What Turning Seventy Looks Like

This is what Seventy looks like…

…and this is what Sixty looked like.

Where did those ten years go??

My 70th Birthday Celebration started like every other day…

Morning Inspiration, Messages, Physical Therapy, and Breakfast.

Then Hubby took me out and about to WalMart,

where the Self-Checkout Attendant sang Happy Birthday to me.

Fresh-cut Flowers always brighten my day,

a gift from our daughter and her family.

Thank you, Emily.

We enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite places.

Hubby grilled a PorkTenderloin for our dinner.

Summertime Dinner-Prep is my favorite,

as hubby grills the protein while I prepare the sides.

We tried a new recipe…

I’ll post the link in the comments.

I’m loving these green blossoms that look like buttons.

I also love friendly mail.

These cards came from good friends across the miles.

It’s not a Birthday Party without a Cake, right?

My traditional (and favorite) is a 

German Chocolate Cake.

My mother baked one, from scratch, every single day year…

Until I got married.

And when one marries a man that doesn’t like coconut,

The next best choice is a Turtle Cake.

It was a Sweet Ending to a great Celebration.

Take care,

~Natalie

Welcome Summer ~Happy Fathers Day ~Birthday Hugs to our Granddaughter

Happy Summer Solace, Everyone.

I love this season of warm sunshine, outdoor activities,

and dinner prepared on the grill.

Happy Fathers Day to my Hubby.

He’s already enjoyed FaceTime Calls from both daughters…

…and all four grandchildren.

I cherish the memories I have with my Daddy.

Apparently I liked the way the electric razor felt on my face.

When my dad was done shaving, he’d put the cover back on the razor

 and tickle my cheeks and chin.

This little princess is celebrating her birthday today.

First thing she said to us was “I’m four”!

Best wishes for a wonderful start to the Summer Season.

Soak up some sunshine and celebrate the people that you love.

Take care,

~Natalie 

An Anniversary in Heaven

It has been Eighty years since my parents said “I do”

Here’s the story of their engagement on Thanksgiving Eve in 1945.

It sounds like a page right out of an old romance novel.

They honeymooned in Winnipeg.

So it was fitting that we did, too…35 years later.

My mom was a teacher and my dad had just come home

 from the war and was farming.

This was their home from 1946 until 1970.

It was a magnificent home, back in those days.

You notice that my mother didn’t wear a long white gown.

In those days, the bride wore a nice suit,

that she could use again for special occasions.

I still have that beautiful Pearl chocker.

Today, they celebrate their love story in heaven.

Cherish your family’s sweet memories.

Take care,

~Natalie

Happy Flag Day ~Happy Heavenly Birthday to My Grandmother ~Happy Birthday to My Blog

June 14th has given us plenty of reasons to celebrate.

My Grandmother Hilda was proud to share her

Birthday with Flag Day.

So, first thing in the morning, I proudly display our flags

in the flower pots along the front of our house.

The Continental Congress approved the Stars and Stripes as the first

National Flag of the United States of America on this date in 1777.

Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross is credited with sewing the first flag.

 According to family legend, she was approached by George Washington

and two other Founding Fathers in 1776 to create the flag.

“This flag, which we honor and under which we serve,

is the emblem of our unity, our power our thought and purpose as a nation.”

President Woodrow Wilson

My Grandmother, Hilda Natalie,

would have turned 133 years old today.

Yes, my parents named me after my Maternal Grandmother.

Here’s Grandma Hilda with her nine Children, all who

have died and been reunited in heaven.

This photo is truly precious,

Grandma had a tough life, raising those nine kids

on her own through the depression.

She was an inspiration…

…and the thoughts behind my very first Blog post,

Eighteen years ago.

I grew up on a farm, and my mother and I went into town every

single day to get our mail from our post office Box.

And every single day we stopped at Grandma’s house

to see how she was doing.

Every single day, there were home baked goodies cooling on the kitchen table.

Two of my favorites were her Banana Cream Pie

and her Molasses Cry Baby Cookies.

And then, on her Dining Room Table,

Quilt pieces, all carefully cut, laid out in a pattern,

and waiting for her hand stitching to hold them all together.

Sweet Memories, indeed.

Take care,

~Natalie

 

When Papa Buys the Blue Cotton Candy ~How we Celebrated our 45th ~A Special Evening with Special Friends ~We are Blessed

We had just a few hours before we took our family to the airport,

so we went to the Farmers Market. We enjoyed walking around and

looking at all the home grown and hand made items.

I purchased a bundle of asparagus, Hubby purchased Beef Sticks,

and the grandsons wanted Cotton Candy.

I do think it was quite delicious.

We made quick stop back home to pick up their bags,

wash their hands and faces, and change shirts.

It’s always hard to say goodbye, but this time it was maybe a little easier,

As we could say, “See you in July”.

We all needed a little rest, as It had been a busy five days.

Then it was time for these Retired Empty Nesters to return to our

Everyday House Chores and Creative Projects.

Thank you, everyone, for your heartfelt messages on our Anniversary.

We celebrated all Weekend…starting with dinner downtown on Friday Night.

Hubby and I returned to the Farmers Market on Saturday.

The Plaza downtown starts like this.

With plenty of hard work, it is transformed to this,

tents, booths, tables, merchandise, and lots of people.

There’s live music, different musicians each weekend.

This week, we purchased a loaf of

Sour Dough Bread…

 …And some Micro-greens.

That evening we celebrated our forty-five years of marriage

By opening one of the bottles of Wine that we brought home

from our Trip to Asheville and Tour of the Biltmore.

We enjoyed slices of that fresh Garlic Parmesan Sour Dough Bread,

with Dipping Oil and a little Charcuterie.

The Perfect Ending to a Perfect Weekend, Dinner out with these friends,

A tradition that we have honored for about four decades.

Our Anniversary is the 6th…theirs is the 8th.

We do our best to celebrate on the day in between.

Sweet Memories.

Take Care,

~Natalie

A Perfect Ending to a Great Week ~We are Blessed

Our daughter and grandsons came to visit for five days.

If you’ve been following along, you know that we packed

two weeks worth of activities into those five days!

Great Aunt Stacy invited us to see her place of work,

The Animal Care Clinic.

We tossed treats to the resident Clinic Cats.

We gave some kitty love to Lucy,

the oldest Clinic Cat that spends most of her time in Stacy’s Office.

Not sure who enjoyed this more,

the boys or the cat?

We went back to Storybook Land.

The train was not running on our earlier visit,

so we had to go again for a ride on 

The Storybook Land Express.

Storybook Land is Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this summer…

And we’ve been going there for 40 of those years!

There is something fun for the young and young at heart.

After a picnic lunch in the park, we all went home to rest,

as we had big plans for our last night together.

Allevity Entertainment…

Featuring “Epic Games & Thrilling Attractions”

And they are not exaggerating.

There’s something for everyone, including Laser Tag,

Bumper Cars, and Bowling.

Papa had fun playing along with the boys.

This Gigi had fun watching all the others having fun!

The Nachos were Huge.

It was a perfect week.

We made Sweet Memories to last a lifetime.

Take Care,

~Natalie