ADVENT2020

SPRINKLER SYSTEM INTERRUPTED...

Our sprinkler system went on the fritz. One zone, the front yard just dribbled.  We called the company to come out to fix it.  It was $150.00 the first hour and $125.00 every hour after. Since they couldn’t come out for ten days, the weekend approached.  

Mr. Thrifty  had taken pictures prior to the sod being put down while under construction.  This was a life saver. As he walked the yard, it was mushy.   He honed in on the leak and started to  dig only to find 2 breaks in the lines caused by tree roots.    

Here are the nasty roots removed from the pvc pipes.

The roots were definitely the problem.  We might have future issues with both trees in the front yard. At this point removing them may be our only solution.

The purple adhesive shows the new piping connections.

 

Seven hours later, with a cost just under $15.00 for parts, my hero Mr. Thrifty strikes once again.

I am so Blessed!

GRILLED SHRIMP AND SUMMER SQUASH SALAD

So sorry for the long stretches of inactivity on the blog.  There still might be time for some of you to grill out even in the fall. 

Still having issues with creating postings. Sorry!

This is my new favorite summer salad.

This recipe was given to me by a friend.  It is my go-to summer salad dinner this summer. It is AWESOME!  Very low carb too.

I did tweak it a bit.  I didn’t use 3 ingredients.  I did not put in red pepper flakes because I didn’t ’t want the heat. I didn’t have Aleppo pepper, but substituted freshly ground pepper.  Lastly, I omitted cilantro because neither Mr. Thrifty and I don’t like it.  I did double the fresh basil.

***When making this recipe, I always buy at least 3 extra cobs of fresh corn so I can make the delicious

Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad that I posted July 20, 2020 in the upcoming week.

 

FALL AROUND THE HOUSE 2020

 This year the autumnal decorations were a lot simpler.

Just enjoy!

I found these cool opera binoculars from Paris that have mother of pearl handles.

In homage to being a Benedictine College alumni, the raven is a focus in the library table vignette. 

My special Luminara battery operated flame like candle comes on every afternoon at 4 p.m.  Thank you Tara!

UPDATED GOLDEN OAK OVAL COFFEE TABLE

I wanted to give you all a head's up on the format of my blogs as of late.  They change text color and won't let me change the size of the photos.  I apologize!    It is very frustrating on this end.

found this coffee table on Facebook on Marketplace.  I bought it for $40.00. It is solid oak and a

rather stately piece.

About 2 months ago, I asked Mr. Thrifty to move it back to the back porch so I could start working on it.  There it sat, and sat and sat. 

 I

Last week a friend of mine sent me a photo of a smaller pine table that she bought 2 days before when we were at an estate sale. She has already finished stripping and sanding her table.  That was the motivation that I needed.

 

I was having such a time sanding that I asked Mr. Thrifty if he could take a wrench and separate the base from the pillars and the base.  This made the process so much easier.  This table is solidly built and very heavy.  The sanding went much quicker after the separation.

It was interesting to note that the pillars were not turned but made like a whiskey barrel. Such workmanship is not seen today in modern furniture.

The wood conditioner was applied with a soft rag.  This process makes the stain go on more even..

Thanks All the pieces have had the wood conditioner rubbed on with a soft cloth.

Below you will see the 3 products used. 

 

I continue to have difficulties in creating these blog postings.  I will have to revert to just pictures with minimal prose until I can figure out the problems.  Sorry!

UPDATED ARCHED WINDOW FRAME 2020

I picked up this arched window frame at a Vintage Market sale.  I loved the structure, but not the finish.  In order to make it look vintage, they painted layers of mustard, rust and white paint. I  really disliked the rust and mustard paint.  I lived with it for about 2 years and then decided to clean it up, so I sanded all the paint off.  It took about 6 hours of sanding but I think the final result looks so much better.

This is the result of a days sanding.

 

On the second day, I finished the sanding.

I liked the bleached wood effect is much cleaner.

I believe this updated frame will find a place in my new craft room.

I still need to find some vintage book pages, postcards or old family photos to add to the cross bars in the frame.  It will be a work in progress.