My Buddy

Last week we had a minor catastrophe that could easily have become a MAJOR Problem. Our washing machine spontaneously ejected a vital part and started gushing water. So here I am with 5 small children and no washing machine. I called SEARS to get a repair man to come out to fix the problem and encountered any number of issues with the whole procedure (don't even get me started on the huge problem of outsourcing customer-service jobs to other countries, and the language barrier, ergh). The earliest they could get someone out was a week and a half later - Yikes. Now, I usually do at least 3 loads a day. As I began to do the math I was getting a bit disheartened. 21 loads of laundry was more than I could handle, not to mention the at that point I would be buying new underwear by the boatloads to keep up. The last time I had a washer issue and had to go to the laundromat it took 10 washers and 10 dryers and $40. Not to mention that Emma was sick (throwing up of-course) and I had to manage to keep Ty safe and Nadia contained during that whole process. Though edifying, I'm sure - not my idea of a relaxing afternoon. Well in the mean time hubby needed white tee shirts so a load needed to be done somehow. Well after acessing the situation and reviewing all of the possible alternatives I decided to just bite the bullet and wash a load, gushing water and all. At first I planned on just having Ty watch a movie or play so that I could focus on keeping the water off of the carpet and keep potential disaster to a minimum. I had it all figured out. I would start the washer and when I saw the water begin to gush I would just open the door to the back yard and sweep the water out (feverishly). Well when Ty saw this (water on the floor and mother poised with broom) he wanted to join in! So we had a great time together as he learned to work alongside me (with his own broom, seen here) and instead of being in the way and making a bigger mess he was a BIG help and now I have the cleanest basement floor ever!! Later my hubby called and managed to get us on some sort of waiting list to be called by ... someone. The next day the head honcho of the service department in Spokane called and the repairman came out the following day. Well, to me the problem was really cut and dry. The spring that holds the boot taught against the drum came out (along with the screw that tightens it) so the way to fix it would be to put it back in, right? Well, apparently the obvious solution to the repairman had to do with ordering a part and something about hell on earth and it being back ordered. Yowza... I stood silently trying not to take him by the cheeks and scream, "Listen, if 2 parts came out of the washer and those 2 parts are in good working order, then doesn't it make complete sense to you that the best idea would be to simply put them in and not worry about another mysterious part that does not exist!?!!?" BUT, alas.... Instead I simply said, "Well, see what you can do." I then went upstairs to pray like mad. After awhile I was either needing to go hover over him and watch his every move to make sure he was actually doing all he could to put it back together or something else - on the constructive and less annoying side. So I made cinnamon rolls. They were very distracting and they turned out great. The repairman had to take the entire front off of the washer, I just didn't go down. But he got it all together and it now works wonderfully, no leaks!
So when hubby came home this is the picture he saw. Happy wife with a fixed washing machine, warm smells of delicious cinnamon rolls wafting through the house and CLEAN white tee's for work, not to mention the impeccably clean laundry room floor! From his perspective a great day had by all. Life is funny. God is good.