Today is my birthday. I usually don't care to make a fuss about it but apparently others around me had different plans this year. And though it feels odd, I am touched and grateful.
My celebration actually started yesterday. I teach a group fitness class every Saturday morning, and my class took me out for lunch after our workout. I've taught that class for over 11 years so it's a pretty tight group. And then my folks came over at night to babysit the boys so Charlie and I could go out for a grown-up dinner. I resisted cutting up his food for him and tried not to talk exclusively about the children.
This morning, the boys kicked things off by waking me up with a treat. That's our tradition here--birthday boys and girl (notice the singular) get woken with a cupcake (but I requested a whole-wheat chocolate chip muffin, because I'm healthy like that). The first time we woke Max up with a cupcake, lit candle and all, I thought his little eyes were going to fall out of his head. And then when we told him he could eat it right then and there in his bed, I'm pretty sure he gasped (we were breaking the "no food allowed in rooms EVER by proclamation of Mom" household rule). I also opened a present that my very thoughtful mother-in-law sent me:
I really lucked out in the mother-in-law department. She's amazing. When they visited a few weeks ago, I made a teacake using a recipe from this cookbook, which was reprinted in Gourmet magazine. It was quite good and I mentioned how I'd love to get the cookbook, but that there is a moratorium on cookbook purchases right now. So she bought it for me. And everyone has left me in peace to read it this morning! I read cookbooks like novels and this one is awesome.
Oh. And look what else I got. Specifically, look what I got for my birthday two years ago. How sad is that??? Well, let me just say that it's plenty sad when you consider how long I researched which serger to buy. And then, when I finally settled on the Viking Huskylock Husqvarna 936, how long I vexed over spending the money, but finally did it (insert memory of dual income here). And yet there it has sat. In its box. I don't have the foggiest on how it works, but I am not, am not, am not, taking on another project until I take that puppy out, plug it in, and learn how to use it. Sheesh.
So it's been a great birthday. I'm still in jammies, drinking my second cup of coffee with a cookie, the boys are playing outside but occasionally pop in to shout "I love you mom, happy birthday" (I think Charlie is prompting them but I'll take it), I've got a new cookbook to read, and I am regifting a "new" serger I already gave myself. I hope you have a wonderful day, too.
