Tag Archives: birthdays

A month later… the cake.

family, food and cooking,

I just realized it is the one-month anniversary of my birthday. That is a bit odd to take note of, except that it gives me a chance to show you the cake that Kate made for me. It was a flourless chocolate cake, which she had baked before, but the recipe was for a smaller springform pan than I had here. So she increased the recipe and made a giant cake, considering how rich it was. All the 15 people who were here for our anniversary party (which was also my birthday party) could not finish it, and it was enjoyed by several liberal-minded people for another week, as breakfast.

G b.d. cake 15 crp

The girls did not want ask the person whom they were celebrating where they might find birthday candles, so they made do with my cute (giant) gumdrop-shaped candles they discovered. That made me happy remembering the cakes I made for the children when they were young, and very often decorated with gumdrop candies, because that was special and very easy.

It also made me think it funny the way things have evolved, that I keep birthday candles in a different place, clear across the house, from all the other candles.

He makes us stitch and sing.

art, crafts, creativity, , ,

I have an assortment of things to share, which I beliP1100820 Ps 23 hanging by Geve all flow from people’s creative impulses. So I’ll make that my theme.

When I was sorting and sifting with Kate I found some crafty things I did when money was tight. If you make presents for your parents you might inherit those same things after a while.

This was the case with wall-hangings I made 40 years ago, which came back a few years ago, but then got buried again until last month. This one speaks to me now, so I hung it over a knob near where I am typing at the moment. The scraps of fabric I used remind me of dresses I made for myself in high school and college.

 

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Another sort of scrap art is this large design in cloth that I found last month on the wall of a hospital corridor, when I was walking up and down with a post-surgical patient. That hospital has really nice art on the walls, and I kept thinking I should go on a picture-taking tour, but I didn’t. A close-up of this one shows the close quilting.

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I have to cregum art pastoraledit Chel at Sweetbriar Dreams for introducing me to Ben Wilson via her blog. This man paints miniature works of art on chewing gum that has been rudely and antisocially discarded on the streets of London. Igum art isle of wight liked this BBC video about him.

The art at right includes mention of the Isle of Wight, which reminds me that I didn’t tell you about the birthday party we had for Mr. Glad last month.

gum art bbc w hand

Our small group of friends and family sat around singing to guitars songs such as Dylan’s “Forever Young” and the Beatles’ “When I’m 64,” which gives you a clue as to which birthday my husband celebrated. Ever since then I can’t get that song out of my mind, including the stanza that goes:

Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight
If it’s not too dear.
We shall scrimp and save.
Grandchildren on your knee:
Vera, Chuck & Dave.

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P1100897crp At least I got a break during church this morning when other music pushed the torture aside. I went with Mr. Glad to his church which was meeting for the first time in a new place, and I took a few pictures of the window shades which I thought much better than a lot of modern church art I’ve seen. I of course prefer icons, but these images feel light and joyful, and are reminiscent of stained glass.

The last one shows the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, a reference to Christ from the book of Revelation. He is “The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” As all our arts begin with gifts God has given us, may their ends also be for His glory and in His praise.

One cupcake on Saturday and treats all week long…

family, nature, , ,

My fortnight with lots of good company has come to an end. Of course I still have my husband who is normally all the good company I need, but it was a very wonderful thing to have our big house used for good purposes. Our guests were friends and family, and even strangers from Ohio and New York lodging here on account of a masters singing class held at my church. During this two weeks came the wave of heat.

One weekend Liam’s parents Soldier and Joy used our house for a birthday party for our little grandson. I love it when creative people decorate my house and take care of all the invitations and food for an event, and all I have to do is provide a relatively tidy environment and clean towels everywhere. In this case I even swept the floor because I knew the guest of honor would crawl all over it.

Frosting the lemon cupcakes

 
The Very Hungry Caterpillar was the theme for Liam’s party. His mother made the cutest treats and favors and lanterns relating to the story or the colors and shapes in the book. Liam didn’t notice most of it but he did eat most of a cupcake after the candle was blown out by his mother.

Their family had no sooner departed than Pippin’s crowd arrived with Pat. They had come south to enjoy more and different adventures before Pat had to return to MD. Pippin’s little ones are Scout and Ivy, so I was treated to more time with more grandchildren. So sweet.

Ivy scooted around on the floor, too, and tried to kiss the little girl in the dishwasher door.

The heat wave surprisingly extended to the North Coast beaches and we all trekked to one where there was no fog or wind. Barely any sand got into our sourdough bread and cheese and blueberries, and only Scout stood on his head in the hole that the cousins dug.

God gave us a rainbow in a cloud. It was even more brilliant than this but faded somewhat while I rummaged around for my camera.

 

I took the photo below for Jo in Tasmania where they call New Zealand Spinach warrigal greens. Its botanical name is Tetragonia tetragonioides. It seems to have naturalized here on the coast and this is the second time I’ve seen it on beaches.

 

 

Here’s the same plant that keeps volunteering in my garden, amongst the tomatoes and snapdragons:

On the bluffs above the beach, as we were parting with Pat, I got a parting gift in this pale yellow/white paintbrush display in the middle of a coastal flower show. These all were just a few of the pleasures of the early summer – I will tell of more soon.

Valentine and Grenadine

dolls, family, ,

Meet my darling Miss Grenadine. She was a birthday present from Mr. Glad, and here she sits on the chair next to my computer table, keeping me company. She is small and squishable and even machine-washable, so that I could take her places in my purse and let toddler grand-girls play with her.

She came from Corolle dolls equipped with that cute name, so I don’t have to think up a new one. Any of you grandmas or mamas who like her should know that she’s even safe for newborns. She’s a doll of a doll!

I had to spend much of my birthday on an airplane, which is not the worst thing that could happen — I’ve had birthdays I liked much less. Anyway, there wasn’t much actual celebrating on the exact date. But before and since, I have been remembered and greeted and gifted in many ways.

Books, music, flowers, a Japanese lunch date…Kate brought me exotic blood-orange-infused olive oil on the train from D.C. to Philadelphia. All nourishing things that make one glad to have been born.

Pearl sent me this funny card. She is the family’s most accomplished baker and if she had been here she’d have given me proper carbs. As it is, she gave me inspiration to bake myself a cake after Pascha.

And she sent along a belated Valentine from Maggie. If you can’t see it clearly enough it’s worth clicking on the photo to enlarge to reading size:

That girl cracks me up!

Her cousin Annie on the other side of the country — this side — is selling coffee, cocoa mix and biscotti for American Heritage Girls. I didn’t have to hesitate a minute before checking off a few items on the order form; they can come right out of the grocery budget. I’ll get to see that dear girl and pick up my goodies at the end of May.

More rain is forecast for tomorrow – yay! But the sun is shining this afternoon. I can see from here calla lilies blooming out beyond the manzanita bush; they are asking to come inside and help brighten up the house. I’ll go now and bring some in.