Saturday, August 06, 2011

Happy Birthday, Sally


August is here, bringing late summer flowers and a birthday!  We were happy to celebrate Sally's twenty-fifth birthday with her this week-end.  A chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was in order!  


Brown-eyed Susan's, cone flowers, pinks, roses, and lavender in simple vases brought life to the table as homespun centerpieces. 


The mix of purple, pink, and yellow created an eclectic mix of cheer.


Local watermelons are ripe and so tasty.  I enjoy local melons because the farmer's make sure they are well-ripened in the field before harvesting them.  A friend shared her recipe for watermelon and sweet-onion salad with me and it was yummy!  Orange segments, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro added much depth of flavor.


Recently I've been trying my hand at spring rolls as well.  They are so simple and very tasty!  The wraps are made from tapioca or rice starch.  They look like hard, translucent crackers and can be found at the Asian market.  There's no cooking of the wraps involved.  Instead, soak the wrap in a bowl of warm water and then remove, drip dry a bit, and place on a plate.  Then add a filling of choice.  I used a filling of stir-fried vegetables with tofu, seasonings, and soy sauce for the one pictured above.  For another option I made a fruit salad of mango, apricot, and cantaloupe that was served with a cherry fruit sauce.  


Fortunately Sally stuck by while we sang Happy Birthday to her!  We had a false start and were a bit off-key, I'm afraid!  She blew out all the candles at once, so she's in for a great year!


Gift time included some beautiful prints, patterns, and notions.  A tiered sun-dress in pink and orange is option one.


And a turquoise tunic is option two.  I stopped a woman about Sally's age at the fabric store to ask her opinion on prints and colors.  I figured she'd set me straight if I was way off fashion base!  I made sure I asked someone who looked like she knew something about style or it could have been disastrous!


Of course Sally needed something to stitch the garments together with, so a new sewing machine was in order as well.  Since Sally's career involves being a computer expert, we made sure her sewing machine was computerized as well.  A girl can never have too many computers!

Happy Birthday to you, Sally!!!!
All the best for the year ahead!

7 comments:

  1. Happy belated to Sally! Looks like she had a great birthday. Chocolate cake YUM! And such pretty flowers. Your spring rolls certainly sound tasty and interesting. I will have to see if we have those wrappers here. The watermelon salad sounds great too. Like I said, I could sit down and have a meal with you anytime. Wonderful, thoughtful gifts. I never learned to sew by hand or machine. :/ I could never make anything that might actually be worn, except an accessory, like a scarf or broach or bracelet. :) Hope your day is a good one. Tammy

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  2. What a wonderful celebration, and I love your gift ideas!

    I gave all 3 of my daughters sewing machines a while back and that was so much fun for me.

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

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  3. Happy Birthday to Sally! What a nice evening and beautiful gifts for a beautiful gal.

    (Of all my birthdays, 25 was the worst. Go figure! I was lamenting and fretting about being half-way to 30 when my sister put it in perspective with, "I don't know where you went to school, but you're halfway to 50." I've not bothered stewing over a birthday since.)

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  4. what a great gift...the machine and the fabric. Love the fabrics you chose. I'm going to have to try that combination with watermelon...sounds delicious.
    Happy Birthday to Sally!

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  5. Happy birthday, Sally!

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  7. What a thoughtful gift! She is going to look so cute in her new outfits. I'm sure the gift will come with wise fitting and stitching advice too.

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