birthday extra.

i have vivid memories of a birthday cake with a tiny train on top. the train had little zoo animals in it and it was always my favorite cake.

every time i'm shopping for cake toppers i look for a train like the one i remembered.

recently i stumbled upon this photo in my parents slides and was so happy i didn't dream the whole thing up!

happy birthday twinnie - so glad i got to celebrate with you in nyc!

mom, thank you for a cake i'll never forget!

PS happy birthday to my twinnie. and me.

this is us at the age my boy is now. pretty crazy to think about.

ps which one do you think is me?

Bits of my weekend vol. 67.

one last hurrah for the boy's birthday. his fellow september birthday friends, maddie, isaac and ryan got together for a joint celebration with about 40 of their close personal friends.

a water slide was rented and we had iveycakes.

how was your weekend?

Bits of my weekend vol. 66.

oh what a weekend. it was all about the boy (but then, when isn't it?)

the boy turns six today, so we spent the whole labor day weekend doing whatever the heck he wanted.

i'll be the first to admit i went a little overboard. there were balloons and presents, a sushi dinner at ginza, a trip to chuck e. cheese's, a return to shakespeare in the park, and a sweet cece's reunion with his besties, winston and ryan.

and there's another party this weekend to commemorate with co-besties isaac and maddie.

whew. yeah. so i went a lot overboard.

the gift that was the biggest hit was the nintendo ds i bought from a co-worker for very little cost. it's an older version but the boy doesn't know the difference. i fear every picture i will ever take of him from here on out will be of him hunching over his ds.

PS: our weather just turned weird and we went from sweltering hot to cold cold rain. how was your weekend?

balloon chandelier.

we got a little creative and hung balloons from the ceiling fan. when you turn it on, the balloons fly around like crazy, and it's very festive.

it's getting me excited about the boy's upcoming birthday. he's turning six.

and that's pretty great.

more details on the party coming soon.

i would give them to you now, but i have no idea what we are doing!

a gift so nice, i got it twice!

and almost thrice!

after mentioning this fantastic dinnerwear line from fishs eddy recently on my blog, not one, but two sets of loved ones sent me this fabulous cream and sugar set.

my dear mom almost ordered it as well, but had a gut feeling to wait on the purchase (she is highly intuitive), and was right to do so.

i'll be sending back the duplicates in exchange for other wonderful things from the 212 new york skyline set.

big hugs and kisses to all those who love and know me so well.

what a night

my birthday dinner out with the girls was terrific. sheryl and the kellys made me feel like a million bucks. first they gave me some fantastic stuff from the 212 New York Skyline dinnerware from fishs eddy. then it was off to suzy wong's house of yum, where we occupied the premiere table by the window, and were treated like the princesses we so deserve to be.

the food was fan-tast-tic. what can i say? it was out of this world. the crunchy shrimp and avacado maki roll was heaven. i don't know what chef arnold myint does to it, but it simply melts in your mouth.

and the five spice pork ribs were an outstanding mix of heat and sweet - so tender they dropped from the bone. we had the garlic and holy basil egg noodle lo mein, plus a few other things. everything absolutely stellar.

and the buttery 'just sauvignon blanc' was tremendous. the night could not have been more special. our server stephanie was extremely helpful (and patient) and house manager donnie even stopped by for a moment or two.

i cannot recommend this place enough.

go. now.

well? go on.

The posse, left to right: queen of nut allergies kelly r. ("k-rock"); michigander kelly b.; me; and total texan sheryl r.

hurray for fishs eddy!

somebody has been reading my mind ... or has been reading my blog ... or both, because i received this box from fishs eddy yesterday in the mail. i'm saving it to open on saturday on my official birthday. thanks, twinnie, i know it was you!

it's monday but i'm already thinking about friday.

some of my gal pals and i have reservations at suzy wong's house of yum and i can't wait. this new eatery, with renowned chef arnold myint at the helm, is sure to be an A plus experience. my birthday is the excuse for gathering. i so enjoy turning 34 year after year.

PS that little booger holding the ball is me at age 2 1/2. i'll post some twin pics later this week.

Birthday Wrap-up

OK, so I didn't exactly follow my official birthday schedule. And we never made it to the movie. But that's what's fun about birthdays. Just going where the wind takes you. Here's where it took us: Baja Fresh for lunch ... shoe shopping at Marti and Liz ... more shopping at three (!) different malls ... a fantastic sushi dinner ... and Godiva dark chocolate truffles to end the night. Hubz was the sweetest - driving me around and never complaining once while he waited ... and waited ... and waited. The best part of the day was actually having the time to look hubz in the eye over dinner and talk about what's going on in our lives (besides Jack Henry!). What a luxury. Forty Four is fabulous!

Woo hooooo

Hubz got me the flip Mino video camera!!!!

Birthday plans: REVEALED

I have a lot of things planned for me and Hubz on Friday. First, a visit to the Curious Gourmet and Cupcake Cafe in Franklin for one of these.



Then, a little discount shoe shopping at Marti & Liz ...



... and a tasty lunch at Bombay Palace.



Next, an opening day movie ...



... and a Choo-Choo Roll (or two) at Samurai Sushi.




Maybe a little more retail therapy ...



... and a phone call to my twin in Los Angeles. Happy Birthday, sissy!



Lastly, a hug from my little boy, a kiss (or two) from Hubz ... And eight full hours of sleep. Happy Birthday to me!