Smoked Out

On the day of Aunt Jac's shower Chris and Owen went to the Britton's for some hang out time with the family. It was also cousin Mat's birthday week. I met up with them after the shower and we headed home around 730. Owen and I walked into a smoky house... I was in shock... I went straight to the stove and saw my wooden fruit bowl half smoldered as well as fruit smoldering inside the bowl.

At that moment I replayed the events that likely took place. I had cooked chicken soup that morning from homemade stock and I know I didn't clean up the place super well. I could just bet you that Buster knew something good was on the counter, started licking it, then jumped up, grazing the button on the oven, turning it onto medium high, and also knocking the fruit bowl onto the burner...

I am not kidding this really happened! We are so very lucky we came home when we did. We know we are a bit crazy for having a great dane, but you never think of a dog attempting to burn your house down.

Over the weekend, we needed to wash our entire wardrobes. The 2 main closets of the house were open, so all of the clothing reeked. We sprayed and washed our walls, ceilings, any surface you can imagine. We filled the humidifiers up with vinegar and ran them on high. We bought glade plug ins, have cups of vinegar sitting around, went through 2 boxes of baking powder, and went through 4 bottles of febreeze. I have 3 yummy smelling candles burning now and I think it is safe to say that the smoke smell is gone, now the main fragrance is "fresh linen" or just vinegar!

Whew. This could have been bad. Really bad.

What did we do in response? Besides clean like crazy people?

1. Chris moved our existing fire alarms to better locations. (All were fully charged but none were alarming)
2. Chris added 2 more fire alarms
3. The oven now has covers over the knobs to prevent anyone (dog or child) from turning them.
4. Buster is NOT trusted in the house alone for more than 5 minutes, and now has a gianormous crate to call his home.
5. I got rid of more clothes. I have been going through a simplicity kick and have already reduced my clothing collection. I still managed to weed out 10 items of clothing. (20 pair of shoes, 16 pair of pants, 40 shirts, 20 dresses. Sound like a lot? Check your closet! I could still trim the collection a bit more but it fits comfortably in my closet.)

6. Chris had JUST gone through his closet and gotten rid of a garbage bag full of shirts, shoes, etc. Less to wash and put away!