Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Here is what my beautiful FIRST-BORN gave me this afternoon.

Our divine Crepe Mertle is still standing and in bloom....ahhhh....

And this

from Michael. You can't imagine the illustrations inside this delectable hardcover!!

I'm not yet feeling FORTY, but I know I always get into this kind of introspective-brooding-pensive state which usually means there will be clarity soon. This state only occurs if I haven't been whisked away for a night of party-fuelled/Christmas-hangover/pre-NYE shennanigans!!

So in the meantime, I will retreat to my "cave", enjoy my in-laws who have been with us at the Sunshine Coast all week, and will be here until Monday, enjoy my husband while he has another 2 weeks off (woohoo), and start to make some plans for 2009.

Off to dinner tonight - ALONE with hubby....forgot what that feels like.....seriously, so I am all at once excited and tired and hungry and fearful because I don't know where we're going.

Not good for a control-freaking Capricorn!!!!

I hope everyone in blog-land had a lovely Christmas with family and - by some grand freak I don't get back to my blog - have a pleasant start to 2009!!

I am looking forward to it.....are you????

brighter and buoyant
and optimistically nourished..