Monday, November 10, 2008

Birthday Recap: The Good, The Bad, and the Cajun Eyeball

All in all, I had a fabulous birthday, due in part to all the fab peeps who sent good wishes via The Wonder That Is My Blog. You iz gud peepul. Seriously.

The day started off very well, since Slayer allowed me to sleep in, and whilst I was sleeping, he taught the twins how to say Happy Birthday. There's nothing like having two sticky almost-two-year-olds launching themselves at you and shouting "Hacky burtday, Mommy!" at the top of their lungs. Son insisted on immediately singing the Billy Idol version of "Happy Birthday"; in other words, the song was loud and involved a lot of fist pumping.

And then there were the books. I got A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Extras by Scott Westerfeld, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Schwing! I've got surplus reading material for at least the next five minutes or so. I also got shoes and cooking implements. Not a Tit Obsessed Flamingo Sweater in sight. And then they took me out to eat so I wouldn't need to cook or clean on the wondrous day of my birth. Does Slayer treat me well or what?

So that's the good part. The bad part is that I have a horrendous cold, most of which is in my head and throat. I sound like I should work for a dwarven phone sex company. Son has an infected eye, probably from last week when he hit a tree with his face. He doesn't sound anything like a sexy dwarf, so don't even ask. You perv.

And then there's the weirdness, which is probably to be expected at any fete honoring yours truly. See, I had cajun shrimp as a part of my birthday eatables, and one of them attacked my eyeball. I took a bite and the damned thing squirted in an arc that rounded my cheek and landed square in my left eye. So there I am, crying tears of cayenne, when they bring the candle and start singing at me, and everyone in the restaurant was staring, probably thinking that I was an overemotional mom who happens to cry crimson tears. Luckily, one of my girls blew out the candle, because I couldn't see it through all the red.

All in all, it was a memorable birthday. About as memorable as year 19, in which I asked for a cherry cobbler instead of a cake. Mom couldn't get the candle to stand up in the cobbler so I ended up with a birthday meatloaf instead. Because really, shaped meat products just scream birthday celebration material, don't they?


Yes, I am blowing out the meatloaf. I even made a wish. Because wishing on cake is dumb; wishing on meatloaf makes much more sense.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

Happy Belated Birthday!

Jamie Eyberg said...

Now I want a B-day Meatloaf. Perfect for the carnivore in the family.

C.R. Evers said...

Glad you had a happy and memorable B-day, although you may have been able to do w/o the attack of the cajun shrimp. ;0)

love the b-day meatloaf. Everybody needs one of those.

Christy

Vikki said...

Happy Birthday, and OMG, I love meatloaf! And I love birthdays. Putting the two together is genius.

I can't even imagine the pain of the rabid cajun shrimp. Ouch + ouch + ouch + holy crap ouch! I got coffee grounds in my eye once and thought I was gonna die (don't ask, long story). But something spicy? AHHHHHH!!!!

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Hmmm, wonder if cajun shrimp would outdo the jalepeno pepper that attacked my eye once. I couldn't see for 2 hours!

Meatloaf cake. Yum. I think I'll stick with the regular, uh, traditional chocolate cake and super-sweet frosting that gives me a tummy-ache and never gets all the way eaten...

On second thought, pass over that meatloaf!

Cate Gardner said...

Good to hear you got lots of fab pressies - including the sticky, singing twosome.

So did the meatloaf wish come true???

PJ Hoover said...

Birthday meatloaf! How perfect! I'm making this for my husband next time!

Fox Lee said...

I thought spicy stuff waited a few hours before fighting back.

Tiny T said...

She was trying to help her mommy out :)

Books, shoes, and cooking stuff... What more can a woman ask for?!?! Ok well... With my cooking feats I might exchange the cooking stuff for something more suited to my abilities and non-flammable ;D

I had cheesecake for my 19th. It was FAB-ulous! All different kinds in one. YUM!! Although meat loaf is definitely more memorable. :)

Carrie Harris said...

Jeremy: Thanks, sunshine. :)

Jamie: Isn't it? I'm all for a little variety. Birthday meatloaf. Birthday hamburger. The birthday spaghetti is probably out of the question though.

Christy: Yeah, I probably could have lived a long and happy life without cajun seasoning my eyeball. :)

Vivi: I love meatloaf too. With ketchup, not gravy. Meatloaf is meant to be eaten with ketchup. And without shrimp or coffee in one's eye. (Yeouch!)

Glamis: Ugh. I once cut up a jalapeno and then rubbed my eye, and that was bad enough!

Cate: The wish? Well, I didn't marry him. In retrospect, this is a good thing. ;)

PJ: Mom used one of those musical candles, and I have to say that it made the meatloaf extra special.

I keep typing meatload by mistake. Snarf.

Natalie: Yeah, I know. This shrimp was extra aggressive, I guess.

Tiny T: I love cheesecake. Adore it. Can teach you how to cook it if you want. My problem is that the chillin won't eat it, and I like to share.

Aaron Polson said...

My wife's b-day is tomorrow, and she hates cake. Birthday meatloaf...maybe...

K.C. Shaw said...

I'm glad your birthday was a good one, despite the shrimp attack. I love the birthday meatloaf! I always asked for pumpkin pie instead of cake, myself.

Suzanne Casamento said...

You are not alone with birthday meatloaf. My Granny used to make the most amazing meatloaf. It simmers in a pot of tomato sauce, so you don't bake it and it's crazy moist and delicious. Think giant meatball made by Italian Goddess.

Anyway, my friend Beck loved it so much that every year she requested I make her a Granny Meatloaf instead of cake. So I did. Candle and all!

Who knew we weren't the only ones?

Happy Birthday!

Carrie Harris said...

Aaron: I hope she likes it! Heh... for some reason, that makes me feel absurdly special.

KC: Ooooh. Good choice. I'm a pecan pie girl myself. Or cheesecake, but the kids won't eat it.

Suzanne: You did NOT also do a birthday meatloaf. That is so cool. Although ours was a Mutt Meatloaf, because we're like German-Dutch-French-English-Martians or something like that.

Adrienne said...

Ha! Birthday meatloaf sounds great - can you remember what you wished for?

Hope you're feeling better :)

Tiny T said...

Cheesecake is the bomb! :) I would love to learn how to make it... from scratch? You know.... my birfday is next week. You're invited ;)

Michele Thornton said...

Happy Birthday! So tell me, do birthday wishes come true when you make them over meatloaf?

Brenda said...

Happy Belated Birthday!!! Love the meatloaf cake...grin...now that's original...

K. M. Walton said...

Wait a minute!!!! Don't tell me your birthday was Saturday the 8th, because, that was my birthday.

Scorpios RULE. Even if we do hold one wicked grudge.

Rena Jones said...

Love this post, especially the birthday meatloaf. Now don't you go giving my husband any ideas!!!

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

Kelly Polark said...

Glad you had a mostly good birthday! (love the two year old wishes!) I liked the happy birthday meatloaf story and picture! Funny!

sruble said...

Wishing on meatloaf, hee hee. I'm glad that the beginning of your birthday rocked. Sorry about the cold and the eyeball. Feel better soon!!!

Jim Danielson said...

Nothin' says lovin' like meatloaf from the oven!

Happy Birthday Carrie!!!

Sherrie Petersen said...

Sticky two-year-old birthday wishes are the best. And not having to cook is definitely a bonus! Happy belated birthday!

Carrie Harris said...

Adrienne: Yeah, I wished that boyfriend would pop the question. He didn't. That's a good thing. So the meatloaf did what was best for me, because meatloafs are cool like that.

Tiny T: Yes, from scratch. :)

Michele: Nope. But this is a good thing. See my response to Adrienne. Heh.

Brenda: Do you expect any less from me? Snarf.

KM: NO WAY! We share a birthday. I knew there was a reason I liked you. And speaking of Scorpios, Slayer lives with FOUR of them. Heh heh heh.

Rena: Why, does your hubby go as crazy over meat as mine? I swear that someday I will make him a birthday dinner of meat with a side of meat.

Kelly: Why thanks! Hope you had a good weekend too.

sruble: My eyeball thanks you. It's feeling much better now. ;)

Jim: That needs to be a commercial slogan.

Sherrie: You've got that right! I love to cook, but everybody's got to take a break sometime.

Marcia said...

Happy birthday, Carrie. Yours is one day after my son's. He's probably about your age . . . :)

Carrie Harris said...

Thanks, Marcia. And happy birthday to your son too!