Thanks everyone. I feel exactly as you do ibensg, that inside I'm just a little girl that still needs my mom's reassurance. I feel badly too though because so many of my mom's last birthdays we spent apart because I moved far away with my family. Besides losing her and Dad, that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. We were always close though, we talked on the phone every day and I was able to move just a few hours away 2 years ago. I can honestly say she is the best friend I ever had. I miss her terribly. I always will I just know it. On her birthday, my husband and I went out to dinner without kids. He's leaving on another business trip soon and we needed some time together. We toasted my mom and I cried in the restaurant, but it was good to speak of her outloud. Later that night we went through her old high school year book. She was the prettiest one in her whole class. Joanie

patty...i can feel your pain in your post...i am so sorry about the loss of your brother and how hard this day is for you.....there is a special place in my heart for sibling loss....because it is almost as if somehow and for some reason people who have not experienced it seem to think their pain is less than that of a parent losing a child or someone losing a spouse....i know because of the way people have treated my son on the loss of his sister,my daughter...i read in compassionate friends that when one loses a parent they have lost their past..and one that loses a spouse they have lost their present and when a parent loses a child they have lost their future...but when someone loses a sibling they have lost their past present and future......and i see it eveytime i look at the dead look in my sons eyes...Happy birthday to your brother and God bless you...terri

Linelle, I'm pleased I had the correct date. And as others suggested, I agree you should go on celebrating through the week! My dogs are littermates and they'll be 12 this year. The black male is named Puck, as in hockey puck. The cream female is Riley. In answer to Holly-Kay, they are mini labradoodles. Puck is 34 lbs, Rilley is 28 lbs. Their mom was a full size Australian labradoodle and their dad was a miniature poodle. Like you, Linelle, I am also a cat lover. DH gave me a tuxedo kitten the first Christmas we were married. Pictures of yours always remind me of her. At one point when I inherited my kids' rescues I had 4 cats! I was touched by your candor on a thread a long time ago when you spoke about your daughter. It reminded me of the relationship I've had with mine. She and I regularly locked horns during her teen years. I could not have predicted then that we would end up being so close. Good to hear that despite your DD's move downstate you can easily hop a plane for visits.

Sleevendog, the wonderful thing about belated Birthday well-wishes is that they extend the happiness : ) And thank you both (Islay, too) for the Charcuterie Definition. I didn’t know the French pronunciation, but doubt I’ll use it here, or even the word charcuterie. Most here would think me pretentious, which is silly as I like to use words correctly. So, does this mean if I make canadian bacon or pastrami (from pork), I can (temporarily) call myself a Charcutier? LOL! Well, I just might anyway! Sleevendog, thank you also for mentioning the free-edge/live-edge board. That was my gift to myself : ) I think it’s so beautiful! I often toss together a board (the bread board above was from an old restaurant, the charcuterie with live edge from Etsy) of cheeses, crackers, meats, apples, grapes… whatever I have on hand, for pre-dinner snacking, or lunch nibbling. I wanted a larger, prettier board than the bread board : ) Funny thing is, when I bought my first furniture, the area in which I lived had tons of furniture with free-edging/live edging (horizontal slice tree trunks, vertical slabs). And they were cheap! And huge! I bought a large one for my coffee table on a major budget. New! After a while, the area was over-saturated with them, and I couldn’t give mine away when upgrading. Truth! So when they first came out, it took me a while to not see them as ‘cheap’ stuff! I have learned a new appreciation… everything old is new again : ) I think it looks both rustic and fine, simultaneously. I am a wood grain lover. And while I have your attention, those flageolet beans? Amazing. We can’t stop eating them on salads. I’m making some with leftover too-salty ribs, shredded, and roasted tomatoes next. Mercurygirl, you sound like me, I’ve moved several plants, including roses. Hard to keep up with where they are until they leaf out or bloom! Naturegirl, you are most welcome! Edie, I have one of those rolling pins! So heavy! I am sure you can roll it out thin enough. I would recommend a few things… if using crackers for cheeses, don’t add cheese to the cracker dough, just make them as is, and perhaps toss in some dried herbs (the flavor of dried herbs does come through) as appropriate. If serving with a soup, or alone, cheese tastes wonderful : ) Annie, don’t do what I did, though, and over prep/cook! I was feeling a bit frazzled by the time the day rolled around! But yes, making lots of nibbles satisfies everyone. And they can be easy ones. BTW, your hummus was wonderful! Thank you! I froze some, and hope that’s ok.