Sunday, September 14, 2008

Roadtrips, Santa, and household appliances


There is so much going on right now.


This is because yesterday we made the (hopefully-not-going-to-make-my-mono-worse) decision to take a roadtrip next week to Wisconsin (for a wedding and a funeral.) And because the ancient, icky dishwasher that came with this house started leaking downstairs onto our nice, new carpet (in addition to its other assorted issues). Newsflash: as of yesterday, the Heldts do not have a dishwasher. (Well we do, it's just sitting outside on our front porch ready to be hauled away. Good riddance!)


Soooooo, yesterday afternoon we first made a family outing to the thriftstore (I heart the Denver ARC) to try to find a couple of long-sleeved, collared shirts for our boys and a suit-coat for my pallbearer-husband. We didn't find any of THOSE things (well I DID find ONE long-sleeved shirt, which I bought)...but I DID go nuts in the children's book section. Most of the books there are in excellent condition and they were all 50% off yesterday. I picked up five of the eight books in the Little House on the Prairie series that look brand-new, each for only $1. And an assortment of other classic "chapter" books for kids. Anna found two books, a My Little Pony and Barbie book. She wanted them. Kevin said she could choose one. She claimed she couldn't choose just one, so instead picked out a book published by Hallmark about Santa Claus with really ugly pictures. Hmmm.


Then it was on to Sears for a new dishwasher. Where we proceeded to also purchase a new fridge, stove, and front-loading washer and dryer. AHHHHHHH, it is hard dropping that kind of money in one place! But it WILL be nice to have:
--a stove with more than two working burners
--a fridge without broken shelves and that maintains a consistent temperature
--a washer that doesn't stink
--and a dryer that dries a load in less than, um, 90 minutes.
(Had I mentioned the fantastic archaic appliances we inherited when we bought this house?!)


After making this assortment of purchases, we hit up Hacienda Colorado to use our "free appetizer" coupon (sometimes it pays to still be receiving mail for the old homeowner). Then it was time to head home and go to bed. Because it was after 10 p.m.


Today I will be doing some painting, more laundry, and hopefully making a trip to KMart and Target. And I need to buy some paper goods...no it's not very "green" but, well, the Heldts currently do not have a dishwasher. And there are six of us. And I'm a little bit lazy. :)



9 comments:

Dave and Rae said...

As a fellow adoptive parent, I thought to write and tell you about the new guest home in Ethiopia specifically for adoptive parents and volunteer groups for the benefit of orphans in Ethiopia. Now that it is up and running, we would love to share the vision with other adoptive parents. You can see more at http://www.ethiopiaguesthome.com.

If you would like to post a link, send me an email at dave@ethiopiaguesthome.com and I’ll forward you the information.

Blessings,

Dave McIlrath, MA
Orphan Advocate
Ethiopia Guest Home
More Than a Place to Stay
http://www.ethiopiaguesthome.com

Kristen Borland said...

your new appliances are totally going to pay for themselves. our most recent appliance purchase (new fridge) cut our electricity bill by 2/3 (yeah, TWO THIRDS!), and will totally pay for itself in less than a year. we updated our dryer a few years back and had a similar drop in our electric bill. nice stuff. enjoy!!

Rachel said...

Hey, we're going to a funeral and wedding next week too. Small world! I mentioned to Donna that I don't have "funeral" clothes for the kids and she said that kids are exempt. I think Aubrey will wear the dress you got her for her Birthday and I happen to have a hand me down that should be perfect for Ainsley.

I'm sorry you got nasty water on your new carpet. That would really get under my skin. I can still smell the cat urine occasionally where Tabitha decided to greet our new home with her body fluids. Of course out carpet is three years old and it looks like we've had it for ten thanks to my allowance for sippy cups. They leak, I don't care what it says on the package.

Wow, another long comment. We will be praying for your continual improved health!!!

Brianna Heldt said...

rachel you're absolutely right--those sippies leak like crazy, valve or no valve! grrr. (i think your carpet looks great btw and i have never noticed it smelling bad either!)

and yes, small world. :) not sure what "funeral clothes" even are but me and my girls will all be wearing dresses or skirts i guess. funny how i haven't seen you in forever even tho we only live 40 minutes apart, but will see you again in wisconsin!!!!

Joanie said...

Yay, new appliances! Congratulations!

We haven't been that green, either, but we handwashed from September until May, when we ripped out the sink and the counter. Then we proceeded to go through an astonishing amount of disposable dinnerware.

Score on the Little House books!

Jacquelyn said...

When I get sick of dishes I put a huge towel on the floor, put the boys in their swimsuits and tell them not to spray each other! They get the job done and at the end of it they have to dry the floor which is almost like having them wash the floor. We use paper plates a lot at my house after I read an article that said biodegradable paper plates harm the environment less than all energy used to heat the water, plus the gallons of water used plus the damaging affects of soap that enter our waste water. Works for me!!

Anonymous said...

http://ethiopianchurchdotorg.blogspot.com/2008/08/child-adoption-and-ethiopian-church.html

Brianna Heldt said...

anonymous, it's easy to throw out a link anonymously and cast judgement on someone who's taken a stand on something, when you are not willing to take a public stand yourself. if you feel strongly enough about this, don't hide behind "anonymous". engage in actual conversation. i'd LOVE to discuss these complex and troubling issues with you.

Anonymous said...

Brianna,
Yea on the appliances! We chose all upgraded appliances and I couldn't be happier...well besides the stainless steel finish, I am ALWAYS cleaning it. But as far as energy and water savings, I am amazed, my dishwasher uses like 7 gallons and my front loading washer uses maybe 15. (My water softener comes with a remote monitor I leave on our counter so I can see how much water we are using, I aim for under 100 gallons a day) Oh and my stove, it turbo heats to 375 in about 5 minutes! Less gas used, less heating up the house which kicks on the a/c, good stuff.

 

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