Sunday, January 19, 2014

A Milestone Birthday

So, I had a birthday last week. It was kind of a big one. I turned 30!

It was by far one of the best birthdays I can remember. My husband and some friends surprised me with a lunch out, a fancy pants chocolate cake from a local bakery, and a pedicure. Given the fact that a teething infant has been demanding most of my time lately, it was nice to see some different faces and have someone else paint my nails!

About that cake...


And my toes....


Earrings made in Colorado, some chicken keeping and homesteading books, and some other cool things rounded out the day.

I love milk glass and really, really like the turquoise variety. It was only produced for a year or two and so it is really hard to find and expensive. Isn't it pretty though! My mom and step dad were able to find a really pretty blue and white milk glass candle holder. It has different spots for different sized candles. It's really cool!


 And the most unique thing I got for my birthday? A loom! My mother in law sent me a message earlier in the week saying that my gift should arrive on Friday and that she hoped I liked it. When it arrived on Friday, I was most definitely surprised! I've never really given weaving a thought, but it is such a cool skill. 

The loom is made in the USA by a couple who designed it themselves. They mill all the wood and put a lot of care into the assembly of it. Check it out!


The woman who designed it sent along a little card with a very lovely note. In it, she included her e-mail address and phone number. She told me to consider her my "grandma down the road" and to call her anytime I had problems. This brought some tears to my eyes as I grew up right up the road from my grandma, who was always knitting, baking, crocheting, or cooking. 

It was sent already "warped", so I was able to get to work right away. While I was getting the hang of it, Dan made the remark that it really makes one appreciate the craft since the invention of automatic looms and such. I am already dreaming up projects and gift ideas. It fits right in with my desire to make all handmade gifts for friends and family. And my mother in law has a friend in Ohio who apparently has a number of looms...big looms. I might have one of those in my house in the future!

 
 

4 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday!!!

    That cake looks so good! Love the milk glass and the loom should be fun to get to learn how to use.

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  2. Thanks, Angela! The cake was awesome :-) I've been playing around on the loom and while there's a learning curve, I'm excited at the possibilities!

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