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.

Birthdays Mean Cake

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." ~George Harrison

Birthdays mean cake. And sometimes surprises. At least that's what I'm hearing in the stories you've been sending in as you enter your names in my Celebration Giveaway for Christmas at Harmony Hill. 12 more days to enter your name by sending me a message from my website or leaving a comment on one of my blog posts before midnight EST on September 30. You might win a Shaker Christmas ornament or a quilted Christmas tree hanging. And of course books. Remember I have that special drawing for book prizes if you say you've never won. Details are on my website's News and Events Page. Who knows? You might end up as happy as this little birthday girl who just blew out her candles. I think she's expecting her wish to come true.
 
And even if you don't win the prize, you can enjoy some of the birthday stories with me. We're thinking cake tonight. How many of you have let your kids dive into a cake on their first birthday? Did it turn out the way you expected and give you some laughs? 

Marilyn says her first birthday cake supplied her family a million laughs over the years. "When I was one-year-old my mother baked me a beautiful birthday cake.  They sat me down on the floor with the cake in front of me to take a picture. I promptly raised my right leg and placed it squarely in the center of the cake. They got their picture (and still have it) but it wasn't the picture they had planned. But it has created a million laughs since then."

Too bad this was before America's Funniest Home Videos. That's the one show Mom will watch - mostly because of the cute kids - so I'm finding out what America thinks is funny. Marilyn's leg in the cake might make the show!

Amanda tells us about a special grandmother who is still making those birthday cakes. "I remember birthdays with fondness growing up. My grandmother would always make each of us our favorite cake on our birthday in addition to cooking our favorite meal. I always wanted a homemade black walnut apple poundcake with brown sugar frosting. My favorite meal- Mamaw's fried chicken, of course, with all the fixins. She is 85 years young this year. My husband and I recently moved to within a mile of her so she could continue to remain at home with someone there to help her if and when she needs it. She still makes our favorite cakes for each birthday, although we have started taking our own "supper" with us so she doesn't tire herself out cooking." 

Amanda, tell your Mamaw we're all coming to your birthday next year!! That cake sounds delicious.

One more cake story from Annette. "I was new in a new school in a new state. They talked differently, dressed differently and seemed to be so distant. My birthday came, and the girls in my class brought a cake in the shape of a butterfly for my birthday. It is the first birthday cake I ever remember."

And wasn't that a great first birthday cake to get? It's so good to have good birthday memories and a delicious cake makes the memories better. 

What's your favorite cake? Ever blow out birthday candles and believe your wish would come true?  

 

Stories and Grandparents Go Together

• Grandparents are a family's greatest treasure, the founders of a loving legacy, The greatest storytellers, the keepers of traditions that linger on in cherished memory. Grandparents are the family's strong foundation. Their very special love sets them apart. Through happiness and sorrow, through their special love and caring, grandparents keep a family close at heart. ~author unknown

Thanks to all of you who have been sharing stories about your birthday memories. This is a picture of my aunt Bond who doubled as a grandma for my sisters and me. She made birthdays special the way some of you have been making birthdays special for your children and grandchildren. I'm having such fun reading through your stories and sharing a few of them forward. 

If you haven't entered my Christmas at Harmony Hill Celebration Giveaway yet, you still have plenty of time. Deadline for entering is September 30 at midnight EST. Lots of time to share birthday stories. I can see some of you out there frowning. You're wondering if I have Christmas and birthdays mixed up. Well, it's my birthday month, but my Shaker Christmas book is out, so we're talking birthdays for Christmas or is that Christmas for birthdays? Now I'm the one confused. LOL. 

But I'm not confused about how fun your stories are. Many of you have said your best birthday memory is when somebody surprised you with a birthday party. That's one of my birthday memories too. Also the age fifty has been mentioned often. Guess that's a milestone birthday. It's one of my favorite birthday memories too. I'm like a lot of you. Never really had a birthday party the way we think about parties when I was a kid. After I got married, we had family dinners or I went out to lunch with my mom and sisters, but no party party with guests and candles on cakes. But then the year I turned fifty, my church family threw a surprise party for me after a church service. And it was a surprise! They had a black cake and decorations and sang happy birthday. The whole bit. And it was such fun. Lots of laughter. And black teeth! That black icing on the cake turned everybody's lips and teeth black. All I can say is that it's good that was a few years before everybody started carrying phones around and putting photos out on Facebook at the click of a button. Black teeth aren't all that attractive, but I did so appreciate my church friends going to that trouble for me. 

Today is also Grandparents Day. Of course, most loving grandparents think it's Grandparents Day any time the grandkids can come over for a visit. So here are a couple of birthday stories that include the grandkids. 

First up is Jim telling about his grandson. 

My oldest Grandson (now 16!) was very excited about his birthday (3^rd I think). We were ready to light the candles and sing. He started blowing out the candles as fast as I could light them. I finally got them all lit at once and he blew them out and as soon as he could take a breath shouted again! Again! Again! So we lit them again and he blew them out. We repeated the light-blow-again, again, again thing several times. We ask if he didn’t want to cut the cake and eat it---No! again! Again! Again! So repeated it a few more times and this time asked if he wanted to open presents---No! again! Again! Again! We final had to tell him the stick lighter had run out of gas (a small fib since what had really run out was the skin on my thumb.  Now his little brother is 4. He doesn’t say again, again, again because all of us do it for him. He just bows out every candle he finds and then says light it! He also helps everyone else on their birthday whether they want help or not.

The idea that no one is perfect is a view commonly held by people with no grandchildren. ~Doug Larson

Gayle also shared her birthday memories with us - first one from when she was a kid and then another years later.

   My best birthday present came two days late when I turned 10. My brother was born, which was a double blessing because I had asked for a baby brother for my birthday. Little did I know the responsibility my Mom would heap on me as the big sister. As children we were never close--I was the oldest he was the youngest, but as adults we developed a very special bond. 

 
I think the most fun birthdays were when my grandchildren were younger. They were always so excited to give me my gift and sometimes didn't wait for me to open it before they were telling me what they had bought me. 

Grandparents are a delightful blend of laughter, caring deeds, wonderful stories and Love. ~author unknown

On the seventh day God rested. His grandchildren must have been out of town. ~ Gene Perret

Thanks for reading. Remember leave a comment with a way to contact you here on my blog to enter the contest or send me an e-mail from my website. Details about the contest prizes, etc. are on the News and Events Page on my website.