Counting the blessings or counting the age!

As each year goes by I count my blessings, today my blessings are family and friends. Like the Christmas just past I wasn’t looking forward to being alone today, it seems DH has been away for those days that we put in our memory banks and pull out at times when we are alone and smile to ourselves.  Birthdays are our special days and I knew that mine would have to be deferred until DH got back in June so I had planned the day to just go by as any other.
My birthday started yesterday at our quilting group where I was the recipient of the birthday blocks (I’ll show you those later once I’ve joined them altogether) followed by a chocolate, coffee cream cake that was huge – yummm, thank you girls I really appreciate the blocks and the cake.
So much for my  plans, 4.30a.m. (yep that early) my sister text a message of birthday wishes – she was on her way to work and didn’t want to miss the day altogether., bless her heart.  Then after a wee bit more sleep the phone started #1 daughter phoned from Wellington, bright and bubbly as usual and even singing the birthday song down the phone as she walked through Wellington City.  This was followed by #2 daughter arriving through the door with a lovely card and gift voucher for a local clothing store, yeah, shopping ahead.
Next was a friend, and soon to be next door neighbour Linda (who just by chance is a quilter too)  the picture here is the lid off a beautiful glass jar she gave me to put in the newly painted bathroom. I can see this full of rose smelling bath salts or little lavender bars of soap.
In between phone calls and visits I was bouncing back and forth to serve in the shop.  It’s been such a long time since I had, had this amount of activity at home that I really had forgotten how to do the balancing trick with customers and visitors. 
More visitors ,more calls and then the postie arrived, look what came my way from East Timor, DH knows it’s either fabric or nice smellies that do the trick.  This time he out did himself as a wee while later a bouquet of lillies and roses arrived at the door.  This is soooo good, I love being spoilt tee hee. 
But wait there’s more.  darling Deb had sent a parcel.  Now this I didn’t expect!  Our Deb has had a rough time with injuries and there is no way I expected her to have been sewing,  let alone for me.  Look what my friend sent me, a beautiful stitchery
cushion, not a mini, a full grown up one.  Thank you sweet, it means sooo much to me.  Not only is the stitching gorgeous but just look at the fabric , just too bootiful!  I love it!  Now with this was a sweet wee card  and the sentiment enclosed was even sweeter, but look who I spied on the back of it  our very own Chookyblue.

Yeah another blogging friend.  So while all this was going on a police car arrived.  Oh dear I thought what has happened?  Nothing, smiles all around it was just a couple of DH colleagues come to wish me happy birthday.
What an awesome day.  In amongst all of this going on more phone calls, fantastic well wishing e-mails and I got to speak to DH.  What a day – yeah I’m blessed alright.
hugs to you all