blustery days

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I don't know how cold it is outside. The wind has blown the thermometer off my porch. I'm finding all the places where air infiltrates my home and doing quick fixes of taping over them until we can come up with a better solution.

I'm grateful on this windy, snowy day, that I have a furnace that works, even if it is going full time to keep me at about 70 degrees. I'm glad that my kids aren't freezing, and that the electricity is on so we can watch "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" one last time before we send it back to Netflix. (Finally!)

I'm sad that my husband and brother are out in the wind and snow today, working to finish up the last of this year's work. It is no fun to be outside all day in weather like this. Being 100 feet up in the air makes it even worse. Of all the weeks to be at work, this one is no fun. Maybe they'll give up and come home early!

I'm glad I have some hot tea and some cookies we frosted last night. I did the frosting, Elizabeth handled the sprinkles, and Nathanael hit the table with his spoon. We'll be starting an antiquing/distressing business soon so people can pay me to have my kids damage their furniture.

And I'm grateful for my internet connection that allows me to share this with all of you.

lovin' the front loader

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When we moved out of our old home, we left behind 2 of the appliances - the 5 year old top loading clothes washer, and the 30+ year old dryer (that just refuses to die!) We abandoned them for the sake of a long held dream: a more efficient front loader!

I like the idea of using a machine that uses less water, and that can reduce electricity consumption when drying be getting more water out during the spin cycle.

Saves money, and helps the environment. I don't know how long it will take for this set to pay for it self, if ever. I don't know that I could realistically figure that out, either. But, I think over time it will prove to be worthwhile investment.



I'm loving my Electrolux matching set. They were not the cheapest (nor most expensive) machines in the store. Honestly, I don't care if I could have gotten something cheaper. I did my research, looked for certain combination of features, and Jude was sold on this set as soon as he saw the LEDs that light up the interior of the baskets.



I've had them for about a month. The washer does great on cleaning things (including mud covered clothing from work). Who would have thought that so little water could do so much?

So far, it's been doing well with the cloth diapers. I'll admit I had some trepidation about getting a front loader. So many people have trouble with bad smells left in the diapers when they use front load washing machines. From what I've read, the cloth diaper/front loader honeymoon ends after about a month of use. So, I'm curious what the future holds for me.

My wash routine is actually simpler with the front loader. I run fewer cycles, so that means less babysitting the machine. It still takes me about 2 hours to get everything rinsed clean, but I'm switching to a different detergent that should hopefully reduce the cycle time. Still better than the 4-5 hours it would take at the old house with the other machine!



I've been keeping a record of my experimenting with my wash routine. Hopefully if I start encountering stink issues, I'll have some indication of what I could do in my specific situation to help things.

Yay for front loaders!