I just about burned down my house

What a great title for my first "official" blog post, huh?! See, I was planning on grilling burgers for dinner. I reaaaaally didn't want to cook but we've been eating out too much lately and so I was trying to be a good wifey, save some money, and cook at home.

I had Braden go out and start the charcoal in the "charcoal chimney" thing(ie-ma-doo-ger) that is oh-so very handy. Braden is 10 and thinks he's the grill master. He did exactly as he was asked ~ he went outside and started the charcoal. He said it was "looking good" and I saw some smoke coming around the house, out the kitchen window, while I was cutting up potatoes to go with our burgers. I had my reservations because this particular chimney full of charcoal had been sitting out on top of the grill all week because we were going to grill burgers earlier in the week but it started raining so we decided against it. I figured I would have to go back out there and start the charcoal myself since it had been rained on previously. Braden goes to get in the shower, I get the potatoes & onions cooking, and go out to check the charcoal. When I open the door it is POURING rain. Of course, the charcoal chimney is not doing anything. Not smoking, not hot to the touch. I pick up the bag of charcoal and move it over towards the house to get it out of the rain, then I go back and get the charcoal chimney to do the same ~ try to save it from the rain. Since I already had the sides for our burgers cooking I just decided to cook them indoors on the stovetop.

We all ate dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and when Braden went to take out the trash he asked me, "Mom, what's with all the dusty stuff outside?!" I go look and don't really know what to think of the dusty stuff. All of a sudden Braden says, "Ommuhgoodness! The house is melting!!!" Yep. The charcoal caught back on fire during the two hours since I'd moved it and had been burning a big hole in our siding and even got so hot it burned the end of our eve and it's melted too. Thank goodness we went out there and found it when we did ~ I could have seriously burned the house down and not even realized it!!!

No, my hubby was NOT happy. =/ And, yes, of course I'll post pics ASAP! =)