Learning By The Way

Last night, while James and I were out, we stopped by our local game store (Just for Fun) and picked up a card game that I have been eyeing for a while. This morning after math and Bible time, I played it with the 4 older children. A good time was had by all. It is called Early American Chrononauts. During the course of play, events on the timeline are changed, making a ripple effect and creating paradoxes. You try to patch the paradoxes, and manipulate play to make the ‘reality’ where your timetraveler is coming from. It is interesting to think through some of the events and how they are interdependent on each other- if Andrew Jackson had lost the Battle of New Orleans, he wouldn’t have been a hero and become president, and been there to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling and commit that evil act to forcibly remove the Cherokee from their homes.

After Early American Chrononauts, we drank hot cocoa and I read aloud a book called “Our Pilgrim Fathers”. A lovely way to reflect on God’s providence through history as we prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Last night, James and I went to Sears to enact the next chapter in the saga of the dishwasher. You see, a bit back, our dishwasher died. With 9 people in the house, we work our dishwasher a bit a bit harder than most households do, I’d wager to say. I am not silly enough to think that a dishwasher is a necessity, but it is a great blessing in being a timesaver (and due to God bringing a free stove and free refrigerator into our lives just when we needed them, we had money in the appliance budget), so we decided to buy a new one. I researched Consumer Reports, we made our choice, and it turned out to be on sale that week by a significant amount, and we purchased it. So far, so good.

It came into Sears on Monday, and yesterday the installers came. And said that they wouldn’t be able to make it fit, due to the space being .25 inch to short, and no give whatsoever in our tile countertop. sigh. So back to the store we go last night to pick out a shorter dishwasher (who know that there was up to .75 inch variance in dishwasher sizes?) There was only one dishwasher that might work. And it wasn’t as nice, and not that much cheaper, and definitely not recommended by Consumer Reports.

So, on Frank the dishwasher salesman’s verbal agreement that if it doesn’t work we don’t have to pay the restocking fee, some different installers are going to be coming out to give it a try. Maybe today they will stop by to survey the famous immovable tile countertop. Maybe not. At any rate, someday we will have a new dishwasher. Of some kind. I believe it.

and you were my eldest son, you would look just like this:

The picture is a little out of focus, but too good not to share.