Monday, April 27, 2015

T Stands For Kathy's birthday and how we spent it

Today I'm taking you with me to T while I celebrate my friend Kathy's birthday.  Life has been really busy for her, with April being the month she works volunteers three days a week at the charity shop her church runs.  This task is divided by several churches, and they each take one month running the place.  Kathy explained to me that she first has to bring the donations inside, sort, hang, or fold them, then help people find things while at the same time bagging the items they get (or buy), and taking the money.  She explained that some people have vouchers and can get various things free for each member of their family.  These include clothes, sheets, towels, flatware, dishes, etc.  You get the idea.  BTW, shoes, blouses, shorts, and jeans are $0.50 (USD) each and dresses are $1.00 (USD) each.  I wish I could find a charity shop like that in my neighborhood.

But on this day, Kathy came to celebrate and put all those thoughts behind her.

While Kathy (with help from Bleubeard) used the restroom (as an aside, what IS IT about cats and toilets?),

I tried to get a photo of Squiggles who obviously felt trapped at the top of the stairs when he couldn't get into the office.

Nope, he wasn't about to sit still for me, but growled and cried loudly.  Everyone who visits my place tells me that he is MY cat and it shows.

I asked Kathy to describe the jewelry she was wearing and then asked for a picture of everything she made, from the earrings to the necklace, the bracelet, and ring.   Have I not mentioned Kathy is over the top in everything she does?

It was time for me to present Kathy with her gift.

I kept snapping photos

as she opened her unceremoniously wrapped gift.

It was easy to tell when she realized what it was!

Here she's enjoying a few of the pages before we head to lunch at Legends, the restaurant at the airport that has fabulous buffets.

I seem to have gotten several photos of the art, the flowers,

and the booth we sat in, but none of our food or drink, which was coffee and water.  So much for planning ahead.

This was "South of the Border" day, and I was a bit underwhelmed with the salad, as well as the entire fare.  Sally and I have been for "Mediterranean" day, "Taste of Italy" day, and "baked potato, soup, and salad" day, but never experienced the influence of Mexico before.  But Kathy picked the day, so I made the best of it.

There was no vegetarian soup like there normally is.

So I skipped the soup, but would have liked to have one of those doilies (grin).

The only salad offering was here.  There were more dressings than salad!

There were lots of sauces for dipping red, green, and natural colored chips, though.

Of course, I had to get a photo of some of the decorations.

There were no veggies, only tamales, enchiladas, and something you could make using pulled pork and tortillas.

I think I liked the copper pot better than what was on the menu.  And the only dessert was sopapillas.

Although we got there soon after the lunch buffet started, by the time we left, they were setting up for the dinner meal.  Neither of us went back for seconds, but we both enjoyed the big pot of coffee the server left.  It had been so long since we had seen each other, we spent the time catching up in each others' lives.

Back at the house, Kathy tried to get me to go shopping at Michael's, Mrs. O'Leary's, or Hobby Lobby.  But I declined because I feel I have enough STUFF.  And even though I had failed to get photos of our drinks at the restaurant, I managed to get a photo of my coffee and Kathy's diet cola we had left on the table.

As Kathy was packing her book and other goodies I gave her,

I retrieved this box from her car.  It held more things she didn't want, but had forgotten to give me before.

Of course, you've seen one of the things in the box, was this stack of gelatin printed rounds.

Thanks for joining us for Kathy's birthday, sharing T with us, and receipt of her Kings and Queens AB.

Now it's your turn to share your T time with us.  The rules are simple.   Tie in some way, your post back to a drink, whether it's a book, movie, vessel that holds a liquid, special tea cup or tea pot, even a glass of water, your art, whether traditional, hybrid, or digital, or photos of a special place you have visited, then please link below.  Bleubeard and I will be by to visit, but I'll probably leave Squiggles home.



I would be remiss if I didn't remind you to start digging up your Second on the 2nd post.

20 thoughtful remarks:

TwinkleToes2day said...

How LOVEly Kathy looked. She certainly suits green, and her jewellery is gorgeous. I bet she was delighted with her book.
The place you ate in seems to be very attractive and although there wasn't much choice vegetarian wise, it sounds as though you enjoyed yourself anyway. It's so nice to catch up with long-time buddies.
Happy T Day Elizabeth and sidekicks {{Hugs}} :o)

Linda Kunsman said...

Look how beautiful Kathy looks in that color! I'd happily wear that jewelry:) Love all the wonderful decor at the restaurant- just too bad there wasn't much vegetarian fare. Nothing more special though than to spend time with such dear friends. Happy T day!

Bridget Larsen said...

You go to some really good places for meals. I just loooove loove your house, it looks so warm and cosy. one day I am going to surprise and visit you tee hee
Bridget #1

Rebeca Trevino said...

Kathy looks great in her green outfit and bling. Happy Birthday Kathy.

But E - did she like her gift? . . . you didn't post any pictures of that moment.

enjoy your T-uesday.

froebelsternchen said...

Kathy looks great in her outfit and the gorgeous jewellery. You had great days as it seems!
I so love your living room... so cosy!
I would love to visit you there!
Happy T-Day Elizabeth!

Nan G said...

Hi, E...I've been having difficulty loading your posts. Still waiting for the full reveal of the K&Q book. Oh well, I know it turned out fab! Sounds like you had a good long catch up chat with Kathy. Sometimes that's better than food. :) So glad to hear your package arrived safe. Yes, it was T's envelope so her scent is all over it. She pushes them around on the floor, while Baby's envelopes are full of holes and teeth marks. :) :) Just a couple of extras with the card. some things you've mentioned ages ago in posts you wished you had... Warm rainy hugs from us Girls

Craftymoose Crafts said...

It was fun to see Kathy's expression when she realized what her gift was. She looked great--I can identify with her jewelry and I often make sets for myself that might include earrings,necklace and bracelet that coordinate together. Perhaps not on as big a scale though.

Thanks for sharing her birthday and your lunch at Legends. It's nice that they do themes even if this one wasn't the best in terms of offerings.

Darla said...

Happy Birthday to Kathy and thanks for letting us peek at the celebration. Having time to visit and catch up with friends is the best part of an outing.

Darla

~*~Patty S said...

And here I thought we'd hear about YOUR birthday E!
What a nice time for Kathy in her pretty outfit and I would have never guessed she 'made' her nice jewelry!
You had me at tamales (if they were vegetarian that is...gosh those are tasty). It is a bit surprising that a Mexican theme did not have more vegie choices.
Those are some great reflections you captured in the metal food domes!
Glad you two got to spend some quality time chatting and catching up AND that Kathy got her special gift!!!
Happy T Day
oxo

Nancy said...

A lovely day out. Oh those Gelli prints- just yummy. And Kathy's jewelry is impressive.

Divers and Sundry said...

Happy Birthday to Kathy! Looks like y'all had a lovely day out and about :)

Halle said...

What a wonderful celebration it must have been. Thanks for sharing the day with us!

PS...got the package...thank you!! More in an email. :)

Ariel said...

My birthday wishes to Kathy. Her jewelry looks beautiful. I love that beautiful shade of green. Elizabeth, is this your place? It looks
lovely-:)
Have a wonderful week
Susan

Dianne said...

here I am...better late than never! (had a busy morning) looks like you and Kathy had a nice celebration! Kathy's jewelry is gorgeous, and the buffet restaurant looks quite festive. It's too bad that restaurants Still haven't figured out that they need to be more accommodating for vegetarians! enjoyed 'tagging along' and hope you find the room for more art 'stuff!' :)

massofhair said...

Kathy's jewellery is amazing! Love her style.

Hope she loved her K&Q AB, we didn't get to see any pictures of her seeing her gift, or any of your birthday Elizabeth!

Hope you are well and thank you for the lovely comment you left on my last post re the wall hanging :-) xxx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Yay! I made it!! Looks like a great place for lunch - shame about the choices, but as others have said -it's good to catch up with friends! Some new shots of your house too so that was nice! You have a lovely place Elizabeth! Caught up now too, guess what though....we are away again this weekend-just a couple of days! Hugs, Chrisx

Rita said...

I hope Kathy enjoyed the lunch more than you did. Happy belated birthday to her. It's interesting that they have different menus on different days. I don't think you'll want to go back on Mexican day, though--LOL! ;) Happy T Day! :)

Krisha said...

What a wonderful birthday celebration!

No, when it comes to Mexican food there really aren't many vegan choices. It also heard when, like me, I try to stay away from the carbs......but I do like Mexican food and I do eat it....just not too often.

I really admired Kathy's jewelry, and spent a few moments looking at it, very pretty!

Happy T-day wishes to you and Bluebeard.

AiyanaKalyna said...

I love Kathy's jewelry. She always makes the most beautiful work. She looked beautiful as always. Squiggles is the best. He's a cutie. Thank you for sharing his antics. The cat bathroom thing is dogs too. I can't go to the bathroom unless there is stampede of my dog & cat running in there with me. I have tiny bathroom and big dog. You have just been hitting the bad lottery for your dining out adventures. I am sending you good vibes that next month will be better. I always love your home. It's so pretty with the most beautiful pieces.

johanna said...

so nice to see Kathy in her awesome jewellery, love that turquoise and all fits together so perfectly! and as somebody said before, the Company of a friend in the end is more important than the choices on the Restaurant Card - but wish you better luck with the variety next time!