Ask The Helpful Housewife

An Ailing Refrigerator Has It's Benefits...

Our refrigerator died.  On the hottest day of the century.  Of course.  Thankfully we have an old 1950's Westinghouse model in the garage we use for extra gallons of milk, the odd soda, and other miscellaneous items.  (With four little kids, you tend to buy milk 6 gallons at a time!).  So what do you do when your frig goes out?  In this order:

1.  Curse KitchenAid.  (I can't stress enough at how miserable these appliances are... after 2 dishwashers, a microwave, a stove/oven, 2 coffee makers, a toaster, and now the frig, I am completely avoiding this brand as if it were the bubonic plague!)

2.  Call KitchenAid to schedule a repair visit.

3.  Curse KitchenAid while emptying said refrigerator.

4.  Clean it til it sparkles!!!!!

I know it's a pain to have to go through dealing with a dead refrigerator, but on the upside, it's a great opportunity to clean it out!  No condensation building up because it's still cool inside, no stuff in the way...  it's great!  Now I have the wonderfully clean appliance you see above!  Take note, those of you in Housekeeping 101 -- this is a valuable tidbit to file away for future reference!

A Chance to Win!!!

MODA U has a new quilt kit out for those who participate in the MODA University program.  It's the beautiful quilt pattern featuring the new "A Little Romance" fabric collection by April Cornell.  It's absolutely gorgeous!

Here's what I am going to do with one of the kits I've been able to purchase from MODA...

As you all know, I am participating in the 60 mile walk for breast cancer, The 3-Day, through the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  I will be walking 20 miles each day over the course of the three days of August 10th, 11th, and 12th.  I had wanted to hold a quilt raffle to help raise the $2200 needed to participate, but alas, there is no time!  In Michigan, there is a 4-6 week time frame to obtain a raffle license to hold a local raffle event.  So instead I am going another route in order to save time!  I have to have the money raised by August 1st, so that will be the deadline to enter...

Enter into what, you ask? 

I am going to make this gorgeous quilt to be given away to whomever wins the drawing I will be holding!  Each time someone makes a $25 donation their name will be entered into the hat.  On August 1st, I will have a cancer survivor draw the winning name and I will post it here (and of course contact them personally to let them know they have won)!

Just think, the kit alone for the quilt top and binding sells for $80.  Add in another 4.25 yards backing at around $26, and it's now up to $106 in value.  Throw in the batting and the professional quilting, with an average charge of $60, and this quilt is approximately a $170 investment to make it yourself (not to mention the time!). 

Want the quilt, but don't have time to make it?  Want to support an incredible cause?  Simply click here and be taken to my webpage for the 3-Day walk and make a $25 donation! 

Support a fellow crafter, blogger, and woman as she pounds the pavement to help eliminate this horrendous disease!  And if you enter more than once, increasing your odds of winning, and have your name drawn, there will be some extra pink goodies packed in with your quilt as a surprise!  Maybe some crafting tools, or some fabrics, or even perhaps some other needle arts treasures....  the possibilities are endless!

Won't you enter today?  I'm already piecing it together!

Housekeeping College Info, Update and Kickoff

First and foremost, to all of you who have emailed me in the last couple of weeks:  I am so sorry I didn't respond!  Thanks to hotmail, there was a server issue and I wasn't getting my email properly delivered.  As it is, I'm trying to get them caught up and send out responses to all of you, and it's still hiccupping and not letting me reply to the messages in some cases.   Please be patient. 

For those emails requesting more information because they couldn't download the registration form:  the link to the file is broken , and since I wasn't getting your emails, I couldn't fix it for you!  Ahhh... double edged sword, ain't it? 

Anyway, school is now in session, and I will try to get your lessons emailed to you before midnight, I promise.  Wish me luck!  Otherwise, you'll have two in your inbox tomorrow!