Oh Harry, it's your Birthday

For Harry Potter's birthday, The Redhead and I ditched the neighborhood playmate, even though he didn't want us to.  His parents are busy moving and we were a great place for him to hang.  We moved in, and here they're moving out.  But I'm sorry.  Today of all days, we had plans.



And The Redhead and I went to see a Despicable sequel.  Again.  We enjoy seeing movies together, cramming in all the kid flicks before school starts.  Well, okay, she enjoys cramming all the kid flicks in.  I, on the other hand, yeah, it's just an excuse to get out of the house.



Once we left the movie theater, I turned my phone back on and received this cryptic call about flowers being delivered to a neighbor's house and how she was holding on to them for me.  Strange ransom call?  Apparently, the delivery man didn't want to leave them at the door, so he went door to door looking for an innocent victim who was home that would flowersit.  This is new.  And a deliveryman did this with another package once.  In Kansas, if you're not home, they just leave whatever it was on the doorstep.  And if you have to sign for it, you get a nasty threat about how you have two more attempts.

And if those weren't beautiful enough, then Mister Man brought me this.  From Ikea.



Something else made it in time for Harry Potter's birthday as well.

Imagine my disappointment if these hadn't made it in time for wearing on my birthday.  And Harry's.

A trip to the Cheesecake Factory, a quick stop by Target for a 21 & Over movie, and I can honestly say birthdays are much better in California than they ever were in the Midwest.  And that's a worthwhile change.

I swear, this isn't a cat blog...

I have no idea what sort of blog this is, but it's not supposed to be a cat blog.  

But really, how could you possibly resist this level of cuteness.  In a bowl???!

Perhaps you can, but I certainly can't.

Alexandra, stop hogging the posts.

Oh Gelato we probably shouldn't be friends...

I made a new friend and I'm not sure I should have.  I made a new discovery here in California and I fear it could kill me.  Just like Marie Curie.

Oh Gelato, we probably shouldn't be friends after this.  Really.

Ever since moving here, I have been craving salted caramel everything.  Which has never been like me.  And I just can't get enough.  I'm telling you though, I won't be buying Gelato again anytime soon.  My pants and jeans would never forgive me otherwise.

Solicitations.

I should have never answered the door.

They found me.  And the moment they met me, they knew they had me.  Because I can't say "no."  Or "no thank you."  Or "we're not interested."  I'm incapable of saying any of that.  They talked with me for a bit, asked about where we moved from, told me I'm so much nicer than other people in the neighborhood.  I couldn't interrupt them and admit I'm just as antisocial as everybody else, just as uninterested in their relgious propaganda.  Instead, I just stood there and nodded today and wished and wished for a "No Soliciting" sign; only to discover later that the house actually came with a big one on the door and Mister Man removed it as soon as he bought the house.  Sure...because he can say "no" to people.  He can tell them to go away.  He can shut the door without feeling guilty.  He can deal with these sorts of situations.

Perhaps that's for the best though because they promised they'll be back.  They promised to return.  And I just couldn't tell that little old lady and her accomplice that they really didn't need to.  I just said, "goodbye."  And now I have to await, dread, their return...and scramble to find a sign.

I have some decisions to make...

And this is barely a sample of my massive paint swatch collection.  It's such a big decision.  Because it's paint.  And because those perfectly white walls are perfectly fine for me.  But I need to add some color to our lives.  As fine as the walls are, I need to make my mark on them.  Because if I don't do it now, I won't do it.  Trust me, I know me.  I also know our house in Kansas extremely well.



It's such a hard decision for me though.  I like the stark white walls the prior owner left me.  And I have this fear of choosing the wrong color.  I want whatever I choose to be perfect forever.  Because I'll never want to change it.  Painting isn't just time consuming, it's a change.



This is about trying to evolve though, isn't it?  About making this house my own, right?


I have some big decisions to make.

She's helping us get the house in order

Cats are so extremely helpful, aren't they?

They can help with online purchases.

Keep your desk clear.

Inspect any and all purchases.  Like the new ammo box and antique trunk we bought today.  (For the BEST prices.  $22 for the box, $20 for the trunk!!!)

They help you decide the placement of furniture and other miscellaneous items.

And remind you of things that need to be in safer locations.

They're so helpful.  I don't know what I'd do without one.

Oh Kitty, I'm Almost Sorry

The Redhead is thoroughly enjoying having some of her toys back.  Especially the ones she hasn't played with in years, but insisted on bringing to California anyway.  And for whatever reason, we allowed it.

What is it about children and their belongings?  What is it about us as humans with our belongings?  Out of sight, out of mind.  But once we see something, we just can't part with it again. We're reminded about it all over again, and suddenly, we're sentimental saps.  

But for whatever it's worth, I don't see her forgetting about the cat anytime soon.  She's become her favorite toy.