This morning family gathered to celebrate Laura's 5th birthday! With her cake before blowing out her candle. The crown she made at school. The birthday person decorates a crown to wear on their birthday...since hers was today she celebrated it Friday at school.

Checking out Fancy Nancy. She got a game and mostly clothes as CLOTHES was her request for presents...


Youngest sister Emily munching on a chocolate football lollipop that were the favors. She's wearing the her Valentine shirt I did for her.

Middle sister Rachel waiting for her 4th birthday in a couple weeks. Notice she likes the icing from the cake and the ice-cream.

LAURA IS FOUR ! ! !

Don't know where the past four years went but Laura is four today!!! We gathered and celebrated family and friends making her day very special.

Laura and sister Rachel who will be three in two weeks.
Great-grandmommy Campbell watching Laura open her gifts.
New clothes..
Earrings...
There were coloring books, crayons, Campbell Barbie Doll, Books, lipstick, candy, Little Pony, and the last gift was a beautiful princess bike from Mommy and Daddy.


Laura enjoying her birthday cake and ice-cream


Happy Birthday Princess Laura!!!

Mercy---It's Been Almost A Month!!!

Can't get over it's almost been a month since I last blogged. I've been visiting your blogs just haven't added to mine...

Today we celebrated Emily's first birthday which is later this week. First her mommy had prepared a great lunch for family and some of their friends. Then it was time for Emily to have her private cake. Chocolate all the way through. At first she wasn't sure what she was suppose to do...but her two big sisters ages 2 and 3 stuck their finger into in and up for her to lick the icing off...then she dug in and as you can see she thought it was delicious! She ate the entire little cake! That was after she had barbecue, macaroni and cheese, meatballs, baked beans, apple slices, chips, etc.


After the cake her mommy gave her a quick bath and put clean clothes on for her to open her presents. She loved this little pink wagon with blocks inside it her other Grandmommy gave her.
I've gotten back to working on her Christening Gown...this weekend I did the sleeves minus inserting them into the dress...Here's a picture of the wrist area minus the ribbon in the beading.

Her mommy wanted a smocked bodice similar to what I did for her sister Rachel and her cousin Victoria...Not wanting to make a third dress just alike and since I couldn't find pretty wide eyelet bordered batiste I went to Martha Pullen's Grandmother's Hope Chest Book and using her Campbell's favorite gown pattern similar to the one from the that book I did for her sister Laura...anyway instead of the lace shaping in the bodice I smocked a piece with pearls and cut the bodice from it. I did do the lace at the neck....and the skirt is by the book. I showed the skirt panels some months back...
Tomorrow afternoon my plan is to insert the sleeves, sew up the side seams. And HOPEFULLY make the slip....or at least get it all cut out and started.

This week I started decorating outside for fall. This wheelbarrow my DH and I just rebuilt...the only thing original on it are the legs. It was a brick mason's wheelbarrow that was rotting away after many years of service in our yard holding pots of mums and loads of pumpkins in the fall, other plants during the spring and summer. He bought replacement handles, pressure treated wood and designed on similar to one we bought years ago at a festival. I ordered a metal wheel for the front as the original rubber one had been replaced and it too had dry rotted hence it was not holding air.
By the garage we do a fall display...the scarecrows I did 17 and 18 years ago.

Next week I plan to get out my decorations for inside the house and let the grandbabies help put them up. Next thing will be to put the witches up flying into the trees and porch column. And swinging from the facial boards around the porch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY--RACHEL'S 2 !

Last night we all gathered at DD's to celebrate Rachel's second birthday. Mommy and Daddy had tons of food to bless our bodies....there were huge Chicken Enchiladas, Barbecue, Coleslaw, Cheeses, Salsas, dips, all sorts of chips. Some of the clan gathered around to celebrate with Rachel the big two year old.

Great-grandparents and oldest cousin on Mommy's side

A new purse is a big hit with the birthday girl...see the necklace Mommy made her second born in three years.

The hair clips in with a outfit and book from Great-grandparents were a hit. She didn't let them out of her site if she laid the down while opening the rest of her gifts.

The Barbie guitar from babysitter Sarah and Sarah's mom Candy was a huge hit. She didn't want to open anything else after she unwrapped it.

A bag of various Play Doughs and other Playdough stuff from cousins Stephanie, Austin and Brendon is a huge hit too...this girl loves playing with her Playdough ...

She must get every piece of gift wrap off of the DVD.

There that almost have it done... Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Family Friend watching Rachel opening her gifts.

Big sister Laura waiting behind scenes to deliver a tricycle...

Big sister Laura showing how you ride it...

The cake was cut before Rachel blew out her candle so the serving of the cake stopped Mommy and Rachel ready blow out her candles out.

Happy Birthday Sweet Rachel can't believe you are two!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE ! !

Friday, if not already x will be x-s-i-l brought the two grandsons by with a dozen white roses for me for Valentine's Day. Aren't they beautiful? They have a blush of pale peach or pink coming up from the stem area. We are so thankful we are on good terms with him and he with us for the sake of the two grandsons. They always arrive with flowers for Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day...


Valentine's morning the three grandbaby girls and their mommy and daddy came over with box of candy each for Nana and Papa. They helped us sample it right away...it's yummy!


Today we celebrated Jake's 15th birthday. It's actually tomorrow. We do it on the Sunday closest to it which is always Daytona 500 Race Day! This year his dad's sister and her family weren't there as her daughter was in a dance competition all weekend long. She is really doing well with her dance troop and also competes in duets and solos.


Mom's oldest sister and her family wasn't there as they wanted to go to northern VA to visit some friend. That's getting to be a habit for his birthday...going to visit friend and isn't sitting well among some of us. Also, not showing up was Granny....Mom's real/bio mom...may have been working or like the last time doing her laundry.


But Nana O was there, G-grandparents C were there, Nana and Papa C were there, little brother was there, Dad was there and of course Mom as she was hosting it. Hotdogs on the grill, barbecue, Nana O brought her wonderful macaroni and cheese and I brought baked beans that both sides of the family like. Lots of chips and such. Papa O is always missed so much since he went to heaven almost five years ago.

Cards with money or checks were a big hit.

Among the things Nana O gave him is the beautiful blue polo shirt.

Cousins were busy playing with the kitty.

Besides baseball he loves to cook and Nana O got him this cute apron besides the shirt and some spending money.

Backpack he wanted that Nana and Papa gave him with some money inside it for spending and a check for savings account.

Something for his PlayStation game his brother gave him.

Aunt and uncle sit on sofa by Papa watching.

Now time for cake. It was an ice-cream cake as he doesn't like cake. This was a layer of chocolate, layer of brownie, layer of vanilla ice-cream, and icing. It was really good.

With the candles lit. Mom and Jake cutting cake with dad getting a picture with is phone, cousins looking on. This cousin loves the blue icing around the edges of the cake. Eyeing the big cake.....she kept reaching over and grabbing more of the blue trim around the base of the cake.

Daddy, uncle, Papa watching baby cousin doing tummy crunches and also working on crawling.

Baby cousin loves her feet. These tights don't come off like my socks do! Just what is the deal?

Happy Birthday JAKE!!!

Laura's Party

Papa and Great-granddaddy waiting for the party to startFirst we ate and we had either cheese or pepperoni pizza and/or hamburgers on the grill.

Next Laura opened her presents. Christmases and birthdays past she had no interest in opening presents. Open on and run off and play. Today was different...hey this is SO MUCH FUN. She ripped right through them without Mommy's helpful hands.

Hey what is inside this big bag???

Why it's a new purse!!!

And this necklace that Mommy made!

Her great-grandparents were there along with both sets of grandparents, Mommy's two sisters and their families, Daddy's brother and his family, and a bunch of family friends!! There were probably 25 or so helping to celebrate Laura's birthday from four months to age ninety something.
This looks like it is a hit with her.
But this tube of ''Ickstick" was a huge success straight onto the lips and the tube right to her pocket. Stopping between gifts to reapply. It is most important for girls to have lipstick, excuse me "Ickstick" on their lips.
A bright and cheery birthday cake for a bright and cheery three year old!
After cake and ice cream the cousins and friends went outside to play it was in the sixties here today and lots of sunshine. It has been so cold here. Laura takes 'boyfriend' from school for a spin in her pink jeep Santa brought her. It has a radio and they kept changing the station. Cousin Justin is grabbing it to prevent her letting the jeep roll into on of the cars on the side of the street. It's a quiet cul-de-sac and with wonderful neighbors who are always looking out for the kids on the street riding their bikes, skateboards, tricycles, scooters, cars, playing catch, street hockey, street tennis, etc. DD and her friends used to play baseball on the lot her house is built on and you always had to be on the outlook for a baseball back in the day.