Laundry Left-Overs

I think everyone I know has found some loose change in the washing machine at some point. It's like a little reward for doing laundry! I've found bills a time or two and that's fun as well. I feel certain that I am not alone in adding tissues, grocery lists, and chapstick to my "list of things found in the washer."  However, I have discovered that having kids leads to some very interesting discoveries in the bottom of the washing machine.
First there was the mulch.It threw me off at first because it didn't really look like mulch, if you know what I mean.  I got used to seeing that quite regularly because the playground at the kids' preschool was covered in mulch.  It came home attached to the kids clothes and socks, but more often than not, it was stuck in their pockets.
I also find rocks. Lots of them since Benjamin decided to start a collection.  To tell the truth, the washing machine isn't the only place I find rocks (the car seat, the van in general, the bathtub, his crib...).  That boy cannot pass a rock garden or gravel pit without filling his pockets!!
I find stickers. Those are frustrating because if you don't catch them before the dryer, that gook gets heated up and sticks to your clothes forever!  I try to look for stickers before things go in the wash, but I am not always successful.
Toys are another common find in our washing machine.  Polly pockets, Matchbox cars, Batman figurines; if it fits in a pocket, it has probably been washed.
I found an earring in the washing machine last week.  That makes me sad, because I only found one and I don't know where the match is. And I liked those earrings.
Yesterday I thought it was strange because I found a plastic heart-shaped magnet in the washer. I had a hard time getting that out because it kept slipping out of my fingers and sticking to the inside of the drum.
I thought Ken's discovery this morning would take the cake! The strangest thing we've found in our washer so far were the two packets of mustard he found.  He brought them up and commented, "I thought we were trying to remove mustard stains in the washer...not create them!" I know they didn't come from me or from Ken. I am going to assume that Frances had them in her pocket from a lunch at camp at some point. Probably yesterday's hot dogs.
You are probably thinking that I should check pockets before I wash clothes.  That would be a great idea!! NOT! I don't even sort laundry anymore! I used to sort it all the time: whites, darks, dress clothes, sheets and towels, etc.  And I had laundry piled everywhere! I would wash one or two loads a day and get close to being finished. Then I would look at the piles and none of them would be quite enough for a full load, so I would skip a day. And then just like hangers, or bunnies, or pens in the bottom of your purse; the laundry piles would multiply exponentially overnight! So I started throwing loads in together. And nothing came out looking horrible. Then I just stopped sorting it at all.  I take the laundry down to the basement and pile it in front of the washer. When I switch loads, I pick up a few handfuls and throw them all in together. Works for me!  Except for all the strange stuff I keep finding in the washer.
But I've never found anything as strange as this

and until I do, I'm not going to sort my laundry or check my pockets. (Click that picture for the full story.)

So, what's the strangest thing you've found in your washing machine??