It was past her bedtime, and she had been weepy and fragile for the last hour, but I just couldn’t help but let Amelia be involved in a very special project… a project that only comes around once every ten years or so.
Earlier today I went to a moving sale, just to see what there was to see, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a large black refridgerator, just what I’d been seeking!  As we’ve been remodeling our kitchen, we have been acquiring new appliances (clarification: in our house “new” means “new to us”), and I’ve been so delighted with the microwave, dishwasher and stove.  But our trusty old fridge has just kept chugging along as we kept our eye out for just the right thing.  In order to qualify as a replacement, a fridge would have to be bigger than our current model, it would have to be black (white would do, if necessary, but black is my preferred color), it would have to have the freezer on the top or the bottom, but a side-by-side would NOT work for me, and it would have to be a good price.  As you might imagine, such a unit is not easy to find.  But alas, today, I found it.  I called Michael and he looked up similar models online.  Turns out, these fridges can start out over $1,000 and easily move up to $1,500 or so.  After some negotiation, the folks agreed to come down a little on their price, and we agreed on $500 for the 4-year-old refridgerator.

After work Michael borrowed a friend’s truck and another friend’s appliance-dolly and went to get the fridge.  He and Roy wrestled the beast into the kitchen, and then we took a break for supper.

I told Amelia, “After you finish eating that piece of bread, you’re going upstairs to bed.”  She didn’t argue.  She must have known she was tired.  But as she was finishing, she saw her Daddy heading back toward the fridge to start cleaning it up and readying it for it’s new contents.  She asked, “May I help clean the fridge?  I want to help put the food in!”  I hesitated.  I knew she’d enjoy the work, but it really was her bedtime!  After a quick consultation with Michael, we agreed that she should stay up and help.  It really is a rare opportunity, and it’s a fun one.  She was given a sponge and she worked hard on the parts she could reach.  The fridge was really quite clean, but there were cracks and crevices that needed to be wiped down.  Amelia was so eager to do a good job.  I put the little boys to bed so that we could work uninterrupted.  Once the fridge was clean, I sat down in front of the old fridge and started handing things to Amelia.  She had fun putting the condiments in the right places, loading the produce into the bins, and sliding the yogurt on to the right shelf.  It was fun to watch her work.

Now that our job is done Amelia is heading off to bed.  She’s even more tired than before, but she has a great sense of accomplishment.  Better yet, she knows where everything IS in the fridge.    I think I can use that kind of help in the near future!