Grape Jelly On My Sheets

Les and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. Or was it 16? Can't remember now. Yes. I know that's pitiful. Usually for our anniversary we go out to eat and usually purchase something for the house that we need or want. Last year we purchased this fabulous cabinet from a model home sale. It's fabulous and we got a great deal on it. I've been wanting one so that we could store our TV in it. I hate having to look at the TV when we aren't watching and this completely solves that problem. PLus it looks like an antique and goes fabulously in my family room.

This year all I really wanted was a new pair of really nice sheets. You know the kind you sleep on at a fancy hotel? The kind of sheets that feel like a little bit of heaven? Or as my friend Jack would say, "the kind that feel like butter". My goal was a thread count of 500 or higher. Thankfully, Macy's was having a huge sale on sheets and I found a pair of 800 thread count sheets on clearance. I waited for a week to put them on my bed. Mostly because we were going to go out of town and I wanted my first night back at the house and in my bed to be the first time we ever slept on these new sheets.

About 3 hours before we left for the weekend I put the new sheets on the bed. I even washed all the blankets so that the entire bed would be completely clean and comfortable. And then it happened.

In order to keep Jackson occupied while I packed and cleaned the house I had him watch TV in my room. Unknown to me- he decided he was hungry and made himself a big peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich. I have no problem with the fact that he made himself a sandwich. In fact, that is rather big boyish of him. No. That is not the problem. The problem is that he decided to eat his sandwich in my room. On my bed. On my clean bed. With the covers pulled back. With no plate or paper towel. Just a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich picnic on my new 800 thread count sheets. That were white.

I first discovered the pb and j mess when I went in the kitchen. Of course, the jars were still open, the knife was on the table and the bread wasn't closed. UGH! I had just cleaned the kitchen. And then I had thought number two, who was the culprit that made the pbj sandwich, why didn't they clean up after themselves and where were they eating this sandwich if not at the kitchen table? Okay, that's more like 10 thoughts but you get the idea.

I cleaned up the mess and then went into my bedroom to finish packing. It took me all of 3 seconds to realize what was going on- my perfect sheets were now covered in grape jelly. Usually when things like this happen I just let them go. Accidents happen. It isn't really worth getting all upset over a mess. They are just things after all. For some reason though- I completely lost it. I think it was because I was so tired from getting ready to go on vacation that I just didn't have the strength to process what had just happened. Perhaps it was because for the first time in my life our sheets were higher than 350 count and I felt cheated or owed. Maybe I felt a little foolish for spending so much- even though they were on clearance for something that was a little too extravagant. Or perhaps, it all rushed at me at once that sometimes being a mom is hard work. Sometimes life is tough and not fair. Sometimes grape jelly gets on the things we value just to help us realize that it's material things just a facade of a promise of happiness.

800 count sheets are still sheets that have to be washed.