Senior Dinner

A couple from church opens their home and prepares a wonderful dinner for our High School Seniors.  They have been doing this for over 20 years and this is their last year to hold this special event.  Several other couples bring food and serve the youth at the table like a top notch restaurant.   The host's table is always set fabulous with beautiful dishes and fresh flowers. 

Courses served are:  appetizers, shrimp cocktail, salad, soup, main, and dessert.  The youth are sent invitations to the event and they come to dinner in their very best attire. 

We have a great time visiting with the other servers, cooks, dishwashers (other youth workers and friends) and enjoy making this the best evening we can for our graduating class.  My husband and I have been doing this for many years as well.  Probably around 15 years or more.  We will miss this day next year.  At this point, we don't know of anyone else that plans to host this event next year. 

Our dessert is always fun.  We having a flaming dessert.  Turn down the lights and the seniors are always surprised.  The last picture is our serving group.  Great bunch of folks. 

30th Anniversary

Our 30th Wedding Anniversary was this last Monday.  We celebrated by purchasing new wedding bands.  My ring is a classic platinum band with square diamonds flush with the band (similar to this picture).  We are still looking for a band for my hubby.

This summer we are both traveling to Kenya on a mission trip and consider this part of our celebration of 30 years.  Our youngest child is also traveling with us along with four other 20 somethings.  We are really looking forward to what God has planned for us and those we minister with.

Doesn't seem possible that 30 years have passed already from our wedding day.  Do I even remember these young people?  Many things have happened in the past 30 years.  Having babies, moving from Missouri to Indiana and back to Missouri, different jobs and occupations, children active in sports and church and parents driving them everywhere, children graduating from high school and college, daughter getting married, son moving away for work, and granddaughters.  Whew! 

Birthday Celebration and More

We celebrated my dad's 80th birthday this last Sunday.  His actual birthday was March 15 but they stay in Florida in the winter, so we waited for them to return and threw a big party for him.  The last couple of weeks have been very busy!  Prior to the birthday party, both of my parents had cataract surgery on one eye and stayed with me a few days to recuperate.  They are back this week for the other eye. 

We served desserts and my SIL and I baked and baked so that we had plenty to serve.  My mother and aunt also brought a few dishes and my daughter baked and decorated the above guitar cake and the boot cookies in the picture to the right.  The guitar cake was the hit of the party.  She does great work with decorating.

The birthday celebration went really well.  More than 100 attended and my dad got to see friends and family that he hadn't seen in awhile.  He had quite a few cousins come and several of them were also 80 and over.  Also, all of his brothers were able to come and celebrate with him.  He is the eldest son and now the oldest of the family since his sister passed several years ago.  My dad is the farthest to the right.  They all resemble each other and span from 70-80 years.  We had a great day and was glad to celebrate along with our dad.

Sewing

A couple of projects that I worked on yesterday.  A pocket tissue holder and a pleated pouch.  I found both of these projects at one of my favorite crafting blogs, "Skip to My Lou".  Both of these were made in one evening.  Fun and quick.  I decided to keep both of these projects for my purse.  I usually give away to friends or family, but this material really looks like me and the fabrics that I enjoy.  I'm looking forward to picking out some other fabrics and making another set for someone else.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  Hope you are having a wonderful relaxed day.  Picked some Spring Flocks for my kitchen table.  Beautiful purple flowers.  My children both called and wished me Happy Mother's Day and my oldest granddaughter called and wished me a Happy Mother's Day too.  So very clear for a two year old.  She yelled it in the phone and that was all she had to say! 

Being a mother is the joy of my life and I have two wonderful and loving children.  Thank You Lord for these Blessings.

Pileated Woodpecker

This beautiful pileated woodpecker was in my back yard yesterday.  Such brillant colors. 

Wikipedia states about the pileated woodpecker - "(Dryocopus pileatus) is a very large North American woodpecker, almost crow sized, inhabiting deciduous forests in eastern North America and parts of the Pacific coast."  The map also shows this bird in the Midwest.

I hope I see it again and get some pictures that are closeup.