Happy Birthday to me...

           I had a fun birthday weekend even though it was totally different from past birthdays. Every year since I went to college, I've had a bunch of close friends over to my parents and my Dad's made his famous Caajun BBQ'd shrimp-really spicy and totally delicious! Here are some pictures from birthday dinners all the way back in 2005 and 2006!

Here I am with friends Ashley and Sarah, always part of the Caajun shrimp dinners, and that's Mom and Dad in the kitchen working on dinner.

No, idea what was going on here. I'm just glad I'm not on the bottom of the pyramid--thanks Ashley, Chloe and Sarah for sacrificing your spinal health.

Again, why? We must have been in cheerleader posing mood. Instead of

birthday spankings...we'll pick you up!

What's a birthday without Mom's famous Wesson Oil Cake?
Rhetorical question of course, and that's my friend Brit on the left!

           Well, this year, the whole family and many of our friends were busy with the World Equestrian Games opening ceremonies and rehearsals so we didn't do the birthday dinner this weekend, maybe in a few weeks. W was off work on Saturday so we celebrated then. I woke up greeted by the fragrances of Panera hazelnut coffee (with half n half of course) and cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. The coffee was perfect and the cinnamon rolls, bless their hearts, were a little burnt...but rich with the flavor of love (sorry, couldn't resist). Then W gave me some beautiful flowers-all fall colors-and a fun pumpkin carving kit (he knows me so well). I'm still enjoying the flowers and sniffing them maniacally.

I also love the mod square brown vase.

               Mom, Chloe and Jack stopped by later in the morning with lovely cupcakes from Caramanda's. The strawberry ones that I already loved and some yummy, glossy German chocolate ones that I love now.

They tasted as good as they look. (And are still tasting, I still have 4 left...mmm...3)

            In the evening, my sweet husband picked up Idian food for me (chicken tikka masala, naan, papadam and samosas-to be exact), even though he can't stand it and it makes him sneeze. He ate a mushroom and swiss burger from McDonald's. W also bought wine and two big, fat pumpkins. We had a blast carving them up (using our new kit) and drinking wine on the front porch with Baby P hanging out in his swing. You tear the pattern out of the book and tape it on the pumpkin, then punch holes through the paper and start carving. I was skeptical about my design because it looked really complicated. Here's how they turned out!

Whole pumpkins, pre-carving

W's quirky grin...

             And my terrifying Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow! I'm not expecting it to last, we have pumpkin eating squirrels in our neighborhood. But we'll enjoy it for now! There were cars backed up around the block to look at these magnificent works of art. :)