Friday, April 8, 2016

Celebrate: Could Be Worse & Giveaways!


The Cain household had a couple of casualties this week.  My 20-year-old vacuum cleaner's engine blew up.  Then my 15-year-old water heater cracked and sprang a leak and flooded my kitchen.  No one was hurt in the accidents other than the appliances mentioned, but they're a total loss. 

Well, it could have been worse ... and all other household items are doing fine!

Have you ever had any major household appliances die and had to replace it?

My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:


** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **


 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)



Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for April 8, 2016:

Free Complete Set of Children’s (Age 4-8) Books – Win the complete If You Were Me and Lived In series by award winning author Carol P. Roman along with the chance to pick the country of the next book. The books visit such countries as China, Greece, and Egypt so children can learn about their culture and people. Enter via rafflecopter on the Children’s Review Book blog. (ends Apr 28)

Free Suspense/Mystery eBook – Win The Dead Don’t Lie by Camille Taylor, about a club owner whose sister is murdered and she needs the help of a detective to find out who did it. Enter via rafflecopter on the Book Escape blog. (ends May 1)


Free Signed YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy Paperback – Win a signed copy of Musings of an Earth Angel by Suzanne Adams, about a girl being chased by a Demon Brigade and only her Angel Team can save her. Enter via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends May 1) 
Free Women’s Self-Help Non-fiction Book – Win Break-Ups & Breakthroughs by Lisa Messenger, about how to handle the end of a relationship with humor, positivity and tough love, via leaving a blog comment with your country name on the Ask Ashe blog. (ends Apr 15)
Free $15 Amazon or B&N Gift Card – To celebrate the release of Blackbird Summer (Urban Fantasy/Romance) by Em Shotwell, about a family of psychics who’re feared by their Mississippi town except for one rebellious guy, the author is giving away a $15 Amazon or a B&N card via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends Apr 18)

Free Kindle Fire, $10 Amazon Gift Card, Fantasy Anthology eBook – To celebrate Summer Solstice by K.K. Allen, she’s giving away a Kindle Fire, $10 Amazon card, and an anthology of YA short stories (Paranormal Fantasy) via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends Apr 22)

Free Fire HD 8 Tablet – To celebrate the 8th Anniversary of the Children’s Book Review blog, they are giving away a Fire HD 8 Tablet ($150 value) via rafflecopter on the Children's Book Review site. (ends Apr 27)


For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com

50 comments:

Kate Larkindale said...

I have had whole house loads of casualties. The worst was when I was living overseas and the property manager didn't tell me he'd replaced a stove and a hot water heater because they had gone kaflooey. I blithely went along, assuming the full months' rent had gone into my account, only to discover I had missed two mortgage payments because there wasn't enough money left in the account. There were some strong words, believe me!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sorry! That really sucks about your water heater, especially after all the work you had done to the kitchen.

JeffO said...

We burned out an old washing machine 10, 12 years ago, but the replacement was fab. Also, we had a crack in the cast iron jacket of our oil burner. The good thing was it was a manufacturing defect and was replaced at the manufacturer's cost. Have a great weekend!

messymimi said...

My almost new vacuum gave up the ghost yesterday, and we've had our A/C go out more often than i care to think about!

Rhonda Albom said...

Yikes, vacuum and water heater. Not good.. One would be more than enough.

Natalie Aguirre said...

It's never fun when appliances break down and worse when two do it at the same time. Hope next week is better.

Unknown said...

I hate it when any appliances break down, especially my dishwasher!

Damyanti, AZ cohost 2016

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your appliances' demise. I thought my boiler was gone a few weeks ago because it was leaking in my basement, but it turned out to be just a faulty part. Once that part was replaced, it worked fine. Whew!

Linda Kay said...

Very newsy blog today. Any dying appliance has always been more an annoyance than a disaster, knock on wood.

Julie Flanders said...

Oh gosh sorry to read this. I'm glad no one was hurt but I can imagine that water heater is going to be a big expense.
Hope you don't have to deal with any more breakdowns!

Jackie said...

Wowzers! 20 years for a vacuum cleaner would be great in this house. We're currently on our sixth in twenty years. That's embarrassing for me to admit. We've had our fair share of washer/dryer machines, too. LOL
Have a great weekend!!!

cleemckenzie said...

Every day I give thanks when an appliance doesn't develop a glitch or go belly up. I'm doing ritual sacrifices in the kitchen daily in hopes the refrigerator compressor won't expire until May.

Good luck with the rest of your household appliances.

kimlajevardi.com said...

I feel your pain. Our dishwasher is currently on the fritz, and because of the four-hour window business and my conference next weekend, I can't get someone in until the 23rd.

Have a good weekend, Lex!

PlanetKimberly said...

That's terrible! I've experienced over a year of water heater woes, but as of this year it's working fine. I hope you get a reliable water heater and a good vacuum! We used to have a Roomba which we loved until it got old and died. We are waiting for our kids to outgrow Legos before we can get a new one. Otherwise all those pieces will get sucked up. You might like the Roomba. I don't recommend the Scooba which mops your floor for you. That was a waste of money for us.

Have a good weekend!

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne said...

So sorry about your casualties. Glad no one else was hurt though. it's a shame to have all that in the same week. Hope next week is much better for you.

Tonja Drecker said...

Oh my! Glad no one was injured in the chaos. Yep, we've seen several larger appliances perish over the years. I'm hoping our near future is smooth sailing though.

L.G. Keltner said...

That's no fun! Our furnace is finally working again after being broken for a couple of weeks. Where I live, a furnace is an absolute necessity, so I'm glad to have it back!

DMS said...

I have had casualties too and it is such a big expense (depending on what goes). I am glad the vacuum didn't cause a mess when its life ended.

Look at all those giveaways! Thanks for sharing. :)
~Jess

Sue Bursztynski said...

Ouch! Methinks you need a new vacuum cleaner and water heater! It must have been murder drying out the kitchen, especially. Well, the vacuum cleaner gave you good service, anyway. I hope you can get another one as good. When my vacuum cleaner died, the engine just went phtt! and that was that. I haven't been able to get a satisfactory one since.

Anonymous said...

I always notice I have to do several repairs and purchases in a row, followed by long stretches of time when everything's good.

Mark Murata said...

If you want to see a catastrophic water heater failure, watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bU-I2ZiML0

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Why does everything happen at once? Hope you get your household back together soon. Take a deep breath and relax. Tomorrow will be better.

stephen Hayes said...

We've been in out place for eight years, and I've fixed or replaced nearly all of the appliances.

T.F. Walsh said...

What a pain... hope you get them fixed quickly. My oven died two years ago... I haven't replaced it since and been doing without needing do any major baking...hehe

Michelle Wallace said...

As they say, it never rains but it pours!!
Just popping in from the madness of the A to Z...
Writer In Transit

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I've had that happen to my water heater. Apparently, that's the only way a water heater tells you it's done. So we can both look forward to it happening again someday.

Great.

What a mess! Do you at least have an excuse not to vacuum for a while?

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

My sincere sympathy for the death of you vacuum and heater. Services will be expensive and grief will follow but know they gave their all for you for as long as they could.

Ms Misantropia said...

ALL. THE. TIME.
Right now we can't use the sink, the dishwasher or the stove in the kitchen. Needless to say, there's been a lot of burgers and pizza eaten lately...

TheCyborgMom said...

Ugh! What a week you had! Losing the water heater is the worst...it means cold showers until you can get a new one! Not fun. And when the vacuum cleaner goes...seems like the dust and dirt accumulates faster, no?
~Katie
TheCyborgMom

Inge H. Borg said...

My first thought was: "Oh, no! Her new kitchen."
A couple of months ago, my heat pump (silly heating/cooling invention used in the Southern US) quit. I fiddled with the breaker, and a few times it worked again. Turns out, wasn't the pump at all; the circuit breaker had melted! Glad it didn't burn the house down.
But you seem to be taking it all in stride with your usual aplomb. Just don't make it the proverbial three things.

Cathy Kennedy said...

Lexa, Oh, definitely! In our almost 37 years of marriage we've replaced: one hot water heater and our current one is almost 16-years old so you know it can't last much longer, three washing machines, two dryers, one refrigerator, one stove, and five window air conditioners. Of course, we've replaced microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, and other smaller appliances over the years that are relatively painless, except for the cost. The major appliances are real back breakers to take out and install. I hope nothing tears up, knock on wood, while DH is unemployed. Well, one of his crowns (it's 30+ years old)came off last night. I hope it's not damaged, cross fingers, and can just be glued back on. At least no one was hurt in your loses other than your wallet. Thanks for stopping by and have a good weekend, my friend!
~Curious as a Cathy
All Things Vintage: Hershey chocolate #AprilA2Z

Cathy Keaton said...

I'm so sorry to hear about these appliance problems! Pretty scary when you first discover them.

mshatch said...

Right now my washer doesn't work, but it's attached to my dryer which does, so...I get to go to the laundromat (ugh). Sorry you lost your appliances :(

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It's sad to see them go when they finally give up the ghost... but often new, shinier, more efficient friends come to stay as replacements. ;)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Be sure to stop by today Lexa!

Misha Gerrick said...

Sounds like you had a dramatic week. I don't think something like that has happened to me. Or maybe I blocked it out. :-D

Catherine Stine said...

Household items seem to break down at the worst times! We've had a few doozies, including a spectacular and rather scary burnout of our hot water boiler.

Unknown said...

ugh YES. And it always happens in twos or threes. When my family had no money after my dad lost his job we kept having things fall apart. Our stove broke, our vacuum, and our air conditioner all at once! And no money to fix a thing!

Sherry Ellis said...

Sorry about your household casualties. Those stink! I've had pipes burst in our upstairs bathroom, completely destroying our downstairs ceiling, flooding our kitchen. Definitely not fun!

Julia Thorley said...

My boiler is 16 years old and every time I get it serviced the plumber sucks air in through his teeth and tells me it's on its way out. I shall wait until it dies before I replace it - it's going to cost £many.

Libby said...

You poor guys! I live in fear of a major household breakdown. Good for you for looking on the bright side. :)

Denise Covey said...

It's funny how appliances all break down at once. My dishwasher carked it, now my cooktop has half died, and my oven has joined the party. Looks like I need to eat out more often!

Kelley said...

Word. It could be worse, and I'm glad it wasn't!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Lexa, sorry for the late visit. The A to Z is knocking the stuffing outa me. LOL
Talking about appliances on the fritz. My dishwasher is toast, my oven caught fire, and my refrigerator that is self cleaning, drips water on a continuous basis that freezes into a catch all on the top shelf. All three items were brand new not that long ago. It really pisses me off because when we moved into the house it had a refrigerator that worked and had for twenty years, we used it for another 10 and now this piece of crap that cost a fortune doesn't!!!!
Same with the dishwasher and the stove. This is the second time the elements in the stove have exploded and the dishwasher has flooded the floor!
Sorry, got on a rant because this is ridiculous! LOL
Hope all is fixed and the world right itself soon, for both of us! :)

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Where do I start? I came home to find my dishwasher has dementia. It won't add water. The two tires in the back of my car are balled. A huge boulder smashed into my windshield, and it looks like the holding tank for the water coming into the house needs to be replaced. (Big sigh)

Other than that, it's been a super spring.

Nas said...

Oh sorry for the breakdown. And thanks for sharing all the giveaway links.

Nas said...

The vacuum cleaner and the water heater? Same time? Oh, no!

Unknown said...

Yikes! Sounds like quite a mess! It's nice to get new appliances, but not all at once. Hope you had a quiet week after all that excitement!

Gina Gao said...

That sucks! I'm sorry to hear about your troubles.

https://ficklemillennial.wordpress.com/

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

I lost an air conditioner and a dishwasher. Both gave off dangerous smelling acrid smoke which was scary, frankly.
I replaced the air conditioner for free because it was under warranty (now there's and interesting story!) but the dishwasher cost me over 700 dollars. Fie, fie, rat dishwasher!

Jean

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