<p>Happy Birthday, zoosermom!!</p>
<p>My H has never forgotten my b’day, but for the first 7 years of marriage, he always gave me something 2 days before the real day. I never said anything, but when the older child was 3, he asked his dad why he gave mommy a present today? Dad replie, “it’s her birthday”. Son told him it was not for 2 more days. He really never knew!</p>
<p>Happy Birthday! (from one class of 2010 mom to another ) :)</p>
<p>Happy Birthday Zmom! A bit late, but totally heartfelt. I’d love to see the steps after your hubby has done his B’day present! ;)</p>
<p>Just saw this. Happy Birthday Zooser! Is it a coincidence that many of my favorite people are Libras (daughter, mother, best friend in Dallas, for instance)? I don’t think so!</p>
<p>Anyway, I hope you partied like it’s 1999—oops, never mind.:p</p>
<p>Husband does nothing for Mother’s Day because I’m not his mother. This year I bought tickets for a Mther’s Day matinee of* Rent*.</p>
<p>Z, hope the last 35 minutes of your birthday are great!</p>
<p>Hope I’m not too late to wish you Happy Birthday, Zoosermom. Cheers!</p>
<p>Thank you all so much! I so appreciate the good wishes the the wonderful stories. The conversations and anecdotes here at CC are beyond priceless and I love hearing about all of you!</p>
<p>I got home from work last nigt and hubby had torn apart the front hall and stairs (we have a Victorian with a curved staircase. It’s nice but never as special as it could be). His plan is to sand all of the wood and paint it in formal black and white so it will really pop. I’m sure this is going to be gorgeous but I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what put it in his head. He certainly meant well and I’ll be happy when it’s done, so I’m just going to consider this part of his own unique type of generosity. I secretly suspect that he forgot it was my birthday and decided to move up a plan he had already had just for its own sake, but I’m not going to quibble.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble picturing it. I’m envisioning something looking like a piano keyboard. Is it going to be white treads with black risers? Vice versa? </p>
<p>You know, even if you’re right about the reason behind the “present”, I do think it’s sweet that he has dedicated this project to you via your birthday. That means he’ll be thinking about you “every step of the way.” 
</p>
<p>I didn’t tell you my birthday story - no, not the one where I got the shoeshine kit… No, not the one where he gave me a fire extinguisher… Actually - last year I had a “big” birthday, and hubby was out of town at a convention. He did nothing for my birthday. He remembered it - he went to friends’ house the night before, and they called and sang happy birthday while he was there. But on my birthday, nothing. So I was sure he’d bring something home with him. The convention didn’t meet on Sunday (my birthday) and his hotel was connected to a mall.</p>
<p>Nothing. Zip. Nada. Didn’t mention it.</p>
<p>I pointed out to him after he came home that he could have at least hidden a card or something, and told me where to find it on my birthday. I’m not a flowers/candy type person, but even that would have been nice.</p>
<p>A month later, he was in Germany for 2 weeks. He hid little presents all over. Every day he sent me an email and told me where to look. </p>
<p>He is trainable. :D</p>
<p>My birthday is next week. I’m curious to see if the lesson lasted.</p>
<p>binx- your H gave you a fire extinguisher as a birthday gift, too?</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I’m happy that your H remembered your special day. I hope you had a nice birthday. Now you will be looking at the stairs every day and smile about your H’s special gift! What a story!</p>
<p>My H goes to the mall only once a year. Yep, only once - to buy me a dress on my birthday! It is a huge sacrifice on his part, because he loathes shopping.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday, Z-mom!</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone will ever top your DH for originality! Makes any other attempts seem bland and ordinary!</p>
<p>
Exactly. The bannister was already white ballisters with a black handrail. Looks very pretty, but the steps had been carpeted, so something had to be done after the carpet was removed. He saw this scheme on HGTV. It was gorgeous, I must say, but a tad formal.</p>
<p>
Yes!</p>
<p>
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A month later, he was in Germany for 2 weeks. He hid little presents all over. Every day he sent me an email and told me where to look. </p>
<p>He is trainable.
[/quote]
I bow before you!</p>
<p>
How does he do with the actual selection?</p>
<p>ZM, my H did OK for a while with the dress selection (it helps that I have a summer b-day), but a few years ago he decided that it would be much easier and faster to take me with him :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is going to be a very gorgeous staircase!</p>
<p>In honor of your birthday present - check this out. Google “Piano stairs - TheFunTheory.com” (youtube video, or I’d post the link.)</p>
<p>Okay - birthday yesterday - said I’d report on how hubby did, compared to missing it last year.</p>
<p>On Saturday he cleaned all of the downstairs. I thought that was his present…</p>
<p>Yesterday morning he had a few presents on the kitchen table, with a sign not to open them until evening. I thought that was his present…</p>
<p>He came home from work shortly before 7:00 (a little earlier than usual), and began carrying things in from the car - lots of pizza, chips, veggies, hot pretzels, cake… </p>
<p>and around 7:00 people began arriving. Then I opened my present, which was a Wii, and I learned that everyone had been invited to a “significant birthday plus one” party, and to play Wii.</p>
<p>It was a lot of fun, except that I won NOT a SINGLE game.</p>
<p>All in all, hubby did pretty good. Like I said, he’s trainable. Except that I will be eating pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week. He’s not real good at judging quantities. We did send everyone home with extra pretzels and cake.</p>
<p>That’s awesome Binx! And happy birthday to you!! What a great idea for a gift. I never would have thought of a Wii. I’m so glad you had a great time.</p>
<p>LOL binx–I have to tell you, my birthday was celebrated yesterday, too! (It was Saturday, but H and sons were out of town). Yesterday, H brought home my favorite (Middle Eastern)
take-out food. And then there was the cake–a poppy-seed bread with candles stuck in it.
Why poppy seed? I asked H. Well, the bakery was across the street from the restaurant. . .</p>
<p>So what happened on my real birthday? Well, my 10yo D–who had me helping her study history the night before–woke me up by crawling in my bed with her textbook. “Mom, turn to page 47.” Me: “Groan. No, YOU turn to page 47. My eyes are tired. I don’t feel like reading anything right now. What time is it, anyway?” “Please, Mom! Open to page 47.” “You do it. . .” So she finally did, and out falls a construction paper birthday card. I open it, and see she’d written the message in Spanish (which I’m studying right now). Then I finally realized the significance of page 47. . .DUH! The other side of the card said: “Sorry about the Pirate Party,” --frowny face with an eyepatch.</p>
<p>Her friend’s parents were having a Pirate Party that evening, and I–completely against my will–had agreed to go with my 3 daughters. Whole family thing–costumes (which involved last minute trips to thrift shop and Walmart) required. I was Capt. Jack(ie) Sparrow since I don’t have the figure for a wench costume. There were silly games and contests–including a scavenger hunt. The first house we went to there was a very helpful woman who didn’t speak English–or Spanish, and I don’t speak Arabic, so I was forced to act out things like “twist tie,” “dental floss,” etc. (I couldn’t say "twist tie in Spanish, anyway)–I actually got her to make me a piece of toast so I could get the “Image of Virgin Mary on Toast.” Apple bobbing was next (D was the only one who couldn’t get an apple). After coming in last place in all the games (in spite of the Virgin Mary on Toast), I actually won the “Talk Like a Pirate” contest. Now, anyone who knows me could not possibly imagine me ever talking like a pirate. But I didn’t have to. I just had to take a vocabulary quiz on pirate lingo. I’ve read Treasure Island a number of times, so that probably was an unfair advantage.
"Sorry about the Pirate Party 
" = Priceless.</p>
<p>binx and atomom - happy birthday to you!</p>
<p>zoosermom, I’m dying to hear an update on the stair project :)</p>