little happy birthday things

 

As usual, Stacey always knows which little things will make me smile most. These malted milk eggs are Brach's and I had not had them since I was a child. They tasted just like they did all those eons ago. So weird! Brought me back to sitting on our old brown carpet in the early morning light, sneaking a peek into my Easter basket, rifling past the small Beatrix Potter book, the Hello Kitty stickers, Bonnie Bell lip balm, and See's sugar egg to find the nitty gritty good stuff...the black jelly beans, and the malted milk eggs. Ah, memories! 

And of course, this beautiful mushroom pillow cover in the prettiest of vintage hues. Is this crewel? Tufting? I have no idea, but it is the sweetest, dreamiest pretty on the bed! I still have to go through birthday week pictures, but for know,  here's a smidge of a highlight, I wanted to remember. 

the february bed

 

traveling snacky board

I put together this snacky board fro a friend's birthday.  Popped all the happy bits into containers, added a tray, a dishtowel, and wee little bowls, and assembled it in the car just before knocking on her door. Happy birthday, friend! 

birthday bits and bobs

happy cards

i wanted cheesecake 

THE card 

Thai food for deener... 

a gift to myself... 

my birthday cocktail with blood orange, whiskey, coke, and bitters...

happy birthday to meeeeee

That's me in the middle on my sixth birthday. 

And this is me 41 years later! Frist thing in the morning.

celebrating 80!

The mama a-go-go turns 80 this year and one of the sisters thought it would be lovely to gift her with the gift of 80. I put my thinking cap on and came up with this lovely (if I do say so myself) little books full of 80 bird stamps. Why bird stamps? Good question. The family a-go-go is pretty keen on birds, and pretty keen on letters, and the mama a-go-go has broken out her watercolors again so the mister and I thought it would be sweet to gift her with 80 lovely bird stamps from around the world that she could use for inspiration and engage that paint palette of hers.

I ordered the stamps from etsy and of course had to play with them when they arrived. I had no idea how these would be presented, but after much sorting and fiddling...

I found I could present them in a rainbow assortment...there were 100 stamps in the package and so I set about sorting them by color. Once that was done, I pulled out the extra, extra duplicates and put my thinking cap back on...rainbow...check...but how?

After wandering through Michael's for forever and a day, I discovered this sweet little accordion book blank housed in a tin..this could work! I used repositionable glue dots and repositioned the heck out of the stamps until I could fit all 80 into the wee book. I have to admit, I was quite smitten...

Some duplicates could not be helped but I think it is purty either way...I did have to sneak stamps onto the back cover though...shhhhh...

The stamps on the tin do not count towards the 80....the mama a-go-go liked it so much it sits on the mantle in the living room...

The leftover stamps went towards the card...I am in charge of the gift and the mister is in charge of the card, which in my opinion, is much, much better than any gift! Other gifts included a jar filled with 80 sparks of joy and a gorgeous box filled to the brim with letters from the mama a-go-go's old friends and family, sharing their favorite memories of her.

Happy Birthday, Mama (a-go-go)!

the mama a-go-go had a birthday...

so we celebrated...with decorations

 

and light-up fun

and food...

 

 

and old school cocktails...

 

and gifts...

and pie (of course)

and tunes...

birthday specs

I got myself a new pair of vintage glasses. Yay for Old Focals! This pair is a blueish slate color...a bit marbled and a smidge larger than my brown frames. I will still wear my brown frames but I felt a need for some new frames and it being my birthday and all...

44

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday with a pimple on my nose. There were smudgy bruises under my eyes and the sides of my nose looked like I got punched...hard. My hair stuck up in all direction and when I dragged a comb though it applaused with static. I looked in the mirror and cringed for a second before splashing water on my face and applying fresh mascara. This was the 44 year old me.

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday and had pie for breakfast. This what you can do when you are 44. Eat pie for breakfast. Not just any pie. Birthday pie. Apple pie. Apple pie made by the mister with three kinds of apple and two kinds of pepper. Delicious.

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday and pulled on a pair of stripy over the knee socks that refused to remain over my 44 year old knees. I put on a pair of stretchy old lady pedal pushers under  a pencil skirt that was less pencil,  more sack. It was a bit too big but I woke up with a pimple on my nose and smudgy bruises under my eyes and could not muster up the care to ditch the stripy socks. It was all about the stripy socks. I topped of the ensemble with a polka dotted top that in retrospect looked better on the hanger...in the store.

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday and went to work dressed as a drunken Pippi Longstocking. My socks fell down often, my shoes squeaked with every step, and I noticed I forgot to double check my lipstick on the left part of my lower lip which is really hard to put lipstick on due to that pesky thing called nerve damage. It was smeared to all get out and no one said a word.

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday to enjoy a day full of color, laughter, ladybugs, hawks, mud, hugs and handmade cards made by little sticky hands.

Not a bad start to this new year. Not a bad start at all.

the jump-a-versary is this weekend!

We're heading down to Los Angeles for our annual jump! For now, here are some pic-shaws from my birthday...

morning cuppa with a friend

coconut milk waffles

mister made birthday skillet apple pie

cheery cherries for the cake

a sister-a-go-go made kahlua cake

spirited fixins'

my made-up birthday cocktail which is a bit like an old fashioned

birthday finger puppets!

birthday me...