Birthday Blessings Overflowing...

 Happy Birthday to Moi~ 

A lovely surprise Sunday dinner my Beloved prepared for me with surprise guests! My husband made his homemade Italian sauce, meatballs, sausage and pasta!  And a DQ IceCream cake... :)

 Here's my Beloved with our precious Jonny, youngest grandson from NC.  He drove in with my son and his mommy late Saturday evening - I had no idea they were coming.  

My best package to arrive!  :)

I also received some lovely gifts that arrived early...from my best blogging buds~

This lovely little box filled with the most precious gifts...it was a combo Happy V'day & birthday combined.  My "Claudie" sent this all the way from Plantagenet, Canada to brighten my day...and then sent another package a few weeks later.  Strict rules were applied to the second package - I couldn't open till this morning... :) since today is my actual 56 b'day!

 This divine teacup below I rec'd will now be called WENDY, in honor of my "DD" friend that sent her to me all the way from Canada.  I have the bestest friends in the whole world!  xoxo  She'll look so sweet in my curio cabinet joining the rest of the girls~  ;)

Arriving yesterday for my Birthday dinner, my daughter Kim and her family, my son Jon and his family, my sister Becky and her daughter...  And more presents...yippee!  xoxo  R.S. choco covered cherries & a Nicholas Sparks book, "The Lucky One".

My favorite gift was having all my grandchildren (Tyler 5, Cate 3, and Jonny almost 2) together with us...and having this snapshot taken with all three just made my day.  They are all like speeding lightening these days and most of the pics don't show their faces as a result of that.  ;)  This one at least you can see all of our eyes!  Happy B'day to MOI! ;) My oldest son Jon is in the pic too.

More gifts to open??? Yup, and they were more of my favorites...

A Signature Facial and Swedish Massage from my Beloved with a nice green 100$ bill to spend on whatever I want.  sighhhhhhh.... :)

Cards just make my heart sing...these were from both my sons...and I hung on each word that were written in them.  My youngest son, Peter, sent the blue one.  He's in TX awaiting back surgery and couldn't be with us.  He wrote so many lovely things in his card...and that just warmed my heart as if it were a million $'s. 

 So this morning...I got to open this...  :)  finally...

And here it looked so pretty inside when I opened it...a teency cupcake magnet...how cute!  How Claudie...  ;)

Then this lovely little card inside...with lovely words to match from Claudie's heart to mine.

 And then this inside that lovely wrapped package... I took several photos trying my best to capture her beauty... A hand made bracelet Claudie sent me from artist, LuLu Kellogg.  It's made with London Blue Glass, white copper, Swarovski Crystals, and a sterling silver artists tag.  It's an original LuLu bracelet

Isn't she just so lovely?  I'm wearing it today on my outing to my day of Beauty at the near by Winery/Spa.

 My sister Becky gave me this lovely Spa Sampler package at the Chateau Elan nearby.  So today I'm getting a real nice treat, facial, massage, hot stone pedicure, hand dipped in wax, and lunch with my sister.  

 And then in just four weeks, my daughter is taking me to see Les Miserables at the theater in Atlanta.  Thanks Kim!  :)  My daughter is just the sweetest & thoughtful one...I love spending time alone with her.  This will be great to look forward to~

Have to run now and get ready for my day of beauty, so...just wanted to say Merci to all my lovely friends and family for their thoughtful gifts, cards, and well wishes that have made my Birthday already spectacular before it's even begun! 

Merci, Merci, and Merci...

xoxoxo

~CC

Vintage, Family & Friends, and Audrey Hepburn...who could ask for anything more?

My New Dress Form fits great in my Tiffany Blue office...
Adorning her is my grandmother's vintage black negligee with her tapestry shoes at the bottom of the dress form stand. Grandmother would have been 100 years old this May 7th.  She lived to the age of 92, and I miss her so much... This is one of the ways I keep her with me...

The red necklace she is wearing belonged to her too.

The belt is one of mine ~ pairing the old with the new...

The French Clock above the dress form is a new find in a quaint little town called Marietta, GA.  I found it in a shop called Vintage-ology.  In that same town is a museum called, "Gone With The Wind".  I toured it the same day I found the clock and was transported back to a sweeter time in history.  This clock will be a dear reminder of Scarlett and Rhett.

On the opposite side of my office wall you'll find this beautiful framed canvas painting.  It has muted colors and matches perfectly with everything in my office.  I located it in a nearby Consignment shop and I waited till it dropped to half price before bringing her home.  It's at least 26x32 large...and I just love it.  A great find for under $40.

On my book shelves that line the one wall are trinkets from blogger friends that remind me of Audrey, Paris, and Angels..   My blogger friends are the best!  ~Merci  to Violet Skiles from Creating Beauty for the Audrey Sparkle hanger...and Anita Rivera from Castles Crowns and Cottages for the custom embellished hand sketched portrait of Audrey Hepburn.   Both Violet and Anita have Etsy shops that you must must visit.  I love their creativity!  The cute little Angel derrier card on the left corner of the photo that is peeking out is the front of a card from Claudie Frid from French, Pink, Poodles and Pearls , my bud and pal that makes me giggle all the time.  :)

A few books to take me to Paris... and an Eiffel Tower to remind me of the time I  had the privilege of laying under neath of the original ET for hours just gazing up at her statuesque amazement!  Oh to go back and visit her again...

I love the caption on this framed art ~ a gift to myself!  The adorable Tiffany Bird candle was a gift at Christmas from my niece...the black Fleur de lis ornament was from my friend Claudie. She's all over my office...  :)

Another view I'm reminded of daily takes me back to my trip to Canada, when I visited Claudie in 2011 for her SUMMER BREEZE Blogger week long fun fest.  The trip of a lifetime...and the new friends I met were the best!  As well as reconnecting with others I hadn't seen for awhile... the memories brought back are as sweet as they all are! 

Thanks for the Memories all!  I adorn my office with things that remind me of 

the "Strong and Beautiful" women that God has brought into my life through this wonderful world of family and friends...  HE is so good to me! xoxo