From the previous post about hauling wood, I was busy on Labor Day--the day I had planned to tackle the mountains of laundry. (Yes--Mountains. All of my laundry baskets are piled high and over-flowing). I didn't get to the laundry on Saturday because I had planned on spending all day Monday doing clothes.
Tuesday I didn't get to any laundry because Ethan and I went to the temple in Idaho Falls & then did some shopping. We got home just after 4, and by the time I had the groceries put away, it was time for dinner.
Brienna didn't have mutual because there was Jr. High volleyball, but the boys had a wood project. So Zane got home from football practice & then went to help with wood (lucky him--2 days in a row doing wood!) After mutual, Zane said that he needed some clean clothes to wear for Wednesday & wanted to know where his pile of clean laundry was. (He had to wear jeans to school--and it gets quite warm in the afternoons at school so he usually wears shorts). Well, I showed him the even-more-than-over-flowing laundry baskets & said that if he really needed some shorts, to find what he wanted washed & load up the washer. I said I would stay up to wash them & put them in the dryer for him & they would be ready for morning.
So he dumped out all the clothes, & found a load of his clothes. I started the washer (9 pm) & then started playing on my computer for a few minutes--until I heard a terrible loud clunking noise coming from the washer. Rusty (who was already in bed) also heard it & came out to look at the washer. It happened a couple of times, and then during the final spin cycle, there was a very loud noise & then the washer just stopped. And when our washer stops in the middle of a spin cycle, the door is locked so we can't open the washer at all.
I started laughing because all of Zane's clothes were stuck in the washer--we couldn't get any of them out. (I had initially told Zane to fine 1 pair of shorts & hand wash them out in the sink & hang the out to dry--or even put them in the dryer but he didn't want to do that). But now he was wishing he had listened to me. Zane didn't think it was funny at all (he almost started panicking). Rusty said he would figure out a way to get the door opened, so not to worry. And after a few turns of the knob & a few "whacks", the lock light went off & released the door. But the spin cycle hadn't finished, so the clothes were dripping wet & I had to wring them out by hand before putting them in the dryer. FUN!
So on Wednesday morning, I started doing laundry at Keith's house--and ended up doing 9 loads! I had quite the work-out hauling all those dirty clothes over to his house, and then hauling some wet clothes (used both dryers since the wash cycle is quicker than drying) & all the clean, folded clothes back. I also cleaned off the washer (shelf on the back) & after school Ethan & Rusty took the washer to the workshop to see which part broke. Luckily, it was a part (the wheel or something like that) that is easy to get to & easy to replace. Rusty ordered the new part on Thursday morning, so we hope it will be here by the beginning of next week. Rusty said it will be a quick repair--much quicker than when the ball-bearings went out last time.
So needless to say, I am making the kids wear their clothes until they are dirty, dirty. (not just I-wore-them-so-now-they-are-dirty. they have to look and/or smell dirty!)
It hasn't helped that Rusty & the 2 youngest have gone swimming at Grandpa's pool almost every day. (Ethan, Callum & Zane have gone a few times, but it is only about 1/2 full so that Emmalee & Ben can touch bottom) It is a "beautiful" red (from the red dust). And then they take a bath after they swim each time. So more laundry! YAY!
I did another 4 loads today (yes--only 4!!!) We are hoping that they washer will be fixed by Friday morning--probably only about another 8-10 loads that I will have to take over to Grandpa's! All I can say is--I'm so glad it's not winter ;)
