Celebrate

Seventy Turns Around the Sun

70 Comments

My week off was quite the busy one. Much of it was spent in the bathroom…painting trim. Very fussy work, especially when a dark color—red—is being replaced by white. It has taken four coats to get everything to look the way it should. My goal was to finish the painting by the end of the week, and I almost made it. Just a bit of the trim left to go, and for that I must stand on the toilet to do a good job. (Some of the trim needed to be replaced. Painted and ready to go, it is down cellar and waiting for me to finish.)

We even bought a new cabinet and light, replacing the ones that had been there since the house was built in 1969. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the old cabinet and lights, but here is a picture of the new ones, with knick-knacks that illustrate how our minds naturally turn to fantasy.

We are certainly not ones to replace things willy-nilly.

My birthday was midweek, and my present to myself was to take the day off from painting. Nerdy woman that I am, I spent the afternoon reading on the couch. I might have had a few special treats, too.

The big event of the week was the celebration of Clif’s 70th birthday. (His actual birthday is September 27. Never fear. There will be more little celebrations to mark this milestone event.)

We had a brunch with food we seldom indulge in.

And a geeky birthday cake for a man who is still young at heart.

We Zoomed with our North Carolina kids, who had cupcakes to celebrate from afar.

We all chipped in to buy Clif a new television to replace our old, smaller one. We are film buffs, and it will be a treat to watch movies on a bigger screen. The sleek white cabinet, which replaces an old clunky one made for a deeper television, was my birthday present. (We will be getting white covers for the cords.)

Despite the pandemic, which prevented our North Carolina kids from joining us, it was a jolly celebration.

Happy birthday, Clif!

70 thoughts on “Seventy Turns Around the Sun”

  2. Happy birthday to you for this week and to Clif for next week. The tight restrictions of the pandemic at the time poured cold water on my 70th birthday celebration – it became a day like any other so I too took the day off to read! Painting is hard work yet it is great to stand back and see the fruits of your labour.

  6. Happy birthday to you both! Yes, larger TVs are valuable when watching movies so I hope you enjoy your new one and it’s new stand. Congrats on the bathroom upgrade, that’s always a plus. I saw three plates, so your daughter must still be visiting which I know makes you smile as well. Have a good week and enjoy those temps that are in the 70’s too. 🙂

    1. Thanks, Judy! What sharp eyes you have. Yes, Dee is still with us. And we are hoping she will be able to stay with us even longer still. So far, her office has called everyone back in.

  8. Happy birthday to you and Clif… glad you survived all the painting jobs .. every time we paint anything I say “never again”!
    Lovely to spend your birthday reading … a gift in itself!
    Happy special birthday to Clif💐

    1. I had to tell Clif about your “never again.” I know just how you feel. Fortunately, the results do outweigh the bother of painting. At least a little. 😉 Thanks for the good wishes.

  9. Happy birthday! It feels like we are included in the celebrations— yummy food, fun fantasy on cake and house upgrades that must make you both feel a positive feeling of successful accomplishment. Hooray for both of you!

  13. Birthday wishes to you both, and congratulations to you for a job well done with that painting. I really like your new bathroom cabinet, and knowing how you both enjoy films, that tv will become like a well-loved member of the family!

  14. What a wonderful week! Productive, creative and filled with celebrations! Glad you enjoyed your birthday, Laurie. And Cliff’s feast looked sumptuous!

  16. Painting over red with white is a real headache! Well done for achieving so much. And well done for managing a real celebration despite not being able to get all the family together. Like you I rarely change fixtures or furniture though things get rearranged frequently – low boredom threshold! But with your love of films a new TV and a stand for it sounds perfect.

  19. Happy birthday and belated good wishes to you both. I’m vicariously enjoying all your pretty new purchases. I love that white TV cabinet. We bought Mike a larger TV for Father’s Day a few years ago, and I agree that it makes for wonderful movie-watching. You’ve found gifts that you can both enjoy. I hope you’ll share your pretty window when the painting is complete. One of my theater friends says “Painting is easy; it’s all the work you have to do BEFORE you paint that consumes your time.”

  20. Happy birthdays!!
    We have just painted one wall of our living room red but I won’t worry about covering it up with a lighter colour for a few years yet as we like it – I did wonder whether we would at one stage.

  21. Happy birthday to BOTH of you! You got a lot done during the time you intended to kick back and relax. I might have been more inclined to get outside while the weather is still good, anticipating plenty of snowy days to come for inside work, but perhaps you’d rather tackle tasks when you’re in the mood, leaving the winter for other activities??

    1. Thanks, Debbie! Windows and their frames can only be painted when the weather is warmish. Otherwise, there is too much moisture, which tends to make them freeze shut in mid-winter.

  23. So happy to see how productive you have been, and wishing you both a fabulous eighth decade! (I’m way ahead of you.) We had a nasty car accident yesterday so I’m behind on everything, but I wanted to send you best wishes. (I’ll blog about my “accidental life” when I get my breath back.)

    1. We did enjoy our celebrations! And more to come next week, the actual week of Clif’s birthday. Dee is taking the week off and we are planning all sorts of little excursions and treats. 😉

    1. Thanks, Jodie! It’s funny. For years and years I was drawn to country decor and decoration. Then recently, all of a sudden, I flipped to Scandinavian modern. Clif concurs, and that is the direction we’re taking as we paint and declutter. The TV table—mid-century modern—fits right in with Scandinavian modern.

      1. Yes, yes, I am the same! My new office is mostly simple white furniture, white shears, and mostly plants and wall hangings for color. It feels like I breathe better here.

  29. I am thrilled you both celebrated in fashion! Though not as you might have chosen to do so, especially for Clif’s milestone 70th, but I am glad you were able to commemorate the occasion suitably.

    Happy birthday month to you both! Hurray for us September babies!

Comments are closed.