Happy Birthday to Me!

I've been enjoying a fabulous birthday week. Last weekend, I threw myself (that's right) a party. I had six friends come over and everyone brought something tasty to share: we had tomato-olive tart, potato soup, Doritos casserole (that's a thing!), buffalo chicken dip, macadamia-caramel cheesecake (as delicious as it sounds), lemon cookie cups, noodle soup, and more. I made these tasty, fun Caesar Salad Crouton Cups and some birthday cupcakes (red velvet/cream cheese). We did crafts. One of my guests brought candle-making supplies and taught everyone to make their own candles. We all got to take home two highly-scented candles and a couple of tarts, too. I led another craft, which I'll share with you tomorrow. 

It was a fun party. There was laughter and chatting, and everyone got to take home some hand-made items. 

Presents! Aren't birthday presents fun? My husband bought me a new blender, the Ninja. It's fabulous! It can turn whole carrots and spinach into a milk shake when blended with some frozen fruit and milk or juice. I received some terrific presents from friends, too. One of them brought me a Polish pottery vase, which was such a perfect thing to receive, as I've been wanting some Polish pottery for a long time. Another friend brought me this adorable fish I can't kill. She and I went shopping together a couple of weeks ago and we spotted this ingenius setup. A vase, some aquarium rocks, and glass fish that bob around in the water. It's adorable and you can't kill the fish. Win-win. I love it! I received a bouquet of flowers, too, at my party, which are happily brightening up my kitchen table now. And finally, my mother bought me a set of hiking/Nordic walking poles, which I can't wait to start using. 

I haven't had a birthday celebration since I turned sixteen, and today, I turned thirty-five. A very happy birthday. I'm so thankful for wonderful family and friends to share this day with. This is going to be a terrific year. 

Look, even Google wished me a happy birthday!