Rehab Porch Swing, From Trash to Treasure

Curb Appeal

We love trash day.  I remember the first time picking trash.  My friend was with me and I saw a sweet table in my neighbors trash.  It was after dark, and I laughed all the way home as we carried the table down the street.  She didn't know what was so funny and she kept telling me to be quiet!  I felt a mix of embarrassment and a rush of adrenaline.  It's the ultimate high!

This was intended as landfill!  But, wait!  It's not Trash!  It's SplendidTrash!

It's nice to have a truck for these stealth operations!

Rick used an angle grinder to remove the rusted bolts.

We bought some lumber the same size as the rotten boards and drilled holes for the new bolts.  Rick also rounded the edges with a plane so that it would be kind on the booty.  Rick chose pine wood--less than $20 bucks.  

If you are like me, there is always some leftover paint in the basement.  I had some house paint and white trim paint that I mixed.  Pretty?

We found some really great textured metallic paint by Rust-oleum that made the frame look galvanized.  If you use textured paint, alway prime with a similar color since the textured paint doesn't cover very well.  We didn't and Rick had to go back and retouch with some silver paint.  We were in a hurry to get this project finished so that we could sit on it.  We are not perfectionist and embrace our inner hack.  Just don't look too closely at our stuff.  Flaws abound, and we are fine with that. 

Every yard needs a swing.  

The Best Things in Life are Green!

I Have a Problem!

We have established long ago that I act as if I lived through The Great Depression.  I have not, but my grandmother has.  She was as frugal as they come, and became more so as she got older.  I, on the other hand, am a paradox.  A strange creature who can't make up her mind.  I am frugal, I am excessive.  Whatever!

  

Dortheaa Lange's Migrant Mother

 This woman moves me.  These children kill me. 
 

I Get a Thrill!

For me, it's a hobby to make things last a little longer.  Stick it to the manufacturer and get more use than they intended.  I love the little thrill of digging out every last bit of my Burt's Bees lip balm with a sharp object.  You would not believe how much is left in that tube after you use it up.  But that's another post!

You can buy these Scotch-Brite Scour Pads for about 4 bucks at Target.  These come in a pack of 4.  But they are unnecessarily large.  You only need a bit of scrubbing power to get the job done.  To get more bang for your buck, cut them in quarters!  Now you have 16 scour pads that take up less space and is still able to eliminate your stubborn baked-in food stuff. 

What a lovely pile of green, that will help you save green and be a little more green!  If you know what I mean!

Green, Clean and Environmentally Pretty!

I'm a Little Green
Yes, I care about the environment, but there are other reasons for my earthy ways.   

It's Complicated 
I have the mentality of having lived through the depression.  I did not, but my grandparents did.  Some of their approach to life has rubbed off on me—although selectively.  Gas prices—I never pay attention.  Parking meters—I will walk a mile to avoid feeding quarters.  I am a world of contradictions.  I shun wasting food to my detriment, but I will spend a weeks pay on a good meal.  Twice I gave myself food poisoning to avoid waisting the contents of my refrigerator.  Did I learn my lesson?  Yes!  I got a meal and was able to easily skip a few more resulting in unexpected savings and lost a couple of pounds to boot.  Hence, there is always a Silver Lining! 

Linen Vs. Paper 
Paper towels are unsightly and uncomfortable to use on the face in place of a cloth napkin.  I use rags for wiping up spills and towels for drying hands and cloth napkins for meals.  Even when we have a house full of guests I use linen.  Oddly enough, I enjoy folding napkins and love the sight of them in my cabinet. 

Germs Are Gross 
Here is another factoid about me.  One thing I hate more than waste is a damp towel from multiple uses in a guest bathroom.  If I were to send in a  PostSecret , it would be that I rarely use towels in people's bathrooms.  I can be quite creative in how I dry my hands in your home.  I will use the fancy, ‘do not disturb’, never-been-touched towels with the monogramming.    Or if it’s a nasty bathroom, I will use Toilet paper, Kleenex or my own pants.  As a last resort, I will use the back corner of the hand towel.  I have issues.  There!  Now, I don’t need to send in my postcard—once again, saving paper!  And at least I don’t bring my own towels to your house.  Wait!  That’s a great idea!

Problem Solved, Beautifully! 
For my own home, I got the answer to the scanky hand towel by attending a party at a friend’s house.  They installed a paper towel holder in their bathroom.  No germs—but the wastefulness kept me up at night.  I liked the idea of paper towels in the bathroom for guests so that my germaphobe friends can avoid drying their hands on my curtains.  I am sure there are a ton of people like me who have an aversion to using a community hand towel.  But as you know, I am earthy!  So, I bought some wash clothes, cut off the tags—they are unsightly—and put them in a cute basket.  Then I had my daughter make this ‘guest towel’ sign and added a matching ‘soiled linen’ basket.  Guest have a clean, mini towel to dry their hands!  Now I sleep better knowing that my friends and family don’t have to wipe their hands on their pants or spread H1N1 to a house full of people.  Problem solved! 

Green Can Be So Pretty!

Soiled Linens, Naughty Kittens!

One Last Pretty Tip!

I bought inexpensive wash clothes from Target.  They fade with washing, so make sure you cycle them through and put the freshly laundered towels at the bottom of the stack so they all get used equally and fade equally.  It's the details that matter.  Trust me.  

Selling Crap on Craigslist Part 2

If you want to sell your crap on Craigslist, you need a good photo and a great description.  I tried to hawk this sweet little table last week to no avail.

Maybe the electrical outlet is too distracting.  I would give this photo a 'B'.  I also had a few close-ups attached to the ad.  My description went something like this:

Shabby Chic side table.  Features beautiful leather-like insert and a handy cubby for storing books, magazines or a basket.

I included the measurements and $30.00 cash price tag.

Not one bite!  I had multiple inquiries on the other side table and sold it right away.  So, I had two options.  One, lower the price.    Two, change the wording and try again.  I already had a lot invested with the walking next door in the dark and hauling it into the house.  Plus hiring my husband to paint it for free.  So you can understand why I had to charge the full 30 bucks.  The change I made to the ad was minimal:

Madmen meets Shabby Chic, side table.  Features beautiful leather-like insert and a handy cubby for storing books, magazines or a basket.

Boom! Four people wanted it!  Boom!

I just love selling crap on Craigslist!  My sister and I have an idea for selling chairs on Craigslist!  Coming soon!  

Recycled Food

Plan ahead, and you will save money and calories.  One simple thing you can do is prepare your lunches at the beginning of your work week.  This is just one sample of my meals for the week, less Friday.

I will come up with something later in the week for Friday's meal.  I cheated this week, but that's ok.  It just so happens that a lot of what you see is leftovers from San Sai, one of my favorite fast food places.  I totally recycled my leftover lunch and made enough lunches to almost get me through the week.  The far left jar contains some of the leftover salad with the addition of fresh lettuce of my own.  Notice  the bits of pasta, corn and other colorful veggies topped with greens.  On top of that, I added some cashews to give myself a protein boost.  The small jar on top of the salad holds cauliflower puree, which tricks the brain into thinking that you are eating mashed potatoes.  With this particular batch I added some fresh garlic sauteed in a little olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper.  You may also add potatoes, just remember to use more cauliflower than potatoes to lower your carbohydrate intake.  This batch only contained one potato and an entire head of cauliflower.  Everyone loves this, including kids, provided you tell them after they eat the 'mashed potatoes'.  We faked a lot of people out a couple of Thanksgivings ago and now they request that we bring the 'potatoes'!  I'm such a liar!

The next few jars contain brown rice and spicy chicken from San Sai.  I will pair this with homemade roasted zucchini.  Roasting vegetables is one way to pack more flavor without added caloric filled sauces.  Simply toss veggies with olive oil to coat, add some herbs, pepper and maybe some balsamic vinegar.  Roasting veggies will be your new love! 

The remainder of the white jars are filled with Honey Greek Yogurt, from Trader Joes.  I proclaim it is the best yogurt on the planet.  You can add your own fresh or frozen fruit or simply eat it plain.  Yum!!!  It is so much more economical than buying individual servings, and less sugar laden.  Warning:  4oz is plenty for a serving.  It has a tad more fat than I would prefer, but it's worth it!

The benefits of using Mason Jars are numerous.  It helps with portion control, cuts down on plastic, and looks pretty!  I believe that aesthetics are very important, especially when eating.  And sleeping.  And living. Mason Jars are easy to transport to work and take up very little space.  You may want to bring a bowl or plate to work, but for some of these you can eat right out of the jar.  They are also easy to clean, however, I wash the lids by hand so as to keep rust at bay. 

Doesn't this look yummy?  And to think how far I stretched this meal into the work week.  You don't have to deprive yourself of tasty food or never go out to eat in order to eat healthy.  This meal was tasty and satisfying. 





Bon Appetit!