If you give Karen a KitchenAid...

My mom gave me her old, almond KitchenAid a couple years ago when she got a new, bigger, red one. I anticipated having to replace a gear in it right away but it has run like a champ until it recently started making a noticeable noise. We ordered the worm gear and some replacement grease, studied tutorials online for changing the gear and were confident we could do it. And yes, I use the term "we" very loosely.

But, if you give me an almond KitchenAid, which needs a gear replaced, I am going to decide that it shouldn't remain almond, but should be painted while it is taken apart. Even though my husband said if I didn't like the color, maybe I should be shopping for one in a color I prefer. Nah. That'd be too easy, don't you think?

And if I'm going to paint it, I'm going to start dreaming of a custom paint job. Think of the color possibilities if the bump shop painted it for me. Imagine metallic candy apple red. Wouldn't that be beautiful? I called to ask about it. I had to carry it in for them to look at in order to give me a quote, so I did. Their guess was $100, just for the paint, with labor tacking on a bit more. Adding that to the price of the gear, grease, and shipping, Clarence's idea of buying new was starting to make more sense. The guy at the bump shop told me he was sure the appliance paint I was also considering, while nowhere near as durable as the paint job he could do, would be quite adequate for the usage the mixer would see. For $5 or so a can, I decided it was worth a try.

I washed each piece thoroughly, sanded with fine grit sandpaper to rough up the finish (and also to smooth out a chip or two), washed it again and made sure it was absolutely dry.



My ever-patient husband rigged up something to hold the top and suggested foam ear plugs to plug the holes in the sides when I wondered aloud how I would possibly tape them effectively. He also mentioned using aluminum foil to cover the back of the motor, so I used it for that and a couple other areas I couldn't just tape.

An old pegboard and a picket fence section worked to keep other pieces lifted off the table for easier painting.

Once I got it painted, Clarence reassembled it. It didn't work at first but he was able to troubleshoot the problems and resolve them (the biggest problem being that I reinserted the things on the side of the motor incorrectly. Sigh. I was just trying to help by doing what I could. Next time, I'll leave it to the expert).

Here it is!

It was a time consuming process, with some very frustrating moments, especially for Clarence, but it is possible to not only repair a KitchenAid yourself but also to give it a fresh paint job.

Grandpa's Get Well flowers

When Clarence's dad had open heart surgery last month, my mother-in-law told the girls that she was sure Grandpa would like some flowers they made much more than a bouquet of real ones.

Allison got right to work.

I picked up a container and some ribbon at the dollar store, we put some foam inside it, and she cut wooden skewers to add to the Kanzashi flowers she made.


(Sorry for the poor quality photo-an ipod was all we had for a camera)

Grandma was right-Grandpa really liked his bouquet. In fact, when he got some compliments on it from his nurses, he was offering to work as Allison's agent and sell some of her flowers from his hospital bed. :-)

Quiz Nationals

We've been home from nationals for over a week so I thought it was high time I blogged about it. This decision has nothing, of course, to do with being shamed by my family today over my lack of blog updates. Nope, nothing at all to do with that.

We had a fantastic week at nationals. Our assistant pastor/coach was pretty confident that all three of our church's teams would bring home trophies. Instead, we were eliminated earlier than we've ever been eliminated before. Disappointing but, as Pastor Dale said, the scripture they have all hidden in their hearts is more important than any trophy. Plus, they still had a lot of fun!



Julianne's team during a bye.

Allison's team, waiting for the next round.

The "Quiz Band" sang Forever, a song recorded by Fireflight, at the talent show. I didn't know the song before they started practicing, but I really like it and the kids did a great job.

The theme for nationals this year was "I AM". At the first night's chapel service, the denominational quiz director spoke on the theme and one thing he said was simple, yet I found it to be so profound and continue to think on it.

He said "If God's name is I AM, then what does that make our name?
I am not."

He went on to say that for every cry of our heart, I AM is the answer.

"I'm not sure where my next meal is going to come from." "I AM."

"Who is going to love me?" "I AM"

"What's new?" "I AM."

"What's lasting?" "I AM"

"I'm not smart (strong, good, talented, etc.) enough." "I AM"

"No one's listening to me." "I AM"

There were many more, but I'm sure you get the picture.

We love our girls being in quizzing-they have learned so much each year as they study the Bible in such detail-but each year we've attended nationals, I come away so thankful that I get to attend with them and be a part of the week. The chapel messages are always so good-just think of preaching to a congregation where a majority of those listening might have your whole scripture text memorized. Then there's the testimony/communion service on Thursday-this year, with 3-minute limits, there were quizzers testifying for two-and-a-half hours.

Even if you don't count the opportunity to see so many young people having so much fun quizzing on the Bible, it's an incredible experience. I'm so glad we were able to attend.

Sweet 16

16 years ago God blessed us with the gift of Julianne.

She has enriched our lives in so many ways and we are so thankful that we get to share life with her.

We've been at Quiz Nationals all week, and don't leave until after dinner tonight, so we aren't having cake today. However, she gets to spend her special day with a few hundred friends, so it isn't all bad,right?

Happy Sweet 16, Sweetheart! We love you!