Happy Birthday to Mother!

It's my mother's 85th birthday today! She is still quite in charge, thank you very much. My mother comes from a long line of Southern ladies and she would be quite shocked to find that I was announcing her birthday to the world.

Bless her heart, she somehow gave birth to two daughters who are not reserved and lady-like and who, at our advanced ages, will probably never be.  However, we both know "how things should be done" and can be appropriately shocked when they are not. Or appropriately amused when they are not. And that is probably her greatest gift to us. She has a wicked sense of humor that appears when least expected.

Because my mother is from that generation who believes she should receive public attention only when she is born, when she weds, and when she dies--at least according to her--that is all that I will say about that, other than 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

On to other topics.

Dearly Beloved finally got the lights on the tree.  I have started ornamentifying it. This may be a process requiring several days. This tree has thicker boughs than it first appeared so it seems to be sucking ornaments in--and I have a lot.  Then I had to climb on the couch to hang some on higher limbs and my arthritic hip said, "Seriously."  So I had to stop for awhile.

So I decided to stitch trees instead.

This is Lesson 1 of Merrily, Merrily from Barbara Jackson through Shining Needle.  I am having such a good time with it that I think I will thread up and start Lesson 2.