Defrosting the Freezer

Our first major purchase as a married couple was a stand-up freezer, and it ranks in my top 10 favorite purchases of our married life.  Weird, huh?

Ok, so I am not a hoarder, per se.  But I grew up pre-planning meals up to 2-4 weeks in advance and buying in bulk (1 month’s worth at a time except for bread, eggs and milk) to save money.  And although my life as an on-the-go family of 6 is forced to be a little more flexible these days, at heart I am still most comfortable with this method of meal-management and my freezer reflects this.

So for those of you who can relate because you have one of your own, or at least have a grandmother who has a stand-up freezer, you probably know that from time to time it requires defrosting, to get rid of the mounds of ice buildup that will accumulate on the coils.  And for anyone who has ever lived for any length with a well-stocked stand-up freezer, you also know that every now and then, disaster strikes when for some reason your freezer defrosts without your knowledge or consent.  (Usually meaning either the power goes out for a couple of days, the breaker flips in your garage, or someone forgets to make sure the freezer door is completely shut.)

So yeah.  School just started, crazy fall is here, I’ve been on a kick lately to get things “in order” and of course at this very moment I have meals planned out for 2 weeks and my freezer is completely stocked.

Was.  Was completely stocked.  As in now is mostly empty.

(I would have before pictures, but I was sobbing too hard and on my knees trying not to hyperventilate.  I wish I was exaggerating.) 

One large black garbage bag (double-bagged) filled with pork loin, pork chops, steak, shrimp, fish, chicken, hamburger, plus about a dozen Lean Cuisines and several large bags of processed chicken products now on its way to the dumpster.  You do the math.  The only thing that saved my sanity was the fact that I had just been to the Tyson company store and bought a large box of boneless chicken breast…but I hadn’t opened it yet and distributed it into freezer baggies so it was still frozen.  If I had, that would have all been gone too and I think I might not have recovered.

I guess all of this is to remind me that no matter how much I plan and dictate, my life is not in my hands.  I am not in control.  And regardless of my feelings at this very moment, I know that is a good thing.

On the bright side, my freezer is defrosted now.