A blended family

When The Engineer and I married, we didn't register for a blender. The Engineer already had one. It wasn't a really nice one, just an inexpensive Hamilton Beach model. But it did the job.

In fact, our cheap, trusty blender lasted through ten years of marriage! But several months ago, the motor burned out.

So there I was, stuck with a broken blender base but a perfectly functional blender jar. (It's a plastic jar, so even my clumsy hands haven't managed to break it.) I tried posting it on Freecycle. (You know I love Freecycle, right?) I hoped that someone had a base and needed a jar. I didn't get any takers. The jar sat in my cabinet, lonely, widowed from its base.

And then yesterday I checked my email and found this:

OFFER: Hamilton Beach Blender minus the glass jar part
This was a real nice blender but the glass jar met its demise on the tile floor. Everything else is there.

The poor blender! Functional motor, but unable to fulfill its life's purpose. A broken-hearted blender...just needing a jar. The same brand as mine. Could this be a second chance at life for both of them?

So this morning I picked up that free blender base and brought it home. I introduced it to my blender jar. It was a perfect fit.



Sure, the base is white, and the jar lid is black. But I'm not picky. They may have met later in life, but I'm hoping it'll be a long-term match, and that they'll have plenty of progeny (smoothies) throughout the years. I think they make a perfect blended family.

The lost art of following instructions

I've posted quite a bit about Freecycle. It's a fantastic organization--each local group provides people with a way to give away stuff they don't want, and to receive items others are giving away.

Well, when you've done Freecycle for awhile, you get tired of poor communication, and you tend to turn into a Type A Freecycler. You have specific ideas about how you want to give stuff away. Having given away dozens of items and groups of items, I'm definitely one of those picky Freecyclers. When I posted some boxes, packing material, and Zoodle shoes yesterday, I ended my offer with this paragraph:

PLEASE READ THIS PARAGRAPH before responding: Please let me know WHICH NUMBER(S)/ITEMS you're interested in. The shoes are available for front porch pickup; just let me know WHEN you'd like to come so I can put them out for you. We'll need to schedule a time for the box/packing material pick-up; let me know some times that would work for you. I prefer e-mail communication but can give you my phone number if I choose you as a recipient, in case you get lost.

So you can imagine my frustration when (after already posting updates about 3 out of the 4 groups of items that were already taken), I received this email:

i will take the packing materials i guess numbers1 2 and 3 please call me whit a good time to pick them up

He ended with his name, phone number, and "thank you". When I sent an email asking him to read the paragraph of instructions and explaining what I needed from him, he responded,

thanks for your time ....seems like to much work for some boxes .. thank you though

[In an effort to rein in my frustration, which I admit is kind of ridiculous when we're talking about boxes, I've deleted the paragraph of this blog in which I explain what I think of that email. I didn't reply to the guy.]

Oh boy. I'm turning into Freecycle's version of a Grinch. On the other hand, when the lady who is picking up Zoodle's shoes turns up at 4 p.m. (the time she told me in her initial email), I just may burst into tears of joy, kiss her, and beg her to always take the items I offer.

Something tells me I need to take a few deep breaths and rediscover my inner cheerful giver....

Growing our family (no, I'm not pregnant)

I've blogged quite a bit about Freecycle, an online group that allows people to give away things they don't need anymore. The other day someone posted that they had a betta fish to give away. On a whim, I said, "Chickie, would you like a fish?"

"What for?" she asked.

"For a pet," I said.

"And then we would eat it?" she asked.

I had to explain that no, we wouldn't eat it, we'd keep it in a bowl. She agreed that would be a good idea. I emailed the person offering the fish, and a couple of hours later I picked it up.

His name was Fred, but I didn't have any qualms about changing it (unlike my hesitation to change Hammer's name.) I mean, really, it's not like he's going to be obeying my commands. ("Sit, Fred! No, sit!!) So I let Chickie name him, and she decided to call him Joshua, after a friend of hers.

I didn't check with The Engineer before requesting the fish, figuring he wouldn't mind such a low-maintenance pet. When he got home, I told him I needed to go pick up a fish, and explained the situation to him. "Then are we going to fry him up and eat him?" he asked. Like father, like daughter.

The thing is, I don't have any experience with fish (except the same type Chickie and The Engineer have--dietary experience.) Joshua is a dark red color, so his features kind of blend in, and the curvature of the bowl makes it hard to see him clearly at times. The morning after I brought him home, I checked on him...and he was perfectly still at the edge of the bowl, at the top of the water. As I looked at him, I thought he was even upside down.

I frantically Tweeted, "Our new fish is DEAD!! I followed the instructions when I changed the water yesterday! How did I kill him so quickly?!" I explained to Chickie that he was dead--I'd already told her the day before that he would eventually die since these fish don't live a long time like we do. She didn't seem too upset.

I picked up the bowl so that I could send him to fish heaven (conveniently located through a porcelain gate instead of pearly gates.) And when the water in the bowl sloshed a bit, little Joshua suddenly started swimming! I realized he was not upside down and obviously was not dead.

"Oh..." I Tweeted, "he was just sleeping. But honestly he seems pretty...lethargic."

I was promptly informed by wonderful Twitter friends that betta fish don't really do much of anything and barely even breathe. All right, glad to know it.

So we've now managed to keep this fish alive for four days. Never having been a fish owner, I'm going to be thankful for every morning that he's not floating upside down (really upside down, that is.). Let's hope I do better with fish than I do with plants.




P.S. I wrote this post a couple of days ago. I'm happy to report that Joshua is nicely adjusting. Yesterday he was so much more active, and there were bubbles at the top of the bowl--I'm told this means a betta is happy. He seems to be really relaxing and I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying watching him swim around his little home!

Extra cake

After The Engineer's birthday party last week, I looked in dismay at my kitchen table--there was a lot of cake left over. I'd made two, thinking one might not be enough. But one would have been just right, so after the guests had their fill, I was left with a whole lot of delicious chocolate cake.

I knew there was no way we'd eat all of it. I contemplated throwing most of it away. But first, I decided to try something else. I sat down on my computer and drafted an email to the local Freecycle group, of which I'm an active member.

In the subject line, I typed,

OFFER: Cake.

I began the email,

Okay, I'll start out by saying this is certainly the strangest thing I've ever tried to Freecycle, but it's worth a shot!

I explained the excess of cake filling up my house, and added,

My kids might be willing to eat cake for breakfast, lunch, & dinner for the next few days, but we've decided that might not be the wisest thing to allow. So it's either give it away or throw it away.

Anybody want some CAKE?

I went on to describe the cake, including links to the cake and frosting recipes. And then I clicked "Send," and waited.

Now, I knew that many people who saw the offer might think, "No way I'd take a half-eaten cake from some stranger." But I also knew the alluring power of cake. Chocolate cake.

And sure enough, a couple of hours later, the cake had found an enthusiastic new owner (minus a few pieces we reserved for the birthday boy.)

Freecycle is just the best. Or is chocolate cake the best? Either way, it ended up being a perfect combination.

Ears & Oops

I went to my doctor yesterday.  She currently has a med student following her.  The doctor put the little ear scope thingy in my ear, looked at it, and immediately said to the student, "Ooh.  Come here.  I want to make sure you see this."  I may not always understand "doctor-speak," but I'm pretty sure that when the doctor considers your condition to be a great learning experience for a med student, that's not a good thing.

So I got an antibiotic for a very impressive-looking ear infection.  And I also found out through some Googling that some of the ear infection may have been my fault.

Now, my ears have been stopped up on and off for weeks due to allergies.  Then I got that cold last week, with all the sinus congestion.  So I may have just been fated to get my first ear infection in decades.  But I also may not have helped matters by using my Neti Pot wrong.  That's what I get for not carefully following directions.

Oops.

If you decide to use the awesome Neti Pot, do as I say, not as I do, okay?  Here's the thing.  After using the pot, you have to blow your nose.  And you should blow out of both nostrils at once.  Holding one nostril (like I regularly do) can force the salt water and mucus into an ear tube.  And there's a chance that contributed to my ear infection.

Please don't let this scare you from using the Neti Pot.  I'm going to keep using it, just making sure I do so correctly.  Here is a great link:

Instructions & a video from the Himalayan Institute (who made my pot)

Now that Chickie and I are both on meds, hopefully our family will be totally healthy soon.

***

In case you missed it, check out my thread from yesterday about a really awesome jewelry giveaway right here on C. Beth Blog!  Click on the birdie:

By the way, the winner must have a mailing address in the US or Canada.

***

Freecycle Resolution Update:
24. Tons of clothes from my closet
25. Post-partum jeans that are now too big (yay!)
26. A suit I was given from a Freecycler that was too small for me (not claimed, will take to Goodwill.)
27. Hangers (will take to Goodwill)
28. Coupons from Sunday papers

Only 2 more until I make my goal of 30! I'm behind on my 6 week goal, but if I don't count my vacation time I think I'm pretty much on track.

Monday Micro: Socks

A conversation between Grammy & Chickie on our recent vacation:

Chickie:  What's on your socks, Grammy?

Grammy:  (Looks at the socks, which have black spots on them)  They're cow socks, Chickie.

Chickie:  Oh, I have animal socks too.

Grammy:  Oh...really?

Chickie:  (Examining her solid white socks) Yeah.  They're sheep socks.

******

Freecycle Resolution update:

19.  Book

20. Baby bouncy seat

21.  Baby play mat

22.  Toy for non-mobile babies

Oldies But Goodies: Shopping

I'm out of town visiting family and friends from 1/19 through 1/28.  Shamelessly stealing an idea from the wonderful Sandra, you'll be treated to some of my favorite past posts during this time.  These are all from my first four months of blogging, before many of you became readers.  Enjoy!

*****

This post, titled "The Engineer's Shopping List," was first published on May 13, 2008.

*****

I have finally, at the age of 30, gotten into the habit of keeping a grocery shopping list on the fridge, and I usually remember to write down the things we're running out of. I'm trying to teach The Engineer to utilize this excellent tool.

The other day we needed salsa. Perfect opportunity for The Engineer to use the list for the first time.

"The Engineer," I began, "would you please add salsa to the grocery list?"

"Where is it?"

"It's the Curious George pad on the fridge." (Yes, I have a 2-year-old and I stole the magnetic Curious George pad I bought her.)

He graciously complied. It wasn't until the next day that I actually saw his list.


It gave me a smile and an appreciation for a husband with a sense of humor. (Though I guess not enough of an appreciation to actually fulfill his wishes, since, as you see, salsa is the only item I marked off on my shopping trip.)

For now, our upstairs game room will have to suffer without a 42" television, receiver, and surround speakers. Yes, we are indeed deprived of life's necessities.

(By the way, what exactly is a receiver?)

*****

Freecycle Resolution update:

14. Light bulbs

15. Liquid soap

16. Baby swing

17. WALL-E party stuff

18. Cane

Lemurs and toads and boas, oh my!

Yesterday the kids, Little Sis (the teenager I mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters), and I went to a large zoo in a city about 100 miles away. It was a long day, and a very good one. It felt like April, not January--a great day to be outside. Here are a few highlights.

Little Sis took this photo of a gorgeous bald eagle. Reviewing the pictures she took today I was really impressed with her eye for photo composition. I need to encourage her to develop (no pun intended) that talent further.



It's hard to tell how big this python is without anything to compare him to--but let's just say it looked like he'd eaten more than his fair share of rabbits. He was by far the biggest snake at the zoo, and I found him fascinating. (And no, I'm not sure it was a male--but if it was a female, she's certainly lost her girlish figure.)



The most stunning sight for Little Sis and me was two huge hippos, swimming in front of us in a massive tank. These animals are just stunning in their size and swimming ability...really awe-inspiring.



Considering I have a relatively inexpensive digital camera with plenty of lag time between pushing the button and taking the shot, getting a neat photo like this requires lots of luck. Thank you, pink flamingo, for spreading your wings for me!



Little Sis took a picture of Chickie and me that I just love.



As Chickie and I were using the restroom, she made it abundantly clear that she didn't like the odor of a frequently-used zoo bathroom. When we got back outside, it was easy to convince her to replicate her "stinky face."



Too bad she has trouble expressing her feelings with that inscrutable face, huh?

************

Freecycle Resolution update:
8. Book on CD.
9. Chickie & Zoodle's matching Christmas PJs.

Have a crummy Christmas!

No, not really; I just have this unhealthy need to be different from everyone else, and since so many blog posts are titled "Merry Christmas" today....

But there's something in me that revolts when I wish you a crummy Christmas.  Maybe, just maybe, that means it's okay to be like everyone else occasionally?

I do wish you a beautiful, merry Christmas, full of the love of Christ and of family.  I hope it's perfect!

And for a Freecycle resolution update...

2.  Hooded towels and washcloths

3.  Baby & toddler books

4.  Stuffed animals and dolls

My Old Year's Resolution

Who says you have to wait until January 1 to implement a resolution?

I'm sick of having too much stuff everywhere.  So yesterday I started work on a new resolution. I want to Freecycle thirty items/groups of items in thirty weekdays (six weeks.)  If an item has no takers, I'll give it away somewhere else (like Goodwill) or toss it.  I need to declutter, but it feels overwhelming.  I'm hoping by doing just a bit each day I'll slowly but surely chip away at all the stuff!  There's a good chance I'll extend this past thirty days; we'll see.

I'll keep you up to date here.  Most days I'll just put an addendum at the end of my posts listing the item(s) I'm getting rid of.

1. COOKBOOKS--I Freecycled a bunch of cookbooks that I don't use. I use the Internet for most of my recipes. I kept my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook and a few others, but had plenty of responses for the rest. They're on my porch awaiting pickup.  Don't tell anyone, but I did buy another cookbook online yesterday.  I do, however, think it's one I'll use almost daily--more on that later!

Freecycle

I get really excited about free stuff. In my purse right now you can find coupons for free Wendy's Frosties and free McDonald's lattes. (Hmm, I guess I also get really excited about sweet drinks.) But it's also fun to give stuff away for free.

Freecycle allows me to get and give free stuff. Freecycle groups are local organizations run through Yahoo! Groups.

Here's an example of how it works.

Yesterday an OFFER post popped up that included this item:

Wood shoe rack on rollers. It's low and holds about 20 pair of shoes depending on size.

I sent out a quick response.

My husband would love if I could...
1....put my shoes on a rack instead of leaving them strewn around the closet floor.
2....get rid of enough shoes that I only have 20 pairs left.
I guess #2 is up to me, but if the shoe rack is available, maybe you can help me with #1! I can pick up today. Either way, thanks for Freecycling!

Well, I got an e-mail letting me know the shoe rack was mine. Score! I have to say, this is one of the best things I've received on Freecycle--second only to all the boxes we were given when we moved.



And, true to my word, today I posted an OFFER for all of these:



The Engineer will be so proud.

To find a Freecycle group in your community, just visit the Freecycle website. If you live in a large metropolitan area, I suggest finding a group that serves only your part of town, if available. It keeps the number of posts manageable, and you don't have to drive far to pick up something.

I love Freecycle. Getting away from the commercial mindset all around me is so refreshing. Best of all, when Chickie and Zoodle get a little older, I have a great threat for them: "Stop fighting, or I'll stick you on the porch and Freecycle you!"