Kenmore Number #1

I already told you about Kenmore #2 -- my sister Ronda's new machine....

But I'm going to back up a minute -- to explain Kenmore #1...

One of the best relationships in my life is the one I have with my cleaning lady.

Carrie comes to my house every Monday, and she simply makes my life worth living. I'm sure you are sick of hearing about it...but I cannot imagine my life without Carrie. She knows my house better than I do...and no matter what the job is, she helps me GETS IT DONE.

There is the usual cleaning, of course. But she also helps me in the spring and the fall to change out my wardrobe.  She helps with the annual window washing -- or the once-every-40-years new carpeting ordeal.  In November, she winterizes our screened in porch, in December she brings up the Christmas decorations...well, you get the idea.

She also cleans the refrigerator, and has sometimes helped CLEAN MY CAR...

No -- wait -- I'm not done!!  In 2016, she killed a nest of baby mice underneath my sink. (she whacked them with a can of carpet foam).   I'm telling you -- Carrie is a Godsend.

Dictionary definition of Godsend:

a very helpful or valuable event, person, or thing.

synonyms:

boon, blessing, bonus, good thing, benefit, help, aid, advantage, gain, asset, privilege, luxury;

Carrie is the daughter of my cousin Kim -- and she first started cleaning for me when she was 14 years old.

This is my favorite picture of Carrie. Taken 10 years ago -- when her daughter Elizabeth was 2 years old.

Elizabeth is 12 years old now, and guess what? SHE WANTS TO LEARN HOW TO SEW..!!

Fast forward....While raising her two kids, Carrie mostly only sewed to make their Halloween costumes.  She had a cheap Singer that was nothing but trouble...so one day, she said these words, "Please be on the lookout for a good used sewing machine -- I think Elizabeth (now 12) would like to learn how to sew...."

 And you know what happened next...

Yep.  Three days later, I walked into the Goodwill store and saw this Kenmore case...

The price? $25.88.

It had the instruction book, and the original box of accessories.

It had NEVER been used. I am not kidding. It's a Kenmore #158 -- from the mid-70's...in pristine condition.

How do I know it had never been used?

The seam ripper was in it's original cellophane...