{ Birthday gifts }

I am extremely blessed in that my family knows exactly what I love, and also know exactly what kind of phase I am in my life.  Some years I am into my crochet phase and everything around me involves yarn and hooks and patterns.

 

Then some years I am into baking, or photography and so forth.

 

This year I am clearly in my book phase, I'm inhaling books, grabbing books, sharing books, looking for books, watching book videos, and you know, all things books.  So, for my birthday most of the gifts were book related, except for my husband who knew that the rest of the family had the books covered and he wanted to spoil me with two big items that I have had my eye on for some time.   

 

When I was blogging more intently, back in the day, I always shared my birthday and Christmas gifts and then like so many other things that fell to the side, this was one of the things I stopped blogging about.  I don't know why, but I love looking back on these kind of posts, so here we go: 

 

 

 

A beautiful bed set from Laura Ashley, actually I got two, this blue and white floral and the green and white floral.  Love it so much ♥

One of the biggest gifts was this Shark Beauty CryoGlow Mask.  I've had my eye on it for a long time, and honestly did not think I would get it anytime soon, but my wonderful husband got it for me and I am loving it already.  

 

The second biggest gift from my husband was the Slush-Ease Max Slushy Machine.  This is going to be so handy especially for the holidays because it makes a lot of drink and keeps it cold for 12 hours.  I thought it was just slushies but it also makes shakes, juice, frappes, I mean, wow.  

From my beautiful daughter, I got a lot of things and I don't think I even took photos of everything, so I'll try to remember.

 

She gave me a gorgeous bouquet of pink roses because she knows I love fresh flowers.  She also got me a Blind date with a puzzle.  I should have taken a photo of it because it's so me, the puzzle features an old truck in a field of sunflowers.

 

She got me a beautiful necklace with the map of Portugal on it ♥ 

 

Then she got me another Blind date with a book, this time a cookbook.  And this is what was included in the package.....this sweet pouch with sardines, which I had a good laugh because as you know I'm Portuguese and we love our sardines. 

 

In this pouch were quite a few things, some crochet flower fridge magnets, some sprinkles, and a little pink sewing pouch.   

Also included were two butter bookmarks, a cute little pink pen, a peach notepad, an orange little notebook and some sweet clips holding the cutest stickers.

The cookbook that arrived in this package was Nigella Lawson which I was thrilled about.  I've always enjoyed her recipes but did not have any of her cookbooks yet.  I've already looked through it and there are quite a few recipes I want to make.

 

 

 

Also included in the box was the cutest strawberry dish sponge and this little drying rack with a lemon scented lemon to place on it.  I guess it's to give a nice smell to the sink area.  Just the cutest little things.  I love the whole Blind date with a book idea. 

 

Oh and before I forget she also got me the cutest sweatshirt with the words Book Lover on it.  I'll have to remember to get a photo of that when I wear it.

I absolutely adore book sleeves and yes, I can make them, I have the pattern for it and they are not hard to make, I just haven't gotten around to do it, but I am actually thinking of making them for Christmas gifts for my sister in law, niece and my nephew's girlfriend because they love books as well.

 

Anyway, my girl picked this one for me, and again, just the perfect one with florals like I love. 

 

 

It can fit books, Kindle or a tablet, so it's perfect. 

 

The last gift from Jasmine was so sweet and I was beside myself with happiness when I opened it.  My very own embossed stamp for my books.  The books that I am never parting with will get embossed with my very own stamp including my name.  How adorable is that? 

 

 

 

From the library of Sandra Bourland.  Oh my, how adorable! ♥

 

And lastly, from my brother and sister in law, who also know me too well.  Everything book related.  The first piece my brother picked himself and it's this beautiful puzzle piece that brought me to tears ♥

The cutest tote and this pouch, that both say There is no such thing as too many books.  I 1000% agree.  Love it!

 

I also got a tumbler that says Just one more Chapter!  And this cutest lavender scented candle "Smells like she's Reading".  Hahahah  I love that!

The last thing from them was something I have also had my eye on for a while and really wanted to get.  Again, they all know me so well.

 

I am in love with this cute stand.  They chose a girl that they say looks like me, she is sitting on a window seat with a beautiful window behind her, a little sign that says Just a girl who loves books ♥, a kitty cat nearby, a blanket on her lap, a beautiful plant to her side, a stack of books and a cup of coffee or tea.  Yeah I think that pretty much describes me to a tee. 

It sits on my bookshelf and it keeps track of how many books I have read this year, which as you can see, is sitting at 41 at the moment.  

 

Oh and also included in their gift was this adorable bookmark.  I love metal bookmarks and this one not only has a funny saying but on the end of the bookmark is an open book.   

Honestly, I could have just handpicked all these for myself.  I just realized I completely forgot to get the gifts from my brother in law.  Oh jeeze Sandra!

 

Anyway, he got me a Cristiano Ronaldo lego set, a big one which I plan on putting together and displaying on my living room shelf.  

 

 

He also got me something I have also been talking about getting.  As you know we are a big gaming family, every night after dinner we sit at the table and play some sort of game, a card game, a board game, whatever it may be.  I have seen these really cute Vintage Bookshelf Board Games and thought it would be perfect to collect them over time and have them on the shelf, ready to be played but also looking like they fit in with all my books.

 

He got me the Trivial Pursuit edition. ♥ 

 

So, I have been spoiled rotten this year and I'm so thankful for my entire family, for knowing me so well, for picking such thoughtful gifts and making my 52nd birthday so special. 

 

 

{ 48 years old, and a quiet day with my pets }

I blinked and my birthday was upon me.  48 years old.  Just 2 years from the big 50!

Curt and I were talking earlier, and I was telling him that this year just flew by, and where usually I would be waiting for my birthday to come around, this year, I blinked and it there it was. 

A lot has changed the past few years.  I have grown in my relationship with God, I've had days of pure joy and happiness, and I've also had my fair share of grief and sadness.

I've gained 10 pounds of hormonal weight, all thanks to hitting Perimenopause.  I've gained friends, I've lost friends.  I've gained wisdom and I've shed negativity.  I've been on the precipice, at rock bottom, where I've felt unwanted, misunderstood, taken for granted, attacked, insulted and offended, judged by what I like, what I say, what I think.

This year has felt different for me.  I've changed a lot.  I've learned to not accept certain things.  I've learned that I don't need to like everything, or say yes to everyone.  Above all, I've learned to be thankful for each year, for each day, week, month that I am living.  Each morning that God breathes fresh air into my lungs, I am blessed.  

 

It's so easy for us to get upset about the passing years, I mean, all we have to do is look in the mirror to see more wrinkles, more lines, more grey hairs, more weight, more jowls.  Right?

 

But we forget that we are so incredibly blessed and privileged to be aging and celebrating each year.  All we have to do is look around us, at how many young souls have left this earth too soon.  How many would have loved nothing more than to live the lives we are living.

 

So I woke up this morning, with a huge smile on my face.   

 

Actually......scratch that.  Let's rewind a bit, because I have to tell you exactly how I woke up today, it's quite funny.  The smile did come upon me, but not the first 5 minutes, because I opened my eyes, went to get out of bed, and my left ear was completely clogged.  Hahaha

I tried yawning, I tried pulling on the ear lobe, I tried the whole stick the pinky finger in there and wag it up and down super fast.  Nothing was working.

I believe the first words out of my mouth were "Good morning Lord, and a very happy birthday to me with this deaf ear".

It did open up about 5 minutes later, but for a moment I thought that was how I would be celebrating my 48th birthday, with a clogged up ear.  

Anyway, I just had to tell you that little story because I found it quite funny.

I got ready for the day, had my breakfast and felt this immense joy and contentment welling inside me.  I'm never been one to really enjoy birthdays.  I am fine with doing nothing special for my birthday.

But today, I was just joyful.  

My phone started flooding me with birthday wishes from my family, both here in the States and in South Africa.  They all asked me what I was doing today, and my answer was always the same "Whatever I wish to do, I don't know, but I guess whatever makes me happy."   

To which they would reply along the same lines of "It's your day, just do nothing, relax, take it easy."

In my mind, I was envisioning reading all day or watching movies.  Something like that.

But what I ended up doing was cleaning, organizing, and pretty much doing what I do every day.  

Being a Homemaker!!!

My sweet husband came home, to have lunch with me, and was perplexed as to why I would choose to do housework on my birthday.  He has a point, but for some reason it is what I wanted to do.

And it turned out to be the best birthday I've had in a very long time.  I know that probably doesn't make sense.  Some of you may even be sitting there thinking I've lost my mind.  But really, it was just what I wanted and needed.

For the first time since I was a child, I actually enjoyed my birthday, I gave thanks to be alive and for another year ahead, I did what I wanted to do, I also got to read a bit, and fell asleep on the couch with Kaia for all of 10 minutes.......but I just spent the day doing what made me happy.

I think we often complicate things.  We tend to make so much out of every little thing.  A birthday doesn't have to be a big to do.  Some people go all out.  Some like myself, prefer to spend a quiet more subdued birthday but a happy one nonetheless.

Just between you and me, I think the fact that the temperatures dropped down to 90, it was cloudy and even rained a little, it put me in a good mood.  See, I'm easy to please.

So there you have it.  I celebrated my 48th birthday by myself, with my babies Elliott and Kaia.  I shared lunch with Curt and Nick, and then made a Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Roasted Broccoli dinner for us.  AND my husband bought me a Tiramisu cake because he knows it's one of my faves.

Perfect way to celebrate yet another year!!!

{ And in the blink of an eye, I am 46 years old }

This was the first year that I feel like I blinked, and my birthday was upon me.

As I've gotten older, I haven't paid much attention to birthdays, they just don't seem to have the same expectations as they did when I was younger.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, I think we just change as we get older.

This year however, it feels like I celebrated Christmas, blinked and it was the 10th of August.

So here we are, 46.  Goodness!!!

What have I learned over the past year?

That I'm stronger than I thought I was.
That my faith was nowhere where it need to be, and the past few months have changed that. 
That I may not think or feel my age, but my body reminds me daily that I am no longer a 20 year old.
That jowls are to be embraced, whether we want to or not.
That I no longer enjoy a glass of wine as much as I used to.
That wearing shorts is not really for me anymore, I much prefer dresses and skirts.
That I am now the one squinting at the fine print, where it used to be my parents and as a child I would laugh thinking it was funny.

That God is, always has been and forever will be, the love of my life.
That now more than ever, joy and contentment is rooted deep within us and not in the outside world.
That I've always been a dog person, and still am, but God taught me that my heart has place for other animals too. 
That maybe I am a cat person without ever realizing it.
That life passes us quickly and we need to grab it tightly, enjoy every minute and not waste it on things that don't matter.

That every morning is a new beginning, and new mercy from God and a chance to start over.
That forgiveness is something we need to apply to others, but also to ourselves.
That nature is by far the biggest stress reliever and is free for all of us to tap into on a daily basis.
That family is everything.
That I have the choice to choose to be happy each day and to not let outside forces affect me.
That I have no control over unexpected events, but I DO have control over how I react to them.

That there is always a positive in each negative we face.
That my intuition is important, even if I think I have it wrong, it always ends up being exactly what I thought it would be to begin with.
That there is no perfect weight, embrace, accept your body as it is. 
That perimenopause will knock you around like you've never thought possible, but you can get through it.
That you shouldn't allow the enemy to steal your joy, don't give up doing what you love.

I know there are numerous other lessons I will continue to learn as I age and I can't wait to go through them, and learn them, no matter how difficult they may seem at the time.

Now let me show you what I got for my birthday.  With our current situation, I asked my husband not to buy me anything, but he was adamant that I needed something, so I compromised and told him to get me some yarn and some books.

For some it may seem trivial, not enough for a birthday or whatever.  But I have never been a girl that likes expensive things, expensive meals or outings.  I am perfectly happy just sleeping in on my birthday, being surrounded by my family and getting a few little goodies that I enjoy.

You know how much I love my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, and have been collecting them for years.  At our local Christian book store, they were having a huge sale on some of their books.  The cookbooks were all 3 dollars, and I was going to grab just 2  but my wonderful husband just kept grabbing LOL

Here are the ones I got:
Gooseberry Patch Slow Cooker to the Rescue
From Grandma's Kitchen
America's Comfort Foods
Super fast slow cooking
Secrets from Grandma's kitchen
Mom's very best recipes
Hungry is a Mighty Fine Sauce

The only fiction book I grabbed was this one from Amy Clipston.  It was on sale for a dollar. 

A Seat by the Hearth by Amy Clipston

From my sweet girl, I got a new set of Winter Pajamas from Cath Kidston.  How beautiful are they?  I can't wait to for the weather to cool down so I can wear them.

She also knows I love stones, and got me these two stunning ones.  How neat that the one on the right looks like a heart.

She also got me this gorgeous tote bag.  What can I say, I have a healthy obsession with Florals and especially when they look like Cath Kidston.

I also got this beautiful Leo bracelet  and a stunning necklace, from my daughter as well.

I am so blessed with the family I have.  My sweet girl is also taking us to dinner tonight, her treat, for my birthday. 

So another year in my pocket. 

Welcome 46, only God knows what is ahead for me, but whatever it is, I will face it head on, with the help of God and the faith of a warrior. 

{ Happy 21st Birthday Jasmine }

Well that was a big hard to type up.  21.  My little red head, turned 21 years old today.  I don't know how that is possible because when I look at her all I can see is the tiny baby, that made me a mama way back when.

But here we are.

How quickly time has flown by. Our girl is beautiful, has the biggest heart is driven, funny, quirky and just like her brother, has the sweetest soul.

She is hard working, at times stubborn like all get out, but that's par for the course isnt it?

My wish is that all her dreams come true, that she continues to grow as a woman, that she continues to stay on course and unaffected by the negative influences of today's world and that God blesses her in every thing she does.

Is a 21st birthday, even a birthday without the obligatory "look at me, I'm legal to drink and could drink this whole bottle if I wanted to, even though my parents only gave me one glass".  LOL

I can't wait to see what the future holds for her. The past few years haven't been easy, she has been through a lot, but has also grown substantially from all that has come her way. Everything she has suffered through has ultimately made her the woman she is today.

But the joy of having a blog like this one, is that I've been able to document their life, both Jasmine and her brothers', and it's amazing to sit back and see how they've grown, what they've been through and how they grew through it.  So blessed that God put me on this path many years ago.

Jasmine, we love you so much and we could not imagine life without your craziness around. Have a wonderful birthday baby girl!!! ❤❤❤

Hello 45!!!

For a couple of years now, I have chosen to put up a post and take a few pictures, on my birthday.

I used to feel a bit awkward doing it, because I'm not a naive person at all, and I've always struggled with my self love and self esteem.

As I started doing these, I've quite enjoyed looking back and seeing how I am aging.  It's a strange thing this aging process, isn't it?

To others it may feel like you're the same, and I often get comments like that "you haven't aged".

While I do appreciate them and they bring a smile to my face, I know that I've aged and I see it daily in my mirror.

What has gotten to me the most about my aging, hasn't even been my appearance, although I could do without the dark circles or bags, I mean who needs those?  None of us, that's who LOL

But, what will usually get me feeling a little out of sorts, is my body.  The fact that pains and aches seem to last longer and hurt more, the sciatica that is relentless, the sweats and hot flushes that have started plaguing me since last year.  There's also the cracks and pops when you get up or sometimes when you're just walking around, like earlier in Walmart, my right knee snapped so loud that my husband heard it. 

Those are the things that make me feel my age, and I'll be honest, it's not always that I feel that way, I have been incredibly blessed with good health and can't really complain.

Some of my best years have been from 40 on and I'm more than happy to continue down this road, God willing.

I thank the Lord every day that I've woken up, and when I go to sleep I thank Him yet again for allowing me another day.  You might be wondering why I do this, what's the point?

Well aside from being thankful to my Lord, I really am grateful for every day that I'm living because there are far too many young souls out there who have not been given the same opportunity.   Plenty of people who would have loved nothing more than to have reached my age, and unfortunately were taken too son, whether to sickness or accidents or by someone's hand.

The way we react to things around us and what life throws our way, is the only thing that really matters, and I've chosen to accept every wrinkle, line, pain and ache on this journey of life.

I don't know what age I will live through, and that's ok, we don't always have to be in the know.  Truth be told, I think God does that on purpose, cause speaking just for myself, if I knew what was coming, I would no doubt mess it all up in one way or another. 

So, welcome 45, I've been waiting for you.  I know I have the great ol' menopause lurking around the corner, but hey, we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Happy Birthday dear Sandra, thank you for being who you are.  It's taken many years for me to be able to say I truly do love myself and the person I am, and although there are a few things I would love to change or better in the future, I AM happy with this woman that I see before me.

Before I leave, let me show you real quick how I got spoiled by my children.  They know me far too well.

My oh my, look at those Cath Kidston goodies?  I was sooooooo happy when I opened this gift, I couldn't stop jumping around.

This mug screams SANDRA, like really screams Sandra.  I've been eyeing it for ages.  My sweet daughter's best friend picked it for me.  Love it and love her ♥

My boy, my Nick knows his mama so well.  He picked this gorgeous candle.  The scent is Wild Garden and oh my goodness, it is like standing in a garden filled with beautiful flowers and just inhaling them right in.

My girl, she knows her mama too and she knows how I adore all Cath Kidston lotions and candles and stuff, so she got me a bath and lotion set.  They smell OUT OF THIS WORLD good.

Look at those two bath bombs with the flower petals inside.  Beautiful.

The scent is Cotton Patchwork and WOW.  Bergamot, Vanilla, Honeysuckle and more, it is just amazing.

And now look at the gorgeous little tin it all came in.  It's like a picnic basket with the handles, and the lid is so gorgeous, I can't even.  I get so giddy looking at all of this and already have ideas for what to use my tin for.  I'm thinking my crochet hooks and so on.

The other best friend of my daughter, Alex, picked this apron for me.  I can't.....ladies, I just can't even.

If you've followed me for years you will know how happy I was when I got my first Cath Kidston apron years ago, from my husband.  I've worn it almost daily and it's getting so old and worn, I kept thinking I need a new one but just haven't had the means to do it, and I can't justify making that purchase at the moment.

It is a vintage pinafore style apron, and I'm BESOTTED ♥♥♥

From the pattern to the cut, to how it fits, and the sweet pockets on the side.  It's everything I would have wished for and more.

So happy :)

My husband got me something so special to my heart, that I burst into tears when I saw it.  I don't have it yet, it is on the way because it was special ordered and won't be here until Tuesday, but I will show you when it gets in.

It's just.....I have to show you when I have it.

Anyway, I am headed out, I have to do a few errands and run by my brothers house real quick then pick up our daughter from work and so on.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend, and thank you again for all the love you show me on a daily basis, it warms my heart.