I See Another Birthday, Then I Go Back to Bed

Hopefully the way my morning started is not a sign of things to come for the day or the year. I'm 28 today, and I had every intention of sleeping late. Daisy, on the other hand, had far different plans for me. She stood on her hind legs by the bed at her usual 5am, so I popped up to let her out. First I have to toss her in the crate for a minute so I can close my mom's bedroom door effectively protecting mom and her two dogs, Scooby and Dash, from a fit of pouncing. Then I go into the living room to turn on a light. Then I can actually let Daisy out of my bedroom.


We were supremely surprised to find it RAINING this morning. It was great, we need rain, but as you probably already know if you've been reading here for a while, Daisy won't go out in the rain. She much prefers to squat in the sunroom when no one is looking. But I digress...


I threw a hooded raincoat over my sleep shirt and shorts, put on some flip flops, and shut us both outside in a cold rain in an effort to force her to squat outside. A few minutes and much wetness later, we were back in the house, back in bed, and back to sleep until 7:00. Wheee!

Now for birthday loot of the bookish and non-bookish variety:

Mom brought the cake home yesterday, and I can assure you it is deeeelicious. I've been up for a while and have braced myself for sugar, so I'm going to have a piece for breakfast in a few minutes.

The pile below that is my birthday loot! Mom bought me the Sleeping Beauty fabulous, titanium, super-deluxe edition. I always forget to buy my favorite Disney DVDs for myself when they come along, and she knows this one is my favorite. Thanks, Mom! She also indulged my latest smelly obsession: body cream, body splash, and a huge candle from Bath and Body Works. The scent? Vanilla Bean Noel. It smells just like a cupcake. I'm aiming to smell like a confection 'til Christmas.

The other fantabulous goodies are from Heather! She knows me too well and always manages to find the coolest stuff to surprise me. The books are The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, by Gordon Dahlquist and Wise Children, by Angela Carter. I can't wait to dig into them! The test tube is actually the packaging for a great necklace that says, "I Read Banned Books," and last but most assuredly not least, a handmade journal by the illustrious Iliana!!! I had my eye on this one from the moment Iliana posted it. It's my favorite shade of green with a flaming heart on the front. The design matches another journal I have, and it kind of reminds me of my claddagh ring that I wear daily. I love love love it! Go check out her Etsy shop, Bookgirl's Studio.

It's only 8am, and already it's been a fantastic birthday. I have no intention of doing any serious work today (I took a day off from the in-person teaching gig), and I have every intention of digging further into The Graveyard Book. 30 pages so far, and I love it!

I'll update later if anything over the top happens, but you can be pretty positive that I'll be eating good food, lounging, and reading. The perfect birthday!