For breakfast, a chocolate croissant. These came from Trader Joe’s and had to sit out overnight to proof. They were good. Really good.
The baking instructions amused me. It reads, “You will be astounded by how much these grow!” Just to be on the safe side, The Belgian Wonder left a really big space between each croissant, because that warning made it sound like they were going to triple in size. At breakfast, I asked him if he was astounded. He was not. Well, he wasn’t astounded by how much they grew. We all agreed, however, that we were astounded by the taste.
Met friends here for lunch.
The three of us shared this.
The three of us.
Stopped by here, because no birthday is complete without a little treasure hunt. Turned up a nice Lands End beach bag, which I forgot to photograph, but looks something like the medium-sized navy-trimmed one on this page. Happy birthday to me!
Ended the day with dinner here. The whole family went. It was the first time the kids had ever been there. Two of them ordered–what else?–macaroni.I also climbed on a step-climber for 30 minutes in a desperate attempt to offset the massive amounts of calories consumed.We now conclude this pictorial summary of my narcissistic birthday post.My gift to you on my birthday is the knowledge of these Trader Joe’s croissants. They’re in the freezer section, four to a box.Be astounded.
© 2006-2022 Ann Kroeker All Rights Reserved
Landing page graphic and other design elements by Sophie Kroeker.
oh happy happy birthday! sounds like it was a fun one :O)
*sob* no Trader Joe’s here! my life is now in shambles because that croissant looks awesome.
and those are my eyeglasses! if I needed them, that is. they makes you look like a schoolgirl and I mean that in the nicest, happy birthday way. so hip and youthful.
I’m glad you had a great day. 🙂
Happy Birthday!
What a perfect birthday! And happiest wishes to you and your sweet family on your special weekend!
What a wonderful birthday! Every moment of it sounded awesome. You had two great lunch companions — I’m quite jealous.
I’m going to have to search for the chocolate croissants — we have no Trader Joe’s here, but I really hope they’re not the only store that carries such a product.
Sounds like a fabulous birthday, Ann! You’ve got me drooling over that chocolate croissant and thinking I must have one for my birthday next month. 🙂
Here’s to a wonderful and blessed year!
-Julia
Thank you everybody for your birthday notes!
I forgot to mention that I watched a movie that pretty much put The Belgian Wonder to sleep (“The Queen”), and then today, I gathered with extended family and had a fantastic dinner prepared by my sister-in-law, so the fun stretched out beyond the day of my birthday. Although I myself took a little nap on their couch…I hope they weren’t insulted. Obviously I felt perfectly at home…and ate a few too many starches.
You know, in my “new” city, there is a Super Goodwill.
I mean, “Be Astounded” is right.
Happy Birthday!
Wow, that croissant looks really good.
Happy Birthday to you, Ann (okay, a day late)…you’re a blessing to me and I hope your new year is full of unexpectedly pleasant surprises!
Happy Birthday!
You are one of those “cooler than I will ever be” types who can snap a good self-portrait with the camera. You look great.
So good to be part of the fun, Ann, I am so glad you were born. You give so much joy, inspiration and laughter to all of us who enjoy your company!
your friend Linda
What a wonderful birthday! Planning a trip to Trader Joe’s in the morning! Thank you.
Oh Ann, I’m late, but may this year be your most memorable yet! Celebrating with good friends is always a great way to start.
Happy belated birthday! Sounds like it was a good one!
hi
I’ll take a cue from you, on birthday planning! Days prior to my recent birthday, our four kids were excited already about the special birthday dinner they would have for their mom at the Macaroni Grill. There was great anticipation about the birthday song they would hear, in Italian (they knew mom once lived in Italy, and could speak Italian). I assured my family not to make me a cake, I was looking forward to the free chocolate cake we would get after the wonderful dinner. Sadly none of this came to pass.
My husband wisely let our waiter know it was my birthday. During our meal, our children could hear the lovely Happy Birthday song being sung at not one, but two other tables! They were excited about when their mom would get to be the one sung to.
When the meal was over, we awaited our turn, but the cake never came. As the minutes passed by, the kids were getting restless, as kids always do. They were done eating, and the two year old had done his best, but the other kids were still hanging on. Our waitress was very busy, and managed to hurry to our table, and asked us if she could run our credit card, she also added she was sorry the Macaroni Grill had run out of chocolate cake. It was at about this very moment that the table directly behind ours was treated to the Italian birthday song. This was the third time we got to hear the song. But the kids were well aware that the song was for another person, not their mom.
When the waitress was finally able, she brought us out a plate of four miniature cannoli and a to-go container. She suggested we take the cannoli home to eat. She also never asked us if we wanted the special song.
But it was hard to explain to our kids why there was no cake, and no birthday song. Why did other people get cakes and songs?
I’d like to tell other people with kids not to plan a birthday at the Macaroni Grill. It was a let-down to four excited kids. They felt so bad on the ride home. So did my husband, who wanted to make a nice evening for me. I then also felt obligated to tell them I was thrilled with the evening when I was really not. I went on about how nice it was not to have to cook, or wash dishes that night. We ended up re-doing the party at home…and of course there were a lot of dishes!
Oh, my. I’m so sorry. That is SO frustrating. And Macaroni Grill is one of my favorite places for a special occasion. I’m sorry they didn’t deliver you a wonderful Italian birthday serenade. 🙁
I hope you have something super special next time to make up for it!!