Happy Birthday, Mama

My mom, Mildred, celebrated her 70th birthday last week.  The Ex-Ex and I drove up to Spruce Pine to celebrate (and to have a second Thanksgiving dinner) with her and my siblings, their children, one aunt and one cousin.  My mom's very patient and very quiet husband was also there.  Poor guy, he never gets a word in edgewise when we are all around.  Oh- my mom also has great-grandchildren.  I am a great aunt.  One of the little boys is quite fond of me, it seems.  When my sister asked him if he thinks his aunt Teresa is the best, he answered "Probably."  I take that as quite a compliment, coming from an 8 year old.  He and his brothers named their 4-month old black lab puppy after college age-son.  He likes that.
One of the great-nephews is learning to cook.  He made deviled eggs for our lunch.

I baked Dorie Greenspan's apple cake to take to the celebration and we headed up to the mountains.  I admire my mom more than she knows.  She was a few months short of her 18th birthday when I arrived.  We kind of grew up together.  She has always been my greatest cheerleader.  I am sure that I do not tell her enough how much I love her.
My two sisters and my brother still live in Spruce Pine.  They all actually live on the same street, Bell Street, named for my grandfather, George Bell.  Mama married into the Bell clan, transplants from High Point, NC, when she ran off to Louisiana to join my dad who was in the army.  She was 15 years old.  She grew up in Spruce Pine, in the Penland community (most famous for Penland School of Crafts).  Her parents, always known as Granny and Pa, lived on a farm up on a hill.  They died when I was in high school, back in the '70's.
Anyway, quite a few of us were on hand to sing Happy Birthday and watch Mama blow out the candles on her cake.

We didn't use 70, only 36 (that's how many were in the package and the aforementioned great-nephews thought we should put them all!).  My nephew's wife made the cake and decorated it with yellow roses, Mama's favorite flower.
I hope your wish comes true, Mama!

Bon appétit, my dear mother!