A Birthday Weekend

This weekend was my daughters birthday. I blinked and she was 26! How did this happen? I mean wasn’t I just teaching her to walk yesterday?

Every birthday she has is also a special day for me. I was told in early adulthood I would most likely never be able to have a child. I have more faith in the Lord than the words of a doctor. My daughter is proof of that.

We did not have any real plans for her birthday this weekend. We had planned to be out of town and she had plans with friends. Our plans fell through so we called her up to ask if she would like for us to come take her to breakfast. That girl will not turn down food so of course the answer was yes.

We jumped in the car and headed to Charlotte. We let her choose a place. “I know a nice little bakery just a half a mile down the street” she said. 

We wanted to walk since it was such a beautiful day. 

So a few blocks down, we settle into a cozy little bakery. It was small and felt like walking into grandmaws kitchen. It was called Sun flour bakery company. 

I ordered an egg, cheddar and avacodo on toast. I guess for breakfast it’s called toast, and for lunch it’s called a sandwich. The birthday girl and Nick ordered the cheddar biscuts with bacon and egg. Together we shared a giant cinnimon roll that was out of this world. (It was gone before I could get a photo). The place was a little pricey but the food was worth it. 

Afterwards we headed back to her place where we then gave her a birthday present and her very own cheese cake. Of course Nick had to fix a few things around her apartment because some things have to be fixed by dad. We left in time for her to meet up with the girls for some time around the pool. We will see her again next weekend as we plan to give her a birthday dinner with family.

Wow 26! I wish I could have bottled her up and keeped her little forever. 

DIY Cotton Stems

Happy Fall yall!
Gosh that was hard to say. I’m a sunshine and Summer gal.
We were suppose to head to the beach this weekend but the campground has no vacancies. This has never happened to us before. I’m thinking it’s due to all the Florida folks in for higher ground. Uggh!!! We will just have to wait a couple weeks. The beach in October is still good. It may be a chill in the air but it is what it is. So,with that being said, I went ahead and put summer behind me and got busy creating a few decorations to go with the season.

Today I’m going to share my latest craft I have been itching for months to make. “Cotton stems”.

For the record, there were no farmers, slaves, immigrants, maw maws, paw paws or kids used in making this decoration. It's just the work of my own two hands and maybe Johnson and Johnson. 

My husband has pretty much stopped asking “why?” when I mention needing certain random things. I may get “the look” but he knows by now that I have a craft idea in mind and when that happens, there is no stopping me. I'm sure he appreciates this more than if I were to go on a shopping spree to Hobby Lobby. 

I pulled out a bag of cotton balls from the cabinet and a glue gun from the craft room. I asked my husband to pick me up two pine cones on his morning walk. I snapped a few dry twigs from a Crape Myrtle. That's all I needed for this project. 

I cut off several spikes from the pine cones and glued them onto the hand puffed cotton balls to look like the pods. 

With another dab of hot glue to the middle of the pods, I slid the end of the branches into the cotton. I wish I would have stuck to the darker pine shell. It gives it a better look.

Once finished, I put them in a vase, or jar to make the perfect natural decoration for the season.

I always admire the cotton fields we pass in South Carolina on our beach trips. My creation looks almost like the real thing minus the beetles.

Question: Just how long is a cotton picken minute?
My Answer: As long as it took daddy to fix something.
I've heard it many times "Just give me a cotton picken minute!"