Epoxy

I had a great idea for my kitchen.  I was painting the walls and ceiling colors in the olive green family.  I had horrible, ugly brown that-was-supposed-to-look-like-dark-brown-wood countertops that were not near wearing out and mismatched appliances.  Yes, each appliance was a different color: stainless steel stove (not the new kind, either), black dishwasher, white microwave oven that is wonderful, and an almond fridge from about the 1980's.  If I could afford a new fridge, woo-hoo!  Alas, the new and simple ones are a few hundred bucks.  I do realize that the energy efficiency would pay for itself, but it couldn't buy itself upfront!

Your New Kitchen Makeover: Kitchen Remodeling Ideas And Strategies That Will Have Your Kitchen Looking Fabulous


Fresh paint does wonders.  I was browsing at the store and found an epoxy for countertops and for appliances.  How exciting!  I really, really had to think hard about this because when I was just a kid I wanted to paint our appliances at home (they were almond.  I thought my parents were nuts for choosing such a goofy color) to which my father lovingly scoffed and said that paint won't last long for items like that. 

While at the store, this is ringing in my head.  It is horrible now, how much more horrible could it really be?  So I bought 'em!  I should correct myself, it was the same epoxy, I just had one colored and the other I left the brightest white ever.  Looking back, I should have used the spray can, and not the brush on paint.  Or perhaps I should have used primer.  Or perhaps I should have put a clear coat over the top...

Appliance Paint, Epoxy Finish, White, Ace

Here I am, 6 months later, scratches and dings in the counter tops (the color really was great, though) and a white fridge that the almond is bleeding through, and not a single scratch on the horrible, horrible paint job.  That is how much more horrible it can be.  Not only did the nice color turn icky, but the icky color won't come off.  As for it peeling off of the fridge, though, my father stands corrected...

VHT Gloss Black (OSHA) Epoxy All Weather Spray Paint

Broke? Recycling What You Have into What You Need (Part 2)

Recycling involves more than taking plastic bottles to a different container; it also involves reusing as much refuse as possible. This helps out our waste sites, our pocketbooks, and Mother Earth. Welcome to Part 2 of: Broke? Recycling what you have into what you need

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An Easy Household Guide (The Chelsea Green Guides)

What you need: Fire Extinguisher

What you have:

• Baking Soda: Pour on flames to suffocate fire.

What you need: A trivet or potholder
What you have:

• Magazine: Place magazine onto table or cupboard under hot bowl or pan to prevent discoloration or burns.

What you need: Goo Gone
What you have:

• Baking soda: Mix with a little water making a paste. Rub onto residue until gone.

 The Frugal Millionaires - 70 millionaires anonymously share their ideas about money to help each other & you. [PB,2008]


What you need: Mulch
What you have:

• Corks: grind corks into little pieces and add to soil to help retain moisture.

What you need: Small amount of paint primer
What you have:

• Shellac: Before painting, brush shellac onto the stain to prevent bleeding through the new paint. Works on burn marks, residue, and other stains.

What you need: Painters Plastic
What you have:

• Magazines: Tape pages along floor as you paint the molding, or wet magazine pages then stick to windows. Peels off easily!

What you need: Organizer to help keep Christmas string lights, extension cords, ribbon, or other cords untangled
What you have:

• Magazines: Roll up a magazine, tape the edge to hold, then wrap cord, lights or ribbon around. Tape the end of the cord to keep it neat.

Vinyl Follow-up

Okay, so I have realized that I am not a great installer, nor am I a great mechanical-measurer-anything.  I was very excited to pick up the piece of vinyl that I purchased for $10, although I did not realize how long it was.  It should have been a clue when he said, "I will go get the forklift" and here I thought he was just trying to make it easier for him.  When I saw that long tube hanging off of the forks of the lift, I wanted to just crawl in a hole- because guess what else- my back doors to the van were frozen.  Yes, frozen and no, I did not check that nor did I think it would be a big deal because the side doors were fine!  In addition, I was thinking, How am I going to work with that big thing??  As I scrambled to think of a way out of yet another goofy situation, I noticed some other remnants sitting off to the side.  When I awkwardly told him my predicament I quickly added, if I need to I could just swap with one of these and you can keep the difference in price.

You can imagine my surprise when he replied with, "Why don't you just pull around to that door and we will throw some heat on it."  Hm.  Not so easy to get out of.  I obliged, and backed my high-top conversion van into the garage.  He had his heat gun plugged in but it would not turn on.  My stress level was above my eyebrows and I began to sweat.  My arms became itchy as I wished that I could weasel my way out of taking home this piece of vinyl that I knew I could not work with.

The heat gun wouldn't turn on.  He mumbled something about the outlet, and removed his extension cord to a different one on a different wall.  Still wouldn't turn on.  Luck.  What luck!  I teased, "Boy this is the worst sale ever, huh"  To which he was confused, and kind of ignored me.  He did state something about his irritation with his semi-new gun, but then fell silent.  Again, I said, I am totally fine with taking a different piece- the area is not that large.

He reluctantly went with my suggestion, and with a little more luck there was another piece there that ended up to fit in the area almost perfectly, with minimal cutting!  Which is very good because I goofed up horribly, but covered the "injured" area with a rug.  Just perfect- and all for $10.

Save the Vintage!

My home is old.  1937 old.  It has beautiful wood floors that have taken a beating since I have lived there.  The floors is one of the reasons I wanted the place, in addition to a wider than normal staircase going upstairs and to the basement.  The main reason I bought the place is because of the comfort it gave to me even though I looked at it when it was raining and gloomy outside.

My recent issue has reared it's ugly head as winter came upon us.  I have begun to use the front door much more often, but the wood floor is right there.  Right there!  I have covered it with a heavy duty rug with a rubberized back to protect it, guess what- it leaked.  I purchased a plastic runner that will not leak, except that it is not wide enough to protect all of it.

My hair is missing from my standing beside the door pointing to people's shoes and the plastic while ordering strict instructions about staying on the plastic, not spilling any water over the edge of the runner, and pick up that snow that has fallen between the threshold and the plastic, a minor gap that loves to get a hold of the snow and melt it until it is a stain.  This is before any de-icer is involved!  My stress level regarding this is through the roof!!

Until one day I found a piece of remnant vinyl for sale.  I get to pick it up tonight, and I plan to cut it to size and use caulk to keep the edge to the threshold, and place furniture and shelves on the other edges so I do not have to attach it.  I am very excited about this little tidbit idea, I hope it works as well as I am envisioning!

Home Recycling

Recycling products is more than plastics, paper and glass.  It is reducing waste and finding dual uses for items.  Recycling is a way of life for many people, and is a growing part of our culture on a daily basis.   I purchased my home in 2002 and have had decent luck with it.  I have been forced, though, to take a hard look at the things I need and the things I have, and to simply just make it work, somehow.  Owning a home is hard work and expensive, but it can be done. No, many of us cannot purchase exactly what we need, much less what we want, but survival is more than buying everything... it takes creativity, imagination, and endurance.  

My current struggle is a project that I just started in my basement.  It is a 1937 unfinished basement with no framing on the walls, but they have been braced.  I live in an area that sometimes has a temperature high of   -5 degrees.  Point blank, it is cold.  I read this last weekend somewhere on the web that about 20% of heat is lost through an uninsulated basement.  How correct this figure is, I am not sure but it is enough to get me moving in desperation.

Why don't I just buy the insulation?  Money.  In order to hang the insulation, a person is supposed to have framed in walls.  I am not handy even though I am a worker- so in addition to lumber costs I would need to hire labor, purchase insulation, and other minor tools on a budget that is sinking already.  I need to do this with little or no money.

I did have an issue with an upstairs ceiling in which the ceiling tiles all came tumbling down- denting themselves, etc- but I kept them because I felt guilty throwing them away.  It came to me one day to reuse those!  It won't look so pretty, but maybe there is something I can do to make them look better when the project is complete.

The ceiling tiles are 1x1, and do not need to hang in a grid; they tuck into each other, and a person can staple them to the ceiling furring strips.  I thought I could hang them in rows on the wall so that I could just secure the top tile to a piece wood that sits on top of the cement wall- that way they are easily removed if something should happen. 

Since I am in the first stage of this project, I have used Liquid Nails on the back of the tiles to glue them together in pairs.  I figured this would be easier to construct the rows instead of having to work with each tile separately.  The Liquid Nails is still drying and I will wait until dry to hang.

25 Ways to Say I'm sorry without saying "I'm sorry"

Sometimes those words are just not enough...

1. Wash his or her dishes
2. Hold his or her hand
3. Give a foot massage
4. Buy flowers
5. Shovel the snow from the driveway/ mow his or her lawn
6. Download a sappy song and bring a card
7. Post a large "I'm sorry" post on Facebook
8. Text a sad face to him or her
9. Write a poem telling him or her how great s/he is
10. Make a nice dinner
11. Share a bottle of wine with him or her
12. Polish his or her shoes
13. Wash his or her windows
14. Bake a cake or brownies
15. Mail a letter to him or her talking about how much fun you have with him or her and how much s/he is missed
16. Take his or her dog into the groomer
17. Clean his or her cat litter box
18. Take him or her on a picnic
19. Take the scenic route on your next errand together and initiate complimentary conversation
20. While on the floor grab him or her around the leg and say loudly, "Please!  Please!"
21. Get him or her a kitten
22. Make a card telling him or her all your favorite details about him or her
23. Sex
24. Make his or her bed
25. Hold him or her close, and while looking straight into his/her eye, play "got your nose"