Happy Birthday Granny!

It's my mom's birthday today! I don't even know how old she is...(I'm sure she would be happy to know that). I think she is 62? Can you believe it? I think she will always seem 45 years old to me. She is still quite the beauty! Check out the picture. She's had 6 kids, lived through raising them (4 teenage daughters--now that's an accomplishment!), was a stay-at-home mom, survived our dad dying at 56 years old, got a Bachelors degree, then a Masters degree, is now a realtor and social worker. Superwoman? I think so! The older I get (and the more kids I have), I realize how much my mom did for us. Raising 6 kids is no easy task! It involves lots of sacrifice and lots of patience among a million other things! A few things (of the several) that I love about my mom are the way she says such nice things about everyone. If ever someones name comes up, she always says, "She is so smart!" or "She is so talented" or "She is beautiful", or "He is very charismatic", "He is such a hard worker", "He is so kind". She gives great advice, but is always aware of saying it in the most non-offensive way. Example...if I ever asked, "What do you think about this dress?" If she didn't like it she would say, "It's not something I would particularly wear, but it looks good on you." She doesn't tell you what you are doing wrong (i.e. letting your kid have cake for breakfast), just gives suggestions on what might work better. She has great taste! She loves to decorate and does it very well! She changes her house decorations for every season or holiday. She has lots of energy and stays up late every night! She loves to go to lunch, talk about anything, and have family over as much as possible. She's survived some major trials in life and still has a smile on her face all the time! We love you Mom! (and Granny!) Happy 45th!