Friday's FIVE!

My oldest child celebrates her 28th birthday tomorrow... I cannot believe it has been 28 years since the day she was born. She came into this world with a head full of dark hair...weighing in at 9 pounds 12 1/2 oz. She was a beautiful baby... and she was everything I wanted!! She has grown to be an amazing mother - an incredible wife....and a devoted daughter. Katie is also my friend. I cherish the love of my daughters and the relationship I have with both of them. I'm so grateful to have two daughters that I love and enjoy so much... and also to have two daughters that love each other so much. There isn't anything that brings as much joy to a mothers heart - as seeing her children enjoy each other! This Friday's FIVE! is a celebration of Katie's Birthday Week!!! This Friday's FIVE! is all about Katie and the things we enjoy together!

1. Katie has always wanted to be "Amish" ... she is fascinated by the Amish lifestyle - and has been since she was a young girl. We love to make long road trips to Amish Country - and see clothes hanging on lines, gardens in full bloom, foals in the fields and Amish children in carts and buggies. We love to stop at local bakeries lighted by gas lanterns - we love to have lunch at a family style Amish restaurant and we love to shop the furniture and quilt stores. These are wonderful days!

2. Katie and I love to eat lunch at Flores in Gas City. We both love Mexican Cuisine - and Flores is a local family that began by selling tacos from a stand at local festivals. Tyler loves hot sauce and was been eating refried beans and hot sauses before he could sit up by himself. Keeping with the Mexican theme, we also enjoy a cold Corona or a pitcher of Margarita's. We all love to be together in front of a bowl of homemade Salsa and Guacamole with a cold Corona on a lazy lake Sunday.

3. Katie appreciates the joy of cooking. Since she was a child, she has stood across the counter from me while I cooked and observed my techniques ... she adopted many of those cooking techniques, but has also learned many of them on her own as she has been watching Food TV since she was in middle school. This Christmas, we enjoyed a 'candy clinic' together...and many lake mornings start with Katie's YUMMY sausage gravy and biscuits. She still calls me frequently to discuss a technique or a favorite family recipes. She is an amazing cook and yet, she still loves her Mama's cooking!

4. Katie and I both love country music....and we love to listen to it together. We are both married to men that would rather lose a nights sleep than listen to country music, so when we are together (and the guys aren't with us), we take advantage of the mutual admiration of the Nashville sound and crank up the CMT! We have enjoyed several country concerts together....including Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

5. Katie and I both love antiques - and love to spend hours perusing antique stores and malls together. We generate a lot of discussion about family heirlooms and personal favorites. We linger over the pink depression glass, cut glass and hand painted chintz. We look at the pottery and we look at primitives. We also enjoy Art Fairs and Flea Markets. We enjoy these things because of the items we like to look at - but mostly because we enjoy the company of each other.

As always - this is not an all inclusive list ... this is just the top five that come to my mind this evening. I'm so thankful for my Daughter, my friend. This celebrates you, Katie!!!! The day you were born was one of the best days of my life!!!! The Lilacs are blooming!!! The Robins are nesting.... Enjoy YOUR birthday month!!! Enjoy your Birthday Week!!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Katie!!!!