The saga of our new appliances

On our to-do list for the new house was new appliances. More than one burner rarely got hot on the stove. It looked like the previous owner's son used the fridge for a punching bag, and we were holding our ketchup in the door by bungee cords due to the lack of shelves (likely ripped off).

The inside of the dishwasher looked like it had been hit by a bus. The top rack didn't adjust, the silverware keeper was in a stupid place, and the door to hold the detergent wouldn't close. Good times.

Sears had a ginormous Presidents Day sale on their Kenmore appliances, and on a whim we visited a store. J fell in love with a french door fridge. In love. I think if it could babysit S, he might have traded me in for it ;) We took measurements and figured it would just...barely...fit in our kitchen space, as long as we cut part of the upper cabinet and finagled with a few things. So Wednesday night we ordered all 3 appliances and waited for them to show.

Yesterday the fridge and range came. No "installation" needed, so just a quick drop and run, right? Well...

The range went right in with no problem. So pretty. The fridge? Well, J had to get out his power tools and cut a bit more out of the upper cabinet and part of the countertop. It's OK, I hate that countertop anyway. The fridge is a snug fit, but it's beautiful, and we love it.

Today was dishwasher delivery and installation day. Thank goodness the guy said he'd come early. First he had to jimmy the old dishwasher over 2 layers of linoleum and a lip of new tile. Then he had to reconfigure the electrical and plumbing lines. Just when he was hitting the home stretch, he called me into the kitchen and asked if I really wanted a stainless steel dishwasher?

Yep, they placed an order for a SS washer instead of black like the other appliances. I know, first world problems. But here was a hole in my kitchen, a brand new dishwasher on its back on the floor, and an irate customer. Fortunately a quick call to Sears assured me of 3 things: 1. They would order a new dishwasher to be installed by our contractor who was still standing in our kitchen; 2. We'd save $ since black was cheaper than stainless steel; and 3. We were more than welcome to have the stainless steel washer installed and used until the right color showed up at our door. At which point the poor guy will have to yank it out of the wall and put the new one in.

Somehow through all of this, S was a perfect angel. She was fascinated by the installer, and wanted to "help" him, but knew not to touch his tools. And she went down for a nap with no fighting, which was a complete 180 from yesterday's nap and sleep debacle.

So here I sit while the new dishwasher goes in. To be replaced on Wednesday or thereabouts. Good times.

Hats, and the cutest video ever

Easter hat from the Dollar Section at Target

This is actually my hat, but we share :)

I love how she says, "Happy Day!"

Big day/night around here

A certain someone got out of her crib after her nap on Tuesday. Then she demonstrated to me how she swung that leg over the side and wrangled right out of baby jail.

So that night, J took the side off the crib and S started her transition to a big girl bed.

Good times

Fencer in training

Daddy is so proud

Book reviews

Yeah, I can't believe I'm typing it either. I'm a SAHM of a 2yo and I have time to read. I have no idea how this happened.

I got a LOT of books for Christmas, and I've been plowing through them as quickly as I can before I lose this time I've gotten all of a sudden. First up:

(All images pulled off of amazon.com, BTW)

I've read every one of Janet Evanovich's numbered novels (and a few off-tangent books as well). No. 17 ended with a cliffhanger of sorts, so it was fun to see how she was going to get herself out of her latest mess. As usual, I read this in a day.

Next up:

Awful, awful, awful (sorry Mom). I guess if you're a PD James fan and have never read Jane Austen, you might like (or even love) it. Dame James tried to write in Jane's style, but it just doesn't translate well in a modern author's hands.

In the middle of all that, an oldie but a goodie:

I'm pretty sure this is out of print, but you can get a copy off of Amazon for $5. GREAT book. I read it a couple of decades ago, and had forgotten all the fun one person can have in a book. I hated to see it end. This really should be made into a movie (are you reading, Paul?). Colin Firth would make a great lead I think ;)

After that I got into:

I loved this book for so many reasons. It explores the issues surrounding the first immortal cell line. And if you've worked in a biology lab since about 1955, you've probably worked with HeLa cells. I've handled a few million in my day. Ms Lacks also died at Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore, and I met one of the scientists the author talked to. I knew all the places in the Baltimore area that the author went to do some of her research. And the woman's story, and that of her family, were so compelling, it was almost impossible to put this book down. At time depressingly tragic, it really turned into a labor of love.

After that, I wanted to get to something a bit more...frivolous:

I can't tell you how many times I've read this. And I'm getting sucked into the story. Again.

I have no idea what I'll read next. Maybe that cookbook/memoir that I just got. Maybe something on the living room shelf. I'll let you know ;)