Friday, October 5, 2018

Birthday Fullness




 I've been away so long!  Yikes!  We were busy happy birthday-ing Noah, Lizzy, and me!





 I must pop in Tim (aka the spoiled prince) photos.  He's so happy, isn't he?  No insomnia for Timothy.

I had a wonderful 60th birthday.  People are so nice.  BILL is so nice. 
 I lost a little of my cake vision by the time I needed to bake my birthday dessert. 

Shocker.  It didn't want to come out of the pans in a "perfect" fashion, so it is a bit like a cake Thing #1 and Thing #2 might have made.  

 I THOUGHT I might enjoy eating a big slice, but I didn't.  Oh well.  Note to self:  No cake baking necessary next year.  

I went to lunch with Christie and the boys. They brought flowers and balloons (JOY!) and then we went to the yarn store and James helped me pick out the yarn I wanted.  Aw!  I shall make a hat. 

 I have a friend who shares my birthday so we met for coffee.  I ordered us wrist corsages.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The florist took a few short cuts (glued on buds, not wires - boo) and one of each of our buds popped off.  Maybe we talk with our hands too much.  Ha ha ha. 

I needed (sort of) another pair of Aussie boots, so I used gift money and a gift card to reduce the cost.  Now, if the weather could just get wet and cold enough for boot wearing.  


Look at all this wool!  Again, we need some cooler weather for necessary bundling. 

 Brad gave me four envelopes of special teas (and the cute cup).  The Russian Caravan is smoky and delicious.
 And then . . . Kelli, Jenny, and I went to Victoria, BC for further birthday celebrations.  I thought you might like this lovely dish pattern I saw at the Empress Hotel gift shop. 

 They have re-faced the Empress and it's still lovely, but it doesn't look as authentic and delicate to me. 


We went whale watching and saw a young humpback whale and MANY sea lions and seals. 

 We shopped in Chinatown. 
 Five years ago,  Bill and I visited Bee Hive Wool Shop, so I had to return.  I wish it was my LYS. 

 And then we went to the Butchart Gardens.  Wow.  The blooms were wonderful - still fresh and lovely.










 We came back to our room for naps. Aw! I love my sleeping beauties. 
 We took a water taxi to Fisherman's Wharf where the houseboat "neighborhood" holds great charm. 










 Oh, we had a wonderful, easy and peaceful time.  I'm so thankful.  
I'm thankful to be home now.  It's definitely feeling like fall.  The evenings grow a bit chilly and the mornings are cool.  The skies are lovely.
 Here's the home sweet home mascot, again.

Remember when I was working on my Rule of Life?  Well, it's time to revise, so that's what I'm going to do in the next few days.  Also, I'm going to make some lists.  I like cleaning lists and other house-y "to do's" and after being in Victoria (every restaurant was spotless) I think I'm inspired to try a little harder in our hobbit house.
For my book club we're reading The Virginian.  I've never been very interested in cowboys or the Wild Wild West, so it's a bit of a chore to focus on this month's read.  I'll do it.
God be with you this sweet October.  Anne of Green Gables loved October and we do, too.  Don't we?



22 comments:

Boyett-Brinkley said...

Aww-- Happy Birthday! And your cake looked delish -- I am not good with cakes and pans either. All the vacation photos are gorgeous! Have a good one!

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Happy birthday, dear friend! I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll knit with all of that beautiful yarn!

xofrances

Between Me and You said...

Such a sumptuous post!!I wished you Happy Special Birthday on FB but I'd like to do it again so Happiest of 60th year to you and beyond.I used to watch the Virginian and loved it and now it's on one of our tv channels so I'm watching again!Swarthy dark brooding cowboys are my thing!!!Happy weekend to you sweet Pom.xxx.

Lisa Richards said...

The wonky cake is SO MUCH FUN! This was a fun post full of cheery photos. Did your girls know you were going to post pics of them sleeping? LOL Woo hoo!
Thanks for your input about Call the Midwife. I'm glad I'll get to watch lots more. I'm enjoying them. My daughter said one of the reasons she didn't like the show was because of Jenny. Go figger. Everyone has a different way of looking at things.
Happy birthday, all! (You're 2 years younger than me!)

Connie said...

Oh my goodness! What an amazing blog post . . . If I where in charge of awards for the perfect post . . . you would win hands down. I'm coming back when I have more time and going through it again, only very slowly. Happy Birthday! To you and your sweet loved ones. That trip was amazing . . . the only thing wrong with it, is that I wasn't there, LOL.
I have to say that my heart skipped a beat when you showed us that cute little fish mailbox. Beautiful photos.
Have a sweet weekend,
Connie :)

Elizabethd said...

Hope you have had a wonderful birthday. Your celebrations look such fun and all the family seemed to be enjoying things too. Flowers, balloons, pretty corsages....perfect!

Lowcarb team member said...

A wonderful happy post …
I loved seeing all of your photographs, thank you so much for sharing them here.

Belated Happy Birthday Wishes to you - and have a happy October.

My good wishes

All the best Jan

Debi said...

So much birthday happiness! Happy belated birthday to all! I loved all of your photos.

Granny Marigold said...

Oh, I'm so glad you had a wonderful 60th birthday.
I love all the pictures you posted.
I love lists too, and have been known to add things AFTER I've done them, just so I can mark them off.
I do remember your Rule of Life and wondered how that was going. I tried my hand at making one for myself but found I stressed too much on whether I was "getting everything right". I decided not to continue at least in the way I was.
I love October! It's our Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend so I have lots to get ready.

happyone said...

Happy Birthday to all.
Lots happening with you and all the pictures were a joy to see.
Yes, October is a good month, but then again they all are. : )

Farm Girl said...

It sounds like you had a perfect birthday! What lovely flowers and what a lovely birthday trip!! I love it all. I am so happy for you my lovely sweet friend. I am so glad you are home. I have that book The Virginian and I have never read it either. I hope you can tell me if it is worth the read or not.
Have a lovely Saturday morning.

Julie said...

Happy Birthday to you dear Pom Pom. I know I wished it to you on Instagram but twice doesn't hurt! Those gardens you visited look magnificent. It sounds & looks like you had a most wonderful celebratory time. I am so pleased for you my friend. Hello to dear Timothy ... yes cats never seem to have sleep issues ... I wish I knew their secret. Xxxx

M.K. said...

So much beauty in this post, Pom! Your birthday trip with your girls sounds just perfect, restful and delightful. And all the pretty yarn! You'll be turning that into winter comforts soon :) "Lemuria" (the sign you photographed) was a great book store in my home town, Jackson, Miss. Neat name.
I like the look of your cake so much! It's quirky and fun. I understand that feeling of thinking you'll love a big slab of cake, and then finding that it just doesn't taste the same (or sit in your tummy) the same as it used to do when we were young. But it's so fun to look at!! I bet one of your grand-girls would adore having a cake like that for her birthday. It leans a little, like Gringott's Bank!

Henny Penny said...

I agree with Connie, you deserve a big award for the sweetest, cutest, most beautiful, most heart touching blog posts. Your cake layers may have stuck to the pans, but that is the prettiest birthday cake I have ever seen. Timothy is adorable. He looks bigger and healthier than our Dumperoo. Dumper is the skinniest kitty cat. He is a very picky eater too and eats very little.

Kit said...

Such happy faces all around! Even down to the kitty. Glad all the birthdays and your trip went well. Congrats on another year! :) Kit

Beca said...

I love the way you celebrated your birthday with family and all the outings. The wrist corsages was a wonderful idea. Happy Birthday sweet lady!
xx Beca

Kim said...

Happy Birthday to you.....and everyone else. =) There is so much fun and charm and whimsy in this post I am exhausted. Love, love, love the pretty plates. Love, love, love the wrist corsages. Yay for Aussie boots.....you will be needing those sooner than you think!

Gumbo Lily said...

Happy Birthday, dear Karen! So does your family do "birthday club" and all celebrate together? Looks like you all had fun. Your trip must have been so beautiful. I'm amazed at how green and flowery it is there yet. Maybe it never gets too wintery? I love it that you and your girls took naps on vacation!

God bless you this October. We had snowflakes today! Eeep!

Elderberry-Rob said...

Belated happy birthday to you! Oh how pretty your pictures are, especially the little yellow wooden cabin and your dear little kitty. I think your cake looks delightfully home made, colourful and a bit Alice in Wonderland!

magsmcc said...

I had an amazing aunt/godmother who used to take me to art galleries everywhere and ask me at the end which one piece I would take home if I could. I still do that now with my strawberries! Well, we don't actually take things home, except from the gift shop... Anyway, what I would take home from this art gallery of your birthday heart is the waterfall and the much used strawberry teapot. Just one? The much used strawberry teapot. Wishing you a wonderful birthday year- from one now-ending-in-zero person to another x

ellen b. said...

Hello and Happy belated 60! You celebrated well and I think for #60 you should celebrate for 60 days at least. How nice to celebrate some more in beautiful Victoria B.C. Loved all the photos. Beautiful yarn colors.
May God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you in your 60th year and beyond! Finally have a break from unpacking boxes and I'm trying to catch up with all my favorite blogs.

Fat Dormouse said...


Happy Birthday, dear Pompom. I'm not far behind you - 59 in ten days time. Lovely homey photos and news, as always. God bless you and all your family xx

Fat Dormouse https://fatdormouse.wordpress.com/

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