Happy Friday!

Gosh, is it POSSIBLY Friday already?!?!? I've been working hard this week to get ready for my Stampin' Up! open house Monday night - you can go visit my blog for more info about it. :D ANYWAY. Kenn LOVES what we call "munchy" meals - things where he can nibble whatever he wants for a couple of hours, versus a real meal. AND he's picky about what he eats - sorry, Love, but you are. :)

So, a few weeks ago I made a bunch of different dips, served them with a couple of different kinds of chips, and he was SO HAPPY. :) So, we've done it once a week.

Last night was the night. I had been to the grocery store Tuesday, found some bruschetta topping - tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, maybe a little balsamic vinegar - on sale, and they also had a crab dip we both liked (a miracle, truthfully!!!) on sale. So I made our favorite potato chip dip, clam dip, and made some spinach artichoke dip, and toasted up some leftover bread I had in the freezer, plus had some potato chips. Oh, and threw a dozen chocolate chip cookies into the oven for him.

I put this plate together JUST FOR YOU, my friend. Sit down with me. Isn't God GOOD? His bounty is overflowing! Especially in America. We think we're deprived if we can't have something we want. But we are SO blessed. So many in this world are hurting for the smallest thing. And look at what we are able to share!

I love you! I'm so glad you came to visit me. I wish you could stop by for a REAL visit, but until then, know that I count YOU as one of my blessings. I hope and pray you'll be aware of how blessed you are today!

Celebrating didn't stop THERE...

Good morning, dear one! I'm SO glad you dropped in to visit! If you haven't been here in a while, I'm describing my birthday celebrations this year. The last post was what I did ON my birthday. :D I actually spread it out over three days, so I didn't have to rush from one thing to another. Friday the 13th wasn't a wonderful day for me, but dinner was nice!

I'm getting ahead of myself.... :D

Friday morning, Mom and I headed out to garage sales. We went to an estate sale first, and I felt a little claustrophobic, so I told Mom I was going to pay and go out to the car. Well, it's a good thing I did! As I got to the car, I realized I was REALLY nauseous. Yup, got sick. My dumb medications do that sometimes - and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. :(

We went on to another sale, and Mom met one of her old work friends there, so I paid and went to the car to wait. Yup, got sick AGAIN. Called the doctor's office and made an appointment. Mom came back, and we decided to go home. I got sick yet AGAIN on the way home - I've NEVER been sick THREE times in one morning! Phooey.

So, I came home and laid down for a bit. I slept about 20 minutes - then my phone rang, and it was one of the guys Kenn works for. I gave him the phone, and then went downstairs. Kenn had to work Friday afternoon, so he took off soon afterward.

I needed to go do my grocery shopping for my Saturday celebration, so I took off around 1 in Dad's car. Almost immediately after I left, the heavens opened and it POURED. I made it to the Walmart parking lot, and was trying to avoid cars while peering thru my rain-drenched car. CRUNCH. What a sickening sound! It was Dad's driver's side MIRROR - I think I hit it on a shopping cart corral railing. AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I called him right away, and 'fessed up. He was just happy I was OK. Thanks, Dad. I really, REALLY felt badly. :(

I waited until the dowpour let up a bit, then went into Walmart. My sister, Kelli, had sent me a Walmart GC, so I bought a couple of movies - she can take the credit for one of them! :D - and some dishes to put appetizers for Saturday on, and I'm going to use them in our stock photography, too.

Went a couple of other places for groceries, and didn't get everything I needed. So, I went home frustrated.

It's a tradition in our family that Dad takes us out for a birthday dinner. I had a hard time choosing where to go this year, but Kenn saved me. :) He found this place, and the girls had wanted to go there last year for my birthday - but they're closed on Sundays. So, that's where I chose. We met Kenn there, because we needed to hit one of the grocery stores in Lebanon. So, off we went.

Dinner was really nice; we had a waitress who picked on Kenn the whole time. :D The food was yummy; I had a sandwich, because I didn't want a heavy meal after my morning fiasco. :) They also brought me out a chocolate cake - the frosting was slumping, because it was still hot, but it was yummy! :D Mom & Dad gave me my birthday check, and Kenn gave me a bottle of my perfume. :)

We had a nice, relaxing time, and then Mom and Dad headed home - stopping by McD's for an ice cream cone. :) We headed to Publix, to pick up the last two things on my grocery list.

Remember that Friday the 13th thing? Yeah, I took it ALL for my family - unless you count the mirror as Dad's part.

As I was getting out of our car - trying to hurry, because Kenn doesn't like me to take a long time when there might be traffic behind him - my palazzo pants hem got caught on the seat adjusting handle. Yup, I bit the pavement. Hard. If there hadn't been a pillar there for me to catch with my left elbow, my FACE would have caught it. As it was, my knees got chewed up. They're STILL sore!! Everyone coming out of the store came over to make sure I was OK. I picked up all the stuff that had fallen out of my purse, said I was fine, and hobbled into the store. I got the last two things I needed, and hobbled out to the car. Kenn has a hard time admitting he married a clutz, so he asked me if it was my eyes. NO, dear, just my clutziness. AND I was tired, which always means I hurt myself more. :)

So, we came home, and Mom and I took this photo together. :) Isn't she a beautiful woman??? She takes such good care of me. I am so blessed with wonderful parents!

Afterward, I went upstairs and doctored my knees, watched a little TV, and we went to bed.

And that was Friday the 13th, the second day of my celebrating. :D