50? No Thanks, I'd REALLY rather not . . .

As much as I keep trying to avoid it, my birthday is coming up next week. And I will sadly leave my 40's behind. They have been such wonderful years. Some of my very favorite I think. (Like if I have to pick an era to be the favorite - it's certainly up there in the running.)

So it is with much denial, procrastination and prolongment, that I am hanging on to 49 with my toenails. Which are badly in need of a pedicure by the way. Really, one year shouldn't make such a difference. Just one more year . . . I don't expect to wake up on Sept 28 and feel 50 for heavens sake!~

I think I'll just keep pretending that the amazing lunch we had last week, the one where we ate divine panini's, yummy salads, Paula Deen's Savannah Hot Fudge cake and homemade ice cream (recipe below) was really just another super duper day. And not some big celebration in

honor of my 50th. Even though I was paid some of the highest compliments of my life! My sweet friends, they just made me want to cry. EVERYONE should get compliments for their birthday. I am going to remember that. Anyone have a birthday coming up?

I think I'll just keep pretending that the wonderful friend who took me here (where we experienced heavenly food that I didn't even know existed in the world!) to celebrate my 50th, was really just thinking dinner out together with our husbands was an outstanding way to spend a Saturday evening. Which it was, and not another celebration of that unmentionable 5 . . . 0 . . . anniversary of the day I came into the world.

Oh, and thank you wonderful family, who all gathered together at mom's house today and prepared the most delicious BBQ, complete with all the trimmings, and brought such lovely gifts, special just for me, that I will treasure! I know it wasn't meant to remind me of that unusually high number of birthdays that I will soon (like in another 10 years I think) reach, but instead to express just how much they love me, which I did so much enjoy and cherish and will remember for always.

Oh well, I'm actually feeling so blessed, so nourished and so filled right now. If this is 50, maybe it's not so bad after all.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

3 ripe bananas

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 3 oranges

5 cups of strawberries or raspberries

2 C. sugar

2 C. whole milk

4 C. heavy cream

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Process the first four ingredients in food processor to desired chunkiness (Note - do not process raspberries, but leave whole).

Add sugar and continue to process.

Stream whole milk and heavy cream into the processor and continue to blend. Add Vanilla.

Process immediately according to directions in homemade ice cream freezer with ice and rock salt.

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Aloha! (or Happy Birthday Kelsie:)

Just special for our daughter Kelsie's all grown up and #18 birthday . . .

We will be making a brief stop on the tropical island of Hawaii today. Kelsie LOVES pineapple and she is sure to love this wonderful refreshing birthday treat.

I don't know what they are called . . . WAIT . . . Let's make up some exotic tropically delicious name . . .

How about . . . Pineapple Volcanos? . . . hmmmm . . . . Hawaiian Hula Heaven? . . . I'm open to suggestion!



Begin by cutting a whole fresh pineapple in half, cutting off the green top but leaving the shell intact on both sides so you can hollow it out for a bowl.

Use a pineapple corer or a sharp knife to go cut the meat and core out of the center of the pineapple bowl. Add the fresh pineapple to a bowl in which you will be mixing in other fruit later.


Add 3 to 4 of your other favorite fresh or frozen fruits. Today, I used frozen peaches from the orchard last fall, and frozen raspberries from the garden also. Throw in a handful of sweet strawberries halved and some blueberries for a little festive JULY holiday color - and VOILA!


Spoon a little fruit into the bottom of the pineapple bowl, top with two scoops of your favorite flavor of sherbet. Pile more fruit on top of the sherbet, add a straw.


Pour Fresca over the top of the whole creation - and yum! It looks delicious and is ready to eat!

Pretty healthy treat also - loaded with Vitamin C, visions of warm beaches and summer sun!

(I think she likes it!)

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This Month is Such a Special One . . .

This month is such a special one,
it's birthday time for you . . .

We'd really like to celebrate
this happy day with you!

So zippity ay and heigh dee ho
there's something we can do . . .

We'll sing a song that we all know
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!


That's me, singing my favorite birthday song to a couple of the favorite men in my life.

Today is Norm's birthday, he's one past the big one today. I know sometimes he wondered if he'd ever last this long. Thankfully for me, I finally think he's outgrown the motorcycle riding, the skydiving and the holding your breath under water in a bucket game.

(a very old photo I dug up from 1977 when Norm used to jump out of airplanes with his best friend Scott)

Tuesday - it was the birthday of my first born. An experience that never fails to fill a parent with wonder, somehow just one notch above the wonderment of each proceeding childbirth experience. Dustin and Cami celebrated all by their lonesomes in Raleigh North Carolina. I don't know if they missed us (I understand they made homemade ice cream!) but we celebrated and we certainly missed them. I love that Cami blogged about it! (Happy Birthday - Dustin) Now if I can just figure out this webcam thing and the skype thing . . .

(Another birthday, a very long time ago . . . like 25 years ago)

And so . . . best wishes for these two special men in my life.

Happy Birthday to you!

And may you accomplish all your greatest desires for this upcoming new year.

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