Aimee's Birthday Dinner

While Aimee's birthday isn't until February 16th (and I've been sworn to secrecy about just what number birthday this is) today was the best day for me, Lucille, and Aimee to celebrate so today off we went to another birthday dinner at the Pioneer Villa. Wheee!

First, the important part! The presents! Yes, that is Aimee in her purple (alas, not pink) boa/scarf. I couldn't find a feather boa so it's yarn. I did luck out, though, and found a perfect red hat but we didn't make Aimee wear it all throughout dinner. We ate, we drank, we laughed and giggled, we shared stories and jokes, and laughed some more. Aimee opened her birthday cards and we exchanged Valentine's Day cards and gifts. We had a wonderful dinner and a great evening full of fun. What a super evening!

Santa's Whiskers

Here is the recipe. (This is for Aimee.)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup red candied cherries, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and beat well. Add flour and beat until well mixed. Add cherries, pecans, and coconut. Roll into 1" balls, flatten with the bottom of a glass so they are about 1/4" thick. Bake about 12 minutes.

This recipe makes many dainty but tasty little cookies. I plan on taking a plate of them to church on Christmas Eve as my contribution to the refreshments for after the service.

Birthday Dinner

My birthday isn't until the 16th but Lucille, Aimee, and I celebrated early. We went to the Pioneer Villa for a scrumptious dinner (thank you, ladies!). Because this is a very small community we wisely sat in the back, facing the door, and scrutinized people as they walked in. It's pretty boring living in a small, rural town and people love to eavesdrop and gossip. (It is not always a good thing to be on the front page of The Brownsville Times, our little weekly newspaper.) We opened gifts and cards, and had a lovely dinner. Best of all, we talked and talked for four hours. We talked about our husbands, our children, our extended families, what we we'd been doing in the past year, and how much fun we were having living our lives. We laughed a lot and shared a lot. It was wonderful!

In the photo, Aimee is on the left and Lucille on the right. I am the one in the middle wearing a purple tiara (Aimee's idea). The next birthday we celebrate is hers and I have two words. Feather boa. One more word. Pink!