Happy Birthday to Me, Part Two

Still no books, but the second day of my birthday was just as excellent as the first.

For the rest of the first day, I had grilled chicken with peanut sauce and rice and coconut ice cream at the Artist Cafe. And they sang happy birthday to me and then "happy track star" to AshLee, since we were also celebrating her state championships. I LOVE the Artist Cafe. The walls are lime green and turquoise and covered with original art, mostly by students. The food is to die for and the hospitality is unbelievable. It makes me happy just to be there.

Yesterday I dropped Dave and AshLee off at Hoopfest, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world, which takes place every summer in downtown Spokane. Also known as the biggest social event of the season for 17-year-old kids. I headed out to my parents, where mom and I had an excellent tag-team sewing session. We got Sissy's vest and skirt almost finished. A few more seams for me to finish off and then I'll post pictures. The outfit turned out really cute and between that and all the blog talk about making skirts, I'm really warming up to the idea of sewing some clothing for myself.

Of course, there were presents. Gift certificates to the bead store, the quilt store and Michaels, which are all in the same parking lot (some sort of lovely harmonic convergence there). Also, a darling cross-stitch mom made of a little black kitten sitting in the bathroom sink (imagine that!) and some cool old jazz records from dad. Two of my aunties had been in town on a quick visit and left me a gorgeous antique linen embroidered table cloth with matching napkins.

The aunties were transporting a distribution of my grandparent's things, which they are still working on dividing up. I was thrilled to discover they had brought me the big old stoneware bowl from my grandma's kitchen that I dearly love. Also a bible with my grandfather's name engraved on it from when he served in the state legislature. Very cool!

Another birthday dinner, this one shared with Dad, since his birthday was the 14th. Grilled cheeseburgers, seafood salad and, of course, birthday cake. Birthday cake in our family means one thing. Yellow cake with fudge on top. No silly, not fudge frosting, fudge. A whole batch of Grandma Gamon's old fashioned cooked fudge, poured and spread over the cake before it sets. It's superfantastic. Everyone is allowed to pick whatever dessert they want for their birthday and everyone always picks birthday cake.

We finished off the evening with a viewing of "the magnificent 7", a video highlight dvd of the championship track season put together by one of the other track moms.

Now Dave is driving Ash to Pullman for track camp and I have the house to myself for a few hours. I need to finish the dress and work in the garden, but instead I'm going to pop in a movie and stitch on my Straight and Narrow quilt, because I'm starting to get cranky from skipping my Recommended Daily Allowance of quilting all week.