Free-Cycle Finds

Erika and I had just discussed finding a outdoor table for her and the kids to use this summer. We were planning to keep our eyes open at yard sales.  I was also about to post on Free-Cycle but of course got side tracked as usual.  Monday morning I was thrilled to see an offer for a patio table and chairs.  I responded tight away to see if it was taken and received a call within an hour

It was available!  We could pick it up that evening.

As stated in the offer it has a tad bit of rust and needs cleaned but I think they will be thrilled with it.  The lady even tossed in all the cushions which I’ll recover for them.

It was a large oblong table with 5 chairs, one of which is a rocker.  We thought it would take 2 trips but, par for the course Mr. Fix-It got it loaded in one.  Just what he wanted to do right after work before supper.  He’s such a good sport…I think I’ll keep him!

We have a fairly active free-cycle group that trades around.  I love the idea of passing things along and blessing others instead of just tossing them out.

Do you use free-cycle?  What are some of your finds?

We close on the house tomorrow!!!! I’m just a tad bit excited…. can ya tell?

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,Free-Cycle

Projaholics…on the home stretch!

It’s been a while but after a lot of thought,I’m sticking my toe back in the blogging waters. Thank you to those who emailed offering encouragement to start back up.   Let see, where to start!

The addition is nearly  done!  We’re down to the finishing work.

My work room needs: the closet door track & doors installed and trim painted.   It’s the only room that had unpainted trim. We got a little ahead of ourselves on that one. (yes, we were to excited to wait)  After all the fussing I did about wanting color in my home, the paint color I chose is “Alpaca”.  A neutral cream-ish.  I thought I want a vibrant & bold color in here but after a lot of thought I went with something I could make bold and vibrant!  I’ve yet to find cabinets & counters I want or, am willing to pay for.   We’ve quite a few peddlers malls in the area I’ve been watching for counters & cabinets to repurpose. I think I’ll post on the local Free-cycle also.  It’s the time of year when a lot of home remodeling is going on & with any luck someone will be redoing their kitchen!

The laundry room is done.  The construction portion any way. Again I need to find a cabinet to go under the window. We have a repurposed counter stashed just waiting to be installed.

The Bathroom is painted (no trim yet) and has lights up.   Larry just created this beautiful tile floor, pretty darn good for his first tile work I think! The shower needs tiled next & once that is complete the vanity, sink & commode can be installed. 

The hall/entry area:    As this is the main entry area to the other rooms we’ve already bumped & nicked the walls a few times carrying things in. For now It’s painted, the temporary flooring is in and the closet door is up but to avoid re-doing work, we will finish this area last.

It’s been a long road getting here but we’re on the home stretch now!

Technorati Tags: Katidids,projaholics,addition,do it your selfers

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY& GOING GREEN

For a quite a while I have been thinking of all that we as a society waste. Since the early 70’s Reduce, reuse & recycle has been the mantra. The next few weeks I’d like to look at a few little things (call them baby steps if you’d like) that we can all do with little effort.

Ever driven down the road and see good furniture, toys, on the side of the road? Waiting for the trash, on the way to the Dump. Some say landfill but excuse me, the land is full, and we dig a hole to dump things into it!

Good things possibly, toys the kids no longer play with, a wheel maybe missing, wobbly leg table, dirty lawn furniture, bed frames, curtain rods, dishes, lawn mowers, I could go on but we’ve all seen the piles.
I always think there is some young person moving out for the first time or a young couple just getting started that could fix those things and use them.

When did we become a throw away society?

What happened to fixing things?

One gentleman I know picks up lawn mowers tossed out. He fixes and sells them on the side. The things he found wrong with them; need a tune up, wheels tightened, once a (new-one) spark plug was not connected. No more than an hour or so of work, they are cleaned up, running great and ready for a new home. Granted fixing lawn mowers are not a hobby for everyone. But for goodness sake pass it on to someone who could!
You could have a yard sale, take it to your local thrift store. Don’t want to haul it? There is another alternative, my family has recently found.
Ever heard of ”Freecycle “ (This is off the website)

It’s a wonderful way to get rid of things you no longer need.

“Where one person's trash is another's treasure!The Freecycle(TM) mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community. We are open to individuals, businesses, schools, and nonprofit organizations. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to find new homes for good items rather than throw them away. In the process, we'll reduce waste, save precious resources, and ease the burden on landfills.”


You should check it out, just type freecycle in your search engine. Clean out some closets, or if you’re real brave the basement!