If you ever accidentally dump a bottle of water into your purse or bag, as I’ve absentmindedly done a few times and Grace unwittingly did yesterday, and a notebook gets drenched, take heart: It is possible to save your writing, if not the paper itself.
Gently tear the wet pages away from the binding, and lay them on top of drinking straws on top of a textureless cloth or mat. Let them dry for a day. Transcribe the stories — Grace, anticipating the end of the school year, has one on “No Homework!” and another on “Weather this Summer!” — into another notebook or file.
leaf stitch word 
Oh my goodness. Where could she possibly have learned to take notes at her early age?
I’m glad you were able to save them for her.
Typical. How very Jane of you to calmly (I’m sure) find a solution to an incident that would have made me utterly insane. You impress me daily.
This is a great photo. You should use it as your new header!
One of the jobs that I have requires that I come home some nights with, oh let’s just say, ‘lots and lots’ of cash. (None of it is mine to keep.) Several weeks ago, New York had one of those thunderstorms that momentarily hijacks everything–subways stop for an hour, the sidewalks become impassable, leaving old ladies and drunkards stranded on islands of cracked concrete. And all the money I had with me got soaked. Once home, I cranked up my toaster, and then lay all the cash out in beautiful fans across the top. Some of the money I put in the big oven, and then I wondered what kind of insanity that indicated–what kind of person hoards wads and wads of crumpled cash in their friggin’ oven? The toaster not only dried the money in a matter of moments, but made each bill so new and crisp and singular. I’m thinking of employing this ‘drying’ method for every bill that I have the fortune to spend. (PS: If you try this, A) Don’t burn the house down. B) Don’t burn the money up.)
elizabethellen — And where did I learn to make lists at an early age? 🙂
jlr — You compliment me for things about myself I don’t even recognize. Thank you!
koreanish — Hmm, you know, I have been thinking it’s time to change my banner photo. Good idea.
lee — And your anecdote in turn reminds me of a a brief phase that Grace went through, when she wanted to iron money. She didn’t like that “crumpled cash.” I can picture all that money in your oven (I wonder too what it smelled like, as it baked dry.) Good question: “what kind of person” would do this? You could invent one.
It’s also possible to save receipts (and other papers) that have milk spilled on them. Just lay them out on some waxed paper and in a day or two, everything will be spiffy!