Songbird Cafe and a birthday!

Someone around here is having a birthday.

Tomorrow.

If we all would admit it, we really don't mind birthdays

if

we get spoiled!

And my daughter is very good at spoiling.

She had me meet her in Ann Arbor, Michigan today

and we drove to the

Songbird Cafe

for lunch.

{bday isn't until tomorrow, but we don't care}

Please excuse the pics as most were taken with my phone
and it is not a smart phone, but you get the idea.

LOVE this place!! First time and hopefully not the last.

We also went to Trader Joes and she bought me two bouquets of these
beautiful pink stock flowers. They smell amazing!

Here is yours truly with my lunch! It was soooooooo yummy!!

I brought half the sandwich home along with half the piece of cake, but I already
ate it for my evening meal so every single bite is

GONE!

A beautiful day of celebration with my darling daughter!!

*****************************

The weather is finally warming up here in Michigan and I can't stand the thought
of it getting colder again so I HOPE it just keeps getting warmer.

What are the odds of that happening??...shush! I don't want to hear it. lol

Blessings~

The little peanut...

...is so cute!  We were able to go up to our daughter's home this past weekend and visit our
 new little grandson this past weekend and is he ever a cutie pie.

Grandma had to take lots of photos of course. Many didn't turn out  because the lighting
was terrible, but I did get a few good ones.

love his little hat 

I think Grandpa is trying to tell him all about the hard knocks of life,
but Daniel is oblivious. That will come soon enough. 

Beautiful baby boy...:)

A friend of my daughters took these two photos of his little feet...so sweet!

His little foot with his ankle monitor on. Wow, are things different than when I had my babies.
No one can even attempt to walk out the door with this little guy. :) I suppose that is a good
thing, but very sad that our society has come to this.

13 year old sister Allysha singing to her baby brother. He loves it! He was crying on the
way home from the hospital and he quieted right down as she sang *Twinkle, twinkle little
star* and other tunes to him. Allysha has a beautiful voice...I love to hear her sing.

The kids made two "birthday" cakes for the day Daniel came home. This one with the diaper and
another one with a pacifier on it. Too cute!

I am in full swing here in the boonies working on goodies for a holiday bazaar that I signed up
to be in. Somedays I wonder why I did that, but it is keeping me busy so that is good.

We took our car to the body shop last night and they will have it for at least a week to fix the
damage from a week or so ago when someone sideswiped us.  Will be so glad when all that
 is done and behind us.

*********************************************

Can I just say one thing? Please, let's all be kind to one another. No matter the color of our
skin, our religious beliefs or any other differences we may have...
 KINDNESS matters.
Blessings~

Lemon-Rosemary Cake

I tried out a new recipe over the weekend and it was scrumptious! If you love lemon and rosemary
then you will love this cake!

{this is what was left after cutting a few pieces to take to my bff and truth be told the whole cake did
not look so great! I can make a cake 100 times and it turns out just fine UNTIL I want to take photos
and then part of the cake stays in the pan...grr}

Every single bite is so yummy!

I cut a slice just for you...can you taste it?

Minced fresh rosemary mixed into the batter gives just the right amount of that luscious rosemary flavor.

The glaze, sliced almonds, lemon zest and rosemary sprigs make it look so pretty.

This is the magazine I got the recipe from. I would print it here for you, but I think that is
probably a no-no so just go and buy the magazine. It is totally worth the 7.99 spent. 

Remember this apple crisp from a few posts ago? It is also in the same magazine.

Happy Monday everyone! Go out and celebrate life!!

Favorite Summer Desserts & Spritzer ~

This Strawberry Spritzer is to die for delicious!! You can click here to get the recipe. I thought I had gotten it off of Heather Bullard's site, but I can't find it on there now. SO...I did a google search and this is the very same recipe. I made it last night for the first time and it is a keeper for sure. I cut it down by a third for just hubby and I . You MUST try it~

Doesn't this look so wonderful? It is called Pineapple Fluff and I hadn't had it for years and then my sister-in-law made it for her son's graduation party this year. It is very easy to make. All you do is take 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened) and beat it with 1/2 cup sugar. Beat it well and then add 1 can of drained crushed pineapple and then fold in 8 ounces of cool whip. That is all she did because she does not like coconut or nuts. I added coconut because I love it. I also put it in the refrigerator for a while to get cold. It is very good, but I will warn you it is very rich too~ This is another one of my favorite summer desserts and another very easy one...Sunshine Cake ~ You bake a yellow cake according to the box directions and let it cool. (or if you are so inclined to make one from scratch that would work too...although I have never been able to find a box of *scratch* in my grocery store...lol) Next you make a 3 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding and beat in 8 ounces of cream cheese. (I beat the cream cheese until softened and then alternately add in the dry pudding mix and the milk) and spread it on the cake. Then put a layer of drained crushed pineapple on top and then a layer of whipped cream or cool whip. You can sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts too and it is wonderful!! I keep this cake in the refrigerator and it is soooo good. Hope you enjoyed these recipes. Please let me know if you try one and have a lovely day... Blessings~

A Fairy Tea Party ~

I can't believe that my darling granddaughter Allysha will turn 10 years old this week. Her mommy had a fairy tea party for her and a friend on Saturday and I just had to share the pictures that she emailed to me. A lot of detail and effort went into this party and Allysha was on cloud nine! She loved it and so did her friend~ Egg salad sandwiches, fruit salad, tiny cream puffs and punch with strawberries inside...oh yes and we can't forget the mint leaves that were in the punch too~

Two little fairies taking tea together~

Her mommy made this cake too. Isn't it so pretty~

My Allysha looking so grown up...where did the years go?

You can't have a fairy party without bubbles ~

Two adorable fairies that had a day to remember. Wish I could have been there...

Blessings~

Love Is In The Air ~

I have been working on decorations this week for a bridal shower at our church next Sunday and that put me in the reminiscing mood. I wanted to share a few pictures of some of the decorating and favors that I have done in the past.

This cake was *NOT* done by me, but I just had to include it because I think it is so gorgeous!! This was the cake for my niece's wedding in 2006~

The next few pictures are of cards that I made for my neice a few weeks after the wedding. I had such fun making these cards and she loved them.

She was a gorgeous bride!

I made 150 favors of simple white boxes filled with white jordan almonds

for her wedding. We schlepped them all the way from our home in Michigan

to the wedding site in Pennsylvania.

Simple, yet elegant favors~

The 150 favors spread all over my table in the midst of tying on

ribbons and roses ~

Bird cage/candleholders that we used for my daughters wedding in 2003

and I have used them several times since for bridal decor.

These particular photos were for my daughter-in-laws bridal shower~

I put a votive candleholder in each one and then smooshed lavender tulle around it.

(I really did have the tulle smooshed down around the candle

very well so it would not catch on fire)

I put the bows on the side at the bottom of the cage instead of on top

since the candles would be lit.

Several cages on my table in the midst of being decorated ~

I enjoy decorating so much and I also love making favors etc.

It's the little *DETAILS* in life that I am drawn to.

I am in the midst of using these same cages for a bridal shower

next Sunday and when I get them all decorated

I will share them with you.

I really like how they are turning out.

The colors this time are light pink and light pistachio green...

*SO PRETTY*

Have a blessed Sunday ~

What A Sweetie ~

Oopps.....sorry about that. I accidentally hit the POST button before I typed anything so we will try again... Our darling little granddaughter Annika turned 2 years old and I thought I would share a few pictures... Love her expressions! Yumm....cake !

This is good "MOM"...(she calls me mom and we are sure it is because she hears her daddy call me that)...too cute!

She loves any gifts and had to try on her shoes immediately...

How do they look "mom"...

Is this a mermaid on the ball "mom"...

She loves clothes!! This is a top and pants , but she kept calling it a dress...so sweet!

Blessings ~