Birthday Candles

This weekend...

Was Simon's 34th birthday.  It was happy, happy!  And (aside from slightly sick kiddos), very relaxing.

A cool front blew in on Saturday and it was in the mid-sixties all morning.  We opened the kitchen windows and the kids played in the backyard while we drank lots of coffee.  Ahhhhh.

I made Simon a huge Mexican dinner (at his request).  It's Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Quesadillas, and Simon's mom's Spanish rice (which is unbelievably good...I'll have to share that recipe with you soon).  Yes, very unhealthy.  But that's what birthdays are for, right?  Oh, also margaritas.  Can't have the Mexican food without those!

Blowing out the candles.  Watch Lyla's face in this progression.

"I didn't blow any out!!"
Poor Lyla.

And I'd like to share one of Simon's birthday presents:  The Best Candle Out There.  I've written about this before, long ago.  Woodwick.  They rock.  Especially their fall and winter lines.  You always know you can pick up a vanilla or a cinnamon candle at any basic grocery store and it'll probably be okay.  (Except I actually hate any and all sweet-food-related candles.  Cinnamon, okay.  Cinnamon bun with gooey maple sauce?  I feel like they make the air sticky.  Also, who wants another reason to crave baked goods?  Anyway.  Sorry for that rant.)  Back to these: really good, more complicated scents are hard to get just right.  Fireside smells like smoke, clean-soap, autumn leaves, rain...it's gorgeous.  Lighting that baby up each fall ups my happiness level by several notches.  Oh! AND they crackle, like a real fire.  Bonus!

This is my favorite, Fireside, recommended a few years ago by a high school friend (hi, Katie!).  Still the best fall-winter scent EVERRRRR.

Okay on to Simon's favorite.  Wait, first, disclaimer.  Simon is NOT the kind of guy who would normally care AT ALL about a candle.  Or spend this kind of money on one (they ain't cheap--20 bucks for a 10 ounce candle).  The story of the Candle Development is as follows:  I forced him to go with me to buy ME a candle for MY birthday last year, mostly because I wanted to hang with him, but also because my summer favorite (the Anthropologie blue volcano one), he HATES.  I used to burn it when we were dating and he always wanted to go out on the balcony of our apartment.  Only told me why after we were married, when he banned that candle from use during his at-home hours.  Soooo, I wanted one I could fire up without spoiling my joy in the candle and/or chasing him outdoors.

He obligingly smelled and sniffed and discussed all kinds of candles with me (poor guy).  And voted, unequivocally, for this:  Woodwick Redwood.

See how he's already burned through half a inch?

And then he burned it every.single. night.  All fall and winter.  He took to pouring himself a drink and settling in with candle burning right next to him.  Guys.  HE lit it.  HE took deep, affectionate breaths of the candle.  HE even began to comment on how much he loved it.

All of this was totally my goal in dragging him to that girlie store, and I was happy.

But it broke during the move, earlier this summer (all two inches of wax that were left were destroyed).  Hence the present.  Which he loves.  (But he did reject the idea of bringing one to the office.  I guess that's where he draws the man-line.)

Anyway--sorry if that was too much discussion of candles.  But...they do merit it, I assure you.

That's about it for this weekend!

My mom is coming tomorrow and I plan to show her around OKC a bit (though I make a rather inexperienced guide!).  I'll be back to share our excursions later!  Also, MY birthday is this weekend, and I've got a list of Virtual Presents I'd Give Myself If I Were a Millionaire.  See you soon!

Bonus Cutie Pie Pic: