My Son's Birthday

I went to Great Falls Montana in February for my grand kid fix. Those babies had chapped cheeks by the time Grandma Dede got done with all her kissing.
My son had his 29th birthday while I was there. I haven't celebrated his birthday with him for a few years. It was really nice. I especially loved seeing his little 2 year old daughter, Rylan celebrate her dad's birthday. She was so excited to give her dad the "Happy Cake" she made for him.


She squealed with delight when he blew the candles out. And then my son re-lite the candles so his daughter could have fun blowing them out too. With that gesture, my heart was beaming. I was so proud of my son for taking the time to make "his" day a special day for his little girl too.



Rylan wrapped the gift her mom and she picked out . She watched him with her big eyes as he unwrapped it and when he turned and smiled at her "thank you Rylan for my present." she was beaming!
I have mentioned before about the feelings I have for my daughter in law. I love her to death. Annie is a amazing woman. She took the time to take Rylan with her to pick out Jim's gift. She made it her priority to have Rylan help her make the birthday cake.
Her heart is bigger than the Montana sky.






She loves her family with her entire being. Thank you Annie for showing Rylan (even at 2 years old) the pure joy she can feel when giving to another person.


I should mention something about my adorable Kaylan. She is only 6 months old and she celebrated with us too. She liked being at the party. She loves all the excitement and she gets lots and lots of attention. I dont think Kaylan ever stops smiling. (When she laughs, she snorts through her nose just like her grandma Dede.) But at 6 months, I don't think the blowing out of the candles was too exciting for her. I doubt it very much that she even cared about her dad opening his presents.  I think her favorite part of the party was when her Mommy let her have her first taste of frosting!!!  lol 

                  SHE WANTED MORE!

A QUILT FOR MY MOM


In one of the letters my mom sent me, she mentioned that her 77th birthday was in May. (Like I didnt have a clue?) She continued her letter stating that she MAY not live much longer (she will outlive all her children, she is as healthy as a horse and is a stubborn Iris woman from Butte, Montana) and that she would really like one of my "blankets" before she dies.
Yes, she calls my quilts blankets.  She also stated the colors she wanted and the size...  King to the floor.
Oh yes... and she would be willing to buy the fabric but knew that I would never charge her for the labor since I was born breech and tore her from one end to the other. (I get reminded of my birth quite a lot.)
She asked if $30 was enough? 

My heart was doing flip flops as I read her letter. How was I going to tell her that I had already bought the fabric and was in the middle of making a quilt "blanket" for her and it wasn't anything like she wanted. Even though I am 56 years old, what kid wants to disappoint their mother's "last request."?

I finally called her yesterday. I told her about her "blanket." I told her how sorry I was that it was not the purple and blue she wanted and it wasnt as gigantic as she wanted. I hoped that she would love it just knowing that I put lots of love and hours into it trying to make it special for her 77th birthday.
Of course like any good mother would do and say, "Oh Debbie, I never dreamed you would make me another blanket!  And I know I will love it just like all the other ones."  I was relieved but then the thought ran through my little brain..."Where are all the quilts I have made her?"
We finished our conversation  and just before hanging up she says, " I love you honey. And by the way, How hard would it be to sew more fabric on the outside of my blanket to make it King to floor?"  I finally asked, "Mom...why do u want it that big? You would have to take it to the laundry mat to wash it. It would cost me an arm and leg to mail it to you.(didnt mention how much the fabric would cost... she did send me $30.00) I would have to quilt it in sections because my frame isnt large enough to hold that big of a quilt.  Why do you want it that large?"
I laughed out loud  and slapped my forehead when she told me the answer, "I don't want people to see all the crap I have stored under my bed!"
I'm including a pretty bed ruffle with the new queen "blanket" I made for my mom.
Happy 77th birthday!


The quilt is a design my Bonnie Hunter, Majestic Mountains. Its very fun and very easy. Go to her web page and you can get the pattern for free! Thank you Bonnie for teaching at NSQG. You are very inspiring.