happy birthday to me!!!

Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!!!

34 years and counting!!!

This is the cake that Michael and Jake got for me. I know it's crazy but I love Wal-mart bakery cakes~

but then when I got to Justin and Sarah's house, this was waiting on me! Now don't get me wrong, I like the cake Michael and Jake got for me, but this other one was EXTRA special because my brother (who had one of his index fingers taken off a week ago due to a gunshot wound) made this one all on his own...9 fingers and all! If you could see how his hand is wrapped up, you'd wonder how he managed! We are really excited about him getting that wrapping off this friday. This has been a whirlwind of a month...it is March after all   :) 

and did I mention he put ALL 34 candles on here!!! and I got them all on one try  :) when I walked back in from getting my drink in the kitchen, my BFF Christy, SIL, MAP and Justin were all standing around the cake lighting the candles!

I'm shocked the fire alarms didn't go off!!!

WHOA!

WHOA again! smoke everywhere!

yum! funfetti cake! I am so proud of Justin making this cake! He is gonna be like a new man when he comes home from the doctor Friday! It has been a good past two weeks........things finally seem like they are slowing down and getting back to somewhat "normal"

everybody say "CHEESE"

I love this picture because it has most of my favorite people in it!

okay now, everybody point!.....is Justin flipping the bird or pointing nobody knows anymore? hey, this was his idea!!!

now here's our funny/crazy picture!

here's baby girl modeling one of the owl hats I made...I think they are just the cutes things! I just wish I could get away with wearing one.

now that's alotta candles!

bestie serving up cake and SIL dipping out the ice cream

did I mention I had a great birthday? and I haven't even gotten to the presents yet!

I got this neat nesting/stacking bowl set from bestie. I can't wait to make a cold salad to go in them....summertime here I come!

I got this from SIL. This is the neatest picture. You know I love ANYTHING different!

and of course this card is from my BFF

but this one seriously made me LOL  :)

even before I opened it!

SIL's sister Sam Sam took all these pictures (the whole alphabet) one weekend in Savannah. AWESOME! Justin and Sarah have one of their last name and when I saw it I told her I had to have one.....the only problem is finding a frame with 5 slots!

here is a little present I got myself  the kids...actually, I got six of them just for good measure  :) I have so badly wanted a chicken house and some to chickens to be able to go out and gather my own eggs. I have had chickens before but they got out and we have crazy dogs! We are planning on putting up a chicken pin and coops as soon as the weather warms up again and Justin gets his wrapping off his finger.

another thing I have never been able to do is grow and keep orchids. they are supposed to be "easy" to grow and take care of but notsomuch for me!    :(  so, MAP got me this book  :)

and the kids got me this orchid. I also have another one in bad need of some love and attention and I'm gonna try real hard to make her beautiful again because Jake bought it for me with some of his beach money last year after the fourth. It's still alive but it looks a little sad...I have hope!!!

this one is so pretty and it looks nothin like the other one.

orchids are my favorite "in home" flower

hese are our new baby chicks....we have nine in all now. We got the others on MAP's birthday and they are still alive!!! YAY!

This is what mama and daddy gave me for my birthday. They have been in the mountains since Saturday with some friends

AND, just in case I start to have problems with the keeping of the chickens, I also got this new book!!!

I have been working on these cute hoot owl hats and I think they are turning out really great! Hopefully I can sell a few.

Last Friday we took our first trip of the year out to Calhoun's Strawberry patch.......oh how we love goin there and look forward to it every year. When these beauties come in, you know spring is here!

Rivers and Ben thought they'd make sweet strawberries! I think so!

Jake walked up and down the isles picking only the reddest of the patch.

they are all do pretty

Underneath a strawberry plant would be a happy place to live if I were a bug   :)

and a tasty place, too!

okay, all together now,

two whole big buckets

they have the cutest stuff at Calhoun's. All sorts of strawberry stuff, anything you can think of. I actually won these salt and pepper shakers in the strawberry cookoff this past weekend.

and of course something for the kids

and if they get tired of picking berries, they can play in the fenced in playyard

and this is what we came home with.....don't they just make ya smile  :)

nothing says spring like some beautiful, sweet red strawberries  :)

and might I say they were yummy!

this here picture is just one I think is funny.......this is how she sleeps...really!

hopefully it won't be too long before my next post. I just don't like to post if I don't have pictures to go along with it.......it just makes the book better   :)