Well, just got off the phone with my sister for the first time since my brother moved out of his house, so we had a lot to talk about. Actually, after trying to dissect his marriage, we ended up agreeing we weren't in the marriage and are obviously biased on one side, so what we were saying wasn't fair to either of them.

However, that didn't stop us from going over all of my sister's long-time issues with SIL, whom she hasn't really loved since the youngest nephew was born (sis hasn't forgiven her for not asking one of us to be his godmother, since she asked her single brother and his girlfriend to be the godparents and the girlfriend married someone else before nephew learned to walk--didn't bother me, what with my religious issues). Oh, well, we decided to drop the entire subject after talking about it for half an hour.

First, though, she had to tell me about her initial conversation with Mom when she told sis about the breakup. Mom has a bit of a martyr complex when it comes to her divorce from Dad, and it showed up during the phone call, when Mom started crying and wondering if brother's marriage failure had anything to do with our parents'. Sis snapped her out of it pretty quickly by saying, "Yes, Mom, everything bad that has happened in the world in the past thirty years stems from your divorce. It's ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Mom paused, and then started to laugh, acknowledging she deserved that.

Barb, your girl is truly lovely!

Stephanie, I would love whatever you send. I need to get a box together for Matilda (I officially have 12 tubs of clothes in Liv's closet). I'm also doing a box for Dillo when flea and family get relocated.

I really love swapping baby clothes with buffistas.

I'm making clafouti from Jesse's recipe, and it's just not happening. It's only "baking" at the edges after 35 minutes. The rest is liquid. Is the timing that off?

Cash, glad I'm not the only one with tubs and tubs of clothes. I've decided that if we do have more kids, I'm just starting from scratch because I am just drowning in clothes here.

[x-post from my LJ]

Before I go to bed:

So, last night, I woke up from this dream of a plane crashing. In the dream, the plane was spiraling out of control downward and as I looked, I could see that one of the wings had fallen off. I tried to see the airline and I could make out that it was Qantas. Then, after the plane itself crashed, the broken wing came flying downwards when this giant helicopter with a claw grabbed the wing and all the people in the wing (yeah, I know no one sits in the wing) climbed on board the helicopter.

This morning, I see on CNN that a Qantas plane dropped 20,000 ft. yesterday and that there was a hole in the fuselage where the wing connects to the body. Everyone was fine.

eta: And thanks to those who recommended the Amby. Frisco is sleeping in his right now AIFG.

Huh, I thought I used Jesse's recipe, but mine is slightly different. In any case, yours shouldn't be that off.

FTR:
Cherry Clafoutis
2 tbls butter
2 cup unpitted cherries (or, blueberries)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp dark rum
3/4 cup flour
pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place butter in 8x8 glass pan to melt in oven. Fill with cherries.
2. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add sugar and whisk until mixture thickens and is pale yellow. Add milk, cream, vanilla, and rum. Whisk to combine.
3. Pour batter over cherries/berries.
4. Bake, rotating once, about 45 minutes.

Stephanie, Ellie always seems so much physically older than Lillian! We're not even in tricycle turf here! (She's a few inches shy of 3', and can't quite do the pedals.)

Owen can't pedal, either. He just hasn't grasped the concept.

Btw, hugs to javachik for her comment earlier. I feel that way sometimes, too. I'm so very happy for my friends and their adorable sprogs, though. I shall borrow them and them give them back when they start to cry. Or smell. Or hit me. (The sprogs, not the friends.)

Ellie's friend A is 6 months older than Ellie. Back in Feb, A got a bike for her birthday. Ellie tried it but couldn't get it although she can ride a trike. I bought Ellie her bike and put it away for her birthday, thinking maybe she would get it in a few months. Then, while we were in NM visiting my parents, they bought her a bike and she just got on it and rode.

I think part of it is her personality - she is physically adventurous (riding the skateboard, surfing, jumping in the pool) but I think Joe is part of it too. They really bond by doing slightly scary stuff. He's very good at encouraging her and pushing her without being pushy. He wasn't so good with the infant phase but he's great with the little girl phase.

(Didn't I say I was going to bed. I'm downstairs having cereal now.)

Or smell. Or hit me. (The sprogs, not the friends.)

eh, I might give my friends back too if they started smelling and hitting me.