Annie, I'd never forget a friend's birthday! I was hanging out with visiting relatives over the weekend. But I was with you in spirit, while you were busy serving food to 300 hungry guests. Remember that little voice that whispered: "Run Awaaaay"...that was me. I'm glad you didn't take my advice though, as the celebration benefited other folks, outside the wedding party. I hope you're well-rested, and ready to riverdance your way through a new day. Best Wishes for a Happy Belated Birthday AB! Sol

Thanks you all. After wishes are just as appreciated. Smiles. It was a good day and it's been a good weekend so far. We still have tomorrow. The canning has gone pretty good, but it sure is hard with two old ladies with bad backs one of which uses a cane, to haul all that hot water and such and schlep the stuff around the kitchen, clean all the jars from basement,. etc.. etc.. lol. Did a few dills and some tomatoes. Meanwhile dragging the canning stuff from the pantry closet[which is an under the stairs kind of deal so it goes far back but gets shallow] caused me to have to clean and rearrange that. I've just about killed Christy. She may never take another day off. LOL. Omg. Lars.. you made me laugh so hard. I read your post to Christy and she said.. "Jerseylicious..you... NOT..", then she proceeded to kill herself laughing. ..lmao.. omg.. good one. Don't have the accent. My hair is long and I've only had it cut professionally once in my adult life and that was a trim. I cut it myself. No hair products, except shampoo. Some eye liner and mascara sometimes. No animal prints..ever..lol.. I wear long cotton tshirt dresses or long tshirts and shorts/pants. Sorry if this disappoints.. smiles. Btw, around here we call that part of NJ.. New York New Jersey.

Thanks ya'll. It's been a very nice day. We ended up not going today so will try to fit that in while she's still off. We stayed home so that Christy could cook. She made my Fresh Pasta Sauce with eggplant and yellow squash and served it over cheese ravioli. It really turned out great! I love ravioli too. Just had a piece of the cake and it was delish. The icing was a nice buttercream with vanilla and almond extract both. Jessie helped by licking plates. One of my presents was a new ice cream scoop. LOL.. Time to make that creamsicle ice cream. I did buy the oj concentrate. Again, thanks.

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!