LONG-STEM ROSE

My rose garden is struggling.  Twenty years ago it was planted in full sun; but now the trees in the front yard have grown to shade the garden.

Therefore, the roses really search to find some sun.

This plant has grown to about 7 feet in search of a bit of sunshine ---- making it the ultimate long-stem rose.

We need to rethink and make some changes next year for this garden!

60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION -- THIRD AND LAST INSTALLMENT!

After a couple of months planning, it was time for the reception.  The previous two posts show some of the preparation.

But before people started to arrive at 2:00, we had some family pictures taken.

Back row L to R:  Son, Mike; daughter, Jenni and her husband, Gary.
Front row: Granddaughter, Caitlin; Sally and Bob; Grandson, Wyatt

As Caitlin calls us "Ohana".  If you are familiar with Disney's "Lilo and Stitch", that's us --- a bunch of adopted aliens.  I won't specify who is adopted and who is alien.  You can guess.  We are dysfunctional enough to be normal --- how's that for an oxymoran?

Welcome to the party!

This is my Wednesday morning coffee aka quilt group.  We have been getting together every Wednesday A.M. since 1982 -- faithful friends!

Our pastor offering prayer and blessing before we cut the cake.

Good cake, fruit, sandwiches, punch, etc.-----

Some of my 'Church Lady Friends' -- they worked all day in the kitchen to make our day special.

Bob with his sisters

A cousin of mine (with her daughter) -- She, Bob and I graduated from high school together.
She is now the matriarch of my mother's family and has a mission to keep us all in the loop.
Having no siblings myself, she's special to me!

More classmates --
still with lots to talk about after all of these years!





About 100 people came and went to celebrate with us on our special day.

To end this anniversary celebration/reception/hoopla, I had to show this candid picture of me.

  I didn't know the photographer was focused on me as I was visiting with friends and enjoying the day.  And ----- my husband of 60 years said it was worth paying a photographer for 200 pictures just to have this one!

Here's to many more years --- maybe we will even be blessed to enjoy our 70th anniversary. 

Thanks to Beel Photography for photographing our party.

I'm joining Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION --- CONTINUED

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful.  It was a good thing, as we had a ton of work to do to get ready for the celebration at our church in the afternoon.

Bob and Wyatt headed out at 7:15 to attend the monthly church men's breakfast with the Suburban full of decorations, etc.  Our kids, Mike and Jenni, and I followed at 9:00 with two cars full of stuff!

With the help of some of my 'Church Lady Friends', we set up the tables with decorations and displays.

Each of the 10 round tables were decorated with small quilts and garden flower arrangements.

I had been working on the quilts a couple of years just for this occasion.

Bob had made several wooden boxes to add to our collection of antique wooden boxes to hold the flower arrangements.

The Christian Service Committee did a wonderful job helping with the food and serving duties. 

 Thanks to more of my 'Church Lady Friends'.




A note about the cake --- 60 years ago our cake was made by Schuster's Bakery in Pueblo, Colorado which is still in business today.

This is the original!  The bakery was excited when we came in with a picture to order the cake for the 60th.  They don't make tiered cakes anymore, but agreed to do sheet cakes and one round cake with our original topper for us to cut for the reception.

It was decorated in the same manner as 60 years ago, as were the sheet cakes.

We set it on a cake stand that my father had made in his 1931 high school shop class.

We set up several memorabilia displays, including my wedding dress.

My wedding veil with a picture of me and my daughter who also wore the veil at her wedding 22 years ago.

A table with my going away suit, shoes and purse plus Bob's tie.  The pink aprons were worn by aunts who cut the cake at our original reception.  The apron was made out of the same fabric as the bridesmaid dresses.  The girls also wore embroidered ribbon headbands that matched the sashes on their dresses.

Treat bags contained 'monster cookies', a family tradition.
Another table had more wedding pictures and newspaper clippings, guest book, and book listing wedding gifts.

After a morning of preparation, we held a family lunch with Bob's two sisters and the rest of the immediate family.

(Thanks to Beel Photography for the great pictures!)  Enough for this post!  In my next post, I'll conclude with a few crowd pictures at the reception and a couple family photos.

I'm joining the following:
The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday
Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop Tuesday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at our Home
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

60th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

After a couple of months planning our 60th wedding anniversary celebration, it is over!  But, the wonderful memories of our friends and family in celebration with us will remain.

On Friday morning, with our granddaughter Caitlin, we went to a produce farm of friends.  In June they had said that when we were ready for flowers, we were welcome to anything in their gardens.  We picked and picked our favorite fall flowers of zinnias, black-eyed Susans, lavender, etc.  Our thanks to Steve and Cathy for their generosity. 

Caitlin and I then proceeded to put together 18 table arrangements.  The best part was that I didn't realize how talented Caitlin was in arranging the blooms.  I just let her have at it!

We spent the afternoon together talking about my wedding ---

 and her dreams ---

In her Princess Bride costume I made her for
Halloween one year.

She painted my nails while we talked; then finished up other details for the party on Saturday.  It was a special day with my favorite and only granddaughter!  Bob and grandson, Wyatt, had their time together also.  After school, they drove to Pueblo to pick up the wedding cake for Saturday's celebration.

We completed the day with a family dinner at our favorite local Mexican food restaurant including our son, Mike; daughter Jenni and her husband Gary; grandson Wyatt; and Caitlin with her boyfriend Andy.  

Big day on Saturday ---- to be continued.


I'm joining the following:
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop Tuesday
Our Home Away From Home for Tuesdays at our Home
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

A LABOR OF LOVE

60 years ago today, Bob and I got married -- a milestone today that I didn't even imagine possible in our youth.  Below is a copy of the blog post I wrote 3 years ago on our 57th anniversary which happened to be on Labor Day that year.

 Here is what I was thinking that day so many years ago.

Thought #1:  I remember waking up being thankful it was a beautiful day.  The reception after the ceremony was to be at my parent's house; which was big, but still couldn't accommodate 300 people.  The overflow was going to be in the backyard.  I knew I needed to talk to Bob first thing on the phone to see if he was as nervous as I was (he was!).  The rest of the morning and early afternoon was a blur.  Maybe a little too much celebrating the evening before at the rehearsal party!

Thought #2:  Arriving at the church, I couldn't believe how beautiful it looked -- and the smell with all of those fresh flowers was, indeed, heavenly.

Thought #3:  My mother (on my right) looked so beautiful in that emerald green peau-de-soie silk dress.  Our wedding was the day after her 39th birthday -- I thought she was pretty and young enough to be the bride.

September 7, 1958

Thought #4:  And there was Bob -- I couldn't believe he wanted to marry ME.  He was one of the 'popular' boys in our class - you know -- Senior Class President, jock, etc.  I was just one of the 'smart' kids.  But, I knew nothing about marriage and how to make it work.  I did know, however, he deserved my best efforts.   His family and mine lived on the same street, two doors down from each other.  All of the little old ladies on the block didn't think it would last -- we were so young.

And so, I learned to make meat loaf, bake a potato, and fix a salad!  
And, he kept all of his promises to me.

 The rest is history with a lot of meat loaf along the way.

It's been a "Labor of Love"!

We've truly been blessed.

Now I'm off to finish preparations for our big hoopla/reception to be held tomorrow for our friends and family to join in celebration with us!!
I'm joining the following:
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

LIFE'S SIMPLE PLEASURES ---- NEW FLUFFY BLUE TOWELS