We pretty much ate our way through the weekend due to birthday celebrations and Mother’s Day…hence the title…
Saturday was Brianna’s 15th birthday…we were invited to Jim’s parents’ house for a combo birthday party for Bri and Jim’s brother-in-law, Chris, whose birthday is May 12th. Jim’s mom made a delicious ham with scalloped potatoes, vegetables, and broccoli salad (one of my favourites!). For dessert, we had two cakes: ice cream cake for Bri and chocolate cake for Chris.
Bri was happy with the underwater digital camera Jim got her…Anna, Hope and I got her a pair of snazzy rubber boots for when the kids go looking for frogs at the pond, and some cash to buy more clothes (because I need more challenge when I’m folding and sorting laundry – I don’t ask “Whose is this?” quite often enough!).
Sunday was Mother’s Day, of course, but also Jim’s and my third anniversary. It’s lucky that we’d gone out to dinner a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of our special day being overshadowed by other activities…we were so busy on Sunday, we hardly saw each other! I’m incredibly happy that our online dating experience turned out to be a success story…Plenty of Fish…you rock!
All four kids brought me breakfast in bed (even Devin, who rarely gets up before noon on weekends…he poked his hand out from under his blanket wrapped tightly around him, and presented me with my silverware). There were cards and presents too, including my garden stone from last year, which had gotten broken and been epoxied back together.
Anna and I had arranged that Jim would get Bri out of the house in the afternoon so that we could make her a birthday cake. Hope wanted to help too, but Anna wouldn’t let her. I told Hope she could decorate a Mother’s Day cake for Kaylee, who was coming over for supper with Scott and Elise. Jim took Bri and Devin to see the new Thor movie…while they were gone, we made these:

Anna's cake for Brianna...Kerri (the cranky judge from Cake Challenge) would not have been happy with the fondant, but it tasted good!

Hope's cake for Kaylee...the icing was mauve, and a little odd (I don't know what Anna did to it!)...tough to work with...
Kaylee, Scott and Elise arrived just as the girls were finishing the cake decorating. I was washing the huge pile of pots and pans that had accumulated on the counter and in the sink. Jim, Bri and Devin returned home shortly after that. Jim and the kids got right to work making supper: lasagna, fusilli, caesar salad, and garlic bread. It was nice to have time to just play with my granddaughter (and hard not to interfere with what was going on in the kitchen!).
Kaylee and Scott got me a HUGE pizza stone for Mother’s Day (we may have to build on another room to store it!). I can’t wait to try it out…I hope my pizza will turn out as well as Kaylee’s does!
Supper was delicious (Thanks, hon!), although Elise decided that throwing fusilli on the floor for Jake was more fun than eating it! After licking ten spaghetti sauce covered plates, Jake needs a bath…his beard is a lovely shade of orange now.
When we’d finished eating, I showed Kaylee my seedlings, and then sent her out to the yard to gather some rhubarb to take home…it’s just starting now, but when she comes back in two weeks, it will be huge! Here are some fiddleheads Jim gathered down by the river last week (fiddleheads are ferns that grow in swampy areas…delicious cooked with lots of butter):
After Kaylee and Scott left, we loaded the dishwasher and sat down to play our highly-addictive computer games relax for a while. Then we watched the two-hour finale of Amazing Race…I was happy with the winners, although I liked all the remaining teams and would have been fine with any of them winning. I’m looking forward to the premiere of my other favourite reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, in a couple weeks!
Happy Mother’s Day to all my Mom blogging buddies…hope you had a fun day!
What a Difference a Year Makes!
One year ago today, I sat down at my computer and began an odyssey into a strange and wondrous place that I knew virtually nothing about: the blogosphere. Armed with a desire to get back to writing regularly after a three-year hiatus, I sent my thoughts hurtling into cyberspace. What a positive and enlightening journey it’s been!
The Readers
If people didn’t read my blog, it wouldn’t have a reason to exist…I am so thankful that each of you takes the time from your busy day to come for tea in Hammond River! I would like to make special mention of my first blogging buddy, Jane at PlaneJaner’s Journey. Jane’s been with me since the very first day, encouraging me and telling others about me! I will always be grateful that we found each other, Jane, and am proud to call you my friend! When I first started, hits on my blog averaged about 35 or 40 hits a day…now I’m getting 125 to 150 a day! I’m closing in on 25,600 hits, and 4100 comments for the year! If you’re a “lurker”, don’t be shy…please leave me a comment…I promise to answer it!
The Community
I really had no idea that there were so many crazy talented writers out there when I started this project…smart, thoughtful, funny people who have taught me so much about good writing! I have blogging buddies on five continents! I’m sending all you guys a virtual brownie (I hope nobody’s allergic to cyber-sweetness!)…thanks for “getting me”! In honour of my “blogiversary”, I have added several new people to my blogroll today (see “He Said”, “She Said”, and “They Said”). Please take the time to check out their blogs: there’s nothing that makes me happier than hooking people up with great writers! Many of these folks have been Freshly Pressed, and most are the recipients of multiple awards…Mama don’t allow no junk on her blogroll!
Take two...they're small...I made them just for you!
The Posts
If someone were being really nice, they would probably classify my blog as a “cornucopia” of topics. Truthfully, I write what I feel like writing…several of my readers have commented that they never know what I’m going to write about next! I like not being “predictable”…that equals “boring” for me! Some days, I’m a “mommy blogger”, others I’m a “foodie”. I write about gardening sometimes, and tell stories about the wild animals that share our land. Other times, I’m an amateur historian, or relate stories of my own childhood. I rant…a lot! I talk about music, and books, and our bookstore. I’ve dabbled in fiction. I even took an action figure on a tour of our city! Changing things up is how I like to roll!
Recognition
Herding Cats in Hammond River has been Freshly Pressed twice by the powers that be at WordPress. Thanks to the folks there for maintaining a quality blog site…there were a few technical issues last night, but they seem to have been resolved! My fellow bloggers have been very generous about awards: They think my blog is “Bloody Brilliant”, “Versatile”, “Stylish” and “Memetastic”! Thanks for the love, you guys!
The Family
I couldn’t do my blog without the love and support of my family…thanks for waiting patiently for dinner while I finish a post (or photograph what I cooked), and letting me make fun of you in public! With you guys around, I’m sure I’ll never run out of things to write about!
Here’s to another year of Herding Cats in Hammond River! Thank you, everybody!
Hugs,
Wendy
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Filed under blogging, friends, self-discovery
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