The Elves and The Jell-O Bowl

You remember the story of the elves and the shoemaker? For anyone who has been deprived of this Grimm fairy tale, here’s the gist of it.

There’s a poor shoemaker and his wife. They can barely scrape out a meager living, because when the shoemaker cuts out the leather to make a pair of shoes, he’s so tired he goes to sleep. In the morning he awakens to find that the shoes have been made, and they are so perfect that they bring a high price. Now the shoemaker has enough money to buy leather for two pairs of shoes. He cuts out the leather, and goes to sleep. Again in the morning he finds the shoes already made.

Eventually, he and his wife decide to stay up at night to see how this is happening. (Eventually? I mean, wouldn’t a normal person do that THE FIRST TIME???) Of course, they find that two little tiny elves are coming in and making the shoes for the old man. And you know darn well that they all live (say it with me) happily ever after.

So it is in our house with the Magic Jell-O Bowl. After dinner the hub (the Center of the Universe) and I will indulge in the guilt-free joy of a dish of sugar-free Jell-O. After a few nights, when the bowl is empty and the Jell-O is gone, the bowl is washed. The next day, lo and behold, CoTU opens the fridge, and exclaims, “Look—the Magic Jell-O Bowl has done it again!”

I hit him with a skillet.