Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Republic

Rosalind always has the inside word on the coolest, newest, yummiest places in town, so when she sent me an email describing a new ice cream shop in Scottsdale that made “artisan ice cream and sorbet,” I immediately drooled on my keyboard.

We finally made it out there this afternoon, after lunch at Oregano’s, where I told Moo that she’d have to eat all her lunch if she wanted a sweet treat afterwards.  She called my bluff and promptly declared that she did not like pizza, so I had to negotiate a compromise (because there was no way I was skipping the ice cream, I’d been dreaming about it all day) in which she promised to eat lunch after her nap.  I’m still not sure which one of us was manipulated in that situation.

Sweet Republic is glorious.  They have over 100 flavors, offering about 25 per day, so you never know what you’re going to find, except you can usually count on some of the favorites (Salted Butter Caramel!) and some of the infamous (Blue Cheese and Date!).  I think Rosalind and I frightened the owner when we arrived and immediately asked if there was a limit on how many flavors we could taste.  “Uh, nooooo…” she replied, obviously concerned that we were going to mini-spoon her right out of business.  We tried Basil Lime, Malted Vanilla, Mojito Citrus, and of course Blue Cheese, which was – oh goodness, indescribably dreamy.  We finally settled on Peaches n’ Cream and Salted Butter Caramel, and Moo chose easily - pink!  We added some whipped cream and mini chocolate chips so she would be as excited as we were.

 
I ended up taking home a big bag of ice cream to-go (not the most practical purchase in Phoenix), so that I could share the sweet creaminess with all my loved ones.  Or – that was the idea… but I did leave Herbie a few bites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sweet Republic - check it out for yourself! (Cuz I’m not sharing.)

Memorial Day

On the road to Prescott, helping out with my crossword puzzle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visiting the supercool candy shop on Whiskey Row:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy, this is candy! This is ALL CANDY!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes please, Mr. Penguin: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With sprinkles, of course:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A perfect day.

Ice Cream Cone

Moo’s first!  In a cone, that is – not the first time she tasted ice cream.  We’re not barbarians! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Put On A Happy Face

Isn’t it statistically true that January is the most depressing month of the year? Suicide rates or something like that? Shouldn’t all these companies laying off thousands of workers maybe have considered those rates before announcing the bad news this month?

It is a depressing world out there, people. Bad news everywhere. How are we all doing? Everybody coping okay? We’re all going to make it, right?

It’s hard to even remember that I received great news just a week ago – that I’m going to be in another show – hooray….(crickets). Right now, all my brain cares about is my sick friend, the three moles that my dermatologist is “pretty confident” will turn out to be nothing (I would prefer “quite confident,” thank you), the terrifying state of our economy, and, oh… well, that’s enough, right?

Where do we look for comfort and hope? Oh, God, right right. Except our priest just ditched us for a church in Michigan and I am feeling slightly bitter. But yeah yeah, I’ll try the whole praying thing. Honestly, usually, I turn to cupcakes and ice cream in times like this (not that I’ve ever really experienced a time like this), but the tiny shorts say no way.

So of course, I turn to Moo. Moo, whose face flooded with joy when I handed her a tube of Thomas the Train toothpaste at Target today. Moo, who trusts me so much that her new favorite game is called “throw-myself-to-the-ground-and-Mommy-will-catch-me-and-it-will-be-hilarious.” Moo, who asks Herbie, “You have good time at gym, Daddy? You lift a weight or two?” Moo, whose nose wrinkles in devious rapture when we present her with a tiny bowl of cupcake sprinkles, which she then devours like some kind of crazed mongoose – if crazed mongeese enjoy cupcake sprinkles, I don’t know. Moo, who snuggles her head into my collarbone at church and then not-so-quietly wonders if it’s time to go get some food (a.k.a. communion) yet. Moo, whose giggles cannot be met with a frown. I can’t help but smile, even when – well, even when it’s January.

The Six Most Inspirational Words in the World

“Tiny shorts and a halter top.”

As in, “I think you’re going to be singing “All That Jazz” (dream come true!), you know, probably wearing some tiny shorts and a halter top (um, NOT a dream come true!).”

Goodbye ice cream, hello sit-ups.

Accidental Nap

Is there any worse feeling than taking a small snooze in the evening, then waking up and realizing it’s midnight and you just slept almost four hours?

Well, yes, there are probably worse feelings.

But I’m still feeling miserable, even though Herbie keeps hugging me and reassuring me that it’s just fiiiine that I didn’t do any laundry, work on my blog, sweep the floors, decorate the house for Halloween, or talk to him.

And now it’s 2 a.m., Herbie is trying to stay awake to keep me company, and I am probably going to polish off this pint of Haagen Dazs before 3 a.m. hits.

Sigh.

I hope Herbie doesn’t ask for any of my ice cream.