Celebrate L.I.F.E.!!

My sweet mother-in-law's birthday was on Monday. We usually celebrate ALL family birthdays on Sunday but decided to celebrate on the actual day this year. George and Alice offered to host and Alice planned a great menu. She bought a honey baked turkey and I made a "baked potato salad." I wasn't sure it was going to be good but it was actually delicious. The recipe was in our church cookbook. Alice also made a salad that was lettuce and a chopped granny smith apple and walnuts and feta cheese. It was yummy!! I bought a caramel cake at the Pig (which was the cake she wanted!). I decorated it with lots of pecan halves.

I snapped a few photos before dinner while everyone was sitting around chatting. I was practicing some of the techniques that I learned in my photography class last Saturday - like using the right settings on the camera :-) I think this one is wonderful of Grandmother (that is what I call my mother-in-law) and Grace (my niece).
This was the crew sitting around in the living room. Starting on the left - grandmother and Grace and then George and Uncle John and Mark and Laura.

I used the "close-up" setting to take the photo of the candles.

Grandmother was a good sport about blowing out the candles!!

Blow!!

Alice made a pretty centerpiece. I love those sunflowers.

The birthday girl had lots of presents!

Bill and Rebecca watched grandmother open her gifts.

Look at that cool lamp behind Alice. I think it is so unique. Alice has lots of neat pieces of furniture and fun decorations that she has "inherited" from her family.

What a great day! Another year celebrated in the life of a wonderful southern lady. I hear many of my friends complain about their mother-in-laws - as a matter of fact, I've even heard about the "mother-in-law from hell." I'm not saying that I NEVER complain about grandmother because I do . . .because that is just life . . .BUT I think that Alice and Rebecca and Bob and I have one of the best mother-in-laws around.