Sweetie Pie

Mr. is a dear.

Really.

Just yesterday he was urging me to get out the door,

so I would make it to the post office

before it closed.

I was dressed, 

 wearing slippers...

sans socks.

And...

my freshly painted nails were still wet.

So, Mr. kindly offered to put my feet into socks

and save the day

by preserving my manicure.

Yay!

This is what it sounds like:

Mrs: Here are my socks. 

Mr: Give me your hoof.

Mrs:  I love you too, Sweetie Pie.

And that, my friends, 

is everyday romance

in the vibrant household.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Mr.'s family is full of stories.

Here's one:

One day Grandma made a pineapple upside down cake.

It was greatly anticipated*

as she had several children

and all were raised with a proper sweet tooth.

*This was in the olden days 

when children 

did not eat

sugar

all day.

A lady friend stopped to visit

and admired the cake,

mentioning that it is 

her favorite 

in all the world.

Having the grace of a lady,

"Take this one," says Grandma.

"Oh no, I couldn't!" exclaimed the lady friend.

"No, really, you must," insists Grandma.

"My children don't LIKE 

pineapple upside down cake."

And so, lady friend skips home,

cake in hand.

Grandma waves goodbye from the porch,

with several sets of teary eyed children,

clinging to her skirt,

and no pineapple upside down cake.

I saw this video, 

and thought I might make one. 

pineapple upside-down cake from rachelchew on Vimeo.

Now you want to make one too,

don't you.

Other people's medicine

I have a few candy jars

around the house.

Mr. was enticed by some 

prettily wrapped chocolates.

He popped one in his mouth 

and then made an ugly face.

"Gross!"

"What's wrong with these chocolates?"

Short answer:

those are MOMMY's MEDICINE.

Not for the faint of heart.

Grand Mariner 

enrobed in dark chocolate.

Don't take other people's medicine.

FIRE!

I picked Mr. up from the train.

He kissed me,

and then began to tell me all about his day.

Suddenly, 

in the middle of his story,

he began to say,

"My lips are on FIRE!"

"No, really!  My lips are burning up!"

Now, again, slightly louder,

more panic in his voice,

"My lips are on FIRE!"

"What do you have on your lips?"

I was laughing hysterically by this time.  

Pee your pants kind of laughing.

As calmly as I can, 

I say,

"Burt's Beeswax."

"What's in it?" he yells.

Ironically

I say,

"Cool and refreshing mint."

Honestly, it was so funny!

You'd think I was trying to poison him,

by using lip balm

ON MY LIPS!

As the sisters say

"Overreact much?"

Pittsburgh...where you feel old

Yesterday I learned there is a

BIG difference

between 28 and 38.

While getting my hair cut,

I overheard a conversation

between two women, 

both age 28.

"I mean, I'm not, like, trying to find someone.

I'm happy, like, being single and everything.

I mean, I have fun and everything"

Between the two of them,

 three words couldn't be 

strung together 

without "like" or "everything".

Oh, they were delightful.

I didn't envy the single girl,

having so much fun.

I'd rather be home with Mr.

drinking tea

and knitting.

But I did suddenly feel my age.

Poor Mr.

He is the oldest person in his office.

The people he works with are young.

I didn't understand until I drove 

him and some other guys around one afternoon. 

Bet you didn't know I sometimes drive a taxi.

Okay, you probably knew.

I do have two kids.

Anyway, the guys wanted to be let out

to pick up some lunch.

After spending about an hour with them,

I also thought they were young.

I had to bite my tongue

and not offer them lunch money.

So, as Mr. says,

"Welcome to Pittsburgh,

where you FEEL old."

Kinfolk

Kinfolk Volume Two from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

This video is lovely.

It makes me glad for winter.

And...

it makes me want 

a subscription to Kinfolk.

Who's Carmen?

Sister was talking at dinner tonight

 about her bad day.

"Karma is out to get me," she declared.

"Who's Carmen?" Mr. asked.

Peels of laughter.

Sister Too says 

"I think someone is getting old."

And reminds us a little of grandpa.

Happy Chinese New Year!

We served broccoli and beef, firecracker shrimp, rice, 

and chocolate dessert bites.

Ambitiously, I planned to make paper lanterns for decorations.

*chirp...chirp*

Um, yeah.

On the bright side, there is nothing to take down.

Dinner

Tonight school is hosting 

International Night.

Sister is playing her trombone.

(The Can-can...once it gets in your head it stays...)

Sister Too is one of the MC's.

Sister Too really wants us to go.

"Mom, you don't have to make dinner,"

she persuades.

"Hmmm, sounds good," I think.

Sister Too says,

 "And, I told my teacher 

how great you are

at making

 homemade French bread.

So I volunteered you

 to make

 a dozen loaves."

I'm not sure 

but I think making dinner 

*might* 

have been easier.

Once again, the easy way

is not the right way.

Even my hair smells like bread.

Update, and advice

When I dropped my broken camera off

(on Saturday last),

the camera guy said,

"We'll look at it and give you a call this week."

I called Friday.

Just to check.

Because they hadn't called me.

Hmm...

The guy said,

"Our technician has been out all week,

we'll give you a call next week."

Do you think he's stalling?

Should I pick up my camera?

Should I take a chance 

and call the credit card company 

to get a refund on the charges?

Help!

This is making me really crazy!

Surprise...and not the happy kind

A few nights ago I decided to bake Mr.'s favorite cookies

with a twist.

Oatmeal chocolate chip coconut and walnut cookies.

Yum.

One must have fallen on the floor,

for the next morning Mr. picked it up.

But it looked suspiciously...

nibbled.

Cue the panic attack.

Mrs. does NOT like rodents

of ANY kind.

Not even hamsters.

Just to be on the safe side,

I put out some traps.  

And I mean business.

Did you know Ortho has some new rodent control?

Me neither.

But I bought the Home Defense MAX

because that was how I feel.

I want to defend my home to the MAX.

I baited it with peanut butter

(original, I know).

And to my absolute horror...

I caught a mouse!

The design of the new trap is to give you a handle

so you don't have to get too close 

to dispose of the enemy.

I designed my life to have Mr.

and he thoughtfully did it for me.

The mystery is

I have cleaned this house like crazy

because I am having 12 ladies over tonight.

I have not found ANY evidence at all of a mouse.

I even mopped under and behind the fridge.

Let's hope he's a loner.

But he's probably not.

I told the sisters this morning at breakfast.

Sister Too said "I feel like I am living at Farmer Sue's."

Exactly what I was thinking.

HA!

Camera Repair SVC. Inc. in Market Square

Remember that my camera was broken?

Here's the story:

Needing cleaning, Mr. took my camera to 

Camera Repair Svc. in Market Square

downtown Pittsburgh.

He was charged $40 for "diagnostics".

They called and said the lens needed "recalibrating".

After two weeks, it was picked up.

The bill was $200.

They lost the lens cap,

but replaced it.

I took 6 photos.

It locked up, and didn't work 

AT ALL.

I called.

They said it was a battery issue.

When I changed the battery out, 

I noticed they replaced the

 PERFECTLY FUNCTIONING

Canon Battery

with a generic one.

Hmm.

No lens cap.

Generic battery.

Doesn't sound like a reputable place.

Neither battery made the camera work.

We left for our Christmas holiday.

I was NOT happy to have no camera.

You know I like my pictures.

I called and left messages.

I e-mailed.

NO RESPONSE.

I went back to the camera shop.

I shared my problem.

I told them I wanted a repair 

AND A REFUND.

The man behind the counter told me he doesn't do that.

Because they do good work.

I pointed out that when my camera was dropped off,

it WORKED.

And, after they "fixed" it, it doesn't.

Too bad for me, he said.

He took it back for repair.

He will call me later in the week.

I am NOT a HAPPY CAMPER.

I DO NOT want you to take your camera there.

They are known for bad reviews.

Of course, 

I chose them on convenience.

And friends, 

I have been inconveniently paying for that convenience 

for a month.

And, I have no Christmas photos to boot.

The easy way is NEVER the right way.

Young Adult the movie

Mr. and I like to see movies at Christmastime.

He selected Sherlock Holmes.

Good for our family.

3 out of 4 really liked it.

For me, lots of ACTION

not too much story. 

It made me wish we could pay the amount the movie was worth to us.

I paid $7 to get in.

I wished I could have paid about $4.

Then I picked Young Adult.

I liked it.

Reminds me that we are all at least 

a little "crazy". 

I know I've had my moments.

And watching Charlize Theron

reminded me of too many women I already know.

Mr. hated it.

Some comments he made:

The best thing about this movie was the popcorn.

The only men in the audience are here because their wives made them come.

This is like watching how a woman's mind works on a BIG SCREEN!

This movie is terrible!

My favorite was this one:

What's the rating on this movie?  It should be rated P-U!

I was really laughing at him.

I wish I could had recorded them for you.

Honestly, we have talked about it since,

and he agrees that it isn't really a BAD movie,

but it didn't make him FEEL GOOD at the end.

It was smart,

well-written,

realistic,

and not afraid to tie everything up neatly at the end.

Just like real life.

On the camera:

The repair shop refuses to respond to my e-mails

or phone messages.

Or Mr.'s for that matter.

We are calm and civil.

This might get ugly.