Fun at Lowe's

Yesterday (and today, actually) we went to Lowe's. And Home Depot... I can't quite remember why we went to both. Anyways, we were wandering around Lowe's, and they have a little appliance clearance section in the back by the kitchen counter section. I always look, because you never know what great deal I'll just have to have. So I went back there to look, and the only poor, lonely, clearanced appliance was a GE washing machine. Which looked EXACTLY like the infamous GE washing machine *I* had a few months ago! I think it took me five minutes to stop laughing, while Ed cursed under his breath about GE washing machines.

The joys of clean diapers, or, thank goodness for Whirlpool

I have a working washing machine. Yes, I'll knock on wood while I say that, but really, I've done a load of diapers, there is no water on my floor, there was hot water when they washed, the machine drained when it was done.... life is good. However, it's not a GE washing machine like the original one I picked out. After trip #4 to Lowe's, Ed said there was no way he was bringing home the exact same machine (yet different lol) because he was done with the GE. So he picked out a Whirlpool. Came home, installed it, it's a beautiful thing. I never thought I'd be excited about doing laundry, but after the week of the washing machine saga, I have to say I am. Only downside, it's not red. But I can deal!

OK, this is getting ridiculous!

So that washing machine? The one that we took back, got a new one, reinstalled this morning and the hot water worked? Yeah, THAT washing machine? Hahahahahahahaha. So it worked, right? Well, I brought the diapers down to wash them a few minutes ago. Turned the washer on, added the detergent, went to dump the diapers into the washer.... WAIT! WHY IS MY FOOT WET????? Look down, water is POURING out of the washer. POURING I tell ya. I can't type what Ed had to say about that because it's not suitable for non trucker ears. I say maybe the drain hose isn't attached right. Crossed my fingers. Ed dragged the washing machine BACK out (and let me tell you, it's NOT easy to get behind the machine in my little laundry room) and the water is actually pouring out from under the machine. NOT the drain hose. We just now double checked where it's coming from and yep, that would be something UNDER the machine. Would you like to know the number for Lowe's (which is busy!), because my husband has it memorized. He's currently waiting to talk to someone about the damn washing machine. I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE RED ONE!!!! If you see a blue Toyota Sequoia crazily driving down routes 1 and 202 today, stay out of it's way. Trust me.

Hot water is a beautiful thing!

7:00 last night Ed decided that he was going to take the washing machine back to Lowe's. Why right then, I don't know, but hey, whatever. So he disconnects it (and DIDN'T flood my laundry room - way to go Edward!), hauls it out to the driveway, goes to my parent's house to borrow the SUV, gets it into the back of the SUV (all by himself mind you), and drives off to Lowe's. You know, trip to Lowe's #9458? Well, actually #3, but that was 2 too many in my opinion. So he gets there, gets the loading people to unload the wretched washing machine, and is going inside to get a new (same) one, when some Lowe's employee sees him, RECOGNIZES him, and says 'why are you back?'. You know it's bad when the employees want to know what you're doing there. So Ed says 'the machine doesn't work' and the employee feels bad for him. Ed describes the problem, she says 'wow, you've had the worst luck with this machine,' and Ed says 'no, it gets better. I have a ten month old in cloth diapers at home." So the dear sweet employee who thinks that my husband probably shouldn't get on an airplane with the kind of luck he has gives us a refund of 20% for all of the trips we had to make to Lowe's with the washing machine and other various appliances. Ed gets the new machine, gets it loaded (while double checking that it is, in fact, a washing machine and not, say, a black gas range), come home, unloads it to the porch, takes the SUV back to my parents, has a few martinis, comes home, and decides he'll install it this morning. Gets up, cooks breakfast (yes, I'm lucky, Ed cooks breakfast on the weekends. He also cooks dinner 5 out of 6 nights. Marry someone who likes to cook, trust me.), then installs the washing machine. Gets it all hooked up, turns the water on, calls me in to test it (he's stuck behind it), I set it to hot, turn the dial, pull it out....









Nothing. Nada. Zilch.









And I thought my husband was going to have a coronary right then and there, so I *really* pulled the knob out and it started filling the washer up with hot water. And now that I've stopped laughing hysterically, I thought I'd post about it. Ed didn't think it was as funny as I did.




It was pretty funny.




So I now have a WORKING washing machine! WOO HOO!!!! I can wash clothes! And DIAPERS!! On HOT water!!!!! Oh, the excitement in a mom's life.

So... the washing machine....

Still only works on cold. Ed finally got in touch with someone somewhere though. He called Lowes, who told him to call their Lowe's hotline number, who told him to contact GE (yes, it's a GE washer. I'm thinking, next time, no go on the GE.). GE was only open 9-5 Monday through Friday (who the hell buys a washing machine during regular business hours???), so he finally got in touch with them the other day while at work. Yes, that means he was driving a tanker and talking to GE at the same time. Totally against DOT, but whatever. Stupid rules. So he gets in touch with GE, and they say to call Lowe's. Want to imagine his reaction to THAT advice?!? Anyways, he gets in touch with someone somewhere who says "Oh, it's a switch that's bad in the machine. BUT, it's under warranty, so you can either bring it back or schedule a service call. HOWEVER, we can't get a service tech out there for 2 weeks." Enter a whole bunch of bad words coming from Ed's mouth. So he tells me that he's unhooking the washing machine (which involves reflooding my laundry room, trust me), and taking it back to Lowe's. I ask why we can't just get a service tech to come out, because it's FREE, and he says because we NEED the washer fixed because we NEED hot water to wash diapers. Well, yeah, we do, but a few washes in cold water won't kill the diapers. So I convinced him to leave the washing machine where it was and schedule a service tech to come fix it. Which, now that I think about it, I don't think he's done. At least, if he did, he didn't tell ME about it. So maybe, someday, I'll have a working washing machine. Probably just in time for the dryer to break.

The washing machine saga....

So on Thursday I was doing a load of diapers and my washing machine decided that it was time to retire. Why do washing machines always break when you're washing DIAPERS???? Can someone tell me that???? So I ignored it until Ed came home to work on it, he couldn't fix it, and the last time we called someone it was like $150 to fix it. Which is pretty much almost the price of a NEW washing machine. So Saturday I borrowed my mom's SUV and went to Lowe's and bought myself a brand new washing machine. I REALLY wanted the red one, but it was $1200 and I just can't justify that lol, so I got the $300 version. See, I'm still alive! So I get the guys at Lowe's to load my new machine into my car and go home. NOTE: it's an hour round trip from my house to the closest Lowes. I live in the boonies. But, we have mushrooms. So not only is it an hour round trip, but I have to deal with the SIXTY THOUSAND PEOPLE who came to my little (pop:5500) town to see mushrooms, so it's really an hour and a half trip with some rising blood pressure thrown in. So I get home, leave the machine in the car b/c Ed is doing something.... an hour later the phone rings. It's Lowes. Asking me if I happen to have a black gas range in my car. Stupid loading guys at Lowe's!!! I ASKED them if that was my new washing machine! Not my new gas range for my house that doesn't even have a gas line!!!! So Ed gets in the car, and goes BACK to Lowe's to exchange the range for our washing machine. Comes, home, needs a beer. We go to the festival, come home, Ed bitches that Henry doesn't have any diapers and I nicely point out that if I had a washing machine installed I could wash some diapers. So he installs the washing machine. Takes the old one out, gets the new one in, proceeds to flood my entire laundry room and kitchen b/c he didn't quite drain the old one .... hooks it up......




It only works on cold.





I have had it. So I washed my diapers anyways and Ed is dealing with the people at Lowes about the damn washing machine as I type. I should have gotten the red one.