Getting Things Done

I’ve dubbed this the summer of getting things done.  We’ve had so many little things adding up on our To Do list lately, and this week, we managed to cross out three. Three! In one week!  I’m already feeling a lot less stressed than I was last week, which is great.

(My new washing machine. I am seriously in love with this thing.)

First, we finally replaced our old front loader washing machine that we bought before we moved into our house.  It served us well for many years and many, many loads of laundry (two babies in cloth diapers at the same time!), but it was on its last leg.  For months, I’ve been nervous that it would die mid-cycle, and while Ryan was gone recently, I was scared to even look at it.

Front loaders are notorious for developing odors, and ours had to be professionally cleaned when Rhys was a newborn.  Since then, I’ve used a regular combination of detergent, OxiClean, Biokleen Bac-Out, and weekly Affresh treatments to keep it from smelling, along with leaving the door open constantly. That in itself was another annoyance because our washer hookup happens to be right next to our garage door. If the washing machine door is open, you can’t open the door to the garage, as you can see in the picture above.

So this time around, I knew I wanted to purchase a top loader washing machine. I didn’t even care what brand it was, but it had to be a top loader.  And, thanks to a recent and very thorough post on Young House Love, I was able to avoid the comparison shopping and find the perfect machine to fit my needs.  We ordered it from Home Depot last Friday while it was on sale for a very low price, and it arrived Tuesday morning.

I am ridiculously in love with my new washing machine and I can’t stop staring at it. I can’t believe I lived for so many years with a front loader, and I will never, never go back. Our old dryer is holding up well and didn’t need to be replaced, so we didn’t buy a new one. I’m sure that day will come at some point, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I’m having a wonderful time doing laundry.

(Finally switched to a jute rug.)

Next, I sold our old blue rug on Craigslist and replaced it with a jute rug from West Elm. Since we bought our new furniture last year, I felt like the rug clashed with the blue furniture fabric, and I love the simple look of natural fiber rugs.  I loved the blue floral rug and it was in great condition, so it sold right away.  The new rug arrived this week, too, and it feels so wonderful underfoot.  I need to do a bit of fluffing in my living room and I’m planning to layer a smaller rug on top of the jute to add a bit of color.  I’m really happy with the jute rug and it is surprisingly soft, too.  We have the same version in a different color in our master bedroom, and it has softened considerably over time.  Still, I am more excited about my new washing machine right now.

(Getting ready for Rhys’ big boy bed.)

Finally, Rhys is transitioning to his big boy bed this week.  He is turning four soon and growing like a weed, so his toddler bed is barely containing him these days.  We’ve ordered his new mattress, purchased some big boy sheets with dragons, rearranged his room, and will convert his toddler bed to the full-size version today, ahead of the mattress delivery tomorrow.  This is a pretty big deal for a little guy, and he has had some anxiety about making the switch.  I think it will take a little time to adjust to sleeping in a larger bed, but in the end, I think he’ll be very happy with more room to roll around.

It feels so good to cross some things off of our summer To Do list, and I’m still amazed at how much stress my old washing machine was causing me.  Are you doing any repairs or finishing up jobs around your house this summer?