My husband Steven came into our bedroom with his hands up to his nose. “Why do my hands smell like pumpkins?” He asked with a confused look on his face.
I started to laugh. “Did you just wash them at the kitchen sink?” I asked him as I pulled our comforter up on the bed and smoothed it out.
“I did.” He smelled the back of his hand again.
“That’s because I’m not wasting anything anymore.” I tossed the throw pillows up by the head of the bed.
“What?”
“We’d run out of soap in the kitchen dispenser and when I went to the pantry to get the refill I noticed a container of pumpkin spice soap that someone gave us as a gift a while ago and I thought…” I shrugged my shoulders. “Why not?”
“So now we’re all going to smell like this for the next few months?” Steven didn’t look thrilled.
“Yup!” I folded the blanket and placed it at the end of the bed. “My new motto is, waste not, want not!”
“But I’m not a big fan of the smell.” Steven argued as he scrunched up his nose.
“Me either.” I agreed. “But it’s pumpkin spice season everywhere!” I headed out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen. Our son Alex was washing his hands at the kitchen sink. “Why do I smell pumpkin spice?” He asked as he turned off the water and reached for the towel.
“It’s the soap you’re using.” I pointed to the dispenser.
“Why?” Alex smelled the back of his hand. “Is it even anti-bacterial?”
“Of course!” I made a mental note to check the container I’d thrown out to see if that was even true. “It’s still soap! It just has a scent!”
Steven and Alex looked at one another.
“I guess it’s only for a month or two until we use it up.” Steven said.
“Exactly!” I confirmed.
“Then we’re going back to our usual, non-scented kind?” Alex asked.
“Well…” I sighed.
“Well, what?”
“I don’t think we’re going back to our regular soap anytime soon because when I was in the pantry I noticed that there’s a peppermint and pine soap that we’ll be using next.” I looked at them and smiled, clapping my hands together. “Just in time for the holidays!”
“Why?” Alex asked.
“Because your Mom’s new motto is ‘waste not, want not’.” Steven looked over at me. “Isn’t that right?” He asked.
“That’s right!” I agreed.
Alex smelled the back of his hand again before looking over at his Dad. “Sounds like you and I need to get in the pantry before Mom does and make a few things disappear!”
“Hey!” I cried. “That’s not fair!”
“Neither is this.” Alex turned the water back on and held his hands under the stream.
