Happy Birthday to YOU!

**Updated for Winner** R'sRue is the winner**


Well I had another birthday this past week and realized I was a year younger than I thought I was going to be.  Isn't that funny?

  This is the second time I have done this to myself and it's a great feeling to get to live a year younger than I had planned for another  whole year.  :-))

My birthday was quiet; no big celebrations, no hoopla.  I received a few phone calls, several texts, and lots of facebook greetings.

We had a busy week with appointments and we ate out one day and hubby bought my favorite milkshake from Cook Out on the way home.  I bought myself a few birthday gifts from Amazon.  :-))

My birthday was spent at the vet's office with one of my geriatric dogs who has a massive tumor that is growing like crazy.  It has been removed once , but has come back with a vengeance.  The vet felt with the malignant diagnosis and his age, it is best to just keep him comfortable.  Thankfully, he is in no pain, but he did break out in a weird itchy rash a few days ago.  I think we have it under control now.  We discussed euthanasia on my birthday, which we both agreed, my dog isn't ready for just yet.  However, I had a breakdown and cried my way out of the vet's office.  *sigh*

My mom died four days after my birthday in 2015.  I now have this looming sense of sadness around my birthday and not to mention, we lost our precious dog, Tumpy, last year this time.

I've got to snap out of it  and I will.  Life is still good! God is always good!

I won a couple of give aways recently.  One from Sluggy at DON' T  READ THIS blog and one from Belinda at Frugal Workshop.   Coming from a family of non gift givers, it's always fun to get a little surprise for myself.

Since it's so much fun, I have decided to share the fun with you.  I'm hosting a give away of this cute little gingham journal, one of my favorite writing pens, and a couple of blank gift cards for YOU.  I want one of you to have a fun mailbox surprise and hope it makes you smile, too.

Just leave a comment if you are interested in winning, and I'll pick a random winner on July 31st.  Please make sure I can contact you.  (USA only due to high shipping costs) Happy Birthday!

Me and my precious pooch snapped by Chandler

Fun Things

I like to share thrift store finds, especially when I find something that I really love.

 I have a heart for needlework and when I saw this perpetual calendar for $4.99, I knew I had to have it!  Someone put so much time into making this piece and I plan to use it in my dining room.  ( I need to secure some of the velcro, but otherwise this piece is perfect!)  Click to enlarge, to see more detail.

 I have started a small collection of little ceramic dogs.  The ones on top are some that my parents gave to my grandmother many years ago as a Christmas gift.  When she passed away, we were able to bring them home.  My mom actually gave them to my daughter, but she has never taken them home.  I guess maybe after her toddler grows up, she may come to claim them.  The lower two I have picked up at thrift stores.  My most recent find is the black antique iron.  I found it for $2.99 at a local Goodwill.  You just never know what you'll find in there!

Here's a close up of one of the needlepoint pieces.  The embroidery is beautiful.

My friend, Debbie, from Homemaking Dreams blog, made and surprised me with the beautiful key fob recently.  She is a whiz with her embroidery machine and even more amazing at machine quilting.  She makes such pretty things.  (sorry I don't know how to highlight and link on this chromebook I'm using, but you can find her blog in my side bar)

One more thing that surprised me last week:

My daddy and I split up my mom's huge aloe vera plant recently.  We used potting soil and sand from his house.  These little mushrooms popped up overnight and I had to do a double take when I saw them.  I took the picture, then removed them.  I couldn't decide if this made me a green thumb, or a "not so" green thumb.  
Fun things that make me smile..... if we only pay attention and look for these things!