…. aaaaaand everyone is [currently] busy working. Nice. But I guess that’s to be expected on a Friday morning, and it just means that I get to spend more time with you guys! I don’t have to go back to work until next week, so I’m just hanging out all by my lonesome for now, enjoying a leisurely breakfast…
… while I wait for people to get off work so that they can come and celebrate my existence… err… play board games with me? Please note how incredibly close this game of Sorry! was.
It came down to one card – my nemesis needed a 1, while I needed a 2. Birthday luck was with me, though, and I ended up winning round 1… before getting my butt handed to me in round 2. Ahh well. You win some, you lose some. OH! And speaking of winners, after much deliberation, this is the cake I decided to go with for my birthday…
I think I’ll pass on the blue Cookie Monster exterior, but dark chocolate mocha cake with a cookie dough filling? Swooooon. It still needs to be made, but I’m very much looking forward to our date tonight. Other than that, I honestly have no idea what’s in store for me this weekend (nobody tells me anything!), but I’ll be sure to share the deets with you guys in my next post. Until then, you’ll just have to put up with some random ramblings.
I swear my memory is failing with old age or something, because if it weren’t for the pictures on my camera, I would forget a lot of things that happened yesterday. My dad stopped by mid-day to bring me a watermelon…
(It’s a wonderful thing to have your parents support your addiction)
I finally finished the last of my Christmas cookies…
(… which means I can finally use my stand mixer… when the cake is gone 
)
And one of my lifelong dreams came true…
Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride! Thanks to a wonderful Christmas package from my beautiful girl, Kat, I finally know what all the fuss is about. Holy.wow is this stuff amazing. My biggest concern right now is that I’ll have to ration myself to keep it from running out in a few short days. Eep! Actually, my biggest concern should probably be that I really have to stop and think about what it is that I did yesterday, but I guess that just means that I have to get better at taking more pictures. Working on it 
Before I go, I just wanted thank you guys so much for all of the Happy Birthday tweets, e-mails, and messages that you’ve been sending me. You guys seriously know how to make a girl feel special, and I love you all to bits ‘n pieces.
. – . – . – .
Do you sometimes have a hard time remembering what you did yesterday?
Do you get competitive when you play board games? Less now than when I was younger, but yes… yes I do.
What kind of cake did you have on your last birthday? I think it was an orange infused chocolate almond cake with some kind of orange buttercream frosting.
{ 80 comments… read them below or add one }
HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again, Amanda! Wishing you all the best today & always, my friend! Love the choice of cake you decided to go with….coffee & cookie in cake form just sounds genius (and delicious) to me! Enjoy your day/weekend & look forward to hearing all about it! And remember to take lots of pics so you can actually remember all that you do
!
Khushboo recently posted..Friday Favorites: Healthy Snacks
Ha! I’ll do my best. I’ve gotten so lazy with the picture taking, reasoning that I prefer to ‘live in the moment’ rather than try to constantly capture it, but I also love looking back at old pictures and remembering the good times.
Happy birthday hun!! Looks like you have a great day planned and that cake???????? oh my goodness, I just book marked it to save it for sometime when I really need a pick me up…Sunday looks like a great day to try it methinks! I have a horrendous time remembering things these days, and I’m not super competitive with board games but the bf…….oh he is one of the poorest losers I know haha…won’t play words with friends with me anymore since he lost one too many times
Caitlin recently posted..Fun Facts Friday
You have to ‘let’ him win once in a while so that he keeps wanting to play with you!
hahahaha ohhhhhhhhh ok….that makes sense
Caitlin recently posted..Fun Facts Friday
Hope you have an awesome birthday and I can’t wait to here how it goes and how that cake comes out!
I already emailed you, but I’ll take another opportunity to wish you a happy birthday! I hope your day is truly amazing…and that cake, oh my god. That sounds like absolute heaven. You know my feelings on coffee, but in cake-form I actually really like it!
And thank god for blogging – otherwise, I’d always be forgetting what I was up the days/weeks before. My memory is not the greatest…
My last birthday, I had shoe-shaped chocolate and red velvet cupcakes with what was quite possibly the best frosting ever. I usually go for cupcakes (a variety of flavours because of my need to try everything) or ice cream cake.
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted..Food Ninja.
Happy Birthday once again Beauty! Oh man, that cake….what a perfect choice!! Oh well, everytime when I start a new post, I have to go through my pictures to actually remember what I did/ what I wanted to write – but that’s why we have now a camera on the phone, right?
Enjoy your day and your brithday weekend to the fullest, so excited to hear about it!!
Lucie@FitSwissChick recently posted..Resolutions, uh? Goals!!
aw HAPPY BIRTHDAY> I realized it was probably cruel of me to text you at 630 am to wish you a happy birthday but I couldn’t resist. be happy I waited till then, I was up at 530 am wanting to. I held back. um your dad rules, sounds like something my dad would do. he would bring me a giant watermelon and scratch tickets. classic art shabo. I hope you get some good game playing tonight
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..Always Aim Smaller
Cruel? No way! Sweetest thing ever, even in my half-conscious state. Love, love <3
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! You NEED that cake! For my birthday I ordered an undercooked cookie cake from Nestle tollhouse with lots of frosting. It didn’t disappoint! Have a fantastic day!!!
Elizabeth@myneonrunningshoes recently posted..Learning from children
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
That cake sounds seriously amazinggg!! For my last birthday (only last week haha!) I had specially made victoria sponge cupcakes with lots of frosting mmmmmm 
You gotta have cake on your birthday no matter what time of year it is!
My parents feed my addictions too..its great 
Awh that was sweet of your dad
Hope you have a great birthday weekend and can’t wait to hear all about it!
Nicky recently posted..Happy New Year!
Happy Belated Birthday! Love the sugar-cookie sleight ride tea, yum! I all too often have to look back at my calendar of photos on my phone to recall what I did, hmmm, is that normal? I’m simple when it comes to cake, yellow with chocolate frosting, my sis-in-laws grandmother makes the best. Enjoy your last few days of freedom, I have to go back on Monday also!
Katie @ KatieEnPursuit recently posted..I Wonder If They Would Notice…
Happy birthday
That cake looks to die for.
Hmm, I have problems remembering what I did five minutes ago. I am a complete scatterbrain and it’s actually quite worrying sometimes! I wish I could concentrate on things properly but I’m a perpetual daydreamer.
Ha. Yes, I was VERY competitive with board games…well, I’m that way inclined with everything. I didn’t mind quiz-esque games so much, because I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to intelligence and thus never expected to win, but games of luck/chance? Oh, I’d get really irritated when things did not go my way – nightmare child
Happy Birthday! I knew you would like the sugar cookie sleigh ride tea, enjoy your day!
Happy birthday!!
I LOVE the look of that cake… actually, I think I’d roll w/the whole Cookie Monster thing since that is totally me (and it’d match this morning’s Cookie Monster coffee mug that I have in hand). Although I tend to call my inner sweet tooth my “Sugar Monster.” Eh, close enough. 
I hope you have a fabulous date tonight & enjoy the cake!! My last b-day cake was a carrot cake (my fav) that my parents sent me & I felt compelled to snarf down almost the entire thing. Oy.
Karey @ Nutty About Health recently posted..Thursday Throwback
I like to refer to my sweet tooth as Fred. No reason
And if it’s your birthday, then you’re totally allowed to do things like that – everyone knows that birthday cakes don’t count 
Happy Birthday, my dear!
The cake looks just delicious!
whiness recently posted..173. Friday / Soja Reisdrink
A m A n D a !! !! !! H a P p Y b I r T h D a Y !! !!
I wish you tons and tons of happiness on this day and for many birthdays to come!
P.S. that cake looks amazing. As in A-MAZING. Jealous.
Alex recently posted..1-3-13
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY!!!!! Yayyyyy! I know you will do something special today and I can’t wait to hear about it (once you know what it is
). I actually have weirdly the best memory like ever. It scares me sometimes I can think back and remember every hour in my head from the day before haha I think it’s a photographic memory (but a video camera?) hehe. That cake looks absolutely fab. Enjoy it love <3
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I hope it meets all your expectations (after your friends are available)
Secondly, HOLY DELICIOUSNESS that cake looks incredible! I can send you my address if you know what I mean…
Sarah @PickyRunner recently posted..What’s wrong with your face?!
Happy Birthday again, Amanda – better safe than sorry, right
?! Have an incredible super-happy birthday weekend! Looking at your cake of choice it’ll definitely be awesome the food part of it is a winner already. Now I’ll seriously have to rethink the choice of my birthday cake …
Speaking of which my last one was a healthified Chocolate Chip with hidden chickpeas in it. While not all bad it just wasn’t the “real” indulgence a birthday cake should be in my opinion. Well, I’m determined to make this year a better one – little over three more weeks left only until then!
Haha, I SO hear you on forgetting what you did yesterday. Um … so what did I do yesterday, actually
?!
?
And yes to being competetive when it comes to (board) games. Totally random: “Sorry!” seems to be the English version of the German board game “Mensch, ärgere dich nicht” (loosely translated: “Don’t get upset”). So I really shouldn’t get upset when playing it and loosing, right
Miss Polkadot recently posted..Happy New Year and setting [realistic] goals
Don’t get upset… love that! It’s funny because every time I do something to mess with whoever I’m playing with, I end up saying “sorry!” I should learn the phrase in German and start saying that instead
Although I’m sure I’d butcher it unless I heard someone say it first…
Happy birthday! Second, I spy with my little eye…a starbucks mug hiding in the background there next to the watermelon LOL. Third, that cake looks amazing.
Hollie recently posted..#Holidayaday Coffee Superlatives
Happy Birthday! Hope it is super duper wonderful and filled with yummy things!
Madi recently posted..Tips on How to Be Awesome
Happiest of birthdays to you! Wishing you a year filled with laughter, adventure, and good eats. Thank you for being such an inspiration – you are one of my favorite blogger finds this past year!
Awwwr thanks so much, Kate <3 <3 That means a lot
Happy happy happy birthday Amanda!!!
I wish you all of the best on your special day. Enjoy it with that Starbucks boy of yours 
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..2012 Recap
Happy birthday!!! I hope you have a fabulous day with the boy on date night, and I couldn’t agree more with your cake selection. Holy goodness that looks incredible! Can’t wait to hear how the day/weekend goes
Meghan @ After the Ivy League recently posted..A Body in Motion
Happy Birthday!! Sounds like you’re going to have one awesome cake….cookie dough filling….oh my! My last b-day cake was heavenly…PB chip with PB frosting. Love board games and yes, I can be very competitive.
kim@hungryhealthygirl recently posted..Loves Lately via the iPhone
Cooking dough filling in cake?? Holy cow! I cannot blame you for making that choice!!
Have a fabulous birthday!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted..Roasted Vegetable Pizza on a Cauliflower Pizza Crust
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And that cake looks SO good. Save a piece for me
Molly@This Life Is Sparkling recently posted..Friday Facts
Happy Birthday, Amanda!!! Hope you’re enjoying your day off and relaxing before festivities tonight!!
yay!!! Birthday love to you!!
I love the sugar cookie tea! It’s like drinking a cookie! My husband and I are both pretty competitive when it comes to any type of game. Haven’t played Sorry in such a long time, fun!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome recently posted..Fitness Friday with a sweat circuit workout!
Happy Birthday!!!!!
Happy birthday my beautiful friend!!!!!!! I hope you have the best day ever, filled with love and celebration! Oh my gosh, that cake!!! What a brilliant decision! I’m also jealous of your tea, you have to let me know how it is! Oh and guess who got your package in the mail today! Squeee! So excited! xoxo
Lisa recently posted..Comment on Confessions by Lucie
You got it?! EeeeEEEee! So happy! Hope none of it messes with your intolerances, though
Happy Birthday! I love this post, of course for my birthday I had carrot cake cupcakes, my all time fav! My friend at work brought me some and I ate 2 back to back and then my mom bought me cupcakes too! I love tea, and I cant wait to try some of that tea myself.
And I am such a competitor, even at board games
Sometiems I let my step son win on purpose tho!
And sometimes I cant remember what I did 3 hours ago! lol
Sara @ fitcupcaker recently posted..Zesty Veggie Quiche Muffins
Oh wow, that cake sounds amazing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
xo
Jo @ LivingMintGreen recently posted..5 Food Resolutions To Make This Year
Happy Happy Birthday!!! That cake you picked out looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Nice choice!
I’m not really all that competitive when it comes to board games, but I do get into the competitive spirit when games become close. And that was one close game of sorry!. Those are the best.
I hope you have an amaaaazing birthday weekend!!
kris recently posted..hello 2013
Happy birthday, Amanda!
For my birthday I had a coconut chocolate banana cake … 3 of my favourite foods combined. It was the first ”real” cake I’d baked ever and it was absolutely delicious.
Happy Birthday Amanda!!!
If I were anywhere near you, I’d be right over to celebrate & play board games with you…and maybe to steal cake, (BTW, that cake? HubbaHubbaaah drooool).
And YES, I have trouble remembering what I did a matter of hours ago, let alone a whole day past. I don’t like to admit it though cos let’s face it, alzheimers at my age( 20) just doesn’t sound good.
Hope your day was super fabulous, like YOU
!
Xxx
I hear that coffee is good for helping ward off Alzheimer’s… All the more reason to enjoy a cup or two every day
Happy Birthday Amanda! Yay for January birthdays – mine is in 4 days
Have an awesome day, I hope you get spoiled rotten!
Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to remind me of this cake when my birthday rolls around. Just in case I forget. Because I’ve never made myself a birthday cake and think that this year I would like to try.
Sorry was always a game that we played at my great-grandmother’s house. I was ruthless. haha. Like I am in every game (unless I’m playing my Dad, then we’re jut downright competitive and very well matched in pretty much every game). Can’t wait to see what good use you put that mixer to!!
Happy birthday, my dear!!
Ps. Letter going in the mail by Monday. Promise. xo
I definitely accept, and you can bet that I’ll be badgering you about it until your big day
Happy Birthday LOVE!
Your birthday cake looks divine! Send me a slice! Have a wonderful birthday weekend! <3
Katie recently posted..Diva Spill Friday
Happy Birthday friend! I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables recently posted..S.M.A.R.T. New Years Goals
Jealous you aren’t back at work yet!
Matt @ The Athlete’s Plate recently posted..P&G eStore
Happy happy birthday Amanda – hope this birthday is the best one yet!!
My last birthday I had cupcakes instead of a cake. This way I had three different flavored mini cakes!! My birthday is in Feb so this year I am going to get a FATTY cake and I am so excited!! Happy Birthday to you!! I wish I could come play board games with you, it’s been forever since I’ve played something other than scrabble!!
Brittany recently posted..Choo-Choo!
Happy birthday Amanda! That cake looks crazy good!
Happy Birthday!! Ohh, so lucky with the tea
Hope you had a wonderful day and enjoy your goodies! <3
andrea recently posted..Week one: intro to electronic materials, communication signals and c programming
I love Sugar Cookie Sleighride too and being in Canada I can’t find it anywhere…so I order it through iherb…boxes at a time:) Cinnamon Apple is a good substitution in a pinch and I have found it at Safeway:)
Heather recently posted..Anything for a Sunbeam
Can you get it year-round from iHerb? Or is it only around Christmas?
I think year round….which is a major bonus! I bought mine in Nov!
Heather recently posted..Clean Eating Meal Ideas
Happiest of birthdays, Amanda!! I hope you’re being pampered like crazy tonight, and that the dark chocolate mocha cake with cookie dough filling (major swoon!!), is even better than it sounds (if that’s even possible?)!
Eeee! I’m so excited you were able to try Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride in time for your birthday! Don’t worry about rationing, though, because another box should be arriving very soon!
In fact, I’m surprised it hasn’t made it yet. I sent my box before Christmas! I’m going to look into it, and find out what’s going on. If it’s returned to me a second time, I’ll come hand deliver it myself!
Sending huge hugs your way! <3 xoxo
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish recently posted..WIAW: My Bulking Diet
Happy birthday! It’s so funny that you’re playing sorry! When my boyfriend and I were visiting my mom I wanted to play sorry! so badly but couldn’t find it anywhere! Turns out my sister took it because she’s “the oldest therefore it’s hers”. So my boyfriend got me my own sorry! game for Christmas! Haha that cake looks sooo good, enjoy!!
Happy Birthday again sweetie!! That cake looks and sounds ridiculously good. Whenever, if we ever meet.. can we please sit around doing nothing besides making yummy baked goods & eating that cake…. and if were lucky, we’ll fall into a sugar coma??? =)
Jessie recently posted..How Many Challenges are you up for?
Baked goods induced sugar comas? Definitely sounds like a good plan to me
Dang it all! I’m so mad I didn’t comment on this post soon enough to wish you a happy birthday ON your birthday. Oh well, try and forgive me?
I hope you enjoy every bite of that mouthwatering mocha cake. Yummy, yummy.
I used to be uber competitive at board games as a child. I cheated like it was nobody’s business…whoops. Luckily, I’ve mellowed out as I’ve gotten older.
Olivia @ Life As Liv recently posted..Adios, 2012.
ahhh i just saw this so i’m late but happy belated!!!
Sara @my less serious life recently posted..Christmas Day & New Years Eve recap
I hope you had an amazing birthday!
Good choice of birthday cake – that cookie dough filling sounds incredible! I bet it was delicious.
My last birthday cake was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. My mom and sister are super talented at cake decorating, so they decorated it with fondant to look like sushi. There’s a picture of it in this post! http://onehealthymunchkin.blogspot.ca/2012/05/early-birthday-celebrations.html
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin recently posted..The dinner that almost wasn’t
Eek, I have been totally MIA… Happy birthday to one heck of a bea-uuu-tiful girl! You deserve a weekend full of nothing but laughter and love
And that cake looks divine! This year for my bday we got a few mini cakes from Whole Foods because I couldn’t make a decision- a little fruity, vanilla, spice, and chocolate- it was perfect!
P.S. I’m headed to the store later today and rumor has it that tea is on sale- I’m planning to get a few and would be happy to send some up your way! XO
Allison @ Life’s a Bowl recently posted..Roller Coaster Thoughts
That cake looks so delicious, can I have a slice? Happy birthday! God bless you in this new year! xx
Shannon (Healthiful Balance) recently posted..Hurom Slow Juicer HU-400 Review
bahhhh I get kiiiinda freaked out with super bright hued frosting! 0_0 But omgsh I agree that the cake bread and filling look amaaaazing
And it sounds like a fun time Amanda! You deserve a super great birthday! And you don’t wanna see me playing ANY games because I turn into a whole different person. Greg still wants to get back at me from things that happened 4 years ago (I won too many times hehe, ok it’s embarrassing admitting that) but I think he should just let it go 
Ellie@Fit for the Soul recently posted..A New Program with Leah Sarago
Your breakfast looks delicious!:) Have a great weekend!
Sunnie@moderngirlnutrition recently posted..A Comfort Food Classic: Chicken Noodle Soup!
Girl, I remember the moment when I local grocery store at my school started carrying the sugar cookie tea. I almost screamed lol! I bought like 6 packages of it!!! That sh** is frickin tough to come by. Seriously!
Natasha recently posted..New Years Recap
Ahh happy (belated) birthday!!! I wish you all the very very best in life – happiness, love, health, wealth, friendship, etc.
I hope you had a wonderful day filled with friends, family, lovers 
and plenty of delicious cake.
Irina @ Chocolatea Time recently posted..2013! 2013!! 2013!!!
Hope you had a wonderful birthday my beautiful friend!
And Im so glad you liked the package!! I guess it was more of a bday package than a christmas one huh? lol
And that cake girl…holy yum. I went cake tasting with my bestie yesterday to search for her wedding cake and I was in cake heaven! I tried so many samples, that I actually had to skip lunch because I was so full. Oops
Kat recently posted..Favorite Things Friday
Ugh what I wouldn’t give to be able to go cake tasting. Stupid allergies!!
Happy Birthday sweetie!!
Happy Birthday!! I love care packages, they are absolutely the best! Especially when they are filled with the thing you really wanted most! That cake looks totally drool-worthy too!
Devon @ Health in Equilibrium recently posted..Weekend Musings
Happy (belated) birthday! Hope it was a lovely day for you! I’m actually really jealous of your care package, especially that tea! I forgot about it during the Christmas season and by the time I got to the store the other day, all the holiday teas were gone
I’m not the hugest fan of cake but for my last birthday, I got a vegan chocolate cake with some kind of raspberry frosting and it was amazing. Something about the combo of chocolate+raspberry is magical!
Ashley @ AlmostVegGirlie recently posted..Fashion Friday: Christmas Clothes
First of all… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! But secondly… dark chocolate mocha cake with a cookie dough?! That’s a THING!? Why have I not had this…
Liz @ iheartvegetables recently posted..Sprouted Grains: Ezekiel Bread Review
I hope you enjoyed your cake. You can send me the leftovers.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers recently posted..A Cheesy Weekend
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!
Cookie dough filling!? UHM HECK YES – sign me up
Hope you had a wonderful dayy!
Kailey recently posted..Red Velvet Cheesecake Waffle
Happy super belated birthday!! I hope you had a fantastic day
Alexis recently posted..Endurance or Strength