"NO GOOD DEED...

... EVER GOES UNPUNISHED". Such is the ever popular ole proverb, yet it's one which has way more truth than jest in it's wisdom. And as of Saturday, I'm living proof. Last week Pat brought over a blanket stand that she had gotten for a mere $5.00. Apparently she keeps it in her foyer and man oh man, it needed help.

Originally the stand was very bland, made of dark, unfinished wood, thus the epitome of blah. Pat wanted it jazzed up a bit, so she asked if I'd paint and/or embellish it. Apparently she has once or twice noted all the little art/craft/paint projects I've done around my house and I guess she took a liking to a couple of them. Next thing you know, I'm hired. In the meantime, I was happy to do her the favor and was given free reign over what the finished product would look like. In fact, the only request she made was that it be done in a pale lilac. Bingo. I obliged.

Indeed, I did the undercoat in lilac. And then on Saturday, I sat down on my living room couch to begin the designing deal. At first, I wasn't sure just what I should do, but soon enough I made a decision and then gathered up the paint colors I wanted, and whamo... I was well on my way.

Except wait. Just prior to my beginning the embellishment, I had done a load of laundry and when the washing machine was finished, I quickly grabbed all the clothing and loaded it into the dryer. Oh...by the way... I let a lot my clothing remain in the dryer for about 10 minutes, max; thereafter I remove significant pieces so they can finish via air drying, hanging perfectly on my favorite hangers. No problem. Off I went, to begin working on the blanket stand, knowing I'd be back in 10 minutes, to gather whatever clothing that needed to be air dried, and then yippee, yippee... I'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Oh, I killed it, alright. Killed it to such an extent, that before I knew it, I got completely lost in my little arts and crafts project, and about an hour later, when I FINALLY remembered, I went back to the dryer only to find... get this... MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BEADED T-SHIRT NOW THE SIZE OF A STUNNING NAPKIN! I was soooooooo pissed. I couldn't believe it. This fabulous favorite t-shirt would now be a perfect fit for any two year old. DAMNIT. I can't believe how dumb I am. There goes one of my favorite outfits, 1-2-3 right down the drain. Worst of all, I have no one else to blame but myself. CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT AN IDIOT I AM???

Don't ask. I was so aggravated at myself that I quickly closed all the paints, swore like a sailor, and decided I was in no frame of mind whatsoever to continue with my good deed. That's the bad news. The good news however, is that on Sunday, I cooled down, went back to the paint project and boom. I wound up with a perfectly lovely blanket stand that I just KNEW Pat would wind up loving. And... sure enough... I was right! She walked in my house today, closing her eyes just as I had instructed, and the next thing I know, she was hugging me, smiling at me and thanking me. So basically... while the dryer definitely punished my good deed, Pat on the other hand rewarded me profusely. I never mentioned the fact I paid a hefty price for her finished masterpiece, but who cares. She, better than anyone, knows I have about 14 zillion other t-shirts from which to choose.