Sunbeam Mixmaster Complete

It all started with a yellow Sunbeam Mixmaster model 1-7A circa 1981. It was $8, but without a bowl or beaters. I am relentless, though, so there began my journey to find all the pieces so that one day I would be whipping out cookie dough and cupcake batter as far as the eye could see!

What began as a simple ebay search turned into something much more. I thought it would be simple, seeing as how I found many bowls that matched. Little did I know what started out as a $5 bid would turn into me watching because fight to an ending bid of $45. For a bowl? Beaters, you ask? $0.99 ends in $36. You have got to be kidding me! I paid $8 for the whole machine! I began feeling really upset about this whole mixer business. I thought I was going to have to be close to a hundred into just to be able to use it. I might as well just put the machine in the kitchen as a piece of conversation and wait for someone to buy us a Kitchenaid Mixer at the wedding shower. Then again, I don't give up easily. No, I would find that bowl and beaters and I was most certainly not paying $45 for anything.

Three weeks ago I determined that I would comb every thrift store, yard sale, and flea market until I found them. Two Sundays ago I walked into Goodwill as soon as the door opened at 1pm to let Kasey try on a blazer I was going to buy him the week before. I searched every corner of the house ware section until I was going to give up for this trip and wait till next time when I looked up and in some random shelf was this:

I knew it was a Sunbeam bowl without even having to look at it twice. It was dirty and smudged with years of use...and...it...was...mine!!! I think I might have let out a little squeal as I took it down from the shelf and read the $2 price sticker. It was identical to the ones I had stalked on ebay and on old Sunbeam Mixmaster ads.

Fast forward to today where I stalked through two different libraries to acquire all of these:

What can I say? I'm having a John Green kind of week. And I have been meaning to read The Hunger Games for about two years. I'm really excited about jumping in now that Catching Fire and Mockingjay are already out.

Anyways, I didn't really go thrifting today for myself. Amber is directing her own show in a few weeks of Alice in Wonderland and we were in pursuit to fill a huge box full of plates, teacups, and random things for the show.

By chance I thought I would go through the silverware and look at all the beaters, yet again for the billionth time these last couple weeks. I honestly did not expect to find anything. But then...I did. Again they were the same style I had been seeing on ebay. The beaters have been hard to identify as the right ones because they are not made with any model numbers. It's basically and hit or miss game. I was hoping for a hit. I danced to the checkout counter to hand her all $2 of the purchase price.

"I really hope these fit my mixer I bought here the other week!"

She smiled and put them in a bag, "Well you just take these home and see if they fit and just bring them back or pay me later this week. I know you will; you're in here every other day."

I went home in a daze, dug the mixer out of the numerous rubber storage bins now living in the spare room that are full of stuff I have gotten the last couple months for the future home, and said a prayer as I paused to stick them in the slots. I then they clicked. It was the best sound in the world. It felt like when you zip up they dress you have been longing to buy and it just fits.

I ran with it to the kitchen, plugged it in, and jumped in place for a good five minutes as I watched it spin and listened to the motor sing sweet mixing sounds.

Even though these are actually the dough hooks, but I still plan on using them to make some serious cookies this week. I know without a doubt in my mind I will find the regular set of beaters soon. I am so thankful that I keep getting blessed with all these amazing finds. It feel so good to find something then actually be able to search and discover all these pieces they go with it too. I feel accomplished!

So it's complete, mostly. It's really nice to think of the family that owned the mixer and all the wonderful things they created with it over the years. And also the other family who owned the bowl and the other other family that owned the dough hooks. So many pieces from so many different places that have been put together to now be a part of mine and Kasey's home.

Thrifting = happiness.