The Country Crafter: Pretty vs. Functional

Is it better to have something pretty or functional...or both? What if you can't have both? You have to choose....pretty or functional?

When I was younger, I would have said, hands down, PRETTY! However, as I have grown older and wiser, I have learned that sometimes pretty is not always best. Sometime functionality is best. And, what you can afford.

Take, for example, a washing machine. It is a functional thing. However, if the machine stops working, it is not functional any longer. Or is it? We had a washing machine and it worked great, until one day, I walked into the laundry room and into a puddle of water! The water pump had stopped functioning. A pretty easy fix, but this was my excuse to get another one. We have replaced this machine with a 'new to us' washing machine.

The old washing machine has set on our back porch for a couple of years. We wanted to get us a new fire pit, but the bathroom and laundry room remodel took that money we set aside and then some. So, I had to figure out how to get us a fire pit. James and I love to sit outside on cool nights and just fire up the pit and relax. We have our best conversations doing this. We get our best ideas sitting watching the flames flicker in the darkness. It's quiet. It's just us. We connect and reconnect with each other. I had to get us a fire pit. Our marriage depended on this!!!

While researching fire pits one day, I came across some photos on a Google search using a old washing machine tub. BINGO! I had the old washing machine, FREEEEEE! and my marriage has been saved! Or was it?

Yesterday, I asked James if he could possibly get the tub out of the machine so we could see how this would work, if indeed, it even would work. It took some loud bangs. It caused some cursing. But, in the end, James and SIL got the tub out. It was covered in plastic, which no one could get off. So, they threw it in a fire...a very HOT fire of years old tree trunks that were burning. I almost cried. I just KNEW my tub, my fire pit would melt. I held my breath. And after about 45 minutes, James took it (carefully) out of the hot fire (using a long metal pole) and it was still in tack! I was happy.

Part 2
Today, I was sitting outside under the gazebo trying to figure out where to put all these pieces of wood we use as fire starter for the pit. We had them in buckets, cans, milk crates, anything that we could find to put the sticks in. I looked at James and said, "I sure wished I had a big bucket....." and then it came to me.

Last year, we bought some chickens. We also bought a chicken coop to keep the baby chickens in until they got big enough to not be in that little coop. And, it has sat outside since. My idea: we put the sticks INSIDE the coop, set it beside the fire pit and it was perfect!

Is it pretty? Is it functional? Is it FREE? No, it's not that pretty. Yes, it is functional and yes, it cost me nothing...except time. Sometimes having something that is free and functional is a lot better than spending thousands of dollars you don't have on something that is just pretty and won't last as long. After James threw the tub into that burning hotter than ____ fire, I knew that washing machine tub would last for a long time. We took some cinder blocks, made a half circle and place the WM tub fire pit in the middle. We still need to get some high heat paint to paint it, but at night, this thing is gorgeous!!!