Aah! Homeownership

So, do you remember my chore list from a couple days ago (Got it all done, by the way...plus my floor mopped - Brandon mopped my floor) Remember that stinking fridge...yeah....So naive me thought I could just wipe the smell away. Unfortunately, the smell just got worse. I kept cleaning and chucking food. Anything that could possibly be going bad. Finally, I threw out the chicken (which by the way, was NOT bad the first day I checked the fridge) well now it was bad, really bad. The smell started to go away. So, it must have been the chicken, right? Um, not so right. The chicken was bad, but...here's the clincher....so was everything else. Our fridge had died! AAH! The news finally became apparent when we went to pour the milk, which had been perfectly edible 6 hours prior, and we were met with the delightful "glub, glub" of curdled mlk. That doesn't usually happen to refrigerated milk.
So, apparently our fridge had been out for a couple days, but thanks to the smell, we hadn't opened it much and so most things were relatively cool. However, quiet a bit got thrown in the trash...Yay!
Now I have a little advice for you all:

1. If you think your fridge is going out, check the cheese drawer. It is the easiest place to tell since cheese goes shiny and rubbery when warm. (And cheese isn't supposed to be warm in the refrigerator)
2. If you get your appliance from Sears, don't let a trainee help you. Unless of course you have the time and patience for it. Which we usually do, but #3 will explain:
3. Don't go shopping for a new appliance with 2 children who need naps, a son and husband who are sick/irritable (Landon more so than B), and when it is relatively one of your first trips out as new parents of 3.
4. If you live where we do, don't expect Sears to be able to deliver to you. They will say they can, but trust me, they can't. They will find some way to avoid it. In our case, they were booked. I'm pretty sure there aren't enough people who live out here to fill up one of their delivery trucks, let alone enough people purchasing new appliances...but apparently there were. They will call to let you know this after you are already on your way home. So be prepared to turn back around.
   
5. When you call to have people come help you unload your new fridge, make sure you allow enough time to put your house back together before they show up. Especially if the bishop is the one who shows up. Oh the embarrassment. (Mind you, we didn't call the bishop to come help, he, and his wife, just happen to be the ones who did show up) On the plus side, they were very helpful.
6. Finally, try your hardest to empty your old fridge without the help of your 18 month old. Otherwise you end up with an entire thing of ranch dressing poured on your child, floor, etc. (In the middle of all you other mess)

Having our fridge go out wasn't the stressful thing yesterday. What was stressful was that a relatively simple process turned out to be not so simply done. You would think, fridge goes out, go to the store, get a replacement fridge, come home, swap them out. I guess we were just destined for an exciting adventure.
By the way, here is our new fridge. We weren't going for the bling (stainless steel) but when it is $300 cheaper than the closest comparison in white, you buy the bling baby!