As my birthday approaches this coming week, I thought it would be fun to look at a birthday from the past. These photos will take you back 46 years to my 8th birthday.

The first thing I notice about this photo is the fact that my folks didn’t develop the film for over a year!! I find that hilarious.

The little dude in the awful brown and yellow outfit cutting the cake is yours truly. Look at that mop of hair!! This was probably one of the last birthdays I was sort of skinny.

The lady in red is my beautiful mom who made my birthday cake. At 8 years old, I’m sure I didn’t ask for a train cake, it was probably one of the cake pans she had already in the house. Just looking at this picture makes me miss her even more.

I cannot be sure, but I am guessing that my aunt is to my mom’s left. It looks like she is sitting on one of these green bar chairs we had. My brother is to my right with a party staple – Towne Club pop!

As I tend to do, I want to see the stuff in the background, but so often the photos are blurry. There are some things of interest here, however. I do not for the life of me remember the olive green corded phone on the wall. I do remember my mom and dad sticking notes with numbers and such above it. It looks like there might be a couple index cards there.

Directly behind my mom, up against the wall, I can make out what is probably a macramé plant holder. If memory serves me right, there were sea shells woven into the plant hanger itself. My mom hand plenty of plants in the house and at one point I had made her a plant hanger at summer camp.

I have to laugh at the classic Mr. Coffee Coffee Pot on the counter. I think every family member had one of those except my grandma who only used a percolator for coffee. It looks like my folks have stacked up stuff on the counter, which was a constant. I remember my dad moving stuff off the coffee pot whenever he had to make coffee.

I really tried to make out what looks like a bookcase, or maybe part of the stereo in the room behind my mom. It looks like it may have photo albums on there, but I can’t be sure. That was usually the spot where the TV was, but it could have been in a different spot at this time.

I had originally only wanted to post the one photo, however, after looking at another one taken the same day, I had to share for one reason – the ugly wallpaper! Get a load of that terrible pattern!

I like this picture a lot more than the other, because I have a cheesy grin and it screams 1970’s! For example, the paneling up half the wall. Paneling seemed to be in every house back then! Then, of course, the Polaroid cameras that every had back then. I’m surprised that these pictures were not taken with one!

If you look at the middle of the table, you will just be able to see a bit of one of mom’s plants. It may have been what she called spider plants. She used to have pieces of those plants in jars, vases, and pots all over the place! And just above my head is the bottom “tail” of one of the many plant hangers mom had.

The weird thing about these photos is that I can tell you without seeing them, who was there to celebrate with us. Both sets of grandparents, my aunt, and my folks. It was never really a big deal, but I loved those little birthday parties.

Oh, to go back 46 years just to see those folks who are no longer here ….