When did birthdays stop being fun? I think maybe it was after 29. Sometimes I still give that as my age. It’s a lie.
My family was going to throw a party for me at Mom’s… where we always gather for special occasions. [Aside: Why is the expression ‘throw a party’? What exactly are we throwing? Cake? That would be a tragedy! Never waste cake.] I’m [almost] always the baker, so I’d bake my own cake, and we’d have a late lunch, then cake… all while listening to my little sister talk and talk and talk. She never shuts up.
However, even though restrictions have been loosened a bit, we’re still kind of under a stay-at-home-as-much-as-possible order. And one of my sisters lives in NYC. Getting a train up to Mom’s might still be a problem. And we’re extra cautious about being around Mom since she’s older. She’s healthy, but who wants to take the risk, you know? But how long are we supposed to wait? This nightmare isn’t going to be over until everyone can get vaccinated… with a vaccine that’s not even available yet. I miss Mom. And she lives alone and misses us, too. Maybe at some point, we just have to take the leap and get together.
Party or not, I baked myself a cake. That is the highlight of a birthday, after all. I should probably say seeing my family is the highlight, and that’s nice, but it’s not happening this year. And I crave cake. Like, every single day. In fact, in addition to baking myself a cake, I sent my husband out to buy me a cheesecake. I didn’t feel like making one of those. So I’ll be treating myself every night after dinner until both cakes are gone. [Who am I kidding? Cake is also a suitable breakfast.] I’m really milking this birthday. Or am I caking it? [I know… that was really bad. Feel free to cringe.]
So… I made a cinnamon cake… with cinnamon frosting… topped with crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I should have piped a pretty frosting border around the top and bottom edges, but I got lazy. And it’s just me and the husband and kids. They don’t care what it looks like. I should have done it for me, though, right? Yeah, that’s never a good enough reason for me.
And yes, it is sitting on a paper plate. I’m super fancy when it’s just for me. I wonder if I’ll even bother with candles. If I put one for every year of my life, I’ll burn the house down. Twenty-nine [wink wink] is a lot of candles. By the way, I cannot wink.
Maybe just one candle. I mean, I have to make a wish that will never come true, right?
p.s. — Just in case it wasn’t painfully obvious, today is my birthday. Yay?
©2020 what sandra thinks
what sandra thinks 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I know it sucks having a quarantine birthday but at least its a safe choice! You could get together if you can stay 6ft away but having a meal together makes that almost impossible. Your cake looks YUMMY!
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I guess if we had a meal outside, we could spread out around Mom’s pool or something. And then yell at each other to have a conversation. Yeah, that sounds great… 😐 Ha!
I hope the cake is good. It’s not like baking cookies… I can’t try one. It’s kind of a yes or no situation at the last minute!
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Haha you just have to be like a few lawn chairs away. Make a circle on the patio! You can totally make it work!
And i hope so too! Let me know how it tastes! Im not a huge fan of cinnamon but I hope it worked out!
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I *love* cinnamon. The cake was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 🙂
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Yay!!! Im glad it turned out!!
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Holy shit! That looks good…and bakery perfect! That’s your calling right there! Oh, happy birthday!! My last meaningful one was 21. 😏
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Oh, it is far from bakery perfect! It’s not flat enough despite my research and best efforts to accomplish that. And the frosting could be much smoother. I’ve been making cakes for various occasions for many years — like more than 20 years easily… and about 5 – 7 cakes per year — yet I have never been able to perfect smooth frosting. I might need to use more so there’s more to manipulate to make it smooth without any chance of cake poking through. What sucks is that I’m usually in considerable pain once I’ve finished making a cake. You know, back pain from standing. So I could never do this for a living… even if I was good enough. No actual baking background (I’m self-taught, obviously) and bad back pain.
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Can never go wrong with more icing. I think that’s a great plan. 👍🏻
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Happy birthday Sandra!! I hope having both cakes will help lift your spirits, even if this is not the perfect celebration… *hugs* xx
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Thanks! 🙂 I know one thing for sure… both cakes will stay with me… on my thighs. Haha 😀
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You absolutely deserve a cake and a cheesecake! And, hell, I think anyone having a birthday during this lockdown does. I will be 29 on the 30th (wink, wink), I think I’ll follow your lead! Happy Birthday!
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Thanks… and Happy Birthday (early) to you, too. I have always believed that special occasions should truly be special. No worrying about what you’re eating… have some damn cake! Lots of it! I hate when someone says, “Oh, just a tiny sliver for me.” Ugh. Eat the damn cake!!
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Me too! I mean, are they trying to make everyone else feel bad? Heck, I always want the one with the most frosting (so usually a corner piece) and if they are pre-cut, I take the one that is the biggest. And, I always go back for seconds, sometimes thirds. Shh! Don’t tell. I just love cake so much!
And I just found an 89-calorie recipe for cheesecake for my birthday. I’ll try to remember to let you know how it tastes.
https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/Cookbooks.asp?id=1134975
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Ooh, definitely try to remember to tell me how it is. I’m curious!
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Happy Birthday, Sandra. Here’s to a great cake thrown your way but never in your face. Have a great year ahead.
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Thanks, Tony! I’m hoping this year will get better. The past few months have been crappy, to say the least!
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Happy birthday! Your cake looks delicious!
I guess bdays are always fun except for the people who love celebrating others more than themselves. At least for me, that’s the case…
Enjoy the new blessed year…
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Thank you!
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Happyy birthdayy!!!
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Thanks!
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Oo goody. Happy Birthday Sandra. We are advised to sing Happy Birthday twice while hand washing. So for today I’ll be thinking of you and singing to you every time I wash my hands. I must say you don’t look anywhere near 29! Hugs to you for a great day and a happy, healthy year ahead. xx
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Thanks. Since I keep myself hidden, you never know… I could be a teenager. 🙂
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Happy belated birthday! You don’t look a day over 25!
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Thank you so much! It’s amazing that I look so young considering my lack of make-up usage over the past few months… 🙂
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Happy birthday! I also had a quarantine birthday. It sucks. I hope you’re able to see your family soon. ❤
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Thanks… and happy belated birthday to you. I think I may be seeing my mom this week. Hopefully!
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