Couldn't live without my...

1. DVR(aka TIVO): Anyone with kids HAS to agree with me! I don't watch a lot of t.v, but what I do watch is not appropriate for Katelyn. (Have I mentioned how many times I've watched "Twilight"?) I don't even like her to watch the evening news-at 4 yrs. old she doesn't need to be aware of the very scary adult realities like war, disease, violence, etc. I don't want her worried about those things. She'll do "current events" in Elem. school, that will be soon enough. I do love that I can record Katelyn's favorite shows because she likes to watch them over & over. We've saved a fortune on buying DVDs by having DVR, which is what about 5 bucks a month?

2. Washer & Dryer: Seems like a silly one to list because we've all always had them. Right? But my parents didn't have a washer & dryer when my brother and I were little. That's 2 babies in CLOTH diapers! Can you even imagine? My dad won a washer in a sales contest with Campbell Soup when I was about 2, but didn't get a dryer till a few years later. My mom was thrilled to have the washer, but she still had to hang all of her clothes out to dry on a line. Again, can you even imagine?? Has your washer or dryer ever broken down, even for a day? Need I say more?

3. How about this computer that I'm writing this post on right now? Would you believe that I went through undergraduate and graduate school with a Brother typewriter? Can you say White-Out??? P.C.'s didn't become popular nor affordable until well after my college years. In fact I didn't even get a computer until after I was married, and this laptop is actually my 2nd computer-thanks, Mike!!! I seriously don't know what I'd do without my computer. I keep in touch with my friends, get the news, post on my blogs, research, shop, bank, etc...all on my computer-it's like an appendage, my third arm. When I take more classes at some point, it will be SO much easier to write those papers-I may even be taking those classes VIA my computer.

4. My mother has never had a microwave oven, a dishwasher, or a coffee maker. Again, I ask, can you EVEN imagine??? I hate doing dishes by hand! It was my job as a kid. Growing up with my dad we actually had a dishwasher, but he didn't let us use it in order to save money on the utility bills. Sorry, dad, but SO not worth it to me now!! I can appreciate where you were coming from; but all I can say is load that puppy up and let 'er run!! A microwave? I use my microwave every day and many many times a day-I could not live without a microwave!! But I remember when we got our first microwave, I was a preteen (my dad still has the same one too!!). It's amazing that generations of people lived without microwave ovens, but I could not live without mine! Ever make coffee on the stove in a pot or an old perculator? That's how my mom always made her coffee. I can't imagine having to do that-give me a "Mr. Coffee" anyday or better yet the nearest Starbucks!

5. Do you remember when you were a kid and the phone would ring & you'd have no idea who it was? Or if you were gone for a while whether or not someone had called? Or when you picked up the phone to call your buddy to play & the line was actually busy? Right. Well, I could not live without Caller-ID, Call-Waiting, or an answering machine. First of all, I want to know who's calling me so I can decide if I'm going to answer or not. I don't want to take the chance that I get a telemarketer or a charity(because I can't say no). Secondly, if I'm already talking to someone, I want to know if someone else is trying to call me so I can click over. Let's be real, I don't want to miss out on anything. It might be really important. Then again it might just be someone else I'd rather talk to(if I'm being honest). And lastly, if I'm not home (or even if I am) I need an answering machine for people to leave me their message; because there again I don't want to miss out on anything remotely important or interesting. Not only do I need to be completely tele-connected when I'm at home, but I don't want to deprive anyone of the opportunity to talk to me while I'm gone. Hence, a cell phone-a must-have!! I would not feel comfortable driving my daughter anywhere without the ability to call for help if I needed it. I was 16 when my dad showed me how to change a tire. That was a LONG time ago!

6. GOD bless the person who invented the crockpot. I suppose if I had to, I could live without a crockpot, but man I would hate it. I love that you can put a whole meal together at noon when you still have the energy and inclination to want to cook, and everything's ready to go by 6 o'clock! On summer days, you don't have to use the oven and heat up your already hot house. The meat is AlWAYS tender! The clean-up is a breeze. You can spend the whole afternoon doing other things and not have to worry about getting dinner made cause it's done. Gotta love that!

7. A digital camera. I fully admit I was slow to join the rest of humanity when it comes to this technology. But now that I have a digital camera, I can't imagine ever taking another picture and not being able to see the results immediately. Afterall, just about everything I've listed is about instant gratification and saving time.

I know there are more things to list, but I'll end here. I would just like to say "thank you" to the smart people who invented some of my favorite things I couldn't live without. When I think about the women of generations ago, I really appreciate all of the modern things I have that make my life SO much easier. Things I know I take for granted that they didn't have like: indoor plumbing, a vacumm cleaner, electricity, a refrigerator & even one that makes ice and water, CD's-MUSIC!!!!!-oh my goodness, can you imagine not being able to turn on the radio in your car, or play your favorite CD's?? I love music-music has always been a huge part of my life. I can remember eight-track tapes & 45's(now I really sound old!!) How about DVD'S-I remember when VHS tapes were new & Blockbuster was a brand new store! Now you can't even rent or buy VHS tapes!

Sometimes I think ahead to twenty or thirty years from now and wonder what will these things look like then? When my daughter is married and having Thanksgiving dinner in her own home, what will her kitchen appliances be like? How will computers have changed? What will we be driving? How will we be "talking" to one another?? Most of the things I listed above did not exist 39 years ago when I was born. What will the world be like 39 years from now? Do you ever wonder?