WOW! Thank you SO MUCH for all the good wishes for my birthday! I am completely overwhelmed! I’ve never been very popular in my life – loved yes – but not really popular. And I gotta tell you – it feels good! If I don’t get a chance to send you an email – please know how much I appreciate your thinking of me! THANK YOU!
It was a very nice birthday overall. I kind of like to keep these things low key, you know. The calendar day tends to overhwhelm and hype the actual birthday and there’s nothing that makes me happier than doing what I would normally do on any other day of the year. And yes, that means I didn’t shower. 😉 I’m often jealous of people who have “normal” birthdays. The ones where you go about your day and little things sneak up on you to remind you that it’s your birthday – a phone call here or there. A co-worker coming by your cube with an offer for lunch. Then maybe a nice birthday dinner with the family. That doesn’t ever happen when your birthday is 1/1. First off, no one works. At least no one I know. And TV sucks. I mean, I can only watch the Mummer’s Parade for like five seconds before all my happy childhood memories are wiped out in a flash. It’s bad people. And college football sucks. Anyway – you get what I mean. It’s not a regular day. I want a regular day. Just once. I know it will never happen and if it did I’d probably be like give me my special birthday back but still and all it’s nice to dream. You people out there with March 26 or October 11 or July 17 or August 7 – YOU DON’T KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE!
So the birthday rocked in all aspects. We changed up our plans this year a bit. Usually G takes me out for my birthday dinner a few days before New Year’s Eve and we have lamb chops. This year we decided that G would actually make me my lamb chops on NYE. YUM!
LOOK AT ALL THOSE CHOPS! Everything was perfect. We made our new favorite pear salad and had green beans and french fries as sides and right after dinner the Cherry Pie went into the oven and it was all perfect. Everyone checked in right after midnight. G gave me one of his special gifts (technically the wheel is from him as well, but I handled all of that) that night and the rest waited for morning.
See that teddy bear in the back? Can you make out the bracelet? It says Georgie! Awwww. And look how cute my guy is finding me some cafe press accoutrements! T-shirt, mouse pad, magnet! The sheep is knitting socks! How cute is my Georgie? And last but not least, he gave me that jar in the back with all those pink little pieces of paper in it. 365 days of love. Each piece of paper has a quote or saying having to do with love. Could you just die!?! I’ve decided to put them on the blog each day – you can find it over on the sidebar – The Daily Sap. When I asked G if I could put them up – he was like yeah. Why wouldn’t you? Dude. He’s so with the blog!
There was knitty goodness from friends as well!
Some purple handspun from Claudia which I alternately hang on my wheel or hide depending on whether or not I’m feeling inspired or frustrated. This has no bearing at all on the beyond beautiness that is the yarn. Thank you Claudia! I swear it inspires way more than it frustrates! 😉 Claudia also sent some more caramels which may or may not be the same ones my better pal sent me (Super Sleuth Ann! I smell a mystery!) and some lovely chocolate soap! Some beautiful Schaefer Elaine and a great scarf/stole pattern from Elspeth along with a very odd article about Sprinsteen entitled, “The Lawyer as Poet Advocate: Bruce Springsteen & the American Lawyer,” which was published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. I can safely say, Elspeth, that with this article in my Springsteen collection, I have reached fanatic status. My first better pal, Kris sent me some gorgeous red silke- tweed from Norway and a ton and a half of Joggers. Maybe our absolute favorite candy ever. Think of swedish (or norwegian, sorry!) fish on the top and circus peanuts (you know those orange marshmallow things) on the bottom. You don’t think they’ll taste so good when you look at them, but then you put them in your mouth and oh my god! GENIUS! And Lauren of Jaywalking fame sent me a lovely gift bag of Gummy Bears, hand cream, a sheepy tape measure (which came just in time because I left my tape measure at my sister’s AGAIN!) and Foer’s latest book, Extrememly Loud and Incredibly Close.
Those kick-ass girls over at JenLa gave me a superduper present too! Check out #10! WhoohOO. Most Accomplished! Talk about Nerdy Good! Yay baby! I work HARD on this here blog! Thank you Jen and La!
Perhaps my favorite gift of the birthday, though, is my TIARA! Some of you might remember the contest I had asking what I should get for my birthday. I wanted something I didn’t even know I wanted, and Wendy came up with a Tiara! Excellent idea Wendy! (By the way, her birthday was yesterday. If you haven’t already, go on over and wish her a good one!) My good friends Tina and Kaci over at Blue Moon wonderfully fulfilled my wish!
It’s beyond gorgeous! I wore it all weekend! To toast in the new year. While I was spinning. To blow out my birthday candles. At any given moment my tiara was on my pretty little head. Do you see the details?
Litte seashells adorn the edges and then there are bigger ones with diamonds (yes! REAL diamonds! 😉 ) in the center and hot pink zebra striped feathers come out of the top and isn’t it TO DIE FOR? Thank you g
irls! (And do you see what it sits upon? That’s some Tina special hand-dyed roving in Sweet Pea. That stuff goes in the special bag until I can actually make yarn. Maybe next birthday, eh?)
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I LOVE ALL OF IT!
So that is about all, I think – not that I’m complaining! What a great birthday! Oh wait. Am I forgetting something? There was something else wasn’t there? Hmmm.
Okay. I opened the box. Sigh. Why would people think Margene would send me ROCKS? I don’t get that at all. Personally, I liked Rock Chick’s guess best, even though I had nightmares about that movie for weeks afterward. (Yeah. Go back and look.) Although wouldn’t it be funny if JenJen’s friends made her a video and it was Brad’s head in the box? Hahahahaha. That’s just mean. I know.
So I opened the box and low and behold:
I love the box Margene! Did you make it yourself? There’s a bit of knitting glued on there with cute little baby knitting needles and it’s just so sweet – I’m going to use it as a notions box I think. And some beautiful antiquey looking stitch markers and some lip balm and cuticle cream and Chanukah gelt and the fun tissues and altoids have already made their way into the abyss that is my handbag, so no pictures of those. THANK YOU MARGENE!
Wait. What weighed so much you ask? Could it have been
SIX FREAKING POUNDS OF GUMMY BEARS?!?!?!?!?!
Margene, my love, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? G and I laughed and laughed and laughed! You are too funny! I think I’m going to take your suggestion and get some pretty glass containers and fill them up and put them all over the house so whenever the mood strikes me I’ll have a gb and then wherever I turn I’ll be reminded of you and your wonderful friendship. Thank you so much, M. I loved every minute of the gift! (And I think everyone else did too. Super Sleuth Ann called me at like 7AM Jan 1 to find out what was in the box. DON’T SAY YOU DIDN’T!)
Who won? I’ll tell you who won!
Go on over and congratulate her! YAY EMMY!
It wasn’t all birthday and gifts and stuff this weekend:
That’s right. I started another Jaywalker. STR Petroglyphs. Want to make something of it? I’m on the gusset decreases as we speak. When Jen was over the other day she asked me which pair of socks was my favorite and right now these are. I love the thin stripey goodness. But actually, the real answer is either the pair I’m working on or the pair I’m going to be working on next. You know what I mean? I wound up some STR last night in anticipation of this socks completion. It’s my goal to have an STR Jaywalker on the needles at all times. I’ve got a lot of STR yarn DUH and most of it is in the OLD yardage and I know I can get a pair of jaywalkers out of that. And no, your eyes do not deceive you. There is another sock – a NON-JAYWALKER – that’s Claudia’s picot edge in STR Cotton Candy. I like the edging a lot and will most likely use it for my next jaywalker, ala Anna, but I’m not so sure about the plain stockinette. You can see every single solitary flaw! There’s something to be said for variegation and zigzags.
Oh yeah and there’s some spinning.
Hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Celebration and thank you all again for making this a GREAT BIRTHDAY! MWAH!!!!
Glad your birthday was fun even if I am bumming that I didn’t win the contest AGAIN. And I did guess that it was something that would make you laugh, didn’t I? And you said you and Georgie laughed and laughed and laughed. Sigh. Someday, I’m going to win a contest, I just know it. 😉
OmGosh the Petroglyphs yarn is just so so so so COOL looking!
Happy belated birthday! Looks like Georgie knows how to cook a lamb chop (I love those too!) It’s so funny you mention March 26; that was my grandfather’s birthday! And I LOVE the tiara — thanks for all the close-ups of it!
Congratulations on all your goodies. Happy Birthday to You!
Cara, I’m glad to hear that you had a nice birthday. I apologize for my guess…I didn’t mean to insult Margene’s gift by guessing that she included rocks in the box.
That is a whole bunch of gummi bears. Gummi bears make me laugh. We used to have a store here –Hills — and someone stuck a gummi bear on the ceiling outside just before you entered the store — I looked at that gummi bear every time I went there for about 5 years. It was still there, greeting me like a silent sentinel. The store is gone now, and so is the gummi bear, but I have fond memories of the silly thing.
Glad your birthday was a good one!!
You must wear that tiara often to remind you of just how fabulous you are. I didn’t knit the bit on top of the box but glad you like it.
You didn’t say anyting about the skein of yarn with the socks. Is that your homespun?
Bruuuuuce, rock on!!
If it IS your homespun it looks great! It does!
Happy Happy Birthday! It looks like it was a great one! Yay for your wheel. I got the same one a year ago, it’s a great wheel! and your handspun is already freakin cool!
So happy you had a great birthday! I love love love your tiara, I hope you wear it all the time 😉 Also, yes your handspun is Awesome! Next thing you know we’ll be knitting up some January One Yarn!
WOW. Love the tiara.
it wasn’t seven …. I have a cable phone line and can look these things up – it was 2:40 pm!! although I will admit to some arm twisting to find out what Margene had sent! I am the Harriet the Spy of the Knitblogs! and I already told you what the deal on the caramels is (and this is all without the benefit of a taste test!) They were each made using the same recipe – but are from different batches, different kitchens, different chefs. Claudia cuts and wraps hers into bite sized pieces, the others are two bite affairs….
another mystery solved!
ps. handspun looks great!
Oh, fabulous birthday wonderments!! All of them are well-deserved, in my humble opinion.
Heeee, the Sherlock thing is going to Ann’s head, no? Next thing you know, we’ll be finding out who has a butler…
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I guessed rocks (they could have been clean, sparkly, pretty rocks) because of the socks that ROCK (my sense of humor is very literal sometimes), and because I figured there was yarn in there, and the added weight would throw you off.
Obviously, I was so far off base that I was playing in a different field. 😉
It looks like you had a fabulous birthday, and I love, love, love the tiara. You should definately wear it year-round.
Happy birthday! The tiara is darling, and no one should be without one.
Glad you had such a great birthday – Gummi bears – my favorite too!!! We buy the 5 lb bag at our local BJ’s warehouse for road trips…mmmmmm…must get to BJ’s…. 🙂
Uh, yeah, your 1/1 b-day beat my 8/16 by a country mile. You don’t want ordinary, doll. 😉
I now MUST have a tiara for my birthday…
Yeah, I was guessing rocks b/c of the “socks that ROCK” thing – seemed like a way to throw you off! 🙂 Glad you had a great birthday! Now for the important question, when are you going to knit up that Bruuuuuuuce STR?
Happy Belated Birthday fellow january baby! I was going to say I hope you got all you wanted but it looks like you have!
Happy Belated Birthday, doll! It sounds like you were showered with all the love and affection you deserve.
*mwah!*
It sounds like a fabulous birthday, and really, you don’t want ordinary. You WANT your birthday to feel special, and if you’re just going to work or whatever, it’s not. You should be honored that so many people celebrate your birthday (and nobody said you had to watch the Mummers on TV–that’s what DVD players are for). The only special thing about my birthday is that about once every 16 years it falls on Election Day, and I get to see signs up everywhere shouting my birthday . . . and really, it’s kind of special that everyone knows. Enjoy yours!
I *like* rocks. 🙂
What a nice day you had! Georgie is a doll.
Do you feel like a tiara-wearing spoiled brat? Cause you so ARE. 6 pounds of Wild & Fruities? Wild! Fruity! xox Kay
Thanks AGAIN Cara! You absolutely MADE MY DAY! Fortunately I didn’t get fired but it’s a wonder!I was one wild and crazy girl!! But what fun to get such great news by email! I am so glad that your Birthday was special you really really deserve it! More JAYWALKERS! I promise.
FanTAStic birthday! I can’t believe the 6# of GBs from Margene! Yeegads. Happy day, to a special blogger. It took you two days to come down enough to write about it. *mwahhhh*
Happy Birthday Cara! It looks like you had a great day. I was wondering if I could be included in your jaywalker KAL. I cast on for a pair last week and I love them. I am nervous about them fitting, but I just can’t put them down!
Happy belated birthday! (was out of town for the weekend so I missed it – sorry!) Glad it was such a wonderful time!
And hey – my birthday IS August 7! Which, btw, is kind of a sucky time for a birthday, too. When I was a kid, everyone was off on their last vacation before they had to come back to register and get ready for school, and now that I’m a grown-up and am all geeky, all the big geek events have been in early August. blegh.
Oh, and the tiara? It’s AWESOME!!
You know what you need don’t you? An offical birthday like the Queen and of course your real one. If she can do it, so can you 😉
Happy Birthday to you! I didn’t see your email address anywhere or I would have emailed to ask…. I hope I’m not too late to join the Jaywalker KAL? I’m starting my first pair today!
You’ve heard the Fresh Air interview with Bruce, right?
Just started my first pair of Jaywalkers. I am beginning to understand the addiction…
Yes, I know how it feels to have a weird birthday. I was born on Christmas Eve. This year was the first in which I had a birthday dinner with friends (because I celebrated it on the 28th!).
I guessed rocks in a sock because of STR. Waaaay too literal (and goofy) for my own good sometimes.
And I love your tiara! My birthday tiara is only metal and rhinestones…I might have to add feathers this year. 🙂