what do you buy a guy who you have been married to over half your life, who has everything, who buys what he wants, usually when he wants it and who has more bedroom shoes and lounge pants than anyone on the planet (gifts from me) .... i had to figure out something special for his "milestone" birthday, and it has been on my mind all week - what to do.... well, i called a few people i know and got one balloon for each year of his life delivered this sunday morning. if they were delivered yesterday, half would be on the ground this morning. so, my friend at Angel's Florist made and delivered them this morning while mr. c was having his coffee. i was afraid i would give it away as i kept going to the kitchen to look out the window, so i would rattle a pan or something so he wouldn't know what i was doing! :)
we are having a traditional southern birthday dinner - pot roast, greenbeans and carrots, my soon-to-be-famous smushed potatoes (red potatoes, butter, cream, s&p - all mashed by hand), rolls and cake with ice cream. and, afterwards, we will all go to the front yard and set all of those balloons free. i can hardly wait to see everyone's faces, especially the little granddaughters, when they fly up and away!
it has been all i could do to not say too much - i am such a blabber mouth about gifts - i usually give it away with hints or give the gift when i buy it - i just get so excited that i cannot wait! can you tell i am excited with all this blabbering! lol!! i am off to the kitchen to finish up - the kids will be here soon. hope y'all do something fun today!!
most of you know i live a stone's throw from highway 41 - aka "peacock alley" and "chenille row". it was lined with handmade chenilles in the 30s and 40s.... spreads, robes, rugs - right when touring in those big cars was the thing to do. well, i headed north on chenille row this morning to one of my favorite spots for some "junkin' therapy" to the old kuhlman chenille factory that is now an antique mall. i have always wanted to take a look around outside, so today i took my camera and got a close up look at just one of the many chenille factories that was here in north georgia. this one sprung up in the early 1950s.
oh to have a peek in these old glass windows back then to see a world of chenille!
and, these old doors for unloading yarn and supplies and for shipping out the beautiful chenilles!
the tank is mostly rusty on the outside - it is hard to see the writing, but it still stands magestically behind the building. i frequented here for years until one day i actually read what was on the water tank and smiled!
there was no chenille inside - i have never found a spread there - well, some remnants, but no spreads. found this lovely when i was out with mr. c today - as agnes would say.... "it's so fluffy!" 
