At the risk of having everyone believe that I am a disorganized mess when it comes to matters of the house, here I go again. Last night my daughter and I were simultaneously preparing dinner and cleaning out the refrigerator. The fridge was actually in pretty good shape, but when I lifted the cucumbers out of the crisper, what did I see looking up at me between the lettuce and peppers? The face of Abraham Lincoln. That's right, nestled among our veggies was a five-dollar bill! I guess that's what people mean when they're talking about cold cash!

Of course, I have no idea how it got there and I'm pretty sure that money neither grows on trees nor alongside the green beans. But I decided that the bill produced in the fridge drawer will serve as seed money. It's going in a kitchen jar, along with all of the nickels, quarters and crinkled dollar bills we find in pants pockets or on the floor of the SUV. And we'll see where we are by the end of the year. In the past, we've always been regular contributors to a "kitchen fund'' where, amazingly, the pennies add up into some significant sums. We've use it for special trips, dinners out and for church mission giving. One couple I knew saved like this for several years; in the end, they took a cruise to the Caribbean. We've let our fund be dormant for years, but there's no better time to start saving. Come Jan. 1, we'll count our coins -- and Abe Lincolns -- and see where we stand. I don't anticipate a trip to Europe, but I know we'll come up with something. I'll keep you posted!