A Message from Mother to Daughter on this Milestone Birthday

Daughters are a wonderful blessing that bring a special joy.

And as she grows into adulthood, 

she fills a mother’s heart with pride.

I can’t believe it has been 30 years since our baby girl came 

into this world and made our family complete.

Emily, you brought sunshine to our lives...

A bright spot for all of us.

Today on your 30th Birthday, it is time to stop and reflect.

Your 30s are a great decade...

A time when your life is all together.

In your 30s, people take you more seriously. 

You have earned your degrees and have 

a wide variety of  work experience.

You are smart and make good choices.

You met the man of your dreams...

You married each other 

and you support each other every single day.

In your 30s you have confidence 

and are still young.

You are the most important person in your life. 

Your self-love will keep you happy 

and help you reach your dreams. 

You have a bright future.

Always be proud of yourself 

and your accomplishments.

You have a strong work ethic...

Plus, you love having a good time.

A good recipe for life.

You are a beautiful young woman...

Never let your sparkle fade.

 Happy Birthday, Emily.

We love you.

Take care,

~Mom and Dad

Merry Christmas to our Family and Friends ~Our Celebration ~~A Little Peak at our Christmas Past

We are sending Christmas Wishes from our family to yours.

We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family.

Here’s a look at how we celebrated here.

There is a box of Hubby’s Toys in our attic.

 I thought it would be fun to create a Centerpiece 

with one of his Vintage Pickups decorated with a wreath 

and a couple of Christmas trees.

Emily knew what I was up to and sent 

the Holiday napkins to complete our appetizer table.

Thanks to my friend and neighbor,

I have these cute little Christmas bowls for my snack mix.

These are the napkins that I purchased in a Boutique,

when visiting our family in Boston.

On the Appetizer Menu,

Mini Bacon Ranch Cheese Balls...

And Raspberry Brie Bites.

These even look like Christmas, Don’t they?!

Grandma’s Table looked beautiful today 

with the centerpiece that she received from family.

And speaking of family,

Here’s a photo from Christmas past.

Our daughters helping Grandpa play Santa 

on Christmas Day was a special tradition.

I hope you all made sweet memories today.

Take care. 

~Natalie 

With Thanksgiving in the Memory Book ~We Shop Till We Drop ~Black Friday & Small Business Saturday Report

Thanksgiving is such a warm and wonderful holiday.

I love seeing all your photos of family gathered for the special day.

I am one that does not promote shopping on Thanksgiving. 

However, our family does have a tradition of going out for 

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

“Ok, but first shop local”

Hubby and I went out again Saturday morning.

First we did some errands to the USPS and Bank.

But then, it was all about the local Boutiques in our community.

Our first purchase was at the Mainstream Boutique.

One of my former students is one of the owners.

We were actually hoping our first stop would be at the CJ Patisserie 

for a little breakfast pastry...but they were closed for the weekend. 

We were quite disappointed.

Next stop was our Mall.

We visited Riddles Jewelry,

The Hallmark Gift Store,

And Bur Mars, owned and managed 

by one of Hubby’s Classmates.

Here we are at the Catching Fireflies Boutique,

Also locally owned and super friendly.

We spent most of our time downtown.

The Karisma Boutique, has women’s clothing & accessories upstairs 

and menswear downstairs.

They share their space with Lost & Found Occasionals.

Since I didn’t take a photo, here is their most recent Instagram Post.

I loved browsing in there.

When we were leaving, they wanted to take a photo 

of us for their Facebook page.

So, I asked if I could take a photo of them 

to share with you here.

It was a successful shopping day!

Since we didn’t get a pastry for breakfast, 

we were quite hungry for lunch.

Keeping it local, we had a Burger here at the Circus.

Yes, that is their entire kitchen.

It is amazing the variety of food they can prepare, 

and it is always delicious!

Support your local businesses, 

not only on this special Saturday, but always!

But, what did we do on Black Friday?

Shopping, of course.

This photo was taken in our family in December 2008. 

Our daughters were both home from college 

and had an impromptu Sister Slumber Party, 

each sleeping at opposite ends of our sectional.

That piece of furniture has been 

well loved over the decades.

This fall, we have been shopping around 

looking for suitable replacements.

That was our mission on Black Friday.

It is soon time to put all the fall decor in storage 

and bring out the Christmas Trees. 

I look forward to wrapping those gifts 

and hiding them under the tree!

Take care,

~Natalie

Celebrating a Birthday...Family Style

Our family might be small, 

but we have always made a big deal about birthdays.

After all, we just don't know when we will have another chance 

to celebrate a special day together.

We enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite restaurants...

with one of our favorite servers.

It may have been the gift on our extra chair, 

but she sensed we were celebrating a birthday,

so brought a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae...with four spoons!

Happy Birthday, Stacy.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Take care,

~Natalie

National Sibling Day ~Siblings are a Blessing ~Being an Only Child ~And A Special Sister Bond

According to my Facebook Newsfeed it is

National Sibling Day.

I really have enjoyed seeing all of your photos.

I grew up an Only Child.

Oh, how I wanted a sister or a brother.

As a little girl, I cried about it to my mother,

and I'm sure her heart was breaking too.

When I was older I learned about her struggle with pregnancy.

She had lost four babies to miscarriage.

Then my sister Twila...

She arrived early and lived for only 24 hours.

My Aunty Vivian held her and told me she was the prettiest baby.

My parents both came from large families.

I enjoyed the the companionship of many cousins.

Siblings provide

* Socialization

* Companionship

* Emotional Support 

I always knew that if we were blessed to be parents,

we would want to have more than one baby.

My heart overflows with happiness 

that these two share that Special Sister Bond.

Hug your siblings tight.

Take care,

~Natalie