Ahhh...Friday!! (and the best one of all!)

Happy birthday to me.
Happy birthday to me.
Happy birthday dear me.
Happy birthday to me.

Ha ha! I just had to get a little bit of self-gratification in there this morning!

I have already had a super-duper birthday. The girls woke me up at 6:3o, saying Gary needed to see me in the kitchen. (First off, when are MY kids waking ME up at 6:30? And when is Gary in the kitchen before I'm awake? Sounded fishy to me.) Well, my groggy, half-awake self managed to get barely as far as my bedroom door when I was accosted by balloons--lots and lots of them! The girls had gotten up at 6 (another hard-to-believe feat!) to blow up and put out balloons, and hang up streamers and signs. Needless to say, I woke up quick and told them how great they were! So sweet!!

I also had this on my table...


McKenna said I have to wear it all day long. So I guess I will!!

And this...

Do these people know how to wrap presents or what?

(They were filled with all sorts of Bama goodness. A new Bama shirt to wear this year to the games, a houndstooth cap, and an oh-my-gosh the cutest Bama crocs! I will display them all in a photo tomorrow from Gameday!)

And thank you so much for all the wonderful birthday greetings from all of you!!

Thank you, Maria, for your special shout-out to me!
Thank you, Liz, for my RAK. I know it wasn't for my irthday, but it arrived yesterday so it felt like it. LOL (It was the coolest set of Autumn Leaves stamps.)
And Thank you, sweet Adrienne, for my special shout-out on your blog this morning!
And to Gary too!! Sometimes I do think I have a pretty good husband!! LOL
And to all of the rest of you who have left me sweet birthday messages!

Last night I got to spend my birthday eve with lots of my best buddies at our monthly Bunko gathering. I even enjoyed a decadent cake that I went ahead and considered a Birthday Eve Cake (chocolate cake covered with--get this!!--a cooked mixture of a can of Hershey's chocolat syrup, a can of Eagle Brand milk, and a stick of butter! Oh my....)

I've already got an e-card from my Aunt LaRue, an email greeting from Bobby (although I didn't really enjoy the comment that "You are an old lady now"!), and IMs from several friends. You guys and gals are all so great!

Yesterday, I got five birthday cards in the mail. My favorites were from my sweet grandmother in Texas (she never forgets!) and my sweet, sweet friend Michelle who lives in Hawaii. Getting a card from Michelle (which you always get ON your birthday exactly or even a day early; I really don't know how Super Michelle manages to be so amazingly organized and thoughtful) is a highlight of your birthday in our household. She sends us all cards and they are always the coolest! They usually involve palm trees or flamingoes or hula girls...always something beachy and Hawaiian and fun!

This was the card I received from her yesterday in the mail...


Almost as sweet as the card itself is the sentimet that always comes inside. In her beautiful handwriting, she gave me these special wishes: "I hope your special day is filled with sunshine and warmth, love and laughter, pampering R&R combined with a just-right amount of wild, adventurous fun, and something rich, decadent and preferably chocolate-y, as a delicious treat! I'm thinking of you and sending you birthday hugs and aloha, my friend!"

Now if that won't get me all psyched up for a birthday full of celebrating, I don't know what will!!

On tap for today and the weekend...

~ After the high school football game tonight, we are going out for our annual Late Night Birthday Bowling!!!

~ We will go to Tuscaloosa tomorrow for the Bama game, but not before we have a birthday gathering at my parents' house (where I will get my Italian Cream Cheese Cake. Yumm-o!!)

~ And then a long Labor Day weekend. Should be a GOOD one!!!

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend and holiday this coming Monday. I will be sure and share some pics of everything when the weekend is over! And now, I'm off to the scrapbook store to finish up my cool little mini album I'm doing for a class in two weeks there (I may pop back on this evening to post some pics, if you want to pop back on later and check it out!)

See ya soon!!! Love ya!!!

(And, ooh, I just LOVE this song! Makes me be-bop!)