79th – LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD

The End of a Perfect Day

My 79th birthday was such a lovely day – lunch with my two daughters, phone calls from my two sons and my best friend, gifts at my youngest daughter’s house with her family plus her renowned white cake with caramel frosting and watching one of my favorite movies, Breaking Away.

Everything worked out so well this year – the gifts were simply overwhelming. My youngest daughter saved all of her gifts for the big day: flowers, her hand-knitted gifts of placemats, dishcloths, a spectacular long scarf in variegated yarn, and an I-Pod Nano MP-3 player with all of my favorite songs and albums already downloaded for my listening pleasure.

Twelve-year-old grandson Jellyfish picked out a wonderful Scottie cookie jar and paid for it out of his own allowance. Eight-year-old granddaughter Dolphin drew one of her special pictures and cut/folded a 3-dimensional dog, probably a Scottie in answer to her brother’s cookie jar.

My youngest son and his family in St. Louis sent a box full of beautiful dish towels and pot holders – I love anything for the kitchen.

In addition to her daily countdown gifts, my oldest daughter gave me a vintage Jadeite bowl, candle holder, thermometer and glasses; a Scottie covered dish; a crocheted doily in fall colors; and a big stack of fabric samples.

Darlene, my blogger friend in Columbus, Ohio, sent a box jam-packed with wonderful things – quilt binding clips, a sewing kit, cupcake liners, Post-Its, two pieces of fabric, a book, a crocheted doily and a beautiful framed cross-stitch picture.

I came home at 10 PM to another piece of cake and then spent three hours trying to get to sleep – it’s hard to let go of a perfect day.

79th Birthday Countdown – Day 6

My oldest daughter, who lives with me, loves to celebrate birthdays. This is what I found on my kitchen table on Friday morning.

One of her many talents is making jewelry. And, of course, she knows I love horses. There are tiny horse head and horse shoe charms on the bracelet.

Today is my 79th birthday and this is the last of the countdown gifts. It’s been so much fun coming out to the kitchen at 6 AM and finding a new treasure.

79th Birthday Countdown – Day 5

My oldest daughter, who lives with me, loves to celebrate birthdays. This is what I found on my kitchen table on Thursday morning.

This is one of her hand-crocheted doilies in the most delicious colors – the picture doesn’t do it justice.

A BONUS EARLY GIFT

Last evening, I was telling my daughter that I had been disappointed not to find a mini-quilt rack on our recent trip to Amish Country in Holmes County, Ohio. I have been seeing them in displays at quilt shows and in quilt shops, but there were never any for sale. She suddenly left the room and returned with exactly the rack I wanted – she had managed to sneak it out of a shop and into the car while we were in Amish Country. It’s designed to hold up to a 12×15 inch piece, just the right size for a mini-quilt that I’m already planning in my mind.

79th Birthday Countdown – Day 4

My oldest daughter, who lives with me, loves to celebrate birthdays. This is what I found on my kitchen table on Wednesday morning.

Another passion of mine – harness horses. My father was a trainer/driver and I was co-owner of several horses back in the 1960s. This is a lapel pin with a medallion from the Hall of Fame of the Trotter in Goshen, NY.

Countdown Day #1

Countdown Day #2

Countdown Day #3

79th Birthday Countdown – Day 3

My oldest daughter, who lives with me, loves to celebrate birthdays. This is what I found on my kitchen table on Tuesday morning.

I collect items from an old Cincinnati dairy, French-Bauer – I remember watching their horse-drawn milk wagons when I was a child. At one time, they also had a restaurant in downtown Cincinnati. This is a tiny 4-1/2 inch ice-cream spoon from that restaurant and the name engraved on the back, “French Bros.-Bauer Co.” dates it to the mid-1920s before the name change. This is a nice addition to the china pieces I already have. My daughter definitely knows what I like.