Units of measure

Every group has its own lingo, its own shorthand way of referring to people, events, and memories. It's part of what binds us together, gives us an identity based on shared experiences. It's why "in jokes" develop among any group of people who are together for more than a few hours at a time and why it takes forever to feel like part of your in-laws' family at the Christmas dinner table.

Our family is no different, and we have our own language of pop culture references, old jokes, and reminders of shared events. For example, we have our own units of measurement:

 

A Jamaica - $6,000

Nippley - chilly, probably less than 50F

Brrrr-cheees - cold, probably around freezing

Brrrr-chissimo - really freaking cold

Hamster - the average amount of hair I have to rinse out of my butt crack each time I wash my hair

Ferret - the amount of hair I had to rinse out of my butt crack each time I washed my hair for a year after Liza was born

Buttload - a lot of something

Assload - a whole lot of something

Metric fuck-ton - way too much of something

42 - the answer to any unsolved numerical question 

We also have a bunch of shorthand phrases one or more of us use around the house:

Chicken butt - the only appropriate answer to the question, "Guess what?"

Test tiiiiiiiiiime! - the only appropriate answer to the question, "What time is it?"

Sparklepuppy - a term of endearment

Cheese-wine bake and/or hockey puck steaks - standard of comparison for awful meals

Brie lasagna - standard of comparison for boneheaded mistakes

Blue Cool Whip - standard of comparison for overreaction

Austin - generically funny addition to almost any conversation in which Liza is participating (ex.: "I hear loom bands are really popular in Austin, too.")

And don't get me started on the words I've made up over the years (I think I've covered them in a post a few years back, let me see...yep, in 2007:http://mind-flush.blogspot.com/2007/08/pseudo-title.html ). So how about you guys? What words or phrases have unique meanings at your house? Share 'me in the comments - let's see what you've got!

Girl Scout Camp!

This weekend, Luza and I attended her first Girl Scout camp. Four girls from our Brownie troop, plus another 250 girls from the Avon Service Unit (there are something like 400 Girl Scouts in Avon), for two and a half days at a YMCA camp in Pennsylvania.

There were relatively unsuccessful pie iron pies (we blamed the rain, not the cook).

Skeevy bunk beds and restless girls who totally weren't sleepy and were going to stay up all nighzzzzzzz

We learned (mostly accurate ... well, at least partly accurate) facts about Lake Erie, and got to see some of the wildlife that lives near the camp.

We took a hayride to the candy store up the road, then had to confiscate bags of candy when they proved to be too much of a distraction during the rest of the trip.

We played silly, pointless team-building games, often while blindfolded.

We learned exactly how much of a badass you have to be if you want to be Hawkeye.

We confirmed that Liza climbs rock walls just as fast as she climbs gym equipment, playgrounds, and any other vertical structure.

Swings? Even more fun when you get to play on them and your friends don't because they're off horseback riding. Also? All those years I trained on the tire swing at the old house in Maryland mean I am vicious-good at pushing other people in new and vomit-inducing ways.

Giant slide that goes all the way down the side of a hill? Check.

High surf + lots of book-sized rocks = really cool clicking sounds when they tumble in the waves + Girl Scouts who attempt to carry home their weight in stones.

Yep, we enjoyed nature (and almost stepped on a squirrel).

The girls even got into the swing if helping set and clear our table each day, with a minimum of whining.

We goofed off in the cabin we shared with 30 other girls...

...and had enough time on Sunday after the chapel service to practice our archery skills.

There were some missteps, and some things we could have handled better, but overall, the weekend rocked! Thank you, Sybil and Diane, for getting our troop involved in this, and thanks to the Service Unit volunteers who organize this every year. And many, many thanks go to the staff at Camp Fitch, who were unfailingly helpful, enthusiastic, and encouraging. We had a great time, and we can't wait to come back next year!

http://www.avonvillagersgs.org/

http://www.campfitchymca.org/

Building Barry: Day 177

By Day 171, Friday the 18th, we had hardwood, and tile, and linoleum.

By Day 174, Monday the 21st, we had countertops, mirrors, and shower doors.

Days 176 and 177, the 23rd and 24th, saw the electrical and plumbing fixtures, plus the hot water heater and furnace.

 

And Day 177 brought the beginning of the carpet installation!

Liza was horrified by her room...not.

Building Barry: Day 167

Yay! Our trim has been painted, and so have the walls!

I can't tell you how much I love the spindle railing...words fail me.

The only thing I love more than my railings ... is my purple front door!

Sometime later this week we'll get flooring, but we couldn't resist cracking open a box to preview it. It looks awesome, even in really low light!

Got an email from the lender today asking for our final copies of our documents so they can make sure we actually have enough money to pay for this thing. We're going to close in about one month, and I can't wait!

Building Barry: Day 161

Very exciting day today - the carpenters came to play!  Yup, they were busy all day (I should know; I stopped by four times today!):

We got front porch railings:

And baseboards, and railings, and handrails:

We got cabinets to go around the stove:

And cabinets for the sink and dishwasher:

We got windowsills:

And we got doors for the rooms and closets:

We even got nicer steps to go into the garage:

We couldn't be happier with the results. Next stop, hard surface flooring!

Building Barry: Day 154

Look, we have a driveway and front porch!

Look, we have paint in the great room and hallway and loft!

And in our bedroom (in the morning sunshine, no less)!

And in my office!

Whole house is primed, and I think we're ready for cabinets and doors to go in. This is so exciting! It's killing Jason that he's on the west coast and has to rely on photos to see what's going on :)

Building Barry: Day 152

Drywall is done, ceilings are textured:

Gutters are installed (although we are still missing an electrical outlet on the porch, and the ridge vent shingles are the wrong color on part of the roof):

Handrails and trim and doors, oh my!

And our kitchen cabinets are here, in boxes in the garage. I was good for two days, then I peeked:

I believe we're on deck for primer, cabinets, and carpentry in the next week or two. Things are definitely starting to shape up!