The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: Saturday we helped our friends lay sod in their backyard. They had leftovers so they gave them to us and now we have some grass! They also had blocks similar to the ones in our retaining wall they weren't using so they gave them to us too.

The Ugly: I know it's out of order but it goes with The Good. Unfortunately the rest of the yard is still ugly. I hope we're able to do work on it so it's done by next summer. We need to get some boulders that some people are giving us (we're trying to figure out how to move them), mow and till the weeds in (the tiller is broken - it only runs with the choke on but it's not strong enough with the choke on to till our ground), level out where I want the boulders to go, then put the boulders in and add dirt if we need to. (We're going to raise some of the yard where the grass will be.)

The Bad: Our washing machine, that has been making noise for a few weeks, decided it was done. The part we think needs to be fixed is around $100 for the cheapest one, plus it needs a hose that Jared can't find. So we're on the hunt for a new washer. I found a new one I really, really like and want but we don't really want to spend that much on a washer right now so we'll see. Until then, it's laundry at other people's houses (thank you to those that have offered!) and continuously watching the ksl.com and craigslist ads for a new one.

*Update: Jared went to an appliance place in town and the guy was telling him the new machines do everything but clean. He said the low agitator machines don't do well unless you put very little clothes in them (same with front loaders). He also said all front loaders come from the same place (I can't remember who now) because they have the patent on them and everyone buys them and tweaks them somehow to make them their own. Well, the machine I really want has great reviews. Everyone says it cleans well, doesn't hardly use any detergent, is really quiet, and other things. Jared said it's the diamond in the rough so I told him we'd better get it then. :) He told me if I could come up with $500 of the money for it, he'd do the rest. So now I just need to figure out how to get $500! (If only it were easy:))