50

Mister Handmade in Israel turned 50 last week. He didn't want a party or a big fuss being made, but there was no question in my mind that he was still going to receive a handmade card and a few special gifts on his big day. The boys and I planned our handmade goodies weeks in advance and it all paid off. My husband was thrilled with his birthday gifts, even if the cards, ahem, poked fun at him just a little bit!

Mister Handmade in Israel is a big football fan. I've mention this a few times before! Once again I showed him wearing his Arsenal shirt on the front of his birthday card. He is holding up a big sign which declares his age... and which also covers his follicly challenged head! Many of his favourite things surround him: sweet Woodpecker cider, a football, chicken soup and chopped liver, Galaxy chocolate, football on the television, McCoys Salt and Vinegar crisps, and the silly flap hat that he wears when out in the sun (not because he necessarily loves that so much, but because he is a very white-skinned Englishman and he needs to protect himself from the hot Israeli sun). Unfortunately I was not able to supply all these treats on his birthday - many of the things he dreams of are English and not readily available over here - but I didn't do too badly. He still ate English chocolate on his big day!

Now, as well as handmade cards, we also had some handmade gifts ready for him. The youngest son writes great stories, so he wrote a book specially for Daddy's big day. "The Good, The Bad and The Snoring" tells the story of Ricardo De La Moneypants' trip to the Amazon rainforest to bring back the rare Pixelfly, a fly which has the ability to unlock every single code in the world by flying into the computer. Ricardo sounded uncannily like Daddy and the story had us all crying with laughter!

The eldest son's talent is poetry. He wrote a wonderful poem for Dad, mentioning his silly hat, his love of football, crisps, chopped liver and sleeping. Sound familiar?

I made him something special too. You can have a little sneak peak at it below, but I am going to save the whole piece for another blog post.  In the meantime have you spotted the football and the England flag?

Mister Handmade in Israel had a wonderful birthday. We ate breakfast in the beautiful gardens of Derech HaGefen in Beit Zayit, a moshav located seven kilometres west of Jerusalem. (Beit Zayit literally means "house of the olives," and refers to the extensive olive groves on the slopes around the village). We then returned home for birthday cake (of course there was cake!) before going bowling and then out for a delicious evening meal.

Hopefully he will remember the day for a long time to come. With all his handmade presents, he has many wonderful reminders!