January 20 - Watch out for dryer elves and spiders!!

Wow...what a day! The historical inauguration of our first African-American president! I missed most of the coverage due to the fact I was at work but I did catch a good portion of his speech during my lunch break. I am praying for a new direction in our country and it sounds like we are on our way! However, no matter how historic the day, when I got home there was still a bunch of laundry to be folded! We do laundry on Sunday afternoons for the week and because of all the crankiness last night with Alaina it did not get folded or put away. *Sigh* Does anyone hate laundry as much as I do?? I am really good about getting it washed and dried but after that...blah. The ironing, the folding, the hanging...I despise it. Yet - it has to be done. So I came home feeling all motivated and decided I wanted to fold in the family room since Alaina was playing and it is too cold downstairs for her. Therefore, I had to carry all the laundry up. I piled it on the love seat and set about getting it folded. Alaina was entertained as she was playing on her activity mat as I folded. I piled the socks down next to her and set out getting all the t-shirts and pants folded and other things put on hangers. Alaina happily played. After all the clothes were done I started on the massive pile of socks. Okay, #1 people always joke about the dryer elves that steel your socks. I don't think it is a joke. I put pairs of socks in and I get one brown, one black and a couple different white back out. What the heck?? And baby socks are even WORSE! They are so tiny!! #2 How does my husband manage to get holes in brand new socks? Does he walk around with nails in his shoes? It takes me months to get a hole in my socks. I just don't get it. I must have thrown out 8 socks today. (Yes, an even number. I get irritated when he throws out ONE sock because then I am forever looking for his mate. I have to buy you a new PAIR anyway - throw two out.) So anyway - this is not the point at all. The point is, while folding the socks, a spider suddenly comes FLYING out of the pile. Yes, a SPIDER. I HATE spiders. I am horribly, deathly, allergic. I carry around a epinephrine shot just in case one bites me. (It has happened - I will dig out the pictures from the archive and post at a later date!) So anyway, the sock pile is right next to Alaina. (see picture above taken PRIOR to the spider incident.) I would like to say I was mother of the year and reached down to scoop up my child as the massive 8-legged freak was flying across the floor, but, I didn't. I jumped up, screamed, did the heebie jeebie dance, screamed some more, more heebie jeebies and then scanned the room for anything worthy of smashing that thing. At this point, I thought of my defenseless daughter lying on the ground and scooped her up and set her in the swing. The only thing I could find to smash the spider with close by was a plastic snowman toy Duncan got in his stocking at Christmas. I wish I could say I thought to take a picture of the carnage that ensued. In fact, I am sure you wish I had video taped it. Me, smashing a spider with a plastic snowman squeaky toy, the spider not cooperating with dying, me screaming at it to die, I think it's dead, nope, still twitching. Beat it some more. Listening to the toy squeak each time it hits the floor. Ugh...finally I smashed it enough that I was satisfied it wasn't going to run and I grabbed 10 kleenexes to pick it up (So I don't have to feel it through the kleenex) and I smashed it the rest of the way. Ugh. I hate hate hate hate hate spiders. Thankfully, Teddy missed my show, Alaina found it entertaining, and most importantly, the spider is dead. After that, I was very careful as I picked through the remainder of the socks and I am happy to report the rest of the socks got folded or rolled without incident. ( I roll my socks and Teddy likes his folded - ah, the sacrifices we make for each other...) Although three socks are still without mates... Stupid dryer elves...