Birthday Stories and the Birthday Giveaway Winners!

This picture is a few years old. My grandson is taller than me now and I can't pick up both the little ones anymore, but this is the last birthday photo I have of me. Grandkids make a birthday fun, but now my birthday month has come to an end. It's October. That means it's time to pick winners in my Birthday Giveaway Contest. And in fine storytelling form - you know, where the writer makes you wait for the part of the story you most want to find out about - how about a couple more birthday stories before we close out the fun?

Here's Betty's birthday story. 

I am from a large family, 5 girls and 4 boys. I had a great childhood and learned about family and sharing through the examples of my parents. We never had a lot, but birthdays were always special. Mom let us choose what we wanted to eat for our birthday dinner and of course, there was always ice cream and cake for dessert. Two of my sisters' birthdays were problematic though as they were December 23rd and December 25th. There was always so much going on for the Christmas holiday that their birthdays seemed to be trivialized and not very special. One year my mother decided to bake two birthday cakes and celebrate each sister separately. Hopefully, they would feel special. One cake was round with bright red frosting and looked like a Christmas tree decoration. The other was green and shaped like a Christmas tree. The love and thought that went into the preparations were great...however, no one wanted red or green cake! All these years later, (over 50!) we all still refer to those "special" Christmas birthday cakes. So I think Mom actually did achieve her objective of making the birthdays special!

Do any of you have "Christmas" birthdays? I've always thought it might be a good idea to celebrate those a year and a half - in June or July. My daughter-in-law has a birthday close to Christmas and she says she was never happy to get a birthday gift combined with her Christmas gift or to get the birthday gift wrapped in Christmas paper. I try to remember that. :)

Tish shares a sweet story about her little boy's gift to his mom that has lasted through the years and still warms her heart.

When my son was a little boy, he bought me my first Peony bush. He went into Lowe's and saw the bush and asked his Daddy if he could buy it for my birthday. ...He was so happy to give me my gift. Every year it blooms and brings back memories of him as a little tot so proud of himself and the bush. 

Last Cheri tells how she gets back at her kids for deciding to be born in the middle of the night. 

My birthday story involves me calling all 4 of my adult children at the time of day that they were born on their birthday. And the best part is that they were all born in the middle of the night!! They actually seem to love it!

And now I've made you wait long enough. Drumroll please! The 1st prize winner is Imogene from KY. She gets the $50 gift card and picked Christmas at Harmony Hill. 2nd place winners are Carolyn J from FL and Tammy R from OR. They get the $25 gift cards and Carolyn picked Love Comes Home and Tammy picked Summer of Joy. 

Many thanks to the rest of you who took part in my birthday fun and shared wonderful stories with me. I'm always the biggest winner in these contests because I get to hear from you. Thank you so much and thank you for reading my books and for praying for me while I cared for my mother and then when I had surgery. The radiation treatments aren't bad and I will be through with them by the middle of the month. I am blessed by your prayers and your friendship. 

Oh, and stay tuned for a new contest here on One Writer's Journal very soon. Only book prizes this time but you guys like books, don't you? I'm working up something we maybe can have fun with for the giveaway. Not exactly mystery photos but something similar. And now you'll have to wait and see what. There I go again. Making you wait.    

A Buttered Up Birthday

Have you ever churned butter? We used to have a butter churn a lot like this one, but somehow with the passing of time, the churn is gone. I  suppose it was sold when my mother had a farm auction after my dad died. I don't remember, but we didn't find it in the house now. Not that I wanted to churn any butter. For that you need a milk cow, one that produces rich milk because you need cream to make country butter. 

So how do you make butter out on the farm? 

First, you milk the cow. Not something I ever learned to do, but my mother could and my husband milked cows when we were young and trying to make a living farming. He brought the milk that we were going to use to the house (sold the rest of it in milk cans) and we strained it through a big metal strainer with a paper filter fit in the bottom. Then after the milk cooled, the cream rose to the top and you could skim it off. That's what we used to make butter. You put it in a churn or sometimes if you didn't have a churn you just put it in a jar and shook it for a long time. I remember turning and turning that churn handle. Finally you would begin to see butter flakes start forming and then more and more until you had butter. Then you had to take it out of the milk that was left (the buttermilk or as we always called it, clabber) and work the moisture out of the butter until you had a little round mound of dairy fresh butter. 

Birthday Story 1 - Simple Gifts

You might wonder what any of that has to do with the birthday stories I've been sharing. Well, read on to see in Joyce's birthday story. I'm pretty sure she got a present for her birthday that few of us have ever received.  

Growing up on the farm, one of my jobs was to make the bread and churn the butter. I Hated making the butter, it was a long tedious job. Since we were a large family...we made the butter in one of those big cans that honey comes in. Do you know what I'm talking about? It stands about 18-20" and approx 12-14" (square). Well, Mom talked Dad into hooking up one of the old electric drills to the paddles; he added another 'handle' (a black iron pipe) so it made a T. Well, we could rest that on our legs while the drill worked the paddles. It did help tremendously and speed the process up. However, by this time, I hated butter. I loved going to Grandma's house because she had oleo (or margarine as they call it now). It tasted soooo good and we kids made pigs of ourselves eating bread butter and jelly on bread when we went to visit. For my (I think 10th) birthday, Grandma didn't know what to get me and Mom told her to get me a box (1#) of margarine. She said I can't get her that!! Mom talked her into it and she did, wrapped it up in birthday paper and put it in our fridge. We were sitting down to supper and Mom said, did you open Grandma's present? I looked at her, then at Grandma and said no. Mom said it's in the fridge. I sat there looking confused (why would she put my present in the fridge?) I got up, found it in the fridge and sat down to open it, No Clue whatsoever as to what it could be. I think I screamed when I opened it. (Dad gave me a dirty look for screaming at the table.) My sisters wanted to know what I got and when I showed them, they all wanted some too. I was a selfish little brat and said NO, IT'S MINE! I sat there with my oleo and ate my bread with the happiest smile on my face. I have no idea what else I got for my birthday but I do remember that gift. It was priceless to me. I believe I did relent about a week later and let them each have One slice of bread with my precious oleo, but I was a miser and made that last for a long time.

Birthday Story 2 - Simply Fun

What a fun story, Joyce! Just goes to show how simple things can bring a lot of pleasure and how moms always know what we want most. Now here's another birthday story that's sure to bring a smile. Felicia tells us about a fun party she had for her daughter. 

We lived in Florida at this time and I don't recall how old my daughter was, maybe 10 or 11. I let her have a few friends over for her party. And we didn't have a lot of gifts. But we had a lot of fun. So the theme was scavenger hunt. I handed her a clue and she and her friends were off. That clue led her to a small gift and another clue and so on. Her next to last clue led her to the above ground pool. She picks up the last clue and it was one word. DUCK! She says that word and her and her friends look over at us confused, which is when we 'opened fire' on them all with water balloons and water guns. It was fun! The kids loved it. She still remembers that party and we all smile when we think about how much fun we had that day.

Felicia's story is another good lesson in how simple things are sometimes the most fun and creative thinking can make birthdays great without having to spend a lot of money. 

I hope you've all had fun with the birthday stories I've shared forward. I always get more than I can share, but I do enjoy reading every one. I'll be drawing for the winners this week for my birthday giveaway, but the real winner is always me since I get to hear from you and read your stories. If you haven't entered yet, you have two more days to leave a comment here with a way to contact you or to send me an e-mail to annhgabhart(at)yahoo(dot)com. I'll be picking three winners of the gift cards and book. All the details are at my website. www.annhgabhart.com.

Let me know if you've enjoyed the birthday stories or if you've ever churned butter. 

Never Say Never

How many of you have told yourself or others to "never say never?" That's an especially important thing to remember when you're talking about your kids as in my kid would NEVER do whatever wrong thing we're seeing some other kid do. Experienced parents don't let that my kid will never do words out in the open. But people who have yet to be blessed with children are often heard uttering those words. Such words generally come back to haunt whoever says them because you never know what kids will do in spite of every good parenting intention. 

But one thing I thought I was safe in saying was that I would never have a tattoo. Just not my thing. I don't even have my ears pierced. Couldn't see any reason to add extra holes to my head. :) And I'm the wrong generation to look fondly on tattoos, but there is that never say never. Today I got a few little black tattoos to mark where I will be getting radiation treatments in a few days as a precautionary treatment after my lumpectomy. No cute butterflies or initials or flowers. Just black dots. Even so, they are a tattoo that will be there forever. So that never I said became a guess I will. 

I did get good news today along with the tiny tattoo dots. No need for chemotherapy. Guess my hair is safe, but I was imagining it coming back in curly or maybe red. I know many of you have undergone chemo in your treatments and I know you've been strong and done what was necessary to fight your cancer. I appreciate all of you who have shared some of your experiences with cancer treatments. My little tattoos hardly compare to what many of you have gone through. While no cancer would have been the best, so far all my tests have come back as good as they could once that diagnosis was made. Caught early. No lymphs nodes involved, and now no chemo. Plus, the doctors and technicians have all been super. Thanks for all your prayers.

Now how about a couple of birthday stories? It's almost time for me to draw for the winners of my Birthday Celebration Giveaway. If you haven't thrown your name in my drawing hat, you have until September 30 to do so. Just leave a comment here with a way to contact you, either your e-mail or if you have "liked" my author Facebook page, I can contact you from there if I have your name. Three winners. One $50 gift card and a book. Two $25 gift cards and books. See complete details on my Events page on my website.

First Alla shares about being tired of NEVER having a birthday party, so she takes care of that by throwing one for herself. 

When I turned 50, I decided I was going to have a birthday party.  I had never had one, so I decided to throw myself one and started calling all my friends and family. My youngest daughter lived in Denver at the time, so she flew home to help me celebrate. When I picked her up at the airport we waited at the terminal for her luggage and much to my surprise I see this 60’s looking lime green luggage coming toward us. I said “Look at that cool bright luggage. Isn’t that awesome?” She said “Well, I am glad you like it since that is your birthday present.” I will never forget that as long as I live. She had put a collapsible bag inside with all her clothes, because that is the only way she could figure out to get it here. She had also brought her guitar and my youngest brother joined in “picking & grinning” with her at my party. That is the only actual party I have ever had in my life, but was so memorable, it will last a lifetime!!!!

And then Rebecca shares a special birthday story about a friend. 

I have a wonderful birthday story about a friend of mine and her husband. The husband had been on a kidney transplant list for over 5 years, while his quality of life slowly slipped away. He is a husband, father, brother, son and papa to his family. A few months ago they finally got THE CALL and his kidney was waiting for him. The amazing part is...my friend got the greatest birthday gift she could of ever asked for, because on her birthday, her husband received a kidney transplant. It has changed their lives and once again he is able to be active and live life to the fullest.

The gift of life. Thank you, Alla and Rebecca, for sharing your birthday stories with us. And thank all of you for your prayers and good thoughts. Such a lot of positive energy coming my way from you. You're the best. 

Birthday Stories and Flowers

Birthdays can be like flowers, lovely and bright, different even as they come on the same day year after year. The birthday stories some of you have been sending me are the same. Some of you have birthdays where not much fuss is made, maybe cake and ice cream. Others of you have had parties and special vacations and surprises. All fun as you celebrate the gift of another year here on Planet Earth. Some of the stories are touching. Some funny. Some loving. Some sad. A few have been a combination of all those emotions. 

That's the way the story is tonight. Chris shares about her mother who is in a nursing home suffering symptoms of dementia. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have a birthday to celebrate or reason to smile. If you can find those smiles on that hard Alzheimer's road, then life gets easier if only for a little while. Here's some of the story Chris shared with us.

"First, thank you for sharing your journey with your mom with us. My mom's 90th is this month and ...I am getting her a small tiara to wear for that day! (& balloons for the wheelchair...maybe a wrist corsage?) Last year, my sister and I took her out to lunch but the nurse forgot to let the cafeteria know that she wasn't coming...so Mom found out and felt bad since they had gone to the trouble of fixing her fried shrimp. (I think she forgot we were coming.) Anyway, we pick her up and she insists that I take her lunch from the Center with us because she wants to eat it too! ... So off we went to our little favorite restaurant...,a 1950's cafe with the best food in the world... So Mom insists on bringing the food from the Center in...I am like Mom!...please...it is rude to bring food into a restaurant and not eat their food...this is the best food ever. My sister...trying to please Mom pushes for the Center food to come in with us. Of course, the owner & the chef notice we brought our own take out food in. :/. She is so gracious, wishing Mom a happy birthday...and she asks about the food. Mom explains she couldn't hurt the Center's staff's feelings by not taking the food with us. Then she refuses to eat food at the restaurant...only soup and just a bit because she doesn't want to get full. And she eats the Center food! Crazy time!"

With someone with memory problems you might as well just go with the flow, Chris. Hope this birthday was less crazy for you but fun for your mother. But here's a preview from Chris on how things might go this year in another story she shared about her mom. 

"My mom has Alzheimer's/dementia, and the other day I got a call from her. She spoke to my husband first...asking him how it was going (like she was perfectly in control). Then I got on the line...she said she was working all day at the college and needed to go home but apparently she was home...her roommate got to go home with her husband! I said, "You're confused, aren't you, Mom?" She said she was very confused and we talked about the college she worked at, what she did...then I said she had a birthday coming up and did she know how old she was? She didn't, but then when I asked 50? No. 60? No. 70? YES! I said, "Well, there you have it! When you were 70, you did work for the college, and if you are confused and think you are 70, of course you'd be going home on the weekend! I said she was going to be 90 and she denied it over and over! Ha! What a hoot. So I said, "Well, we could pretend to lose 20 years, but then we won't have my youngest daughter (who's 19) yet!" I asked if we could pretend we don't have 20 extra pounds instead and we laughed and agreed."

Thanks for sharing, Chris. That last story made me think about my mother who drifted in time to different ages. Sometimes she was only 16 and sometimes in her thirties. She looked at me like I was  nuts if I told her she was in her nineties. She knew that wasn't right. But it definitely might be good to forget those 20 extra pounds, Chris, especially after birthday cake and pie.

Since I last talked to you here, I got another year older, but I'm still celebrating all month and you can celebrate with me by entering my birthday giveaway contest. Check out details here. Deadline to enter is September 30.

Also, today and maybe for a couple more days, The Blessed, one of my Shaker books has a special e-book price of 99 cents or less. Check it out at Amazon; Barnes & Noble (Nook); or Christianbook.com. Maybe other internet e-book sites too. Be sure to check the price to see if it's still on special before you download.

Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing your birthday stories with me.

Mothers, Feed Sack Dresses and Sparklers

"My mother taught me about the power of inspiration and courage, and she did it with a strength and a passion that I wish could be bottled." ~Cathy Fiorina

I know you were expecting more birthday stories to go along with my birthday giveaway. (Remember you can check out details here.) So the mother quote may have surprised you. But without our mothers, we couldn't have a birthday. Mothers and birthdays have an undeniable connection. Plus, our mothers may be the first to give us wonderful birthday celebrations.

One of the fun parts of these contests I have is hearing from you, my reading friends. Some of you have shared stories with me over and over in different contests, and I'm so grateful for that. The stories make me a winner every time I have one of these giveaways and I do hope you enjoy sharing your stories too. 

Sometimes a friend will share something more the way Ola did here when she sent me the above picture of her on her 7th birthday in a dress made by her mother. It's so pretty and you can see how Ola loved it. When I asked Ola if I could use her picture, she wrote me a little more about her mother. So many of you have shared about your mothers after I shared about mine in my newsletter. A good mother is a blessing and a gift and Ola had one of those good mothers. Here's what she told me about her.

"No, I don't mind if you share. That's one of my favorite pics of me. I wish I had one of the dresses my mama made me now. I would really love to have one made of feedsacks that she made. She was an amazing woman to raise 7 kids mostly by herself. She raised a big garden and canned it to feed us. She sewed, knitted, crocheted, quilted and made all sorts of dolls to sell. She went back to school and graduated from high school when she was 67 years old. She's been gone 10 years now and I still miss her but see her all around me."

Thanks for sharing about your mother, Ola. She does sound like an amazing woman and I'm sure she raised some amazing children. You also brought back memories of those feed sacks or flour sacks. I don't remember if I had dresses made from them, but I do remember others talking about those cotton sacks. The feed sacks I remember were gunny sacks and the flour companies switched over to paper bags. But here's a pattern I found on this blog, The Country Farmhome, all about those feed sack dresses and some interesting photos and history. Any of you remember these?

Sometimes our mothers have parties for us and sometimes we have parties for them. Here's Stefanie's story about how she tried to make her mother's birthday special, but sometimes great ideas need to be fine tuned a bit. Even so, mothers know how to take it in stride with a smile. 

"My birthday story is about my Mom. She was born on July 10 and loved the 4th of July. Well, one year I decided to put sparklers on her cake. Let's just say that there were quite a few burning in place of candles. We could not eat the cake because the metal sparklers had left a gritty, black soot on the frosting and the cake itself tasted like the sparklers smelled!!! But Mom, being who she was, loved it anyway!!! She has been gone 16 years and I miss her like it was today. Love you, Mom."

 

Thanks for sharing with us, Stefanie and warning us off those sparklers in place of candles. 

Hope if you haven't thrown your name into my drawing hat for the giveaway for gift cards and books, that you will. You can find out more about the prizes and how to enter on this post. As always, thanks for reading.

Stories to Celebrate and Prizes to Win

"Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon." ~A.A. Milne

Have you ever had balloons on your birthday? Balloons just seem to say let's celebrate. Just ask Winnie the Pooh. That old bear can float around with a balloon and enjoy every day, birthday or not. 

So today here are some balloons to get us in the birthday mood and to remind you that this month I'm celebrating getting older by giving away some prizes. Three winners will get gift cards and their choice of one of my books. Check out complete prize details on my website. Entry is easy. Just send me a message from my website or leave a comment here on a new blog post in September. Please remember to leave a way to contact you in case your name rises to the top of my drawing hat. For fun, you can share a birthday story and get a bonus entry in the giveaway. 

I love hearing your stories and I will eventually get around to reading them all. My surgery has slowed me down a little, but I'm getting back up to speed. Of course, with adding on another year, speed is a relative term. Perhaps I should say I hope to keep plugging along. 

Age wasn't a problem for Karen in this birthday story she shares. She was turning that magical "I can drive" age. But the license issuing offices just would not stay open for her. Here's Karen's story.

I'll be ?? on November 11th. Now my birthday is a federal holiday so all state & federal government offices are closed on 11/11 and where do you go to get your driver's license? Right, a government office. Well, when I turned 16 I was very anxious to get my first driver's license. I was so upset that the DMV office was closed on my birthday that I called about a week before to see if I could get my DL on the 10th since it wasn't MY fault they weren't open on the 11th. LOL Well, of course, the answer was NO. That year my birthday was the longest day ever waiting for the 12th to arrive and I could get my driver's license. Don't we sometimes wish we had those youthful days back again?

Indeed, Karen. Oh, to be 16 again, but then I don't think I want to take that driver's test again. I was soooo nervous when I had to take a ride with the state policeman giving the test. But maybe not as nervous as he was. LOL. 

When Karen told me I could share her story forward she added how the story makes her smile now when she thinks about her impatience. To add to her anticipation, her brothers were both in the service and had left their old Chevy at home and given Karen permission to drive it. So there was that car in the driveway just begging her to get under the wheel and start it up, except her parents hid the keys. Our parents just know us too well sometimes. For sure that day had to be Karen's "longest day ever!"

But about those balloons again. They aren't much fun until we put a little effort into filling them either with our own breath or some helium to make them float. Did you ever wonder if you could float up in the sky if only you could hold onto enough balloons? 

As Karen says, oh to be young again with a zillion dreams clasped in our hands as life beckoned us down dozens of exciting roads. Each birthday is a milestone and one we're celebrating with balloons today.

Winners, Bicycles and Birthdays

My birthday month is over. September has slipped away too soon. No more birthday stories in my e-mail box. :( It's been a crazy month down here on the farm with Christmas at Harmony Hill out in September and Orchard of Hope coming out in its new package on October 1. Add in one of Mom's caretakers being sidelined with cataract surgery and a deadline for editing my next Rosey Corner book that included the need to snip out 13,000 plus words and you can see why I needed a few more days in September. Only 3,500 words to go! I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it's not a train. 

But before we head out on a new trail, we've got a few more birthday noise makers to blow and one more story to share. 

Did you ever have your own bicycle? I didn't. I had a hand me down that needed tires, my inspiration for Jocie's old bike in Scent of Lilacs.Tara left this story in a comment on a post here, but I wanted to share it again. 

"My best birthday memory. As a second child I spent a lot of time in hand me downs. Clothes, shoes, bicycles. My older sister had a very different style than I did, so her old blue bicycle with a banana seat was not my favorite. Every trip to town for groceries would see me at the Western Auto adjacent to the grocery store, riding around and around a little yellow BMX bike. Every year, I participated in (and rocked!) the St Judes Bike-a-thon in our tiny, tiny town and I wanted nothing more than to NEVER have to ride that hand me down blue bike again to do so. I have NO idea how many miles I logged on that little yellow bike just riding up and down the aisles until Mom was done at the grocery store. I will never forget Mom telling me to take out the trash or some equally unpleasant chore, on my birthday, no less, only to discover it was a ploy to get me to go around back where that little yellow bmx was waiting for me. I continued to ride it in those Bike-a-thons for years to come. One year, I earned enough pledge money to provide every participant with the t-shirt prize after it was all divvied up."

When I read Tara's story I was doubly touched, by her mother knowing how much she wanted the bike and finding a way to get it for her and by Tara's eagerness to raise money for St. Jude's even as a child. You may remember that my great-niece was treated for cancer at St. Jude's and one of my Facebook posts about her went viral a year or so ago. You can read that old blog post, Honk, Honk for Good News if you're interested. Anyway, when I asked Tara about using her story here, this is what she said, "Oh please go ahead and use it :) My best friend had cancer, she passed away when I was 11. She was treated at St Jude and it is still the charity that gets 99% of my charity dollars."





In November I'll be taking part in the St. Jude Walk in Louisville because Tara is right. Once you've seen how St. Jude wants to cure every child, you want to keep helping them have the money to find those cures.

But now get all those birthday noisemakers ready. It's time to announce winners. You may have already seen the names since I sent out a newsletter on Tuesday with the winners and the news that my book Words Spoken True was/is a free download. Only a few more hours for that so if you have an e-reader and haven't read my story set in 1855 Louisville with political intrigue, lots of romance and even a serial killer on the loose, you can download it today for free. (And yes, I know this is Thursday and that I'm a day late posting. I was in such a frenzy of editing out words last night I forgot to post.) 

Oh yeah, back to the winners of my Christmas at Harmony Hill Giveaway Celebration. Donna V. wins 1st prize, the Shaker hand ornament and her choice of one of my books. Sue B. won 2nd prize of the quilt hanging and her choice, Christmas at Harmony Hill. Rachel L can't say she "never wins" anymore since she wins the Tea book, Melody Carlson's The Christmas Shoppe and she also picked Christmas at Harmony Hill. As as extra bonus, Peggy C is my "just because" winner. Angel Sister is one of her favorite books, so she picked Small Town Girl. (I haven't heard from Donna, so if I don't by next week, I'll pick a new winner.)

Thank you all for taking part in my giveaway fun and for sharing your birthday stories. I enjoyed reading them so much and in my very unscientific survey, I discovered surprise parties make great memories, especially if you're turning 50, that grandkids are cute blowing out candles, and that everybody loves a birthday cake with chocolate the favorite there.

Out of room for this post, but check back Sunday (or maybe Monday. lol) I'll have to celebrate Orchard of Hope being back out for readers somehow.

Surprises, Parties and Chocolate Cakes

"Let's face it, a nice, creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me." ~Audrey Hepburn

Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.
Audrey Hepburn
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/chocolate_cake.html#FS468PmEH8F8rtSo.99

Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.
Audrey Hepburn
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/chocolate_cake.html#FS468PmEH8F8rtSo.99

I've got some serious chocolate lovers among my grandkids. I think they may have taken after their grandmother! My sister has a granddaughter who won't eat chocolate and everytime I hear that I am amazed afresh and think, surely, she just hasn't tried it yet. lol

This chocolate cake looks like it could be my dog, Oscar's cake, doesn't it? Of course, they say chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Do you think it's possible that dogs love us so much they just wanted to come up with a reason to let us have all the chocolate? But the cake was my granddaughter's request and her mother was game to give it a try and did a great job. No, those aren't real dog biscuits. They were some kind of dog biscuit shaped cookies. A great cake anyway. 

It was fun reading all the birthday stories you all sent me or left in comments here. (If you haven't entered the giveaway contest yet, you have five more days to throw your name in the hat. Drawing is next Monday night at midnight EST. Details about the contest are on my website's News and Events Page.) Certain trends showed up in your stories. You like cake - especially chocolate cake. Surprise parties made for memorable birthdays. You loved feeling special on your birthday. And family makes the memories sweeter.

Mary left this in a comment on one of the birthday story posts, but in case you didn't read the comments, here's her story.

"Birthdays are always special in our family - favorite cake & meal & treat. I always had a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, roast chicken & home-made marshmallows - not quite in that order. The birthday person also gets out of chores. After dinner you just walk away from the table. Growing up that was almost the best part of the whole day."

Those home-made marshmallows sound interesting, Mary. I did something like that with my kids too. I still cook their favorite meals and desserts if they can make it home for their birthdays. And I like the idea of the birthday person getting out of chores. Seems that's harder to work out for us older folks. If you could, what chore would you most want to get out of?

Maxie shared this last story about a treasured surprise party.

 I have been blessed with 12 grandkids and now 19 great-grands. How great!  Very well blessed. …  My favorite Birthday would be my 75th. It was also my first ever Surprise Party. My granddaughter and daughter had the house (big) decorated prettier than I've ever seen. This daughter also made my BD cake. So good!  Real fudgey. She got everyone to bring one of my favorite desserts and foods they had ever known me to love. Was absolutely Fantastic." 

  
Birthdays are a great time to feel that extra love and to give that extra love too. Have you ever thrown a surprise party for anyone? Were you ever surprised by a party yourself? 

 Thanks for reading.