…and I'll blog if I want to, blog if I want to….you would blog too if it were you!!!! Not surprisingly, today's post is a bit self-serving because you see….TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Now, we're not gonna get into a lot of nit picky details such as age but I thought I'd chat a bit about memories of party's gone by.
Alas, I grew up in…ahem…an age when most kids did not have a birthday party every , single year. Don't get me wrong, I love attending my little underage friends party with balloons, cake, ice cream, high pitched squealing and the occasional ice cream smeared kiss but "back in the day" (Gulp, I'm starting more and more sentences like that) you usually only had them on special birthdays. I had two.
The first was for my 6th birthday. I wore a fancy party dress and had a special birthday girl tiara made, appropriately, from foil (Yes…we HAD foil "back in the day"). I got to invite all my class buddies. We had balloons, cake and Mom got "special" Neopolitan ice cream bricks from the bakery. We have photos of all the fun we had including my harried Mom directing pin the tail on the donkey. What's that you ask? It's a game….a game we played "back in the day." Oh, yes we had a time including the mean girl who snuck upstairs and went into my bedroom and kidnapped my Raggedy Ann doll!! Ahem, that's a story for another day.
I have a photo of me in my tiara but because (grits teeth) "back in the day" our parents thought it a great idea to put the pics between acetate in an album where, the course of time, has MELTED them making them impossible to remove with out destroying the historical treasuresm I can't share it.
My second foray into birthday celebratory antics was for my 13th when I got to have my first ever sleep over. We talked about boys way into the night, ate, listened to records and conked out on pallets. Fun all around and I had hidden my Raggedy Ann doll.
Those were the parties. There are lots of other memories. Like the year my birthday landed on Easter. Mom had carved and put together a birthday cake in the shape of a bunny. My gift came wrapped in a Leggs egg. I got to pick out my favorite dinner (roasted chicken and Mom's dressing). G
ood times my whole life.
My birthday took on a different aspect after my Mom passed. No more birthday cakes I was sure. But then a bunch of friends from the hospital took me out to lunch and brought a homemade cake. I cried. That same special gift was repeated a while back when not only did Bandita Donna remember my dearth of birthday baked goods but remembered I like chocolate cake with chocolate icing and brought me one!
Sniff, sniff…
Anyway, me and the kitties will celebrate together. My brother is taking me out to the movies and hopefully adoring me. I have wonder
ful wishes, from wonderful friends and will try not to count the number of Motrin I have to take.
So today is my day to celebrate and I want to celebrate it with you. What are you bringing to the party???
(Candid photo of my baby cats contemplating the existence of balloons...POP!)
66 comments:
Happy Birthday, Joan. Hope you have a wonderful day.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Aloha, Joan!
Hau'oli lā hānau!
(pronounced How-o-lee Laa Haa-now)
have a good day with him Mason
Happy birthday Joan
I am of the age when we didn't have birthday partys like those of today....the family sometimes got together for a family tea...the only one I can remember was a 21st party and I had to share that with my twin brother..... I will bring a gooey pavlova with oodles of cream and passion fruit
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOANIE!!!
I'm bringing my famous chicken salad served on Hawaiian rolls, Peach Bellinis! (With lovely perseco (sp?) )!
And I think I'll be bringing Quinn, Dakota and Will...complete in leather chaps, bare chests and low slung cowboy hats!
Well done Mason have fun with him
Whoo Hoo Joanie
Happy Birthday!!!!
I too come from an era where we didn't have lots of birthday parties either LOL I remember having one when I was 5 then one for my 21st other than that we as a family now always have a dinner together.
This is going to be one awesome party I will bring caramel biscuit slice and of course some champagne to celebrate with
Have Fun
Helen
Oh Suzanne..I so loved them in The Surrender of Lacy Morgan
Woot!!! Happy birthday, Joan!!
Happy Birthday! I'm a little jealous that you had great birthdays a child, all we got was to pick what we wanted for dinner on our birthdays and the traditional cake and ice cream where my aunt (spinister aunt...can tell you how much fun those parties were) came to dinner. So I will bring my all time most favorite meal of KFC chicken, mashed potatos and gravy and coleslaw...what can I say, it was the one time a year that we had take out food.
Happy Birthday Joan! Hope you have a wonderful day and time going out with your brother.
I can totally understand the lack of birthday parties. My birthday is December 20th, never mind the year LOL. Anyway, that close to Christmas, my birthday was generally overlooked, except my mom would make me whatever kind of cake I wanted. I would usually ask her to make peanutbutter fudge instead. But seeing as how it is that close to Christmas, no parties, and generally no special gift. Talk about sucking!
Mason, have you had the rooster before? Methinks not! Watch him - he's a cunning chicken!
JT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR JT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!
Hope you have a wonderful day. Loved the photo of the kitties and the balloons!
I'll bring lots of champagne to the party. Hic!
Happy Birthday, Joan. I bought a bottle of Rose Champagne for you and a Carvel ice cream cake. I always have a Carvel cake for my birthday.
Happy Birthday Joan - I hope you are doing something special to mark the event, even if it is not a big party with loads of friends, family and presents.
I totally get the only having birthday celebrations on special ocsasions. I think I had one on my 10th, 16th and 18th. Anything after that, I did on my own, which meant not very often. :-) That said, I did recently celebrate my 40th.
Anyway, Happy Birthday again. May you have a fabulous year ahead of you.
Mason, congrats on the chook.
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Dear Joanie!!!
Okay, I won't torture you by singing. I'll confess, I couldn't even sing "back in the day!" ;-) I will just have the cabana boys sing for you instead.
June, my birthday is the week before Christmas, so I feel your pain. NO parties (the weather was terrible and everyone was busy with Christmas), presents wrapped in Christmas paper, except for my mother. She NEVER wrapped my gift in Christmas paper.
I always WISHED for a spring or summer birthday... See, I shoulda moved to OZ!!!
Anyway, I'm bringing rocky road ice cream to go with the chocolate cake and chocolate frosting (also MY fave).
AC
P.S. congrats on the chook, Mason!
Happy Birthday, JoanieT!!!! I'll bring many wishes for a year filled with joy and happiness, hugs for love and a few giggles to keep you smiling on your special day!
Happy Birthday Joan I hope you have a stunning day and that you get spoiled rotten !
May God bless you and make all your dreams come true!
I ll bring some lemon squares !
Take Care
Desere
Hola Joan...
Happy Birthday! I'll send along some catnip cupcakes, a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry filling and these cute time-travel Roman soldiers who showed up on my doorstep today. Hope you speak Latin. Hope your day is extra special!
Pink P.
Happy Birthday Ms. Joan! I will bring a German Chocolate cake.
Happy Birthday, Joan! Loved hearing about your special birthday memories *g*
I'll bring my mom's Butter Fudge Mallow cake which was always a birthday favorite at our house - chocolate cake with butterscotch filling and a sweet, sticky marshmallow frosting. Yum!!
We'll wash it down with Fo's Champagne ;-)
Happy Birthday Joanie! I hope it rocks!
Do you still have your Raggedy Ann doll? One of my 'special' birthday years I had a Raggedy Ann themed party! I still remember how amazed I felt, having such a special day.
I'll bring a big bowl of chex mix to stand up against all the sweets!
TURTLES! Of course, I'm bringing turtles to Joanie's birthday party. (I wouldn't want to be banned from the lair, after all!)
Happy Birthday, Joanie! I hope you have a beautiful, sunny, happy day...just as you deserve.
Well, I'm a bit older than Joan (face it, I'm older than dirt!) so maybe it's due to my age or maybe it's where I grew up but my friends and I had birthday parties every year. In fact, I had a party every year until I left for college. I'd never even heard of only having parties on "special" years until I moved to the south in my twenties.
Now, if y'all will excuse me, I must try one of those delicious looking peach bellinis and give Quinn, Dakota and Will a proper welcome. ;-)
June and AC, my youngest brother was born Christmas morning and shares your "no party" woes. From birth to age 12, he only had two parties and those were poorly attended because most of his friends were away for Christmas break. Usually he only got a cake on Christmas afternoon and joint Christmas/Birthday presents.
When he came to live with us at age 12 (after our mom died), I started having half-birthday parties for him in June. Fun times and no "It's Your Christmas Birthday" cards allowed! *g*
Happy, Happy Birthday, Joanie! You know how I love a party. *g*
I'm bringing Gerry (yes, that's Gerard Butler to most of you LOL), Hugh, and Clive. Sexy men are a necessity at your birthday party. Your wish is their command, Joanie! ;-)
Happy birthday, Joanie! Oh, have a happy, happy day! What's your brother taking you to see? I hope he lets you pick & I hope you please only yourself with the choice!
Now, what am I bringing to your party? Hmmm. You already have chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Ice cream? I love ice cream. Or...an icy cold Diet Coke? Lord knows we love to share a good Diet Coke. If I could, I'd bring you a day at Disney, because I'll never forget letting you mama duck me through the park last year.
Happy birthday, Joanie! Love you!
Happy Birthday Joan!!
It was so fun to read your post. We never had parties, but the picture of your home made cake reminds me of the one my mom made. I looooveed a white cake (not yellow) with chocolate icing. My husband and I practically share a birthday because his is the day before mine so we just go out to a nice dinner, but one year I came home from traveling during yet another birthday and he'd baked my favorite cake. :) That was so sweet.
Hope you have a wonderful day!!
Happy B-day Joan!! Have a fab day It's your day, so enjoy it to the fullest :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOANIE!!!!
Like you, I did not get a party every year "back in the day". And since my birthday is New Years Eve, it was nearly impossible to ever have one. BUT, for my 13th we rented a hall for a few days into the new year and had dancing and music and a big tado.
Unfortunately, I broke my arm minutes before the guests arrived, but I was not giving up that party. My dad made a sling out of two tea towels and I danced the night away. Then spent the night in the hospital and had it set the next morning. :)
Needless to say, I will never forget that birthday. LOL! Love the kitties!
Totally forgot to mention what I'm bringing. Duh. Well, I would say rum but we might have drown the Lair in rum yesterday.
Since I'm a former DJ, how about I bring the tunes? Requests accepted and tips in the jar, please.
A very happy birthday, my young friend!
The hockey hunks and I have created some lovely English desserts for you - trifle, cream caramel, Cambridge burnt custard and a special Crunchie ice-cream cake. Big pitcher of Pimms too!
Meows from Jersey Girl and CC.
I'm bringing chocolate cake with chocolate icing, obviously. And a foil princess tiara. I hope you like it! I glued the rhinestones on myself.
And because I'm a pirate, I'm bringing rum--and also this awesome strawberry salad with poppyseed dressing that is so delicious you'll want to eat it all year long.
Happy, happy BIRTHday, happy, happy BIRTHday!
CONGA line! Let's do the birthday CONGA!!!
WOOOT!! Happy Birthday Joanie T! We're so proud you're our Bandita.
Grins.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Thanks Barb! Glad you enjoyed my cowboys! Working on Will's story now!
Oh lordy, I see that I'm going to have to had several laps to my walk. Trifle? Yuuummmm.
And rum! And strawberry salad...
Oh my.
Happy Birthday, Joanie!! I love the picture of the cats. You can imagine what will happen next.
We didn't have a lot of "friend" birthday parties. But I have 8 brothers and sisters so we always had a fun time on birthdays.
Good morning everyone!!!
Wow!!!! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It touches my heart if not my hips with all the goodies, LOL
Hi Mason! Thanks for keeping the GR occupied for the day...he tries to steal the limelight plus Cricket and Grayson would ruin the house chasing him.
Kim! How cool to receive an authentic Hawaiian greeting. Wish I could be there...REALLY wish I could be there...to receive it in person
The nerve of your twin wanting to share your tea party barb!
I mean really...like he was born then too!!
Hmphhh
:D
Ok, Suz how did I not know you made world famous chicken salad?
I LOVE chicken salad!!!
FedEx, just sayin'
Thank ya darlin' for the good wishes! LY
Hi Helen!!!
Caramel biscuit slice....cookies that are refrigerated then sliced and baked? Am I right? Am I learning to speak Aussie? :D
I LOVE caramel!
Thanks flchen!
Dtchycat, hey I'm from KENTUCKY...KFC is fine but it must be original dark meat :D
June M.
Sorry about the holiday birthday. It has to be hard. My brother's is in Dec but the beginning so he was good.
I actually don't mind the occasional landing on Easter...bunny cakes don't you know.
Thanks Anna C. and Jane! Lots of champagne! (That rhymes hic)
Happy 40th Daz!
I remember that birthday "back in the day"....
Not as bad as I thought except I had a doctor have the NERVE to tell me the decreased hearing in my right ear was age related!
Whipper snapper
AC!!! Thanks!!
And GOOD on your Mom for making your birthday your day!
And I'm about finished with all the other goodies...pass the rocky road BURP
Happy Birthday Joan!
I have to ask about the special years you got a party, who picked 6 & 13? What was the signifigance of those years?
I'm bringing pool boys, I'll let you decide if its a cocktail or not!
HAPPPPPEEEEEY BIRTHDAAAAAAY, JOANIEEEEEE!!! Sounds like you've got a great day planned.
Here's the recipe for a little lime pie I just got from my SIL. It's low maintenance and not too hard on calories and, of course, delish!!!
3 low-fat graham cracker crusts (buy them, don't make!)
1 16-oz tub of Cool Whip, low-fat
2 cans non-fat condensed milk
1 16-oz can frozen limeade
Mix filling together and pour among the 3 crusts. Freeze. When solid, eat!
It's light and delicious and I'll bring it to the party!
Happy Birthday! I hope it's spectacular. =)
Happy Birthday Joanie! LOL - love the photo of the kittys contemplating the balloons. Next I expect to see one with bits of brightly colored elastic on the rug (grin).
Speaking of kittys...did you all see the youtube clip of the Bengal kitty and the dolphin? Too cute!
Yes - I'm of an age of few birthday parties, and after having presided over my kid's parties - I can say I understand the wisdom of limiting the number of kid parties. Had to laugh at a video clip my niece sent me of her son's two year old party. Most of the clip is my great-nephew looking confused with his parents off-camera trying to coax him to blow out the candles on his cake.
So glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake though it wasn't as pretty as the one on the blog (grin).
Hope you have a GREAT day today. Go out and buy yourself something special - my favorite way to celebrate (grin).
Oops - forgot to say what I'm bringing to the party. Looks like alcohol, cake, and tunes are all covered. I'll bring...a Segway. Yeah - your very own segway. I have visions of you riding it down the hospital corridors, doctors diving to get out of your way. Such a mode of transportation must make the hip easier to manage. Oh! And I'm attaching a Raggety Ann doll to the front to mark it as uniquely yours (as if there's a lot of Segways in the hospital). Just think of the increased efficiency! Mobile Nurse Joanie - Look out world!
Well, happy b-day to you! And I hope the kitties didn't explore whether cat claws and balloons are a good mix.
That could cause trauma!
Must remember to hide Raggedy Ann next time I have a party...
Happy birthday, Joan! Many happy returns of the day!
I never had a birthday party either!
Mother made a great dinner & a cake, and with all 11 of us present we had
enough for a well-populated party!
Everyone is bringing sweet stuff, so
I'll bring #1 son's pot roast (which
melts in your mouth) and my 3 Cheese
Scalloped Potatoes (which are to die
for!) Also orange juice & champagne
for mimosas!!
Pat Cochran
Leslie Gore - one of my old time favorites!! Happy Birthday! Margaritas - can't have a party without them lol. My kids got one party with a dozen or so kids and then some smaller sleepovers. I never had one and my sister got one which I never let her forget lol.
Joanie, I hope you have a fantastic birthday! Such a lovely day for it.
I'm bringing chocolate-covered strawberries. :)
Happy Birthday, hope it's fabulous! And of course, I'll bring a chocolate cake, with chocolate creme filling and chocolate icing. You can never have too much chocolate, LOL.
Its my birthday too! and my friend just had a baby so theres another awesome April 13th birthday to celebrate!
Amaris, Happy Birthday!
I know I pooped out midway of today in responding and know I hold every good wish to my heart (and awe at Terrio's courage and extraordinary pain threshold to party with a fractured arm) but I have been in a coma from all the goodies both virtual and on the plate in front of me.
Suz, send an insulin drip with the FedEx chicken salad, 'kay?
Love you all...
Happy Birthday Joan. Let's go out for a steak dinner!
Happy Happy Birthday Joanie!! Your fur babies are SO cute!
Mason, don't let the GR near the balloons!
I run a bakery, what do you think I am bringing?? THE CAKE, of course!
My birthday is four days after Christmas so I NEVER had a party. Sniff!
For my fiftieth, however (2 years ago. Another Sniff!) the girls in the bakery surprised me with some real pamper me supplies. Bath oils, bath beads, a bath pillow, a foot massager, a birthday cookie and some DVDs. That was a great birthday!
So, let me see, which birthday cake would you like, Joan?
We can make a cake that looks like one of your kittens, but that might be a bit strange to eat.
We could make one that looks like Hugh Jackman. Not. Saying. Another. Word.
Happy Birthday Joan!!
I hope you had a fantastic day
OMG! OMG! Roused out of my food coma for a shout out to Lisa Tapp aka my sister friend aka my writer collegue aka steak stalker.
Happy Birthday, Joan. Have fun with the Rooster Mason!
Happy Birthday, Joan! Sorry for being late to the party! I've got some fixings for Mojitos!
Hee! I got a birthday tiara last year! :D
Happy Birthday ~ A bit late. I'll be on cleanup duty ~ just as long as there is a piece of cake left.
Happy, Happy Birthday!
How about some champagne and a couple of cabana boys? Or was that a bottle of champagne in exchange for a couple of cabana boys? ;)
Happy Belated Birthday Joan. Hope you had a spectacular Birthday and had a great time wit your brother. I was going to bring Baked Ziti and cover model Jimmy Thomas. Couldn't reach him though. lol I think he was in California with Kim in Hawaii. :)
Carol L
Lucky4750@aol.com
Wishing you a late Happy Birthday! Hope you had fun on your birthday.
When my boys were in grade school they celebrated by having a cake with their families and a few friends to stay overnight (sometimes even sleeping in a tent outside in the backyard). They thought it was funny when they got invited to a party that was going to have everything from jugglers to pony rides. They'd ask me how their friends parents would ever do all that "stuff". I often wonder what parents today think they have to do for a child's birthday party!
Hope your birthday was celebrated with a good man, good wine and a good desert. What more do you need?
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