River Days

EASTER!!!!

noun

an annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on thefirst Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, as calculated according to tablesbased in Western churches on the Gregorian calendar and in Orthodox churches on the Juliancalendar.

Also called Easter Sunday. the day on which this festival is celebrated.

the Easter season; the week following Easter.

That is the dictionary version. Doesn't really capture the vibe or the meaning of this weekend. I am a woman of faith and while my family does not go to church on a regular basis - this weekend is about the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus - not rabbits, not eggs, not candy - although those were a plenty.

I have been talking to Jackson about this for a couple of weeks now. Sometimes he gets it, sometimes he doesn't. I have to do better about this, but crucifixion is a heavy topic for a 7 year old, how in depth should I go? That's what I struggle with.

How did our weekend start? With my almost burning down our house Thursday evening. We have these heating pad things that to re purpose, you place them on the stove and boil them. I placed them on the stove and completely forgot about them. Fortunately, Tony is a light sleeper and at 3:00 am, heard the fire alarms going off through our closed bedroom door. His getting out of bed woke me up enough that the sound of the alarms finally punctured through my slumber and I got out of bed. Walking into the living room with my entire house engulfed in smoke was the most terrifying experience. I immediately went and woke Jackson to get him out of the house. Tony then informed me it was ok, it was just whatever I left on the stove. My heart sank, literally sank to the bottoms of my feet as I realized my absentmindedness put my family in danger. I put Jackson back to bed - his room did not have much smoke in it, closed his door and went into the kitchen. The smell was horrific - melted, burnt plastic. I picked up the smoking pot and took it outside while Tony is opening all the doors and windows, fire alarms still screaming. We turned on all the ceiling fans trying to get the smoke out of the house. And then it hit me again, what I had done. I sat down on the couch and started crying. Tony told me to get outside and stop breathing the smoke. "I had almost burned down our house" kept going through my mind. Tony came out at one point and I just looked at him and apologized profusely. He didn't have much to say to me and I don't blame him. He was just as terrified as me and probably pretty angry.

I eventually went back to bed as our room didn't have any smoke. The next morning, the smoke was gone but the smell was still the most awful acrid, burnt plastic smell. Tony had Good Friday off and was going to the River early in the day and Jackson had a makeup day at school, so everyone left with an ozone machine going.

I stopped at the store on the way home and bought 50 lbs of cat litter, two of the biggest boxes of Baking Soda I could find and four gallons of vinegar.

I poured all 50 lbs of cat litter in long lines through the kitchen and living room, poured the baking soda and vinegar into bowls and put them all over the house. Febreezed all fabric surfaces, turned the Ozone machine to high, closed all the windows and Jackson and I left for the River- hoping for the best.

Mom and Dad came in for the weekend and helped keep me calm as I fretted over my house. We spent time with friends, I apologized again to my husband who graciously accepted and confirmed he knows it was certainly not intentional and we got ready for the Easter Bunny. Saturday at 10pm, I realized that in all the hubbub, Tony did not grab the two bags of groceries out of the fridge and now we did not have anything for Easter dinner the next day.

Fortunately I had left over Pinto Beans and pulled pork that we took to the neighbors for dinner. Becky and Mark came out and brought a salad, so we had left overs and it all turned out all right.

So, let's recap the Miracles that occurred for me this Holy weekend.

1. My house did not burn to the ground with my family in it.
2. God woke Tony up!
3. I always cook too many beans.
4. Leftovers turned out great
5. When we got home on Sunday - MY HOUSE DID NOT STINK!

I still get a waft of the smell occasionally, but for the most part it is gone. Were they really miracles, maybe not is someone else's definition, but in mine - ABSOLUTELY!

Lessons Learned:
1. I will not put anything on the stove without a timer.
2. My husband is forgiving, patient and kind - (although I already knew this)
3. Always cook too many beans.
4. Nana and Papa don't get disappointed by leftovers instead of pot roast (I knew this too!)
5. Kitty Litter is the bomb
6. Ozone machines are truly a modern miracle.
7. Fire alarms do not wake up Jackson (SCARY!!!!)
8. The fire alarm closest to our bedrooms did not go off (not a battery thing) and I am purchasing at least two that are connected so if one goes off in one end of the house, the other will go off too, even if there is no smoke present.

So that's it folks - learn from my painful lessons and make sure your smoke detectors are working and the kind that will set them all off. Have a plan for your kids. Have a fire drill. Do they know how to get out of a house on fire? Can they get out of a house on fire? Teach them. It's worth the conversation and investment.

Incidentally, when I met Tony, his house only had the one fire alarm - the one that did not go off over by our bedrooms. There wasn't one on the kitchen end of the house. I bought two more several years ago and while they were operational, they were never actually hung on the wall. Both were on top of the refrigerator, one underneath a plastic bag.

And yes, we did get some Easter Egg hunting in amongst all my anxiety. Jackson decided it was sad that the Easter Bunny did not come to visit our neighbor Matthew, so he hid 5 of his eggs for Matthew. Sweet, sweet boy always shares his stuff - makes my heart proud.