Birthday Fun :)

At last, I have some time to sit down and catch up on the blog again! :}  

As many of you know, this past Friday was my birthday.  So I'm officially 31.  Funny, I don't feel any different. ;)

Normally, my birthday is celebrated a week early with my family, so on the actual day I usually get some fun "Happy Birthday" wishes, and not much past that.

This year, I felt like I had an entire birthday week!  

For starters, the Saturday before my birthday was my joint family party with my mom and my sister-in-law.  It was at my aunt's house.  We had a great time eating, visiting, and spending time together.  Here are the goodies I got:

This lovely purple necklace from my brother and sister-in-law.

These two beautiful dresses from my aunt.  They're part of the Springfield Collection from Michael's.  And yes, before you all hyperventilate, I do have a Jess doll. ;)  She was an eBay find that was not labeled as a Jess.  I haven't introduced her to Tess and Maggie's world because I'm still figuring out her character. ;)

I also got some spending money from my mom and dad, which will be very handy on our upcoming shopping trip. :)

And although it's not technically a birthday gift (sorry, Mom, I still need to pay you back!), :{ I ended up with another special treat that day.  My mom and dad stopped by some garage sales, and someone was selling a boxed Signature Belle doll from the 90s.  Mom called me to make sure I was interested, and then picked her up for me.

Here she is!  The only major flaw I could find was that the bottom of her box needed to be glued shut again.  Other than that, she was in great condition.  And a box that needs to be re-glued is an easy fix. :)

I love the detail on her box. :)

Belle's lovely face.

So that was the day of the party. 

The next day at church, I got a gift from my secret Prayer Pal.  She gave me this devotional book:

I haven't officially started it yet, but I'm planning to this week. :)

My Prayer Pal also gave me some money for some "Happy Birthday Shopping", so that is being added to my trip fund. :)

At the beginning of last week, I got cards from both of my dear friends that I've known since elementary school.  They're both so great at remembering me on my birthday, even though they're so far from me.  Thanks, girls!!  I miss you both!

  

From one friend, I got this book.  I'm really looking forward to reading it. :)

From my other friend, I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  Gift cards are always so much fun, because they allow guilt-free spending. ;)  Ironically, I didn't end up purchasing any books.  Here's what I chose:

Our local Barnes and Noble just started carrying Calico Critters.  I've always had a soft spot for them, and thought it would be fun to get some to use for my dolls.

These little kitties are so adorable. :)

I loved all of the detail in this bedroom set, too.  

The Calico Critters sets are more expensive at Barnes and Noble than at other stores.  I probably wouldn't have even been tempted by them if it wasn't for the special "Buy 1, Get the 2nd Half Off" promotion. :}

The day before my birthday, my "adopted mom" (she's the mother of my friend that sent me the gift card) delivered a homemade apple cake to me for my birthday.  It.was.amazing.  And I promptly shared it with my family so that I wouldn't gain 5 pounds at my next Weight Watchers weigh-in. ;)  Every single bite I took was totally worth it, though.  Thanks, Mom C! :D

Then came my actual birthday.  Oldest Gal is big on making my birthday special.  Before this year, though, she's been too young to do all that much on her own.  She always wants to get me a special gift, but unfortunately, Hubby is usually too busy with work to either take her shopping or help her make something.  

I happened to mention this to my mom the week before my birthday, so she offered to help the girls with some craft projects that they could use as birthday gifts.  My daughters were so excited! :)

The morning of my birthday, I heard the noise of something being prepared in the kitchen.  Feeling just a wee bit nervous, I headed out to investigate.  

My daughter met me with this:

She's not allowed to use the toaster by herself, so she fixed me a slice of bread with honey (we were out of butter) and a glass of water.  It was so adorable to see her do what she could to "make me breakfast". :)  She also poured the cereal and milk for all three girls' breakfasts.  

Once they were all awake, the girls brought me their presents.

Little Gal made me this pretty picture with sparkly sand.

Middle Gal made me a bracelet with colored beads.

And Oldest Gal gave me this lovely picture frame.  She glued all of the shells on by herself.  

I was so touched by the way they all worked together to make me feel cherished on my birthday. :)  This was one of those days where being a mom is completely wonderful. :)

Hubby was really bummed that he had to work the entire day on my actual birthday.  He called me from work to wish me a Happy Birthday.  And this is what he got me:

Whoo-hoo!! :D  I haven't watched it yet...I'm saving it till Hubby and I can watch it together. :)  And yes, Maggie and Rachel are super excited. ;)

As if that wasn't enough, my mom took Little Gal and I to lunch, my mom and dad-in-law sent me a birthday text, and my aunt picked up the older two girls from school and brought over take-out so I didn't have to cook.

On Saturday, Hubby rearranged a ton of furniture for me (at this stage of my life, nothing says "I love you" like housework and home projects getting done). ;) Then he took the girls and I out to our favorite local Mexican restaurant.  

And on Sunday morning, I got a beautiful handmade birthday card from a dear older lady in our church.  She  is always a huge encouragement to me.  She included some spending money with the words, "Please, you and [Hubby] have a belated birthday lunch on me". :)  I don't remember if I mentioned this last year, but she did the same thing when I turned 30.  Because of where we were financially at the time, her gift was the only reason I didn't have to cook on my birthday. :)

Here's a picture of her amazing card.

I realize that this post focused a lot on the "things" I got for my birthday.  But honestly, what made this birthday so amazing was knowing how blessed I was to have so many special people in my life.  My family, friends, and even church members went out of their way to make sure my "day" was a happy one.  The Lord  has given me so much, and I pray that I will always remember that. :) 

More posts to come! :)