Treats, Sweets, & Little Feets

 

Among K-Pop stand-up characters, microphones, balloons galore, gifts stacked neatly against a fireplace background, a stack of pizzas on an island in the kitchen, a cake with K-Pop characters and "Happy Birthday Zyrah" written on the front, and children's screams of joy filling the building, we arrived at great-granddaughter Zyrah's fourth birthday. 

People were sitting throughout the building, standing against walls to have conversations and catch up on anything exciting happening lately, and a woman in a wild hat with face painting equipment painting children in the corner of the room, the party had begun. It was a joyful, pleasant, happy birthday for young and old alike. 

Great-granddaughters Elana and Zyrah the birthday girl, posed to show off their beautiful faces that were painted by the woman hired to do the job. What a great job she did, too! The kids looked beautiful and loved their facial artwork. 

Soda, fruit, cake, ice cream, pizza, and all sorts of edible fun was laid out along an island in the center of the kitchen at the rec room of my granddaughter's apartment. Jess and her husband live in the Oregon Duck housing across from Autzen where she was able to rent the building for us today. Awesome place!

The kids even had TV's in the living room portion of the building, and of course, the channel was turned to K-Pop features. 

It was an interesting combination of themes in the building, with Joey Harrington, a former quarterback of the Oregon Ducks overlooking the food table with K-Pop characters among the edibles for the party. 

With K-Pop playing in the background, the kids were dancing and cutting loose. Every child's dream. 

A wonderful job of face painting was accomplished by a two-hour long hire by "Fairytale Faces," giving a complete menu of artistic talent they could display on the children's smiling faces. 

Happy children (and a few adults) waited in line for their chance to get flowers, stars, and even unicorn horns plastered on their faces. 

Historical memories were lined on the walls to show years of Oregon Duck athleticism in various sports. 

Elena and birthday girl Zyrah ate their pizza and waited for Zyrah to begin opening gifts. 

Great=granddaughter Spencer was trying to view what was happening at the front of the room, where all the adults had congregated. 

Zyrah's sister, Novalee, was able to stop and enjoy some water with help from one of the ladies at the party. She has grown so much over the past year!

There were so many gifts and so many people watching the gift opening festivities, that many people were chatting instead of watching. It was difficult to see over the top of the children, the furniture, and all of the adults. 

Jess and her husband Brandon had purchased a pinata so the kids could punch the crap out of it, or each other as was almost the case. Once the pinata fell to the patio and was free from the string that held it up, Brandon and another man were trying to hold the swinging toy filled with candy while children swung a club at it. Yeah. Smart move, guys. They were standing back after being hit a few times, and in places that had them wishing they had worn cups, if you know what I mean. 

The poor star pinata took on several good poundings but still refused to give up its treasure. 

A corner of the star finally gave way, giving access to some tidbits of sugary goodness, but the venture continued. Older children came up to the star, giving it all they had. Eventually Brandon figured out he had to share the candy himself, as it wasn't going to happen any other way. He lifted the star, pulled back on the outer covering, and the gold began to flow. 

The group of kids, all ages, began to grab candy as quickly as they could. Birthday star had given it all it had but in the end the children won. No child was harmed during this feat of strength, although an adult or two were seen licking their wounds after holding the pinata in place. Fortunately, the injuries were not in their golden spots. OUCH. 

Cake was eaten. Kisses and hugs were shared (great during cold season). Pizzas was left in their boxes in the kitchen area, looking worse for the wear. The rooms of the building were filled with candy, trash on the floor, food pieces left on tables and the floor, and wrapping paper from gifts had to be removed too. But the most important thing was the fun our birthday girl had, along with all of her friends and family. 

As always, Jess and Brandon and Grandma Dawn put together one great party! Adults and children alike were gathering their things and leaving the building with full bellies and smiles on their faces. Another great memory for all. 

***

Terry and I drove home. Well, I drove, Terry passed out. He awoke to a foul odor we picked up along the way, telling me that I had woke him up because of "what I did (said in quite tones)." I didn't know if he was kidding or not; however, I did not think he was joking. Realizing what he meant, I considered that I did not believe I had the power to pull someone from a sound sleep from a gas leak. I informed him it was an odor from outside the car. He passed out once again. 

Unloading the car when we pulled into our driveway, I realized I needed to run to the store to fetch some things for the house. That meant climbing back into the car and facing the cold. Here I go ... 

Arriving at the store, I see something that made me smile. Mother Nature had illuminated the skies again with some of the beautiful colors in her palette. Several people stopped walking toward the store entrance and held their cameras toward the sky. Stunning beauty. 

With orange light shining on the driveway, I walked toward the front of the store before stopping to snap more photos. 

And they say money can buy everything, a statement that is only said by the greedy and sleepy souls that have yet to be awakened. As I stood looking at the sky, I watched several people walk past me with an annoyed expression on their faces as they checked out the brilliant colors of the sky. I guess these are the unhappy spirits that walk among us who don't know how to make themselves happy and do not understand the concept of true blessings. 

***

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Once again, off I go to pick up items to deliver. As I delivered items on Friday, I stopped to snap a photo or two of the lovely change in scenery as I drove through Sutherlin. 

Behind the signage, the poles, and the wires that clutter the scene, I caught glimpses of snow on the surrounding hills. Beautiful snow. Yes, I said beautiful. I think snow is a lovely sight. Not saying I want it around for more than a day or two, but it adds such a feeling of fun and excitement to the residents of the city. At least the children still open up to that feeling of joy and playfulness. It's so gorgeous. My husband would disagree with every ounce of, "Oh, hell no," he can muster. I still love snow, as I pat his arm and reply, "It's just a dusting, Las Vegas man." 

***

I had a delivery today that made me smile. As I have said in past posts, the floral deliveries I do make me happy. Flowers bring smiles and happiness to those who receive them. Well, except for the bouquets such as I had today that was delivered to a church in town for a funeral. Bless the family and friends in attendance, and I am sorry for their loss. It's never easy losing a loved one. But the flowers did bring a smile or two anyway, which prove flowers are a powerful offering if people still smile on a dreadful day like a funeral for someone you know and love. Gorgeous bunch of flowers, I do have to say.

This arrangement was crafted in a medium sized basket with a handle. Because of the colors and the basket and use of flowers in the grouping, it reminds me of Easter. Gorgeous bouquet, and gorgeous time of year. 

***

Well, dear readers, this is the end of yet another weekend. We appreciate each of you and thank you for reading the blog. Our goal is to remind ourselves of our beautiful memories as we grow older, and this is the place we do that. We did choose to make our lives public so others could enjoy our laughter, tears, joy, and happiness, along with any downfalls that tend to fall in our path. Life is a curious thing, and we love to share all that comes our way. We thank you for being sweet enough to read through this thing we call life. 

Take care of yourself and those around you. Until our next post, we send much love, light, and blessings your way. 

Love,

Terry & Vicki Macrae

Two old people finding the humor in life

Move through life with purpose and meaning. If something gets in your way, grab a bat and smack the crap out of it.