Big birthday

Cooling off on the couch after the Redbirds game

Today I turned 30. And, honestly, it feels really good. No fears of aging here!

My mom and dad came down yesterday. Mom and I went to a Viking Culinary Institute cooking class while the guys and Caroline did some shopping at Sportsman's Warehouse. The cooking class was about grilling techniques and it was fantastic. The food we made was incredible - bacon-wrapped grilled shrimp; glazed chicken drummettes with 2 dipping sauces; zucchini, prosciutto roulades; tomato, goat cheese, basil grilled sandwiches; and grilled pound cake with caramel rum sauce. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes myself! You're all invited to the grilling party!

Today we went to church, where I had many well-wishes from dear friends. And as we were driving downtown to a seafood restaurant I love, we saw there was a Redbirds game this afternoon. So instead of going for fried shrimp (which, believe me, was a tough sacrifice for this lowcountry girl!), we ate a quick lunch at home and then headed to Auto Zone park to catch the game. The Redbirds won, which makes it even more fun.

We came home, relaxed, had more cake, and opened cards and gifts. Caroline had some definite ideas about what I should get. She told Daddy she wanted to get me a cake, candles, and a fork. And that's exactly what I got. Mimi helped out and brought the cake. Kevin took her to Pier One, where she picked out two lovely candles and a really pretty salad serving set. So sweet...

I've been richly blessed this past year. Actually, I've been richly blessed for 30 years. God has been so good to me. It is comforting to know He will continue to bless me. This verse is my prayer for myself today.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
-Psalm 23:6

Deprogramming

This week has been a week of recharging - a deprogramming of sorts. Caroline has "summer break" from Mothers' Day Out and music class is on a short hiatus before the summer session starts. So that was good enough reason to cancel any other "things" on the calendar. I feel like we have been going, going, going since summer began. And most of our activities were fun things - lunch dates, plate dates, swim dates. But it was time for a break! I am so thankful for this lazy week! From one of my favorite Psalms:

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
-Psalm 16:9

On to some sewing show and tell...

I love bringing dinner to families who have just had a baby. And I usually make a special gift set for the new arrival - an appliquéd onsie and burp cloth. I was really surprised when a recent recipient called and commissioned 3 gift sets. All 3 were for boys. I hope these designs are cute for little boys. And I can't believe I'm going to get a little "mad money" from this fun project

A date

Kevin and I got a night out without Caroline last Friday. The radiology group at Methodist honors the seniors in the program every year with a nice dinner. It was really fun. It's exciting to think that Kevin will be one of the honorees next year.

Miss Pettigrew

I highly recommend light reading in the summer. It's just too hot to think about heavy plots. Plus, in case you fall asleep in the backyard hammock or on the beach, you don't have to struggle to remember what you read last!

I just finished this delightful book, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Set in the 1930s in London, it's a story about the governess Miss Pettigrew who gets a very lively new employer. It is witty, hopeful, and endearing. You can't help but love and root for dowdy Miss Pettigrew. It's a quick read - lots of fast dialog. The movie is coming out on DVD late this summer and I can't wait for Netflix to deliver it!

Birthday party, Father's day, and a funny

Caroline and I went to a little birthday party last Saturday. It was at a gym for kids. There were all kinds of miniaturized gym apparatuses for the kids to climb on. It was great. The best thing was this big bouncy air thing. Caroline loved it. So fun.

Father's day was sweet. Caroline really gets into presents and cards and "helping". We went to the pottery painting place a few weeks ago so Caroline could paint a mug for her Daddy. Then I had one of the girls in the store help me put Caroline's hand print on the mug. I didn't think Caroline was going to do it - she hates being dirty. But she thought it was so neat once it was on there. She actually pitched a small fit when we went back to pick up the mug because we weren't going to "do hand".

OK - now for the funny. Caroline loves Tigger. She calls him "my dog" or "my puppy" and is always trying to hug him or ride him or play with him. He's just now started figuring out she's fun to run around with. She helps me feed him every day - filling his bowl up with dog food and putting it down for him, saying, "There you go, buddy." Sunday on the way to church she told me she had asked Tigger if he wanted a cookie. I said, "What did Tigger say?" Without missing a beat, Caroline said, "He barked!" Duh - dogs don't talk, Mom! They bark! Kevin and I laughed and laughed about that one!

Summer is here

School days

Caroline started school this week! We've enrolled her in a sweet little mother's day out program at a church not too far away from our house. She had the best day. Her teacher (Ms. Emily) filled out a report sheet that had all kinds of activities she had participated in - play-doh, puzzles, numbers, ABCs, colors, Spanish, playground... The sheet also said that she had a very good time sliding on the playground with her friends. She even took a nap there, which impressed me since naps are hit-or-miss at home. After I picked her up, we went to McDonald's to redeem our free ice cream cones from our last dentist visit. What a busy day! I'm so proud of her... She hasn't stopped talking about school (and the ice cream cone) since!

(As an aside, I made her dress - an adorable new apron dress with a little smocked birdie. I had a great time making this one. I hope I can make another before I have to return the pattern to my friend.)