Patience.....

Sunday was the long awaited and highly anticipated Primary Program. The boys had practiced and we were ready. What I didn't factor in was this. Lipstick/gloss I never wear. Except that day. And I accidentally tossed it into my young women bag instead of zipping it into my purse. Add this lovely, dry clean only, raw silk dress I have had in the closet for eighteen months waiting for the girls to grow into them and a bored yet inquisitive Brynn rummaging through the bag at my feet. The program was lovely and the girls were SO well behaved. Especially Brynn, who just happened to be DRAWING with LIPSTICK ALL OVER her NEW DRESS!! Not just one small spot. Oh on. From the top of the neck to the bottom of the skirt and everywhere in-between and on the pretty white cotton sweater top. When I spied the new addition to her look during the Bishop's closing remarks, the word MAD would be an understatement. It looked like she was covered in blood from her mouth to her toes. Man, I was not happy. Not one teeny tiny bit. We made one HASTY exit after the closing prayer and headed towards home. It was a twenty minute drive each way and I had to be back to teach young women's. Ten minutes would be all I would have to try to salvage the dress and clean up Miss Brynn.

She knew she was in trouble. Because she knew she shouldn't have done it. "Sorry Mom. Sorry Mom," were the words she uttered on the drive home. Silence was all she got. I was in no mood for talk. I was trying to figure out a way to clean the dress and make it back in time.

There were two amazing things here: 1. I was so freaked out and short on time I didn't even take a photo of the disaster, thus proving what a state I was in. Though I did think about where my camera was on the drive home. 2. I LOVE Goo Off. It's a miracle cleaner. It smells like the dickens, but the results are in the photos. Both the top photo of the dress and the one below were after the lipstick nightmare. Yes, I used my full ten minutes dumping and scraping with my fingernails and washing but somehow it all came clean. What a relief. Two hand wash cycles and it was nearly as good as new. But if you are left thinking, Poor Sad Brynn. She must have learned her lesson. Think again. She did this that night while I was brushing the boys' teeth.

I think, "Patience Cheryl. Patience." My but head shouts, "Maybe. Maybe. I am really, really trying. But sometimes it is WAY harder than others."

Thank heavens she's so dang cute. Dang cute.