Birthday of the Week - #1

Monday October 24th was the 46th celebration of the day of my birth.

46.

That means I'm closer to 50 than I am to 40.  Ouch.

But rather than dwell on the ever-encroaching agedness of their father & husband, my family feted me lovingly, and brought up my decrepit state sparingly, and always with humor.

Before I even made it home in the afternoon for my evening of celebration, Jenny, a volunteer at our church office, made me a plateful of these delightful and oh-so-decadent cupcakes.

Those are microphones, for those of you of a less than creative bent.  There really was a plateful.  My colleagues and I ate them.

After a fabulous dinner of homemade pizza (mangia, mangia!), the gift presentation began.

Anya gave me a coffee cup that she made in her ceramics class.  Perfect for enjoying a cup of dark, morning java.  And she drew a sweet, wonderful picture of the two of us.

Next, Jenna designed and wrote a love-filled card, and designed some very festive, colorful bookmarks.  They're ingenious!  I love them, and am amazed at her eternal fount of artistic creativity.  She also gave me half a dozen cakebites from the Sweet Tooth Fairy.  Cakebites are sort of like petit fours, but made from the most dense, moist cake that's ever passed my lips, in delightful flavors like lemon, double fudge, salted caramel, and peanut butter fudge.  I don't know what that fairy puts in them, but whatever it is, it's definitely magical.

Before I reveal Emily's gift, I must preface it with a story.

About 1/2 mile south of our house, at a very busy intersection, is a blanket and sock store.  (Why the combination of blankets and socks? A mystery.  Because they're both warm?  Both fuzzy?  Because no one will forget such an odd pairing -- pairing, get it, like socks? -- and of course go to this former 7-11 now converted to the blanket/sock store?  I give up trying to understand it.)  In the parking lot of this odd little market are huge furry blankets hanging on display, probably 20-25 of them on any given day.  Odd things are on these blankets: Marilyn Monroe, wolves, Betty Boop, a Marine emblem, puppies.  But there was one that caught our eye every time we passed -- the Dora the Explorer blanket.  It doesn't look exactly like this, but it's in this general vicinity.

For the past month, I've told the girls that I hoped against hope that I would find that Dora blanket when I opened my birthday presents.  We joked about it every time we passed the intersection.

Even on my way home, as Em & Jen were riding with me, we passed the intersection and I said that I could hardly wait to get home and open my Dora blanket and wrap up in it.

So imagine my surprise when I opened my gift from Emily and discovered this.

She found some Dora fabric and fashioned me a mini-blanket.

I love it.  As I told her, it's perfect for when my big toe gets cold.  Or if I want to warm one hand at a time.  Em & Jen said it would make a great handkerchief to poke out of my suit pocket at weddings and funerals.  We had a great laugh over it.  And still do.  It stays in the living room so I can snuggle up with it while I watch TV.

She also got me a half dozen of those ridiculously tasty cake bites.  How does that fairy get all that goodness in those tiny packages?

We ended the evening with a trip to one of my favorite spots, Color Me Mine.  Each of us designed a painted a ceramic piece to commemorate the day of my birth.  Or actually, just to use and enjoy.

Dad begins his creative effort

Let those juices flow!

A mug for each of us

Perfect for holding popcorn

Deep in concentration

When Anya finishes anything, it's time to read.

And even Karen made one.  She's often resistant to these artsy endeavors.  But she jumped in with gusto this time.  Although you won't know that by these pictures, because she was always behind the camera.  But that's her cup above, 2nd from the left, next to the popcorn.

She really did make it though.

And the projects in all their finished glory!

Suh-weet!

The Dad's cup

I love my family.