Feeling Thirty-Fine

Our celebration flamingo presided over the festivities

Do you remember the last year that you were in your thirties? I do, to a certain extent.

Those age milestones of twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, et cetera, seem huge as they loom, do they not? Weighted with special significance somehow.

There are three March birthdays in our family: mine, Audrey's, and Andrew's

Our Audrey turned thirty-nine a few weeks ago. And we celebrated. As we are prone to do.

Birthday Girl did not want to go to a restaurant; I suggested a menu, which she approved. Then I asked what she wanted for dessert.

(On your birthday you don't automatically want a big gooey cake.)

I stuck the cake topper into the flourless fudgy brownies

Without hesitation she said key lime pie, and I knew what she meant: Kenny's. Done. (If you can find a better ready-made island-style key lime pie in the grocery store, I am interested in having that information.)

Erica and I were discussing a second dessert and she told me that she had made a batch of flourless brownies that were fantastic so I said, oh yeah, I'll do that.

It's not a birthday without the balloons

Her recipe used bananas as a sweetener, and I will be making those soon, because I went looking for more flourless brownie recipes and found a super fudgy one and used that instead.

(None of us eat gluten-free; in fact we engage in zero fashionable dietary doings whatsoever. I just thought these recipes sounded interesting, and they are, as well as truly delicious.)

Kenny's Key Lime Pie makes you want to eat dessert first

(I do sort of drift towards low-carb on a daily basis, but it's not gospel and I will still eat a brownie.)

OK so the fudgy recipe? I have never worked so hard in my entire pirate life to produce a pan of brownies. The batter was like chocolate sludge. Unpourable. Barely spreadable into the parchment paper which lined the pan.

We invested in a party size bag of Fritos Scoops

My arms ached and my kitchen looked like a chocolate grenade had detonated.

(I had planned to use this recipe posted by Mari many years ago, but got sidetracked. I WILL try this recipe ... there is never a bad time to make brownies.)

My low-carb breaded chicken tenderloins before plating

BUT the brownies that I did make were certainly fudgy-gooey and definitely delicious. They did not last long and, alongside the tangy key lime pie, washed down with cups of freshly made piping-hot Starbucks decaf, were a legit dessert experience.

But first, supper. We had Mari's Hot Taco Dip (sans olives and jalapeños) -- a no-fail crowd pleaser -- along with chicken tenderloins baked with a breading of coconut flour, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning.

These would not survive the night

TG and I practically had to hock the farm to buy a party size bag of Fritos Scoops, but those are necessary with the Hot Taco Dip.

On the table were dishes of plain sour cream to dollop atop your serving of dip, as well as sour cream mixed with sriracha sauce for dredging your chicken.

There were dishes of plain sour cream and sour cream sriracha for dipping

I made a veggie platter and had Ranch dressing for more dipping, plus tri-color coleslaw (from the bag, moistened with Marzetti).

To drink, we had the giant galvanized bucket filled with ice and ice-cold sparkling ICE drinks. Everybody lights up when they see those.

There was crunchy creamy coleslaw

As a rule, we keep it simple. But fresh and delicious, with lots of color and flavor. And fun.

Everyone arrived and Baby Rhett's high chair was set up, and he was sat in it. He's so big now.

Baby Rhett was all set

We filled our plates and soon everyone was around the table, eating and chatting and laughing and birthdaying. Erica had brought the balloons (for years we have not birthdayed without balloons) and they bobbed overhead.

In due time the dishes were cleared and, while we waited a decent time before having coffee and dessert, Audrey opened her gifts.

Our traditional Happy Birthday banner was hung in its usual place

My girls had gone in together on my birthday a few weeks before, to give me a pair of AirPods Pro. These are the more spectacular ones, and I was almost embarrassed that they had been so extravagant, but this makes such a wonderful gift.

In my case, they're life changing (anything that removes wires from hanging off of you is life changing). I take a walk every day and I listen to books as I go.

You had your choice of ICE drink flavors from the bucket

I was forever hitting the wires as I swung my arms, jerking the ear pods loose.

In addition, the free ear pods just did not fit inside my ears without discomfort and without one of them refusing to really stay in place.

Just wait 'til July when he turns one

Then I'd jerk the wire and one would practically fall out. It was awful.

The AirPods Pro have the soft little foam pieces that come in three sizes, the smallest of which makes the pods snug in both of my ears without producing any discomfort.

She got some nice presents and cute cards

No wires anywhere. And yet I still think I'm going to jerk a wire with my thumb while I walk. But I'm slowly becoming accustomed to the fact that they are no longer there. The wires, I mean; not my thumbs.

Anyway, so taken was I with my AirPods Pro that TG and I decided to give Audrey some for her birthday.

Eventually I made a big pot of coffee and we had dessert

She was overwhelmed that we'd gone as far as getting the more expensive ones -- she'd have been more than happy with the plainer version -- but for various reasons we felt it was the right thing to do.

Her sisters and bother brother and Dagny gave her some nice things too, and we all had a good time watching her open the presents.

There was lots of green on the shelf for March

Then I percolated a big pot of Starbucks decaf and served it in diner-style mugs with heavy cream, and we enjoyed the brownies and pie.

I never showed you my decorations for the month of March, so here they are.

Every time a bell rings, a shamrock gnome finds a home

I got a new shamrock gnome for the shelf, to which I have added always-on fairy lights (we had to have an outlet installed up there so we could plug them in; said outlet is cleverly disguised by a sign).

There is already a green house, and I added a few small green books.

Fake News

On the table were more green things, like fake succulents and sparkly shamrocks and green glass flower-shaped tea light holders purchased from from Dollar Tree many years ago.

I rounded it out with a green jar candle, an antique Lyle's Golden Syrup tin I've had for decades, and a cut-crystal dish full of green-foil wrapped Andes candies.

You could spin the lazy Susan and get a creme de menthe thin

Plus my Royal Albert flower-of-the-month (anemones) fine china cup and saucer, brought back from Harrods in London and given to me many years ago by my mother.

(That makes two pretties I have from Harrods; when Stephanie went to London and the Holy Land on her senior trip, she brought me back a charming teapot which I cherish.)

Green is such a happy, hopeful color

The day after our party was Audrey's actual birthday, and she and Dagny and I hung out together in the afternoon, at a park, with snacks, in beautiful weather.

It was a a fine day to turn thirty-nine: a thirty-fine day.

Embo: Saturday, April 2, 2022. Photo courtesy Andrew Weber

On a final and unhappy note, Rambo's condition has worsened since we were there. He is at the very end. In a few days Andrew will be taking him to the vet, where he's sure he'll be encouraged to let them euthanize Rambo.

Andrew is distraught and dreading the ordeal. Brittany isn't far behind and Ember, although she does not understand, will feel the loss of this big gentle dog who has been her companion for her entire life.

I ask for your prayers for Andrew and Brittany and Ember, and for all of us who love Rambo and will miss him forever.

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Tuesday