Family Ties

Small town ~ late 40's

a single woman gives birth to a baby girl

and gives her up for adoption

a couple of years later ~ the couple gets married

and has 3 boys and life goes on

forward wind to 2014

that young woman is now in a nursing home

in the early stages of alzheimers

the oldest son decides to search for his sister

(this is my mother in law and her oldest sister Elsie)

at the same time a city away the daughter has started the search for her mother

and they connect and meet

these are not step siblings ~ they share the same parents

this is the story of my husband's Aunt Elsie and her family 

and on Good Friday it was time for this lost sister

to meet some more of the family

we gathered at Trevor's cousins place

19 for dinner and 21 in total when all was said and done

this is the entire gang ~ a motley looking crew aren't we!

Diane connected with her new found cousins

she brought her husband and her children

and their families

it was a blessed day to say the least

we fell into easy conversation ~ lots of stories to be told

sharing history ~ learning about each other

and this was just scratching the surface

this is my hubby's family

his brother Scott and sil Phyllis ~ seated are Barb & Lee then Trev and I on the right

I cannot wait to gather again and learn more about our new found cousins

it was a very Good Friday

oh ~ and I was spoiled just a touch as well

a cupcake birthday cake came out for dessert

a glass of wine ~ a cupcake ~ ice cream and blueberry cheesecake

with a side of tea

quite the combination ~ yes please!

and roses from my love.

The rest of the weekend was low key but that is ok

it was a gorgeous day today where we spent most of the afternoon outside

and had our very first bbq of the season tonight

hope you had a fabulous Easter weekend.

Celebrating 49

via

today I light 49 candles

and celebrate life

I look back at the years stretched out behind me and smile

so many memories ~ so many good times

I am blessed to be where I am today

via

via

the future is a mystery but one that I look forward to 

with faith and love

friends and family

there is a whole lot of living and loving coming

and I can't wait to experience every single moment

via

via

so today I share some of my favourite things

and hope that a little pretty will bring a smile to someone's face

via

via

and this weekend I will make this ~ I think for Easter brunch

and maybe just maybe ~ a mimosa to go with it

via

via

and I will place my order for one of these

love ~ love ~ love

I hope you had a great week and that this weekend you are surrounded

by those that you love.

Sunshine & Fresh Air

It's Sunday night and I am getting ready to snuggle in on the couch

and watch The Good Wife

via

meals have been prepared

errands all run

chores are completed

and we also took some time to just kick back too

it was a gorgeous weekend

can I say finally ~ I think I can

the windows were open yesterday

the sun was shining

birds were singing ~ snow was melting

the house smelled like heaven

oh how I love Spring

via

the first week back to work after vacation is always a long one

it was busy and I made it through the other side

now I am gearing up for a short week

and it is an exciting week as my birthday is coming up

and on my birthday I turn into a 10 year old

and go all diva and princess like it's my day or something

via

I am sure it will not go by unnoticed 

because I won't let it ~ ha!

via

as you can see I am in Easter mode

as on Friday ~ Good Friday that is ~ and also my day

we are getting together with family ~ 22 of us

will gather around and celebrate family

and just maybe there will be a birthday cake there for me

because I am 10

via

the gathering isn't for my birthday though 

it is Easter dinner that because of people having to travel and such

is being done on Friday instead of Sunday

and that's ok

love getting together with this group

there is always new memories made and this time

will not be any different

via

wishing you a wonderful week

I hope it has warmed up and the sun is shining

the flowers have poked their little heads out of the ground

or they are blooming in beautiful colours

face the sun and let it shine upon you

and smile.

Girls Night

I have been on vacation this week

and promise not to talk about the weather anymore

because sadly ~ it depresses me

via

I did have a good week although I had to cancel my plans on Tuesday

due to said weather we will not talk about

the balance of the week went along as planned

via

an afternoon of retail therapy where I bought everything from 

shoes to a new pillow to rest my weary head on at night

and all was good with the world

an afternoon with Mom ~ appointments and a lunch date

then back to her place to get a couple little things done

plans on Friday with my nieces brought home made pizza

and the Hunger Games

via

it was so nice to snuggle on the couch with both Kat & Sam

and spend some quality time

I do have a question though ~ do teens ever put down their phones?

I had a rule at both the supper table and breakfast this morning

but every waking minute they were here ~ they were on them

too funny!

I also baked this cake yesterday

it was Colin's birthday ~ aka one of thebestneighboursever

so we took it over last night and sang Happy Birthday

then ate our faces off and was on a sugar rush the rest of the night!

via

this may show up on the brunch table tomorrow

if I can get the ingredients together ~ if not next weekend for sure

Hope you are having a great weekend