We had such fun birthday party yesterday! Here’s a little song to set the stage!
It was Joe’s 60th and we invited all our oldest and dearest island friends and family — the kind where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came . . .
And while Joe was out back getting the garden ready, I was inside baking cakes! If you look close in this picture, you will see that I had help. I can’t take all the credit. (Hint: my help is fuzzy and there isn’t much of it showing here. He kept skirting away from the camera!)
I started by making Joe’s favorite Cheesecake, a recipe from my first book, Heart of the Home. He loves it because it’s plain and simple and melts creamily in his mouth. (I know because I watched him eat the last bit of it this morning for breakfast!)
I pressed a mixture of graham cracker crumbs and melted butter into this 9″ pie plate.
. . . Then I beat a package of softened cream cheese until it was light and fluffy.
To that I added a half cup of sugar . . . this recipe is SO easy . . . it’s the perfect cooking project, it makes you feel like you can really COOK!
. . . then a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice . . .
. . . and a half-teaspoonful of vanilla . . .
. . . then I added two large eggs, one at a time, beating after each . . .
And that’s IT! Voila! Poured it into the unbaked crust . . .
And into the oven it went for about a half hour. While that was baking, I went outside to see what Joe was up to . . .
. . . and how things are progressing; he’s planned a big surprise for his friends. Since the 1970’s, Joe has been taking photos at every party, event, or hang out; in the car, on boats, at weddings, at halloween parties, graduations, clam bakes, tag sales, dinner parties, christenings, you name it, he took a photo of it. He promised (some see it more as a threat) to do a slide show for YEARS, but it’s just never come together. He and his BFF Bob, who also has box loads of slides in his possession (some that one suspects could be quite incriminating) decided that the occasion of Joe’s 60th Birthday seemed like the perfect time to finally do it . . . so they worked on their slides; Joe MADE this “screen” out of boards and canvas which he then hoisted into the big maple tree out back. (That’s what’s going on in the picture above.)
These three, Joe, Bob, and John have been cooking Christmas Dinner at our house for the last twenty years! While Bob was gathering together his slideshow, John came early to help Joe get set up . . . these three are the true representation of what BFF looks like inside the man cave. ♥
They made a little theater, with an aisle and everything.
They hung the lights on the arbor that Joe had JUST finished rebuilding on Friday; paint dry? Yup! Up go the lights . . .
I could see they didn’t need me . . . I went back in to make the topping for the cheesecake.
When it came out of the oven I spread this mixture of sour cream, sugar, and vanilla over the top.
Then, I put it back in the oven for another ten minutes . . . and here it is, out of the oven to cool a bit, then into the refrigerator to chill.
While that was happening, I made a three layer Carrot Cake (also from Heart of the Home in case you’re looking for it!).
Here it is cooling . . . three layers of cinnamon and nutmeg spiced crushed pineapple, coconut, walnuts, shredded carrots, and golden raisins. AND, btw, this recipe makes fabulous carrot cupcakes!
And here’s the cake, all frosted and decorated . . .
New Music . . . for this part . . . (today’s generation has the electronics, but we had the music!) This was last night. I forgot to take photos of the food! I’m so sorry, because it was potluck and everyone brought just gorgeous things, fresh garden vegetables and salads, lobster sliders, potato salad, and Lowely made a huge moussaka; Joe and John barbecued swordfish and steak . . . then, after dinner, the theater filled up and the show began . . . a trip back to the 1970’s and 80’s! There were cat calls and teasing, oohing and aaahing, saying, “OMG, Remember that???” Or, “there’s so and so, whatever happened to him . . . ” And, “Who’s THAT?” Laughing, joking, crying, sighing, reliving; this group of people have known each other through thick and thin, they’ve traveled together, in more ways than one . . . they know each other’s moms and dads, sisters, brothers, and children . . .
So it wasn’t just friends, it was families too, which are also friends! All gathered for the memories, and the good times we’ve had, coming together on this little island, most of us from somewhere else, pulled here by the same sort of heart magnet that brought me . . . a long road that lead right here, to our house, last night.
What we lack in wisdom, we make up for in good will. ♥
Even when we get busy and see less of each other, that just makes times like these more wonderful, to sit in the candlelight and cricket noises and catch up on each others lives.
And here is the happy much-loved Birthday Boy . . . can you see the little string of hearts hanging in mid air just in front of Joe? I swear, they follow him wherever he goes! ♥♥♥♥♥ (Most of the time you can’t see them, but every once in a while, the camera catches them in just the right light . . . which is why I love this camera . . . night time shots may not be clear, but they are real.)
Blow honey!
May all his dreams come true!
And here we are, Martha, me, and Kappy cutting the cakes . . . I’m thinking, as I’m writing, this is what it’s all about . . . friends, family, food and fun — and all the good things we’ve shared.
I have to show you a card from last night — for Joe from Iris, the dog we love, that lives across the street with Martha and Gerry and comes over to visit almost every time she gets loose (might be because of the dog bones we keep in the pantry)! Here’s the front of the card:
Hope you had fun at the party! We won’t mention that picture of you skinny dipping in Tashmoo Pond!
OK, and here’s another promise I made a while back — remember when we went to the Emma Bridgewater Factory in England?
Where they had that design room where they gave you everything so you can paint your own Emma cups? Here are the ones we did, the way we turned them in, before they were fired . . . those pencil marks, we were told, would burn off.
And they did . . . here they are, after firing; they sent them home to us; they were here when we got back; we drink our tea in them every single morning now, he drinks out of his, I drink out of mine! I put the word “England” on mine so I would just look at it and remember.
With the date . . .
And here’s the cup Joe did; he wanted the ship. We love them even more now, and as time passes I’m sure they will become more and more valuable to us.
Maybe someday you will go to Emma Bridgewater and paint your own cup, but until then . . .
Maybe you would like to have an Emma Bridgewater Royal Jubilee cup just like this one, directly from England, for your very own? If you already have one, wouldn’t it make a nice gift for someone you love? If you agree, just leave me a comment and we’ll have Vanna (our random number generator) stay home from the tanning salon one day next week so she can draw a name and tell us who this cup belongs to! OK girls, believe it or not, the parties aren’t over yet. More cooking this week! Happy Monday everyone! XOXO P.S. Just in case, here’s the recipe for the Cheesecake!
CHEESECAKE
- 2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 c. melted butter
Combine and press into a buttered 9 in. pie plate, building up the sides. Set aside and make filling.
FILLING
- 1 – 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually blend in sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 325° for 25-30 min; til set. Make the topping.
TOPPING
- 1 1/2 c. sour cream
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla
Combine all ingredients; when cheesecake comes out of the oven, spoon topping over top of hot cheesecake, spreading evenly; return to oven and bake 10 min. longer. Cool; then chill several hours. Serves 8.
What a fun party. I feel like I was there. Sending belated birthday hugs.
There’s nothing better than sharing our lives with friends. Thanks for giving us a peek. I would love the gorgeous Jubilee cup. What a treasure.
Those cakes are so gorgeous! As are all three Emma mugs! They combine two of my favorite things- handmade paintings and mugs full of tea! Happy Sunday to you, Joe, and the kitties!
What a fun party for Joe!! LOVE the beautiful mugs you both made, and would love to win the Jubilee cup!!
Happy 60th Joe!!
That’s Ramon’s favorite cheesecake recipe, and he can bake it himself by now. The whole family loves it, I make about six of them a year!
That party looks like so much fun, and I am just amazed at the beautiful, charming, lovely life you have built for yourself.
Lots of love to you!
(There are so many little yellow leaves on the ground now…!!!)
xoxoxo Dawn
We have the little red ones out on our walk! Love it, don’t you? So exciting! Thank you Dawn!
I am in love with your Emma mugs. What an amazing experience to get to desing your own. Love!!
What a fun party! And that’s what life is all about. Thanks for sharing it with us. Love your Emma cups. Her cups remind me of my Emma Ball cup which is also made in England. I think one of Emma Bridgewater’s cups would look great sitting next to it on a shelf! Have a happy week!
How blessed you are with such wonderful friends to celebrate with. Love the mugs, what a special memory from a special trip! I treasure a good mug to drink my coffee from…..these do look perfect 🙂
Loved the recent “Willard”, thank you! Thanks too for inviting us to the party. Happy Birthday Joe! Try to stretch out the celebration. . . I always try to make my birthday last at least a week starting with birthday eve.
Isn’t it wonderful to share your Joe’s birthday! Thank you, Susan!…It looks absolutely perfect..and a wonderful way to also share a belated Welcome Home party…..I’ve been jamming and pickling lately…and antiqueing….I love your breakfast set!…I have a few pieces, too, and now I will be on the hunt…my appetite has been whetted for more, thanks to you!….Be well, and thank you again, you very special person.
Susan, you and Joe do live in the House of Creativity! Joe is so smart to make that lovely outdoor theater to enjoy with your friends. I think he must have had the perfect birthday party!
Susan I love the little stove you have on the table in your kitchen–How adorable!!
Thanks for all you share with me and the girlfriends—you are so right —family and friends is what it is all about! xoxo ♥
What a wonderfully fun birthday party. Happy Birthday Joe and thanks for inviting me to be part of the fun! 😉 The mugs you made are amazing..mine would NEVER look like that, but I sure would love the give away one! 🙂
You’re in Kristen!
Happy Birthday dear Joe,
Happy Birthday to you!
(ps…I heard it on the grapevine… 😉
Yes you did!
Hi Susan,
Thanks for sharing all the special memories from Joe’s party! What a wonderful evening! Still more lovely vacation memories! Your Emma Bridgewater originals are real treasures. Each day they will transport you both back to your days in England! I’d love to start an Emma Bridgewater collection one day, too!
Happy Sunday!
Dawn ♡♡
Oh Susan, what a fun birthday party for Joe!! I’m sure that all the neighbors and friends loved the slideshow – all the more fun that it was outdoors. It reminded me that once on our lake a bunch of neighbors rigged up a similar sheet/screen and strung it between trees…invited the neighbors who brought their boats and at dusk we all sat on the boats while “Jaws” played on shore!! How fun is that?!! A home-made drive-in movie theatre. Your Emma Bridgewater mugs turned out lovely! I especially adore Joe’s with the ship! My husband isn’t a fan of birthday cake so for his birthday we usually make hot fudge brownie sundaes…so luscious with a brownie, ice cream and hot fudge on the top. In my mind I can just hear the laughter echoing across the yards in the dark from Joe’s party….what a great way to celebrate his 60th. Pot luck meals are the best! All homemade and wonderful and then the need to exchange recipes afterwards. Thank you once again for sharing your lifestyle with us and your recipes & photos! Just a delight 🙂
I just got back home from running errands and am brewing my cup of tea and even though I didn’t expect a post from you today since I was SURE you’d need to recuperate from yesterday’s party I thought I’d check anyway and I’m sure glad I did because there it was! Your post about the party! What a wonderful idea to share all those old photos in an outdoor setting.
I, too, love the little stove on your table. Your house, as you, always looks so festive (“cheerful and jovially celebratory”) no matter the occasion.
What a great party! You really know how to celebrate. Happy 60th, Joe! Everything was so festive and looked like so much fun. The Emma mug would be such a treasure. Thank you for your generosity. Have a great rest of summer.
thank you for sharing !!! …grace does happen ..as you show us all the time !!!
Happy Birthday again to Joe. What a great party–old friends (well, not old, but friends you’ve had for a long time), good memories, photos to remind you of fun from the past, and good food! What’s not to love! The slide show is perfect. I’m sure it sparked much laughter.
The cakes look delicious. If I had some graham crackers on hand, I’d be in the kitchen right now making that cheesecake. But soon, very soon.
Yes, please, I’d love to be entered to win the cup. It’s so charming, and, of course, reminds us all of the wonderful time we had with you and Joe in England.
Happy day.
Thank you for sharing Joe’s celebration. How blessed you are with wonderful friends!
Dear Susan, tell your hubby happy birthday! my husband’s 30th birthday is in November and we are planning an awesome bowling party for him 🙂 I think I’ll make him that cheesecake for everyone at the bowling alley!
Oh, the joy of long-time friendships.
Happy Birthday, Joe.
Rachel
Susan,
What a wonderful party! You and Joe pack so much into life that from my advanced years (70) I feel confident assuring you that some of the VERY best years are still ahead of you. Have been busy freezing summer’s bounty and making strawberry & peach freezer jam. The blueberries and raspberries are done and the grapes and blackberries are coming along. Yesterday we finished the last of “your” applesauce from last year so am glad to see cooler weather heralding another apple season. It’s so nice to share a cup of tea with you and feel your spirit beside me as I do the work that feels most rewarding to me. Thank you for sharing your many blessings with us and for furthering the cause of “joyful living.”
I think one of the lovely things about aging, not sure if it’s true for everyone, but we seem to feel everything more, hear more bird songs, feel more winds, just appreciate the beauty of everything more.
Oh, I agree with you Susan.
Carol M
Just copied the cheesecake recipe to make soon. Just last Thursday I lit the oven for the first time since early June and made fruit tarts – blueberry & strawberry. Haven’t baked all summer because of the heat. Now the fun begins again since it’s cooler. Thanks for this recipe – sounds great!
Are birthday partys just the best
Glad you and Joe had fun with your friends and family
Would be thrilled to own the mug
Have a great New Year JOE
Oh what a perfect birthday party that looks – it bought tears to my eyes! Happy belated birthday to Joe as well, absolutely love the slideshow idea to celebrate a new year on the earth. [That cheesecake looks phenomenal by the way!].
Hope the lovely mug finds a loving new home soon, good luck everyone!
A very Happy Birthday! to Joe, and many more (sung in the low bass). The photo of him with the cake with the candles and the little hearts is so beautiful! Just a delight to see! Looks like an amazing wonderful party. Loved the little ‘outdoors movie theatre’ and showing photos — what a great thing to do. August is a big month for birthdays in our family, my beautiful daughter was 37 on the 5th; the adorable baby grandaughter was 3 on the 16th, and handsome son will be 45 on the 30th. (Don’t you love adjectives!) Amazing how those years just sneak on up. We live all over the place, so no parties in which we could all share, but thank goodness for cell phones because we are together there!
Love that you made your own cups and share and remember. May the sun and stars shine bright on your happy home, your happy selves, your family, friends, and all you cherish. We truly live a million miracles every day!
I almost didn’t recognize Joe without the beard! Did I miss something? When did the beard disappear?
What a fun party, looks like everyone had a great time!
All the Best,
Priscilla
He keeps it really short, and it’s almost white now, so it’s there, but you just can’t see it very well.
I love Joe’s smile!!! Priscilla and Susan, this exchange reminds me of a little story. . .
When the stock market tanked in 2008 Larry decided that we could save money by my cutting his hair for him in a simple buzz cut instead of him going for regular visits to the salon. This made sense because he always had his hair cut fairly close to his head with no particular style anyway. His hair was quite gray with a lot of white as well so it was pretty invisible too. So Larry went to Walmart and got one of the barber sets. Every 2-3 weeks I would play barber and everything was going swimmingly. Until the week that I forgot to put the thingamajig guard on the bladehead that controls how closely the blades cut the hair from the scalp. Well, it didn’t take long for me to notice what I’d done, but of course , ahem, it certainly looked like all I could do now was keep going! I mentioned it in passing to Larry, like a real hairdresser does, sort of casually, after they’ve just cut off 3 inches when all you said you wanted was a trim. Larry, being Larry, sweetly said, “That’s even better. I didn’t like all that high maintenance anyway.” And we found out that we both like the bald look on him!!! Who knew? He actually looks much younger now! And so we continue to this day out on our deck, every 2-3 weeks, me as the “mad barber” and Larry as my patient client, and zip through his beauty routine in about 5 minutes. One thing though. . .he never has actually tipped me. . .I wonder why. . .
Kathy, Thanks for the funny story. My sister must have used that same barber set and she made the same mistake that you did EXCEPT she immediately said, “UT-OH!!” which does not exactly inspire confidence on the part of the one whose hair is being cut. But her husband liked the bald look also and now that’s how we always see him! *happy ending!*
Oh Kathy, what a funny story! My husband has a beard, well really a moustache and a goatee. He shaved off his beard once and I didn’t notice it for a week!!! (how embarrassing as I always told him not to shave it off as I really like it!) He did grow it back–I really like his beard! 🙂
Thanks for your funny stories too, Girlfriends! A very Happy Day to both of you!!! xoxo
LOL!
Happy Birthday to Joe! What a wonderful party and how blessed you are!
The mugs are stupendous, as are you!
Have a happy day!
I have greatly enjoyed your blog. Your trip was amazing, and how fun that you were so generous in sharing it with the rest of us! My husband is taking me on a cruise at the end of Sept. We are going down the west coast from Vancouver to San Diego! I’m getting very excited! I must say that I have loved the Emma Bridgewater cups since I first saw them on your blog a few years ago. Each one is gorgeous. How fun it must have been to visit the factory and make your own mugs! I’m sure your tea tastes so much better from your mug! Thank you for your fun blog and for your very generous heart!
Oh Susan, what a great party! Lucky Joe, lucky you — maybe lucky me? If I don’t win the mug, I know what I’m going get for my birthday!
What a fun post for a Sunday morning! Thank you! OMG … I LOVE this Emma mug and am hoping to make a connection with Vanna’s hand so I can give it to my lovely mother who is turning 94 and a half this week! (She counts halves, quarters, months and days now). She is the Queen Mum in our family and absolutely LOVES the real queen. Growing up we channeled Queen Elizabeth, stayed up all night to watch Charles and Diana’s wedding, and always celebrated her birthday on the same day as mine (4/21). Suffice it to say mom was “royally enchanted” and still is. Our most recent annual tea party was held on June 2nd and mom had glitter crowns for all my girlfriends to wear as we made delicious scones and sandwiches and celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee. We were all queens for the day! Since then mom has been on a gradual decline with walking, reading and thinking. But she still makes sure to have her “cuppa” tea every afternoon. Mom is Irish and Dad was English so tea in my book is spelled “MOM”. I always heard mom say she was going to win the Irish Sweepstakes and I believed her. Maybe her Irish luck will shine through now … here’s hoping it will. And here’s an Old English Blessing for your Sunday afternoon to thank you from the bottom of my ♥ for all you do … “May your joys be as sweet as spring flowers that grow, as bright as the hearth fire when winter winds blow, as quiet leaves that float down in the fall, as serene as the Love that keeps watch over all.”
Yes Susan, I agree the darling mug be lovely! Thank you for the Cheesecake recipe!
Susan!
How AMAZING… friends, food, cakes, pictures, slide shows with a homemade screen… and a MILESTONE BIRTHDAY to CELEBRATE! (with perfect weather to boot!) This is just wonderful! Your little house was glowing inside and out last night… so happy for you and for Joe and for all the friends who have come into your lives! Happy 60th Joe! Love that picture of you! Congratulations! Wishing you another year filled with blessings 🙂
As for the mug… WOW! Yes! Just seeing this Emma mug takes me back to the rainy celebration on the river!!!
Thanks for sharing the PARTY!
Georgie
NJ
Happiest Birthday to your Joe!! Cheers!! Thanks for sharing…
Thanks for such a lovely account of Joe’s birthday party – the outdoor theatre was a great idea. The cakes sounded delicious – I must try them out. I have just made your lemon rice salad with edible flowers ( just found out that Waitrose do tiny little packs of edible fresh flowers in the salad section. As they were on offer I used theirs instead of raiding the garden. They were so pretty.) A random question Susan – did you finish the scarf that you began knitting on your England trip??
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y JOE!
Looks like you had a memorable celebration surrounded by love and light. Just the way it should be, and just what you deserve.
Lots of Love to you, Sarah and Darrell
Dear Sue,
What a beautiful party you hosted! Our history with long-life friends and family is the glue that holds us together!
xo Tracy
Susan, what a beautiful 60th birthday party for Joe! It brought tears to my eyes, seeing all the friends and family watching the slide show with you and Joe. It looks like lots more loving memories were made last night. Thanks for sharing your recipes too, yummy! And your mugs turned out fantastic! Two beautiful and talented people you and Joe are. I’m so glad fate brought you together to share your lives. And thank you for sharing with all of us. ♥
What a great party! Thank you, Sue and Joe, for sharing a wonderful evening celebration with us. I love the Emma mugs…so much so that I ordered straight from her factory the Thames Flotilla mug as soon as I saw it. That was one of my favorite events of the 60th Anniversary. I would love to have another though…I know exactly who would get it for a gift! My friend from England who is extremely homesick now after the 60th and the Olympics. Thank you again for sharing a wonderful trip and celebration! Sherry xoxoxo
Well Ms. Branch, I’m afraid you’ve ruined me for all other blogs. You are the Queen of all things, including blogs. Each time I sit down for a read on your blog, I’m transported to a magical kingdom, a veritable feast for the senses. Your intuition is simply uncanny as to what will “trip the light fantastic” for the reader!! Thank you for the inordinate amount of time, planning and energy you expend to bring us, your girlfriends, the best of daily life. You certainly make it a brighter, happier and lighter day for this girlfriend. You are all that, and then a whole lot more.
wow what a great party and even better so many wonderful friends! you are soooo blessed. thanks for sharing. patti
Dear Sue…
Yesterday was a special Day of Birth in our corner of the world too! We welcomed another “grand” baby into the family! (They’re all so grand!)
His name is “Boston James” and he’s the third son for our third son! A unique distinction, and very remarkable because he became our 10th grandson!
“Boston”, a Middle English name, means “town by the woods”, fitting for this wee man whose Grandpa builds log cabins, muzzleloaders, and loves to cut firewood for a hobby. In fact, Boston’s 6th great-grandpa, Reuben, traveled across the Ohio River by flatboat in 1797 and built a cabin near a block of woods beside a large creek. Reuben was known as Ohio’s first gunsmith.
I think Boston’s birth-rite is “written in the stars”! He’s been blessed with deep English roots dating back to King Henry II who built Westminster Abbey; a mug, signifying The Queen’s Flotilla would be quite a keepsake for him!
Thank you for such a lovely & joyful chronicle of Joe’s Special Day!
You’re always the “quintessential” hostess! ;>)
Love from the heart of my home! Bunny
Congratulations Bunny!!! New Baby Boston, I love his name!
Loved sharing in the birthday celebration! Thanks for the cheesecake recipe–can’t wait to make it. I received my first Willard last week, for some reason it never made it to me–technology and me have a lot to learn!
How birthday Joe! You’re a lucky man! 🙂
I’m the lucky one Whit! Sweet!
Susan, was wondering if Emma Bridgewater might be interested in producing Joe’s illustration of the Queen Mary from his mug. It is so beautiful, I am sure many would be interested in it!
Hi everyone!
A very Happy Birthday to you Joe….looks like your party was loads of fun…the best time is had with friends! Love your new garden arbor. All your cakes looked yummy. Sue, my son is already asking for your country living …pumpkin cake. His birthday is in November and he has already put in his order. Also love your cocoanut cake and carrot cupcakes. Never tried your cheesecake even though I have your book that is is in. My husband’s favorite cake is cheesecake so I guess this will be his choice for his birthday in October.
Since my birthday is also in the fall, The jubilee mug would be a very lovely present…please remember me by picking my name as the winner.
Goodbye and have a great week
Kathie from Limerick, Pa
What a beautiful bday party for Joe, in every way! Great friends, family and food…and the other “f”: FUN! That card is too cute! I love the mini stove on your telescape! Wherever did you find such a darling thing!!?? Your mugs are a perfect souvenir of your trip to visit Emma world! xo…kp
Happy Happy Birthday to Joe, you came into Susan’s life and enabled her to make the world as happy as you make her.
Susan – I was just telling my older sister today about your blog. I am going to send her the website, (and my younger sister, too – the one who has the blessing of spending a week every year in Barnstable, Cape Cod for FREE at her in-law’s ‘cottage on the cape’).
Marcia in Sewell
Well, tell them I said hello!
I was blessed to have a week at that little house in Barnstable years and years ago…and that was when I first saw and loved all things SB
Marcia
Oh Susan – I’d forgotten how easy and great tasting your cheesecake recipe is! Maybe that’s the first thing I should bake in our new oven (which may not be until next month due to a change in contractors & getting to know a wonderfully talented lawyer)! Joe looks much younger and relaxed in these photos than when you were on vacation – clearly he is an island guy! What a terrific idea for a party! Hope that you are enjoying the end of the summer season back there!
Cheers from the other coast! ♡♡ (Thank you Dawn for the hearts!) 😉
Driving here is so much less harrowing! 🙂
I’m quite certain that’s one of the main reasons he looks so much more relaxed!! 🙂
Hi Kerry,
♡Little things can make us so happy! Hope everything works out with your new kitchen. Soon you’ll be baking cheesecake to celebrate!
Dawn ♡♡
Thanks Dawn! Hoping for end of September for the completed kitchen – now that we’re really getting work done! New appliances and sink all arrive on Thursday and Friday this week! 😉
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
Happy Birthday to JOE, looks like a wonderdul party, family friends what more could one ask for. You are blessed! Thanks for sharing…….
Gosh, that looked like a GREAT party! I adore summers in New England and it looked like a perfect evening. Happy birthday Joe—
It’s hot here in Texas……..
Jonna
I adore that little stove and the cooking implements on it…that gives me an idea for decorating our dining room table. I have some child’s baking dishes that were my mom’s, from the 1920s…now I will hunt for a stove! And the mug is beautiful…thank you for the chance to win it. Happy Birthday Joe! Thank you for sharing Susan and your life with us! 🙂
You like the little stove? I have a couple of those stoves — I thought I might send them to Kellee for our webstore.
I hope to have that many people at my birthday party when I’m 60! Looks like so much fun.
I recently was going through piles of past “Country Living” magazines and found a great article about Emma and her cottage business. I don’t think I really thought much about her until reading your blogs and your love of her mugs. I have purchased a few to date. Purchasing the ones that remind me of something in my own life. Flowers mostly. While it would be great fun to visit her factory and make my own mug, without your talent of painting, somehow the mug just wouldn’t be the same. I’d probably hide it hoping no one would see it. I think I’ll just buy a finished mug. The celebration you and Joe’s friends provided him looks like more wonderful memories. Happy Birthday Joe!
You never told us Joe is an artist, too! That’s a pretty great boat he painted. Happy birthday, Mr. Artiste!
Happy birthday Joe! What a wonderfully fun party.
Thank you for the cheesecake recipe, Susan. I’ve never made a cheesecake before because (honestly) I’m a bit intimidated by them. This one looks like one I can master though. :o) Thanks!
Piece of cake Lydia! 🙂
Happy Birthday Joe!!! It all looks very wonderful and magical, especially Joe’s hearts 🙂
I’ve been drooling over that mug for months…..c’mon Vanna!
What a wonderful party! This motivates me to find a new bulb for our movie projector so we can enjoy some childhood home movies!
And I love your quote about good will – I am truly sad for those people who seem so at odds with the world and mistrustful of others. There is so much good will in the world for those who are willing to look for and trust in it.
A very Happy Belated Birthday to Joe!! What a wonderful party! That’s the best kind, with potluck food, homemade birthday cakes and great friends and family. Nothing better! The slide show was a bonus! Would love to have been there! Please enter me in the drawing for the beautiful Emma mug, hope I;m lucky.
Susan, your posts just get better and better. I love when I turn on my computer and there is a new post. Grab the hot tea and enjoy! My day is now complete!
What a fabulous party outside in a beautiful area. Looks like Joe enjoyed himself thoroughly with his slide show. Love the screen he made. A very resourceful man is Joe . 🙂 Wishing him Many Many more happy years. Your Emma Cups are absolutely Charming. So is the one you are giving away.. count me in.
60 years young! Here is my favorite poem…enjoy xo
I dreamed of being sweet sixteen ~ then magic twenty-one,
But suddenly I am fifty-nine and seeing sixty come.
When others treat me with respect it makes me feel quite numb,
How can they think of me as old? I’ve always been so young.
Once I could name the top ten songs played on the radio,
And now, I turn the rock groups down or hunt for something slow.
I see some lines around my eyes I thought would never show,
And pounds that were above my waist have sunk far down below.
I was depressed to see how fast my youthful days could flee,
And then I met a fine old man ~ his age was eighty-three.
His hair was white, his walk was slow, and he could hardly see.
He called me “child” and said he wished he was as young as me.
xo
Oh! What a beautiful and perfect birthday party! How sweet and full of L♥VE! Everything a good b-day party should be. 🙂 And it included carrot cake, my favorite. ♥ Thank you for sharing it all with us. Happy birthday, Joe!
The mug is lovely, but if by chance my name does get picked, please drawn an extra name to give someone more into all things royalty-related a chance at it. I myself am content just to look at all your England trip photos. 🙂
Have a great night, 🙂
Val
What a wonderful birthday celebration. Family, friends, neighbors, festive food and fantastic photos, they all add up to FUN. I love that Iris sent a card!
I am sad to report my favorite coffee mug has a big old crack in one side and I fear it may need to be retired. Wouldn’t a Emma Mug be a great replacement?
Thank you for sharing <3
Looks like a wonderful party!! You have your wonderful memories of England – I am still re-living my wonderful (August 2012) trip to Martha’s Vineyard! I arrived home last Monday – but I am already looking forward to my trip next summer! How lucky you are to live there year-round. Martha from CT
Hi Susan, It looks like it was a fabulous party! You’ve inspired me to get out the home movies and the slides from my youth! It’s been too long. They’re always good for a laugh!! The cup would be great to own, and I would drink tea from it every night! (Sorry, but I’m a coffee person in the mornings) Can’t wait for the new book!! I usually buy 5 or 6 to give as presents throughout the year. Keep blogging and writing!!!
You are blessed, Miz Sue and Mr. Joe, to have such a wonderful circle of friends. What a beautifu,l beautiful birthday party; what a lovely evening of celebration with everyone joining in and contributing. Though I don’t need reminding that I have great friends, my mind is enhanced with memories when I see second-hand through your photographs the joy of others having a good time together. Your blessed – and your blog shows us the value of good friendship in so many ways. Thank you.
I certainly agree on the cup! I have one Emma Bridgewater mug (the one with the swallows) that I bought at the Yale Center for British Art when I was in New Haven (they have great stuff at that gift shop, by the way!). I missed much of the Jubilee (and the Olympics!) due to sketchy TV reception and time zones differences, so souvenirs are always fun.
Happy birthday to Joe–looks like you all enjoyed yourselves! Thank you for the cheesecake recipe. There are several birthdays coming up at my house soon, and it looked pretty tasty!
I love everything about this post! A party, good friends, cheesecake, dogs, cheesecake, and that lovely lovely mug.
xo Pam, from the Great White North
Happy Birthday, Joe! Wishing you good health & happiness and may all your dreams come true. (One of them did come true — your darling Susan.)
I was reading the birthday blog while drinking Tazo’s Berryblossom White Tea in my Emma Bridgewater’s Daffodil mug. I enjoy drinking my teas in china cups. Can’t wait for your English diary to be published. It will be 32 years since I visited London unless you count my stashing away in your suitcase with the rest of the girls….so 2 months ago. LOL
Listen to the song of Life! Best wishes, Barbara
What a lovely community you have there on the Island and that you continue to share with us via the blog. I always come away from reading this so nourished on the one hand, and hungry on the other! (Now I’m craving cake!)
If the mug were to wend its way to my little Attic, it would be added to a lovely 40th birthday package of English goodies I’m putting together to a dear friend and Anglophile’s birthday — with your trip journal to be an installment on a later date.
Happy Birthday to Joe.
(for my next birthday I’m wishing on candles to find more treasures like you both)
Oh, my goodness, this reminded me of when I was a little girl. The dads in our neighborhood were forever putting on slide shows for us at the summer barbeques, Christmas parties, birthday parties, you-have-a-hangnail-let’s-bake- a-cake party (aka any excuse for a party)…. Now, us “kids” do the same whenever we gather, which as you noted is not often enough. These are the memories that shaped our lives. We are blessed.
Happy birthday to Joe! What a FUN, FUN party you had!! And I love your Emma mugs!
Happy Birthday Joe! Thanks for the party Susan. I’d love to have the opportunity to have a real Emma Bridgewater mug. Thank you for that!
The two mugs that you did in England are just fabulous!
Thank you for sharing Joe’s birthday party with us, Susan!! What a grand time! I almost felt as if I were there with you all. Hope Joe had a wonderful and memorable birthday. You have probably answered this before, but do you think there is a chance that some of your out of print books might be reprinted some time? I would love copies of them, and some of my friends who enjoy your work would like copies, too. Love, love, love the two Emma mugs you painted while you were in England! I have been peeking at the Emma Bridgewater website, and am planning to order personalized mugs for my two grandchildren soon. Have a great day!
Oh please Vanna, pick me!!
You are so blessed to have such a circle of friends and the time to spend with them. Such memories you all must have.
Melina
Thanks Susan-
we had such a wonderful time at Joe’s party.
The slideshow was the best –
just love the photo, above the caption, “So it wasn’t just friends”
You could just hear the laughter, feel the love & see the joy
on everyone’s face.
Just think, you will be able to add these photos of family & friends
to his next slideshow…celebrating his 70th.
Joe did an amazing job on the outdoor screen,
that’s quite the entrepreneurial project-
island residents & businesses will be wanting
to rent that baby out, non-stop !
We’ve made your Carrot Cake before & it IS the BEST, by far.
We like to eat it out of a porringer with a big scoop of
Butter Brickle ice cream, huddled on the side.
It ties with a good, hot steamed chocolate pudding
for best “Comfort Dessert”…any day !
Am going to pencil it in on your calendar for Thursday night
and might have to mark the cheesecake down for next Sunday-
just in case, the world ends on the following Monday…
that’s ALWAYS the best excuse…
leaves no room for argument or guilty hesitation. 🙂
Love your Vineyard lampshade
& your adorable, little stove-
it looks like there is a tiny Carrot Cake inside that oven
or is the photo of your large one causing me to hallucinate ?
We do know, Little Jack’s B-day is right around the corner…
Love “Iris”…what a beautiful name for a dog or human ?
I like to read the obituaries, just to review a stranger’s good life-
keeps everything in perspective.
One day, 2 caught my eye, 2 elderly women-
one was “Iris Teagarden” & the other “Ada Sweetapple”-
no kidding, their lives both sounded as lovely as their names.
Can you imagine…who couldn’t be a nice person with names like that ?
It does not always run true, however, I do know a family with
the name “Goodheart” & let’s just say, they do not do it justice.
The Vineyard Gazette always has the most wonderful obits-
such sweet & lovely, salt-of-the earth people !
They, especially the older ones seem to be from another time.
I was taken aback, earlier this year, when I saw the obit for
scrimshander, Tom Demont-
what a lovely, talented guy, have several pieces of his work.
That Jubilee design reminds me a whole lot of a scrimshaw design-
amazing detail.
I hope you intend to bless that mug with your brush & watercolors, too ! 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your evening & here’s to a good week for everyone !
Julie,
It’s Linda and I want to thank you for letting me in on ALL the scoop about apple cider vinegar. I’m excited to try it–warm, with honey, and your kind of cider vinegar (hope I can find it). I love your newsy style, sweet girlfriend! Have a happy day!
What a FABULOUS celebration! There is no doubt that a wonderful time was had by all. To be 60, Joe is a gorgeous hunk! You 2 make a gorgeous pair!
What a fun party! I love Emma Bridgewater. I just ordered my very own mug (the polka dots) but I’m *sure* I could find a nice home for the Jubilee mug too! 🙂
I can just see everyone dancing in a line to Marvin Gaye! Arms swinging back and forth from side to side … Tell Joe the 60s are the best.
And, of course, please put me in the drawing for the Emma cup of the Royal Jubilee celebration.
xoxo, Priscilla
Happy birthday to Joe! He looks like his friends!
I have that cheesecake recipe! YUMMY! Carrot cake is another delicious homemade wonder, isn’t it?
What a wonderful time you had with all your good peeps!
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE! Welcome to the club (there must be some kinda club for 60 and older:) What a great gift you and your buddies gave to the guests. Was worried your weather was not going to cooperate but….looks like you had a grand time.
And, Sweet Sue, baking up miles of wonderful deliciousness! Do you think even “Betty Bandaid” could make that cheesecake? Right now I’m sitting with raspberry freezer jam that tastes like pure sugar, rats. Should I empty them all into a pan and heat it up? Coffee I have mastered – would love a new cup for that:))))
How blessed you both are to grow wonderful with dear and precious friends! The slide show has opened up ideas for me as my man is looking right around the corner to the magic “60”! Your blog Always leaves me smiling…. Thank you for sharing! I’ve been an Emma Bridgewater fan for many years, country living used her mugs in a cute little country kitchen shot, I researched her dishes and fell in dish love! Always blessings to you and Joe from the beautiful pastures of Texas.!
Oh, happy 60th birthday to Joe! Everything about this post is beautiful! I love it all! Thank you for sharing all the “happy” in your life! My absolute favorite are the mugs you and Joe painted! How precious. They’re the most wonderful keepsakes of all! Love and hugs, Rosinda xo
What a lovely and special party for Joe! Sixty is a special birthday (as I remember it … lol). The slide show must have been great fun. The cakes look so yummy. With me it is a toss up as to a favorite … love cheesecake and love carrot cake. Thanks for sharing such a fun event with us Girlfriends.
XOXO
Jackie
Oh Susan. If ever there were a give away I’d want to win, it would be this one. I’ve wanted one of the Jubilee mugs and have been on the search but to no avail. Thanks partly to you, my husband and I are going to London in October with our son and his family. Please tell me, if Vanna doesn’t pick me, can I purchase a mug once we get to England? Thanks for the opportunity!
Happy Birthday, Joe, and many more. Love the poem above. It is all about perspective. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gathering with us. You could just see the joy. Many thanks.
What a lovely, lovely way to starting closing out Summer as you both head into Fall. Felicitations!
Looking at old pictures always makes such a wonderful time! What a great idea for a party! Thank you so much for another give-away. I just love the way your personalized mugs turned out.
Happy Birthday to Joe!! What a fun party you had – and we wish you many more. Thanks for including all of us too Susan. And the cheesecake – how wonderful and easy this recipe is. Think I will make it for family next birthday, hey, it’s MY birthday next week, who know! Cheesecake sounds fine with me. You mugs turned out so lovely – enjoy them and think of all of us as well. Put my name on the list of interested people who love the mug. Enjoy you week. Hugs to both of you and the kitties…….Marge
Happy 60th to Joe and many, many more to come. What a wonderful celebration you all had and obviously the weather was cooperative so you could enjoy the great slide show. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful life with us and your England trip. You blog is so uplifting and makes my day. Well done.
How wonderful to have so many good friends, and so many great memories! Cheesecake is my Bob’s favorite, so I’m going to try this recipe soon. You cups came out so beautiful. Such talented people.
Happiest of all birthdays surely go to Joe – and I must say y’all sure do know how to throw a joyous party with wonderful shared memories enjoyed by all. I love how you document and experience all the important times of your life… creating the memories that will always be stored in the heart. The cheesecake and cake surely were a wonderful addition to all the fabulous food you mentioned. Thanks for the peeks into your lives. Judy C
Hi…Seems like my blog got lost again….there were 16 replies when I posted and now there are 18 and my note is gone. If it comes back…sorry for the repeat.
Happy Birthday to you Joe. Looks like you had a lovely party. Hope all your wishes come true. Sue,,,my son has already put in for his choice of birthday…not til November. He loves the pumpkin cake that was in Country Living…eons ago.
My birthday is not til November either…but that Emma Mug would be a wonderful present….please remember me on my special day. It would have a special place in my China cabinet among my other tea cups and accesories.
Have a great week.
Kathie from Limerick, pa
What a lovely birthday party — Happy Birthday to Joe!
The Emma Bridgewater mug is just waiting to come home to me, thank you for the chance.
thank you for sharing the photos and recipes from the birthday party! i love carrot cake and feel inspired to bake one this week.
i would love to have my morning cuppa in a mug from emma bridgewater, maybe even the jubilee one you’re giving away 🙂
What a sweet and lovely party! Love the mugs you painted at E/B. Also love the card from Iris… Thanks for sharing parts of your life with all of us.
Debbie
Happy Birthday to you, Joe!
What a lovely party! I can almost feel the love and happiness from the pictures.. You are so lucky to have so many close and wonderful friends to share such special moments like this!
P.S. That cheesecake does look dreamy!
This was too funny to see your Joe loves cheesecake, carrot cake and is 60 this year. My husband Mike loves cheesecake, carrot cake and turns 60 Sept. 24! They must be “1952 twins!”
Love, love, love Emma mugs and have been looking for her Jubilee mugs!
What a wonderful gathering of family & friends…how blessed you both are! Happy, happy day to Joe! And the slideshow…what a terrific idea! A great way to share those happy memories with those that mean the most. Always enjoy visiting your blog…makes me smile! -Mary
What a memorable birthday! Good grief…you and Joe could not be cuter. The talent between the two of you should be enviable, but it’s not because it is one of life’s great pleasures to watch two people bring out the best in each other. Here’s to love and birthdays! XXO