Five Things I Love About Birthday Week

So, I had a birthday this week.

No matter how old (or rather, closer to middle-aged) I get, I still look forward to my birthday every year. In so many ways, I've been the serious, responsible girl since I was a young girl. But when it comes to my birthday, I'm downright giddy and as excited as a little kid!

It doesn't hurt that since I was six years old, we've kind of treated birthdays as a multi-day or week-long event. With my brother's birthday landing the day before my own, it would have made sense for my parents to combine the celebration into a single party, but they never wanted us to feel shortchanged. So instead of a joint party, we'd have massive sleepover parties that lasted for an entire weekend and were packed with outings, games, entirely too much sugary food, and lots of friends. Mom ate it up - she loved having a houseful of kids running around having fun. I'm pretty sure Dad hid outside and did yard work to escape most of the chaos!

Now that we're older and busier, birthdays have extended to full weeks (mostly due to scheduling demands). For the last two years, I've even had show rehearsals on my birthday. This year, it was a choir rehearsal. So the fun gets strung out in drips and drabs, but that just makes the celebration last!

Here are my favorite things about Birthday Week:

1. The baked goods. In case you haven't figured it out from previous posts, I love baked goods. Pretty much all baked goods work for me, although I'm rather partial to pie. This year, one of my young castmates baked me cookies, my co-worker Stacy made Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars for the office, and Mom is providing a pie for our birthday dinner tomorrow. And undoubtedly, Mari, who is an expert baker, will come up with some amazing surprise when I celebrate with her and Dave next week. Not to mention the fact that years ago, I traded in birthday cake for something much more delicious and season-appropriate -  Apple Dumplings. I have a feeling I'm going to be treating myself sometime very soon!


2. The greetings. I've never been a big one for greeting cards for any occasion - I think it's an unnecessary gimmick that we're now guilted into spending money on. But every year, I love hearing from people on my birthday. Say what you will about Facebook, but the flood of posts and private messages on my birthday (and in the new version of Facebook, there is fireworks animation!) always gives me a warm buzz. (And I can always count on the immensely talented and truly delightful Anna Campbell to be the first "Happy Birthday" I get, since Australia is well ahead of us in time zones!) Add to that the texts, phone calls, in-person well wishes, emails, and endless renditions of "Happy Birthday", and I am well-reminded that I am loved by a group of truly wonderful individuals!



The disturbing picture that my Aunt created and posted on Facebook.
She's a little bit warped, but I adore her anyway.



3. My brother. What? Yes, I mean it. My brother and I have pretty much always been close, and I think part of that stems from the fact that we very nearly share a birthday. I actually have a very clear recollection of the first time I ever laid eyes on my kid brother - after dropping the neighborhood kids off following my McDonalds birthday party (remember when that was a thing?), my dad and grandparents drove me to the hospital to see my mom. Dad pointed through the window into the nursery and said, "That's your brother." At just over 24 hours old, he wasn't that impressive to look at, at least, not to a six year old. But since then, I've definitely come to realize he was the best birthday present I ever got.


4. The season. Really, October is a grand time to have a birthday. Sure, it's not pool party weather, but I've never had a pool, and I don't like to be hot. There's just this incredible crispness to the air that screams fall. The leaves are changing colors. Apples and pumpkins are in season. Christmas is still far enough away that it hasn't stolen the show yet. It's really the best month there is.


5. The food freebies. I am officially signed up for so many birthday freebies that my inbox is flooded every October. From free burgers at Red Robin to free ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery, it's definitely a glut-fest. Every year, I get more coupons than I can possibly use in the 2-4 weeks that they're valid, and not end up looking like Jabba the Hutt. Thank goodness my free pastry at Panera Bread is available until December...

What are your favorite birthday traditions?

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Five Breakfast-y Dreams

What a week it's been! And now Scotland has voted to remain part of the UK in a peaceful and democratic move. It's a great reminder that history is unfolding in front of our eyes every single day.

In other news, it has turned chilly here, and I can tell we're right on the cusp of my favorite season, autumn! But with the cooler days comes a greater reluctance to drag myself out of the warmth and comfort of my bed.

It doesn't help that this has been a bear of a week, and I find myself short on both sleep and energy.

All week long, I've been trying to finish off the skimmings from my peach and blackberry jam-making projects (I'm down to half a tea cup of Blackberry Port Jam) by eating it on whole wheat toast for breakfast. But this morning, my unwillingness to face the day meant that I was running late, and so I justified not packing my breakfast and just grabbing a 90-calorie granola bar by reminding myself that I'm only working until lunchtime today.

Still, as I sit at my computer and write this, I find that I really don't want that granola bar. There's breakfast, and then there's Breakfast.

I went through many years of not starting out the day with a meal - I even prided myself on my ability to go without. But now it's become a regular part of my morning ritual, and I find myself not looking forward to tearing open that wrapper.

Five Things I'd Rather Eat for Breakfast

1. Peanut Butter Oatmeal - Regular oatmeal was never good enough for my mother. Too plain, too boring, too bland. So she created a simple recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal (until I was in college, this was the only way I remembered eating oatmeal). Just combine in a medium pot 2 cups milk, 1 cup instant oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The oatmeal thickens very quickly, so once it's in a bowl, I like to pour some more milk over it. It's not the healthiest way to start the day, but it sure warms you up on a cold morning!


2. Ring-a-lings - My mom only made these a few times when I was a kid, but I loved them and always begged her to make them. The recipe is courtesy of Pillsbury.


3. Monkey Bread - When I was little, my mom had a microwave monkey bread recipe that she did in a glass pie plate. I would get so excited that I would yell, "Boy, oh boy!" And so for years, that's what we called it - Boy Oh Boy. I've never made the microwave version myself, but whenever it's my turn to bring in breakfast for the office, I skip the Dunkin' Donuts and the Panera bagels and usually make some version of Monkey Bread. There's so many ways to do it - the classic recipe, the savory version, as an appetizer, or really, any way you can think of! Right now, I'm thinking that the Pumpkin Cheesecake Monkey Bread sounds appropriately fall-ish!


4. Southwest Omelet - Surely you didn't think this was strictly a carb-loaded list! I go through phases with eggs - sometimes I just can't get enough eggs in my diet, and other times, I don't want to see, smell, or taste an egg. But right now, a nice warm omelet filled with garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions and seasoned with a little cumin and chili powder sounds marvelous.


5. Mimosas - Yes, I know I said things I'd rather eat for breakfast, but who doesn't love champagne for breakfast? I actually don't care for the stuff on its own, but mixed with equal parts OJ, you just can't go wrong. I made mimosas for a Craft Day I hosted several months ago, and let's just say that we were a very happy group of ladies!

What breakfast are you fantasizing about right now?


All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Five Things That Make Me Go Mmmmm

Does anyone else remember that song from some time in the '90s with the chorus line, "Things that make you go mmm, mmm"? Was that C&C Music Factory? Sadly, I'm not a walking encyclopedia of music knowledge the way my brother is - he can tell you who the studio drummer on Winger's second album was and how long he played with the band and why he stopped, without even blinking an eye. I'm lucky if I know who performed that song on the radio that I like to sing along with.

Anyway....for some reason, as I sat down this morning to write, that song popped into my head. I'm not sure if the song was supposed to have a different meaning,  and so your Friday Five is all about things that spark my curiosity, and make me go, "Mmm?"

Five Things That Make Me Go Mmmmm

1. Why are Peanut M&Ms so addictive? I can resist any other kind of M&M. Any kind of candy, for that matter. One of my coworkers keeps different candy stocked in her office at all times, although it's been years since she had a single sweet (that's willpower for you!), and I'm usually able to resist the temptation to pop a chocolate, or a Skittle, or a Reese's Cup into my mouth. But every once in a while, she'll have a supply of Fun Size Peanut M&M packets that she'll pull out just for me, and my resolve crumbles. Those little bite fulls of chocolatey, peanutty goodness are my Kryptonite - but I have no idea why. There's plenty of better tasting junk food out there...


2. Realty TV - why is it still around, and so popular? I'm not talking about the competitions - I do absolutely love So You Think You Can Dance, because those kids are wildly talented - but rather the reality shows that just follow "normal" people around in their "normal" lives. Are we really so hard up for entertainment that mocking others is the most appealing option? Give me scripted TV (and granted, some of it isn't that well written) or better yet, a book, any day over celebutantes, screaming dance moms, or Duck Dynasty.


3. Why don't the blooms on my lilies last longer? Seriously, I get maybe two weeks of glorious pink perfumed gorgeousness every July, and then they're gone, leaving just waxy green leaves and 4-foot stalks for the aphids to suck on. Sigh. I love them so much. I just can't understand why they have to pass so fleetingly through my year.


4. Why am I incapable of opening a can of anything without nicking my finger? I have two can openers - one is just a basic cheap one that I've had since college and works just fine, and the other is a heavy-duty KitchenAid red can opener that I could use to defend myself in the event of a zombie apocalypse. But regardless of which one I use, there's always that tiny little piece that sticks up where the lid breaks off, and it never fails but I cut myself. These hands have had enough!


5. Why is this giant Praying Mantis on my desk? I seriously just noticed this! I looked up and noticed it on my team trophy from this year's office Fitness Challenge. Ack! It just jumped off and is staring at me over my computer monitor! I'm not typically squeamish about insects - I grew up in the woods after all - and I'm not one of those girls who jumps up on her chair and screams at the sight of a spider. But this is a very LARGE insect, and it is not keeping its distance! Where on earth did this thing come from?!?! Eva tells me they are supposed to be good luck - with everything that's happened in the past month and an audition tomorrow, I could certainly use it!

That's what's circling in this mind today. Have a great weekend - I'm off to release a Praying Mantis into the wild (or at least into the shrubs outside the office entrance).

All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Five Things You May Not Know About Me

Two post in one week? What is the world coming to?

This week, I've decided to do something new. Since I am a champ at list making, I've decided to do a (short) list each Friday on a different subject. Maybe this will help us get to know each other better, or at least understand a little more about why I'm weird (fabulous, but weird). Feel free to contribute to each list in the comments!

Five Things You May Not Know About Me

1. I have overcome many of my childhood food aversions, but to this day, I still do not like beans of any kind. Really, I don't get along with most members of the legume family (including peanuts, which I love, but which make me break out horribly). My aversion to beans has been a source of much amusement to my family over the years, including my many schemes (some extreme) to dispose of beans at dinner rather than eating them - many a green bean was sacrificed to porcelain throne.


2. When I was searching for a house five years ago, I looked at more than 120 houses (that was the point at which my real estate agents stopped counting) in a 6 month period. Some people would call that being picky. I prefer to think of it as getting it right the first time.


3. I love to bake. I mean, really love it. It's one of my go-to stress relief outlets. I think it's the process of following the steps of a recipe that helps me decompress - it helps me get out of my head and just work out my frustrations. Plus, it makes my house smell heavenly, and quite frankly, like a home.


4. I have studied 4 foreign languages, and am considered fluent in German (at least, I hope I'm considered fluent, otherwise that bachelor's degree is a waste!). I even taught high school German for a brief period of time, in what I now refer to as "The Dark Months". *shudder* Seriously, my freshman were lucky to survive the experience.


5. Don't tell the Monty Python guys, but I genuinely don't have a favorite color. If asked on any given day, I might tell you that I love purple - there are so many amazing shades of purple in nature. Or I might say that I prefer green - my bedroom is painted green. I also love blue. And orange. I look fantastic in red. And who doesn't love yellow - such a friendly color! Do I really have to pick just one?

So that's it, my list of random factoids about myself. What would be on your list?