Monday 17 September 2007

It's the little things ...


Thank you all so much for your lovely birthday wishes and comments. It will take me a while but I will try and visit all your blogs this week. I seem to be a bit behind on the old catch-up and need to walk away from my new friend, Janome, and read what you've all been up to! Yes, after 24 hours of being too scared to open the box, I finally read the instructions and had a go on my new machine yesterday, I was beaming for hours apparently! Amanda, Sarah and Steph, I'll try and send the lavender off some time this week, sewing machine permitting!

I had a wonderful birthday and was spoilt rotten. A picnic on the Downs, a long walk and dinner out. The sun shone as if it were midsummer and the presents were piled high! M you can relax now, the pressure's off for another year!

Look at this beautiful eiderdown, isn't it pretty? Doesn't it look lovely with my old apple green one too? Thanks M.


Some days I feel like nobody listens to me, the cries for children to hurry up and get ready for school, the shouts that dinner's on the table or the reminders to get that homework done all seem to be unheard. Some days I feel like I'm just shuffling around, muttering to myself ... but on days like Saturday I realised just how much my family listen. I spotted this eiderdown when we were out one day during the holidays and M must have remembered how much I loved it.


M also remembered about the milk bottle shortage and presented me with a huge bag of the sweets and this little jar of goodies (methinks he's been reading my blog).

Along with the sweets was this vintage wooden box to add to my collection, filled with, amongst other things, nougat, treacle tart chocolate, chilli jam, choccie biscuits and French mandarin lemonade. You see he does listen!
My daughters both bought me books and I suddenly realised why the eldest had been quizzing me so much recently whenever we'd gone into bookshops. I spent an afternoon during the holidays watching Chocolat with her on telly and commented that the author had written a sequel, Lollipop Shoes. Well my mutterings hadn't gone unheard - my youngest got me the book. What I'm trying to say in a very roundabout way is that it wasn't the huge pile of presents that made me happy it was the little things behind the choosing that did. Like the way my eldest remembered how much I love this packaging and how my mum always carried a packet of Parma Violets with her ...


I've not been the only one being spoilt around here. The cats, having divided up the house between them over the past few months, have been enjoying my presents too. The upstairs cat who reigns supreme in our bedroom is loving the eiderdown ...


... and the below stairs cat seems to be loving my sewing machine box!

It's the little things ...

40 comments:

Nonnie said...

Hi
So pleased to hear you had such a lovely Birthday, with so many gorgeous presents. The quilt is really beautiful. I'm rather jealous of the new sewing machine, although I suspect mine would work a lot better if I gave it a good clean or had it serviced!

Ali said...

Aren't your family the sweetest!

Rachel said...

Welcome to the Janome lovers club :-)(although mine needs an outing) and so pleased you had a lovely day - it makes everything worth while doesn't it. Rachel

Elzie said...

You seem to have had a great birthday. It's nice to get spoilt now and then. Have a good week.
Love Elzie

Betty said...

OH! Can I just be a tiny bit jealous about your birthday presents. Wonderful to be so understood by your hubby and children. My birthday is coming in December. I need to start dropping hints now. LOL

Amanda and Tim said...

Oh I am just so glad you had a wonderful birthday and it is so precious to receive gifts which have been so well thought out! Thanks for the lavender too I am so very excited about it!!

Cornflower said...

What delightful presents and what a wonderful family!

Sophie Honeysuckle said...

Kim, I'm so pleased you had such a lovely Birthday, and what a thoughtful family you have! You must feel very blessed! xx

Cathy said...

What a great birthday - it sounds wonderful. I am going to leave your post up on my laptop in full view of my hubby - it's my birthday soon and he may get some ideas!

Leanne said...

they rae such lovely pressies- lucky you!

I have to say too, how beautiful your cats are! I have 5 of my own, I cant help but notice cats and yours are gorgeous!

Leanne x

tea time and roses said...

Happy Birthday to you!! and it sounds like you had a beautiful time! What a beautiful quilt that is, and the colors are just dreamy... Enjoy all your birthday gifts and family too!

Smiles...

Beverly

mollycupcakes said...

I'm so glad you had a lovely day and your presents look just great. Ben always reads my blog, so I'll have to make sure I drop a few hints on there over the next month or two lol
I love your cats, isn't it funny how they seem to love a new place to sleep every week. Mad things ours are just the same.
Enjoy the week sweetie.
Hugs
Catherine x

Tracy x said...

belated bithday wishes winging their way to you xx
love the gifts - especially the vintage box of goodies!
tracy x

meggie said...

Lovely post Kim! So glad you had a nice birthday.

Andylynne said...

What a beutiful day you had! Hope you rest of the week is just as special. What a special family you have. Even the cats seem to be saying hey we love you too!

Perfectly Lovely said...

What a sweet family you have, its the things like this that show how much they apreciate all the cooking, cleaning, general mummy stuff etc you do!

You must be so pleased.

Jennifer x

Thimbleanna said...

Oh my, what wonderful gifts you've recieved! And the comforter is in just your colors! So glad they spoiled you -- you deserve it!

Racheal Miles said...

Lovely to hear that you had a good Birthday and so many lovely gifts, lucky you.

Sounds like you and your Janome are getting along fine.
Racheal x

Anonymous said...

So pleased you had such a wonderful day, your family were brilliant at getting you what you liked.

dottycookie said...

Oh, lovely presents - how brilliant! I'm sorry I missed your announcement - I've been under the weather and away from the computer for a few days. So, belated Happy Birthday to you, sounds like a good one!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful birthday, your family did do well didn't they? By the way your cats could be cousins to our little female cat Scrather.

Anonymous said...

What lovely presents. I like the sound of French mandarin lemonade. I have just read The Lollipop Shoes, as I love Chocolat. Found it a little hard to get in to but then could not put it down!!

Heidi said...

Your family gave you the most perfect gifts Kim! I was so touched reading and seeing how perfect they are for you. With it only being my husband and I, we no longer celebrate our birthdays other than going out to dinner. I feel like perhaps we should get back to a little well thought gift giving.

I loved seeing your cats enjoying their own well chosen spots. Funny that they seem to have 'claimed' a floor of the house to themselves.

Anonymous said...

Such delight! So glad you had a wonderful birthday celebration! Your photos are lovely here--juicy eye candy! Happy Day ((HUGS))

ShabbyInTheCity said...

I mean you really had a loving birthday. I love each little thoughtful touch! I don't recognize any of the products you got in that box...and would like to get my hands on them!!! Even that eiderdown...I don't own one.

Claire said...

I am glad you had a lovely birthday - the quilt is simply lovely. Your pair are exactly the same as my Betty (or the Boo as she is known to us). I know what you mean about the presents - it's not always what you get or how much, it's the thought behind it that counts.

Best wishes

Claire

Niki Fretwell said...

Hi Kim,
Glad you had a lovely Birthday!

I have just seen your beautiful satin eiderdown in one of your photos - I have been clearing lots of things at home recently and I have a bedspread destined for a charity shop. It is a beautiful 1930's double bedspread, in green, very similar to your eiderdown!! You would be very welcome to have it. If you would like it, please send me an email via my blog. (I can email a photo if you like.)

Best wishes,
Niki.

Mary said...

Greta presents and the eiderdown is fab

Country Cottage Chic said...

What lovely, thoughtful gifts you received!

Cape Cod Washashore said...

Happy to hear you had a lovely birthday! Your sweet M is truly a sweetheart!

Anonymous said...

What lovely presents! The eiderdown is gorgeous...I can see why you like it so much. It sounds like you had wonderful birthday.
Margaret and Noreen at THY

Curlew Country said...

What lovely things you've received, love the Borax box especially. Really thrilled about the lavender, so kind of you. We're moving house in the next couple of weeks so probably best to send it to my work address:
Steph Woodhouse, Friends of the Peak District, 22a Endcliffe Crescen, Sheffield. S10 3EF.
Thanks ever so much! I'll use it make lavender bags to make the new place smell like home.
Stephx

Anonymous said...

Gifts from the heart are the best of all. Enjoy your new friend! ~ hugs, Lynda ♥

Naturegirl said...

Oh my goodness your cats look like mine!! Exactly!! Paisley loves the boxes too and tissue paper..she would have been in her glory around your house with all the delightful wrappings! You were spoiled I see..
Belated birthday wishes..hugs NG

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

YOu so deserve to be spoilt rotten, you deserve it and thanks for sharing it with us. Looking forward to see the sewing machine love coming out...
Suzie Sews

julia said...

Happy belated birthday! Where did you get that man? I have taken to leaving pictures of things I'd "like but can't afford to buy" stuck to the inside of our big kitchen cupboard!

Glad you had such a great time, now back to that sewing machine!

Julia x

Chookyblue...... said...

Happy birthday I am behind in reading post.........just a quick questions......do you really know or email Alsion of FoxGloves in the Breeze her blog has gone weird and I am trying to contact her re Santa Swap

Heather ~ Pretty Petals said...

Kim, what a lovely post. You have such a way of telling us of the love that exists in your family! You are such a good writer!

Yes it is definatly the little things that we remember isn't it?

xo Heather

Pam said...

A lovely heartwarming post - and what beautiful cats! They look rather familiar, in fact... I love your comment about the rusty nails.

Lallee said...

Belated happy birthday! Your family really found some wonderful treasures for you. Your kitties look very cute enjoying them.