It's a love/hate relationship.

It's a love hate relationship.


I want to just completely love it. Though I hate it so...


I guess I should say...it's complicated.  


I lazily walked downstairs the other morning, early anticipating my first cup of delicious coffee, when I began to smell a burning of sorts...


...had I left my curling iron on?


...was the coffee pot malfunctioning?


...had Stuart set flames to something? (Yes, these are things that were all running through my head).


Then, at last I located the smell coming from the laundry room.  Quickly, I rushed in, certainly sure I would find my new dark denim jeans had gone up in flames.  Luckily (or not...), it was coming from the washing machine.  Yep.  Look's like the 'ol $100 washing machine from CraigsList finally bit the dust.  Sometime during the night, the pump had burnt up.  And so it sat.  Full of water and soaking clothes.


That's always a fun way to start the day.


That was a lie.


That is not a fun way to start the day at all.


I left Stuart to deal with the problem while I went on my merry way of work and errands.  About lunch time, I got a phone calling saying..."That's it.  We're getting a new one."


You see, this was our third CraigsList washing machine.  And it's our third one that has broken.


I guess my poor husband had just had enough.




But, "poor" is exactly the reason why we kept purchasing these gems from CraigsList.  And when we went to our local store to price out our options, I almost had a breakdown.


$1200!!!! FOR A WASHING MACHINE!!!!  You've gotta be kidding me.

Now, if you know me at all by now my dear reader...you know there is no way in heck I would actually spend $1200 on a washing machine.  Ain't gunna happen.  Girlfriend would be scrubbin' the clothes in the river before that would happen.



Eventually, we settled on a less expensive model that promised lower water and energy usage and had an extra "freshwater rinse cycle" - ideal for our cloth diapers.  Score.


Now, here's where the complicated relationship begins.

I love.  Love.  LOVE.  having my very first new appliance in the history of my existence.  I love that is sits like a shiny little pearl in my laundry room.  I love that it is as quiet as a mouse while it spins as fast as a jet-engine.  I love that smells nice.  I love that it washes my clothes much better than before!  I love that it doesn't shake and rattle around like our old one.  I love that I don't have to hold the lid open with a wooden spoon.  I love having something pretty, functional, and nice.


But I hate.  Hate.  HATE.  having to spend our hard-earned-hard-saved money on stupid things like washing machines.


I was trying to save up for another baby...hello!  I had plans...BIG plans for that money!  I had places to go!  People to see!  


The poor lady at the appliance store had to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.


When my parents came to help us unload and install it, they arrived to find me sitting on the couch...staring off into space...my eyes full of tears.


I try to be so responsible with our money...*sniffle*...and then something like this always comes up unexpected...*sniffle*...and then it's just gone....


My Mom hugged me and laughed.  She knows exactly what I meant.

Isn't it wonderful how God can use little things like broken washing machines to teach us lessons?


In humility.


In trusting in His plan, not ours.


And in not making idols of our savings account.


Or future babies.


Or clean laundry. 


Money ain't no thing, sister.  You can't take it with ya when you go.  Just like my dear husband said..."It's just money."  I guess sometimes, I just need to be reminded that He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together!  For which I am thankful.


Just like I am thankful for my beautiful, sparkling, new appliance that shall efficiently wash my dirty laundry for me.


(Though it's not nearly as beautiful as a new baby...I'm just sayin').