It's A Roaring Good Time

This is going to be a long post, so get yourself a cup of coffee or tea if you'd like, and join me for Mia's celebration.  Nel had so many wonderful ideas to make the party shine - some of them were from Pinterest, and some of them were her own.  It was a jungle theme, which is always fun at any age.

She had cups, plates, and napkins in a wild animal print, and I thought the net draping across the table added a special touch.  She also made a chalkboard art that went with the theme.

There were stuffed animals as favors for the kids to take home.  She gave me the tiger to remember this special day.

There were alligator blow-ups and confetti baloons.

Jess made this cute Congo sign.

Outside there was a bean bag toss.  Remember them?

And a little wooden chair that her uncle made just for her.

Nel and Renecke had the backyard looking really nice, and this white seagull has traveled with her to every house.  It was her grandfather's and is very special to her.  She wants to touch it up with paint sometime to give it a fresh look.

The fairy garden was raked with new potted plants.  These are African plants, and the colors went perfect with the jungle theme.

I love looking around at Nel's house.  She has all the latest kitchenware.

I asked Mia what her favorite part of her party was, and she said, "the Simba cake!"  Nel baked and decorated it, and it was fantastic!  Moist and Yummy too.

Check out this long deli sandwich!

There was lots of delicious foods to eat - fried chicken, pizza for the kids, and Jess made a fruit salad.   Grandma L made the best nachos, and auntie D made some sizzling meatballs.  Look at this tiger hummus dip!

Present time.

Mia got her first pair of roller skates, and the unicorn helmet cracked me up.

An enchanting gift was from auntie Jessi and uncle Brian and Francesca.  It's a tea set with a tea pot that makes a gurgling sound when pouring.

The grand present was from auntie D - the Disney Castle which lights up with fireworks.  We were all in awe of it and wanted to play with it ourselves.  ; )

Then, there was the pinata, which was as big as Mia!

Once someone cracked open the pinata, all the kids rushed for the candy.

There were masks and capes for the kids.

And for the tipsy ladies.

Auntie Jessi sprung into action when Mia asked her to play with her.

It was a memorable party, and Grandma was so glad to share this special day with you, Mia.

I came home with some goodies too.......an apricot ginger fruitcake and tea from England, and some coffee and chocolate macadamia nuts from Hawaii.

~Sheri

 

Mountain Airport

I'm going to tell you all about my trip to So Cal, but I wanted to share my airport journey, as it was an experience in itself.  It was my first time at this airport, so I got there early (maybe a bit too early), but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss my flight.  I will call this the mountain airport, and although it's not in the mountains, it's only about 50 minutes from it.  It was very different from the city airports I've been in.  When I first arrived, there was hardly any people in there.  It had the various airline check-ins and it was very organized and clean, and the airport staff was friendly.  They had framed paintings on the wall from a local artist, and have you ever seen a quilt displayed on the wall of an airport?  It was huge, and so pretty.

Because I was early, I stepped outside for some fresh air and noticed the parking lot was filled.  There weren't too many people in the airport, so I wondered why it was full.  They were all going to the Chinese restaurant on the top floor of the airport.  I was told it's the best in town, so I decided to try it.  Instead of staying inside the restaurant or a stuffy airport, I found a shady tree outside and ate my food.  It was so good, and I must go back there sometime this Fall. 

My flight was delayed, so I had to stay at the airport even longer - it was a long day.  It was time to fly, and I've never flown at night before.  I had a window seat both times.   The skies were dazzling.   Off we go!

It always amazes me that it only takes an hour to get from one end of California to the other.  When I stepped outside from the city airport, there were lights, and cars zipping around picking up their loved ones, and don't get me started on the traffic haha.  But it was also a smaller airport and pretty clean.  It was so good of Renecke to pick me up, as it was very late at night.  Brian offered also, but this worked out better for all.  My son-in-laws are the best.      

 The next morning Mia woke me up bright and early and was so excited to see me.  She said to her mom, "look who's here!" as if I just snuck in at the middle of the night.  It was the cutest thing.  I will show you Mia's birthday next time, and all the creative ideas that Nel had for her special day.

Nel drove me back to the airport when my trip was over, and how she managed to see in that 4:00 am traffic is beyond me.  I was fortunate that I had a pleasant flight with no problems, and now that I'm familiar with the mountain airport, it's going to be easier for me to fly in the future.

It was so good to see my girls again.

  I didn't get to see my Francesca on this trip because she was sick with a bad cold.  She started school already, and once they start school, these bugs pass from one child to the next.

  ~Sheri

I just got home from a trip to So Cal to see my girls.

It was Mia's birthday, and she had a "jungle" theme, so I'll leave you with a picture, and tell you all about it later.  Just resting up right now.

~Sheri 

Turning The Page To August

Can't believe it's August already.  It's been warm here, but this week is supposed to be cooler, in the 80's and 90's.

I can see why Nel loves shopping Amazon.  I told Mia I would get her a music box, so Nel suggested I browse through Amazon, and pick something that I think looks like her, and she would order it.  So I did.  I got hooked after awhile, there were so many cute ones - a carousel, a unicorn, and there was even a fairy purse music box.

I didn't get any of those, but I found one that was so unique and pretty, and that's the one I chose.  I'll show it to you later, as I want Mia to see it first. 

It's hard to find landscapers up here, but I have a couple loyal ones that come through for me.  One came by and cleared out the whole back yard.  It was growing mullein, which was hard for me to do.  I was given a weed eater, and my neighbor showed me how to use it.  It's my new toy, and I've been trying to keep up with grooming the yard this Summer.

Jess, I finished Season 4 of Virgin River!  Couldn't stop watching it haha.  You're in for a surprise at what happens on the last episode.

As soon as I step out of my house in the mountains, pleasant and unusual things always appear to me.

 My son made dinner one night, and we watched the movie Hustle.  Can you ever go wrong with an Adam Sandler movie?  I thought it was a great movie.

There is a mourning dove that comes to my lawn every day.  She collects small twigs and things that fall from the pine trees, and then flies off and returns and does the same thing again.  She's possibly making a nest?  She is the sweetest thing, and I noticed she has a white mark on the center of her forehead.  These aren't the best pictures, cause they are through the window.  She flies off every time she sees my camera, and it's hard to get a good picture of her.

Summer treat.

There's nothing like Thrifty's ice cream in the Summertime, and this black cherry was so good on a hot day.

I am enjoying the Summer days, but anxiously waiting for Fall.  I was told that they just put up signs in the woods in this area not to walk the trails at this time because of fire season.  I'm glad they did that, and it is a relief to know that less fires will be started by careless people roaming the woods.  I can sit back and rest in my surroundings.

~Sheri