Monday

started off good enough. We had school, Sophie and Keegan spent the day and I took Carly to see Hannah Montana. Even that wasn't bad. I've paid to see much worse movies. While I was gone, Big Guy waited for the mattress delivery guys and when I got home, our new king size bed was waiting for the freshly laundered sheets to be put on it.

Which I was willing to do in order to sleep on it and not the couch. I had given the sheet package to Carly a few days before and told her to wash them -- making sure to tell her to shake out each piece before putting it in the washer - rather than just throwing in a folded king size sheet. Do I know how her mind works or what?

Jacob and I take the sheets to the bedroom and he helps me put them on, but when we went to put on the pillowcases - there were none. Here is where the day went south - or the night, since it was 10 pm.

I sent Jacob to the laundry room and he comes back to report NO pillowcases. I go search the same laundry room again and come up with the same conclusion.

So - I call Wal-Mart. Where I am placed on hold for awhile until the Domestics department lady comes on and I explain how I had purchased the sheet set 2 days previously and blah, blah, blah. She goes and finds the correct set and tells me that it indeed should have 2 pillowcases. I asked what I need to do and she said speak to the manager. I asked to do that and she promptly hangs up on me.

I'm sure she was trying to put me on hold. At least I tell myself that as I call back again, go through the wait again and finally get the manager. Who tells me to bring in the package and they will take some from another package for me. Great.

Except my trash is picked up early Tuesday morning and it is now late Monday night and the cans are on the sidewalk. Which meant that I had to go search through the trash cans. So I would need a flashlight. The only really bright flashlight (a present from Big Guy after he ridiculed my others) in the house is kept by my bed. Unless a child has taken it.

Which of course, a child had. I remember seeing Wesley with it, so I go and wake Wes up to ask where it is. He doesn't know, but since he didn't put it back, he has to get up and help me find it. Which we did - eventually - under his bed, not beside mine as it should be. He goes back to bed and Jacob and I head out to the trash cans. With a flashlight.

In our PJs. So if you were driving by my house late last night and you saw what appeared to be dumpster diving activity by an old woman in a green gown and house shoes, with a short accomplice - that was us. Not to worry.

We stand out there and go through every trash bag. Twice. After we have gone through every bag TWICE, it is clear the sheet bag is not in the trash. Which means that when gathering the trash cans, Carly neglected to bring either the one from the laundry room or the one from her bedroom.

We put all the trash back into the cans and go in to scrub ourselves clean. Jacob goes to Carly's room and quickly finds the sheet bag. On a hunch, I send him back and indeed, he finds the pillowcases as well. Neatly folded. Thrown away in Carly's trashcan.

If only I had known an hour earlier how her mind really works, I would have saved a lot of frustration and time. Of course that could be said on any day - not just Monday.