Those of you who know me well, know that I am an ironin' fool. I don't know how I got started doing this-- I think I started ironing as a way of showing my family that I care about them. I can't sew or knit or do so many of the loving, caring things that other ladies do with their hands ... and so I iron. Besides, Martha Stewart does it. In her biography, Being Martha, it says that she irons her damask linens in the middle of the night when she can't sleep. So see-- I'm just a little Martha Stewart in the making... Yeah, right. Anyway, it makes me feel good to see my kids looking fresh and crisp. That little crease down the side of their sleeve just gives me a little giddy feeling. Weird, I know. Well, I decided to stop ironing all of our clothes through the lice epidemic. I mean, really, when you're washing and drying every piece of clothing-- EVERYDAY-- that seven people are wearing there's no way one could possibly iron every piece and keep their head above water. So, I made a decision that that for the next 3 weeks while we were being obsessive about washing and drying everything, my ironing would cease. Last night, as we were sitting around the supper table, I noticed something. To my utter delight and horror-- all at the same time-- I realized that no one looked any worse than usual in their wrinkled clothing. I made mention of this fact to everyone and Abbey and Spencer just locked eyes and smiled. "Mom, I've been trying to tell you this forever. My clothes get wrinkled as soon as I wear them for about five minutes. I mean, I'm glad you iron my Sunday clothes, but for my t-shirts and jeans, really Mom, it just doesn't make any difference." What? My one talent had become obsolete? They say that something good can always be gleaned from something bad. You know-- the old "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" adage. The Bible was the originator of this idea with Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." I guess you could say that the lice epidemic gave me several hours of my week back, because I think that I usually spend 4-5 hours a week ironing everything. No more. What a boon! What in the world will I ever do to fill all of my new found free time?? I'm sure I'll think of something.