32 Years

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday, and can I just share with you how fun my day was?

The day started out with Laney coming into our room, Hugh telling her to climb into our bed, and wish me a happy birthday! I'll never forget those kind of sweet mornings. As I was getting dressed, I looked out the front window and saw my parents pull in front of the house!  My parents driving up from GA and showing up at the door around 8:15 am! They told us the day before that they wanted to come up for just a few hours. (Oh, I love living close enough to where they can do this!)

Laney was more than excited! Looking out the window and seeing Papa's red truck and running down the stairs to greet them at the door was such a fun beginning to her day. Mattie had just woken up, had her sleepy face on, was in her Dora pj's and had major bedhead. Don't you just love those sweet mornings where Grandparents arrive on special days earrrly in the morning when you're still in your pjs?! I have so many fond memories of when my grandparents did the same thing with us when my brothers and I were little kids. 

They came in with hugs, flowers, coffee, creamer, raisin bread, cake, presents, and some little goods for the girls!! Mom and Dad had already given me their present a few weeks ago: chairs to go on our front porch! I absolutely LOOOOVE them and love that we now have a place to sit down outside in the front of the house.  They also contributed to a new cell phone for me since mine completely shut down last week and brought me some shirts and exercise wear. My, how they bless me! I looooooooooved it all!

Here's a picture of Laney and Mom singing Happy Birthday with everyone!

Then, Hugh brought out his cards and this big box wrapped in golden wrapping paper and really wanted me to open his and the girls' gift. So, I tore into the cards......and I loved that Laney wrote her name all on her own! We've been working on that for a while.

 Next came their present! I tore open the paper, wondering what in the world he had bought, opened the box and.....my jaw hit the floor.....

I
COULD.
NOT.
BELIEVE.
MY EYES.

Even as I type this, I am feeling the same type of shock that I felt when I saw what Hugh gave me.

.....

....

....

They gave me a

 NEW BABYLOCK SEWING MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What?!!!!! WHAT!!

My eyes popped out of my head. I wish Hugh had taken a picture of me opening this gift. I was absolutely stunned. All I could say was "No way! No way!!!" over and over. Seriously, his gift blew.me.away. I just didn't see getting a quality sewing machine as even a possibility for years and years to come, as in once the girls are middle/high school kinda thing.  I kept saying, “I can’t believe you did this Hugh! Wow!” Hugh said he bought that specific machine beyond my skill level, so it could be a machine I would sew at for the rest of my life. My eyes just tear up thinking about that.

The machine I presently have is so the opposite of quality, a beginners machine. I actually bought it at Walmart with my Christmas money one year, just so I could teach myself. I had seen my Mom sew all my life, some here and some there, and I knew I wanted to learn how to do it. Although I wanted to throw it across the room so many times, it sewed and for that I'm thankful, because I've been able to learn on that machine, confirming that sewing was something I wanted to stick with. I have a LONG, LONG way to go, but as I was thinking to myself the other day, I really think if I had to pick one craft to stick with and excel in, I'd pick sewing. If we did everything we desired (sewing, knitting, painting, paper crafts, scrapbooking, etc..), we'd spread ourselves so thin and would never really dig deep into something and flourish.  So the other day, in my mind, I decided sewing hit the top of the craft list, as of that moment. And now...I have REAL sewing machine where I can make this life-learning at sewing become a reality! Wow! Oh, I'm just so excited beyond words!  Hugh's Mom and Paul also put their money towards this gift, since it was a big gift.  Thank you Hugh, Paul and Laquita for such an amazing, personal gift! I love it so, SO much!!! Now I have to call up to the Sew & Quilt store down the road where Hugh bought this machine and set up an app’t, so they can teach me how to use this beautiful thing!!  I'm so excited to experiment with this, making lots of things for my friends and family! I love to create!

Then later that night, Melissa, my cousin who is one year younger than I am, came over for dinner to celebrate both of our birthdays. Her birthday was October 10th. She made lasagna, I prepared garlic bread, broccoli, and we ate the cake my parents brought up. Mm!

Here's Melissa reading to Laney, while Hugh was roasting coffee beans and I was tucking Mattie into bed.

Then we exchanged our gifts. So thankful to be living so close to Melissa now, just 5-6 minutes away!! We've always had to mail them every year until now. 

Melis gave me some AWESOME Stone Ground White Grits from White's Mill in Abingdon, Virginia, a pink South Carolina mug and a kitchen towel with South Carolina's moon and palm tree on it. I loved it all! I didn't have any SC things, so I was so happy to get some. And those grits...mmmmm!!!! Mercy, those are sooo good!

This is my "I can't wait to taste these grits" face!

 Happy Birthday Melissa! Love you girl!

Oh, what a great birthday! I am so thankful to the Lord for His incredible mercy and grace on my life that I can even celebrate 32 years! Thank you fam for making me feel so special and loved. I love being 32!