Sunday morning ...

when "sleeping in" ended at 5:45 a.m.

Have I come to that new stage of life?

Not really. Just volunteered to give someone a lift to work bright and early.

A look at our week here where the wind has started again this morning

and we could use some fresh snow.

Wednesday morning Brock fell asleep driving. He gave Alyx a ride to work and was

on his way home when he hit the ditch and rode it for quite a length at 55 mph.

He says he caught some "serious air". I nearly had a heart attack.

Thank goodness for seat belts and teens that wear them.

Between the seat belt and being asleep ... he was probably saved from some

serious injury.

This guy looks like he might have a more comfortable place to lay his head

than on a steering wheel.

At least the steering wheel isn't going anywhere now .. the car is toast. 

Friday I started working on these buggers. I think, between Friday and Saturday, I spent about 12 hours working on numbers and paper piles. I'm still not done.

I do have a hint at this point that includes ...

at least a little of this. I have played with my deductions on my paychecks this year. To the point that TurboTax asked me if my income and my federal withholding had been entered correctly. Um, yes. I sort of needed the money all year long.

Money. A necessary evil.

So is laundry soap.

In mid October I went to Costco. Pretty bad when I can tell you when I went to Costco! Actually, I just saw the receipt in my tax quest. 

Please come on this little journey with me.

If you purchase 2 large boxes of Tide from Costco and they say 180 loads on the side of the box, how long do you think they ought to last?

I'm no longer washing wet little people bedding in the morning.

I don't have littles changing clothes every 15 minutes

after jumping in a mud puddle or just because they feel like it.

It is winter and the clothes are much bulkier and layered more,

but 3 months later I was out of laundry soap and there was still a full box with

63 loads written on the side when I bought these.

That means that we have supposedly washed 423 loads of laundry

in 3 months. 35 loads of laundry a week. Once upon a time, yes.

Not anymore. Simply impossible.

Out came the measuring cup and the calculator.

317 loads/180 loads = 2 oz per load

Take out a measuring cup and check where 2 oz is.

It is 1/4 cup ...  if 8 oz is still 1 cup and new math hasn't changed that too.

I'm going to help you out. 2 oz measured against my finger is about the height of my finger nail when I pour detergent in that green scooper.

Unless you are washing the delicates or an itty bitty load of laundry,

who uses 1/4 cup of laundry soap in their wash?

The box doesn't even recommend 1/4 cup for a full load of laundry.

Now I know why the boxes are empty. It is more like 90 loads instead of 180.

Tide has some explaining to do.

The things I come up with when my hubby is gone for weeks on end.

I've come to the point of complaining about laundry soap?