Before I forget, I am switching DL's name to TM.  From Drama Llama to Teacher Monkey.  He's more had an evolving identity over the years.  I think Musical Monkey or something like that would also suit him (more of his long term personality) but MM is already taken.  

July 8 

$3 McDonalds - coffee for cake

$16 rental liability insurance

TM(21) is the only one in the house who likes coffee at all.  I ordered him a cake (with coffee) last year but he did not care for it.  So I saved a chocolate coffee flavored cake recipe at some point.  I reasoned that I never drink the work coffee and I should probably just borrow a cup of brewed coffee (would be far less than my fair share).  But I was not in the office this day and thought maybe I should check the McDs app.  I could have gotten a free coffee, but I think I could only do one deal at a time and I decided to get some free french fries (+$1 soda).  Which means the coffee was $2. 

The coffee was more than I needed, so I took a sip.  I realized that A - my taste buds have chilled out over the decades and it's no longer the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted.  & B - I think my Starbucks generation (1990s high school) peers who practically shoved coffee down my throat, telling me I just wasn't doing it right, maybe went the wrong way with all the sugar and cream.  I am now thinking they would maybe could have won me over going the other way.  While I still disklike 'coffee flavoring' in general, this bitter hot drink didn't bother me as much and I can see it being an acquired taste.  I never minded beer.  So maybe bitter black coffee is more my thing. 

I made DL's cake.  It was a double decker, a first time for me.  I think I over baked the cake.  I checked 10 minutes early, noting another favorite cake recipe of mine bakes up 10 minutes faster in our current oven.  It was already well baked.  & it ended up sticking to the pan more than I anticipated.  In the end, the cake was ugly but it was divine.  The coffee taste was very subtle but everyone liked it.  & I mean, I pulled it off well enough.  I just refused to move the cake after I iced it.

TM(21) does like beer but he is wary of addictive substances (alcohol and coffee and whatever else) and so he has zero interest in any of that.  My friend had just been telling me she took her kid gambling on his 21st birthday.  So I asked if he thought about gambling.  TM's response was very, "Hells no." The one thing I know that he will enjoy is being able to go to a concert or a jazz club, without worrying about if it's a 21 & over show.

Oh yeah, MM(22) got home at 2am the night before, so everything about this day was chaos.  He likes to drive home late at night.  MH was kind of, "So you are coming home early so that you can unpack your car?"  MM(22) replies, "Nope.  Can I park in the garage?"  So we did that.  He once again packed his car very well.  Brought home all his big furniture and kitchen supplies.  Don't ask me how.  I should have taken a picture when everything was vomited all over his room, but he quickly went into 'organization' mode and I didn't get any pictures that captured the full crazy. 

I suppose we've only ever tossed old appliances and mattresses when we replaced them.  But MM(23) still has my old high school mattress.  Obviously time to move on, but seemed silly for a bed he uses a week or two out of the year.  He took apart the old bed (it's also not salvageable, probably because he is a monkey).  So we will have the junk hauled.  Apparently we get two free junk hauls a year, but this will be the first time using that in 25 years.  Or it sounds like MM(23) can drive it to the dump with a coupon (that I generally keep track of but I think one just arrived in the mail this week).  I think he would enjoy that and clearly he can make it fit in his car.  Will leave it to his preference.  We bought him a much nicer queen size bed for college, which he set up this day.  & he took apart my old desk (from 2000) that I don't think is salvageable.  Just an old cheapie thing that has been moved once already.  That might go in the junk pile.  He picked up a nicer/newer desk at the college (free).

My next project will be some serious decluttering.  My 'hoard everything the kids could use later' plan is going to evolve a bit.  I wouldn't keep the old mattress and no one wanted the old desk.  I will go through the chairs soon, see what the kids want.  (We clearly have extras).  & no one wants an electric skillet that MM brought home from college. I will be busy freecycling items.  I think the old bed headboard might be salvageable, but I am not sure (if it would work as a standalone).  I also have boxes of stuff from FIL's hoarder garage.  (Don't ask me.  MH thought MM might like some free stuff.  & also MIL was very pushy about giving us her junk.)  I just keep putting off, but I can see it's time to clear some things out.  

I spent $16 for one more month of rental liability insurance, because MM(23) is still on his lease for another few weeks.  Will cancel at the end of the month.

Anyway, the day was pretty chaotic between cake making and MM(23) moving.  & tearing apart old furniture, and so on.  I did several loads of laundry for MM(23), don't ask me why.  Bedding.  Probably because it's an easy chore and he was very busy.  We laughed and laughed about some mystery comforter pocket? he acquired.  I followed the washing instructions and didn't look inside until it got all jumbled up in the dryer.  I recognized the comforter I bought for his bed, inside this comforter cover of some sort?  MM(23) was so confused, remembering the comforter (that's where that went!) but not the bright orange cover he (or someone else) encased it in.  Maybe we were also a little silly with exhaustion, at that point. 

MH got his last paycheck for a while.  There was ~$400 left in the checkbook after that (I run the checkbook to $0.  It's just where money comes in and out.  I don't keep any money in there).  So it's easy to visualize excess.  Which isn't really a thing (having excess, re: our tendency to over-save and run things very lean).  But I figured I'd wait and see what MH's paycheck was and maybe just leave it in there to make life a little easier this summer.  In the end, I will need it for MIL's milestone birthday celebration this month.  I have no idea if this will cover it, but it will make a dent.  Not something we particularly planned for.  But I would never skimp on this re: my in-laws' generosity.  It's just unfortunate we spent their last big cash gift in one week in February (the emergency week from hell).  & MH is off work for summer, and our other cash reserves are lower than I would prefer.  So the timing is not ideal, but we will survive.