And Now We Are Twenty Six

Someone has a birthday today. Here's my tribute to the youngest lovely:

Happy Birthday, DoodleSquirt! We love you! 

Birthday Auntie and Baby M

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles
and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! :)

Someone Has A Birthday Today

It's birthday time for someone very special!

I'm just gonna leave this right here:

Oh, and in case you missed this on Instagram or Facebook, she walked for the first time last Friday.

Here's that one:

This week, she's practically running and has not crawled at all. What's more than exhausted? That's what I am. But I'm loving it!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! Grandma loves you!

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles
and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! :)

Birthday and a Cake Disaster

Yep. We had one of each. Today is Birdie's birthday but we celebrated at our Wednesday night dinner. And there was a birthday cake disaster.

Birdie LOVES all things Halloween. She always has. Her favorite color is orange and she wore the same pumpkin costume for Halloween three years in a row because she loved it and wanted THAT one and wouldn't let Mimi make her a new one EXACTLY like it. Birdie might be a little bit stubborn. Or, she knows what she likes.

The first year she wore the pumpkin costume. 

The last time I took care of little ones and prepared a birthday celebration was way longer ago than I wish to remember so trying to do it Wednesday while taking care of Baby M was...interesting. And exhausting. And resulted in a birthday cake disaster.

I'm pretty sure this was the second year. Year three is MIA.

Because Birdie loves all things Halloween, she often wanted a Halloween theme for her birthday. Well, not often. Always. So I made Halloween themed cakes for her birthdays. She loved the pumpkin shaped cakes. Have y'all made these? You make two bundt cakes and put them together to make a pumpkin cake? They're pretty cool. My first one wasn't the best but the kids LOVED it. Here it is---

And that's the cake shape I intended to have for her birthday celebration on Wednesday night. Didn't happen. Oh, I made the cake. I stacked one on top of the other and I iced the darn thing. HOWEVER, it had been YEARS since I made this cake and I forgot that you have to trim the bottom of the bundts to make them sit flat, one on top of the other. Baby M, Tucker, and I set off to play and read and have loads of general fun---

I tell everyone that Baby M was trying to sound out a word. Ha! 

When I came back, one-half of the top of the cake had split off and fallen onto the kitchen counter. I would have taken a picture but my thoughts were on the disaster NOT on taking pictures. Sorry.

My mind was racing when suddenly I realized when a cake disaster happens, just make a trifle. So I did. And we had trifle cake. And stories. And lots of poking fun at mom. Which I loved. Because, family.

The good news is that, around here, a cake disaster is not a big deal. The disaster was salvaged, there was a funny story to tell, lots of laughs were had, but the best thing of all was sharing this moment with family. What good is a cake disaster without people to share it with? What good is telling a story without an audience of loved ones? What good is being able to have a few laughs without family to share them? It's called- love laughter.

Still laughing at the cake disaster. 

 And what makes a birthday more memorable than a cake disaster?! This will be a stand-out birthday when we discuss birthdays. Which we do from time to time. "Hey! Do y'all remember the time Mom tried to make Birdie a pumpkin cake and it ended up being a trifle?!" Hilarious.

Happy Birthday, Birdie! 

We survived the cake disaster of October 2016!

Family. There's not a single one I'd rather have than the one with these goobers (including the two who were MIA). We love hard. We play hard. We live hard. We laugh hard and often.

How many people do you know who would love your cake disaster more than the original? Call us because we will!

Happy Birthday, Birdie! Somebody loves you. IT'S ME! :)

Head over to Create With Joy and join in the Friendship Friday! You might see someone over there you know. ;)

30! Wait. What???

There is NO WAY my oldest lovely is 30 years old today. Mostly because I am not old enough to have a child THAT OLD. Sheesh.

My comic relief.

The lovely who's been with me the longest.

The one who falls out of chairs and trips over her own to feet. Who gets key chains stuck on her fingers.

Who still loves to put her whole face in her birthday cake. Who loves playing Mother Hen to her sisters.

Who is self taught on the guitar and plays cello as well. Who is a writer and painter.

Who hates the music from SOUTH PACIFIC.

And who bursts into tears if she hears someone singing, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.

Who can do anything. And is brilliant. She, is 30. And I am proud to be her mom.

 Happy Birthday, Breezy! You wear 30 quite well!

Someone is A Quarter of a Century Old TODAY!

And her mom is a slacker. I'm reposting Birdie's birthday post from last year because I couldn't outrun the stomach bug that DoodleBug brought home from her new job. UGH. SOOOOO---

It's BIRTHDAY time at our house! My Birdie is 25 years old today! 

Birdie has always, and I'm talking FROM BIRTH, been my easiest, most laid back, go-with-the-flow kid. She's my all American girl.  If she could live out of doors 24/7 and be surrounded by dogs and books, she would be happy.

She likes to think of herself as a regular Joe. Ordinary. But I know, and not just because I’m her mother, there’s nothing ordinary about Birdie. 

Birdie is our athlete. She played soccer for 8 years and loved every minute of it. Until high school when she disagreed with and refused to participate in the politics that are a part of soccer in our area and quit playing altogether. It was at this time that she discovered athletic training and became a student trainer all through high school, majored in it in college and then left us to get a master's degree in athletic training in TEXAS. But that’s ok. She’s back now. Besides, the fact that she refuses to participate in the crap that goes on behind the scenes to play the behind the scenes game is one of the things I admire most about Birdie. This kid is always on the up-and-up.

Birdie has a contagious laugh. She has what you might call a wry sense of humor. She loves old black and white movies and music that spans decades from the 1940s to the present day. She loves traveling and sports (especially soccer and football). She went to Ecuador after her senior year in high school and we thought she was going to just stay there. It might have been related to the fact that the World Cup was going on at that time.

She is loyal beyond belief to her sisters and has had the same best friend since the age of three. Birdie is independent and has better financial savvy than her dad and I ever had.  She loves decorating for holidays and celebrations and is the best gift giver of us all. Her gifts are thoughtful and perfect for each receiver. And, if you’re really lucky, it’s something she made.  

Halloween is her favorite holiday and orange is her favorite color. She was a pumpkin for Halloween 4 years in a row. And wouldn't let Mimi make her a bigger costume. THAT was interesting. As she got older, all of her birthday party themes were Halloween related.

Birdie has the patience of a saint (which she gets from her dad...stop laughing) and is creative in multiple ways. When she was little, Birdie loved to sit on my mother’s lap (Mimi) while she was sewing. Mother always puts her pins in her mouth and, one day, she noticed that Birdie was doing it too! Mimi never put pins in her mouth again whenever Birdie was around. Birdie pays attention to detail. While she was in Texas, Birdie taught herself to quilt.

She is strong willed and independent. She is my quiet child. The one who NEVER rocks the boat. She lives and loves purely and simply. She gets her feelings hurt but only a couple of us know because she doesn’t put herself out there when it comes to feelings. You really have to know her to know this side of her.  When she was little and rode roller coasters (which she has always loved- they are never  too twisty/fast/high for Birdie), her expression was the same as if she was just sitting there reading a book.

Birdie is a lot like my granddaddy especially in her practical jokes and that 'gotcha' giggle that is just like his. And the fact that they were both people of few spoken words. She also hangs up the phone when she's finished talking, often without a goodbye. Just like he did. They never knew each other, but he lives on in this one. 

She is never jealous or possessive. She never ceases to amaze us. Everyday with Birdie is a blessed day. 

Oh, and Birdie? Somebody loves you, it's ME! Happy Birthday my sweet Bird!

Since Birdie's love of music is so vast, I decided not to try and go through a ton of choices but, instead, chose her favorite Beatles song for her slideshow. Enjoy!

For some reason, I can't get the video to come up on the posted post. Sorry y'all. It's showing up on the draft just fine. Go figure.

April Fool's

April Fool's Day means hi-jinx for most folks. We're no different in our family so we have to be very, very careful each April 1. Especially around DoodleBug and Birdie. They're the best at fooling everyone. But that doesn't mean that Breezy and Deanie don't get us too. It's just that DoodleBug and Birdie go all out in their efforts.

And school? Let's just say that I'm quite happy that spring break is upon us this week. Because the students have way too much fun with April Fool's pranks. Translation: I am a sucker and fall for the pranks played on me by the students.

There is one other thing about April Fool's Day in our family though--- it is also Deanie's birthday!!! That's right- she's my April Fool's baby.

I've posted about each of the lovelies on their birthdays before (Deanie's birthday posts are here and here), so I'll keep this one short and sweet. And pictorial.

Happy Birthday my sweet Deanie girl! I love you!

I'm linking this post to the first post of the April, A-Z Challenge!
Just click the badge below and see what everyone else came up with for the letter 'A'. 

And, it's also Monday listicles day!

This week, our topic is 10 Places You've Been Kissed. I hope Stasha will forgive me for taking liberties with this week's topic- instead of the mushy, I'm going to list 10 Things About Deanie that Begin With the Letter 'A' since it is her birthday.

  

Next week's list will be 10 Things You Did That Made You Feel Like A Super Hero.

All you have to do to join in with this week's list is click on the button!

1. Adorable. Not just in the 'cute' way but in her actions and attitude. 

2. Appreciative. She's always so grateful for everything and to everyone. 

3. Active. Without a doubt, Deanie's unending energy amazes me. She works as an interior designer with a huge firm in VA, bartends in DC and has a ridiculously busy social life. On top of that, she's training for her first half marathon. Ah, youth.

4. Amiable. That's putting it mildly. She's friendly and outgoing enough for all of us!

5.  Affectionate.Deanie is a loving person- giving and kind. She reaches out to those in need and cares deeply for so many. 

6. Ardent. Deanie is devoted to family and friends and to worthy causes and goes all out giving 110%.

7. Artistic. In SO many ways- her voice will blow you away, when she dances it truly is poetry in motion and her creativity in the craft and art areas are astounding. 

8. Articulate. Ha! By articulate I mean, talkative. All. The. Time. This child's mouth never tires. NEVER. But I love it- she still calls me every single day.

9. Aesthetic. Deanie sees the beauty in practically everything and everyone.

Have a great Monday, y'all! 




 

Happy Birthday Birdie!

It's BIRTHDAY time at our house! My Birdie is 24 years old today! 

Birdie has always, and I'm talking FROM BIRTH, been my easiest, most laid back, go-with-the-flow kid. She's my all American girl.  If she could live out of doors 24/7 and be surrounded by dogs and books, she would be happy.

She likes to think of herself as a regular Joe. Ordinary. But I know, and not just because I’m her mother, there’s nothing ordinary about Birdie. 

Birdie is our athlete. She played soccer for 8 years and loved every minute of it. Until high school when she disagreed with and refused to participate in the politics that are a part of soccer in our area and quit playing altogether. It was at this time that she discovered athletic training and became a student trainer all through high school, majored in it in college and then left us to get a master's degree in athletic training in TEXAS. But that’s ok. She’s back now. Besides, the fact that she refuses to participate in the crap that goes on behind the scenes to play the behind the scenes game is one of the things I admire most about Birdie. This kid is always on the up-and-up.

Birdie has a contagious laugh. She has what you might call a wry sense of humor. She loves old black and white movies and music that spans decades from the 1940s to the present day. She loves traveling and sports (especially soccer and football). She went to Ecuador after her senior year in high school and we thought she was going to just stay there. It might have been related to the fact that the World Cup was going on at that time.

She is loyal beyond belief to her sisters and has had the same best friend since the age of three. Birdie is independent and has better financial savvy than her dad and I ever had.  She loves decorating for holidays and celebrations and is the best gift giver of us all. Her gifts are thoughtful and perfect for each receiver. And, if you’re really lucky, it’s something she made.  

Halloween is her favorite holiday and orange is her favorite color. She was a pumpkin for Halloween 4 years in a row. And wouldn't let Mimi make her a bigger costume. THAT was interesting. As she got older, all of her birthday party themes were Halloween related.

Birdie has the patience of a saint (which she gets from her dad...stop laughing) and is creative in multiple ways. When she was little, Birdie loved to sit on my mother’s lap (Mimi) while she was sewing. Mother always puts her pins in her mouth and, one day, she noticed that Birdie was doing it too! Mimi never put pins in her mouth again whenever Birdie was around. Birdie pays attention to detail. While she was in Texas, Birdie taught herself to quilt.

She is strong willed and independent. She is my quiet child. The one who NEVER rocks the boat. She lives and loves purely and simply. She gets her feelings hurt but only a couple of us know because she doesn’t put herself out there when it comes to feelings. You really have to know her to know this side of her.  When she was little and rode roller coasters (which she has always loved- they are never  too twisty/fast/high for Birdie), her expression was the same as if she was just sitting there reading a book.

Birdie is a lot like my granddaddy especially in her practical jokes and that 'gotcha' giggle that is just like his. And the fact that they were both people of few spoken words. She also hangs up the phone when she's finished talking, often without a goodbye. Just like he did. They never knew each other, but he lives on in this one. 

She is never jealous or possessive. She never ceases to amaze us. Everyday with Birdie is a blessed day. 

Oh, and Birdie? Somebody loves you, it's ME! Happy Birthday my sweet Bird!

Since Birdie's love of music is so vast, I decided not to try and go through a ton of choices but, instead, chose her favorite Beatles song for her slideshow. Enjoy!

A 'Lovely' Weekend- Part 1

The first thing I forgot was that, when there are boys in the house, 'sports IS sports' and if SPORTS are happening, SPORTS will be on the television. AND- there will be commentary. So, yes. The Olympics were on at my house.

Saturday morning went something like this:

Me: Walk the dog.
Them: Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep...
Me: Cook, cook, cook, cook....
Them: Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep...
Me: Wondering when they are ever going to get up and get moving.
Them: Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep...

Later in the morning:

Me: Cook, cook, cook, cook...
Them: Groggily wander through the house.
Mimi arrives.

Me: Put food out.
Them: Eat, eat, eat, eat...

Me: Clean up.
Lovelies: Laughing/cutting up/chatting/trying on new dresses Mimi made them.
Boys: Watching Olympics WITH commentary.

Early afternoon:

The Lovelies: Let's go to the beach!
The boys: Let's watch the Olympics!
No movement.

The Lovelies: Let's go to the beach!
The boys: Let's watch the Olympics!
No movement.

The Lovelies: LET'S GO TO THE BEACH!
Everyone leaves to go to the beach.

And that was before dinner.

There was a bit of picture taking going on...surprise, surprise. I chose a few to share that show the highlights of our weekend with the Crazies Lovelies!

We've had storms with torrential rains twice last week. Once was Tuesday, DoodleBug's actual birthday and second was Saturday, the day she celebrated her birthday with her sisters. This could give someone a complex...the picture was taken around 5:00 pm, when the sun should have still been shining.

Birdie loves her Strider pup...

This is Deanie- she certainly was having a good time...

Breezy and Deanie-

There were plenty of attempts at getting a group shot- sometimes they cooperated...(Birdie, DoodleBug, Breezy, Deanie; the boys are (from left to right) BestSonInLawEVER, Nicolass, Evwardo)

But, mostly, they just got silly---

Making me go through an awful lot of horseplay while attempting that group shot---

And they think it's so funny---

And so do I, as long as I get my end result. Which I thought I had here...until I saw Birdie's face---

And then, it was on again---

Y'all can probably tell that the boys fit right in with our family- we couldn't have done better for our girls if we'd picked them ourselves (DoodleBug's boytoy had to work doubles all weekend so he was MIA)...

My goodness but the silliness abounds in our family---

Again---

And again...

And what birthday celebration would be complete without the birthday spanking?

I titled this post Part 1 because the Lovelies went out last night downtown Charleston- and I MIGHT share some of those photos too. Might being the keyword there. You just never know what those kind of pictures might look like. :)

Hope y'all are having a fun weekend too!

She's 21!

It's here. She's done it. DoodleBug has gone and turned 21!

DoodleBug is our youngest lovely. She told me she would stay little and live with me forever. She lied. Well, she's still little- coming in at 5'5", she's the shortest lovely. But she did grow up. And she doesn't live with me...

DoodleBug is the only one of our girls to give herself the proverbial kid hair cut. Her sister, Breezy, was watching her (and by watching her I mean watching television) and then next thing they heard was, "I DON'T LIKE IT!!!" Poor DoodleBug was not happy with her new 'do'. I took her to the kids' salon and she got a really cute little bob.

DoodleBug HATED outgrowing things that she loved to wear. Like the Christmas dress that matched her Molly doll (from American Girl)- she wore that thing three years in a row. The first year it was a tiny bit big for her. The second year it was close to a perfect fit but bordered on a smidge small. The third year? Well, she wore it anyway. And then there were those shoes...they were just a pair of Keds' tennis shoes. She loved those things. I thought it was odd that she hadn't needed new shoes in so long. She was scrunching up her toes so she could keep wearing them.

She adored, and I mean ADORED, her kindergarten teacher. Maybe worshiped is a better word. At the end of the school year when the teacher, MM, was testing her kindergarteners for placement, she came to me so worried. "DoodleBug can't read! She doesn't know her letters or numbers! I know she DID know them, I just don't know what happened!" Come to find out, DoodleBug discovered that she was going to be going to first grade but that MM was going to be staying in kindergarten. So my child, that little stinker, figured out that if she acted like she didn't know these things, she would get to stay in kindergarten with MM.

DoodleBug has wanted to be a kindergarten teacher since that time. She is about to enter her senior year at the College of Charleston as an early childhood education major. Some teachers just make all the difference.

By third grade she was reading Dickens by herself and, by the time she reached high school, she had already read everything on the honors English reading list for freshman and sophomore years. Avid reader? To say the least.

DoodleBug still loves to dress up for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If she's not in a costume, she's in a sweatshirt made by Mimi (my mother) to fit the holiday. So, she already dresses like a teacher. :)

She LOVES elderly folks. There were tea parties with Mama Lil (my grandmother) and Chinese Checkers with Great Mama (the husband's grandmother). There were 4 birthday years in a row that she held her parties at a retirement community. Each of her friends went around and helped the residents with the craft projects we brought along with us. The residents LOVED these birthday parties!

DoodleBug loves baseball and ultimate frisbee. And she is fierce on the field. At 5'5" you would think she would be cautious. Nope. That child is not scared of anything. She has an extreme sense of sarcasm and when she's mad it's best that you leave her alone. She was a band geek in high school all four years and is, to this day, proud of that--and wouldn't mind me telling y'all that each of her four years our band took FIRST PLACE at state. And they've been taking it ever since--if they do it this year, that will be 8 years in a row. Bright does not even begin to describe her intellect and, beyond intellect, she possesses wisdom. She is intensely loyal to her friends and family. And she's all about ladybugs.

Once she decides to commit to something, DoodleBug gives at least 110%, regardless. She is passionate about civil rights and will fight to the death for what she believes is right. She is not intimidated by authority figures and will speak out against wrongs/injustices and speak up for what is good/fair/just. She does NOT back down.

This child loves shrimp! When she could barely walk she would go from person to person out our gatherings and have people peel shrimp and feed them to her. Seriously, she would eat them until she was sick. She's still that way about shrimp.

She is the baby of the family and her sisters love her almost as much as she loves them. Because she loves them in a BIG way. When Breezy was off to college for her freshman year, DoodleBug and I were watching a Hallmark show on television. There was a commercial about two sisters. One was about to leave for college and the younger one gave her a birthday card. The older sister said something about her birthday not being for a few months and the little one said something about her not being home for it--- you know how it goes. Anyway, DoodleBug just cried and cried and then said, "Stupid Hallmark commercials!" She has desperately missed each and every sister as they left for college and other towns/states to live. 

But they always come home. And they'll all be here this weekend to celebrate their baby sister's 21st birthday. AND, we'll be having shrimp.

So, happy birthday my Doodle my Bug! You are loved beyond measure! To say that I am proud of you would be an understatement. I am so very glad that you were born!

There were three songs that I had to choose from for her birthday slideshow. I finally settled on this one---ENJOY!