Wednesday, August 30, 2017

A Daughter's Birthday and a Big Surprise


Hello, Dear Friends, I hope you are enjoying 
this unofficial last week of summer 
leading up to the Labor Day weekend and 
'Back to School'. 

Last weekend, we celebrated our daughter, Heather's
birthday and before the guests arrived I took 
a few photos of the preparations. 


I had a little bit of fun with the crepe paper :)


It was a beautiful, sunny day, so we were
able to celebrate outside. 




Heather's favorite flowers are sunflowers, 
so I made cupcakes with that in mind, 
using jelly beans and upside down chocolate chips :)


Paper plates kept things simple. 


The gas grill was put into service......

on the menu:
Chicken-pineapple-sweet pepper kabobs
corn on the cob
pasta salad

assorted fruits, cheese and crackers

lemon cupcakes with orange sherbet


We had some extra special guests.....
Ramblin' Man's brother Dave and wife Katie,
visiting from 'back east'. 

They had taken an Alaskan cruise and 
disembarked in Seattle to spend the weekend with us.

xoxo


It was a special birthday for Heather, 
and we also celebrated Katie's recent birthday. 



The birthday girls. 


There was also a very special announcement. 

Heather, Eric and baby Gavin had 
wonderful news........


Count the sneakers.......

Yes, they are expecting twins! 

xoxo

My dear daughter did not think she would 
ever be a Mom, and now........
they are so very blessed. 

We are over the moon with happiness! 

The babies are due in February. 
Gavin is just 9 months old. 
To say they will have their hands full
is an understatement, but 
luckily we live only 10 minutes away. 

xoxo


After that bit of excitement, it was time to dig
in to our cupcakes. 

Our 2 year old grandson, Ethan thoroughly enjoys his! 


'Big brother' Gavin gets snuggles 
from Auntie Jennie as Uncle Dustin relaxes nearby. 


My turn for snuggles.....


Ramblin' Man (Papa) and Ethan. 
Mischief is written all over their faces :)


Cousins. 
Ethan can climb in and out on his own!


Ramblin' Man and his brother looking 
through binoculars at the mountains beyond.


It was a wonderful party filled with happy, 
smiling faces. 

And now the house is quiet once more. 

The 'kids' have gone home, David and Katie, too, and
the pets I was sitting for have gone home to their humans. 



Now it's just me and the dogs, trying to stay cool. 

Meanwhile, I have been watching the tragic events unfold 
in the path of hurricane Harvey. 

My heart is heavy and my prayers go out to all 
those who have suffered so much loss. 

Just a few weeks ago, life was normal there 
and they had no idea what was to come. 

We never know what tomorrow will bring. 
We must cherish each and every day. 

xoxo 






46 comments:

  1. Oh Karen, congrats on the twins! That is such wonderful news. We have twin grandsons, they just turned 3 and they are the sweetest. They can be a handful! But you will be there to help!
    Take care, Cindy

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  2. Sounds great. You must had enjoyed all thee time with all your loved ones all around you. You had prepared wonderful cakes. all arrangements looks beautiful. Cute looking grand kids:)

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  3. Hi Karen, my sweet friend,
    such a lovely post and so wionderful news :O)
    Thank you for sharing all those lovely photos, and let us so be a tiny part of your family...
    Have a wonderful week,
    sending Love and hugs and blessings,
    Claudia xo

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  4. Fantastic news, twins! You're all going to be very busy. We're seeing all the awful pictures of Houston and hope the situation improves soon. x

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  5. Such happy news Karen. Your family is certainly growing. Sounds like the party was great fun. We too had lovely weather, although the temperature dropped way down yesterday to 12 c brrr. B x

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  6. What a wonderful celebration! Happy Birthday to the birthday girls and congratulations to you all about the twins! A lovely way to spend the end of summer!!!

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  7. What a grand birthday celebration! Happy Birthday to the two girls. Twins!! How very exciting. You will be busy. Love those sunflower cupcakes, Karen and one would think that lots of crepe paper is mandatory at such a party. =) Love your snow-capped mountain off in the distance and it is always a joy to have a peek at your beautiful home. Yes, we do not know what tomorrow will bring our way. Hurricane Harvey is a reminder to hold our loved ones close each day. May those in need be helped. I have seen on TV the wonderful human spirit and generosity shown to in Houston. This has been a lovely post, Karen...thank you. Xx

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  8. Karen, congratulations to your doughter!!!
    Everything looks perfect, cupcakes, how you set the tables and of course the surprise.
    Love

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  9. What a wonderful get together, a great celebration. Loved the look of those cupcakes and the wonderful setting and decor. Congratulations on such exciting news, twins how blessed they are.

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  10. What a lovely post...Congratulations about the twins!Your home and your family are both beautiful.Such happiness!Blessings.Maristella.

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  11. Congratulations Karen. You must be overjoyed with the big surprise. Your family is growing and your smile in that picture says it all. Lots of wonderful things to look forward to.
    xx Beca

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  12. Hello, Happy Birthday to both of your girls. Congrats on the twins too, that is exciting news. You are blessed. Wonderful photos and the cupcakes look yummy! Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  13. You will certainly be needed when the twin arrive. How fun and thoroughly exhausting. lol Love your home, Karen. A little piece of paradise. Deb

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  14. Enjoyed seeing your party and what wonderful news for the new parents. Being a grandma is a wonderful life!

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  15. Looks like a fun party with family. Two more babies on the way...how exciting! Cute announcement! We're trying to stay cool and inside from smoky skies with all the fires in our state of Oregon! Saw 2 new fires coming home from work in east foothills. :-(

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  16. Oh, my sweet friend, I am so excited for you and your family! Twins.....what sweet delight :)

    Your photos always bless my heart and I always appreciate you giving us a glimpse into your home and family.

    Much love to you!

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  17. What a sweet post dear Karen! Much joy and good food and being together with family. What wonderful news about the twins.

    Seeing the devastation from Harvey makes us appreciate so much more all that we are blessed with.

    Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  18. Thanks for posting Karen! Your family seems always ready to celebrate life! It's wonderful to hear the good news about the twins! You never know what's ahead in life so enjoy each day!

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  19. So happy for your daughter and sil! How exciting! I know you are ecstatic. The babies are so sweet in the photos. And, hey, if I ever need someone to set up a party for me,....you're hired! :-)

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  20. Twins!! What a wonderful surprise! Sounds as though these last days of summer have been so enjoyable and lots of celebration for everyone!

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  21. How lovely for the family to be together like this.
    Your photographs are lovely, thank you so much for sharing them with all your blogging friends.

    Twins! That is wonderful news ... I think it great that you only live ten minutes away, I think next February will bring you all wonderful exciting and busy times.

    My good wishes to you and yours.

    All the best Jan

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  22. This is wonderful news, Karen! So happy for Heather, and TWINS, how special is that! She will have a double dose of love and joy and sweetness.

    Yes, I've been thinking about what's happening to the people in Texas, so sad for them all.

    ~Sheri

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  23. Dearest Karen,
    How very special this birthday turned out to be!
    Your husband's brother and sister-in-law visiting was wonderful and also the twin-babies announcement!
    Can't believe in just a couple of years since we all met on blogger (well, 8 years...) how your family has grown and keeps adding on.
    Happiness and togetherness and as you already stated; nothing we can be sure of for tomorrow or next week/months/year...
    So sad what is going on in a big part of our nation and we sure need to pray for each other!
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  24. Twins! How wonderful. Good thing you are just 10 minutes away. My youngest brother and sister were twins and they were born when I was 12. All hands on deck were appreciated and needed. Looks like a lovely birthday bash!

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  25. Happy birthday to you beautiful daughter dear Karen!

    both girls look so happy with family and all the arrangements.
    you arranged everything so elegantly and baking looks so yummy and inviting .
    It is Great Blessing of God that your dear daughter is expecting twins which sounds exciting too .
    Glad that she lives near and you can see her whenever you want as being far away from my home town i know the importance of of this.
    your grand children are so cute and adorable ,i loved looking at their little pretty faces with naughty smiles .

    you look stunning my friend and glad you shared your pic too!

    we are hearing in news so much about the storm and our heart feel for those who suffered ,hope this ends soon and life goes back to it's normal track.
    wishing you more happiness and prosperous healthy life ahead dear!

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  26. These family get-togethers celebrating a special occasion are so enjoyable for the little ones as well as the adults. You have a lovely outdoor area where your party can take place with wonderful views. What exciting news about the expectation of twins being welcomed into your family! Life will be busy next year, but I know you'll still find blessed, quiet times as you take pleasure in your beautiful home and surrounding land.

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  27. Wonderful family celebrations & such joyous news.

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  28. What wonderful news, your daughter is certainly going to have her hands full with 3 babies to look after but it'll be well worth it :)
    I love the wonderful summer menu for the party, this is the second such one I've seen this week and I think I might pinch some of the ideas, my family birthday begin at the end of Nov. and go through to the end of Jan. which is our summer.

    Diana

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  29. There are so many sweet things in this post - the news of the twins!, the birthday girls, and the darling little faces. Family times like this are the best!
    The news in Texas is tragic - our hearts go out to those who have lost so much.

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  30. Such lovely news, Karen! I guess the twins mean a double dose of everything - work, but also love, joy, fun... :)
    Fortunately there are these happy "small" things, when so many "big" things are going badly in the world.
    Blessings to you all! xx

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  31. Gorgeous photos and wonderful atmosphere! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  32. So much in this post. You made that deck look absolutely beautiful for Heather, how lovely to celebrate together as a family and CONGRATULATIONS on the baby news. How blessed all the babies will be to grow up surrounded by such love, but Heather and Eric will certainly have their hands full! Hurricane Harvey has been headline news here in the UK, it's terrible. x

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  33. You have such a wonderful setting for relaxing or having a party. I love it. Happy blated bday to your daughter and congrats to all on the twins! Wow...that would be so exciting. Two of everything! Talk about having to prepare!

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  34. Such good news for your daughter. It's going to be a full happy house!

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  35. Love the decor and cupcakes. Also, congrats to Heather and her family:)

    Hope you are doing well :)

    Summer

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  36. It's such a pleasure to come here and get such good news Karen! Congratulations to your daughter and your entire family! How exciting to be getting twins!

    xxx

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  37. Oh my Congrats to you all that is terrific, how fun twins will be, yes they will have their hands full but I am sure they will get help from their Grandparents :) Glad you had such wonderful weather for the party!! Yes it is so tragic all the different stuff going on, makes you cherish every moment

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  38. That is the best news Karen. What a joy grandchildren are! Your family must be over the moon! I agree, cherish each day. Nobody knows what the future holds. Create memories and share special times with family. Love, Mimi xxx

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  39. Congratulations Karen!! That is such wonderful news!! You have such a beautiful family and are so blessed. I hope your daughter has a good pregnancy. Thankfully, she will be pregnant during the colder months. : ) xo

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  40. Congratulations - WOW twins. Your family is sure growing quickly.

    The Birthday party looks great and all that wonderful food with family and friends.

    Have a wonderful week,
    Mary

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  41. Congratulations on the birthdays AND the exciting double news!! What an adorable way to show the family what's in store with the two sets of sneakers :) Oh yes, they will certainly have their hands full! You must be so happy, and the fact that they are close will be a blessing for all.
    Wendy

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  42. What beauty flowing all around, the home and family...congrats on the twins and greetings and best wishes to you and yours.

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  43. What exciting news! I have a feeling you will have your hands full helping them with their full hands! I love how you decorated the cupcakes. I will have to keep that in mind because I love sunflowers too. Looks like a lovely party!

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  44. Happy Birthday to Heather and your sister in law! The menu sounded wonderful and the cupcakes were adorable. What exciting news you've shared with us, Karen. Yes, it will be busy, but oh so fun, too. I had my youngest grandchild spend two nights with me, and we had such a great time. Hugs to you and your dear family.

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  45. Karen, what a wonderful birthday celebration! Love your decorations and especially the sunflower cupcakes! And twins!! Wow! God bless everyone. ♥

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  46. The Birthday party looks great and all that wonderful food with family and friends.


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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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