New toy in the house....

Well, after 14 years, the good ole Maytag washer finally died. It gave us many years of clean clothes but then last week, would no longer spin. So, off to do some comparison shopping. I really wanted a front-loading machine and did some research (online and in the store). My engineer spouse who is the one to take the tough look at things, also thought the front-loader was the way to go. So...we've got a new Kenmore HE2+ washer plus pedestal. Sears had 20% off all their appliances for Independence Day. Plus, we heard they are built at the same factory as Whirlpool (another top contender) so we went with it. OMG! It's sooooo quiet. I can't tell when it's washing...unlike the old machine which could be heard throughout the house. The only "bad" part of the washer escapade is that my bday present was going to be a new microwave. I want one of those over-the-stove models so that I can gain the now-wasted counterspace being used by the old (and BIG) micro. And that was my "gift" from the family. But, since the micro still works, I found it hard to get a replacement for it when the washer did its thing. KWIM? Guess the "up" side of this is that I've never been as excited about doing laundry as I have been these past few days. Oh, don't worry ladies. It won't last too long! ;D