Before and After: The Appliances

Our new refrigerator and dishwasher have been in place for just over a week now. And I couldn't be more thrilled. For starters, I'm no longer pulling grit-coated Fiesta out of the dishwasher!

The refrigerator was a fluke purchase. We originally weren't going to buy one because there was nothing wrong with our old one, except that it was old, it was too small for the space, and it froze the mayonnaise. But I convinced Q that it was a good time to buy a new one because Sears was offering 10% off if you bought two or more appliances. Besides, at 14 years old, the old one could go at any time.

And that's exactly what happened! The day after we ordered the appliances, I was out with my sister when my cell phone rang. It was Q calling to tell me that "It's a good thing we just ordered a new refrigerator." Yep, the old one was on its way out. It was leaking, and even quit running. But Q gave it a good, swift kick and got it working long enough to get us through until the new one was delivered.

The new refrigerator will be able to carry over to our new kitchen when we remodel in a year or so. It includes:

--Filtered water and ice in the door. Yes, we've finally stepped into the 90's! I haven't felt this grown up since Q and I both got cars with power windows. The boys love this thing. As a result, they are now drinking more water. Also, the dispenser has a cool blue night-light that lights up the whole kitchen.

--The shelves pull out like drawers. No reaching way in the back for the V8 Splash...although sometimes I still do.

--It's a counter-depth model. That means the box doesn't stick out beyond the cabinetry. With the old fridge in place, I was unable to open my towel drawer (the one to the left of the fridge) without first opening the refrigerator.

--The temperature control is a push-button digital thermometer that shows the actual temperature. So there's no more guessing whether it's cold enough or not.

--The freezer has a light in it! Two of them, in fact. I had never seen a freezer with a light in it before. The fridge portion also has two lights in it. One on top and one on the bottom.



I am still getting used to this dishwasher. Aside from being a useless piece of crap, the old dishwasher had only one possible way for loading all dishes. Mugs could only fit in one row of the top rack. And the flatware basket had only one possible location.

The new dishwasher is so full of features and fancy gadgetry that I'm still discovering new and efficient ways to load the thing. It too will be incorported in the new kitchen. A few of the perks include:

--The adjustable top rack. It can be lowered for my tall water goblets, or raised to accommodate cookie sheets or a Fiesta chop plate. The top rack can be removed altogether, if needed.

--Entire rows of tines can be lowered to fit jumbo mugs or Quinton's large stock pot.

--The silverware basket can be located anywhere for better dish placement. The basket can also be separated into three smaller baskets if not all are needed. It also has this nifty slotted lid for each piece. This means our spoons don't end up spooning.

--It's so quiet! Seriously, the first time I turned the thing on, I had to put my ear against the door to make sure it was actually running!