New Stuff for a New Year

For a while now, (8mos?) our Dishwasher has been choosing not to wash. It has never been a great dishwasher, things if not pre-washed thoroughly, come out with clean food stuck to them. Every so often, the detergent cup would not open, and lots of water would run over our dishes, but none would be cleaned. Then, right before Thanksgiving part of the lower rack rusted off and every time we ran it I was concerned that little pieces of rust were getting all over our "clean" dishes. We bit the bullet, and ordered a new dishwasher on line. It arrived on New Year's Eve and Scott put it in on New Year's day, and our dishes are sparkling clean, EVERY TIME.

Then...the DAY we were leaving for Sacramento, our dryer stopped drying. We were sure it was an easy fix, but we've been talking about getting new front loaders for a long time. I've actually been talking about it for years now, and Scott just started listening instead of saying "those are way too expensive" I think something about washing and drying a minimum of 7 loads of laundry a week, and a cost analysis of water, electricity and gas savings, caused him to change his tune to--"when these break, we should definitely consider front loaders."

In my world, I can't be with out a dryer for too long, again, a MINIMUM of 7 loads a week, and that is if Evan isn't in a "I'm going to throw up at every meal, and change my clothes 16 times a day" phase. So the decision was made, it was faster, much faster than-- waiting until we got back from Christmas to figure out what is wrong, order the part, wait for the part, wait for the weekend for Scott to put in the part, find out we need another part, wait for the part, wait for the weekend--to get a new washer and dryer.

While we in Sacramento, we went and ordered our new front loading washer and dryer...(he, he, he) We then cancelled the order for the washer because of a $175 point of purchase rebate from the San Diego County Water Authority, we HAD to buy the washer in San Diego, Right???? $175 bucks pays for a lot of new High Efficiency laundry detergent!!! (don't even get me started on having to buy special soap!) Scott went to our local Depot, and ordered the washer on New Year's Eve, and everything arrived on Thursday. Scott had them in on Thursday night, and I did 10 loads of laundry by Saturday Night.

People were making fun of me for the panic I felt over not having a dryer, This is an enormous the pile of clean laundry. The picture doesn't really show how enormous, (and I washed 2 small loads and hung them to dry in the few days we had no dryer) but it is a LOT of clothes, in 4 days!!! (I'm not sure why we have so much laundry, we always have, even for 2 people I was always washing clothes, now with the boys, geesh)

Scott helped fold, but I basically started at 7:45, and it was almost 10 before all the clothes were folded and put away. (Scott's are still in a basket, I just didn't have the energy)

I have to say, I'm pretty giddy, (Sad, it used to be a new ipod, or Tivo that made me this giddy, now its washers and dryers) these new toys are great and are already making my life easier, even if the washing and drying is endless...I've got a load in the dryer now.