Adventures in Bleach...

...and myriad other tales of our household during the past month.

This was Adam's Birthday Month! He didn't get his festivities to last a whole month, I'm afraid. Heck, he didn't even get them to last the whole week. I was a little bit of a slacker for his birthday this year, but he seemed to be happy with what he got. All he wanted for his birthday was a stand for his shaving brush and razor, and a Whataburger hamburger to celebrate the end of his "year of no fast food." Exciting, I know, but that's all he wanted. So I took the day off from work so we could spend it together doing something fun. I was thinking, "Let's go tubing on the river!" It's hot here in Texas already, highs in the mid-90s, time to spend some serious recreation time in the water. Instead, he chose to go downtown and play tourist on the San Antonio riverwalk, which neither one of us had done before. Mine would have kept us cooler, but it was his birthday week, his choice...

Here we are melting into a puddle. I recommend for anyone else wanting to take the tour on the riverboats to wait until the evening. There's almost no shade over the water.





On the bright side we discovered some well-hidden shortcuts downtown that pass through airconditioned buildings.

We never did get that Whataburger hamburger. After his year of a no fast food diet, Adam's discovered he doesn't want to eat it anymore.

That was Weekend #1.

Week 2 began our Summer Nights schedule at SeaWorld, which for me means I'm working a completely p.m. shift. It's taken a lot of getting used to, especially as I am not a night person---I wake up early to get everything done in the morning, work all afternoon in the increasing heat, and come home about 10 just in time to go to bed. I love being able to work out in the morning when it's still somewhat cool outside. I'm not sure I love having to cook a bunch of dinners before the week starts and live off of leftovers. Adam's been really helpful during it all, and helped clean and sometimes cook.

That weekend was our annual Girls' Weekend, and this year it was in Austin in the family's gorgeous brand spankin' new house. I really enjoyed the break from work and from being outside in the heat all day. Of course we did the girly stuff like shopping and watching chick flicks, but my favorite time was when we all piled on one bed and just relaxed. And I'll never want to buy another hamburger again---Adam's dad makes the absolute best ones ever! It was over way too fast.

Note to self: I'm never getting a deep tissue massage again. That was the one really, really, REALLY painful point to the weekend.


Look at those eyes! Of course, I couldn't get him to take his finger out of his mouth.



And week 2 came to an end.

Week 3: My week is planned out practically to the last minute. I have four days of the late shift, and a project for the weekend. (See further down.) I have to do all my chores in the morning before I go to work for the day. This is where the bleach comes in.

(Long random story about cleaning to follow. Skip if you want.)

I have a white bag that to me absolutely defines summer; it's made of canvas, light and airy, and I love it. The downside to this beachy-type bag? It shows dirt really easily. Now, I'm not the pickiest person when it comes to laundry. I pretty much have two loads that I stick with for everything except the occasionally "delicate cycle" object. So when I look at this bag I think, "Hey, canvas is a material, and it's light colored, so it should be washable." My husband argued with me about using the machine vs. handwashing, but in the end I just threw it in a random load of laundry and figured it'd be good.

It would have been just fine, except I happened to throw in my other canvas bag with it, the one that has BLUE INK WRITING on it. You can see where this is going. I didn't even think about the other bag bleeding blue ink on my nice white bag. And so my nice white bag comes out with a couple of blue spots on it.

My first thought is "Bleach takes color out of whites." But the inside of the bag is a dark blue color, and I have no idea what bleach would do to that. Worst case scenario is the bleach will bleed the blue out of the lining inside and turn the whole bag blue. I'm not quite willing to risk that yet.

I try the stain remover. I try handwashing it. Nothing's working. I go to the store and buy a product specifically designed to take out colors that have bled onto other materials. I try it, and voila! It does indeed take out the blue...and then bleaches the blue lining...and then stains the bag an ugly yellow color. Where did the yellow come from? At this point I've determined that the bag is dead, and I'm really upset about it. I think I may have shed a few tears, because this is my summer bag! I can't just go down to the store and replace it. I throw it away in the trash can.

But the next morning I pull it out and decide that now is the time to try the bleach. How much further can I sink in this laundry mess? And lo and behold, after a soaking and wash in a cycle by itself, the yellow comes out and the bag is restored! The blue lining is now a pale grayish-yellow, but the outside looks a fabulous white. (I can see a spiritual analogy coming out of this somehow...) And Adam is telling me "I told you so" since he first advised a spot cleaning with bleach. Grrr.

(End of random story.)

On the bright side of my busy week, I started my three day course of flower arranging! It's one of those classes they offer through the community school system that isn't terribly expensive, and I thought, why not? I've always wanted to learn how to arrange flowers. The first day was all about fresh flowers---we spent half the time taking notes, and then tried our hand at making our own arrangment. I wish we could have gone into more bookwork kind of detail---you know, like different containers, different shapes and flowers and such---but I guess I really can't expect to learn all the tricks of the trade in three hours. The teacher was amazing! I watched her create two professional arrangements with blinding speed, one using only the leftover flowers from our own projects!




Next week we learn about silk flowers!

The last project of the week was the ward's Father's Day treats that a few of us were assigned to make. There's a precedent in our ward for having complex, fantastic-looking treats (thanks, bishop's wife, for setting the standward so high!), and we couldn't just do the M&M bowtie thing. I had previously sent out the call for help for ideas, and we ended up choosing this: A Grate Gift for Dad. Thanks to the help of four fabulous friends, they were quick and easy and turned out beautifully! I think they were a big hit, too.





Thanks again, all you lovely ladies who helped me! I honestly couldn't have done it alone, although I probably would have tried. I'll be calling all of you again for help next time.

One unexpected highlight of the week: they finally replaced the dead tree in our front yard! This new one is larger than the last, if anything, and we are trying so hard to keep it alive. Adam's been great when it comes to yardwork, and our lawn is looking fuller and greener, full of soft "Utah grass." Yummy to walk on.