Friday Five - Birthdays!

Mother Laura from RevGalBlogpals, just a few days away from her birthday, asks these questions:

1. When is your birthday?
Does anyone else (famous or in your own life) share it?

Mine is next week, on January 18th.
Famous people: Cary Grant, A.A. Milne, Kevin Costner, Oliver Hardy, Danny Kaye, and Roget (the thesaurus guy)

2. Do you prefer a big party or an intimate celebration for the chosen few?

Just a few special people will do it for me.

3. Describe your most memorable birthday(s)--good, bad, or both.

The worst was the one where not one of my sisters called me. AWFUL!

There was the 10 year old party at Putt-Putt (mini golf) where my name was on the sign by the road. Loved that one.

Also the 21st one while I was studying abroad in England. There was a special drink and the whole pub celebrated, and I think I crawled back to my flat vowing never to celebrate quite so much again. It was both good and bad.

WonderBoy was baptized on my birthday. That was a good day, but bittersweet, missing his twin.

Every birthday after cancer is a GREAT ONE!

4. What is your favorite cake and ice cream? (Bonus points if you share the cake recipe). Or would you rather have a different treat altogether?

Growing up I wanted my mother's chess or pecan pie instead of cake. For my mom's pecan pie, you take the recipe from the back of the Karo corn syrup bottle and change it like this: Use a combination of both light and dark corn syrup. Turn the heat down, and cook it longer. Perfect. Now, I like any cake or pie that the kids pick out for me. Chocolate and Reese's cups somewhere on it are a bonus.

5. Surprise parties: love 'em or hate 'em?

Never had one....sniff, sniff. But I think I would like it....maybe.....?

Bonus: Describe your ideal birthday--the sky's the limit.

My whole family calls me. I get taken out to dinner (it will be a grown-up one with friends this year). The kids make me cards. There is a cake (or pie) at home with singing and candles. I spend a little time grateful to have had another year. Cards or emails or calls from a few friends. And if the sky's the limit, I'll take that new battery for my laptop, and a trip, too. Okay, maybe a whole new laptop and several trips. (And the 3 pairs of shoes I already bought over Christmas.....)