Festooned!

My 70th birthday was this week. My friends and neighbours made it a very special day. Skip had treatment in the afternoon but the morning was nice and relaxed.

I was given so many wonderful presents.

I met Lorna and Sue in The Big City a week ago Thursday and Lorna had a big bag of birthday treats for me: a painting, some body butter, lip balm and goat's milk soap, dinner napkins,

and a teacup jigsaw puzzle.

She also brought me a Pandora charm she and Francey had bought me while on their European trip - La Tour Eiffel.

Alexa brought me some lovely flowers.

David brought me more flowers and a very cute birthday card.

My neighbour Susan had this beautiful bouquet delivered from our nearby florist. Roses, lilies, a big hyerangea (back right), etc. The lilies are just starting to bloom.

Barb gave me a printed panel for embroidering centres of hexies and hexie flowers, and 3 fat quarters.

Jeanette gave me a very cute beehive panel embroidery kit which included everything: fabric, threads, and buttons, as well as some Purdy's chocolates.

Poppy gave me a coil-bound watercolour painting book and the 'DIY Watercolor [sic] Flowers' technique book. 

She also made me a beautiful needle case 

with 7 coordinating skeins of floss.

Jen1 gave me the Spring Green Pears kit from Annie Beez.

She included the fabric and silk threads. The green-ness of the fabric doesn't show but think 'light pear green'.

I've done the first (red) and second (blue) ones in the series and now I have the third.

Marilyn gave me a Lori Holt quilt puzzle, Jan Hicks' 'Love' - the cardinals from her 'Birds of Colour' series. I'd been wanting this chart so was so happy to receive it.

I hope to have some time to start on of these projects or get back to stitching my 'Live on Little'.

My time is not my own with Skip needing more care so I tend to rest between bouts of activity rather than do some crafting. I'll get the hang of the new routine and carve out time for myself. I'm not a stoic or a martyr. I need to take care of myself and have no problem calling on friends for help or accepting help that is offered. 

I certainly have lots of projects I can work on for my stress management.

I am so grateful for all the folks who care about us and have been so supportive and helpful. We are so fortunate.