A Cozy Springtime Birthday Weekend

I have always loved that my birthday falls in mid-March.  It always feels more like my official start to the new year than it does in January as there is more daylight to enjoy, the flowers and tress and starting to bloom, and the temperatures are warming up.  I always try to take off of work for my birthday to not only celebrate the occasion, but to enjoy doing things that I love.

This year my birthday was on a Thursday, so I took off of work on Thursday and Friday and I got very lucky that the weather would be nice with the temperatures ranging from mid the 60’s into the 70’s.  My husband would also be out of town traveling for work during this time, so it gave me a lot of alone time to enjoy this year which I love.  But even though he was out of town, he still sent me a beautiful bouquet on my birthday as he knows that I very much love flowers.

Thursday morning after I woke up and got ready, I stopped into Starbucks to get my free birthday coffee as well as some breakfast to start the day.  Since the weather was so nice I took it over to the NC Museum of Art to eat breakfast outside in the park for some fresh air and to enjoy sound of the birds chirping.

After breakfast I went to the local used bookstore called The Reader’s Corner.  They have a great selection of books and even movies and records too.  I love used bookstores because not only might you find a book that you’ve been wanting to read for less, but also for the possibility to discover books that you’ve never heard of, but know that you would enjoy.

These were the books that I purchased for around $30. It seems that I got lucky in finding many Anglophile books to bring home this time around.

After the bookstore I drove to the arboretum that was only two or so miles away. Mid-March is such a great time to visit the gardens/arboretums here in Raleigh because the trees are blooming and they are so beautiful with their pink and white flowers.  The arboretum is also a year-round garden meaning that something is always in bloom no matter what time of year one visits.

The gardens were quite big too and there were so many plants and nooks to discover and enjoy.

I really loved seeing all of the flowers too that were blooming this time of year.

They even had a section where one could pick a gardening book from the shelf to keep for a small donation.

I picked a book from the shelf called, What Are Gardens For? and found a shady bench to sit on and to read for a couple of hours.  I appreciated the quiet and being surrounded by nature.  For me, it was a perfect way to spend my birthday.

Friday was a bit cloudy and cooler than it was on Thursday, so I knew that I would save this day to enjoy a couple of things that were inside.  So that morning I went over to Hunt & Gather antique store to walked around and peruse all of the beautiful antiques.

Be sure to read below for what I purchased at Hunt & Gather.

After I left the antique store I drove to a place that recently opened here in Raleigh called Giorgio’s Epicurean Market (GEM) which is a specialty food store that sales everything from freshly butchered meat, to sandwiches, soups, quiche, pastries, coffee and so much more.  They also sale imported food items, ceramics, and cookbooks.  As a girl who loves to cook (and eat), I knew that I wanted to visit this place on my birthday weekend.

Since it was my birthday weekend I decided to get a petite raspberry cheesecake and iced latte.  Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, so I really enjoyed the sweet creamy dessert along with the iced coffee.

I also purchased the cookbook Tasting Paris because why not? It had some really good looking recipes that I am looking forward to making in the near future.

When I got home I cleaned up my purchases from the antique store.  I purchased this Arthur Wood (England) teapot as well as a magazine rack for my corner chair.  The magazine rack in particular will have so much use as I placed it next to my corner chair in the bedroom as this is where I spend my time when I am reading, coloring or doing a jigsaw puzzle.

In the magazine rack I currently have the current month’s magazines I am reading, my favorite coloring book and markers, two books that I am currently reading, my journal and blog planner as well as my noise canceling headphones.  I appreciate the easier access to these items as these are the ones that I reach for most.

And of course the birthday celebrations didn’t stop there as my husband made dinner reservations at one of my favorite restaurants here in Raleigh to finish out the birthday weekend. Birthdays will always hold a special place in my heart as each year I am reminded of how precious life truly is and to celebrate a birthday is to celebrate life itself in appreciation of the changing seasons of our lives.