Category: Home improvements

Oh dear, she’s doing it again!

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So it’s 4:00 AM on Saturday morning and I am once again unable to sleep.  I go to the kitchen to make coffee and want my favorite coffee mug.  Realizing it is in the dishwasher I reach for the handle and…

snAP, cracKLE, CLICK-rattle, roll…

The handle has broken.  The strange noises I can hear inside the door are the little plastic bits that once held the door latch in place.

Bummer.

You see, without the door handle working properly the door latch won’t let me in.  A broken door latch won’t let the dishwasher run either.  I find a screwdriver, and then carefully wriggle it in between the broken latch and the control panel cover.  Finding the stuck latch I am able to pry it to the open position and retrieve my mug.

I take my hard-earned cup-a-joe to the computer and begin shopping for a new dishwasher. After all, I have grumbled at that dishwasher plenty of times because it doesn’t have all the features my old one had… The one I bought on a teacher’s salary, when I lived in California.  When I could afford it…

HA!  I bought my first car for less than what they want for a decent dishwasher on sale!   Jeezelouize!

Quickly getting over the need to buy a new dishwasher I went to my new, and favorite, online fix it your own self parts dealer.  There I typed in the magic model numbers and

Voila!

My part instantly came into view complete with instructions and a video to show me how to do it myself!  😀

BROKEN PART

NEW PART

The new part complete with handle/latch assembly installed.  Trust me, I appreciated not having to do that myself!

Plugging in the new assembly I then placed it back into the door and screwed down the inside panel.

Now, I walked over to the breaker box (it’s in the wall in my kitchen… don’t know why) and holding my breath I switched on the breaker…  NOTHING.   In other words there were no Frankenstein’s monster, electrical pulsing sounds, with blue flashes and flames coming out of the front panel on the dishwasher!!!

Whew.

~*~

Cost to fix? 

$23.65  

Time to fix?

15 minutes!

Oh yes, and before I post this… Let me introduce you to Steve of PartSelect…

My Hero!   I highly recommend him.

😉

~*~

As per usual, this is not a paid endorsement.  I just appreciate this company and how much time and money they have saved me so far!  They helped me fix my dryer too!  Look HERE!

I’m so broke I squeek when I walk!

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This month was one of the most expensive for fixing what broke in the history of our marriage.

  • New glasses for Bob and I:  $695.00
  • Claus got sick and had to go to the vet:  $250.00
  • Doggie Dental for both dogs:  $295.00
  • Bob broke a tooth and needs a crown: $350.00
  • The goslings got sick and that cost me $270.00
  • The dryer broke and the repairman will want a minimum $275.00 (you know I’m right!)

$2,135.00!

Something had to give.

So this week I fired the Maytag repair man.  He wanted $89.95 just to come by and give me his opinion about what could be wrong with my dryer.   Parts and his labor were of course going to be extra.  Oh, but wait!  After his visit if I didn’t choose to have him fix the broken dryer, then he would give me a certificate for $100.00 dollars towards the purchase of a new dryer.  How sweet, but…

I don’t think so!

Taking a deep breath I went to the internet to see how to “do it yourself” and found these guys!

PartSelect.com   http://www.partselect.com/

And once again I must clearly state that they did not pay me for this endorsement, they were just especially HELPFUL!

At their website I was able to figure out what parts I needed just by the description of the squeak my dryer was making.  They also had diagrams,  charts, videos, and even other customers instructions for how to take the dryer apart, replace the parts, and put it back together.

I ordered my parts, which by the way were exactly the same amount the Maytag guy wanted for his opinion.  Funny how that worked out, huh?

The parts arrived  in an unmarked box.   I began to feel my stomach twist.

“OK, enough of that!” I told myself.  “If Rosie the Riviter, could do this kinda stuff, then I can do it too!”

So, I cinched up my big girl trousers,

rolled up my sleeves,

gritted my teeth,

tried not to hyperventilate,

and…

BEGAN.

I mean what’s the worst that could go wrong?

Gulp!

A broken dryer, my trusty cordless screwdriver and my Cup’a Joe!

Pop the hood…

Hm…

REALLY… YA THINK???

=: – O

Remove the front panel, and

GAAACK!

Ever wondered how dryer fires happen?

Yup, that felt gasket is definitely not supposed to be stuck there…

I SPY: one computer screw, a straight pin, a lost shirt button, and one dime.   (must click and enlarge to play)  😉

I gathered my parts,

Assembled the drum bearing, inserted it and the new felt gasket,

ALL BY MYSELF!

Well OK, I did have a technical assistant…

What new skills have you ever challenged yourself to do?

(click image for Wikimedia photo credit)

WIP Wednesday

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I have been working on *UFO’s, making a quick gift for a friend, and a couple of new projects just for me!

First the gift…

This is a smallish table rug 12 x 12 inches.  It was constructed as you would make a pot holder, and has a heat protective layer on the back.  I hope she likes it…

Now the works in progress…

My chicken block is on the project board whilst I futz with it trying to decide exactly how I want to finish it.   If you know me, then you know my love of chickens and all things chicken inspired.  This is a 12.5 X 12.5  block that will be the center of a new table runner.  I have two more blocks planned, but will reveal them when the project is closer to being done.

The Valentine’s centerpiece, supplied by my husband (Thank you Sweety 🙂 ) is sitting on my (almost) completed table runner.  The blocks go by Jacob’s Ladder, or the Underground RR.  This is one of the UFO’s.  I cut it out last March, but was too intimidated to actually begin the piecing process.  Two weeks ago, I decided to give it a go, and voila!  The picture of the completed project will be in focus I promise.  This project needs batting and a backing, but lacking a nice runner for Valentine’s dinner I put it on the table anyway.

So, that’s it for this Wednesday.

~*~

*UFO’s, according to the accomplished sewists out there,  are:

“Unfinished Objects”

First day

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OK, were done with that one and it’s on to this year, 2012, and what a start!

Teacup version:

  • Polly ate something she shouldn’t have and she’s sick.
  • It is 57  and sunny for the moment, will reach 61 for a high with rain again later.   It was already raining like heck this morning when I went out to do my rounds.  Oh yes, and the (scary) wind turned my umbrella over when I set it down to water the chickens, and promptly filled it with water. Tonight will be 20 degrees and colder still tomorrow.  Well really we are just being plunged into the deep freeze for the whole week.
  • Took advantage of the sunshine and mucked out the chicken house before the rain leaks under and tonight’s freeze makes that job impossible.  (I’m brilliant that way sometimes.)
  • Read everyone’s New Year’s resolutions. . .

Which brings me to mine.  I’m not going there.  I just have to agree with DJ Lutz at Almost Out of Ink, when he penned this as his one and only resolution,

“I will simply resolve to try to be a better person each day. And if I can do something to make the world a better place, either through my writing or (gasp) by personal interaction, all the better.”

As regards myself, I will only add this to his statement,

I need to get my spiritual life back on track. 

NO, not to worry.  It’s not that I have given up my faith, nothing of the sort!  I’ve just been lazy about it, and that bothers me.

Something  I will do this year that is not really a resolution because I will do them regardless are:

  • Get my ETSY store up and running.  Now that all the home repairs are completed and I have a studio to work in.  * This makes me happy!
  • Continue my research for my book.

Why make it hard?  Why set myself up for failure?  This is simply the easiest and wisest choice.

*NOTE:  It is said that if you want to love your work, then work at something you love.  Now I won’t go into a whole treatise on the subject as this fellow already did that job HERE,  and its translatable into fourteen languages.  Why would I try to reinvent the wheel?   What I will say is this:   I love being a sewist/quilter/writer.  Better, it seems to come easily to me.   I could use more practice in design to get a handle on mixing patterns but that will come with practical experience and maybe a class or two.  The book could take longer.

Happy New Year Everyone!