Birthday Gifts

This year I decided to tell everyone exactly what they could get me for my birthday. My sister said jokingly that I've become bossy. At least I think she was joking! She's probably right but I thought it was a good idea. And I made it easy on everyone.

My mom had a stroke five years ago and she can't go shopping. She is very interested in making sure we still get our presents from her and I think she likes to have some say in what she gives us. So my dad agreed that she could give me an outfit from my favorite clothing store, J Jill. I looked through the catalog and already knew what I wanted when I brought my mother the catalog and asked her to pick out a pair of pants and a shirt for me. Not only did she pick out the exact items I wanted she even got the colors right! Amazing! The top photo shows the shirt, a linen pullover in the color called Aegean.



The white denim pants are the pants she chose for me. Again exactly what I wanted. My mom may be physically challenged but her mind is sharp as a tack! She knows my fashion taste.



My friend Debbi wanted in on the action too. So she told me to pick out a jersey from the catalog and she gave me a shirt like the one in the photo above.



I told my sister I wanted to take a walking photo tour of Beacon Hill. Basically you buy a ticket for a 90 minute walking tour of the Beacon Hill section of Boston.
You see secret gardens, the architectural details of the homes, etc. The tour is for amateur photographers and you get tips for improving your photography. I have to book the tour for some day when I can take a day off from work. So that's my sister's gift to me.

Ny dad gave me money. I'll probably use it to buy some curtains for the condo.



As for my friends Mary and Don, I told them I wanted manual labor from them. I needed Don to act as handyman for me. So he hung this picture and another one like it in my dining room. Sorry for the poor image.



I've had this keyrack for a really long time and I never put it up. Now it's hung in my kitchen in the perfect spot. No more keys thrown on the counter. And the amber doorknob is now beautifully illuminated by the under cabinet light.




I had this poster framed and Don hung it for me last weekend. It's in the hallway between the kitchen and dining room. In case dinner is a disaster I am reminded to keep calm and carry on.



This wire rack will hold canisters of tea when it's mounted on the wall. I already have one tea rack in the kitchen but this one was on clearance at Home Goods and it needed to go home with me.

As you can see, I had a very nice birthday. My friends and family are the best and they gave me some wonderful gifts!