Okay, admittedly, I’ve become a little bit of a laundry nerd since I returned from my trip to Cincinnati for Fabric Care University.  I learned things that blew me away (things that you all probably learned from your parents when you first learned to do laundry, but I didn’t – I mean, my family is lucky that I even know enough to sort the clothes into different loads). At Target yesterday, I picked up a new detergent* and today – even though it’s NOT MY NORMAL LAUNDRY DAY – I decided to get all ridiculous and wash a load of brights.

So, I go about my business – add water, add detergent, add clothes. Not so many clothes that they can’t joggle around in the washer – apparently that part is important (WHO KNEW?!). When the washing machine stopped, I slowly gathered the clothes out and tossed ’em into the dryer. Once all the clothes were removed, I caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of my eye.

I leaned closer to the washer.

Reached my hand in.

Pulled out a diamond ring.

Uh. What?

Yeah, I don't find it pretty. But I bet someone misses it.

I knew nothing about it. Hubby knew nothing about it. “Hey Princess, I just found a ring in the wash – do you know where it came from?”

“Oh yeah, a kid gave it to me.”

“What kid?”

“Some kid from my school.”

In what can only be described as one of those mind-numbing conversations where I tried to get her to spit out the story and she tried to not say anything because she knew she shouldn’t have the ring, I found that a boy in her class had given it to her – I found out his name and then told her: “This has to go back. Someone probably misses it.”

The boy’s family isn’t in the phone book so I left a message at the school letting them know who I was and what the deal was, and asking the school if they could pass my number on to the boy’s parents as I would surely like to return to them what is theirs.

Whoo boy.

I thought I had a few more years til boys were plying my daughters with jewelry. (I also kind of thought that once it happened, it would at least be pretty jewelry but it’s all a matter of taste and I’m sure someone misses that marquise cut diamond ring. Even though, hmmm, maybe she lost it on purpose?). We had a talk today, about accepting things from friends – accepting gifts. When it is a big gift like that how The Princess needs to say that she can’t take it – that it’s too much.

The only jewelry I want her to accept right now should be made out of Froot Loops and candy and not involve the 4 Cs or anything remotely related to the 4Cs.

Laundry just got a whole lot interesting for me today. In the future, though, I hope to only find whiter whites and sweet smelling towels. I’d rather find no more jewelry. Unless it’s for me.

*I can’t tell you how my laundry came out because it’s still sitting in my dryer where it will stay until I need to put a new load of laundry in there. I’ll report on it then.