feeling OCD today? read on...

at mr. and mrs. d's new year's eve party, someone said something about ironing and i couldn't have been more excited. at the time, i was stuffing my face from the box of peppermint bark that was sitting on the table, but i quickly swallowed what i was chewing to add my two cents, "you should really try ironing your sheets!" the girls sitting around the table just stared at me. mrs. d knew about my penchant for ironing and managed to get the conversation going again. i was so taken aback by the obvious lack of ironing love at the table that i just let it slide and didn't bring it up again.

looking back, i realize that maybe i should have explained this whole "ironing your sheets" thing to the girls a little better. i have no doubt that as they were driving home with their husbands that night, that i was the topic of conversation. "did you notice that strange blonde girl that kept trying to convince us that we should iron our sheets? who does she think she is? a martha stewart wanna-be?" maybe if i had been open enough to sharing my ironing secrets, everything would have been peachy. just maybe.

and since i missed my opportunity at the new year's party, i've decided that i must give in and share my secrets with the blogging world. because if i don't, who else will convince you that ironed sheets are the best thing ever?!

so here it is, pictures and all:

first, you start with fresh-out-of-the-dryer-sheets. they don't actually have to be removed right when the buzzer dings. in fact, this picture was taken an entire day before i actually did the ironing that you'll see below. see? i'm not completely OCD.

and yes, the laundry room is still flamingo pink.

next. make sure that your iron is properly warmed up. i like to set it on the absolute hottest setting possible and then walk away for a few minutes while it really gets hot. oh, and make sure it is full of water and that the steam button is ready to go. **note: do not, i repeat, do not starch your sheets! although i seriously love this bottle of starch, i always abstain from using it on sheets. otherwise, LH might try to completely halt all future ironing efforts.**


alright, now here comes my biggest secret: you don't actually iron the entire sheet! that's right... you just fold everything a few times, then let the steam pass through all of the layers to do the dirty work for you. for whatever reason, i like to start with the pillowcases.


see how little there is to actually iron here? this is easy, folks! now, unleash the secret weapon: steam!


moving on to the sheets. see how much i've already folded this giant, king-sized sheet?


and look at this! the sheets aren't even folded perfectly. they still turn out just as scrumptious.


wanna know another secret? wrinkles are fully acceptable. as long as they are wrinkles created by a steaming iron, that is.


don't forget to STEAM!!!!


now you get to peak inside and decide if you want to flip the sheet over and iron from the other side. i usually do. you can never iron too much, you know.


and here, is the final product. sort of. don't pay any attention to that spot on the wall. i think it was from a bedside reading lamp that the owner had on the wall. see how there are creases and a few wrinkles in the sheets still? it doesn't matter. your skin will be thanking you when you fall asleep between the ironed sheets. they feel 100 times better than straight-from-the-dryer sheets do.


and, if you are still reading after all of this ironing nonsense:
A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!