Cookies? What Cookies?

Apple I-phone 6s Plus

As you probably all know, Kalisha is a phone junkie. She loves her phones and in case you think she doesn't make good use of her phone...think again.
She rarely uses her laptop; all things are done on her phone. It is her constant companion. She can find anything, watch movies and TV programs on it. She buys and sells things on e-bay on it and she uses social media, especially FaceBook.
Her list of 'apps' is impressive and she has about a million pictures stored.
Now, while that is all good, the bad part is she always wants the latest and greatest new one. They are quite expensive so she has been to the Verizon store to inquire about trading her present phone in and how much they would give her for it. She is quite a 'haggler' or as I suspect, she just talks them to death and they give her what she wants so she will go home. LOL
This time, she has stipulations before she can buy a new phone. Her Behavior Consultant and I (and Kalisha) made an agreement as to when she can have a new one. First, her present one has to be paid for. She pays a certain amount each month toward the balance through Verizon. Her present balance is $249.14.
Sooo, she has to accumulate that much money before she can finance the one she wants: the Apple I-phone 6s Plus.
If you see her, don't waste your breath trying to talk her out of it. She will not be deterred. Several people have told her they like their Samsung phones (what she currently has) better that Apple (which she had before the Samsung). Are you following along here???? It doesn't matter to her what they like; she wants this one and she is going to raise that money if it kills her (and me, possibly)
She has set the middle of August as her deadline because I am going to be gone for a week and she wants her phone before I leave.
So far, she has sold all of her Hello Kitty stuff which netted her around $35.00. She is going to add her paychecks from Parkview Field to the jar. She needs more. So today, she put 2 pair of shoes (really cute and barely worn) on e-bay. Then she put her bicycle helmet on e-bay. She no longer has a bike so why keep a helmet? I was good with all of this as long as she didn't start selling the cats and dog.
HOWEVER, yesterday she comes to me with a list. "I have 8 people already who want to buy a dozen cookies."
Me: "Cookies? Who is selling cookies?"
K: "I am. I'm charging $5 a dozen."
Me: "Really? There are people who want to buy your cookies for $5 a dozen?"
K: "Yes. And I will have more money for my phone."
Me: "Uhhh, how are you going to get the cookies to them?"
K: "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet."
Me: "Are they all the same kind?"
K: "No. They want all different kinds."
Me: "You realize you will have to buy the ingredients to make them and that comes out of your $5, right?"
K: "Well, I guess so. Or I could use your flour and stuff."
Me: "No. That won't work. Also, where exactly did you advertise these cookies?"
K: " I posted it on FB. I said I was selling cookies for $5 a dozen and I have 8 customers already."
Me: "Do you know the board of health is going to hunt you down. You cannot sell food from an unapproved kitchen."
K: "Well, I just thought I would start my own business and make some money."

You know, some days this 'special needs' girl is just too smart for her own good.
*Never fear, she will have that $249.14 by the end of August, come hell or high water. Determination is her middle name. Of course, there might not be any furniture left in our house....

Chasing Little Debbie

I realize this post is going to make some readers scratch their heads and ask what is wrong with me. I get that a lot and I'm used to it, so it won't bother me at all.
Kalisha and I made a trip to Texas to visit another daughter and her family for two weeks before Christmas. Even though it shouldn't have, this seemed to throw our usual Christmas 'doings' out of whack. We missed the various activities we are usually involved in at that time of year: the lighting of a Santa display downtown, the lighting of a huge real Christmas tree adorned with 10,000 tiny lights and several others.

Being 'out of whack' is never a good thing when Kalisha is involved. She mourned the missing of those things for the first few days we were in Texas and her attitude was not stellar. She did, however, pull it back together and all was good.

When we returned home, it seemed like it was nearly time for Christmas. I didn't put up nearly as many decorations as I usually do, I baked only one kind of cookie...no fudge...and we had not shopped for each other.

She couldn't think of one thing she wanted or needed. We all know her wardrobe is filled with Colts and Tincaps shirts, she only wears a select few jeans and sweat pants. Purchasing more is an effort in futility because she will take them back anyway. She was 'stuck' on Bath & Body products but she purchased all the kinds she wanted BEFORE Christmas.

Soooooo, we agreed we would not buy anything for each other this year. She did want ONE  thing...a box of a certain kind of Little Debbie bars. A new kind, made just for Christmas and unavailable in the city of Fort Wayne...almost.

Kalisha started calling groceries, pharmacies, big-box stores, anywhere that might carry Little Debbies. Can you imagine working a few days before Christmas, being beyond busy and having someone call and ask you to check the shelves for a certain kind of cookie?

All totaled, she made 51 phone calls. A few of them said they had the kind she was looking for, but when she got there, it wasn't the right kind. She even checked E-bay. Someone was selling a box of them for $9.98 plus $9.95 shipping. These things only cost $1.19 to begin with. Now she was on a mission and was going to pay that price until I stopped her.

I explained that my time and gas was her Christmas present from me. I reiterated that in very clear term, so she understood. She accepted it. On Christmas Eve afternoon, we located one box at a store I have never been to in my life (and probably won't be in the near future.)
She had her box of Little Debbie bars, I had spent a half  tank of gas and several hours, total, and everyone was happy.
Do I enable her obsessions? Yeah, I guess. But when a $1.19 box of cookies is the ONLY thing she wanted......Merry Christmas