I've been thinking about my appliances today. Mostly because I spend a lot of time with them....and also in this month of thanks, I'm realizing that I didn't pay for many of them. In fact...maybe only one.
First there is my fridge. I'm grateful for my fridge. It is the first refrigerator I've ever owned. It was given to us by some dear friends who had sold a rental, when our rental fridge was going out. Our property management company told us that we were welcome to buy ourselves a fridge if the provided one didn't work any more. Well, we couldn't. (Don't worry. Said property management company has since been fired.)
Our refrigerator is lovely and white (well, except for when it isn't white) and covered in the customary artwork and magnets of most family fridges. Our only problem is that we seem to have a habit of breaking the bars that hold the milk in the door. We've broken two now. I don't understand how this happens.
Our microwave (aka storage shelf) was also a gift from a dear couple in our church in Arkansas who felt so sorry for us for not having one. I didn't really see it as an essential, especially since we only had about two feet of counter space. But they did, and I'm o.k. with receiving one as a gift. :)
Our first bread machine was a hand-me-down from my mother-in-law. I use it probably 5 times a week. I used it a LOT. I mean a lot. The day it walked itself off the counter and fell into three pieces, I literally panicked. No! Take the coffee pot. Take the microwave. You can even have the dishwasher! But please, not the bread machine! I was quite attached. I put it back together, and surprisingly it worked for a while. Then one day, we smelled smoke. We all ran around the house frantically looking for the source and, well, it was the bread machine. We were without for quite awhile until Christmas bonuses and gift cards allowed for its replacement.
The coffee pot is essential to my husband's mental clarity. Don't get me wrong. I like coffee too, but no one will die if I don't have it. Someone also gave us our coffee pot. I believe it was when we hosted a home group at our house, and were having difficulty serving everyone with our French Press. We miss our French press. But we seem to break those a lot, too. :( An interesting side note. This is our only appliance that isn't white.
The mixer is used daily. It is hard to remember life before it. You can turn it on, set the timer, and whipped cream and meringue practically make themselves.
Our stove is very reliable. It needs cleaned bad. I hate oven spray. We seem to have a difficulty buying the right size of burner liners. So consequently, most of our burners sit at an angle instead of laying flat. Oh well!
The dishwasher. Oh, lovely dishwasher. I'm very grateful for the dishwasher. We have not often had a dishwasher. It wasn't too big of a deal when it was just Bill and I - or Bill and I and Clayton. But doing all of the dishes by hand when there were six of us, was a bit more challenging. Especially when we only had two feet of counter space to lay them on to dry...because I don't dry dishes.
Because of the efficient design of our kitchen, the dishwasher and oven cannot be opened at the same time (I told you my oven needed cleaned.).
Nor can the refrigerator be opened the whole way. At all.
Our dishwasher is provided with the rental. Recently it has decided that it will not open the soap cup on its own. So we have to set the timer and go back and open the soap cup. This doesn't always happen, and we often get to wash the dishes twice...or sometimes three times....
Which brings me to the topic of the water heater. We are very fortunate that this home has not one, but two full size water heaters. One that supports the kitchen, and one that supports both bathrooms and laundry rooms. This comes in handy when you have to run your dishwasher three times per load.
We had been married about six months, when we moved from Idaho to Phoenix for Bill to start seminary. We were about five months pregnant with Clayton; and being the overly ambitious woman that I once was, I planned on using cloth diapers. This process is a bit cumbersome without a washer and dryer. Lucky for us, the apartment complex that we choose to lease from was having a contest. Sign a 12 month lease and be entered in a drawing for a washer and dryer.
We signed a 12 month lease, and we won! Of course, they don't make things like they used to. That was 13 years ago. The dryer gave out first. We have since replaced it with a $20 thrift store dryer because the parts required to experiment with repairing the dryer (when you really aren't a dryer repairman) are more expensive than just buying a $20 thrift store dryer and starting over. However, as when the motor went out on this dryer, we couldn't find another thrift store one. So Bill replaced the motor, then the fuses, then the switch, then the heating core. There seemed to be nothing left to replace. But most recently, the dryer has decided it needs us to flip the breaker and reset the outlet after each load, so that it will continue to heat up. Oh, well!
The washer has also been replaced with a nice, refurbished used washer. Also a gift from someone who had compassion on this mom hauling 21 loads of laundry to the laundromat and spending a car payment in quarters to do the laundry.
I'm not sure what God had in mind by gifting this family of boys with a house full of white appliances. But I'm amazed that God cares that they match...and I'm very grateful for all of them.
