Kenmore - No More!!!!!

Argh! Why is it that appliances don’t last long anymore? When we were children, our parents and grandparents had sturdy American appliances that lasted forever. They were simple, effective machines that did what they were supposed to do. Nowadays, it seems we can get 5 years out of them, (and our vacuum only lasts a year or two). One would think household appliances would last a lot longer… not so!

We’ve only been in the house for four years. All our kitchen appliances (Kenmore) were new when we moved in, and we actually “upgraded” them from the basic models that came standard with a new house. We also bought a Cabrio (the top-end of the Whirlpool brand, which should be named “Crapio”) washer and dryer set. Well, in the four years our dishwasher had to be taken apart and cleaned/fixed over three times, our range had to have the “brains” replaced, and our microwave quit, and had to be replaced. Now, two weeks ago (while Sterling was on a trip, of course) the oven quit, and so did the washing machine (which had never done a very good job anyway). While researching replacement parts for each (two parts were over $ 150 each, and more parts were probably needed) Sterling discovered that our microwave (the one that quit) and our dishwasher had been recalled.

After talking with customer support (or lack of), they questioned how we found out about the recalls, as if we had discovered a hidden secret. (Of course, they had our product registration information on file, but didn’t send us any notices.) We were also upset to find out that they wouldn’t do anything about the microwave we already replaced, and would only send out a technician to change out the motor on the dishwasher (the old ones have a history of catching on fire). We offered to use the money they’d spend on repairs towards a new machine, but they will spend money to fix an appliance, but not give you a new one.

So, long story short. We got rid of the three faulty appliances, and replaced the entire set with LG ones. It took a Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, but we’ve got them all in – hopefully these will last longer than the other pieces of junk! If you have any Kenmore/Whirlpool appliances, beware!

Halloween

Pumpkin carving has become quite the ritual at our house. Each child gets his or her own pumpkin, and then chooses a design to fit it. The designs, and especially the tiny pumpkin saws, are a huge improvement from years ago, when we’d carve them with a butcher’s knife, and try not to make Mr. Pumpkin lose too many teeth (and us lose any fingers) during the carving process. No wonder they all looked scary – they’d been disfigured by the poor kid trying to simply carve a smiley face. Nowadays you can make very intricate (and actually pretty) pumpkin designs. Now if they can just figure out a way to get the smelly goop out of the pumpkins, we’d be all right.
From the movie “Patton:” “Some of you may be asking yourselves if you’ll know what to do when the time comes. Believe me, when you put your hand in a pile of goo, that seconds before was your best friends’ brains, you’ll know what to do…” Ok, maybe scooping out the pumpkins isn’t that bad, but it sure feels and smells disgusting. (Yet pumpkin pies taste so yummy, go figure.)

Anyway, back to the story. We had a very enjoyable evening with the kids participating in the pumpkin ritual. The older kids all do their pumpkins by themselves, and Ashley and Brandon have help from Sterling and Shawna. We had lots of fun!
Now, details are still a bit sketchy about the next part, but at one point in the evening someone got a can of “liquid string” or “silly string” (which shoots from a can, then hardens into a soft foam) and started shooting the unwary pumpkin carvers. Needless to say, a small string battle ensued, as you can see from the pictures. By the end of the conflict, there were bodies, pumpkin guts, and green foam-string all over the floor. It was a good night!
Trick-or-treating was the next night, and we had a smaller crowd than usual, both of our kids and of neighborhood kids. Tyler had to work, Mackenzie stayed at home to pass out candy, and Summer was with her dad. So we went with Bryson, Ashley and Brandon. It was beautiful weather, and a very enjoyable evening. At the “scarier” stops, Bryson and Ashley would have Brandon go up first, to “test the waters” and make sure it was safe! Ah, gotta protect the young and small ones… Anyway, at 3 years old Brandon thought the whole thing was pretty cool, and would show us the candy he received after EVERY stop. “Look what I got!”