I HATE SEARS!!!!

And they certainly show know respect toward me. Here is my venting story:

Last October we bought a new Washer and Dryer for the house! We got the Maytag Neptune top loading washer and front load gas dryer. There should have been a warning flag going off in my head when at the very first delivery they had the wrong dryer (they brought electric instead of gas) and it took them a week to get me a new one.

Then I kind of forgot about them for about 6 or 7 months in which everything was going fine. Then around the April/May area I had the first of the problems with the washer. The cycle would refuse to finish, the water wouldn't drain and I ended up with sopping wet cloths.

I called Sears, the scheduled a fix for a week later and then they were late for the time window. Then they needed to order parts, which took another week before they were back. I wasn't happy, but it was fixed eventually and life went on.

Then it was July and the same thing happened again. Unfortunately we were leaving the country and I didn't have time to deal with it. So we figured out ways to trick the washing machine and dealt with it until August when we were back. Then I called and waited the week till they were able to come. The guy was almost 2 hours late for his 5 hour time window. I had a appointment to get to about 20 minutes after he arrived and so I spent more time on the phone complaining (during the time he still wasn't there and was already late). He came, he made me late but he fixed the machine without ordering parts.

THIS FIX LASTED 3 DAYS! When the same unbalanced-non-load-finishing-soaking-wet-cloths problems started again I called again and this time I was really pissed. I'm not a mean angry pissed off person to the sears phone people. I'm just a stern, no nonsense, sick of being screwed person. It's not that persons fault, but it is their job to fix the problem and make me happy.

At this point I just wanted a new washing machine, but I let the technician come again (a week after I called) and he ordered new parts. This time it was a full electronic control board they were ordering. I tried calling the "No Lemon" department at this point, because I obviously had a lemon. I was told they would not replace my machine until there had been 4 repairs where they had to order parts. I'm sorry, but seeing as I had 3 repairs and 2 part orders and I was this frustrated... well no one should have to wait for 4 repairs with part order that take 2 weeks or more to complete.

At this point I went back to the store and through some back and forth the sales department at the store where I bought the machine agreed to let us return the washing machine (since it was still under manufacturers warranty and less than a year old) and give us credit toward a new machine. We did some research and choose to get the Kenmore HE3, which has great consumer report reviews. I was originally going to just get the front loading Neptune but that ones seems to have mildew problems that have been happening in models for years and Maytag hasn't fixed them - that’s just wrong. I won't buy Maytag anymore!

So we were happy with our new Kenmore choice and they were going to deliver only 3 days after I went in to purchase. That was today... today I got my new washing machine. Today they put it in and it looks pretty and I was excited. Today I did a load of towels - the first of many loads of laundry that need to be done (since we haven't had a washing machine for 2 weeks unless I was willing to spend the time to trick it). Today I ended up with a big puddle of water coming out from under the washing machine. Today I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Sears trying to turn off the still dripping water, stop the still gathering pools of water and get someone out here to fix it.

I don't understand why this last phone call was so hard. The problem is most likely pipe that came with the machine that is now leaking. What is so hard about sending someone back to fix this. They didn't want to send anyone till Friday and then acted like they were doing me a favor by changing that to Thursday.

I'm sorry, but after everything they have put me threw and the fact that this was dealing with dripping water - OF COURSE THEY SHOULD HAVE SOMEONE RIGHT BACK HERE EVEN IF IT MEANS SOME OVER TIME! It should not have taken me an hour and a half to talk them into sending someone tomorrow. This is just wrong.

So I finally got the water off and they are coming tomorrow. The couldn't even give me the 3 or 5 hour time window, I have to stay here all day long to wait for them. No exercise class, no errands for me. Unless they get here early, which I doubt.

Okay, that’s my rant. Sears just pisses me off!

Paging through Dwell I found this gorgous tv console table.

It's beautiful, I feel in love! Then I looked it up online and found the price. :(

Why?!! I say Why???!!!!!????

Today was a really good day. It’s hard to explain the feeling of just well pure content that I have right now. I'm not sure if I've ever felt this good and its for no other reason than a good day with Kevin.

A good morning (if you know what I mean) and we actually got up at a decent time and decided to go out. Often weekends we bum around too much in the morning and then get frustrated when we have to rush to get anything done (I really wish stores operated on Rachel time instead of closing so early).

Anyway we went to view an open house for some condos made by the same builder who is putting the houses in across the street from us. We wanted to see the quality. While yes, they do still have that "exactly the same as the rest" kind of feel, the quality is pretty good.

On the way to open house we saw a sign for an estate sale and decided to stop after. We had so much fun! I had that odd nostalgia feeling for people I had never met. The place felt and smelled like grandparents (well great grandparents to me - I have a young family and still have a great grandmother alive at 89 or 90 years old I think). It just felt so like visiting my great grandparents - it was good. We bought several things
- some tailored suit coats that fit Kevin perfectly and were very nice
- a beautiful red dress my mother might be able to wear at my sisters wedding
- a great green bow tie complete with shamrock and Irish pipe
- and a lawn gnome
Kevin had a very hard time passing up an old eight track player with cassette converter. I love him for wanting it, I love him more for passing it up anyway. ;)

We picked up food and decided it was time for our third trip to Patio World to look at furniture for the back yard. Third trip because so far things had been coming out close to right, but never quite what we wanted - however recently having visited another store we changed our mind about stone vs. wood and decided to see what we could find with our new perspective. It worked; we found exactly the right table and chairs. I'll post a link later.

Returning him I was thrilled to find that B&H Photo had decided to send me (well and phoenixfeather) a 700 pg catalog of things I could buy. This is my new bible, I fawn and drool just looking at it. I think Kevin is getting jealous. Jealousy or not we put it too good use as we knew there were a few things we needed for traveling, specifically better traveling bags for our equipment. So we went to Keeble and Shuchat, picked out the pieces we liked best for our needs and then went back to the car to check prices on those items at B&H. We are saving so much money doing it there, and we still got to see the bags in person first. Prolly not fair to K&S - but we do also buy from them at times so it shouldn't be too horrible.

Kevin and I did a little more shopping and then had lemonade at a cafe and talked through our to do list for the week. It was nice and relaxing and refreshing and productive. Those words don't often seem to go together.

Home again we vegged. Did some research, ordered Thai food, watched a ton of Sex in the City episodes while also doing a little work on our computers. We have been sitting here side by side most of the night, computers on laps, discussing our activities (Kevin has been playing poker and winning a lot - thank you someone for paying for the new patio furniture. I'm updating old photo albums into the format and working on a dynamic archive).

Its been a wonderful evening sitting here. Some times I feel like the computers cut us off from each other. For that reason we have purposly had them in the living room less and less. Tonight it just worked.

So now I'm tired - its sleeping time. I just needed to share my content!

I'm sitting in the office, upstairs next to the closet that contains the monstrosity of a water heater that came with this house. Its huge, its evil and its leaving today... I hope.

We bought a new one at home depot yesterday and right now the poor guys sent to take care of this are trying to take it away.

Its a 115 gallon 15 year old water heater sitting on the second floor of our house and its bottom was starting to bulge with a slow leak and rust flaking off.

Why you may ask do we have a f#*@!&@ing 115 gallon water heater. Well I'll tell you! It was some stupid code at the time the house was built, that required a solar powered water heater, and apparently they need to be of this size. Its dumb, its evil and its going going... soon to be gone.

Provided we don't ruin the house in the process.

I have been cleaning and organizing our house for weeks now. Kevin moved into this town house about a year ago and I moved in not long after. We have spent most of the year without even really unpacking.

Finally this summer, with a lot of help from Ali I got started on cleaning and organizing the bedroom and then a good start on the living/dining room. After that great start, there ended up being a stack of boxes with semi organized contents stacked in the dining room, the hallway and the office. And the office had yet to be touched.

I managed to ignore this for a while and our world continued to be incomplete. Finally, in my recent urge to try and take control of my world attacked the house. I started this week by organizing the closet in the office and continued by organizing the contents of all the boxes, and creating a livable space. I ordered some really cool filing cabinets as well as a great drafting table.

We haven't gotten the filing part down yet, but i have created a work space for myself as well as a house that doesn't look like we just moved in and isn't full of boxes. Kevin was a huge help last night in the final throws of cleaning. I have a really great sense of completion. ;)

Its amazing... I almost don't believe this is the house I live in!

Woo hoo... I made the house clean, organized and a happy place to live! Now lets look for a new house!!

PS: oh yeah... and I served my first dinner in my nice clean house tonight. Here is the menu, drool away:

Baking is not my strong suit!

I'm making some happy snicker doodles to cheer up some friends. The problem with baking is that you actually have to read the directions exactly. With cooking the recipe is kind of like a guideline, I can make some changes and make the food in my fashion.

With baking I have to do it just right. I guess I'm too distractible today.

First I started out making the snicker doodles but accidently started using the recipe next to it for ginger snaps.

-scrap that and start over-

Then I start the snicker doodles and read the measurements wrong, ended up doubling some of the ingredients by accident. oops... gotta double it all now.

Snicker doodles galore!!

I'm laying in bed, laptop on my stomach, typing and smiling. I finally feel like there is a room in the house that is virtually complete. Our bedroom is quickly becoming a serene relaxing place that I really want to spend time in. In fact I spent a good chunk of today in here!!!

After weeks of sleeping in other beds more often then my own and only being home for a couple days at a time, just long enough to dump stuff, repack and deal with one or two needed things before heading out again, it became clear that the mess that is our house was becoming overwhelming. The truth is that even though we have been here almost a year we haven't ever really moved in. Sure I can make the house presentable for company, but there are a large number of bookshelves that just have books and junk crammed in them every which way. And the bedroom often has a laundry basket full of folded cloths that no one really knows where to put away. In general nothing (except the kitchen) is organized. Its hard to function in a house that does let you function.

ALI IS A GODDESS!!!!

So finally, after returning to not only our normal disorganization but also the huge mess of "we have barely been here" I was nearly ready to cry. Luckily I have great friends. Ali offered up a house cleaning exchange, she is helping me organize my house now, and next week I'm going out to help her do hers.

We attached the bedroom on Tuesday. We sorted cloths, got rid of stuff, organized, and did all sorts of picking up. Krissy came over for a while before we went to The Green to dance. We had a great time! Kevin came home later and we kept him up quite late going over clothing and showing him what we had done.

Over the last two days I have done a bit more in the room, gotten rid of some more stuff, bought a second night stand and a cool bookshelf. Kevin and I have done a little decorating, and have brainstormed what else we want to do. We are actually decorating, most of the rooms in our house don't have things on the walls, or have only make shift things on the walls.

It feels so good to be in this room. Kevin also got a new toy, some kind of airport or the itunes/ipods. He set it up in the living room and the bedroom so I finally have music in the bedroom too.

I'm in heaven, I might never leave this room again!!!!!

Oh, but wait - my Ali is coming back tomorrow and we are tackling the living room!!! I feel the weight lifting off my body. It all feels so freeing. Its amazing what a little organization can do for the psyche.