Lol, you know I had a great cake. It was a molded chocolate one with chocolate pudding and strawberry sauce and iced with that hard chocolate shells and topped with chocolate covered strawberries and hubby got me my favorite cut flowers 2 big bouquets of alstromeria. I had gotten some in one of my first trades but they came up. I love those. I fell asleep after fishing and they had to wake me up at 9pm to eat my cake, lol. I was whooped bad I guess. Not used to all this running around. Thank you all for the nice birthday wishes.

Thanks for the belated wishes as well - I guess I got my last birthday present today, which was a new crown for one of my teeth! Sol, my family was good to me this year - Kevin got me a book that I like very much, and my sister sent me a package that arrived yesterday, thus prolonging my BD a bit. KD, was your son's birthday the same day as mine? I know that Sooz was celebrating someone's birthday last week-end also, but she did not say whose. I have had a lot of friends with birthdays right around mine, and Kevin's is exactly three weeks after mine (except on leap years), and we are planning to go to Palm Springs for that. Colleen, "Russian Salad" was more like a Salad Niçoise, in that it had potatoes, green beans, tuna, HB egg, etc. but it had a different dressing on it. All in all, I did have a very happy birthday. Last year my birthday was the first one I had had after my parents passed away. My birthday was also their anniversary, and so it was rather sad - so we went to Death Valley. Here's a picture of me on my previous birthday in an abandoned building in Leadville (ghost town) DV. Lars

Thanks everyone! I'm just getting in... We didn't do the massage thing or end up at a club.... we met friends at Chili's (because they have happy hour all day every day) and after 6 long island iced teas, I didn't feel like doing a whole lot except giggling and being silly! Our server looked just like Jessica from True Blood.... I mentioned this to her after about the 4th Long Island and she said she was told that all the time and that she loves the show and that she now recognizes that she does look like that character/actress after her customers pointed it out to her. When she found out it was my birthday, she told me that just had a birthday 2 days ago and she was even born the same year I was.... that was funny! As is common with many of the restaurants in Orlando, there was a "balloon lady", and while I wasn't looking, Larry asked her if she could make a vacuum cleaner out of a balloon. She said she'd never done it before, but she really did a good job.... Here's a picture of me with my "new vacuum".... excuse the goofy grin.... I was "very happy" there after all those drinks.... After we had drinks at Chili's, Larry was hungry so we went to a vegetarian restaurant and I got some fake beef and some fake shrimp wraps with peanut sauce.... very good! Larry got sushi and fake steak. Yes, Jasper knows that he is loved and in complete control... the arrogant little thing is demanding my attention right now. Pat, that would be great. I've met a few CF members before (Cathy, Shaun, a few others) and it was a total blast. Just let me know... if I don't see it on the forum, e-mail me privately when you think you might be coming up! Annie, a camouflage cake does sound pretty redneck.... but I don't know if either of us can truly claim the title until we've been commissioned to make a cake like this :o) I didn't make this, just found it online, but I have some family members that would love it! I guess I should try to chime in more often :o) Thanks again guys

Just got in from the land of orange groves and double wide trailers. It was good, actually! I went to get granny first, and I made her cry because I gave her a rotary cutter and self healing mat... she quilts by hand and she's lost her rotary cutter and never had a self healing mat. Her hands shake now and she has trouble cutting in a straight line with fabric scissors, so I thought that would help, and she was really touched... now I just have to get her that Bunn coffee maker she's been talking about. She had a bunch of quilt blocks spread out all over the sofa so she could show me what she has been working on. She's always so happy for me to see her work, and I am so shocked that she insists in quilting by hand at her age... she thinks machine quilting isn't really quilting. I strongly disagree! I brought my Dyson to vacuum for her since her vacuum is so awful. I took the hose off the Dyson to get under her couch where the upright part was too thick to reach and heard a SLURP. The incredible suction of the Dyson pulled in an entire quilt block! And, I was nowhere near it with the wand, I still don't know how it happened. It happened so fast, I didn't even see it, just heard it. I had to open the dust bin up and retrieve it.... I apologized, but she wasn't upset at all... we both got a really good laugh out of it. It didn't even get dusty! Once I realized it didn't bother her, I laughed so hard I cried, and so did she... it took me a while to gain enough composure to retrieve the quilt block from the cleaner. I sucked up enough bobby pins and straight pins to start a factory... not to mention thread a fabric scraps.... I could make a whole quilt with what's in the dust bin. I also brought my new tiffany style lamp to show her and she really liked it. She gave me a card that was really sweet, and apologized that she didn't have any money to buy me a real present... I told her that was silly and love was all I needed (I buy myself enough "stuff")... she said,"Well, that's good because you got plenty of that" (meaning love). It was really sweet. Then we went to my uncle's and the food was ready.. they smoked chicken, grilled chicken, and BBQd chicken. The also had a salad, and baked beans with sausage. It was all REALLY good! My aunt made me a cake (just want I needed!).... it was a boxed yellow cake with store bought icing. I didn't get any salad and they were wondering why... my grandma told them I was dieting and that I love salads (which I have never said because it isn't true), so after eating the other stuff, I had a plate of salad (had to pick the tomatoes out, at least they had ranch dressing). They gave me a card and more mylar balloons (what is up with mylar ballons) and pictures of me as a kid all dressed in halloween costumes and such (remember they were the ones that raised me from 6 to 19). There was another aunt there, another grandma (not the one I was close with... the one I brought was the one I was close with) and my little cousin that I was raised with (she's 19).... we talked a while and ate and then granny stood up, which his her signal that she was ready to go home. I was too at that point.... the aunt was getting annoying (she just doesn't know when to shut up and "picks" on everyone... except me, because I haven't been back in their life long enough yet) and their spoiled black lab was begging for food and trying to lick my face the whole time. So, I took granny home and we talked a while at her place... I looked at her sewing machine and fixed the tension and wrote down the model number so I can download an print a manual for it.... she wants one and it didn't come with one when she bought it. She had trouble letting me go, she didn't want me to leave... she's so bored/lonely living out there, so I promised I'd call and be back soon and started home. It was a good day. The aunt gave me a tupperware cake carrier (turquoise!) to take the cake home in and told me to keep it... it was my little cousin's, exes and he never came to get it after they broke up. That is great because I can keep that one and give Larry my gray and white sterilite one! Oh yeah, and I popped those mylar balloons (my "car scissors" are so handy!) and threw them in the trash at the gas station on the way home. I didn't need them bouncing around in the car during the 50 minute drive home, and they would have just been one more thing to carry home. I tried to find some child to give them to, but there weren't any! I hope they don't go to the gas station later for some chewing tobacco and see them in the garbage (there's only one gas station in that town!). I'm throwing aunt's cake in the trash too because I just don't have room for it. They sent me home with lots of food and I will enjoy it for a few days... I don't have room for 3 cakes, but I'll make room for the chicken and baked beans, even if I have to throw the milk and eggs out! So, yes, a good day, I'm surprised and happy :) Larry is on his way over to try some of the Publix chocolate cake and see his nephew (Jasper the cat) and watch some Lucy :0) I guess I'd better vacuum the cat hair off the sofa (he hates cat hair) and dig a place on the couch for him to sit.... oh yeah, and wash a dish so he can try the cake.... I've been lazy with the housework lately! Thanks again everyone.... by the way, Larry said that isn't the Paula Dean recipe, but one of several he found on Google for the coconut cake. Oh yeah, the Publix cake tastes as great as it looks.... under that dark brown chocolate top layer is a lighter brown layer of mousse like frosting.... man it's good!