thank you so much for sharing. You are a dear sweet friend. Hugs and have a simply fabulous weekend!!

Jan said...

Missed you so much, Terri, but knew how busy you have been and wow, it shows in these pics!!! How industrious of a 50 year old are you? LOL I just love the colors that you painted the bathroom and those newly refinished cabinets look ever so cool!!

Your mom and dad look young and your mom is a treasure to sew those fine things for you!

You must for good reason, be extremely proud of Matt!! Way to go, Matt!!

Last but certainly not least, I hope that you had a super wonderful birthday, and will have a super fantastic year!! You are deserving, it just shows with all of the wonderful birthday gifties you received!!

Karoline said...

It sounds like you had an amazing birthday, you got some lovely things.

I'm sorry to hear about your aunt

grace said...

Hi Terri~
I've been missing your lovely posts! :D
What wonderful and thoughful friends you have. :) It must have been great getting all those wonderful presents in the post. Reading about it just makes me so happy, so I'm sure you had a great time!

The paintjob and the cabinets look great! And the pillows, apron and tablecloth your mother has sewn are SO FAB! Too cute~ And your parents are so cute, I cannot believe they are both in their 70s! They look so young, vibrant, and healthy! I am sure you'll age just as beautifully~ no doubt about that. :]

I'm sorry to hear about your aunt, my heart goes out to you and your family.

Edgar said...

What a super post - you have been so busy with everything. So sorry to read of your Aunts passing.

What is the name of that beautiful piece above the fireplace??

Deb said...

Wow, Terry I didn't even see this post. It was all the way down on the bottom of my blog roll - Blogger is being bad again.

I knew that you were having a busy month, but girl, just reading about this wore me out!

You got some really great birthday surprises and the pictures of Matt's Eagle Scout ceremony were great! Wish that you could have sent your mom over to my place - I could use some new chair cushions. How wonderful that she can just whip up things! Such a talent. Both your mom and dad look wonderful. And I'm glad that you and your mom got some antique shopping in - that basket is great.

Gosh, I could go on and on with everything - your bathroom, etc. It all looks wonderful!! Hope that things have slowed down for you and you can catch up on some quiet time and stitching for yourself!

And I'm so sorry to hear about your aunt. I don't remember you telling me she was ill, but my prayers are with all of your family!

See you soon!

Julie M said...

Wow Terri! What a month you have had! Your gifts were all so nice and thoughtful, you are blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Congratulations to your son and condolences on your loss.

Loraine said...

Oh Terri, what a wonderful post! I don't really know where to begin.
First of all, I love the wonderful changes to the house. The paint colors are perfect. You are a great decorator, I can tell.
What fun it was to see pictures of your family as well.
And to top it all off, what wonderful birthday surprises! How special it is to meet people from all over the world. I'm so grateful for the friends I've met (including you) from this powerful tool we call the internet.
I had such high hopes of getting something done for you on your big day. I'm still working on a little something, but I'm really, really slow at everything I do! Please be patient, hopefully it won't take until your 51st birthday to get finished! LOL (My in-laws are still waiting for their 40th anniversary present from 3 years ago, gasp!)
Love that German sewing basket! It's very different. I would leave it just the way it is. It's in great shape!
Sorry to hear about your Aunt. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Hugs!

Pam said...

Wow, Teri! You sure have been busy! Sounds like August was a great month for you and that you got positively spoiled for your birthday. Good! Every woman deserves a day of being spoiled every now and then.

Melissa said...

Oh my what a wonderful post! I don't know what to comment on! Glad you had a wonderful birthday and your son's scout ceremonies went well. You look like your mom and she looks fab!

I don't know what else to say. Return to work has been NUTS. I will email you hopefully this weekend when I have had time to chill out!

Cheerio!

Kim said...

Well happy belated birthday, Terri! You are so blessed with good friends! Love the pics...love the sewing basket find! WOW! Awesome stuff!!! Glad to have you back in blogland! :o)

Glenna said...

OMG--happy, happy birthday! You are so accomplished, and you managed to pack so much into such a short time, including making all of those fobs, one of which I was lucky enough to receive! Best wishes, and even with all of that, you're still caught up on Sail Away.

doris said...

Geez, I hardly know where to start! You've had an incredible month, and it seems to have agreed with you. I'm so glad your birthday was wonderful.

Your house and yard look absolutely fabulous.

Congratulations on your son's Eagle Scout accomplishments.

Cathy Lloyd said...

Terri...you have been so busy! I love all your pictures and everything! You and your mother certainly look related! Your parents are just darling as well as everyone in the pictures. Love your house! Enjoy the fall! YAY for fall!

Deb said...

Wow! :p Lots of awesome pictures and gifts! You had a wonderful birthday, and I want to add my belated wishes, as well. I'm so happy for you that you received so many well wishes and gifts. Your son is a handsome guy!

samplerlover said...

My goodness, you received some wonderful things. Happy birthday if I hadn't wished you before.
It sounds as if you have been really busy.
Congratulations on your son becoming an Eagle Scout. I know that this is an important moment. - Sandra.

Bertie said...

Your presents and the one from Britta are gorgeous, we had a little preview of the hornbook on a Sampler Guild GTgether and Britta is very much an accomplished stitcher, I do nag her to open up a blog but she thinks it is to much work, but will get there LOL.

Looks like you had a very nice time with your family, great looking mom :-))) and dad too!

Lovely German basket and scissors.
So good to see these treasures getting a good home.