what a day...

OK, so...everyone was psyched about the snow day on Friday, but it wasn't so bad, so I went to work anyway. (I'd shopped Monday and Thurs, so I needed to work!) Then when the call came in today, I think they were still excited, although the games tonight were ones they wanted to play... and it wasn't horrible, so I went to work late...(taking off wed-fri, so...)...but I knew it was going to be a rough day, when the laundry kids called with the update.."hey, mom, you know those cloths napkins that were on the top of the dryer, well Albert lost one down the lint thing and we can't get it out..what should we do???" A family of 6 that's behind on the laundry cannot afford a breakdown over Christmas. They had tried a large paper clip undone...I suggested the shop vac or a wire coat hanger.. they called back and they didn't have any luck, but Alex had turned it on (yes, the older, wiser college student) and now it won't run at all!! It just keeps getting better. So, I thought about it and called home and got Scott. I didn't even think he was there. I said maybe they could take off the vent hose... he said they tried that and now that it didn't work, who did I call to fix it before?!?!? When I got home, I unplugged the electricity, got grossed out by all the crud hidden under a dryer, swiped it up, took off the vent pipe and the elbow, reached up in there praying for nothing alive...thinking of Cheryl's mom and the salamander... and I touched cloth and something that rotated. I tried it spin it out, but then decided to just tug on the cloth and low and behold out came the napkins, holey, but more or less whole. I put the vent pipe back on, plugged it in, slid it back and voila, IT WORKS!!! I SO did not want a new dryer for Christmas. So tonight, I threw my sheets in the wash and I like them hung up, so I told Dan to hang them out ...it is 3 steps from the door and sheltered. He came in quite quickly, but confessed he didn't clip any of them... I pictures them hanging all over the neighborhood trees by morning, so I headed out and put a clip on each. They were pretty crisp and I think mostly frozen to the line... not sure they WOULD have gone too far. Trying to make a list of needed groceries for the places we are going for the next couple of days... and what stops I'll make tomorrow when I head out to have my Blitzen damage estimated. Hmmm...
I did come home to Alex making Mississippi Mud and Andrea baking Linda TeWinkle Sugar Cookies. It all turned out OK...