Saturday, April 12, 2008

Tales of the kitchen - or why I'm up at 6 am on a Saturday

It occurs to me that I haven't reported on the kitchen in progress lately.

It's a sad story. The kitchen renovations are done - I love my kitchen but it's still not complete. You see, once everything was done, I realized it wasn't really. The walls are this rather vivid and startling blue - which I will post and the cupboards are white. I have a white dishwasher - only a couple of years old, a white under the stove microwave - brand new and a beat up almond fridge and stove. Well - they just didn't fit in anymore. Friends told me that would happen. I also gave the old table and chairs to the oldest son - to keep them in the family - odd I know. It's not many people that have a heavy plastic table and chairs as heirlooms.

So I happily trundled off one day and scared the hell out of myself by buying all this still needed stuff. The thing was I'm the only one in the house so they couldn't deliver it during the week and I work some weekends so we had to figure out which weekend I'd be home. Today was the day. However, I got a call at work yesterday from the furniture company. It seems my brand new beautiful, flat top, no burners to have to clean gunk out of, stove was damaged in transit. They had to order a new one and hopefully it will be in by the end of April.
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH.
They could deliver the fridge though.

Now being one of the worst procrastinators in the world, I somehow managed to put off cleaning out the fridge - until today. The guy on the phone said if they weren't here by 9:30, to give them a call.
"9:30 at night?" I said.
"No, 9:30 am" came the reply.
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH.
If you could see the state of my fridge!!
I set the alarm clock for 6:00 am.

And now I'm having a wee bit of worries on another score. The space where the fridge goes is confined. There is a wall between the kitchen and the living room on one side and cupboards and counter on the other. And even though, through previous experience you would think I would have learned this...........
I didn't measure.

Now leaving to clean fridge with crossed fingers.
Update to follow

Why I'm having a beer at 8:00 on a Saturday

Well - now here's a tale to tell. I had no sooner finished hitting publish post when I heard a knock at the door.
I answered it - after frantically searching for my house coat, cause of course I'm not even dressed yet. Good thing I don't sleep naked!
The guy at the door asked if I was expecting a fridge.
"Shit" I said - I hadn't started unloading the fridge. And yes - I did indeed say shit out loud. Another thing you should know about me - I'm a hoarder by nature. Even though it's only me in the house, the fridge was jam packed.
"Where do we deliver it?" he asked.
Thinking
"The back door I answered."
So they drove the truck around to the side - see I live on the corner of the crescent and the back door is really the side door.
So the two delivery guys get out and bring the new fridge up to the back door. Now we've reached a problem. It won't fit through the door.
They take the back door off.
Now it won't fit through the door into the kitchen.
They take of every available piece that will come off while I'm frantically unloading everything from the fridge and the freezer. I even put stuff on top of the underwear that I had on one of the chairs that was clean and hadn't quite made it to the bedroom - in case they glanced into the living room and saw my totally non-sexy underwear.
They finally get the new fridge into the kitchen just as I'm pulling the last thing out of the fridge. Good thing I covered my underwear with ketchup and relish and mustard.
I'm sweating bullets that my failure to measure will come back and haunt me. I should have learned I need to measure.
They position the new fridge.
Phew!! It fits into the limited space.
The one guy puts the doors back on the fridge. Now this one is a reversible door opener and OF COURSE he starts putting it on the wrong side.
I tell him I want it on the other side.
He looks at me and continues.
I can tell he's rather pissed off that they had to work so hard to get it into the kitchen, because it would have been so much easier if I'd said the front door but it's 7:00 freakin' am on a Saturday! Who freakin' delivers furniture at 7:00 am on a Saturday???
So, feeling guilty, I shut up.
I go into the living room and try to read (White Lies by Linda Howard if anyone is curious)
Then I hear the back door slam and them working on putting the back screen door back on. And for those who have been reading this for a while - the back screen door is a whole 'nother story I told.
Then I hear the truck drive away.
What the hell I'm thinking???
They aren't done yet! The fridge is still sitting out almost in the middle, not nicely tucked into the space. And it's rocking. They didn't anchor it. Kitchen guy made sure my old fridge didn't rock when he put it back.
I push the fridge and it goes back a bit. And then I push it some more and it doesn't go back any further.
It seems I worried about the wrong measurements. Yes indeed width wise it fits into the tight little corner just fine. But depth wise it sticks out!
It rocks.
The door handles are on the wrong side.
It's 8:00
My counters are covered - totally covered in stuff from the old fridge.
I put the frozen stuff in the freezer - I think - it's all mixed together.
The underwear is still covered.
I grabbed a beer.
I came to post the further adventures of Kristie and her kitchen.
I'm going to finish the beer and go back to bed and hide.

12 comments:

Kris said...

Poor Kristie :( That would be a definite a chocolate day for me. That is a rough way to start your weekend. i hope it gets better.

Kristie (J) said...

Kris: Well - I do have a chocolate bar....somewhere on one of the counters but it's small and well hidden. The beer on the other hand called out to me and said
"drink me". And who can resist a talking beer.
I hasten to add - this is the EARLIEST I've ever drank alcohol and I'm really not much of a drinker normally *g*

nath said...

Oh gosh Kristie!! You definitively deserved that beer! and you're totally right, who delivers furniture so early in the morning!!! Definitively a rough start to the week-end.

Anonymous said...

*hug* Oh man, that was so me last year!

Here's hoping the weekend gets better and better and better

Carolyn Crane said...

How distressing. I don't blame you for downing a beer. And those men were not very nice to just leave you like that with your fridge rocking and not even in!

You deserve to reward yourself with something fun this weekend.

Rosie said...

I'm with the contingent who can't believe someone came to deliver the fridge so @#%$# in the morning! What. the. hell!

KT Grant said...

Having a beer is good at anytime because remember, it is always 5pm somewhere :)
I would have done a shot also after all this.

CindyS said...

Good Lord! Girl, you need to write a letter or call their manager. The fact that the guy ignored your request to have the door open the way you wanted it to is criminal!! I would have started beaking and freaking ;) You wake my ass up early and you don't do as I ask? Yeah, you need to call someone. Or I need to call someone for ya ;)

I hate 'delivery hours' or 'service hours' - no one needs to take a day off so they can accept shipment of their appliances.

Seriously. Since they will have to come back with the stove I would call the service department and let 'em have it.

Okay. Calming down.

How far out is the fridge sticking? You could have your kitchen guy come in and break through the drywall and two by fours in the wall behind the fridge so it can go about 4" farther in. If it's more than that then yeah, you need to have them pick it up.

Kirsite needs to kick some ass!

CindyS

Shannon said...

aw! Poor kristie! what is with today? It is a bad home day. While not nearly as bad as your morning, I was woken up by my landlord (after not nearly enough sleep) to be told they needed to come into my apartment RIGHT NOW to replace one of my windows. Ice cream and excessive napping helped me out, I hope your beer did fabulous things for you!

Anonymous said...

ROFL.......OMG! I've been checking for weeks for a kitchen update & pictures. Those bad boys from Bad Boy should have checked with you before they left. You need the doors to open the other way. *grin Give Mel a call! He'll get on their butts.
And if a beer called, but of course you must have it. Butter tarts called me all the way from Remark today. I went and got them! *grin
Janice
ps. you tell the best stories.
ps. (ROFL - rolling on floor laughing)

Nicole said...

Oh Kristie, you do indeed have the most humorous stories. And poor you. Hope it works out.

Sarai said...

Okay that sucks. I finally caught up and I wanted to send some love. I hope it all works out and seriously have another beer. Lud that made me ache just reading it.