by the power of grayskull

Well now. How was your weekend? Mine was fine.



Chip and I have this phrase we've been using a lot --- "going downtown" and we use it in funny ways, like if Chip is going downstairs to grab a glass of milk he'll say, "I'm going downtown to get myself a glass of milk" and then I'll mock his fake use of an equally fake and ridiculously pseudo "urban" phrase of going downtown. It's a thing. It doesn't even SOUND funny when I say it here. Because we've used it so much, it's one of those phrases that we've RUINED for normal conversation. Do you have those?

Chip was talking to his sister last night about seeing a movie with my mother-in-law today (Star Trek, and being the sainted mother that I am, I am staying home with Alice so they can go out and watch a movie and eat popcorn and you really should be sooooo nice to me because I'm just a long-suffering martyr and really I'm going to stop talking about it now.). Chip had been looking for theaters, and he says to me, "Well, I found one downtown." and then I say, "So you're going downtown?" and then we both started to laugh as I say, "That's never going to be the same, is it?" It's at this point that Chip asks me if I even remember when we started using that phrase, and of course I don't remember. So I ask him to tell me. And you know what he says, YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAYS, "I'm busy." And then he proceeds to totally do something else, leaving me hanging. Oh it makes me mad all over again just thinking about it.

I know he does this stuff to tease me, and it doesn't usually drive me NUTS, but I just hate it when someone asks me if I want to know something, and when I express interest, they're all, "Oh never mind. I'll tell you later." or "So you REALLY want to know??????" Makes me CRAZY.

(And in Chip's defense, he did tell me eventually. And we laughed about it all over again. And then I said, "If you do that to me again, if you leave me hanging like that? You know who's going downtown? YOU. THAT'S WHO."



I've hinted that life around here has been a little off-the-rails for the last several months (read: seven or so, ouch). One of the major contributing factors has been helping my mother-in-law to move: selling her house, finding an apartment closer to us, dealing with the odds-and-ends that this entails, along with several other high-stress items. It's been quite the process. And we're reaching something of a plateau in this here process, which is good. We've got her moved in to an apartment that's within 15 minutes of us, and most of the moving stress is done. There are still some other things to take care of, but we're mostly in the clear, right?

Except. Our garage has become the resting place for several several SEVERAL boxes and doo-dads out of Chip's past. And also his brother's past, it would seem (as I do believe we're now storing his brother's college car cover -- a cover for a car that I don't believe the dude even owns anymore, can you believe this madness?). Besides the various and random, we've gotten a good selection of garden tools (awesome), AND a stellar washer and dryer (also in the overstuffed garage and ask me how I'm getting to our cars these days, go ahead just ask me). Which leads me to this story: we're in the process (there's that phrase again) of selling our old washer and dryer. Because we don't need two sets. And clearly, we don't have ROOM for two sets. This is the same washer that flooded several weeks ago. A flood that was caused ENTIRELY BY OPERATOR ERROR. In other words, me dumb cannot properly load washer duh. Originally we mentioned it to a few people at church thinking that there might be a family that could use a washer/dryer and we'd give them a good deal. When there wasn't any interest expressed, Chip and I looked in to putting them on Craigslist. Then, Saturday night, we were at a fundraiser at our church (for the girls to raise money for girl's camp this summer) and we got to sit with the fabulous Wandering Nana and her husband, The Mister. Out of the blue, this nice dude J comes up to us and expresses a little interest in our washer/dryer. Chip tells him the price we're looking for and why we're getting rid of them (got a nearly brand-new high tech German set from MIL), and I jump in with some selling points (in great condition, we're only the second people to use the set, Maytag, and have I mentioned that they're in great condition?). J sort of nods and then walks off. Wandering Nana has witnessed the entire exchange and she says, "Do you think they read your blog?" To which I respond, LOUDLY, "OPERATOR ERROR! IT WASN'T THE WASHER'S FAULT! THIS IS ENTIRELY HAPPENSTANCE AND RANDOM! THE FLOOD HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US GETTING RID OF THE WASHER! I PROMISE!" I am now listing this fact on my blog, in case any other perspective buyer is also, quite randomly, a reader of The Creamery. Yes we are selling the washer and dryer. THEY ARE NOT DEFECTIVE IN THE LEAST. You have my word.



We watched Run Fatboy Run this weekend. I think there is something wrong with me because besides making me laugh a lot, it also made me CRY. What with the inspirational bits and all.



I made the cursed cake on Sunday. Quite miraculously, I didn't make any mistakes in the baking or ingredients or compilation of the cake itself. But don't worry, the cake is still cursed. Because I made a whole mess of what I'm calling mechanical errors with the cake. Namely, the counter was a veritable SEA of chocolate icing when I was done. Cake? Still cursed. Taste? Still fantastic.



Does anyone want to shed some light on how a small girl-child can ADORE bananas when she eats them in chunks by her own hand, but when her mother mashes up a nice, soft, very sweet banana and adds it to oatmeal, milk, and a little bit of butter--- it becomes THE GROSSEST THING TO EVER GROSS. Like, she won't even lower herself to let it touch her lips. I've eaten several bites of the stuff to convince her that it is quite edible and still nothing. I recently had a eureka moment when I decided that I was going to make Alice the most delectable oatmeal EVER and she wouldn't be able to resist it for all the yumminess. BEHOLD MY SUCCESS, PEOPLE. Ugh.



Does anyone watch Dollhouse? DID YOU SEE THE EP ON FRIDAY? DUDE. DUDE DUDE DUDE! Help me with some exclamation points, kids!!!!



Have I mentioned that I have a headache?



Speaking of which, I do believe that a sure-fire way to chase a headache out of the head is to consume several chocolate cupcakes. Whimsy out.