Since Jamie and I bought the house, things have been topsy-turvy. We had most of our belongings in the garage while we waited for Home Depot to install our carpet. The tv was in the bedroom while we were installing the Pergo in the living room. I’ve never been a fan of tv in the bedroom, so I’ve never had one. It was kind of like being in a hotel with the thing staring at us. A couple nights we watched it, and found a program we liked on DIY network called Renovation Realities, where people decided to do their own remodeling and the camera crew just documents what happens. Things are so bad that there are several warning graphics advising viewers to not use the circular saw while standing on a ladder, for example. It is pretty funny watching people who know less than you screw things up, but also pretty sad. Watching married couples throw sarcasm around at each other when things explode has been difficult to see. I’ve gotten frustrated while installing stuff many times. I’m just glad Jamie isn’t standing off to the side saying stuff like, “Okay Mr. Smarty Pants, what are you going to do now?”
Well, we did have one small adventure… Brian and I were replacing the over-the-stove microwave with a newer model that was donated to us by a benevolent friend who wanted stainless steel appliances. We had to replace the wall bracket that holds it up, because microwave manufacturers haven’t standardized on them. We find the wall studs and get the new unit in place. The old one had cracked plastic on the handle and no turntable, but the replacement was in great shape. We plug it in and I go to turn on the fan to make sure our connection to the exhaust vent was secure when a loud POP and smoke come from they keypad. After I reset the breaker the microwave won’t respond to anything I press. I found the replacement part online for $140. So, this thing better work great when I get it installed! Our friend also gave us a matching solid surface stove, so we aren’t complaining too much. Besides, the stove works great! We’ve used it a lot in the last week since we’ve been without a microwave…