Sweet Potatoes Ain't Always Sweet...

For the last few days, I have been smelling an odd odor coming from the pantry in my kitchen. I had looked through all of the contents I thought might smell strange...but no luck. Today, however, the smell was stronger than ever, and I was determined to find it and be rid of it once and for all. Digging in the lowest shelf in the back of the pantry, I found a sack of VERY ROTTEN, VERY MOLDY, VERY LIQUIDY, VERY STINKY sweet potatoes. Making what I thought was a quick move to transfer the sack into the kitchen trash to be immediately taken out, the sweet potatoes (and all of their yucky brown juices) spilled out onto the floor with a mucky wet splat. Rotten chunks of sweet potato flew onto the walls, my feet (and my flip-flops) and the sides of the trashcan. Immediately the kitchen smelled like a dirty diaper on steroids (the smell was really that bad!). As you take into account that we were literally about to walk out the door to drive to K-Bug's swim lesson, the moments immediately following the "potato incident" went a little something like this:
Me: HELLLP!
K-Bug: Oh, no! Are you OK?
Hubby: EWWW? What smells?
Lorelin: oh-no-smelly!
Hubby: Girls - get back - NO, DON'T TOUCH! Get back!
Me: Get me a paper towel, a dish-rag, anything!
K-Bug: It's a big mess alright...
Lorelin: oh-no-smelly
Hubby: Girls - get back - STEP AWAY FROM THE PUDDLE!

We did somehow manage to get the mess cleaned up (without any help from the girls) and still make it on time to the swim lesson. Still, our kitchen carried the smell for hours, wearing it like a badge for it's part in drama. Who knew vegetables could be so ruthless (or so stinky?)