There’s nothing quite like being a St. Patrick’s Day baby. It’s a holiday, but not really, but it is. Everyone’s feeling a little festive, and there’s usually always a parade.

My favorite childhood birthday has to be the year we went to the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day parade. What a huge celebration! Afterwards we stopped to hear an Irish performer sing Danny Boy. Mom and Dad took me shopping, and I picked out a new sweater as one of my presents. (It was a bright blue and white button-up sweater with pink hearts–one of the ugliest sweaters I ever owned, but I loved it and wore it for several years.)

This year, my celebration began Friday night with a hot date with my Babe. My Man took me to an upscale pizza parlor. The candlelit tables reminded me of the private candlelight pizza dinner we had on our honeymoon. But, that’s a story for another day. After dinner Stephen bought me a Starbucks and we strolled through the garden.Birthday morning began with a trip to the hardware store. Isn’t Ace Hardware such fun? I love the small town feeling I get when I go inside. Their service seems so personal. My Ace has been giving away free quarts of paint four Saturdays this month, so I wanted to be early to get mine. We also picked up some other items we needed for projects around the house.

That afternoon we toured the Arizona SeaLife Aquarium. Their main attraction was a brand new sea turtle they’ve recently acquired. Silas was nervous the entire visit, but felt safe enough in Daddy’s arms to touch a starfish. He promptly dropped it back in the water, but at least he touched it!

Chef Stephen created his first Sonoran Dogs for our dinner. He wrapped the beef hotdogs in bacon and topped them with salsa verde, mexican cheese, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, mustard, and mayo. A taste explosion! I baked some Irish soda bread too. Had to have something Irish, right?I have to say that the best part of the day was our shopping trip to Target to spend my birthday money (thanks, fam!). My first pick was a wire fruit basket I had my eye on. We also came home with a striking mustard table lamp. It’s retro with a modern vibe. It was love at first sight–I hugged it right there in the aisle! We found a patterned mustard shade that matched the lamp perfectly, so we used it to top another lamp we already had. Now I find myself staring at our lamps while we’re chilling in the family room. Thanks for all your birthday wishes. I had a fabulous day for sure!