Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Works for me Wednesday

I thought I'd try my hand at a little thing called Works for me Wednesday. On Wednesdays, over at Rocks in my Dryer, people post about a good idea they'd like to share. And Shannon lists all the links on her site so everyone can check them out. Here's mine:

I got a lovely blender when I got married. See how mid-nineties it is?


Since I've been married now since, well, the mid nineties, the glass container for the blender has either been broken, stolen or just didn't want to make the move with us so many years ago. So, do I throw out a perfectly good piece of machinery because it's missing a very important accesory? Do I replace the accesory with one I found at Target, online, at a thrift store? Do I let it sit in my cabinet until I come up with an answer?

First, no, I do not throw away a very good piece of machinery. Just, no.
Second, if I had any forethought, I would replace it with one from any one of the above mentioned places. If I had any forethought.
Third, I did let it sit in my cabinet until someone, and I'm sorry I can't remember who, gave me this blender-saving tip.

You start with a jar of spaghetti sauce from your favorite grocery store. Go ahead and make dinner for your family, you're going to use that empty jar for dessert later.


Then, you peel the labels off, because you have an unhealthy obsession with peeling things, and clean the jar thoroughly. See how beautiful the clean, empty jar is in the evening sun?


I love that the name MASON is pressed into the glass. It's a nice touch, don't you think?


Now, at this point I should tell you that because I throw away no useful thing, I still happened to have saved the blender parts. They were just sitting nicely next to the blender waiting to fulfill their destiny.


Take the rubber gasket. At least, I think it's a gasket. Sounds better than round rubber thingy. Anyway, take that thingy and put it over the blade piece so it's resting against the plastic base.


Here's where things get interesting...and personal. Pick your favorite blendable concoction. Say, bananas and strawberries, or strawberries and blueberries or rocky road or shoot, how about margarita mix and ice. The point is, I decided to let you use your imagination on this one because I didn't want you to get distracted by my choice of smoothie fruit and stop reading this post altogether because you detest bananas! (You know who you are!)

So, with your jar filled with whatever, invert the blade part, with the gasket in place, into the mouth of the jar like so.


Now put the only piece that's left over the top of that and screw it on.


Turn the whole thing upside down and place in your blender. There's only one place. It's not rocket science.


It should look like this. Again, not rocket science.


Now it's time to unscrew the lid


and enjoy! (Again, we're imagining here.)



So, here's to your health, to heck with my diet or bottom's up. Whichever applies!



It may not be much, but it works for me!

***Important Update*** The person who gave me this idea has come out of the woodwork! Her name is Erica and she's divine! She is very artsy and clever and loves to multi-task. Thus, the great blender idea! She doesn't have a blog or a website at the moment, but when she does, I will direct everyone I know and even those I don't to her wonderful craftiness!

19 comments:

Lydianna Bradford said...

Wow! I'm speechless. Really. I had to read it like 4 times. I'm still not sure how the stuff doesn't fall out when you lift it off the blender bottom, but seriously I'm in awe at your perseverance and creativity. That would have totally been in the trash at my house, a LONG time ago... but I'm so glad you were able to figure out a replacement container. I have a great blender, except the sound that it operates at the volume level of a small airplane.

That said, someone dropped a coffee cup into the inside of my crock pot one week during life group and it cracked the "crock" part. Do you know anything I can whip up into an affordable replacement?

I think your idea with Compassion is great. We supported a child some years ago but stopped a few years back. I think that it would be good for the girls to be a part of something like that so it may be something to reconsider.

Miss your beautiful family!!!

Minkydo said...

Great idea.

Pamelotta said...

The stuff doesn't fall out because the last ring you put on is screwed on tight. Sometimes, when I unscrew it, it gets a little messy, but it works!

Jendeis said...

You have definitely won the MacGyver award today!! Good job!

Heart of Wisdom said...

I am impressed. With my history I would have saved the item for ten years (just in case) and thrown it away.

I second the MacGyver award.

Thanks
Robin
http://heartofwisdom.com/heartathome

Amanda said...

Wow Pam! I never knew you were so cool! OK so I know you're pretty cool but this is a whole new level of coolness. I'm so going to buy a blender just so I can do this. I'll of course hide the container thingy first so the girls don't look at me like I'm a dork. (Which they do ALL the time!)

Britni said...

That's pretty impressive. I only know how to clean a blender not make a new one.

Anonymous said...

That is BRILLIANT!!! I love it. Wait until I show hubby. :)

Wifey said...

Genius! Now I know what to do if I ever loose/break my blender pitcher.

Mom2fur said...

Oh, get outta town on a railroad! This is innovation at it's finest! Your upside down blender is like those expensive bullet ones...for no real money!
Tell me, did you build your own house out of soda cans?

Anonymous said...

Hey- where did you come up with such a thing?

amyswandering said...

That is too cool - and a jar is so much easier to wash than the big blender thingy.
http://amyswandering.wordpress.com/

Jenn said...

What a great idea. Like someone said this is like the magic bullet - I have wanted one of these so I will have to give your tip a try.

Sandy M said...

I wish I had read this BEFORE I threw away the old blender, which worked much better than this new one I got. AWESOME idea!

Mamacita said...

Wow - now that is cool! Great tip!

God's Warrior Bride said...

You're so smart! And you make me thankful I'm a pack rat - I never throw anything away and now I can justify it.

Pamelotta said...

Happy to help.

Brandi Wilson said...

I am the Throw Away Queen and I love it. This post does not make me rethink my stand on broken things, but I will say I'm very impressed with this idea!

Something at the house broke one day while my Mother in Law was at the house. Jocie said, "If something breaks then my Poppa fixes it and my Mommy throws it in the trash."

Very smart idea!

Anonymous said...

Now that is the Coolest thing I have ever seen