Not like mom's...

I did end up getting Andrew a present. Triominos! I have great memories of playing that as a child, so of course when I saw it I thought that Andrew would like playing it, too. It's kind of like dominoes, only triangles.

That got Andrew and I to talking: we really do want everything to be just like in the house we grew up in. We're just lucky that we grew up in homes with mis-matched furniture, otherwise we'd be one of those ridiculous couples who think that we need brand new furniture the minute we're married. We're really okay with hand-me-downs. It's more the small things. Like triominos.

I really like my can opener because it's just like the one we had for all those years while I was growing up (until it was replaced by one of the same brand because someone left the originals too close--on is too close--to the stove burner. But I won't name any names: *cough* David *cough*).

And Andrew likes to keep the sheets in storage bins under the bed, which is really a great idea because it frees up so much shelf room and, really, how often do you need to get sheets out? Once a month or so? Not really worth it to have in the closet for all that time when it could be under the bed not using up useful space.

We like to just do little things just like mommy and daddy. Which is kind of funny because so many people spend their whole teenage years rebelling against how mom and dad do things.

I'm sure that Andrew and I had rebellious years, but I think our rebellious years were fairly mild compared to some. It just makes me wonder if people who really "didn't like" their parents way of doing things grow up to crave that life style?

We always tell Sarah that she's going to be just like her parents and it just about makes her throw up. I'm pretty sure she will wake up one day and realize that she just punished her child in the same punishment she had gotten when she did the exact same thing in her childhood. But I guess I'll never know that.

***

Anyway, today was Karen's birthday, so Andrew gave me the assignment of buying her a gift while I was looking for his gift. This proved more difficult than I first thought. I discussed it at lunch (a Valentine's Day Potluck) with my mom and Cyndee, Andrew's boss: the "mother-in-law gift dilemma."

We all decided that a CD would be a good choice, but Andrew's family already has a large collection of music and I am not so familiar with it that I know for sure what they already have. We thought we would go with Enoch Train, a group that my mom's boss's husband (Daron) plays in. We went to their concert together last year (me, my mom, Josie, Andrew, and his mom).

I couldn't figure out how the CDs were arranged in the bookstore and they were playing really annoying and loud music in that section of the store so I couldn't handle it. I gave up on finding their CD.

I went to plan B: a book. I browsed through row upon row of books but I just couldn't think of a book that Karen wouldn't have.

I looked at art prints. I looked at games. I looked at clothes. I could settle on nothing and was beginning to begrudge the fact that Andrew had dared to give me this assignment. What was he thinking? I can't even shop for him, let alone myself. How did he expect me to come up with a good present for his mother?

I stumbled upon a sickly sentimental series of gifts called, "Eat your peas." I looked at a book that they had...it was disgusting. Curly handwriting scrawling across page after page in this book saying things like, "I love you!"; "You mean the world to me!"; "You're great!"; and "Don't forget to take time for yourself." This went on for 200 pages or so.

Not only was I getting dizzy from reading the poorly designed book, I was starting to gag from reading all the fluffy sentimental statements. I mean, had they been real quotes I think I might have been able to take it, but, "The first thing I thought of this morning was you!" and "I'm so lucky that you're my mother!"--give me a break!

I settled on a magnet made by the same company with one of their slightly less sentimental sayings (after all, no one likes peas that much anyway, so I thought a spoonful would be better than a plateful) and bought a card to put it in.

Still a little cutesy, but a mile less cuter than that book *shudder*.

*****

I'm sure in 15 years, Andrew will get me the same magnet because it reminds him of his mother's house. That's okay though because it has one of those quotes that makes you feel good about yourself.