Because Facebook doesn’t show all of our followers all of the awesomeness all of the time we have . . .

And Then What Happened:

Right before Christmas Ellen was lucky enough to bid adieu to this dinosaur.

It was big enough to wash two towels and a sock at the same time. Jealous? You can visit it in the American History Museum of Junk.

Ellen: But I traded tiny loads and barely clean clothes for jeans and long sleeves that were twisted like Tasmanian Devils hopped up on cherry Kool-Aid. So I turned to our Facebook nation for some answers because reading manuals is for suckas.

There were lots of great suggestions, so I mashed them all together and this is what has worked for me.

I increased the water level (which still allows me to fill the washer completely with clothes), I decreased the spin speed, and I bought more of those mesh lingerie bags. I have always used those bags for our bras and delicates, but now I have enough to put our long sleeved button down shirts in, too. You may be sputtering that I’m ruining the whole HE thing by increasing the water level and spinning the clothes slower, but I contest that I can still wash in one cycle what use to be three separate loads and I can wash everything in cold because the machine performs so well.

We Threw Down The Soft Drink Gauntlet:

Ellen: Over 2,500 people saw this post and 138 chimed in with their opinions. We are glad that our followers gave this topic the attention it deserved.  The map proved correct in OUR very unscientific poll. Seriously, who originally collected this data and took the time to make a map? I guess I could track it down, but I don’t have that kind of time. Finding funny stuff for our Facebook page is time suck enough.

There were some outliers: a couple people from the South reported they said soda water, a Massachusetts resident claimed tonic was the word, while a Pennsylvania transplant called it Liquid Satan, but was raised calling it soda in Massachusetts. Seems like that would deserve a little icon of hell fire, right? One rebel reported Scotch. Our favorite answer?

A friend from high school did shoot down my claim that we say “Coke” on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, but others from the area backed me up. Hey, look how garbled that map is in that area. I’m sticking to my claim there was a turquoise dot on my roof.

A couple of Yankees were perplexed by the Coke thing. How can you just say Coke when there are a bajillion different beverages out there?

Two scenarios explain it all. I didn’t say they made sense, but they explain it.

1. The Die Hard Coca-Cola Aficionado.

“I’ll have a Coke.” “Is Pepsi okay?” “I’ll just have water.”

2. The Coke As a Generic Name Perpetrator (Sort of like saying Kleenex for all tissues or here’s an oldie, saying Xerox to indicate you’re copying something on a machine.)

“I’ll have a coke.” “What kind?” “Root beer.”

You can check all of the results here because we will not be accused of hanging chads.

Recipes We Shared:

Yum. We make this easy crockpot meal every time we have a small army to feed. We have carted this Chicken Bar-B-Q  from the mountains to the beach and everywhere in between. It is so good, so good you see.

Ecard People Loved:

Don’t know whether this says more about us or our readers that this one was such a huge hit.

Posts to Catch Up On:

Evil Joy Lurks Beneath the Surface of The Sisterhood

This is the one where we reveal the tiny little bit of evil joy we take when the other one loses their mind for a minute. Oh, and there’s a video that gives you a little behind-the-scenes look at The Sisterhood. It is so worth a look just for that. Honestly.

Mom Brain is Forever

You know the fuzzy brain you get from lack of sleep when you have a newborn? IT NEVER GOES AWAY. Hope that doesn’t make us Buzz Kill Moms, but we thought you should know and we even offer a couple of solutions.

Facebook Follow-Up #1

If you are looking for some extra reading material, you can always catch up on our Facebook goodies from last week. They were funny too, and because Facebook can be an evil overlord, you probably didn’t see those either.

Funny Photo:

Erin shared this one along with the fact that no cookie jar, candy jar, or sugar cereal would be safe in her house. Everyone who read it gave her a virtual fist bump. Truth, FB-style.

Any of this look good to you? Head on over to our Facebook Page and see what’s going on right now!