Tender Mercies

I was blessed to witness a few of the Lord's tender mercies yesterday, not all of which I can share. But one I thought you might be interested in:

Alli, my favorite sister, called me at about 3:30 pm and said that she'd found a full-size used Bosch mixer on craigslist for $45!!! It has all of the attachments and works great. I had already despaired of finding one used on craigslist or ebay, since the going rate for a used one seemed to be closer to $200 by the time the auctions were over. That price was discouraging to me, as one reason that I am using my mixer so much is an attempt to save money and live within our means by making my own breads from scratch.

When I looked at the listing, my heart fell because it was 3 days old. There was no way it would still be available. But lucky for me, the owner had listed it as a "bosch machine" instead of a mixer--so it showed up with a bunch of power tools instead of kitchen gadgets, so no one else had found it. She let me know up front that the price was firm, which was fine by me. I tried to hide how absolutely thrilled I was at my good fortune blessing. My FIL picked it up for me, as I was in the middle of life with my kids and I didn't want it to get away to another buyer. Anyway, I don't have a photo for you, as the mixer is still at his house, but it is mine! All mine! I'm going to celebrate by baking something as soon as I pick it up. (How about some cookies for my give-away winner, listed below!)

Thank you all for your condolences and kind words. My post yesterday was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I truly was upset and concerned about how I'd function without a mixer. And it turned out that I only had to go 24 hours, with a loaner in the meantime! That, and other more significant blessings yesterday, reminded and reassured me that the Lord knows me personally, that he is aware of my little life and cares to bless me, even with all the turmoil in the world.

And now, for the give-away winners, who were selected randomly by my kids:

The winner of the cookies is: My Ice Cream Diary! (Nice, since she is sending me some jewelry this week, and I already owe her a CD.)

The winner of the cookbook CD is: Debbie (I'll drop it off--no need to send me your address)

The winner of the Princess Bride book is: Cellista

Congratulations, all, and thank you for participating! Send me your addresses (sleepymumATgmailDOTcom) and I will sincerely try to get these mailed off to you this weekend.

In Mourning

Yesterday, I witnessed a true and loyal friend call it quits. It had lived a full and rich life, providing baked goodness for my family and loved ones for the last few years. I am referring to my Bosch Compact Mixer.

I will confess that I shed real tears when it was apparent to me that there would be no resurrection for this mixer. You see, I have been making all of our family's bread for 10 months now. Not only did I use this mixer for bread, but also for rolls, cookies, frostings, cakes, and pretty much anything I make that requires more power than a wooden spoon. And deep down, I knew that I hadn't been fair in what I asked of it. My projects were mostly fit for it's bigger sibling, the one whose price made me cringe. Now I know that it is probably better to just save your pennies for the one that really meets your needs.

My sister came over about an hour later and I broke the news to her. Ever practical, she suggested that since it clearly wasn't going to start again by jiggling the handle or reinserting the dough hook, we should give it an autopsy. Perhaps we could bring it back to life? I looked for the proper surgical tools and she began.

We first discovered an extra layer of fat around the internal organs. A layer of old, crusty bread dough clung to the lining of the mixer. It must have crept in, a tablespoon at a time, through the small opening where the attachments go. We never knew that it was in there at all. (I will confess that it made me wonder what my insides look like.) Once we cleaned it out, it looked to us like a gear was broken, but we couldn't find the broken pieces anywhere. Could they have been somehow consumed by the evil bread dough? It's a mystery we will never be able to solve.


As I contemplated life without my little friend, I began to desperately call all of my friends who bake enough to have a stand mixer but not often enough to miss it if I borrowed it for a week. Thankfully, I was able to locate one (thanks, Teresa!)--a nice big 800 watt Bosch that will not shrink at my four-loaf batches, with which I intend to load the freezer. I hope my little mixer understands and forgives me for moving on so quickly.

Funeral services will be held today, as I remove the remains from my kitchen. Anyone interested may attend, but don't expect cookies at the event!

In lieu of flowers, condolences may be sent in the form of cookies, bread, and icing. Tip-offs to yard sale mixers (full size) would also be appreciated.

Am I Shallow? Perhaps.

Goodbye old fridge. Hello to a beautiful new friend, gleaming stainless steel on the outside, clear and clean on the inside.
In the ten years that I've been married, this is the first fridge we've had that didn't come out of the Pennysaver. And it makes me smile every time I pass it. With my new dishwasher and this fridge, I can almost pretend that I am the host of my own cooking show or a contestant on Top Chef. Of course, that means overlooking the outdated flooring, oven, range, microwave, countertop, cabinets--essentially everything else in my kitchen--but when I catch a glimpse of my newest acquisitions, those other things fade away.

My kids love that our new fridge is actually big enough to keep the Brita full of water cold. I love that I can see all the leftovers without having to squat down and dig around.


Jared will love the new electricity bills, since we just replaced two old fridges (one in the garage and one in the kitchen) with one energy efficient wonder. He also appreciates that I had to get rid of the basket full of clutter that used to sit on top of the fridge because it won't fit anymore.
I did call Christine to ask her what I should do about my newest obsession of keeping the appliances free of fingerprints and smudges. She is highly qualified to answer this question, having a degree in Interior Design and all the accompanying credentials and experience, besides owning a few stainless steel appliances of her own (and four darling kidlets). Alas, she couldn't come up with a solution either, but assured me that I might soon be able to tolerate fingerprints for an entire afternoon before wiping down the fridge after the kids go to bed. I pondered on the internal struggle going on between the woman who loves shiny, sparkly, clean, and looks-like-a-cooking-show-or-magazine-layout everything and the mother who really wants her kids to grow up in a home where they are comfortable. Surely it would be unreasonable to make touching the fridge off limits. Do you think it would be neurotic to require the entire family to wear gloves? You don't have to answer that.

But even with the compulsive wiping down of my new treasures, I don't regret choosing them one bit. Nor do I regret having so many small hands around who will surely touch them as soon as I finish wiping. Both things of beauty and sticky-fingered children are more than worth the extra effort. And if loving my kitchen appliances makes me shallow, I guess I will have to live with that.