Day After Birthday Photos

We decided to not try for the birthday dinner so Dawn brought me a cake and everybody sang. We found a leftover "9" candle and used 6 regular candles. Everyone can tell that means 69, right? And I didn't have to burn the house down lighting them.

We'd just finished up the cake when Tim called from work to tell me my oldest granddaughter (Jim's oldest child) was at the store and could I drop in? I gathered up Rochelle and Rebecca and we went. Elcie was visiting a friend and missed it. Had a great time catching up with Samantha who will be 18 in July and will graduate from high school this year.

I can always keep up with her birthday. She was born one week and two days after Ray and I married and shares a birthday with my brother. She was one of the most beautiful newborns I've ever seen and she's grown into a lovely young woman. She's just as sweet as she is beautiful (I'm a granny so I can say that of course). I don't see enough of her and her two brothers (3 brothers counting little Jonathan). They stay so busy. With summer coming up though, maybe we'll see more of each other. She wants to spend some time with her cousins. I'd like that too.

The girls were thrilled. They've always adored their older cousins. The two boys were at middle school with Elcie but, by the time Rochelle and Rebecca started this year, the youngest, Michael, had moved on to high school. Elcie will be in a different high school so she won't be seeing the boys on campus.

Anyhow, it made for a nice day after birthday surprise.

I'm putting the pictures on last so I don't know how they'll show up. The first one should be the cake with the teddy bear and flowers Dawn's 6 year old daughter, Destiny, bought me with her own allowance. The others are Samantha by herself; Samantha with Rochelle and Rebecca; and Rebecca with our neighbor Dennis (Dawn's brother-in-law), and Ray. I took some other pictures but they didn't turn out. I was having trouble with the flash on a couple and on the other I had the camera too high. Didn't even get the tops of their heads. Meantime, the candles were burning away and melting the frosting so I couldn't keep trying. Oh well.

Well, it took me three tries but the pictures all posted, if not in the order described. I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Update: I just looked at the published version and see those little squares that might mean the pics showed up twice even though I see only one of each. I have no idea what's going on but I'm going to settle for what I have right now.

Thanks for all the comments and have a great weekend everyone.

Update: 8:14 p.m.

I DID IT!! ALL BY MYSELF!!

My picture and email are now on the sidebar. I like the one of Elcie and me in her middle school classroom (about a year ago) so that's what we're going with for now. My hair is much shorter today but not much else has changed.

I may do some rearranging to get my pic and the girls together but this was enough creativity for one night.

Update: Thanks, Angela for doing that for me.

As for the email address, it's not a link but it is correct. When I figure out how to bring up a compose page by clicking on the email address, I'll change it. For the moment, I'm patting myself on the back for not zapping the blog one more time.

Update: Angela can't figure it out either so we'll leave the email address as is. At least it's there.

New Additions to the Grandparent Ranks

Please join me in congratulating my good online friends Anvilcloud and Cuppa of Ontario, Canada on the slightly overdue arrival of their first grandchild, a girl they've been calling Smudge from the time the pregnancy was first announced. She weighed in early this morning at 8 lbs 6 oz.

Mom and daughter are both doing well. Grandparents are coming back down to earth, cameras in hand.

Pictures of the beautiful baby and the proud first time grandparents can be found at both their blog sites. (see links above).

Of course I'm thrilled to share a birthday with this little blessing even though I'm sure her parents didn't plan it that way.

Speaking of birthdays, thanks to all who posted birthday greetings. Most of you I know, I few I hadn't met. To the visitors from Pea's Corner (another Canadian friend), thanks to you for the good wishes and to Pea for the post.

I'll go back through the comments again later. I know not all of the first time visitors came over from Pea's post but I can't remember them all at the moment. Their names are in the comment box and they know who they are.

Mixed in with the comments were at least one person singing Happy Birthday (hi mo-wo - wish you'd sent the audio along) and two blessings which I hadn't heard before so I'm reposting them here as my wish for all of you as well.

From Sometimes Saintly Nick

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

And from Granny Fiddler. She always refers to me as Granny No Fiddle going back to the days of late 2005/early 2006 when she and I were commenting on the same blogs with the same user name. She added "Fiddler" to hers.

Lang mae yer lung reek
an mae the wee moosie
naer liv yer kiln wi a
tair en is ee

translation:
long may your chimney smoke
and may the wee mousie
never leave your cupboard
with a tear in his eye

Our dinner was postponed until tomorrow. I took Elcie to the pediatrician this afternoon. She hasn't been exactly sick but she's lost a couple of pounds, she has mysterious aches and pains in her joints, she has a hammer toe which is causing her problems, a recurring tummyache, and a canker sore on the inside of her mouth. Each of these things, taken separately, wouldn't warrant a doctor visit but taken together are cause for concern, if not worry.

They ran urine and blood tests and x-rayed her shoulder. We should have the results tomorrow and go from there. It is probably nothing serious. The aches are most likely a result of "growing pains". Some of it is normal with cerebral palsy. Still, I want to be sure.

I did manage to make the spaghetti sauce before I left. I always start it early because it needs to simmer. Ray cooked the pasta and made garlic bread. He didn't prepare a salad but I had lettuce and tomatoes in the fridge if the girls wanted them. They certainly know how to find the refrigerator. He had the two younger girls and himself fed before I came home. At the moment, Rochelle and Rebecca are leading cheers in the living room and Elcie is all but asleep.

Angela emailed me yesterday to remind me I had just passed 1,000 posts. She was quite correct. This will be 1,003 if I ever finish it. That's a lot of running off at the mouth since the fall of 2005 and a milestone I missed. Thanks Angela.

Leaving now to pick up Tim who is arriving on the 9 p.m. north bound Amtrak. Correction - train a little early - he just arrived. Out of here.

Updated at 10:30. Just came back. Tim bought me a birthday burger and fries at In and Out which gave us a chance to chat for a little while.

Take care everyone.