It was my birthday on Thursday, but we celebrated it last night.  It was a small thing, a handful of good friends was all we could handle after the last couple of months, with constant trips upstate to check on my husband's parents, my parents' visit and then, in the middle of that, my father in law's death.

Still, needless to say, yesterday morning there was barely anything to eat in the house, the kids were cranky, everything was a mess, and I was a mess.  I've always loved my birthday, but lately I've been feeling old in a bad way, I look haggard and… oh well, you know how it goes, some days are better than others, but I've been in better shape and I just turned 38.  Not that old you say, I know, I know, but that big four decade number is looking seriously scary.

Anyway, the cranky kids napped and I made some empanadas, while those were in the oven I found a ton of cheeses left over from a cheese and wine dinner with my parents (a classic when we were growing up),  husband managed to go grocery shopping and go get the cake all the way to Brooklyn (we're on the other side of the Hudson), and we even picked up most toys by the time the first guests showed up.  We did not manage to have tables, glasses and those things that one needs to have ready when throwing a party, no matter how small;  but that's the thing about good friends:  they just want to see you. 

So we had a great time, I relaxed, felt childishly and embarrasingly good about being the youngest adult in the house (advantages of marrying a guy 12 years older than you), enjoyed spending time with my friends, and blew my candles in good spirits.

And the icing on the delicious chocolate-strawberry cake from Marquet Patisserie (so delicious that there wasn't time for a single picture before it disappeared), was this necklace from Spangle Jewelry that husband (who forgot my birthday on Thursday) picked up while in Brooklyn.

Nice, right?  It's simple and delicate and very much my style.  Our friend Peter, who is a regular of Marquet Patisserie and ordered the cake for us, also gave me these sweet earrings from Spangle (I have a feeling my guy was behind the choice, though).

So if you are in the area, be sure to pay them a visit, the man says
they have really nice pieces and, as you can tell, he has great taste.