Baby, It's Cool Inside

I received this mini, electric cooler as a gift two Christmases ago.

I wasn't sure what I would do with the cooler, so it's been stored in the basement. Every few months Charlotte would spot it and ask if she could have it in her room. We, of course, said no. A cooler that looks like a beer can has no place in a little girl's room. Char would argue back about all the things she could do if she had that cooler in her room, but our answer was always no.

But she got me thinking. I remember when Daphne's band students could earn prizes if they sold enough magazine subscriptions for the music program's fundraiser. One of the prizes that the kids were really excited about was an electric cooler for their room. Maybe that wasn't such a crazy idea.

Last month I spotted a used dorm fridge for sale that was dented, dirty, and missing the center rack. I told Daphne that I passed on it, but she agreed that if I found a nicer one, we could give it to Char. I've been checking Craigslist and letgo.com for a few weeks, but I hadn't seen anything close to us for a decent price.

Last Sunday I found a nicer one at the Many Hands thrift store. It was complete and labeled as tested and working. Sold! Charlotte and Daphne wouldn't be home until late on Sunday night, so after a thorough cleaning I hid the refrigerator in Char's room under a blanket.

The fridge was stocked with bottled water, applesauce, string cheese, and yogurt. On setting number 7 (the highest), the unit ran all night. I suprised Char with refridgerator in the morning ("How did I not see that!"), but almost everything inside was frozen. Yeah, this fridge works!

I dialed it down to 3.5, and Char's fridge now keeps everything cool while it quietly and contentedly hums on and off. Char added the plastic forks and spoons for when she has guests. She explained, "We can use the top like a table."

Speaking of cool, Char wanted to make this all her own. To do that, we started by making a few custom stickers. This was just the trial run, and these stickers are too small. I like her humor, though.

On eBay you can buy packs of 50 random stickers from China for a few bucks. I keep these packs around the house for circumstances just like this. Taa Daa! Each sticker was picked and placed by Charlotte.

Char wants to add a "Sorry, Sold Out." sticker beneath the Red Bull and Monster images because she doesn't drink caffeine. Then she should be done... for now... who knows what this thing will look like by next year?