Saturday, June 29

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and then couldn't go back to sleep. Got up around 8 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast.

Sis and Mother came to our house mid-morning, after Sis pinned up the hems of two pairs of new jeans for Mother. I will hem these sometime this week.

At our house, they worked on finishing a jigsaw puzzle Mother started a few days ago, and then began another one.

Before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, I put together a basket containing a quart jar of honey, and three half-pint jars of homemade jelly, to give to Hubbie's niece as a housewarming gift.

It was 11 a.m. by the time I was dressed, so I prepared a lunch of leftover potato soup, chicken salad, veggies with dip, veggie chips, and spice cake.

At 2 p.m., Hubbie and I went to Hubbie's niece's house to attend the second birthday of his great-niece. It was not a thing we were gung-ho to do, but it would have been awkward not to go, since they now live in our town.

Twenty-one family members attended. Niece and her sister spent several days preparing the beach- themed party in bright yellow and aqua colors. Niece and her husband had even built a lemonade stand, painted yellow and white, that they placed in the corner of the deck.

The table in the kitchen nook featured a yellow tablecloth, and above it were hung yellow and aqua Japanese lanterns.  On the table was a big jar of lemonade, tiered dishes of cupcakes iced in yellow and aqua, plus a fruit tray and a veggie tray. Niece had painted her kitchen and nook walls lemon yellow, so it was all very bright and inviting.

Bunches of yellow and aqua balloons floated in corners of the living room and on the deck. There were also a couple of wading pools on the deck for the younger set.

A plastic tote contained hats, over-sized sunglasses, and other paraphernalia for folks to don at picture taking time.

The birthday girl opened lots and lots of gifts...so many that she was confused as to which to play with first. Cameras were everywhere to record the event. Hubbie's Sis asked me to bring my camera along, too, though I didn't see much need of it. Nevertheless, I took a lot of shots.

There was a lot of food, but I'd eaten enough at lunch that I wasn't a bit hungry at the party. But Hubbie indulged in a cheeseburger and potato salad, along with nibbles.

Around 3:30, after the birthday girl had destroyed her cake at her high chair, she let her arm dangle down, and the family's dachshund dog reached up for a taste of the icing and inadvertently slightly bit the baby, too.

Her hand was barely scraped, but she screamed in pain and anger, which effectively ended the party. So we headed home.

While we were gone, Sis had put sweet potatoes in the oven to bake, so I added a dish of barbecue and sauce. Supper was ready at 5 p.m.

Afterward, we watched movies borrowed from the library. "Carrie's War," about children of WWII, who are evacuated to the England countryside to be spared from the bombing. They live with and eventually learn to love strangers who take them in. A neighbor tells them stories of a haunted forest and a screaming skull.

A second movie was called, "Gone." A woman's sister goes missing, and she's convinced her own kidnapper has come back. But, of course, no one believes her, so she has to search for her on her own. Suspense, with a few jump-out-of-your-seat scenes.