Pre-party workday and the Party (4/19/14-4/20/14)

Saturday.  Today was "get ready to party" day, which means cleaning out and starting to prepare the party treats.  Cathy gave Lucille her shower this morning (as the day evolved, Cathy was sorry she didn't jump in and get her shower when Lucille got out), then Cathy, Joe, Jim and I all went to town for breakfast, while Dixie stayed home and fixed Lucille her breakfast.  But when we got back, Dixie was underway with laundry and making punch, I started up the vacuum, then Dixie moved on to dusting, and Cathy resumed her window-washing chores (yesterday, she did the front door and the living room, but she still had the back porch to do).  Unfortunately, she fell off the step ladder and dislocated her thumb.  She spent most of the afternoon at the emergency room, getting x-rays, getting it put back in position, then picking up prescriptions.  What someone won't do to get out of washing windows!  Fortunately, she had them all done except one.   Joe took his mother to her beauty shop appointment and picked up the cake.  Never a dull moment.

Speaking of the walking wounded,  Dixie took a tumble out in the yard on Thursday (those mole hills get her every time), then she fell right beside me and Lucille on Friday morning in the kitchen.  Fortunately, she only suffered a scrape on the cheek that time, and nothing apparent from the day before, so we think she is ok.  But there seems to be a theme in that strain of the bloodline.

I'm still keeping an eye on the lilac bush.  It's greening up nicely, so if a storm doesn't come along and blow all the blooms off when it does bloom, I might get to see some lilacs in the next week or so.

Joe and I attended the Decker Chapel Alumni in the evening (for the first time).  This was the first time Joe and I had been inside the Decker Chapel Community Center, and I was very pleased with how nice it was.   I had some pictures I wanted to donate, and I got to see some people I had not seen since grade school.  The highlight of the evening for me (and my bestie Barbara Seitzinger Holscher) was visiting with Mike Horrall, who had left us and moved away at the end of our Freshman year (he was the heart throb of most of the girls in our class [4 out of 6, I think], including both of us).  Barbara and I had not seen him since 1962, although we have had many, many conversations about him over the years, and we were both thrilled that he showed up.  We had lots of laughs, but I'm not sure he will ever be the same.

Sunday was Easter, and the day of the birthday party.  Lucille was awake early and yelling up the stairs for us to get out of bed.  We all made it to church (not to Sunrise Service, but we did have a good family turnout for the 10:00 service), then the granddaughters (Jaclyn, Cathy, and Rachelle) put on a delicious Easter lunch.  We got set up for the party, and spent the rest of the day in birthday celebration mode (more chocolates and more flowers).  We didn't have as good a turnout for the party as we had planned for, and I'm sure that the Easter holiday had a big impact on that.  But still, several people stopped by, most of the family were in attendance, and she had a lovely day.

The kids had an Easter egg hunt, played a little baseball, and got creative with the sidewalk chalk.

The weather couldn't have been nicer, and it was a great day to just enjoy being together.

We missed our immediate family a lot, though, but we did get new pictures of our Florida baby.  Sure hate that we have missed so much of his first year.  We got new pictures, though, and I never know if I'm successful with posting them, but here goes.  I can't seem to make it any smaller, so I'll just go with it.

Here's another one.  It looks like Florida had a pretty nice day too.