Birthdays And Bow Ties. . .

A very special birthday rolled around at the end of last month . . . or to make it sound like centuries ago, we could say "at the end of last year". : )  Allison's 18th ~ one that she's been looking forward to for quite some time.  And her two requests?  A zebra cheesecake and go-cart rides for the whole family.

You see, this year we've been celebrating somewhat differently and have really enjoyed it.  The birthday girl/boy picks something for the family to do together, and that day is like a mini holiday.

The cheesecake was made the night before so it would be good and ready for the celebration. : )

Instead of graham crackers, I used vanilla wafer for the crust.

Add some cocoa and extra maple syrup to about a third of it, and voila!  Of course, It doesn't instantly create stripes . . . gotta work for those. : )

Then whip up the batter and pour it in the pan.  The stripes in the batter were a little more difficult to make.  I wasn't expecting the dark batter to be so thin.  It was impossible to "dollop" so I had to create gullies and then  spread it in. : (  Maybe it will go better next time.

The first peak into the oven . . . just a little cooling before it comes out.

It could be mistaken as a dead tree instead of zebra stripes. : )

A gift to Allison from some friends.  It is very special, cherished, and so fitting!  It says:

A little handicapped but; From my point of view Pray & Believe.  Find a way to make a difference.  Then go out and give it a try.  I'm trying this and it sure helps.  Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.  Pray & believe in yourself even when others around you doubt.

Mel

It's not so much how you walk.  As who you walk with.

Mel wrote this in the spring of '95.  Upon his death in July of '95, his family found this in his Bible.  He'd had his handicap for 55 years.

Her new "pet name" (no pun intended) : )

Yay!  Zebra stripes!

That afternoon we went to Zuma in Pineville.  Allison had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Just waitin' . . .

Patiently, of course. : )

In the lineup.  

First lap and doin' well!

Yes, she did this for just shy of 5 hours!
Of course there was some power chair time between rides to wait on our turn.

DEFINITELY worth it!!!

At 5, we headed home for supper . . .

PIZZA!!! : )

"Happy Birthday to you . . ."

Hmmmm . . . getting kinda gusty, don't you think? : )

Want a piece?

Here you go, Ms. Ann! : )

And now for some bits and pieces of the Workman life . . . : )

This was taken the day she left for VA.  Her doctor's appointment went well, and the thought of surgery is put on the back burner for now.  Hopefully the new leg braces and night splints will work.  If not, there are other measures that can be taken before surgery will even be reconsidered.  Praise the Lord!

Allison modelling the new hat she made.  Just gotta love the bright colors!

Just makes me wanna smile and laugh with her . . .

The things you can get away with in bright colors. : )

Goin' zebra all the way!

Christmas Day 2011

Looks like the beard is staying ~ at least for a little while.  We put off getting our family picture for Christmas cards until he shaved . . . that was the middle of December.  Well, it's past Christmas as well as New Year's Day, so if you were expecting a picture card from the Workman family, you now know you can blame it all on Ray. ; )  Come to think of it, he did have a lot of encouragement . . .

And last, but not least, meet Fudge. : )

Ever feel like eyes are on you?  We have been doing our Spring cleaning around here, so when we took our dining room curtains down, this little kitty decided to take advantage of the view. : )  Our kitties adore their "peoplefolk", so they love it when they can have some extra you-and-me time.  Actually, if the truth be known, she was trying to find a way to get in to her peoplefolk, but to see them was the next best thing. : ) 

 Brace yourself! : )

 . . . you are about to see the culmination of many months of hard work!

By the way ~ don't you like the new design of Allison's braces??? : )

December 3rd was the annual Christmas parade for our small town.  What a wonderful opportunity to invite the community to our church's Christmas cantata!

 Yes, we got there an hour and a half before the parade so we could get a good spot! : )  At least we had plenty of time to get to know our "neighbors" . . .

 Our church's float with the cantata characters on it

 Wait a minute . . .  Is that Ray I see?!?

Looks a little hippie with the glasses on.  Ha! Ha!

 The streets were absolutely packed!  Some estimated approx. 15,000 people. Wow!

December 4th was dress rehearsal for the cantata.  This is the only time every year that the choir and the drama practice together . . . just one week before the presentation.

Ray, the Shepherd 

A peek from the choir loft . . .

Then the big weekend arrived!  No pictures from Saturday night (sorry ~ some negligent person had forgotten to charge the camera battery). : )  But here are a few from Sunday.

 After seeing him like this, we sort of got used to his appearance, but at first, he was unrecognizable.  It was like -- "Double Take!"

 Hmmmmm . . . looks like someone is enjoying those Mary Kay parties a bit too much!

 The innkeeper and his son . . .

 The shepherd and his son . . .

 Mary . . .

 Every year after the cantata on Sunday night, the cast does a funny skit while presenting our pastor's wife with a gift.  (She works with them about 4 months in preparation and is the director of the drama.  It takes a while to get the Southern accent out of Ray!)

 Pa Paw, Ma Maw, and Ray

Sara and her bagpipe instructor

It was a wonderful, blessed weekend!

'Tis the Season

. . . and the traffic is definitely a good indicator of that!

 We were at Pa Paw and Ma Maw's the other day, and I, being the shutterbug that I am, couldn't help but capture a few elements that stood out.  O.K. ~ I know I'm not the only one out there that sees a picture in about everything.  You know, I often wonder what people think when they see this crazy lady with a camera standing out in a parking lot trying to photograph blooming Bradford Pear trees or anything else that strikes her fancy.  But if they would only come up and ask me, I would be more than happy to show them what I was seeing! : )

 The holly bushes are beautiful this time of year!

 And Ma Maw's Christmas cactus is blooming very nicely!

 So healthy and lovely!

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And this is our little friend that thought he was going to have a nice, cozy home in our attic this winter.  Ray caught him and brought him down to let Allison hold him.  She was thrilled, but as she held him with her hands held tightly together, she felt like she was suffocating him.  She cracked her hands ever so slightly, never imagining that he would wiggle loose and take a tour of the downstairs as well.  Ray was so funny as he chased him from one room to another and finally cornered him in the bathroom.  Isn't he sweet! . . . the bird, that is. : )