elisequinn

[elisequinn]

"Like the one you're making," Elise signed in return, smiling at the other woman. She was sure Lara had a great creative vision. "But the scary gnomes are endearing too, right?" she continued. Didn't some people like that? Things that looked just a little off putting?

Lara nodded. "Would be fun to make something like that," she said with a smile. "Gnomes can sometimes be cute... the nice ones," she signed slowly so that Elise could follow along with her hands. "The rest of them are a little scary."

[elisequinn]

I like to think karma will get them eventually, even if it never does it's that hope that keeps me alive. I lay in bed at night praying for their downfall, because I'm a good person in some ways, just not that one. Oh, that's the dream, when everything is optimal clean. And you shaved your legs? Heaven.

You're right about that! Sadly, I feel like the people who deserve an ass biting the most are always the ones who get it the least, which sucks. Fate should be a little more particular. It's so true, plus bonus points if you also happened to have just changed your bed sheets. Then it's like, fresh sheets, fresh pajamas, freshly cleaned… I love that feeling so much.

[elisequinn]

Yeah, that's literally my role in your life: the fun sucker. Yeah, of course, and it's also hard to expect a kid to follow a family legacy of a family he's only formally become a member of recently, not that you should ever expect that, but it's doubly so in his case. You never have, not since you were a snot faced little boy on the playground.

Well… damn. Take all the fun out of my life, why don't you? That's how I feel, I want all of my kids to have big dreams and feel supported enough to go chase them, but after everything Shawn's been through, I really want to push him to do whatever he wants to do and know that he will always have me behind him. If I really am a charity case, I hope I'm at least a worthy cause. Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice!

[elisequinn]

And it should bite people fully in the ass, that's how the world works. I wish everyone faced consequences for being a bad person always. Whenever they don't, it just pisses me off. And you never, ever sleep better than when you're clean and cozy and pampered after a day of hard work. It's so satisfying.

I fully agree! And it always, always comes back around to bite you in the ass, you know? People aren't dumb, they can see right through someone's lies! But I guess if it helps them sleep at night to make believe that everyone thinks they're telling the truth… I fully agree, you deserve a little bit of pampering after hard work, and deserve to get that dirt out from under your nails.

[elisequinn]

No, I don't think you get to "just vibe"- I think you still have to try to be a good person and everything, I'm sorry to say. Absolutely. He deserves to dream the dreams he wants and to have the freedom to explore all of the possibilities of who he can be when he's fully grown, after all. You're a charity case, Cage, you've just never fully realized it.

Well… in a family of six, there are worse things than being second best. I'm alright with being somewhere in the middle, anyway, that means that Kellan gets to deal with all of the pressure, I can just vibe. He might, but if hew ants to sit in a corner office and design what houses and buildings are going to look like… I'm not going to hold it against him, as long as he's got some sort of plan in mind, you know? I know, because you let me hang around and do it, so you know you've got no one to blame but yourself.

[elisequinn]

Lying is...asinine, to be honest. There's really no need to go around spewing nonsense when you can just shut up and let the truth sit how it sits. Listen, there's nothing better than being clean and cozy, especially after you have gotten your hands properly dirty and worked hard.

I couldn't agree more! I'd rather someone just be quiet and not say anything at all than say something that they don't mean. You either know that they're lying, or worse, you end up finding out down the line, and somehow that hurts worse. Oh God, yeah. Every day this week, I've tried to do something fun with Earth Week, but man… it feels good to come home and get in the shower and get clean again, I totally agree!

[elisequinn]

No, because I know I'm better than them. You just don't have the fortune of being the oldest, so you'll always be second best at best, honestly. Well, the labor part isn't the most fun part for most people, that's true. Maybe he'll learn to love it when he's older and understands what hard work can really mean. You've been taking my fun away for close to four decades now, I'm used to it.

Maybe a little bit. Is it such a bad thing to want to come out ahead…? Are you going to tell me that you've never looked at your siblings and thought, "I need to be better than these guys?" That's fair, she chooses to be a little bit of a devil, doesn't she? 'Little bit' being a bit of a generous term, I realize, but. I think he does. He tells me all the time that he wants to design houses, he likes what I do for a living, but doesn't necessarily like the … labor part. Y'know? Oh, sorry, did i take your fun away?

[elisequinn]

"A scrap gnome? Honestly, would be cuter than the weirdos they sell in the store." Elise laughed, stumbling a bit as she tried to remember the correct signs for what she wanted to say. "Unless you're pro gnome, in which case they're cute."

Lara nodded with a smile. She picked up a couple of the pieces, studying it a bit. "Maybe making something for the outdoors? Garden gnome out of scraps?" she spelled out and and nodded pointedly to the pieces. "That would be cute."

[elisequinn]

Elise was always up for a challenge, and her love of something fun and vintage had her curious about upcycling- the idea of making old new was enticing. "Yeah, though I'm not sure how this will go," she signed back, also speaking along, in case she made any mistakes.

Who: Lara & open!

Where: Treasure Chest

When: Earth Week

Lara had a bit of a quiet, subdued day. So she decided to spend the day at the Treasure Chest and take the upcycling class, finding it a good way to learn something new and pass the time. Plus, it was always fun to try to make something new out of practically nothing. “Ready to make a new treasure?” She signed to the person next to her with a grin.

[elisequinn]

Well, there's nothing better than being at home eating cheese and drinking wine, except for ending it with a decadent piece of chocolate cake or something. Just saying. Oh, I'm sure he's just glad he has something to dote on, even if it meows. Plus, it costs both of you way less money.

That sounds like heaven, if you ask me. Cheese, wine, and something a little steamy to make you feel better about the fact that you're at home eating cheese and drinking wine. Not that I, personally, ever feel bad about that, but you get me. That's exactly right! I tell him that all the time, and he rolls his eyes, but I think he's secretly thrilled.

[elisequinn]

Compliments that people don't mean suck, especially when it's obvious they're not genuinely meant. That's why I only say things I mean, because it hurts more to know that something nice you've been told is a lie. Exactly that. And it's so satisfying to go inside and wash up.

That's probably the kicker, is that you want to be told something that someone believes, not just something that they think you want to hear, or they think is going to win them some points. Make it a real, genuine compliment, you know? It really is! You don't want to tuck that one away to think about on a sad day, basically. It really is, I don't even mind the dirt under my nails if it means that I'm making things pretty!

[elisequinn]

So you want to be the MVP of your family? That seems like a not very kind and brotherly thing to do. Well, Clara can be an angel when she wants to be, which is almost never, that's sort of the issue. That's impressive, but hopefully he's got some other solid plans in place, too. Not that he doesn't have the skills, but football isn't a forever thing. I don't need to if you're already saying it.

Hoarding them. Do you think I'm going to give my secret weapon away? We might be training together and competing together, but it's still very competitive, you know how it goes! I can only imagine -- I had two younger brothers to deal with and the unique experiences that were Lou and Clem, but you had Clara, so you might win that one. Maybe! Colton, at least. Shawn, I think it fully depends on how far the whole football thing takes him, you know? He wants to go pro. At the very least, he wants to play college, so. Yeah, yeah -- isn't this the part where you tell me I'm already old?

[elisequinn]

It's the most detailed visual I can give. I'm not at my best after a long shift and I just want to sit down with some cheese and wine and enjoy some bad reality television or some sexy romance. That's so great, that's his grandchild, which is the most important child you can have.

I shouldn't have laughed at that oh-so-eloquently painted picture of you after a long day, but it honestly was pretty funny. Not that I ever want to think about you hurting yourself in any sort of goofy way, so please don't do that if it can be avoided, obviously! Oh, my dad will come over just to see the cat. He makes an excuse about stopping in to visit me and Mikey, but it's always Mallow that he wants to see.

[elisequinn]

Well, it depends what the compliment is, honestly. I can be told I'm beautiful time and time again, especially by a good looking person, but it does have to be genuine. That's such a sad compliment to receive when it's only half meant. Oh, I'm sure you do. It's so nice to start getting our hands in the dirt.

Exactly! Especially since no one wants to be told the same compliment over and over again, so you want to be sure that you're being creative when you whip one out of the blue! Aw, thank you, me and my brain are very grateful for your kind words and compliments. Me too. We're chomping at the bit in the nursery, just want to get all of the flowers out and the customers back again.

[elisequinn]

Are you giving the stress relief bombs to everyone or hoarding them for yourself? It's part of the joy of having a big family. I had to deal with it when I was growing up, but that's because little sisters have no sense of privacy. They'll realize the fancy is too fancy for them, they need to follow in y our footsteps. One day you'll make peace with it, and by then you'll be very old.

I'm training with the rest of the siblings for the challenge next month, and let me tell you -- that shower and those stress relief bombs are getting put to good use right now. But yeah, you can't do baths in this house unless you accept that there's a good chance you're going to get interrupted. That's why I normally do dad duty when Cordelia really needs one. Right, they'll go to college for something really, really fancy and then come home and want to learn how to use a saw. Which I would be fine with. I know, but it's still tough to wrap my head around, you know?

[elisequinn]

My guard is down, that's right. I'm tired, I've had a glass of wine, I'm yelling at a cat, and there's no one watching me to keep me accountable from hurting my poor fool self. Aw, I'm sure he can come visit or can watch her any time you're out of town, and I'm sure she loves being with her mommy.

I can see it, though! You're preparing food in the restaurant and you're at the top of your game, focusing, paying attention to what you're doing, but when you're at home slicing up an apple to dip in caramel or cutting the pizza, yeah, that seems like the ideal time for someone to accidentally hurt themselves! It's dumb how that works, isn't it? That's a plus! And yeah, it was tough to convince her to get back into her carrier, my dad really loves her. He can't have her, but it's good to know she was in good hands.

[elisequinn]

It can be exhausting, thinking of new and fun compliments every single day. Like even the brightest brain, which is the case with you, has a day when it doesn't have the creativity to do so. Oh, it's all I'm asking for. I want the flowers and the dirt and the beautiful sunshine.

And I'm grateful that you do, because that way, I don't have to come up with new and inventive ways to tell you every day how great you are. Not that I'm saying I wouldn't do it. I would! But, you know. It's nice that you know already. I know, it's the worst. You get those few nice days and start seeing buds on the trees and all you want is sunshine and to put your toes into warm, green grass.