How to Freeze One-size Portions

I don't know how many of you will find this useful, but since writing my post yesterday, I realized that it wasn't a very informative one. ...So here's a "how to" post, to supplement the brain-dead blurb I wrote yesterday (can't blame a person, after spending 8.5 hours in the kitchen, right?).

What do you do if you want use the convenience of freezer meals, but don't want to defrost a whole 9"x13" pan of lasagna just for one meal for yourself? It's rather hard, doing this "freezer meal" thing for only one person, yet if you are making special-diet meals, you are really only cooking for one or two people.

There are several solutions to this dilemma;

- You could divide each pan into serving-size portions, and then buy a ton of little plastic containers to freeze each portion separately.

- You could really, actually, thaw out that whole 9"x13" pan of chicken casserole, and then eat nothing but chicken casserole for six days. (Chicken oatmeal, anyone?)

- You could freeze the whole lasagna in the big pan, then keep a hack saw, hammer, and chisel on top of the freezer, and use them each time you want to hack off a portion to thaw.

- OR you could do it this way:

Amber's One-Person Freezer-Meals Freezing Secret 

(The secret isn't freezing, of course; just the meals. ...Actually, that was pretty corny. It's past my bedtime, okay?) 

Supplies:
You will need
- Freezer paper
- A large cookie sheet
- Large spatula and knife
- A freezer (*grin*)
- Handiwrap
- Freezer bags
- 9x9 Aluminum pan (optional)
- One 9"x13" pan of whatever you want to freeze. This method will work will with just about anything you'd normally bake in a 9x13. Even "looser" casseroles, like rice and chicken. (I'm going on faith, there, actually; my first batch of that casserole is still in the freezer for the first step right now. But I'm sure it's going to work.)

Directions:
It's pretty simple. First, bake the casserole. (This won't work with things that have to be frozen before baking. Sorry.)

Let the casserole cool completely. Almost every casserole will "firm up" a bit as it cools, which means it holds together much better cool than hot.

Once cooled, slice neatly into serving-size portions. (About 12 squares, for a typical casserole in a 9x13.)

Line your large cookie sheet with freezer paper, waxy side up. Do not substitute wax paper for the freezer paper. Unless, of course, you enjoy picking wax paper out of your spaghetti pie, or you like the taste of wax paper. I won't tell you how I know that won't work.

Ever so carefully, lift each square of casserole out of the pan, and set it on the freezer paper on the cookie sheet. (The freezer paper will want to roll up on itself, so I usually start out by putting one square in each corner, to hold it down. Bonus tip; no charge. :) )

If your cookie sheet is nice and large, you should be able to fit a whole casserole on one sheet. You can put the squares as close as you like so long as they are not touching. There's gotta be some space there. If the casserole is a bit soft, you may have to carefully press it into neat squares again after you transport it to the cookie sheet, but just be sure that in the end the squares aren't touching.

Cover the squares with another sheet of freezer paper - waxy side down, this time. Move the cookie sheet to the freezer, and make sure it's level on the shelf before you shut the door. (Why, no, our freezer is never crowded and I would never stack the cookie sheet on top of a uneven mound of bags in there. Why do you ask?)

After two or three hours - or however it takes for the casserole to freeze solid - take the cookie sheet out, and carefully pry the squares off the freezer paper. (Don't leave it in the freezer longer than overnight; it will begin to taste like the freezer.) Wrap each square tightly in handiwrap, and stack neatly in an aluminum pan, then slide the pan into a freezer bag. The pan is actually optional; I just use it because it makes the whole stack more sturdy in the freezer. A 9x9 square pan fits perfectly into a gallon-size freezer bag, if it's not loaded too far above the edge.

Now comes the fun part. Seal the bag almost all the way, leaving a space just big enough to insert a straw. Now (guess what?!) insert a straw in that hole. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Put your mouth on the straw and suck. You'll have the pleasure of seeing the whole bag shrink-wrap around your stack of squares, and look very professional. Slide the straw out and seal the bag in one quick motion.

You're done! (Probably in less time that it took to read that wordy batch of instructions. Don't you love all my parenthesis?) Now, anytime you want a freezer meal, pull out the amount of servings you need and unwrap them before putting them in a covered dish in the fridge to thaw. (The unwrapping part is important.) Once thawed, use your method of choice to re-heat them; microwave, toaster oven, oven, stove top, or whatever you want to do.

Enjoy a freezer meal just your size!


 

Once-a-Month Cooking for One Person

With a blog called "Fruit of Her Hands," I really ought to blog more about actual "fruit producing" that I do around the house. Sorry about that. I'm just so busy with real life that I rarely take time to mention it on here!

However, I'm happy to pop in today (er, tonight), and tell you that I've been quite productive today! I figured it was about time for a "housekeeping" post. :)

Have you ever done once-a-month baking? I've always wanted to try it. I've done LOTS of cooking-for-a-crowd, and figured once-a-month cooking couldn't be too much harder. The idea of saving so much time and money - at the same time - enthralls me.

Mom didn't think right now was good timing to try month-cooking for the family, but because I am on a special diet, I decided to make up a bunch of stuff that I can eat - once-a-month cooking for myself! Mom gave the go-ahead, and I started my experience.

I spent over a week planning my menu and cooking-plan-of-action. Today, after a long day in the kitchen (9:30am -6:00pm), I can sit here with aching feet and tell you that the hardest part really was the planning. My initial menu was WAY too complicated. And expensive. I wanted to challenge myself to spend less than $80.00 on food for the whole month. That's plenty for one person, right?

Well...that depends. When your diet consists of a lot of fresh foods, cheap can be very illusive. I finally decided not to worry about buying every single item I'll be putting in my mouth this month, but to focus on three things; making up a few breakfasts, ingredients for smoothies, and making most of the main dishes. On my third attempt, the menu looked doable. I spent MUCH less than $80.00. Like...less than half of that. Less than $30.00.

I went shopping yesterday. I hit two stores - Walmart and Kroger - to get the best bang for my buck. I was very pleased with the results. Even Mom complimented me on how much food I made for the amount of money I spent; and, coming from the Queen of Penny-stretching, that's a compliment indeed. :)

Today was baking day. Like I said above, I spent about 8.5 hours straight in the kitchen today; and I do mean straight. I didn't even take a break for lunch. ....Just nibbled a bit as I went. :)

Honesty compels me to admit that even though my legs hurt right now, those hours in the kitchen today were not a burden. I love cooking and baking. I just kept on a'rollin', churning out dishes and getting tired, but enjoying myself. :) So glad God made me to enjoy that kind of work!

Anyway...would you like to see what I got done today? I'm so happy with what's been finished, and I have only a few things to finish up tomorrow. I hope the stuff that I'm freezing does well. Any of you ever frozen cabbage before? I hope it doesn't get too soggy when thawed. ....Oh well. :)

Here's what I did!

 - 4 containers of Chili (about 12 servings or more)
- 12 servings of Cabbage Lasagna (gluten free!)
- 12 Black Bean Brownies (gluten free, and yummy!)
- 1 bag of Lentils, cooked (for future projects)
- 1 bag shredded cabbage (for future soups. It was on sale. Couldn't resist.)
- Rice (for a casserole I'll put together tomorrow)
- Potatoes and carrots roasted (for soup, to be assembled tomorrow)
- 1 chicken, cooked and shredded (for the casserole and soup)
- Milk for kefir, divided and frozen so it will stay good all month long
- 12 Orange Poppy-seed muffins (gluten-and-sugar-free and yummy!)
- 4 bananas sliced and frozen, for smoothies
- 13 lentil sausage patties (they're delicious, really!)
- Chicken bones for bone broth ready for simmering tomorrow
- 16 (?) Cornwaffles (Ever had these? Basically cornbread batter made into waffles. DeLICIOUS topped with chili! Gluten free, too.)

I think that's everything. I still have things to do, as you can see, but the great majority of work has been done. I'm heading off to the kitchen now to wrap portions of the lasagna and package them for freezing.

I didn't actually do huge batches of cooking today - it was all what I'm accustomed to, cooking for 7 people - but because it's just for one person, I really ended up making a lot of meals! Someday I'd like to try making stuff for the whole family. I like making huge batches of stuff. :) :)

I'm off to the kitchen again! Hope you have a splendid week.
Amber

P.S. If you want to read how I freeze portion-sized meals for just one person, check out this post.

How to Iron

Our iron and I have a love-hate relationship.

I use the thing a lot, of course, because of my sewing. And it's a very handy invention. I'm glad I don't have to stand over a hot stove every time I want wrinkle-free clothing or smooth fabric.

But I really can't stand our iron.

It's fussy. Nit-picky. Spits at me. Lets loose a puddle ...right on top of the skirt I'm ironing and want to wear to church in 30 minutes.

At first, I thought it was just him. Couldn't behave. Was defective.

A tiny part of my brain started beating me over the head with certain phrases I had read in the instruction manual for the thing. Specific instructions on how to fill the iron with water - and how NOT to fill it.

But our old iron - bless its dear departed machinery - could be filled with water at any time and any way and work just fine. Never ruined moisture-sensitive fabric. Never spit out rust-colored droplets on my white shirt. Why couldn't our new iron be just as friendly? It's new after all! High tech. Who care about instructions?

What's so hard about putting water in an iron, anyway? You just pour some in, being careful not to overfill, and wala! You're done. Why must the iron be unplugged? And why must it be cold? And why must it be sitting on a perfectly level surface?

I compromised. "Fine. When I run out of water in the middle of an ironing session, I'll unplug you before I refill you. But as for letting you cool and setting you face-down before filling you...no. Not happening. I'm in a hurry. I'll dump it in while you're sitting upright, and it's not too important to shut the "steam" switch off while I'm filling you, either."

He said "Yeah, right. If that's the way you feel, see what kind of results you get. How would you like a puddle of warm water leaking through the ironing board onto your bare feet?"

Actually, he didn't say that. And I didn't talk to him, either. I'm not that far gone. But I thought it. And I'm almost positive he thought it too. ...No, I can't lie. I do know irons don't think.

But on with my story. I finally got fed-up and desperate, and decided to do everything according to the book. Steam switch "off." Iron cool and unplugged. Sitting face down on a level surface. Water poured into spout at correct angle. Lid flipped closed. Iron plugged in. Heat turned "on." Iron heats up. Steam switched "on."

Big breath.

Ironing begins.

Iron spits NOT.

Clothes get steamed perfectly.

Amber sticks tongue out at iron.

...No, that part is a lie. Actually, what Amber did was sit the iron down and think to herself that she's a lot like that little machine. She's been given specific instructions on how to operate herself, and she doesn't bother reading the book. She fills herself with water, of course, but at her own pace and on her own terms. She doesn't bother to slow down and fill herself properly, and she sure doesn't humble herself face-down to receive that water. She likes to take it standing up, on the go, when she wants it.

And then I think that iron stuck his tongue out at me.

Aren't we like that, though? God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, in His Word. His Word is so precious that we cannot live life properly without it. Like an iron without steam. Many of us realize that, yet want to use His Word on our own terms, at our own pace. He didn't just give us His Word, then walk away - anymore than we would give a sharp sword to a child and tell her to go play. He has given us instructions on how to use it:

We are to be doers, not hearers only.
We are to meditate on it day and night.
We are to treasure it.
We are to obey it.
We are to receive it meekly.
We are to believe it.
We are to READ it. Often.
We are to hide it in our hearts.
We are to hear it.
We are to teach it to others.

Can you think of any other ways we are to use the Word of God? Any other commands? Any thoughts you'd like to share on the topic?

By the way, thank you for all the congratulations on the arrival of my nephew. We went to see him yesterday (again!) and I have to say I just adore cuddling him.

But...anyway...thoughts on an iron. Who knew you could be taught a lesson from an appliance? An enemy appliance, at that. :)

FINALLY! That post I promised: Designing My Bedroom

Do you realize it's been one year and 14 days since I got my new bedroom?

Do you also realize that means I've been promising a "decorating-the-bedroom post" for a little under one year?

Okay, so maybe you didn't remember that. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. It sounds so terrible.

Then again, most of you probably aren't surprised. You've been around long enough to know I'm a slow, get-around-to-it-when-I-get-a-chance type of blogger. That's why I blog for fun, not income. :)

But today...

...Well, today is my birthday, and I'm turning over a new leaf.

Not really. I just wanted to say that.

Actually, I've been planning this post for the past two months, and knew I wouldn't get around to it until May. So I didn't.

I could say all sorts of things about my birthday - tell you about the wonderful day I've had, the lovely gifts my family gave me, the laughs we had around the supper table, my thoughts about the future, my hopes for the years to come, my wistful and pleasant memories of the milestones behind me...

...But instead, I'm going to post pictures. Consider it a gift from me to you.

Now...for those of you who weren't around last year...last May I moved into a new bedroom. My older sister, Heather, who had been my roommate for my entire life, was married at the end of April, and our larger room went to our younger sisters. I took their smaller bedroom as my own.

It was the first time since I was a baby that I had my own room. And I've already posted at length on the huge adjustment it was for me to get used to sleeping alone, without late-night chats and giggles and secrets...so I won't go through all that again. Instead, I'll tell you how much fun I had making this new bedroom my own domain - a room suited just for me.

I've always loved interior design, but never had a whole room to design from scratch. To say I was excited is an understatement. The fun I had in the design process helped me make it through those lonely nights the first few months.

Now, one reason this post is so long in coming is because the room itself was a slow process. In fact, it wasn't until ...hmmm...this March, maybe? that I actually completed everything I wanted to do with this room. And I liked it that way. I appreciated it so much more when I had to work, and save, and plan for each element in the design.

But back to the beginning.

My first project was to strip the room down to its bones. It had been awhile since anything like upkeep had been done to it, and there were lots of holes from nails that had been used to tack things on the wall. The floors needed to be shined, and the paint was faded. I knew that the "ideal room" in my mind was going to cost me some money, and I had been saving, but my birthday gift that year from Mom and Dad was a special type of paint for my room. I'm sensitive to most paint smells, but I enjoy painting and wanted to do the work myself. That special "eco-friendly" paint allowed me to do that. :) And I spent my money on materials for building furniture. (More on that later!)

So I began. The first day, I think, was all prep work. I scrubbed the walls. And took out dozens of nails and wall anchors. And filled holes with putty. And taped the edges of the wall.

Then I painted. It's a small bedroom, but it took a long time to paint. And I did two coats. I was starting to wonder what I had gotten myself into - I was so sick of painting by the end of day two! But I wanted it to look nice.

And it did.

One of my major goals for this room was to keep it from looking tiny and boxy. Since the space is so small (about 8'x 12') That was going to be a challenge. I chose a bright white for the walls, to keep the room looking open and spacious, but I wanted a touch of color. So I painted the ceiling blue, to evoke a sense of open, spacious sky above.

My family was skeptical. But they love it now. :)

I mixed the blue shade of paint myself, and I think it was just right; not so dark as to be oppressive overhead, but bright enough to show up. It's the sort of thing you don't notice right away when you enter the room, but something eventually causes you to look up, and there it is, a pleasant surprise.

But let me stop talking and show you some pictures.

First off, here is the bedroom I left. The picture is taken from the bedroom doorway, looking toward "my side" of the room. (Anybody who has shared a bedroom understands that term.) My sister took the double bed with her, and the hope chest and bookshelf are mine. (Made by my dad and brother.) The curtains I made myself, and they stayed here, too, but I ended up cutting the fabric for another use.

And this is my new bedroom, just after it was emptied. The headboard was my Mom's when she was little, and I ended up using it for my own bed in this room (more on that later). It was in there at this point because I was testing space for furniture arrangements. This picture was taken from the doorway.

Here, I am standing where the headboard is in the previous picture, facing my new closet. I re-vamped this entirely later, adding more rods and making it oh-so-pleasantly efficient. I love my closet! :) It's small, but it's mine, and every square inch is in use.

Here you can see one entire side of the room. It's small, but I love how necessary that makes every square inch.

Painting away. And feeling quite sick of it. :) But happy anyway. :)

Here are the finished results. First, look at what went above the closet doorway. The atmosphere I strove for in this room was peace, and this seemed to set the tone (Can you read it? It's Isiah 26:3. It's right where I will see it every morning when I open my eyes.):

Doesn't this look better than the previous closet picture? The paint is nice and bright! And the floor has been scrubbed. Can you see my new shelving? And notice my mirror? That helps the illusion of space, too.

By now I had started putting things on the wall; a shelf (to the right of the door) and a beautiful picture from a friend, which I think just takes the whole room a step up on the ladder of classiness. (I always underestimated artwork until I saw the effect of this picture on my bedroom.) The overhead light fixture was already in the room, and is one that I used in the bedroom I had when I was little.

So there you are. Enough for now. Later, I'll continue my bedroom tour with details on furniture building, sewing, bedding, curtains, etc., and bring you up to date on what the room looks like now.

In the meantime, tell me about the last time you re-did an area. Whether it was a whole room, like my project, or just reorganizing a shelf in your living room, if it brought you satisfaction and pleasure, it was a job worth doing. Doesn't it feel nice to have pleasant, orderly surroundings? God made us that way. :)

Worth It.

I gave today away.

It's a Saturday. So much potential. So many projects to accomplish.

But I gave it away.

I gave it away. With a smiling heart, and a gleeful laugh.

Because, you see, I was giving it to my younger sisters.

We spent today cleaning their bedroom. It took us nine hours, from start to finish. They had so much stuff in there, piled up, from all those moments when their young hands just didn't know where to put it, and their young hearts were overwhelmed by all the organization needed. A room can be semi-clean, (ahem), but not really clean, you know? Organized.

We took half the stuff out, piled in great heaps in the living room. We swept...and swept...and swept. We rearranged the furniture. We threw away SO much trash...and things no longer needed. We took EVERYTHING out of the closet and organized it.

Now it is beautiful. Peaceful. Feminine. Minimal clutter. Minimal stuff. Everything has a place. My youngest sister, who hates to clean, laughed, and said, "Now I'm almost looking forward to it being messy again, because I know where everything goes!"

And she does. She stuck with me all day - both of them did, actually. Their own hands helped with every project. They know where all their things are. And they can repeat the process of putting them away. I'm so proud of them!

It was a long day. I got tired. I got tired of saying, "let's keep going!"

But I didn't get tired of them. I didn't tire of praising them. I didn't tire of their arms being thrown around my neck, their lips planting a kiss on my cheek, and their voices saying, "thank you so much for helping us!"

I love a clean room. I love happy sisters. I love seeing dog-tired sisters, who have earned the right to be proud of their labor. I love a job well-done.

I gave today away.

And it was totally worth it.

Ways to tell I've been busy:

- When my laptop lid has to have dust blown and wiped off before I open it.

- When my email inbox has 75 unread messages.

- When I have to schedule time to get a shower.

- When I haven't written so much as a single letter in 7 days, anywhere; journal, email, snail mail, blog, story-writing. ....(well, does my check registry count as writing?)

- When I haven't sewn a stitch in an even longer amount of time.

So what have I been doing that has kept me so busy?

Putting life back together!

It's good timing, really. I was feeling a little sad, missing Heather since she's been married, and having other things to think about is nice. Hard work has a tendency to make me happy, and I certainly have felt worked when I've fallen into bed each night this week. My biggest project has been creating my own bedroom out of the little bedroom that my younger sisters used to share. They're now living in my and Heather's old room, and I'll be getting their bedroom. I spent about 2 days getting the room clean up and then painted, with the windows and floors also scrubbed. Then I have been spending the rest of the week creating my own little slice of peace.

It's a new thing, for me to have my own room. I hardly know what to think, in a way...and yet it seems very natural. I have always had an itch for interior design, and this is the first time I've had a project to do in that field. I'm letting my creative self go - and I'm taking lots of pictures to share! ....After I share wedding pictures, that is. ;) So much to catch y'all up on!!!!!

I'm hoping to get the room nearly done by Friday. It would be a nice gift. ....For my birthday.

Yup. On Friday I celebrate another year. God is so good to me!

A Different Kind of Fruit

Again, I confess you have not heard from me much lately. What can I say? Life is life!

I've been at the sewing machine for nearly two days straight. Honest.

Because my sewing area is temporarily unusable, I've been doing my work at the kitchen table, and Mom could assure you that the only time my stuff isn't spread out over everything is when she tells me to pick it up so she can set the table for a meal. Then, after we eat, out comes the sewing machine again.

I have finally finished a sewing order that I've been working on for several weeks. It will feel so good to hand that off to the customer and check it off my "To Sew" list! I also randomly decided to give Tiffany a crash-course in sewing without a pattern, so we spent about 7 hours putting an outfit together for her. She needed some new clothes anyway, and I used fabric we already had, so why not? It isn't often one of my sisters sews with me - I'd forgotten that it's quite fun to sew with a partner!

I've also cleaned the bathroom, designed a book cover, washed laundry, picked lettuce, made bread, started another batch of bread, started beans soaking, and washed dishes in the past two days, along with other random things. I am sorry for neglecting you, here at The Fruit of Her Hands, but I must admit it's lovely to actually have some fruit of my hands!

Today I want to show you pictures of a different kind of fruit.

You know, sometimes we can stereotype ourselves or others too much. Women who choose to be homemakers - 'specially for reasons relating to our faith - are often stereotyped, and we complain about it; don't we? :) But we ought to be careful that we don't do it to ourselves.

We get this idea in our heads that, because we're stay-at-home women (though do we ever really stay at home all the time?), every one of us must be the perfect cook, have an immaculate house, wear aprons, and like all things old-fashioned.

Do you know what? There are some godly women who have committed to furthering their husband's vision by being a homemaker...and they really don't like retro. They prefer the city to the country, and they wouldn't be caught dead in an apron.

You know what else? Being godly doesn't equal locking ourselves into constantly cooking and cleaning. I love cooking, and its easy for me to spend a lot of time doing it, but I should never let someone talk me into thinking I should never do anything else "because my mind isn't suited to higher things."

Have you heard that? Have you ever been told that you're only suited for menial tasks - just because you've chosen to spend a great deal of time doing that?

It's a lie. Yes, women were designed to be helpmeets for men. Yes, that often means cooking and cleaning. But it also means having good minds! It means being everything God created us to be. It means using our talents - even if they don't fit into the perceived mold.

This is freedom. It means you can use a saw and hammer and still be a lady. It means you can study higher math and love it. It means you can learn about topics the men in your life love, so you can encourage and be there beside them. Anything can be done if it's done with the right heart attitude.

I say all that to say I've recently discovered a new hobby - and it's not cooking, baking, sewing, or gardening. Can you believe it? I bet you thought I never did anything else! *grin* From all my above ranting, you may think it's something outlandish, but it's actually quite common - I just climbed up on the soapbox because it was something I was thinking about.

So here's some other "fruit" I've had lately:

Doesn't look like much, does it? Yeah - my family didn't think so either. I had a beautiful idea in mind, but wasn't sure how it would come out, so I kept quiet and kept working. Would you believe it took me an hour (if I remember correctly) to get this very basic sketch the way I wanted it?

Here the background is completed. It took me three hours, I think. I sketch every so often, but this was my first try doing serious mixing with paints. I was having fun coming up with so many different colors out of just red, blue, yellow, white, and black. In the upper left corner you can see the photo I was trying to copy.

Close up. The bushes turned out too blue, but I was just getting the hang of mixing colors, so I left it. (It's a little greener in real life.) I did like the way the brushstrokes looked. (You can't see that very well in these photos.)

Here's the first horse (and shadows) completed. It took me about an hour to do each horse - and I didn't do them all at once. This project stretched out over a couple weeks. I think the most I did was three horses at one time. I mixed up a separate batch of paint for each horse, so that each one's coloring would look a little different. I didn't want a bunch of identical brown blobs with legs.

And here's the finished painting. Oh wow - I just realized I never signed it. Oh well - I'll have to go back and do that. But, anyway, here is what it looks like now. Even though there are many mistakes in it, I'm pleased with my first painting attempt, and want to do more paintings in the future.
I want to mat and frame this eventually. I'm looking for a verse to put under it - any ideas?

Dishes

I think I was nine years old before I ever got near enough a dishwasher to touch it. *Gasp!* Yes, I do live in the 21st century. And yes, our house has no dishwasher. ...Well, Dad says we have eight dishwashers - meaning us. But we have no electric dishwasher.

You know what? I don't really miss having one. I've loaded and unloaded plenty of dishwashers at friends' houses, and it seems to me that what with rinsing, loading, unloading, and having pans too big to fit in the washer, the person with a dishwasher doesn't save themselves that much work and time. So long as dishes have to be washed, I'd just as soon do them by hand.

That doesn't mean I adore washing dishes. I would love dishes that just clear themselves off the table and stack themselves neatly in the cupboard, clean and dry. But so long as dishes have to be washed, I am thankful for the dish sink.

I was thinking last night, as I washed the supper dishes, what a good place the kitchen sink is for praying and singing. Shamed as I am to admit it, there are a lot of people on my prayer list who would never be prayed for if it weren't for the kitchen sink. I've trained my mind to associate the dish sink as a gem of a place for spiritual evaluation, praising the Lord, prayer for others, and so on.

When I was little, the dish sink was the dreaded time-thief. No one wants to spend an hour out in the kitchen cleaning up after every meal. (Yes, that's how long it took me!) There were so many other things I could be doing! I used to look at my mother and older sister and wonder how they could finish the dishes so fast. It took me forever.

First, I'd put off washing for as long as I could; talking with my family, drifting out of the kitchen, trying to escape unnoticed. That didn't work very well. Sooner or later I'd be sent back to the kitchen. Then I'd putter around as I cleared the table, looking at the growing stack of dirty dishes every so often, and groaning to whoever passed through the room.

When I finally got around to getting my hands in the sink, I'd pretend to be a slave in a castle kitchen, and I'd stir the cooling water with a dirty spoon and pretend it was soup for the other slaves. Then I'd be a woman at a well in the desert, ladling out precious water to passing camel riders. Then I'd finally wash the ladle. No wonder it took me forever to finish the dishes.

But those days are gone. Now I consider myself quite the expert on washing dishes. (*grin* Doesn't every homemaker feel this way?) I've been doing it for so many years. As I washed dishes last night, I came up with a mental list of tips I've found to be helpful in dish-washing, and I thought I'd share them here. I'll be writing these from the perspective of someone who hand-washes everything, but I think even those of you with dishwashers can find something in here that applies to you too. Hope some of this is helpful, and even if you already know all this stuff, I hope the very last tip will encourage you!

~ Always, always, always, rinse your dishes right after using them. Don't ever leave a dirty pot sitting while you go eat your meal. If you do, it can really mean a headache with certain dishes - such as broccoli - which will harden on in a matter of minutes. (Then you have all those tiny green specks stuck to your pan, and they take forever to get off...then your fingers will feel a spot you missed...) But all pots and pans and bowls and such will benefit from a quick rinse with the sprayer before you stack them in the dirty pile. Your wash water will stay cleaner later on if the dishes have already been rinsed, and your wash time will also go much faster, because you won't be scrubbing hardened food off the dishes. This tip has cut down my washing time a whole lot.

~ Don't fill your sink with soapy water before you start washing. Instead, squirt your soap in and fill the sink only a few inches - enough to wash silverware in. Then rinse the silverware directly into your wash water. The level of the water should raise enough for you to wash cups in, which you will also rinse over your wash side of the sink. Do this until your sink is full of soapy water. In this way, your rinse water isn't wasted by running right down the drain, and your wash water will stay hotter. I can usually adjust this perfectly so that by the time I get to the pots and pans, my water is nice and high, and I just rinse the pots and pans into the rinse side of the sink.

~ Always save oily pans until last. But that's just common sense.

~ Wash by category. Don't just grab whatever is closest to the sink. Collect and wash all the silverware first, then the cups, then bowls or plates, then serving dishes, then pots and pans. This will help you stack the clean dishes easier, and I believe it cuts down my washing time. You sorta get into a rhythm, ya know?

~ Don't overdo it on the soap. You really don't need as much as you think you do. The soap actually doesn't kill germs - it loosens things. Friction and heat are the two things that kill germs the best, so rely on your hot water and arm muscles to disinfect the dishes, and use the dish soap to cut through grease. And please - rinse all the soap off! I hate to think about eating dried soap - which is clear - with my food. :)

~ Finally, have a good attitude. This makes the biggest difference in how quickly you finish. I have found that when I get right at it, don't let myself leave the kitchen until after the dishes are done, work with a will, and don't stop to dawdle, but keep a good pace, the dishes are done in an amazingly short amount of time. In fact, when I work like that, and pray and sing, dish time is almost enjoyable! Ah, the blessings of a heart that is right! It can even change dishes.

I've got cabin fever

And it's still November.

I've been outside so much this summer that staying indoors now is really hard.

I guess I could just bundle up well and go out in the bare yard - and I might if things get desperate - but what would be the point?

In the garden, there's only lettuce to pick - and that's only every few days. [I think the frost will get our late-planted peas before they start producing. :(]

Hanging clothes on the line would be rather useless.

Going for a walk on the road would be cold on the upward stretch, going away from the wind, and freezing on the downward stretch, going into the wind.

Shooting baskets with the basketball is hard with frozen fingers.

I can't rake leaves without coming down with a fever for two days (though don't think I haven't been tempted to do it anyways!).

I've already done the fall trimming on the hedge.

The grass doesn't need to be mowed.

So I haven't been outside much.

Now, please don't think I have nothing to do indoors! I have plenty; dishes to wash, sewing projects to work on, emails to write, a blog to update, clothes to wash, dry and fold, music to practice...

...But nothing extremely active. Not the kind of active you get outdoors. And absolutely no lovely fresh outdoor air is floating around in my sewing room.

And I miss the abundance of green peppers, onions, squash, and tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes that were in our diet some weeks ago.

Yes, I think I've diagnosed myself with cabin fever.

I have to make it at least five more months. That's one month short of half a year!

Please - any suggestions for what I can do indoors that will give me that exhausted, full-of-fresh-air, boy-that-was-a-worthy-cause, feeling of being useful?

Yeeeesss....I could clean the bathtub. Definitely a profitable, useful job. I might even be panting by the time I'm done. (But - ugh - didn't I just clean that?)

And....I could make supper for Mom tomorrow. I think I would like that.

Hmmm...what else? I'm drawing a blank. I would sure appreciate any and all ideas y'all have!

I'm Finished!

All except for the floor and walls ...and sink. I'll mop and wipe those on Monday, I guess.

Whew, does that cabinet look better!

Update

Wow. I wish I dared post a picture of the bathroom right now. I've been working on it basically non-stop since I wrote that last post and, even after three hours, I still have quite a ways to go.

So far, I've cleaned the tub (got that out of the way first thing!), cleaned the toilet, gotten the cobwebs out of the ceiling corners, and begun the organizing process on the shelves, linen cabinet, and the under-the-sink cabinet. To start with, I pulled everything off the shelves and out of the cabinets.

I once saw a movie clip of Mary Poppins pulling things out of a "magic" bag. The bag itself was small, but she pulled lots and lots of large things from it; a wall mirror, a hat stand, etc. I believe our bathroom cabinets and shelves must have taken lessons from her. Stuff just kept coming and coming and coming.

There were things in the back recesses of that cabinet that must have been there since Mom and Dad got married. Never mind that they didn't move into this house until later, and the cabinet has been sorted through numerous times since then. I'm sure that has nothing to do with it. ...Well, actually....perhaps it's been cleaned a few times. :)

Okay. In all seriousness, there was a LOT of stuff in there. I think I must have uncovered 25 bars of soap, five toothbrushes still in the packages, four bottles of expired iodine, an unlabeled jar of something that smelled terrible, lots of other expired stuff, bedsheets I hadn't seen in months, duplicate bottles of things...

And then there's the under-the-sink cabinet. The one a bottle of liquid soap somehow managed to spill in, and escape unnoticed. ...Until today. Did anyone ever tell you that using wet paper towels to clean up soap makes suds, and spreads the soap further? :)

It all makes me wonder what why we humans collect things as if there's no tomorrow, and then let 75% of that stuff go unused and unnoticed. We're strange. Our basic physical needs are so simple, ...aren't they? I suppose it depends on your definition of simple.

I hope the bathroom will have an air of simplicity by the time I'm finished with it. Right now, the stuff that was in the cabinets is all over the bathroom floor and hallway floor. It seems like a momentous task to tame those heaps of clutter, and I'm feeling tired. It's a good mood to be in, 'cause I'm more than ready to throw stuff away; and that's unusual for me. Usually, I don't even like to send glass jars to the recycling center; I'd rather keep them in the basement so I can look at my collection. :)

I've taken a quick lunch break, and I suppose I ought to get back to work. I think the first thing I'll do is collect all the cleaning supplies into tidy little red containers and put them neatly under the sink. Then I'll put the TP and paper towels on a shelf of their own. ...Then perhaps I'll feel ambitious enough to attack those millions of bottles and tubes of whatever it is that collects in bathrooms.

You know something? Right now, cleaning the tub doesn't sound bad at all.

I'm off to clean the bathroom...

...and I mean REALLY clean the bathroom.

Clean the toilet, clean the sink, clean the (yikes) tub [I don't like that one!],organize the cabinet, clean the floor, wipe down shelves, clean the mirror, empty the trash...

Have I missed anything? Let me know if I have.

I used to hate cleaning the bathroom. I would even do dishes to get out of it - and dishes used to be that chore we children would toss back and forth; "it's your turn!" "No it's not!" "Mommy, I have more dish turns than she does!"

Now, in my old age [grin], dishes don't seem so bad, and neither does the bathroom...with the exception of the tub. I actually LIKE cleaning the toilet. I think it has something to do with the fact that I've got it down to a science. I've done it so often, all the steps are memorized, and I can almost do it in my sleep.

The tub, now...well, that's the one chore I'm still good at getting out of.

It used to be cleaning the toilet that I ran from, but then Mom gave me the sole responsibility to clean it. When no one else is cleaning that little gadget, you quickly decide that a few minutes of cleaning is better than having a clothespin stuck on your nose every time you enter the bathroom.

So I learned to like it.

I guess that proves what my parents say; you can learn to like a lot of things, if you just get to doing it. My Dad taught me to like green peppers by making me eat them every time they were served, instead of hiding them in my napkin. I'm glad he made me do what I didn't want to do. Now I can enjoy his omelets so much more!

...But I'm not quite ready to start liking to clean the tub.

...So, please, don't remind Mom of that.

Psalms 127... Adapted

Scene: The Littlest Sister is skipping around the living room, broom in hand. She begins to sing the words to a familiar chapter of the Bible.

Amber, elbow-deep in the dishpan, realizes that something is different.

Little sister bellows out, "...Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that clean it!"

Amber thanks the Lord for siblings, to bring smiles to days when she doesn't feel like smiling.

Update

Well, well, well!

I do realize that I left blogging world on Thursday - rather abruptly, and without notice. I never even got around to writing a Family Friday post! Sorry about that.

I hope this doesn't sound bad, but I really haven't missed BlogLand very much - I've been too busy. And I've been having lots of fun. My grandparents from New York are visiting us!

It's always so wonderful to have them with us, and their visits always seem too short. We're trying to fit in as much as possible before they leave us - hence my absence here.

A few hours ago, Grandpa and I were busy making rolls. Grandpa is a great cook, and it's loads of fun to have him in the kitchen! He tells all sorts of stories about years gone by, and always gets me laughing.

I've also been showing Grandma all my latest sewing projects, and listening to the family history she knows I love to hear.

Heather, Curtis, Justin, and I have also been busy practicing for an offertory at church tomorrow. I love playing with my siblings. I hope that someday soon Tiffany and Lezley will have learned instruments well enough to join in, and we'll all be able to play together.

Oh - thanks for the interesting discussion on clutter in small houses. :) Just so y'all know, I did finish cleaning both my hope chest and part of the closet shelf on Thursday. Yippee! The top of the hope chest looks sooo much better.

It tends to usually be piled high with books that I was reading before I fell asleep,...

...and papers and pens that accumulate during the day,...

... and two or three crocheting and embroidery projects that I like to keep handy,...

...my lamp and alarm clock,...

...a jar full of loose change,...

...research supplies (from teaching history to my siblings),...

...and other odds and ends.

Now it's down to just my lamp, alarm clock, Bible and notebook, a few little jars containing loose stuff, and one pretty basket to hold a crocheting project. Improvement, yah?

I still want to better organize my closet. Heather and I share a rather small area for our clothes, and I'm always looking for ways to maximize our space. Any ideas?

Clutter...I don't like it, so why does it hang around?

Okay, I'm determined that this will be a short (versus rambling) post.

Today, two of my projects are to tackle the top of my hope chest (which serves as a bed-side stand) and the top shelf of my closet - you know; that top shelf, where you put things you don't have any place for, and which never is cleaned or organized.

If I can get both those spaces cleared I will be doing well. ...But not just cleared - they need to be organized, so that they will stay neat!

I tend towards a minimalist taste in room furnishings. I like space to think. Space to breathe. Perhaps it comes from being raised in a small house with eight people, but I really like seeing space that is just for being there - space with nothing in or on it.

I also like the country look - pretty and practical. I like the saying:

"Have nothing in your home which you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

I like furnishings to have a purpose - no cluttered Victorian look for me! And no modern plastic or synthetic look - I prefer wood, wicker, cotton, linen, etc. Real stuff.

Okay. Enough about my own personal tastes. If I'm so into "everything having a place, and everything in it's place," why is my room so messy this morning?

Because man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upwards, I suppose. :)

...In any case, I hope to soon have a room that lives up to the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness."

What do y'all think of that saying, anyway?

Today

It's 8:44pm, and I'm just now getting around to posting on my blog. For those of you who don't know my daily schedule, ...that means it's been a busy day.

But a good busy. I feel as if I've accomplished some things, which is a lovely feeling.

To start with, I had dish duty today. Washing dishes for three meals, for 7-8 people takes some time out of the day. :)

But before breakfast - and dishes - I was able to go out running in our nice backyard. That's a great way to wake up and start the day. Then I came inside with plenty of time to read in my Bible. That's a superb way to start the day.

I tried some blueberry tea at breakfast today. I'm not a "hot drink" person - coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or anything, but this tea was good, and I mean good.

Cleaning the toilet after breakfast dishes were done was the next thing to be checked off the list. (Okay, it doesn't sound very proper to be mentioning this task, but, hey, somebody has to clean it!)

I also managed to cut out some future sewing projects this morning; one dozen cloth napkins (for my hope chest), and almost half the pieces for a quilt.

A half hour before lunch, I began working on a soup; the recipe was a new one. It turned out well, though only Mom and I tried it for lunch. My younger siblings don't like lentils or onions and tomatoes in soup. :)

After lunch dishes were done, the next thing in my day was history. I usually teach for one hour, but today I was pleasantly surprised by my younger brother insisting on spending an hour and a half on his history, even after his younger sisters left. This is the brother who doesn't like school! I was soooo happy. I treated him to a cookie.

After putting the books away, I spent a little time crocheting an afghan while watching a good old-fashioned black-and-white movie show (on DVD).

Then I left with Mom to run some errands for the rest of the afternoon. We came home in time to fix supper and... yes, do dishes. :)

Now, Family Bible Time is over (we're going through the book of Revelation), and I'm sitting here typing.

So there's my day, all written out. Not much to look at, I suppose, and perhaps of no interest to anyone but myself, but it's all I have to share today.

You know, sometimes it's just simple life that thrills a heart. Slowing down and looking for each blessing makes the day special.

The yellow light of early morning...the dampness of dew soaking into my running shoes...

...the peace of reading God's Word...

...the delicate beauty of a blue and white teacup filled with steaming tea...the thought of the Christmas my sister gave me that teacup...

...the foam of bubbles in the dishpan...the orderliness of neatly folded dish towels in the drawer...

... The nice solid sound of a shiny knife against the cutting board...the pungent smell of herbs in a soup...

...my own voice reading history aloud...the warmth in my heart as I watch my brother's head bent over his writing for so many minutes...

...the fun of traveling around town, seeing old and new things...

...conversation around the dinner table...

...fellowship around God's Word....energetic discussions about the text...prayer together...

...the click of my nails against the keyboard of this computer...the comments I read that you kind ladies have left...


Yes, it's the small things - that aren't so small - that make a day special.

Maybe?

I just might have time to work in the garden today. The lack of rain is really taking a toll on the plants, as you can see by comparing this recent picture to earlier ones:

In the bottom left corner you can see my now-dead squash plants, and in the back two beds (upper center of the photo) you can see our bush beans, which basically turned brown before giving us any fruit.

But I don't mean to sound pessimistic. I'm so glad God's given us enough land to have a garden, and I'm thankful for a Dad with a green thumb. :) I'm also thankful Dad teaches me what he knows, and lets me do a lot on my own with our garden.

Today I plan (read: "if I finish laundry, a computer-related task, dishes, and painting,") to plant beets and carrots in one of the beds that is now holding the dead bean plants. I'll tear those out, add vermiculite to the soil (to help it hold more moisture), add some compost, turn it all up really well, and then plant.

At least our tomatoes did okay this season. We had 30 tomato plants, which would have given us a humongous harvest if the soil had been better, and enough rain had fallen. Even as it was, we had enough to supply us with tomato sandwiches almost every lunch, and some left over to make into sauce. Now the supply is beginning to taper off.

Anyway...

...if I don't get to the garden, I'll have plenty of other things to keep me busy. I and my brother, Curtis, are preparing for a evangelism outreach that we will be doing today, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Lord willing.

Some friends have invited us to reach out to the children in their neighborhood by hosting a three-day Bible Club. We will be able to clearly present the gospel through this. I'd really appreciate if y'all would pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of these children. I've seen a lot of child evangelism that simply pressures children to "pray a prayer," and we don't want that. We want the Holy Spirit to truly claim some of these children for Himself.

May each of us show Jesus to the world today!

And so, the marathon begins...

Dad has a week off from work.

Of course, "off from work" is completely relative. In this case, it means the place where he works won't be seeing him for the said amount of time, but we will. That's about as off as you can get, right?

Actually, the challenge for this week is to redo the kitchen ceiling. And finish staining our back deck. And clean off the moss that has grown on our roof.

That's just Dad's list. Mom is working hard to finish painting around all our windows, outside. She enlisted my help today to repair the glaze around the glass panes.

Besides helping Mom and Dad, my own list of goals for this week include completing at least one sewing project (which I need by Friday!), teaching a sewing lesson tomorrow, and finishing the wood project that my brother Curtis and I have been working on since the beginning of June. It's a piece of kitchen furniture, originally planned as a surprise for Mom, but since her birthday was the second day in July...

...We've told her about it.

I'd really like to have it finished in time for it to take its place in the new kitchen.

We've taken lots of great pictures this week and last. But I haven't had time to load them onto the computer. Can you use your imagination to picture our house right now?

The kitchen has no ceiling. From that room, voices, and poundings, and crashes, and occasional "slams" testify to the fact that the last bits of drywall are finding the floor. A fine chalky dust covers everything in the kitchen.

The living room is packed to the bursting point with everything that was in the kitchen. Our chairs are outside on the deck, but all the small appliances and tables are squeezed into the living room. Everything that was on the kitchen counters is now covering every bit of available seating area in the living room, except for two chairs. As for floor space...you can make it from the front door to the kitchen, if you can fit through a 2-foot walk space.

This morning I had to do laundry so I would have some work clothes to wear; it seems I've been wearing nothing else for four or five days. Everyone is in dirty denim or cotton clothing...except for my older sister, who I think would look and smell clean in the middle of a tar pit. :)

My little siblings' bare feet were splotched with red stain, last time I saw them, but right now they're all wearing work shoes that are covered with gray dust.Work clothes are the wardrobe of the week. I'm reminded of that verse in Nehemiah; "so neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that everyone put them off for washing." *grin* Can't you picture the dirty crew?

The slow cooker is cooking away merrily in a bedroom, making our supper. Lunch was quite...interesting. Thankfully the outdoors is lovely right now; sunny, about 60*, with a slight breeze. If only it would rain! Our grass is dead. But God knows best. I guess we really don't need mud on top of drywall dust. I'm thankful for the balmy weather.

I've been thinking that lately I've been using my hands for fruit in ways that's aren't normally pictured as very "feminine." Tossing trash into dumpsters, sanding wood projects, handling screw drivers and saws, climbing ladders, and such have been parts of my life in the past week. And I don't mind. Hard work is fun. I'm still a girl. I'm not really very tomboyish; I've also found time to bake four loaves of bread, clean my bedroom, and work on a sewing project. But I like to be able to do all sorts of things. I've always been a Daddy's girl; I like to help him with projects. And I'm glad he lets me.

So, this week should be pretty fun.

...And dirty. :)

Everything

I have a nice little disease affecting me lately. It's called postphobia.

The symptoms are: lack of good posts, pictures, and updates.

The causes are numerous, including but not limited to: busy schedules, stress, no access to computers that can upload pictures (agh!), and little time for computer.

This blog has been on my mind a lot lately. I am concerned that the focus here continues to be honoring the Lord with the work of our hands. In my own life, I am thinking about that very thing quite a bit lately. I want to be so careful, that the goal of everything I do is to further His kingdom and bring Him glory. I don't just want to write about food, plants, fabric, and people. I want to write about Him. More specifically, I want to learn how physical things that I do and create can be used by Him and for Him. Of course, that topic takes in many things, including food, plants, fabric, and people. :)

Just so y'all know......I have been wanting to say this for awhile....Clarification: YES, I DO MORE THAN JUST SPEND TIME IN THE KITCHEN. I realize that many of my recent posts have been about kitchen things, and that is purely coincidental. I honestly do have a balanced life; it just so happens that kitchen things have been what I've been in the mood to write about. I apologize to those of you who want to hear about other things once in awhile. I have about half a dozen posts circling in my head; all about sewing, quilting, painting, instrument playing, singing, woodworking (honestly), gardening.....ahhhhh! I have to stop. It's so frustrating to not be able to type everything in one post. :)

Hey - wait. Can I just give a one-or-two sentence update on each subject? Would that be crazy?

~ Sewing: Okay, too broad a topic for the moment.

~ Quilting: Nope, can't talk about this one until I upload the pictures.

~ Painting: We've been painting the outside of our house this week. Sigh. I have pictures for that too, but....you've guessed it! They're not uploaded.

~ Instrument playing: I've been inspired by Sarah to get out my fiddle again. I haven't touched it since getting my mandolin. Thanks, Sarah!

~ Singing: We had some lovely fun with another family this morning. A friend of ours offered to give our two families singing lessons. Between our two families, we have 12 children - quite a choir!

~ Woodworking: Pictures for this are also sitting on the camera, waiting to be uploaded.

~Gardening: My squash plants have officially died. I know; it's sad, isn't it? I have missed the squash so much this year. I still can't believe they didn't flourish; we usually have squash coming out our ears.

But our cucumbers produced well....which brings me to my next topic: the Relish Story.

Okay, so it's not that big of a deal, but I promised to share some pictures of the relish-making, and here they are:

I started with this little heap of shiny green cucumbers (or, as my little sisters say "raw pickles.")
Not a ton, but enough.

Here's a picture of my work station. I had this side of the table. In the top left corner, you can see a bit of corn cob. My mother and three youngest siblings were freezing corn while I was making relish. What a busy, noisy, happy kitchen!

Also, take a good look that that neat little gadget in the bottom right-hand corner. It's called a Bononzi chopper; Mom gave it to me as a gift last year, and it's so fascinating. This is what it makes:

Isn't it beauuuutiful, the way all the pieces are the same size? They weren't quite small enough to make real relish - it was more like tiny pickles - but it still tastes good.

This is cooking the mixture....

...And, can you believe it? I didn't get a picture of the end product! I did, however, learn one thing. Do not use wooden spoons to stir pickle brine. The acid in the vinegar will turn the wood a bright yellow. (See above photo for a comparison between a yellow spoon, and one that was not used for pickles.)

But then, what would a time in the kitchen be, without learning something?

I can't think of a good life-lesson to draw from relish-making, but I know I've personally been learning a lot lately about redeeming my time, and getting a lot done in one day. Relish was a part of that.

...So....

What have y'all been doing lately? Please forgive me for a rather crazy, hectic post, and tell me how life is out your way. I love hearing from each one of you SO much. It makes my day to get a comment. And I'm sure that what you have to say would be more interesting than yellow spoons! *grin*

I DID IT!!!!!!

I did the thing homemakers have been trying to do for years.

The thing we all wanted to do, but could never quite manage.

We all wanted to prove that it happened, and we could never get the proof. But I now have proof, ladies, in the form of a wet, blackened piece of clothing.

I caught the laundry machine in the act.

I almost missed it. I was in such a hurry to shut the machine door and turn on the load cycle. But a dirty bit of white (make that gray) caught my eye.

"What is that?"

To be honest, it resembled a used tissue or hankie, all wet and scrunched up like that, so I wasn't crazy about touching it. But it was in that metal, rubber-lined trench between the door and the "bin" where everything gets washed. You know - the place the door seals. I wasn't sure if the door would shut properly with that thing there, so I shrugged, and picked the thing up with the tips of my fingers.

It came - and kept coming. It was much bigger than I had thought it was. That metal, rubber-lined trench had nothing under the rubber flap! Somehow this thing had been shoved under the little flap, and I had seen only the edge sticking out into the trench. If the thing had not been held there by the flap, it would have slipped into the large space in the washing machine under the bin. (Ever wonder what's in that large space? I have. What's in a washer machine besides the bin, anyway?)

But, getting back to the story: I pulled this long, wet, gray thing out of the hole into which it had almost fallen, and then I looked to see what it was. It wasn't a hankie.

It was a sock.

Then everything was suddenly very clear. I hadn't rescued this sock. I had captured it. Captured it in an open and obvious attempt to escape, and go where all other missing socks go.

You always knew laundry machines ate socks, didn't you? But you never could prove it.

Until now.