And He's the "Smart One"

So this morning I am about to get in the shower, I tell Brandon to go eat something.  It was almost 11 so I thought he should eat before he got all involved with his games.  He says he's going to have some oatmeal.  No problem, he has made oatmeal before, you boil water in the microwave, no big deal.  I get in the shower. 

When I get out of the shower I spray the shower spray and at first I just smell that, then I smell something that is sort of sickening sweet.  I don't think a lot about it because I have a cold and stuff has smelled weird to me the past few days.  I figured it was just the spray, soap, my lotions, whatever, all mixed up.  I finished getting dressed, drying my hair, etc.  When I go into the hall, there is Brandon sitting at the bottom of the stairs, head in hands.  So I ask "what's wrong?"

"I thought that we boiled water on the stove and I melted a plastic cup."  I have a ceramic stove top in case you don't know that.  So, because I don't want to freak out right then and there, my response to this is "go sort your laundry".  Which he does without argument, so I know it's gonna be bad. 

For some reason, Brandon took a large, four cup, plastic measuring cup (you only need 1/2 cup of water for oatmeal) put it on top of the stove and turned it on, no doubt on high.  I don't think I need to tell anyone how that turned out.  I just look at it and think 'oh my god'.  The fumes are absolutely toxic so I open a window and turn on the vent, yeah, it's all of 25 degrees outside.  I tell Rob what happened so he leaves work to come home and try to clean it up.  

When I am sure I am beyond the point where I will scream I ask Aly what happened.  Her story went like this:  I was sleeping, Sheila texted me that I left my charger there and I was just getting ready to go write you a note that I was going to get it and Brandon came running up the steps saying 'I need you to help me'.  I could smell something gross.  He said he put a plastic cup on the stove and I thought he meant like, just a little cup, but no, I didn't think he was so stupid as to try to cook something on the stove in a plastic cup.  And he left it sitting there while he came and got me.  I mean, at least take it off the stove.  And he's supposed to be the smart one.  

I thanked her for moving it off the stove completely instead of setting it somewhere else on the stove where the melted part would just fuse to another part of the stove.  She even set it on a paper towel first so that it didn't get anything on the counter.  She does have some common sense.  

Rob spent about an hour and a half and it mostly came off, however, there is still some that is like below the surface so now we are going to have to look into either replacing the top or the whole stove.  Fun.  Because I feel like buying a new stove.  In case you are curious as to what it looks like when you melt a plastic measuring cup onto a ceramic stove top, I took some pictures.

Little Bit

Last week I went into the garage to take out some recycling and sitting on the edge of one of the buckets was a mouse.  I slammed the door and came back inside.  We always have mice in the garage in the winter.  We have never seen them, in the Spring, we see the messes they leave behind.  A few months ago I had a mouse in my car but that's another story.  So Rob had been saying he wants a pet mouse, I say no and we have a cat.  So I see this mouse and go onto chat and tell him that I am going to put Kitty in the garage.  He says "Noooo".  I would not do that and he knows it, but that's beside the point.  

Last night I go out to put some recycling in the bucket, and in the bucket, jumping up, over and over is the mouse.  It is stuck in the bucket.  I scream and go back in the house.  Of course, Rob wants to know why I am screaming so I tell him, "your new pet is in the recycling bucket".  Rob proceeds to give the mouse a pair of socks and a cracker.  I reminded him later that the mouse will need water.  In the morning he gave the mouse a lid full of water.  I heard from Brandon that it was peeking out from under the socks.  I did not see it in the morning, although I looked in the bucket.  I guess it was hiding in the socks.  I told Rob last night we had to release the mouse, we cannot keep a wild creature, and it was agreed that we would release the mouse when everyone was home and could watch.

When we got home I looked in the bucket and did not see the mouse.  I poked around with the long reach thing that Rob's mom gave us for some odd reason.  The only other person I know with one of those things is my grandmother and she is 84.  But I digress.  I did not see the mouse.  Alyssa tells me it's in the sock, she saw it when she came home.  Then she asks if she can call Sheila over to see the mouse.  I said DO NOT TRY TO TOUCH THE MOUSE, several times.  

After the girls looked at the mouse and I got done sorting out why Sheila and Brandon were shouting at each other, Alyssa informs me that she tried to move the sock because they couldn't see the mouse and the mouse ran up her arm, jumped off and ran away.  So we were not pleased with her because everyone was supposed to be a part of releasing the mouse; and that was supposed to happen outside...but now the mouse is still in the garage.  She lost her phone and computer privileges for the evening because when we say "don't do _____"  she does it.  

I have no doubt that the mouse, who Rob named Little Bit, will manage to get itself stuck back in the bucket in no time at all, especially since the cracker is still in there. 

Oh yeah...here it is.  Cute isn't it?

Happy New Year!

Just a note to say Happy New Year to the three of you who read this.  Rob and I went to a bar/restaurant right in Williamstown for New Year's Eve.  They had dinner, dancing and two hours of open bar included in the price which was $55.  That was pretty good as far as we could tell.  Most of the things we saw were over $100.   We had a good time until at midnight we went to the dance floor for the countdown and stuff.  Shortly afterward we were heading back to the table and someone stepped on my foot.  Spiked heel right on two of my toes, slid down between them so I have broken skin and a lovely bruise.  Plus it hurts a lot.  We put ice on it at the table.  I was crying, in public, so you know it hurt a LOT.  Here are a couple of photos...