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life{in}grace

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Cake and Karaoke

by 195 Comments

Okay, y’all.

It was the best party ever.  I’ve got no lies to tell.  We were celebrating milestones;  Caiti turning 21 and Emme turning 13.  And would you believe me if I told you that there was not ONE decoration.  Not one.  Not even a single solitary “Happy Birthday” napkin.

What we had was this—we had cake and we had karaoke.  

So, before you go and judge me and throw me out of the cute party decorations club, here me out.

When I say we had cake, we had cake, dear ones.

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It was delicious and worth every bit of effort.   But, it wasn’t close to being the star of the show. Not by a long shot.

Karaoke is my love language.  And my kids love music, so we decided to have a little fun with a borrowed karaoke machine. (Thank you, Shawna!)  So, after scarfing down some cake, we  scurried downstairs to start the karaoke party because if I know one thing about myself, it’s this:  6 hours of karaoke won’t be long enough.  Amen? Amen.  We were lamenting our lack of decorations because we felt like we really needed a back drop that matched the quality of the karaoke.  That’s when we decided to set Buck up right behind us.  He was perfect in every way.  And quit trying to press play on that awesome photo, it’s a screen shot, a teaser, if you will.  All in all, it was a fantastic ab workout, because I don’t believe I’ve ever laughed so much in one day.  I came upstairs and the look on Stevie’s face was priceless.  I said, “It’s pretty awesome, huh?”, to which he replied, “Oh, it’s awesome, alright.”

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Sister and I warmed up on Coal Miner’s Daughter and Stand By Your Man.  And when you sing with all the fervor that we do, even those two’ll wear you out. All of our girls and two of the girls’ friends were there (Bless their hearts) and we knew that if we just kept singing, the teens and tweens would soon join in.  For a good two hours, we tried to entice them with the likes of Delta Dawn, Ring of Fire, Hello Darlin’, and Mama Tried.  There was a lot of eye rolling and eye brow raising, and in general making fun of the mommas.  But, I can’t be deterred by a little critique from a few teenagers.  What do they know about life?  Watch Coal Miner’s Daughter a few more times and then we’ll talk.  So, sister and I took a short break, to rest our voices, and head upstairs for more cake.  As you might have guessed, the lure of the microphone was too much and what do we hear from the basement but a few girls singing some mellow Maroon Five. I can’t say I totally support their choice of music, but those girls can really sing.  We enjoyed hearing our girls lightly whisper their tunes and were  happy they finally decided to embrace the joys of karaoke, even if somewhat begrudgingly.

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And this cutie pie can pretend she was asleep, but we all know she was loving every minute of it.

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After the UT was over, we begged Taylor to join us.  He reluctantly took his seat between the sisters and sang Mama Tried with us.  Real musicians have little patience for karaoke, but he humored us.

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Then, the girls sang some more, but our time was running short so we finally wrung the microphones out of their greedy hands to finish up with a grand (repeat) finale of Mountain Man by Alabama and Coal Miner’s Daughter by my hero, Loretta Lynn.  And if it weren’t for the fact that I would sit in my basement all day singing old school country songs, I’d get myself one of those karaoke machines.  I haven’t had this much fun in years.  Well, not since that time, back in the 90’s, when JamieKnoxville and I wowed half of Atlantic City with our mad skillz and sang, “Did I Shave My Legs For This?”

Caiti, who turns 21 tomorrow, humored us by singing Stand By Your Man with us.  I feel like it’s a right of passage for a young woman much more important than the being able to buy alcohol. We put her right between us and tried not to drown her out, since she actually has a stunning voice.

So, my final thought to you is, who needs decorations when you have this kind of passionate entertainment?  And what could be better for the 13 year old psyche than to karaoke with your mom?

I can’t think of anything.

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I was tempted to upload a little snippet of audio for you, but, my computer kept freezing up, and  honestly, whatever you’ve conjured up in your mind is ten times better than the real thing!  I mean, just look at that photo—a picture is worth a thousand videos.  We were in it to win it.

p.s.  If you need high quality entertainment for you next party, you know where to find me.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruth says

    I nearly spit out my coffee a few times as I read your description of this fun birthday celebration. I don’t think anyone else can pull it off as well as you Edie.
    We sure would love a few snippets of video to top off this fab post. It will be the icing on the cake.

    Reply

  2. Erin in CO says

    Lady, you are fun! Absolutely beautiful cake…perfect for a combined celebration of 13 and 21! Happy (belated) birthdays to your girls 🙂 this had to be a big ol’ deposit of sweet memories in their soul bank…

    Reply

  3. amy says

    oh my, you have just confirmed that my idea to have an 80’s karaoke night with out small group must become a reality. it’s for the sake of the children. what awesome fun!

    Reply

  6. beverly says

    You may want to add “I’ll Survive” to your list at your next party. That’s the best karaoke song ever in my book.

    Reply

  9. LLH Designs says

    I was totally trying to press play on that first photo! Who needs cute decorations when you can spend all those hours making memories! 6 hours of karaoke? Are you hoarse today? 😉

    Reply

  11. lesley says

    I even waited with coffee in hand and got on the computer, then tried to click the screenshot on the computer 😉 DUH!
    That sounds like one of our parties.. too funny girl, great memories for those kids!

    Reply

  16. Leslie says

    Gal,
    Just have to say we are sisters separated at birth. We rocked some Ka-ro-ke on New Year’s Eve and had everyone jammin’. Such fun. You are right if you start it; they will come. I hope you sang Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and We are Family! Would love to meet you sometime. And loved the cake.
    Recipe coming?
    xoxo

    Reply

  20. Angie says

    Perfect way to celebrate to important birthdays! Next time we do our annual camping trip to Townsend, I’ll give you a ring. We spend hours singing karaoke on the deck of our cabin…a little “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”…oh yeah! 🙂

    Reply

  21. Julia says

    When I started reading this morning (I was at work) I KNEW I would have to wait until I could get home & sit down to read, see and laugh 🙂
    What’s your word, Edie? Hi-Larry-Us???? What FUN!!! Thank you for making me smile tonight. Lots of Birthday Love for your Gorgeous Girls 🙂
    (and the cake was outta site looking too! loved the roses!)
    Keep on singing…

    Reply

  22. Becki Griffin says

    Oh, I get it. Seriously luv your song choices. Me and my sister recently did two solid hours of karaoke late one night at her house, closed up in her daughters bedroom, all by ourselves…. with an ipad.
    Her best is Olivia Newton John’s “I Honestly Love you”. Mine is anything by Linda Ronstadt. Would you believe I sound just like her???

    Reply

  23. Lea Carter says

    You are cracking me up. Of course you were in it to win it…you don’t play with classic country! I sing my little boys to sleep with classic country nightly. “What’s your Momma’s Name Child” by Tanya Tucker is the favorite and the one I’m always in to win. If you know the song, you’ll find this funny. If you don’t, you need to broaden your repertoire! Recently we were approached in a parking lot by a man asking for money. When we got in the car, my three year old said, “That was Buford Wilson.”

    Reply

    • Edie Wadsworth says

      FUNNIEST THING EVER!! Were we separated at birth? You are training those children up right, Lea! ANd your last name is Carter? Any family relation to THE Carter family?
      Thanks for making my day!
      🙂

      Reply

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