Not sure how to feel

So the saga of the fridge is sort of ended. The man came to fix it today.

The trouble is we were worried that it might not be fixable and started off terrified it may not be cost effective to have it repaired and we would have to replace it quickly. We did some research both on line and in real shops (Nij not me) and found the exact same model at about £800 and the better bigger version on sale (yes a sale) at just over £900 instead of the regular £1200. In reality we couldn't afford either and we would have had to go into savings. But we were actually both quite excited that we might end up with an upgraded model.

So the man came and he fixed it and it cost £60.

Therein lies the dilemma. We should both be jumping around for joy because the fridge lives to fight another day and we haven't had to dip into savings and that is good good good. So why do we both feel just a little cheated that we are not having a shiny new fridge. Utterly ridiculous, but there it is.

But the mended fridge, complete with the few things that survived the loss of cooling and didn't have to be thrown out, is the photo of the day of course.

Anyway - we have no fresh food left and so the option was to go shopping and stock up or go ouit to eat. Yup. It was delicious!

I have a new page to share today which was made with a brand new kit by Dawn Inskip and it is called Health Kick - very apt as so many of us are trying to shed those extra Christmas pounds.

I had a bit of fun with this and a picture of the wii fit action. You can see the kit at Dawn's store at Scrapbookgraphics.

 Today I am thankful for

• saving a LOT of money on the fridge
• The Good Wife being back on TV tonight (we LOVE that programme)

My 1000 places today was Koh Phi Phi in Thailand which looks idyllic but again wouldn't really motivate either of us.

My one minute devotion today was apt with our fridge issues and a salutary reminder too.

If he doesn’t fix that dryer, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand it. Our clothes dryer worked just fine, but it made a persistent, high-pitched squeaking sound that was driving me crazy. My mechanically minded husband, Rick, pulled the dryer away from the wall, spread out his tools, and tried to locate the problem.

“I think it just needs a bushing,” he said finally.

“Well, how do you get one of those?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ll look around when I get a chance and buy one.”

“When?” I asked anxiously, thinking about his already full schedule. Rick works 12-hour days; at night he cuts our grass and does other chores, and this week he’d be busy building the concession stand at our daughter’s high school softball field.

“Soon as I can get the part, I’ll fix it.” He left the dryer jutting out in the middle of the laundry room.

When people called to talk to me, they could hear the dryer screeching in the background. Wearily, I explained the irritating sound and added a few tart sentences about my annoyance with my husband. Every night I bellowed down the basement steps or out the back door, “Please fix the dryer! I can’t stand that horrible sound!”

One day, my mom called from the hospital, where she’d been staying with her mother. I’d visited my grandmother a few times lately, but my mom rarely left her side. She’d heard all about my dryer frustrations.

“Oh, Julie,” she said, crying softly, “the sound of your dryer … everything sounds so … normal in your house. Will it ever be normal here?” I began to cry with her.

“Mom,” I said, “I’m so sorry things are hard for you right now. Everything is normal here. I just haven’t realized it lately.” The sound of the dryer in the background suddenly sounded like a melody.

Lord, help me to stop letting the tiny negatives drown out all the positives in my life.

—JULIE GARMON

Comments

[Mary B]

Woo hoo to a repair man who does do thing quickly.
I love the pun on words in your title for the Layout.
and I really do appreciate the Last story and how true we must remember to count our blessings but sometimes we need a nudge don't we

[Scrappyjen]

I love your fridge - I think I have fridge envy! Thankyou for your closing quote. I nearly cried when I read it because it resonated so much. I have been doing exactly that - letting a tiny negative overwhelm me again. I am sure I found your blog for a reason... Every day your story, or lol cat, or quote, or thankful always has meaning for me. Thankyou for writing. Jenx