Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Hey there! I turned 37 yesterday. I felt all year that I was already 37 so I assumed that I was turning 38, but nope. After doing a bit of math I am only 37. It is like I get this entire year to do over. Thursday was thanksgiving so for the past several days I have gotten to eat heaps of turkey.  If that wasn't good enough I got to open some presents yesterday!

Well, The kids kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday and all I really want from them is their wonderful little bodies in my embrace, but I guess they want to give something tangible....so I suggested some art. I love their art. Emma painted me a still life, Ethan a couple happy paintings and Sam made an ink drawing of some sort of battle scene. I love them all.

OK...just so you know I don't LOVE being in front of the camera. My image never looks like my mental one and I hate standing still. I get anxious. Keep that in mind when you see these pictures, mom. Oh and pay attention to the table the quilt is laying over. I thought it was one of our tables from the sun room.

As you can see Emma is taller than I am. Even slumped over she is taller than me.

My husband gave me a watch (and a fancy smart phone). It is a see-through baby G. So it reminds me of my clear plastic jelly shoes I got in Italy one summer when I was 8. A cinderella watch in my fantasy world...and it looks like the boob fairy came to visit me...but I think it is just that I am filling out a bit in my maturity. I probably need to get out and exercise instead of sewing all the time. Heaven knows the disgraced Generals love to go for walks!

Well, my sweet Mother in Law gave me her cousins sewing machine and cabinet! And her mothers sewing basket. Carol has been keeping this machine a secret from me for the past 3 years...waiting for just the right time to give it to me. Imagine my surprise when I went to fold up the quilt that was laying over what I thought was one of the tables from the sun room only to discover an fabulous sewing cabinet!

See here it is all closed up. Would you ever suspect this was a sewing cabinet?

Here it is all opened up. The little chair has drawers in the side FILLED with loot. Scissors sharpened to a razor edge, spools of thread, bobbins galore and all these wonderful Pfaff sewing machine feet.

That yellow paper is the original lifetime warranty. It says to send it in if the machine ever moves out of state...do you think they will send me a new belt to replace the frayed one?

Look how pretty and shiny this Pfaff is? I have never owned a Pfaff before so this is a real treat. It has a dial to determine what sort of stitch is desired. It does all sorts of fancy stitches. Luckily it also comes with the original instruction manual and warranty. So, my husbands Aunt bought this fine machine in Waynesville, North Carolina in 1953. I have cleaned her up and named her. I also ordered a belt off ebay so I can get her back in working order in no time. I did run her with the frayed belt and she sounded so nice!

Here we are. My mother in law, all her grand kids , and my husband and I. Stu and I squabbled to have Sam stand in front of us so he could hide the fact that we are mostly still in out PJs.

Well, all I can say is that I had a great birthday and a wonderful visit with my husbands mom and her husband John. Thanks so much for driving all this way. We sure loved having you. Your Aunts sewing machine is in great hands and I love her already! The sewing box is already in position by my seat on the sofa and filled with appliqué things.

Oh, one more thing Stu and I did on my birthday....Carol and John watched the kiddos and we went out to a movie! We watched the new 007 - Skyfall. What a great bad Guy! Daniel was in fine form as well...after the movie we helped some folks jump their car off. Then Thai food....the end to a perfect week.

XO,
Tia