Mouthwatering Monday

Ok. So this isn't your typical "Mouthwatering Monday" post, but it sure has my mouth watering! Our dishwasher (circa 1986) finally bit the dust a few weeks ago, so we decided it would probably be more cost effective to get a new one than to try to repair the one we have. Considering Terry is a musician & I'm a "drama queen" - no, literally, I have the theatre degree to prove it; this was a wise move on our part. Anyway, the diswasher & range were the only built-in appliances that came with the house; but they were both black in a white kitchen. Call me crazy, but I never understood the logic there. SO! If we replace the dishwasher (may it rest in peace), then common sense dictates that we must also replace the range. Whoo! Hoo!

This seemed like a simple-enough task, but definitely proved to be one for the books. The diswasher was easy-peasy. They all come in one standard size that hasn't changed since 1986, so we were good on that front. The range however was a different story. See - our range was a drop-in range...didn't go all the way to the base of the cabinets or the full depth of the countertop. And guess what? "That size is no longer available...hasn't been for almost a decade." Really?!? Who knew? Ok, I thought. We'll cut out the counter & cabinet around it, and get a slide-in or free-standing range with no problem. We measure (3 different people on 3 different occasions), and agree on the dimensions that will work.

Lowe's provided a great selection to choose from & I found my favorite.

We get one of God's greatest craftsmen (OE) to cut out the cabinet & countertop and scheduled the delivery. I guess at the point in the story, it would have been smart for us to "re-measure" the opening. You guessed it...when the delivery guys brought the range in, the opening was 1 1/2 inches too small! Gasp! See - the "cooktop" part of the existing range was 30", but apparently it was only 28 1/2" down the main part of the oven. Once again, "OE to the rescue" came to cut out an additional inch-and-a-half of cabinet & countertop; so we could get the range in over the weekend. Needless to say, I had to stay home from church on Sunday to clean all of the sawdust out of the kitchen; but I think the results speak for themself.

Here's to many more Mouthwatering Mondays with the help of my shiny, new friend!