So, What Did You Do For Your Birthday?

My birthday this year was so much fun!  I embarked on a little project I called "35 Nice Things For My 35th Birthday".  I wish I could say it was my idea, but since I rarely have an original one, I have to give credit where credit is due.  So for my birthday, I plotted and planned 35 random acts of kindness to be done by the end of my 35th birthday. 

First up was the chocolate chip cookies.  Ev helped me make the HUGEST batch of cookie dough I have ever made.  I actually had to get out the canning pot because I didn't have a big enough bowl.

Everett was excited to help me make the cookie dough.  He loved putting in each ingredient and was eager to ask, "What's next?"  He was not so fond of the sound of the mixer. 

I made sure to save some cookie dough for my mother-in-law so she didn't disown me.

I delivered cookies to 10 families.  The kids did a great job of being sneaky with me.

We would tip toe up to each house quietly, put the cookies on the doorstep then run as fast as we could to the car!  We had so much fun!

Next, we delivered coloring books and crayons to 5 different families.  The kids were a little less excited to help with this one since they wanted to keep the gifts for themselves.  (Notice Ev's pouty face)

And when it came time to part with the Spiderman coloring book, he just lost it.  But, it's a good lesson on service and teaching them they can't have everything.

I delivered groceries with lunch goodies for a family with super cute kids that will be headed back to school.

 Every parking space I stopped at, I dropped some loose change, and not just pennies.  I know how excited my kids get when they find a coin in the parking lot.  Heck, even my 89 year old grandma got a big smile when she found a penny a couple of weeks ago.

Next up, the kids and I headed over to the garden center to pick out some flowers. 

They did a great job helping me pick out which ones they thought looked and smelled the best.  These lovely flowers passed the test!

I made up 5 little pots of flowers for some girlies that I think are just BEAUTIFUL.  The kids helped me deliver them and loved every minute of being super sneaky.

I took my husband lunch at work when he was having a hard day.  I wrote 10 thank you cards to people who made a difference in my life or the lives of my kids.  I straightened a store shelf that was in total disarray.  My last random act of kindness was leaving change in the vending machines.  My kids would have been elated if they found change in the candy machines, so I imagine other kids would be just as excited.

It was an amazing way to spend my birthday.  I know I ended up doing more than 35 nice things, but I quit counting.  It was so much fun, I'm totally doing this again next year!

That night, Aaron had arranged for his parents to watch the kids so we could go out to dinner.  It's been miserably hot for weeks, so we were looking to 'get outta Dodge'.  We headed up to Lake Arrowhead and had dinner at Bin 189 at the Lake Arrowhead Resort.  It was in the 60's, but we were all too excited to sit outside.  We had the entire outside deck to ourselves.  I got to sip hot chocolate in the nice cool air while over looking pine trees and the lake.  Beyond the lake there were huge thunder clouds and an amazing lightning show in the distance.  Nothing could have made it more perfect. 

OK well, my mom sent a huge bag of her homemade hot chocolate mix. 
 NOW it's perfect!