First, I wanna say:


In honor of my birthday yesterday we are having a sale all day TODAY. Enter code 11202011 at checkout for 40% off everything!! Hurry, sale ends at 4pm PST tonight :) http://hydrangeahippo.etsy.com


Yesterday was my birthday and I am bad about taking pictures of myself in general, not to mention on my birthday. I don't think I even thought to save any mementos. 


And that is okay. Maybe some memories will be pictures on paper and some words on paper and others memories in my head. And some on my blog :)


The day started with breakfast with my parents, a little gift from them. The kids love going to breakfast with grandma and grandpa and I am glad my parents are young enough to be able to do things with us. Then back home where I worked on a class sample. Now, that might not sound like fun to some people and though it is work, some times it is nice to just sit down with a little glue and paper and make something.


Next we ventured “down the hill”. Now, if you are not from the High Desert here in So Cal you probably don't know what that means. We live north of the Cajon Pass and to get anywhere where anything good is happening, we have to drive through this mountain pass and go “down the hill”. I figured there would not be any traffic but I was wrong and there was rain. I guess anyone else might have turned back but it was my birthday and I wanted to go do something. Even if I had spent the day before shopping, going out to dinner, and having fun with my friend Tammy and her family (which was a total blast!).


We braved the crazy rain and arrived at Collective Journey where I was treated to a new mini Christmas tree, a Hello Kitty die, and some yummy toffee. I had lunch at Del Taco which might not sound that awesome but I love a Spicy Jack Chicken Quesadilla with a Cherry Coke and have not had one for months! A quick stop at the PO to mail etsy orders (always multi-tasking) and then we went to the nail salon. Xaver dropped me off while he and the kids headed to the jewelry store to drop my wedding rings off to be cleaned and serviced. He's picking them up today! Really feels like a brand new ring after all of that.


I ordered a super fancy mani pedi at the nail salon including a paraffin hand and foot wax. I needed it! You can imagine with all the papercrafting I do how scary my hands are. I had a purple finger nail from dyeing bottlebrush trees. Well, everything was going dandy until the manicurist spilled paraffin wax on my shirt. She said it was only a little and then she started rubbing it and it was turning into a horrible white mess. So I told her to just stop and I would try to take care of it. After everything was done – everything else was great – I went to the bathroom to try to take my shirt off and wash off the wax. Well, I discovered it was not only on my shirt but all over my favorite pair of jeans. It looks like I had a fight with a candle and my butt lost. So when I went to pay, the lady asked me how it was and I almost cried because I wanted to go places after that and what was I gonna do now? So three ladies set to trying to wipe the wax off with hot, wet rags and dry soft rags and they were able to get the majority of the wax off so no one would notice anything unless they were staring at my butt. I fully expected some kind of discount but didn't get one. I still left a tip cuz karma is a mofo and with my luck, I am not trying to tempt fate.


These kinds of things seem like they only happen to me but I don't know how I can possibly have that much bad luck or need to be learning that much patience. A saint could not have that much patience to deal with the stuff that happens to me on a daily basis. Try to go to a restaurant or order fast food with me and you will see what I mean–my order is wrong 90% of the time. As I get older everyone is telling me to have patience. Back when I was 13 or 15 I got that book “Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and its all small stuff)”. I've been trying for years and years and years to no avail, no relief, no end in sight. This birthday was a test of that again, on several levels, not just the nail salon incident, though I won't be discussing those other levels. I just kept trying to see the bright side and not get upset and boy, was it incredibly difficult. I would say I was more successful not sweating the small stuff than I have been in the past but it was not easier by any means.


We went shopping after that in Sears, thank goodness. I think the only place I could have blended better with my wet pants and shirt was Walmart. It did help that it was raining! LOL I got a new pair of shoes and a Keurig coffee maker! Matthew begged me to get a lottery ticket from the machine– I am pretty sure it was more for using the machine than the actual ticket itself but I put $10 in and got some scratchers. We did not win anything but it was fun to scratch them off with the kids. I remember getting those all the time with my parents when we were kids and over the years, almost forgot we had a lottery at all. So it was fun to do that on my birthday–might have to be a new tradition!


We then went to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant and then off to Build A Bear Workshop to use my coupons. 


At Build A Bear we ran into my friend Holly and her hubby and daughter, who we have not seen since New Year's. That was such a treat!! I am so glad we made it there despite the odds :) A little Lego store, pretzels from Auntie Amy's, and we headed home. There, Xaver gave me more gifts, including the warm fuzzy robe I am wearing right now. We had coffee from my new coffee maker, a small birthday cake and ice cream, and watched Iron Chef.  I even got ice cream twice–Xaver bought one of those cute little cups of Ben & Jerry's that is a single serving for me to snack on while he got the cake ready.


At the end of the day, it was a great birthday. We had spent the better part of two days celebrating and enjoying our time together. And, maybe I am learning more lessons and getting benefits from them. I am glad I stayed out and we had a great time. Maybe by next birthday, I won't be getting my patience tested any more. One can dream ;)

Author: Jennifer Priest

It started with jewelry, beading, sewing, home decor, painting, basket weaving, pottery, and cross-stitch. Marry that to an entrepreneurial spirit & at 9 years old a girl is selling her wares at craft fairs as far as her parents and grandparents would drive her. These days, Jennifer enjoys crafts of all genres from sewing to scrapbooking to jewelry with a little dabbling in the mixed media world. Her style is approachable and she wants everyone who sees her work to feel that they too can embrace creativity and make their home and life beautiful.

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