Welcome, New Refrigerator

We think you're pretty fun.

Mama thinks you're pretty white

and that you make our cabinets look beige,

which I guess she didn't like, but she only cried for a few minutes. Mama can be kind of silly sometimes. We love her anyway.

Then she said she'd deal with the color part later, and hung our paintings up :) That made her smile.

You're very shiny and bright, Refrigerator.

We're glad you're here. Now we don't have to keep our milk in the garage anymore.

The End.

Posted several days later: I just wanted to say that perspective is everything. So my fridge is too white. Oh, well. I cried for a few seconds - more at the thought of possibly having to repaint the cabinets than anything else - but in an hour I wasn't thinking about it anymore at all. Life goes on and, in the grand scheme of things, that extremely white fridge matters very little except that it meets a need for our family. I really am thankful to have a new fridge to keep food for us all. We have been given so much. Lord, help me not take it for granted.

Nary a Classic Fridge to be Found

Well, not within our price range that is. It's the handles that present the problem. You would think you could find one fridge that has just a normal, traditional refrigerator handle on it, but no. It's a conspiracy, I tell you. A conspiracy that keeps us coming back for "updated" appliances every ten years whether we need them or not. I left Home Depot scowling.

But, eventually, we chose a refrigerator that will do. I like it, and I'm very, very thankful that it's coming in the morning. Our garage has been a decent replacement fridge for the last week and a half (yay for freezing temps), but I'm ready to get this new gal in place. Sam's employer has some kind of deal with Whirlpool that gives us big discounts. We were able to get the refrigerator (Whirlpool Gold) for nearly 40% off the list price. What a blessing, considering we weren't really planning on this purchase this month.

I've never had anything but the standard freezer-on-top-one-door style, so I'm interested to see how we like the new one. The too-easily-dated-for-my-tastes-handles are hard to see, but here's a photo of it...



I've also never had a freezer on the bottom style. Have any of you? What did you think of it? A little late to ask now, though, isn't it? We chose the french doors mainly for looks, but also we figured it might be nice in our galley kitchen. Novel to have the fridge open and still have room to pass through the doorway that's right there. Well, maybe. Thanks to everyone who chimed in with their two cents on whether or not we should order it in white. We did. So, now we have a black stove, a cream dishwasher, a white fridge, and a black microwave. I'm hoping that the magazines don't call too much this week - I'm rather busy for a photoshoot these days.

It is fun, though, to get a new appliance in! I hope it won't be too terribly long before we can get the others in, too. Here's the stove I have my eye on (really hoping the whites match up well)...



It's a duel fuel range with a double oven. The bottom oven is convection. Love that! I am excited about this little girlie.

Maybe, just maybe, after all of the children have completed their higher education, we'll spring for one of these puppies.



We actually debated it for a day or two. Apparently, Big Chill has showrooms in both Michigan and Tennessee, and they sell slightly damaged models at discounts. But, there weren't any in white and we needed a refrigerator ASAP. If you have a spare $2700 hanging around, maybe you can splurge on a new one now and send me photos :)



Or, better yet, make me a wall calendar. Because I just think they are so great-looking :)



Don't you?



And about as classic as they come.

But, I really am thankful for the new, white fridge that's coming in the morning. Maybe when the Conspiring Appliance People declare that our handles are totally out-of-date in a few years, we can figure out some way to switch them out instead of buying a more up-to-date version ;) Ha! Take that Conspiring Appliance People!

I'll post a photo or two of the refrigerator "before and after" tomorrow. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Now It's Getting Fun

I've come full circle with my new camera today. Earlier this afternoon I was convinced it was defective :)



But, with Darby's help, things started to make a little more sense. She also encouraged me to dig into the software that came with the camera - Digital Photo Professional. I can't tell you how great it was to have her encouragement today! If I haven't mentioned it before, let me say it now - there are some really great bloggers out there.

Our second term of school starts tomorrow, so I'd better get my pretty little head in bed! Thanks so much for all of the input on our brick, guys :) We're hoping to get going on the walls and paneling once we get a good thaw. Then, the plan is, as of now, to paint it ALL!!! Woo hoo!

Have a good one!

~Jacci

Should We Paint the Brick?

It wasn't very long ago that I announced I was fairly certain we were not going to paint our brick fireplace wall in the family room. Note to self - don't make public announcements like that.

I had a few examples of rooms where the brick was left untouched, and it sure seemed the safer route to me.



But, the brick in those photos was generally more aesthetically pleasing than ours, and besides, safer isn't always better...



... and painted brick can really be lovely...



... especially, white painted brick...



... there's a good chance I would really love the look of our brick painted white...



... but, then again I might not. But then again, again, I don't think I'd like it any less than I do right now. So, what do I have to lose? It's not like I'm messing around with something that I already love.



What do you think? Picture the paneling and walls painted white and the fireplace surround black. Kind of like wrought iron-ish black. Picture our long, white IKEA curtains. Would you paint the brick? White? What finish?





please click on the photos to see source credits in the address bar - thanks!