Old habits die hard, but they do die OR Lessons have been learned...

If you grow up in small farmhouse in Nebraska, you really must learn from your mother and develop a knack for storing things in every nook, cranny, and some crevices in your own small kitchen when you grow up.

For example. One might store large Tupperware containers full of chex mix, or another container with muffins in it in a cool oven. Some people might do that. Just sayin'.

We decide to drop this habit and/or learn a lesson the hard way when the 11 year old daughter, home alone, decides to make a pizza for lunch, and not realizing the oven is full of plastic and fodder, preheats the oven. Later of course, the oven is fully ignited when the door is opened to bake said pizza. And, calamity ensues.

Sigh.

God was all over this one. I was on my way to Cam's school for parent teacher conferences when I got a call from the crying, shrieking girl. Poor thing...how terrifying. Once I could understand what she was saying, I urged her to kick the oven door shut and leave the house. I called 911, drove 50 mph on many streets and arrived at home in about 4 minutes. Thank you God for small towns.

I checked out the situation and found no flames (yet, or again) but heavy smoke coming from the oven. I too, left the house quickly (later realizing I should've grabbed my computer...Yikes). Anyway, the PFD arrives, calmly walked in, extinguished the oven-fire, cleared the house of smoke, shook my hand, and left. This was all in about 30 minutes.

Thank God everyone was/is OK. Cam, the pets, etc. The only completely ruined major item is the oven. Easily replaceable.

Thank God for homeowners insurance. Safeco is being really awesome. Professional cleaners were here today and will come back tomorrow to prep for painting the kitchen and living room (only way to completely cover up smoke smell apparently). They cleaned every item on every wall in the affected areas (you know how I love my wall groupings and shelf collections). They are even waxing our hard wood floors because after they scrub them, they will be really dull. A laundry service took the rugs and draperies and a few coats that were hanging in the hallway. Most other things we can handle ourselves.

So, we are good. God is good. Storing Tupperware in the oven is Bad. Just sayin'.

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