First major delay...

Well, I guess it was bound to happen, we have hit our first setback.  Sure, we have had little bumps here and there, but this is a guaranteed, one-week set back.

When you are reflooring the spine of your ranch-style home, there are lots of things that you have to prepare for.  We will have to spend a couple of nights out of the house so that the tile can set.  We can't stay here because we wouldn't be able to get to a bathroom.  One of the other little things is that our washer and dryer have to be moved.  In preparation for this task, I did a massive amount of laundry yesterday so that anything we could possibly need would be clean and available.  There were a few other things to do before calling the tile mason to get him out here.  One of these tasks was installing a lower cabinet that we have had for a couple of weeks now.  When I went to set it in place, it was a half inch too short.  The cabinet guy didn't account for the overhang of the Formica (yes, it is technically a proper name) countertop when he measured the cabinets.  Now I have to get it back to him so that he can take the front face apart and make two new stiles and a new bottom rail.  Although this will probably not take more than an hour or two, it is not his main line of work, and I have to get it to Ponchatoula via Plaquemine (he's a coworker of Jenny).  I realized the mistake yesterday, will get the cabinet to him tomorrow, he will fix it over the weekend and get it back to Jenny on Monday.  This means the earliest possible day to start the tile is next Tuesday.

I guess I have to do another round of laundry.  Oh well.

In another matter, I also realized that installing the cabinet would cover up the receptacle that was previously used for the refrigerator.  After brainstorming a bit with Nathan over the phone, we realized that the refrigerator was probably on a dedicated circuit and that I could use that wiring to install two new receptacles in the backsplash on that wall.  I am really glad that this thought occurred to us.  That wall would have had no receptacles if it wasn't for that epiphany.  I also used the 220-volt circuit that previously powered the oven to create a 110-volt outlet for the new refrigerator, thus creating a new dedicated circuit to power the new refrigerator.  It blows my mind that so far Beau the electrician has fared better than Beau the plumber, but c'est la vie.

In other news, Jenny and I went appliance shopping (success) and countertop shopping (abysmal failure) on Monday.  Jenny gets a discount on Whirlpool family appliances through work, and we managed to get a locally-owned appliance store (which I have worked with in the past) to give us very competitive prices.  We will probably end up purchasing the appliances through the local guys because they have a good service department, the sales people have been very nice and helpful, and it never hurts to support a local business, right?  Here's our dilemma: we are looking at two gas slide-in ranges.  They are both good units that retail around the same price point.  The one that we both really like is the slightly more expensive one (obviously because otherwise there would be no dilemma).  The slightly less expensive one we can purchase for around $1500; it retails for $2049.  The one we really like is $2199 and there is no haggling or deal-making to be done.  The manufacturer forces its retailers to sell it for the price they set.  This means it is the same price everywhere (even on the internet).  So, if it were a matter of $150, it would be no contest.  $700 on the other hand, is a pretty nice chunk of change.  Advice/Donations are welcome.