Sadie's Sweet Sixteen: Part II

After church on Sunday, we brought Amanda McAuley, and Mary & Abby Stricklen home with us for a slumber party to celebrate Sadie's birthday. The Stricklen's graciously invited Emilie to spend the night with Margaret. Immediately after lunch, the girls headed straight for the pool.

Amanda & Abby

The birthday girl!

They were kind enough to allow Daniel and me to join them.

Playing Scatergories

Acting all nice and calm, trust me, it's just a front :~)

Daniel & Amanda watching Sadie open her presents.

She surprises easily or she's practicing for the dentist?

Abby made her a pretty bracelet.

She got stationary from Amanda, just what she was wanting.

Mary & Abby made her the cutest card.

Mary made her an apron.

So cute!

Cheesecake :~)

Almost set off the smoke alarm!

"Sixteen Candles"

Well, actually there were only 14, but they were in the shape of a 16.

The gangs all here (I think this is Abby's Nixon impersonation).

me, Mary, Amanda,

Daniel, Sadie & Abby

Okay, this was taken after the sane people went to bed.

If you don't have any 3D glasses, you can always use LifeSavers???

"Help, I've fallen and..."

Gummy LifeSaver earrings. Interesting!

Nose ring?

Time to check the expiration dates on our fire extinguishers.

Okay, I'm glad I wasn't in the room for this one.

Insert your own caption here. I just came up with question marks.

Of course, I'm checking up on them.

She's coming down from the sugar rush.

Gotta get the sugar free LifeSavers next time!

"I'm so tired I can barely lift this camera and if someone were to ..."

Who could they have been texting at that time of night?
(probably one of the other girls in the room)

Very little slumber to this slumber party.

Rise and Shine :~)

Well, maybe not.

The Stricklen's brought Emilie home and picked up the girls.

Here's Callie, apparently waiting to ask a question.

Five month old Super Baby, Nathaniel.

Emilie and Nathaniel

She really enjoyed her special time with Margaret and company.

A great time was had by all. Thank you all for making Sadie's birthday so very special.

Sadie's Sweet Sixteen: Part I

Happy 16th Birthday, Sadie!

Smiling around the dinner table

Sadie's birthday is Sunday and this year she is having a slumber party, so we had our family dinner with my parents (Mimi & Drandad) on Saturday evening.

Sheppard's pie, apple sauce and Challah.

We have started celebrating Sabbath (on Saturday evenings).

Patrick braided this loaf. Pretty! And yummy too!

She got a really big surprise. Can you tell?


She couldn't believe it!


Drandad is our family genealogist. He gave her a book he printed
listing her ancestry, some going back eight or ten generations.
She and Daniel were very intrigued by it.


"Genealogy Report for Sadie Marie Franklin"


Sadie needed a new storage box for her correspondence.
Patrick & I found these nesting boxes at the Avon Park ARC store. Just perfect!


There were a few goodies inside the final box...


Fabric that her daddy hopes she will use to
make a shirt for him for the next Highland Games...



a DVD set of 20 old musicals...

and Billy Bees honey mustard :~)

Here is the big surprise. Mimi & Drandad gave her a sewing machine in a beautiful cabinet. My mom searched all over for one. She found one at the ARC store in Wauchula, took it home but it didn't work. She called and had to bring it back, but to the Avon Park ARC store. They were willing to let her exchange the machines, but they didn't have one that would function properly, so they gave her a credit. Mom struck up a conversation with a couple in the store who offered to give her the sewing machine the man inherited from his grandmother. He felt giving it for Sadie's 16th birthday would be just the right thing to do with it since neither he nor his wife sewed.

Well, Mom took it home, but it was frozen stuck. They couldn't get it out of the cabinet to take it to the shop. Then Mom remembered her old machine she had in a storage shed. She put it in the shop for repair. The repairman said that her machine is one of the best old machines and that if Sadie takes care of it, she will be able to pass it along to her granddaughter one day. Well, they brought both machines and the cabinet and Patrick was able to exchange the machines.

While the kids and my mom were out in the pool, Patrick and my dad brought it in the house and did the exchange. We put it in the family room and had closed the blinds so she couldn't see it from the pool. When they came in from the pool, Sadie helped finish dinner prep, set the table, but never noticed the sewing machine and cabinet in the family room.

She was so surprised and we were so surprised that she never noticed it the entire afternoon :~)

Looking over all the gadgets.

Mimi even included some old patterns.

Sadie requested apple pie for her family dinner. She and I enjoyed our time in the kitchen preparing all the special treats for her birthday weekend extravaganza!

Part II "The Slumber Party" coming soon