It's all in the timing

As a family, we're usually roll-with-it, go-with-the-flow people.

Water heater gives out?  We'll boil water on the stove and pretend we're pioneers.

Large family drops in for the weekend with dog and random Korean?  Pitch a tent in the backyard.

Front door won't lock and landlord has taken entire door handle mechanism out in the dead of winter? Stuff a little boy's underwear in the opening to prevent family from freezing. (Underwear was on top of the clean laundry pile which was the closest thing to the door at the time... why Papa Nut didn't keep digging for, say, socks, I don't know...but we didn't freeze, for which I am grateful.)

On the longest stretch of highway with no rest stops and a van full of boys who need to use one?  That's what empty water bottles are for.

In the same van, still full of boys, and the van either breaks down just off the highway, or in the parking lot of the local Wallies? We either A) walk home, or, B) have a picnic and figure it out later.

I share these examples with you to show I wasn't just talkin' when I said we can go with the flow.  Here's the thing though.  The washing machine will only parboil our clothes no matter what setting its on. The freezer wont freeze our food (not great news for the large turkey and the party-sized bag of shrimp we had in there), while the fridge will only freeze our food.  The oven element went on strike, and the dishwasher is showing signs of working to rule.  Oh yes, and the upstairs bathroom faucet snapped off just the other day in the hand of a visiting friend from Ohio.

All these can be dealt with - we're rolling with it.  Except for Grandma and Grandpa Nut's 50th Wedding Anniversary.Which we are hosting here. This week. Aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, and distant relations are about to descend on this house, requiring feeding and bathing at regular intervals for five days. What's a Nut to do? Going crazy was seriously considered as a viable option for a time but 'roll with it' rose to the surface. Mama Nut put her foot down, saying she was not happy.  And you know what they say... "When Mama's not happy, ain't nobody happy."

Thankfully in this age of technology, everything can be got with a little help from Google. A new (to us) fridge and stove have found their way into our home in the last 24 hours.  They show great promise of being functional and cooperative.  Halleluyer.