My Vacuum Sucks!!

Actually, it doesn't, and that's the problem. Let me tell ya, this vacuum has been a bigger headache than any appliance is worth. It has been a time-waster, a money-waster, and a source of huge frusteration to me.

I guess I'll start at the beginning--We got a little hoover vaccuum when we got married. It worked for the 7 1/2 years of our marriage, but was kinda getting on it's last leg. So we left it in Florida. When we got here, we really didn't know what kind to buy. Our Hoover was fine but nothing fancy or fantastic, we thought. We also thought that probably most vaccums were about the same. I tried to research on the internet, and really every vaccuum has supporters and critics. So, we picked the one with the cool features we liked. It was a Eureka. If you have and love your Eureka vaccuum, you may want to stop reading if you'll get offended.

So it broke the 3rd time we used it. It took me a few weeks to take it back to Target. When I took it back, I couldn't find my reciept, so I just thought, well, Target can look it up on my credit card, like they've done before. The only problem was that I had bought it on my new target card--we were buying virtually everything that we were replacing from our move at target, and it was like $500 of merchandise, so we applied for the target card to save 10% on that purchase. (A side note: That later came back to bite us in another wasy. They said we were "pre-approved", and that there would be no credit check. Well, there was one and it was right when we were trying to close on our house, and we hadn't gotten or paid the bill yet, and it was a mess.) But, our mail ended up being a mess for 2 months, and we didn't get any of our Florida mail that was forwarded or any new mail to our new address. So, they couldn't look it up because I hadn't gotten it yet. (Later when I called Target, they had mailed it out 4 times--once even to Florida, and it kept coming back, what a mess.) So, I had bought the vaccuum in twin Falls, which is a 45 minute drive away, and we only get up there every few weeks, and it had already been broken for a few weeks, and the carpet in my brand new house wasn't looking great, which really irked me. I thought, I'm already here, I still want the same vaccuum--it's a great price, and I think the one I got before was just a lemon, because I know that happens sometimes--what $100 machine breaks that easily? So I bought a new vaccuum--the same kind, and took the old one back with the new reciept.

The second time I used the new vaccuum, it broke. I was so mad. It was clogged and took me an hour to get it fixed. After I fixed it, I was finishing vaccuuming when the motor started to accelerate really fast, and then it started smoking. It made a loud snapping sound, and I quickly turned it off. My brother, Darren came over and we took it apart to see if we could find the problem. Half of the inside by the rotating brush was melted, and the brush got caught on a part that snapped, also causing the belt to melt. We tried to no avail to fix the darn thing. So, I searched high and low for my old reciept and finally found it. The only problem was that it was like 5 days past the 90 day mark. We had bought the vaccuum a month before we even moved it, so we could just start out with the things we needed. I took it back to target and explained the whole ordeal, but the guy said there was absolutely no way he could override the system past the 90 day thing. I had even brought both reciepts, showing them that this vaccuum really was only purchased less than a month ago. Ia asked to speak with the manager, who said she could call corporate office for an override for this odd situation. She called and they refused. You'll have to deal with Eureka, they told me.

Thus came the first call to Eureka. They were very nice, and said that they couldn't replace it, but since it was under the one year warranty, they would cover repair charges. They told me a place in Burley that does their warranty work. I went there, just wanting to drop it off on the way to a family party. (a side note: it took way longer than expected, so not only was I waaayyyy late, but I had forgotten my cell phone, so my mom was really worried, and Chandler peed his pants.) The guy takes one look at the Eureka, and blatantly refused to work on it claiming he absolutely will not work on Eurekas. He says Eureka only pays minimum wage and they take months to reimburse him. Then he says basically that I'm up a creek because the next closest repair shop is in Twin Falls, and they also refuse Eureka work. He says "There is 3 things wrong with your vaccuum--you only paid $100, which you can't get a decent vaccuum for, you bought a Eureka, which is a terrible, cheap vaccuum, and you bought a bagless, which always have many more problems to repair. You should've bought a hoover. They are in repair the least. Even better than the $500 dyson. (We should've known--i don't know why we didn't just get a hoover, like our other one.)

So, how much will it cost if I pay to repair it? $25. I debate whether I should cut my losses, and buy a new vaccum now, or pay to repair it. I really don't want to buy another new vaccuum already, so I pay out of my pocket to repair it, figuring it'll just be easier and less wasteful. I take it home, and it clogs only half way through a room. I think to myself--I gotta make this work somehow, it's brand new, and I don't want to dish out more $. So I unclog it, (45 minutes) and resolve to empty the canister 4 times during each room--I know it'll be an inconvenience, I tell myself, but I guess it's the price I'll have to pay. Time instead of $. It didn't matter if I changed it that often, it still clogged up within 2 minutes. It took me 2 hours to do 2 rooms. What a waste of time.

So, I call Eureka for the second time. This is ridiculous. I explain the WHOLE thing to them--target, repair guy, clogging, everything. They try to find another local repair man, but everyone refuses, and I refuse to drive over 75 minutes away with gas prices over $4. So she says she'll email me a tag that will pay to ship it back to them, so they can repair it. I tell her there are no broken parts, I already dished $ out of my pocket to fix those. This vaccuum is just poorly made. She tries to blame it on my new carpet--only thing is that I've talked to my neighbors with the same brand of carpet, and to other people with new houses, and NO ONE has had this problem. I say, I just want a different vaccuum from you--the most expensive, top of the line you make, cuz they absolutely refuse to give $ back. This particular vaccuum is not just a lemon--it's this model that is awful. They say, we need you to ship it back so we can repair it. But they warn me, if we can't find a manufacturing defect, you'll have to pay us back the shipping and repair costs, and we won't send it back to you. I ask--what wouldn't be considered a manufacturing defect on a vaccuum I've used 3 times? She doesn't know. And, I still say no parts are broken. I only have one more card to play, as far as I can see. And that is my warranty. It says they will repair it or replace it. Since there is nothing to repair, I want it replaced ( and with a different model). She says, we don't replace vaccuums. So your warranty in the user's manual is lying? well, you must be incorrect. No, I'm not. I'll read it to you. so I do, and she says, well, we don't do that. I want to talk to a manager. She talks to the manager. We only replace it if after we try to repair it, we deem it unrepairable. Well, I know there is nothing to repair, so what do you think I should do? She doesn't know. If I send it to you, and there are no problems, I have to pay for the shipping to get it there, and the repairman for looking at it, and you won't send it back to me? That's right, she tells me. Well, what a crappy deal. So basically, you don't really care that I'm an unsatisfied customer, and you don't stand by your product. We will repair it for you, ma'm. For the last time, there are no broken parts! I can email you that shipping tag. I never got that dumb tag, and I am officially done with Eureka. $125 down the drain. Not to mention a waste of time, and a source of great frustration. The dumb thing is still in the basement. Does anyone want it? Or maybe I should take a sludge hammer to it?

There is a happier ending though. In search for a new vaccuum, we decide to get a $300 hoover. Not a bagless either. When I'm looking online, I amazingly found it on sale at Costco for $200. It also comes with 12 bags. When I go to check out, there is free shipping, and an additional $50 coupon. So I got it for half price. Plus, Costco stands by it for a year--your satisfaction guaranteed, no questions asked, and all money back. On top of that, Hoover warranties it for 3 years. That says something. Not that I'll probably need any of it though, it runs like a dream, and it will probably last for 7 1/2 years like our old one. yay, hoover.

Fire Safety

Marissa got to go on her first fieldtrip at school and I got to go along (I was actually signed up for the other field trip in the spring, but Marissa's teacher couldn't find anyone else to chaperone, so I guess I get to do both.) We went to our local fire station and learned about fire safety. She got to climb on the fire engine, and see how everything worked. It was a fun day together. Marissa was really excited about what she learned, so we had her teach Family Home Evening. She was super enthusiastic until she started thinking deeply about some things. One thing that they teach is that kids should go outside to the "family meeting place" and stay there,even if their parents don't come out till later, or not at all. Marissa's lower lip started quivering and she said something like--I'll be obedient and go to the meeting spot, even if you die in the fire. Who will get me at the meeting spot if you die? How long will I be there alone? Will I ever get to see grandma or grandpa, or my aunts and uncles and cousins again if you die? How will our relatives know about the fire, and know where we are?

Later, we practiced getting out of our house and the kids wanted to practice opening their windows. Well, they aren't strong enough to open them, we learned. Marissa's lower lip again quivered and she started to cry again. "If there is a fire by my room and the only way out is through the window, I'll die because I can't get out."

The only way she was pacified both times was with the gospel. What would we do without it? We reassured Marissa that #1-our neighbors would take care of her till family was there, and that 2 of our neighbors even know our family and where they live, and our family would take care of her and love her the rest of her life. #2 We are sealed forever as a family in the temple, and if something ever happens to one of us, we'll be together again. #3-we told her some stories--Daniel in the lions den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. We reassured her that the Lord protects the righteous, and just like these men, she would be protected. I made a solemn promise to her that the Lord would give her the strength to open the window, send an angel to be with her till help came, or that she would not be burned by the fire. I said, if you get stuck, you PRAY, and you WILL be protected. #4-There are guardian angels who watch over and protect us every day. Marissa is named after my grandma, who promised me right before she died that she would take care of my babies in heaven and send them to me, and that she would be with me and my family and watch over us. I have had priesthood blessings confirming her presence with me in trials and confirming that she safeguards our home. I have truly felt that, too. I promised her that her great grandma would help her and not leave her alone.

By the time we got done, I was bawling too. It turned into a special testimony building experience. I really do know these things are true. It is such an honor and priveledge to be part of Christ's church and have Him guide and protect us in our lives. He is constantly extending us tender mercies. The knowledge of the gospel brings me and my family peace and joy.

Rock on!!

Our project was postponed because of snow, and because we ran out of rock and had to get more, but we finally got the rock put in our flower beds. It was time-consuming and hard work, but I like how it turned out.

An apple a day...

I've had a hard time finding apples this year--the 2 normal places my mom gets them didn't have any, so I've been asking around and this 85 year old man in my new ward took it upon himself to find me some. Brother Baker is so sweet. He took me to a neighbors house and helped me pick 3 boxes of apples. He had a rake in the tree while standing on a ladder, shaking all the apples down. Not the most conventional way of getting them down--most were bruised or punctured, but still very useable as long as I did it that day. My mom and I were planning on waiting a day or two, but we ended up pulling a mid-nighter, and made 14 quarts of apple pie filling and 11 quarts of apple sauce to share.

Brother Baker showed up at my door a few days later with 4 grocery bags stuffed completely full of apples. "I found more--do want them?" I did, but mom was out of town, so I did 7 more quarts of pie filling and 5 more of applesauce by myself (well, actually the kids helped me).

Mom went visiting teaching last week and the lady she visits, sister Kent, said, "My sister is trying to find someome to take the rest of her apples--do you know of anyone who wants them?" We had to wait for the snow to melt, but we got 4 big boxes and cranked out 30 more quarts to share. Our tradition every time is to eat the freshly cranked, steaming hot applesause with vanilla ice cream melting on top. YUM.

The apple-saucer is quite the cool contraption. First you cut the apples in half, cut out worm spots or bad spots, remove the stem and blossom. Then you cook them in a little water, till they're good and soft. you put them in the top white funnel, and you push them down with a wooden plunger while turning the handle. the applesauce runs down the tray, while the skin and seeds spiral out the end. Then you bottle it and process it.

Apple pie filling is soooo good. It's good for more than just pies, too. You can put it in the bottom for apple cobbler, apple crisp, or dump cake. You can eat it on waffles, pancakes, or crepes with whipped cream. Or, you can do pie. All very delish. For the pie filling, you turn the apples on a different machine--it peels, cores, and slices them. You make the sauce with sugar, water, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. You pack the sliced apples in the hot sauce and process them in the canner.

I absolutely love the way the house smells when doing apples. The downside is your fingers and fingernails turn that yucky brown color (you know, that apples turn if you leave them out after they're peeled). It doesn't wash off; it has to wear off. I've been scrubbing them, and I did something I haven't done for a while--paint my nails. It hides the bulk of it. Also, one more tip: Oil and shortening go rancid after not very long in food storage, so it's hard to store enough for a year. Applesauce is a great substitute for fat in baking (cookies, cakes, biscuits, etc.), and it has a lot longer shelf life.

Since I got my camera back...

I can't believe it's October 20th and my first blog of the month was yesterday. Here's the deal--Ty borrowed my camera and I didn't want to post the stories without the pictures. Needless to say, I missed some good picture opportunities and had no camera, so I do have some stories without pictures anyway.

So, some highlights of the month that don't have pictures:

*Chandler got stung by a wasp under his chin at my dad's auction/carnival for his tree farm. The kids had a ride in a wagon pulled by horses. Ty shot a potato gun.

*We woke up to 15 inches of snow 9 days ago. It was crazy--we rarely get snow that early in the season, and we rarely get that much at once. Wish I had pictures of it, but it melted before I had my camera. Marissa was up at 6 a.m. and I'm not sure how she saw it in the dark, but as soon as she discovered the snow, she was bouncing on our bed shouting "It snowed, it snowed!!" I had to look out of the window to see for myself. The kids absolutely loved it, although we were ill prepared (us Floridians don't have snow pants and snow boots and coats and gloves). I've been waiting for some good sales, but this took us off guard. Marissa went out and played all alone in the dark, then came in and talked me into having hot chocolate for part of breakfast. After we all ate, we all went out. They wanted us to teach them how to make a snowball, snow angel, and snowman. (That sounds really pathetic to people who grew up with snow, I know.) The snow was too powdery for snowmen and balls, so we only made angels, and then the kids were freezing, so we came in for round #2 of hot chocolate.

The next day was gorgeous. About 1/3 of the snow was melted off, and it was sunny and probably 50 degrees. We got all bundled up, only to take most of it off by the end. I took the kids out after Marissa got out of kindergarten and we ate lunch. We built a snow man and a snow woman, and we were all laughing so hard pelting eachother with snowballs. I pulled them around on the sled, and got a real work-out, I might add. It really was a lot of fun. Days like that are perfect winter days.

* Chandler said to me the other day, as I walked out of the bathroom, just having gotten dressed and done my makeup and hair, "Wow, mom, you look SHARP!!" What a cutie pie, and that's exactly what I called him--"Chandler, you're such a cutie-pie." He wrinkles his nose and furrows his eyebrows then says, "Don't call me cutie-pie, call me blue dog." Blue dog?? Okay, I have no idea where that came from. But my baby boy is showing signs of becoming a real boy sometimes (and frankly sometimes it scares me).

*Another thing that scares me is how grown up and perceptive Marissa is. She really does not miss a thing. So we were watching "The Other Side of Heaven" on Sunday, 2 days ago, and John Groberg kisses Jean in the beginning before he leaves for his mission. Marissa turns to me and says: Mom, how do you kiss?
Me: How do you kiss? like this--(and I peck her on the cheek).
Missy: No, mom, How do you kiss dad? With your mouth like this (open) or like this (closed)?
Me: Uh, er... Let's watch the movie.
I honestly still have no idea how to answer that to my 6 year old. I really would welcome any words of wisdom or ideas.

Kids, Quit eating so many vegetables--you'll spoil your dinner!

"Did I actually just say that?" I thought, after the words came out of my mouth. What the heck, kids, spoil you're dinner rotten, you can't have too many veggies--and they did.

Let me back up a little. We were making pizza for dinner, and I let the kids each make their own little one. They both rolled their dough out into heart shapes (Marissa's idea, of course) while I chopped the veggies. We spread on the sauce then I let them free on the veggies--mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, while I get the pineapple, pepperoni, canadian bacon, and mozzarella cheese ready. They get a few on their pizzas then eat the rest. I personally don't care for RAW onions or green peppers ALONE. But, like I said, I decided that I didn't care if they ate too many veggies that they weren't hungry for dinner. So, they did snitch and have a couple pieces of meat, a few chunks of pineapple and a handful of cheese. Then they ran to play, and when it was dinner, they weren't hungry for their own cute little heart pizzas. "We'll eat them for lunch tomorrow, mom." Okay...fine with me!!

A few days later, my parents had a big dinner and gave us 1/2 of a huge costco veggie tray that was left over. I got it out for the kids while I tried to figure out what to make for lunch the next day. They gorged themselves on tomatoes, pea pods, broccoli, and carrots, then didn't want anything else. "You need to eat something else with the veggies or you'll be hungry in an hour",I tell them. The only thing they can think of that sounds good, since they're too full, is cold cereal. So, I pull out the frosted mini wheats and milk. (Yeah, quite the combo, huh?) Probably one of the easiest and healthiest meals I've made. Again...Okay...fine with me!!!

These are their only restrictions:
Marissa prefers to eat zucchini and carrots raw, and onions cooked.
Chandler doesn't care for baked or mashed potatoes unless smothered with enough of something that he can't tell it's a potato. He loves them fried or as french fries.
Probably their favorite is tomatoes though (okay, it's technically a fruit, but still...) Ty's mom has sent them home with a goodie bag full of cherry tomatoes for behaving well at her house--what a treat! We got in the car and they had them gone before we had gone a mile.

The sink hole, the bigger sink hole, and the return of the sink hole.

My neighbors and I have been laughing about the sink holes we've all gotten. Since it's new construction, it's very common to have a sink hole appear where some ground wasn't completely settled. So the other day, the kids show me the sink hole they found. It was about 1'wide x 1'wide x1'deep. So we got some dirt, and filled it in together. The next day I go outside and much to my surprise, the sink hole is slightly bigger--4 feet wide by 4 feet wide by 10 FEET DEEP!! The dirt I added the day before is a mere sprinkle atop this gaping cave (you can actually see it in the picture--a small amount of darker brown dirt in the middle). It tunnelled down diagonally going from one end of the house to the patio.You probably think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not, and the pictures don't even do it justice. I called our builder, James Ray, who has been wonderful to work with and he immediately got on it. His repair supervisor, Chuck, sent a guy out to fill it up. (Everything in our house and yard is under a one year warranty, which is awesome) Well, the guy throws the dirt down there and fixes it in a couple of hours. In my opinion, while I was watching, I was thinking he should've caved the tunnel in, added dirt on top, and used a settling machine. But, oh well, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. So then we woke up to 15 inches of snow 9 days ago (that'll be a whole other post). Over 3-4 days, the snow melted and when it was gone, our sink hole was back. Not as deep, but wider (the last two pictures). I guess my instinct was right. So I call Chuck and tell him the problem--He sighs, "I guess if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." So he came out and settled it with an enormous amount of water, making the sinkhole even bigger. It's drying out and sinking a little more, then this week they'll add more dirt, settle it for hopefully the last time, and put sod on it for us. If you're wondering how our sink hole got so big, it's because we have a basement (none of our neighbors do) and it was dug during the winter, so when they back-filled it, there were chunks of ice and snow mixed in. They used water and a settling machine in the spring, and did a good job--they just missed a spot. Marissa was concerned--Mom, can our whole house sink into a hole?

My $5 Treasure

I don't know if you've ever been to a store called "Rodworks" in Utah, but I love it. It's a home decor store. Some of their stuff is decently priced. I got a huge clock for $37 (they are over $100 at target) and a huge tin star for $13. When I saw a display of a huge, empty frame with a shelf and pictures in the middle, I loved it. The only problem is that they wanted like $150 for the frame. Cute idea, but not $150 cute. So, I've been trying to figure out how to make one, or where to find a less-expensive version. My uncle runs a weekly flea market thing, and one day I just stopped by to say hi. I was browsing around when I came across this huge, old window--like 4x6 feet. My brain started ticking--what if i broke the glass out of it and just used the frame? It was perfectly weathered looking to boot. So I find my uncle--How much do you want for the window? He's like, I almost took that piece of junk to the dump; I couldn't think of anything anyone would want it for except the glass. How about $5? Me--$5 sounds perfect, but can you break the glass out of it for me? Him--Well, how about I take the glass out in one piece and sell it to someone else. Me--Fine with me! Him--what in the world do you want this for, anyway?? I try to explain, but I just ended up taking pictures of it and showing him the following week. Then he asks, How much was the frame at the store? I tell him, and his eyes bulge. And I sold this to you for $5?? Me--Yeah, so if you get in any more old windows, give me a call. I bet I could sell them for at least ten times that. I definitely got a diamond in the rough.

Sound Asleep

It's funny to me that kids can fall asleep anywhere. Two examples are right here--one is when Ty was reading the kids stories, and the other is Chandler on his chair during dessert. How in the world does a kid fall asleep without finishing their dessert? Everyone else had finished and we were in the next room. After a while I realize it's awfully quiet over there. I thought he was hiding, but no, he was sound asleep, awkwardly culed up on a small, hard chair.

Chandler and Pinky-Pie

Although Pinky-Pie was so tiny and harmless when Marissa got her for her birthday, Chandler was still scared to death of her. Eventually, he cautiously would get near her. Finally now, he loves her, pets her, holds her, and plays with her. It's been fun to watch.