Countertop Ice Machine

I know it sounds pretty silly to say that something like a countertop ice machine could bring some happiness into my life, but please allow me to explain. You see, it’s been years since I’ve been able to enjoy a simple party with my friends and family. Most people take these “get togethers” for granted and probably don’t appreciate how meaningful they can be for some of us.

You see, I’ve struggled with a chronic illness that would always leave me weak, exhausted, or jittery, and I spent most of the time spaced out on the couch or just lying in bed. When I felt a tiny bit of energy, I usually spent it feeling sorry for myself and wasn’t exactly in the mood to play host for a party – even if others offered to do most of the physical work for me.

But after years of struggle and searching for answers, things have slowly gotten better for me, and I’ve been able to enjoy some better health and good times with my loved ones. Having overcome so many obstacles and feeling so grateful, I wanted to celebrate with my old friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in quite a while!

So, as you might have guessed already, I invited a few friends to a party at my house to catch up and enjoy a little junk food (I really missed that stuff after trying every health and wellness diet under the sun).

The only thing was that my friends and I love ice in my drinks, and there were going to be a few people over for a change. Not only that, but some of my friends have joined me on the wellness journey and have even become virtual health nuts, which means they prefer to use spring or distilled water (even in their ice).

My sister had the great idea of buying me a portable ice maker – just a simple standalone unit that I could place on the kitchen countertop or some other convenient place.

There were several things we liked about the Avalon Bay unit. First of all, it can start making ice in as little as six minutes, and it can supposedly make up to 26 pounds of ice per day! Of course, we weren’t trying to test the limits of the machine or break any world records. We just wanted a convenient countertop machine that was easy to use. Also, we really liked the fact that the bottom drain would allow for easy cleaning of the machine.

In case you were wondering, the unit dimensions were 11 x 14.8 x 14.7 inches. It does weigh 20 pounds, which isn’t too bad, but it’s not exactly a featherweight either.

If you’re getting ready for a party or family gathering yourself, or even if you would just like to make your own ice from your choice of water, I recommend you take a look at the item below.

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6 Quart Ice Cream Maker

As an ice cream lover, one of the best decisions I ever made was to get my own machine, specifically a 6 quart Ice Cream Maker from Nostalgia.

We had never used one of these in my family before, as we were always content to go to Cold Stone Creamery or Braum’s to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. Lately, though, I had been remembering how an elementary school teacher had made “homemade” ice cream for us using one of these, and I really wanted to try it out.

I’m so glad we did. It really is a lot of fun to make your own ice cream, and, of course, you get to enjoy the fruit of your labor too! Just be sure to be kind and share with the rest of the family!

We had a real blast, and our only problem was trying to keep Honey, our 7 year-old Golden Retriever, away from the ice cream! Don’t worry, we let her try some for sure. Good thing we went with vanilla instead of chocolate for our first batch!

Now I love nostalgic things, but I’m also kind of lazy when it comes right down to it. So I really prefer to get an electric machine instead of having to do all of the work myself. (Yeah, I know it’s a character flaw, but what are you going to do, right?)

What I liked about this product was that it had an old-fashioned look and feel to it, including real wood for the main unit. The canister inside is plastic, which makes it easier to clean, but not as expensive as the stainless steel models.

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