My Older Son Turns 51

First Grade at St. Timothy's.

How time flies.  Today is Michael's birthday.  My little red head is now a grown man with grown children of his own.  Here's a few pics over the years including more recent ones. 

Michael's first birthday in Hillsborough.  He was a little skeptical of the candle.

Michael age four at Christmas in Louisburg.

Christmas 1969, Michael six.

Last year for his 50th birthday, I surprised him with 50 Carolina blue balloons sent to his office. 

November 2013 in Cuba with Marge and Helen, two of our fellow Wolftrekers.

We celebrated his birthday last night at Sitti, and afterwards everyone came to our house for the birthday cake.  Michael has never been extremely fond of sweets, however he does like Klonkie Bars and KitKat candy.  So I made his cake of Klonkie Bars with a vanilla ice cream (from Local Fresh) "frosting" and sprinkled crushed KitKat candy bar on top as garnish. 

Klondike Bar birthday cake. 

Blow out the candles.

Michael and Mom.

Michael and family.

Michael at work. (Photo from the Trust Company of the South website)


Happy Birthday Michael, We Love You!!!!!!

Marcia's Birthday 2014

My friend Marcia's birthday is March 18th, the same as our son Patrick's, so she and I usually celebrate her birthday a few days before or after the 18th.  This year we celebrated on the 22nd by having lunch at Sitti followed by dessert at Pie Bird.

Sweet potato hummus.  A different twist on my favorite Lebanese appetizer. 

Goat cheese and orange salad with mixed greens, dates, and walnuts tossed with a lemon vinaigrette.

We tried the sweet potato hummus as an appetizer. and then shared an orange goat cheese salad.  For our entree we shared Chicken Shawarma (Thinly sliced marinated chicken breast served with Sitti rice, grilled tomato,sumac onion, pickled wild cucumber and garlic whip.)

Chicken Shawarma. 

After this wonderful meal at Sitti we headed over to Pie Bird for dessert   We sat outside at a sidewalk table and enjoyed the warm sun as well as our cream pies. 

Marcia's coconut cream pie.

Chocolate cream pie was my choice.

It's nice to celebrate birthdays with a morning out with special friends.   

Virginia's Birthday

The cake made by Macy Aguirre.

Friend Virginia was here for her birthday yesterday and will be here today for Thanksgiving.  Virginia always has two cats and they are always black and white, so we had Macy Aguirre make her birthday cake with a "cat" theme.  Macy did a wonderful job.

Centerpiece.

Salad.

We had oyster stew, salad and garlic bread, and of course cake for dessert.  Not only was the cake beautiful it was so very delicious.  Virginia and Dan both said it had been a long time since they had had a cake so moist and delicious.

Delicious and moist cake.

Virginia opens her present.

We gave her this salad fork and spoon set that I brought back from Cuba.

Virginia likes cats.

Check out Macy's blog :Macy Cakes

A Surprise Non-Birthday, Birthday Party

Well, I'm certainly not counting!

I've been known to pull off a number of surprise birthday parties in the past, but this time the tables were turned on me, and boy was I surprised.  With the help of her daughters I had surprised my sister, Martha, with a party on her 70th birthday.

My sister Martha at her Surprise Birthday Party that I arranged.

But now Martha with the help of her daughters took the opportunity of my recent visit in Shelby to surprise me with an early birthday party (my birthday is actually in August).

I was definitely surprised. (Photo by Kelly Snellings).

Dan was surprised as well and enjoying it. (Photo by Martha Cabaniss)

My niece CeCe and her husband Louie had asked Dan and me to go to the Smoke on the Square with them for dinner on Monday night.  Smoke on the Square is a favorite place of mine, and Dan and I assumed the four of us were just out for a quiet dinner. When we walked in to be seated I noticed there seemed to be a group of folks in one room, and then when I got closer I saw my sister. and the "group" turned out to be my whole extended Cleveland County family (except Ally who was in Charlotte and had to work) including little Cason, the first great grand child in the family.

My sister Martha and brother-in-law Hal and me enjoying the party. (Photo by Laura Grigg.)

My niece CeCe with Cason. (Photo by Martha Cabaniss).

My niece Kelly with me. ( Photo by Laura Grigg.)

My niece, Leslie. (Photo by Martha Cabaniss)

Cute little Cason ready to eat. (Photo by Martha Cabaniss)

There were gifts and a birthday cake.

My birthday cake.

A photo of me at my first Easter with my mother and Aunt Betsey. What a nice gift. (Photo by Laura Grigg.)

This is the first surprise birthday I ever had and it was so much fun, and it was so good to see the whole family.  We don't get to Shelby often, and rarely do we get together with all the family and one time.

Thanks to all of my family.  I love you all !!!!

Gracie Turns Eleven

In Grandpat and Dan's study in 2012.

Oh it doesn't seem possible that our youngest grandchild, Grace, is turning eleven today.  I guess she's considered a preteen now.  Happy Birthday Grace.  We actually celebrated her birthday before we left for Nova Scotia.  Here's Grace through the years.

Take time to smell the flowers.

How do you like my Easter bow? 2003

Sleep over at Grandpat's.

Grandpat brought me this hat from LL Bean's.

Just back from a Mother-Daughter tea.

At Camp Cheerio in 2010.

In Orlando, Florida in 2011.

Hope your day is very special---as  special as you are.  Love you bunches.

Happy Birthday to My Dan

Dan working the daily crossword puzzle (Photo by Jesse Brackett.)

Today is my husband's birthday, and I wish him a happy one.  Last night friend, Mary Reca who is visiting from North Carolina, treated us to dinner at the Bras d' Or Lakes Inn in St. Peter's to celebrate Dan's birthday.

Bras d' Or Inn (Photo from their website.)

This is a lovely place for dinner and the food is so, so good.

All three of us tried the curried cauliflower soup. But first the bread and butter.

Bread and butter.

Curried cauliflower soup.

Dan chose the chicken supreme as his entree.

Dan looking over the specials for the night.

Dan's chicken supreme.

I rarely pass up a chance to have steamed mussels.

Mussels steamed in white wine and garlic.

For dessert we shared a blueberry custard pie with fresh blueberries.

Blueberry custard pie with vanilla ice cream.

Pat, Mary Reca, and Dan

Thank you Mary Reca for a delightful celebratory dinner.