Thursday, August 03, 2006

Sweet William's birthday...

Today is DH's birthday. 41 yo. I don't know why he didn't just hold at 39, like I have every intention of doing. We met in college, and that was that. It will be 19 years in September, that we have been married. I've known him for 21 years, and he grows more wonderful with each year that passes. (His hair is a bit short in this picture- he shaved his head a couple weeks ago. My brothers and even my brothers-in-law are all bald and Bill was being a sport by joining them in the hairless ranks. He's always so much fun.) Guess what he is doing on his birthday? He is building me a chicken tractor. What's that? It's a very cool contraption that allows you to move your chickens from plot to plot- so they can eat the grass and bugs and fertilize the grass and then you move it- once a week or so, so everything stays nice- and they are still protected from the coyotes or the neighbor's German Shepherd as the case may be. (Got pretty hot around the collar when I saw him running down the road with one of my chickens hanging from his mouth. It's about 1/2 mile to the nearest neighbor. But I had a good laugh when I see, a couple days later- the apparent pillow explosion in their perfectly manicured yard- they knew he done wrong! Took them quite a while to pick up all those feathers.) He is always building me something. I feel like I'm married to some kind of carpenter genius, sometimes. His little inventions are always very practical and are rarely a bit decorative. Suits me fine. But when he takes the effort to add something decorative to his efforts- I just melt. He made me a vanity while I was away in Tennessee. When I got home, he was away, helping some one move, and the house was so quiet... I make the bathroom my first stop- don't you?- and I just ended up standing there with my hand clapped over my mouth- bawling my eyes out. He had built me a huge vanity(about 7 feet tall)- a dresser of sorts with drawers on one side for my hair stuff and such, and a drawer in the middle for my makeup- a huge mirror on top, with lights, and hooks on either side to hang my blow dryer and curling iron, and all my necklaces. And then there are these huge whimsical hearts cut out down along the sides. Bekah looks at it and said, pointing to the hearts, "This means he loves you." He must. He even provided a stool to sit on and nothing makes me feel more girlie or pampered than to sit at that vanity and put lotion on my face, do my nails, and just take my sweet time at doing nothing important. I'm pretty sure I tell him every day how much I enjoy that little corner.

How did I get on that when it's his birthday? Well, he's just so sweet and thoughtful, that's how. He wanted 2 cakes for his birthday. We have a family tradition where you can request anything for your birthday dinner. He wanted 2 cakes, nothing more, nothing less. So I was up pretty late, last night, making 2, 3-layer chocolate cakes with vanilla buttercream filling and chocolate icing. We've eaten one, so far. We all took a good nap- sleeping off the sugar. The kids and I filled a box with all of our spare change and dollar bills so that he can buy himself that pig he's been wanting. He was tickled "pink."

DS, Joe, had 4 wisdom teeth removed, yesterday. Adding insult to injury... he lost 10 pounds at camp last week and now he's on a liquid diet... well, he has discovered that chicken broth, doctored up with enough pepper, isn't half bad when you're starving and jello makes a decent dessert. We had to save his piece of cake. His face is pretty swollen and he slept in the recliner in our room, last night. Poor baby.

I spent some time in the quilting room, yesterday- pacing the floor while DS was at the dentist. Got it all picked up. I found some chenille, and am making some pillows for the TV room. I have 16 sampler blocks done. I want to get started on my fabric book. oh, and did I mention I have 10 gallons of beans sitting in the fridge, waiting to be canned? Tracey is all chatty about her blackberry jam and syrup and she's torturing me. There's nothing I like more- maybe black raspberry jam. But we just don't have that around here. Maybe I need to hit the road and see if I can find some on the road sides, somewhere... Like I need something else to do.

9 comments:

McIrish Annie said...

my neighbor has raspberry bushes and they grow like weeds right over the fence to my yard. now i have them too. for free@!!.

your dH is a sweetie. hard to find a guy who will build you something on HIS birthday. he's a keeper!!

Isobel said...

What a sweetie. Tell Joe I am thinking of him. When Kathy had her 4 wisdom teeth out, she ate a hamburger on the way home--no kidding. That girl always has marched to a different tune. DS on the other hand got a whopper of an infection a few weeks after his wisdom teeth came out...and he ws the one who followed the doctor's directions....go figure...

quiltpixie said...

hope the gums heal quickly with the wisdom teeth out -- at least for the bruising to leave quickly so sleep and eating isn't so painful :-)

Congrats on receiving a b'day gift when its the builder's b'day. What an arrangment.... :-)

Pamela (Peni) Teel said...

Sweet William SAYS IT ALL! I think we really do love him as much as we love you...MOM

dot said...

You most certainly have a keeper. What a lucky girl.

Tracey said...

I had tears in my eyes reading your description of the vanity. You truly are blessed...but then, you already know that. ;o)

And I'm shocked to learn that you don't have blackberries out there! Huh. They must stop somewhere in Ohio then. Well, the nerve of them! :oP

Saska said...

Happy B'day to your DH! He sounds like a keeper.

Judy said...

Glad your sweet hubby had a nice birthday. Sounds like he enjoyed his presents. Wonderful men a re hard to find and we need to remind them everyday that we appreciate everyhitng they do for us!!

Darcie said...

Well I'd call you and Bill a match made in heaven...cuz you're both one-of-a-kind and truly special.

Love what he's building for you! And the vanity story: What a tear jerker!

You've got a house filled with love, Nina! I love hearing about it!

HAPPY BELATED, SWEET WILLIAM!