Thanks / No thanks

We had a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving. The kids and their families were in (all but one son) and we had lots of good food, family time, and fun. I cooked all day on Thursday for our Friday gathering, and everything was delicious. I'm a good cook when I have time to do it. It's just when I'm rushed that I overcook, undercook, or forget key ingredients. I'm thankful for my kids and their families and the happiness they bring us. Thanks.

Thursday night I put a load of jeans into the washer. We could hear our poor old machine groaning in the basement, and it was loud even for an aging, off-kilter, rustbucket. R went down to check and said it appeared to be finished. Not the load of jeans, the washing machine. We tossed out several scenarios for how to solve the problem: R would try and work on the machine with the help of our son-in-law; we would just give up and get a new one; we would go get a new washer AND dryer; we would take my daughter's set and let her get a new one. No where in there was an option to manage without a washer, which is a good thing because we couldn't do that, even with nearby laundromats. We went ahead and got a new washer / dryer set. The timing was optimal because there were sales on tap for the next morning, Black Friday. I walked into the store, saw a set, bought it. Now I just have to figure out how to pay it for during the most expensive month of the year. Ugh. No thanks.

It will be delivered tomorrow. It's a front-loader washing machine so I'm excited to see how that goes. The water savings may pay for the dang thing eventually (probably 10 years) but I'm looking forward to seeing how well it works on my clothes, especially my work clothes that could really use a gentler cycle than the one offered on our old machine. Thanks.

Sunday we took a load of R's uniforms to the laundromat to wash. We tried a different laundromat than we've used in the past and it was scuzzy. It did have a commercial washer available, so we used that and then took the wet uniforms home to dry. But we smelled like smoke because it was a combination laundromat/bar. No thanks.

I shopped with my daughter on Friday morning. Besides the washer and dryer, I got some things, got some good ideas, and felt somewhat accomplished. I also bought myself another pair of jeans. Tonight I took stock and found that I'm really pretty far along on most of my gift list. On Sunday R and I searched for the perfect stock pot and found one on sale. Then we found out it also has a rebate. Thanks!

It looks like I'm getting a washer and dryer for Christmas. Merry Christmas to me.....(sigh). I'm thankful we can get what we need but at the same time, I wish it didn't have to happen now. Oh well. Thanks anyway.

Okay, whining time is over. Blessings outweigh hardships 10 to 1. Be grateful!