Love Me, Mean It

Ever know one of those annoying people who won’t shut the fuck up their birthday? Well, now you do.

Cause I love me some me – especially when it’s my time to shine, celebrating the day I graced Earth with my presence. Candles, crowns and a crowd have always accompanied my birthday.

I think far too many folks don’t celebrate themselves to the fullest and that’s a goddamn shame. Shouldn’t we live every day like it’s our birthday? Show ourselves the same self love we celebrate on our day of birth because as my Gma Morris always said, “another birthday is better than the alternative.”

I’ve always loved my fucking birthday. Maybe it was because when I was growing up, parties felt epic because living in small Iowa town, all of the kids from class were invited.

Maybe it was because I share a birthday with my cousin B (LUCKY HIM) and we always got together to celebrate and that meant two parties for me – one with friends, one with fam. He’s the thrilled kid on the left of the pic below.

Either way, I lived to par-tay and last year, Rona really fucked that shit up.

But this year? Oh hell to THA NO. This year my birthday month was going to be honored and acknowledged by yours truly every.single.day of March. Of course, I had some help.

Why thank you, however did you know? Maybe me announcing it daily on IG stories?

The champs popped March 1, 2021.

Why wait for just one day to celebrate?

As a visual reminder, I wore a headpiece or birthday crown daily for all to see.

Cheers to meeeeeeee!

While talking about my second birthday in Rona non-stop, I preemptively took the day off of work in honor to appropriately concentrate on the very important task of celebrating me.

And in case I forgot, I got reminded. (My gawd I have fabulous friends).

When the actual day arrived, I made use of my made just for me booze holder that reads “Happy 2nd Covid Birthday” and filled that sucker up with a Skinny Pirate.

Then I hopped back in bed with Prissy and The Pussy Posse to do whatever the fuck I wanted. To start, I read every single text, social media posts about my birthday and direct messages. Please exit this post immediately if

A) You do not like me.

B) You do not like reading gushingly love filled messages to me that I am going to unabashedly share.

Consider yourself warned.

One woman we have to thank for my love of celebrating every.fucking.thing is Mama CBXB who chose the most appropriate photo to commence the day (and goes to show that I’ve been authentic since birth).

Cutest little faces with well wishes!

After feeling all of the love, I worked out with my fave trainer I found on Instagram last year during the pandemic. She runs the Body By Trainor Experience (@bodybytrainor) and posts workouts daily on her IG page for free. The heart pumping, along with the fact that we are long lost twins, accompanied by the virtual friendships culminated through this community has made me one motherfucking lucky gal.

I even had a workout named after me – HEYOH!

While I didn’t make the 6am live workout, I enjoyed doing it at my leisure along with Hot Mama and Bella in Chicago, and my fave Beast from Canada.

If you had told me a year ago that I would have an assortment of weights that I used almost daily, I would have laughed masklessly in your face. This year, I am clean pressing 20lbs! What? What?

These weights were gifted to me throughout the year by fellow group members. I was using wine bottles and cat litter prior to graduating to real weights.

One friend sent quite a fabulous workout outfit but in lieu of sweating in it, I decided to celebrate in it.

I’m not at a point where I’m ready to go midriff baring however, one’s birthday in isolation is a different story and after I put “It’s My Fucking Birthday” sash on, I threw caution to the wind.

One thing I did not count on was a delivery needing signature. I was back brushing my pearly whites when the knocking didn’t cease on the Mini Manse door.

Pretty sure no one was going to be able to look past my homegrown Rapegate boobs.

Oh hello Dizly delivery from my bestie M.Star. I put this to use the moment the ogling delivery dude left (I hated no moments of it).

Now an annual celebratory must.

Spoke to friends who I’ve only “met” virtually in Canada, North Caroline and Chicago!

Got to talk to my great aunt Marge who puts us all to shame in the game of celebrating. I remember my first time drinking with her, she brought a bottle of champs to Christmas and said soon after, “Did I drink all of that? Who can we prank call?”

Soon after, I enjoyed the rest of my evening on the phone chatting with friends and family while mauling Prissy and the Pussy Posse.

The following day was Friday and it was gonna be my first time back at the watering hole that holds half of my heart.

Birthday gift cards are the best!

Last year was the first birthday I didn’t spend at Dalts since moving to Nashville due to that cunt Rona. So while this year was still tame due to restrictions, I got to go to the bar, see my fave libations pourer, Marja and par-tay with my closest regulars I hadn’t seen in a year.

Skinny Pirate #1.

My lovely Strawberry Blonde met me and stayed sober while I accepted gifted drinks from other patrons at the bar.

A forced photoshoot is never a surprise when you’re with me, either.

1,765,812 more candid photos follow this one, naturally.

I mean, who doesn’t wear a full length pink and gold sequin cape casually?

As you can imagine, my quiet, quiet voice, my very subtle outfit and me shouting every time someone walked by “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” drew a teeny tiny bit of attention. Unbeknownst to Strawberry Blonde and myself, a fellow customer quietly paid my our tab. We didn’t know it until the end of our eight hour stay but she’d said “I love seeing women celebrating themselves.”

My Sugar Mama requested a photo before she left and prior to my knowledge of her picking up what wasn’t a cheap tab. It was so fucking nice. Like, beyond.

Strawberry Blonde awarded me with a trophy that said “Congrats on Adulting” and I tell you what, we all deserve goddamn prizes for trudging through the last fucking year however we saw fit. This will be the one and only time I throw my weight behind “participation” trophies for all.

The rest of my birthday weekend was spent in bed with The Pussy Posse, Prissy and pizza.

I can’t muster one complaint about celebrating my face off for 31 days. The accessories. The brazen daily announcements regarding me. me. me. all month long on Instagram. The outfit that dared me to bare my belly that’s not quite ready for bikini season yet. The reminder that I excel in the art of not giving a fuck.

So here’s to celebrating you, me and our ability to *almost* emerge shitshow after shitshow of 2020 to a newish norm. Just beware you may wake up looking like this the 32nd morning of your birthday shenanigans.

And it was worth every fucking second.

Cheers to us.

Love ya, mean it.

CBXB

CBXB!

BUY ME A DRINK!

Crazy Pants and Crazy Aunts

 

Being a crazy pants, entertaining aunt may be the death of me but it’s sure a lot of goddamn fun. A recent trip back home to Iowa was full of celebrations – and that’s just the kind of days this chick needed.

My Aunt Crazy Pants had a birthday a few weeks ago and although she’s kicking cancer ass, she still found her party pants. My sister (the not always happy about being my partner in crime but does it anyway) and Mama CBXB were able to join in on the festivities.

Fab four.

Birthday Queen.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist adding a little bit of fuchsia to the birthday bash.

I now want to grow a mustache. Only in the fuchsia hue.

We even forced Mr. Jakers to get in on the shenanigans.

We kept the thrown down going the following day because, well, why the hell not stretch out a birthday for as long as possible?

Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

It was also my Aunt Crispie’s actual date of birth, so it was a double party whammy. Naturally our trashtastic family always uses the ever classy red solo cups for guzzling beverages of the alcoholic sort.

A trio of fun aunts. You figure out the crazy one.

Being the fun aunt just may be the reason of permanent paralysis below my waist… but so worth it.

A back adjustment the old-fashioned way.

One of the perks of being a short adult is my capability of stuffing myself into an extra-large kids t-shirt. Therefore, I get to wear matching tops with Princess B while she still thinks it’s cool.

It’s party time!

We ended Aunt Crazy Pants’s celebration week with a trip to trivia night at the local grocery store (yes, that is what we do in small town Iowa and it’s fucking fun). Although my brain cells only provided one correct question of 20, our team “The Rats,” were able to slip into second place while having a laugh riot.

Trivia tomfoolery.

Being that I live 1,000 miles away in Nashville, cramming in all celebrations close to my visit date is common. Therefore, Santa made a special visit just for me – even with a small, glittery tree.

Christmas in March.

We also scrunched in an early birthday bash for yours truly, so I really raked it in (don’t worry if you haven’t picked anything out for me yet – you still have time and yes, I will provide a list).

The more the merrier in March!

Any Iowa birthday party of mine isn’t complete without a trip to see my bro-in-law, Dr. Cocktail, who makes libations that rival any mixologist on the planet (and no, that isn’t an overstatement).

Manhattan man.

Mine. All mine.

While there were only four adults present at the kitchen island, it sort of seemed a fraternity party took place when we were winding down. But that only means it was an evening of amusement, yes?

A party of four…or 44?

Regardless of the time my head hit the pillow, I had the two most adorable alarm clocks bust in and interrupt my beauty sleep with their not-so-spot-on rooster imitations.

Cockadoodle don’t.

Talk about a fun aunt. I went to visit my great aunt Marge, whose husband of 67 years recently passed away. Out of the five sisters in her family, her husband was the last to pass and holy shit was he was one gem of a person. He basically became the surrogate hubby to the four widowed sisters – much to his (dismay, perhaps?) delight.

Uncle Bill’s ashes sit in an urn next to Marge’s TV stand. She pointed at it and said, “I’m going in there with Bill but I gotta lose some weight first.”

A BV and water party night.

If there’s anyone I can think of emanating in this lifetime, it’s this spunky, hilarious broad. She’s 88, looks maybe all of 68 and acts 38.

She can also sing karaoke from the couch.

And is obviously true relation with our family tradition of Jell-O shots.

More whipped cream for you?

After my Iowa party parade, I made it to the airport and back to Nashville just in the nick of time, as inches of snow were starting to accumulate.  Although, I was a tad disappointed I didn’t get to play with my two faves in the snow.

Snow bunnies.

However, I’m not sure I would have fit in with this “angel”.

Angelic my ass.

Here’s hoping your day is filled with a little fun, a little crazy or a whole lotta both.

Cheers!

CBXB

CBXB!

The Beauty of Birthdays

Birthdays of yesteryear taught me some extremely important lessons that I adhere to even today, as I prepare to celebrate another year of fabulous fun.

Huff. Puff. and Blow.

Huff. Puff. Blow.

1) Always take a peek in a mirror before a photo is snapped, forever capturing the loveliness of you on your special day or you may end up with something like this….

My most gorgeous birthday photo ever.

Hello Gorgeous.

Seriously. Stare in the mirror and give a rat’s ass or you’ll be gazing at your lovely self in something as beautiful as a crocheted vest for years to come.

Crochet nightmare

Fashion at its finest accessorized with wispy bangs.

Celebrate

Own advice not taken. Clearly.

2) Upon receiving presents, always act like you’ve just received the best.gift.ever. Even if you have no clue what it is or have no intention of ever wearing/using/displaying/eating/drinking.

Always act surprised.

Holy shit! I love it! No, truly I do.

3) Insist upon holding fingers up to commemorate which age you were celebrating when photos end up in albums.

Insist

I’m this many today.

Even if you’re not quite sure how old you are, own whatever you are saying which will demand more attention on you.

Even

If I say I’m two and a half, I AM TWO AND A HALF, ya dig?

4) Cake matters. Choose your design wisely.

Scoobs.

Everyone wants a piece of Scooby.

Then insist someone hand feed it to you.

Keepin' it classy. As usual.

Keepin’ it classy. As usual.

5) Practice your ‘birthday face’ so you can look adorable in all photos.

Mug for the camera.

Oh who me? Why yes it is my birthday. I’ll just hold this pose for the rest of the day.

Camera!

Adorableness fail.

6) Be sure to have a themed party. Even if it involves you looking like an ass clown.

theme

Send in the clowns.

7) Dance, jump and twirl to your heart’s content, acting as if you have one ounce of rhythm somewhere in your being.

PARTY!

Shake, rattle and rollin’ expected.

Dance

High kicks accepted.

Head banging also accepted.

Head banging also welcomed but you’ll regret it in the morning. Trust me.

8) Noisy favors are a must. Especially if party goers are under the age of six.

Blow it out.

Blow out birthday party.

9) Always go with the celebratory flow.

Go with the flow

Balloons in my hair? Sounds like a good birthday look.

Or at least let someone catch you when the flow gets to be too much for you to stand on your own.

Hey-oh!

Hey-oh!

10) Don’t ever turn away a birthday kiss, no matter how much you think it may hurt your face.

Scruffy faces hurt my cheek. Always low maintenance.

Always being low maintenance, scruffy faces hurt my cheek. Shave already!

11) Even if you share the same birthday with a cousin (gentleman to my left in photo below with thrilled look on his face) be sure you try to be the star of the show anyhow.

Sharing

Sorry. Not sorry B. Happy Birthday today by the way!

12) Never, ever, ever, ever turn down a birthday shot. Ever.

Why thank you

Birthdays taste so good.

Cheers to your birthdays of yesteryear – as well as a year full of the happiest of birthdays for all of us and those we hold dear!

This evening, I’ll be drinking to the wise words my Gma has told me every year, “having another birthday sure beats the alternative.”

Smart lady.

CBXB

CBXB!

 

Crazy Pants Party!

Looking for a fabulous way to kick cabin fever’s ass while celebrating a gal pal’s birthday, there was no better idea than to host a crazy pants party at my mini manse.

Crazy time.

Crazy time for crazy ladies.

Naturally needing to up my outfit ante,  I added pink tinsel eyelashes to my look…which I now want to be an everyday staple.

Details matter most.

Details matter most.

With my outfit ready and set to go, party food being monitored for meddling pussies and birthday decor in proper places, there was only one thing left to do…

Feed me.

Feed me.

… get the furry little host with the most set to be the greeter.

Greeter all

Everyone go home. I’m tired.

And then the crazy pants came in droves!

Crazy Pants!

Literal crazy pants arrived.

Clark Kent in his skivies.

Clark Kent showed in his skivvies.

Party pants with pops of color and sequins for me.

Party pants with polka dots, poppies and sequins mixed and mingled.

The Mad Hatter in her flannel and elf.

Flannel  pants and footie pjs won the prize for comfiest attendees.

And why stop at pants when you can add crazy hats?

Why stop at pants when you can add crazy hats?

Bedazzled helmets for our heads.

Now it’s not a party without a little drama – and you could cut the animal tension with a knife when sweet Precious rolled in.

Precious party goer in her sparkly giddy up.

Stealing Ted’s spotlight (that I’m still paying for).

With a puppy and two pussies under my roof already, this CBXB party wasn’t complete without my Pa.

My eyes are open.

Yes my eyes are open, you just can’t tell because of my six inch long tinsel lashes.

Nor will any party of mine be complete without classy rounds of Jell-O shots served by the one and only Mama CBXB.

You're been served.

You’re been served.

Once I’d consumed my weight in gelatinous goodness, it was time to ruin party pics.

Plenty of party pics for me to ruin.

You’re welcome.

While I was busy being the star of every camera’s show, Dada CBXB didn’t mind taking in all of the lovely lady sights.

All kinds of lovin' spread around.

A perfectly paired couple – from top to bottom.

A crazy pants party isn’t complete without various cray cray lady pics with an appropriate prop.

What's a crazy pants party without crazy party girls?

The angry drunk crazy lady.

Cr

The run for the hills and never look back crazy as fuck cat lady.

Crazy crying girl who was quickly DisLiked.

The crazy crying girl who was DisLiked.

With the shenanigans raging on until daylight started to creep in the windows, Teddy resorted to his Juicy Couture Pussy Palace where he knew I couldn’t fit in and breathe stale Skinny Pirate breath all over him.

Pussy Palace

A fancy furry tent cures kitty hangovers.

And as those wee rays of sunshine poured into the mini manse, I could only muster the energy to reach for my recovery kit complete with vodka, bloody mary mix and aspirin. Lots and lots of aspirin.

Still sippin' on my juice today..

A true life saver.

I may or may not still be sipping on a recovery mix days after this party ended, along with lots and lots and lots of aspirin.

Here’s hoping your week has been headache free!

CBXB

CBXB!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend Winks – Pussy Party!

My Nashville weekend consisted of celebrating a pussy’s anniversary, twins entering their second year on the planet and seeing a girlfriend move to the beach (that bitch).

Celebrating New Cat not being new anymore.

Yeehaw! New Cat’s not so new anymore.

First Mate packed up her bags and moved her tiny ass to the beaches of Florida on Friday. Now I know you don’t feel sorry for her but can you feel a teeny-weeny tiny sad for me?  She’s one of my only unmarried without children friends who can still do things on a moment’s notice. Poor me…guess I’ll just have to go visit her at the beach.

Bon Voyage First Mate!

Bon Voyage First Mate!

My Iowa twosome were extremely busy gearing up for their second birthday party.

Twosome getting ready for two. Mellow Rreading time.

With a little reading time.

Mellow snow time.

With a little snow time.

Mellow hug time.

With a little hug time.

My folks and I were not only celebrating the twins in Nashville on Saturday but we were also cheering on our Iowa Hawkeye basketball team AND honoring New Cat’s first 365 days in my mini manse.

Impromptu Iowa game watch AND mini celebration for NC

Impromptu Iowa game watch combined with a mini celebration for NC.

We may or may not have done a moonshine shot every single time Iowa made a basket.

Happy with the fifth...

Who needs a touchdown?

No, we really didn’t do that.

Or did we…..?

Lead us to doing toe touches like the Golden Girls.

Relax, that’s just water in my cup.

I really did need some moonshine while trying to stuff New Cat in to his anniversary giddy up.

Not so picture purrfect.

Not so picture purrfect.

But Grammie CBXB brought in an anniversary card accompanied by a felt fish laced with catnip.  Being that I am a person who doesn’t consume anything unhealthy (unless it’s a Skinny Pirate, wine, vodka, moonshine, white whiskey or a fried food – obviously my body is my temple) it never dawned on me that New New would be interested in something that might mellow him the fuck out.

YES PLEASE.

First time for everything.

Mission accomplished.

Mission accomplished.

Helping mellow out Dada CBXB

The poor fish ended up on my dad’s teeny tiny foot.

While we were busy getting felines high, Prince and Princess B were partying hard with birthday cake and candles.

Meanwhile...

All about those babes.

Thankfully they were able to work off their sugar rush in a bouncy house.

Bounced it outta their system.

I can’t wait to jump in there with them.

Turns out, both my nephew and niece take after yours truly (much to the chagrin of their parents) in some special way…

Prince B eats just like his Auntie CBXB.

Prince B eats just like Auntie CBXB.

Why take a tiny bite when you can shove it all in at once?

And Princess B is mastering the art of a selfie.

I might as well have birthed her.

I might as well have birthed her.

No Weekend Winks post would be complete without the star of my life, Mr. Ted E. Bear, who was more than displeased that none of the weekend shenanigans had anything to do with him.

Had it with all of us party goers necause none of it had to do with him.

The world revolves around me. Shut up and let me sleep.

Obviously my cat also takes after me…

Cheers!
CBXB

CBXB!