Category Archives: cleaning

I am my mother’s child

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My mom would find ways to reuse things that most people would throw out.

Our house number changed last Fall because of a new 911 system to help first responders in rural areas.  Some residents had to change the street name as well.  We’ve lived in this house for 21 years and this is the fourth address.  The first address was a route and box number.  The second address was a real street and house number.  The third was the same house number and street name but different city (and I use that term loosely).  And now this house number change.

Over the years we accumulated address labels.  We’d get them with donations to various organizations and charities.  Sometimes our insurance agent would mail them to us.  We used them but since we switched most of our bill paying to on-line banking, we just didn’t mail much any more.

And now they have the wrong house number.

So last weekend I pulled them all out of the junk drawer and decided to do something with them…besides just throw them away.

Most of the labels had a cute graphic next to the address.  I cut the graphic off using an X-acto knife, my quilting ruler, and self-healing cutting mat.

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Most of them are about a half-inch square.

Now I have to figure out what to do with them.  Use them instead of gold star on chore charts for my grand kids?  Advent calendars for next Christmas?

What would you do?

 

Inherited paint

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I helped our daughter clear out part of her basement last week. They inherited many partially used paint cans when they moved into a new-to-them house.

Over 25 partially used paint cans.

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The previous owners had different tastes when it came to paint colors than she did.  They also didn’t know how much paint to buy and had a lot left over.  One can had never been opened.

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But what to do with their old choices?

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That were at least ten years old?

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100 pounds of kitty litter helps.

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Look at that rusty can.

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She has a lot more room to store the things she needs to with all these paint cans gone.

Paint-cans-7wmWhat do you do with your old paint?

 

Tacky?

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How tacky would it be to leave this Christmas tree on our landing going to the second floor?

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I love the glow it provides and I don’t have to turn on the overhead light when I go upstairs.

The tree was an impulse purchase a few years ago when some friends from out-of-town called to see if they could stop in around Christmas.  We normally don’t have people drop in on us and our family wasn’t coming so I didn’t get put any Christmas decorations inside the house.  The outside was decorated.

I found this six-foot primitive tree at 40% off on Christmas Eve.  I grabbed it and some lights and voila!  Instant Christmas tree that I could carry.  The red beads and lights stay on the tree and after Christmas it lives like that in the basement.

I put some candy canes on it this year and called it done.

The “big” tree is still up in the living room but all the ornaments are packed away.  That tree will go back in the box this week.  The rest of the decorations inside and out are put away.

If it’s above zero and we still have some light when I get home today, I’ll show you my snowman on the front door.

Weekend

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I woke up early for a Saturday – 8:00.

Guest bathroom – Fixed the 2-3 year-old water damage on the ceiling.  Still have to paint it.  The bathroom was all clean and shiny until I looked at the trim.  I’ve been meaning to repaint the trim for years but never got around to it.  Until Saturday. Done.

Washed, dried, folded, and put away two loads of laundry.

Made cornbread and soup for lunch.

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Hung the garland on the front porch with Mr. Aitch.  Finished taking in all the porch and deck furniture.  Rolled up the rug from the front porch.  All put neatly away for the winter.  Mr. Aitch swept the porch.

Cut the fabric for one of the quilt tops.

Jambalaya with chicken (no sausage) for dinner).

Cut more fabric for the second quilt top.

Went to bed.

Sunday morning – church.  It started snowing during Mass and when we left the church, about 2 inches had fallen.

Went to the market.  It was crowded for a Sunday morning when I arrived but quickly cleared out as the snow kept piling up outside.

snowy-drive

Groceries put away.

Pancakes and sausage for lunch.

Roast beef with carrots, celery, and onions in the oven.  It smelled so good.

Pieced one quilt top together.  No photo as it was a dark dreary day.

Added potatoes to the roast beef concoction in the oven.

Watched a part of “The Crossing” with Mr. Aitch until dinner was ready.

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Lovely roast beef and vegetables.  And a bottle of wine, of course.

Finished watching “The Crossing” with Mr. Aitch.

Checked email.

Pinterest.

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Did an Internet search for a free knitted pattern for a newsboy cap aka bakers cap, golf cap, ivy cap, English driving cap for a small child.  No luck.  Found crocheted patterns.  Don’t crochet.

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Turned on the dishwasher and went to bed with a book, “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.  Couldn’t stop reading until my eyes got too tired.

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The alarm clock went off at 6:00 this morning.  I turned it off and fell back asleep for 45 more minutes.  That happens more often than I care to admit.

The schools and colleges were closed today due to the snow storm and freezing rain.  I had no trouble getting to work.

And so it goes.