Home in the hills - and it's for sale

This may seem out of place on my blog but I would like to help my sister, Tricia, sell her home. That's it above and it's in the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney. Tricia and her family have spent many good years there but with Tricia's husband dying a few years ago and her sons growing up and leaving home, this beautiful six bedroom home is too big for her needs. She is looking for offers

Project Genesis 10/1/2010

OLD PAINT

"Goodbye, old Paint I'm a-leaving Cheyenne; Goodbye, old Paint,

I'm a leaving Cheyenne"

(ok so no one else remembers that ditty but me)

No, not that kind of Old Paint.

This kind of paint

image [ Green County Environmental Svcs]

This is one of those things we should all know and we may know some, but at times we get lazy or confused and don't do the right thing. So with that in mind, I did a little research, consolidated info from different sites, simplified it and added my 2 cents.

Every year in the United States, homeowners throw out 64 million gallons of paint. That's enough pint to paint 3,878,788 miles of highway stripes; it's enough paint o paint 16 solid highway stripes from the Earth to the Moon. It's also enough to fill 128 Olympic swimming pools every year.

Before you dispose of old paint, you'll need to determine what kind of paint it is. There are basically two types of paint: oil-based and latex. They have different ingredients and must be handled differently.

Oil-based paints are considered Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) and are not suitable for reuse after long storage. The label of an oil-based paint will say "oil-based" or "alkyd," or it will instruct you to clean brushes with mineral spirits or turpentine. Paints of this type are flammable, toxic and contain harmful solvents, resins and pigments; very old oil-based paints (1978 and before) may also contain lead. For these reasons, oil-based paints must be taken to disposal facilities that accept HHW. Many communities simplify this by holding annual or semi-annual HHW collection days.

Latex or water-based paint, is not a hazardous waste, and can enjoy many reincarnations after its initial use. Latex paints clean up with soap and water.

Before 1990, about 30 percent of latex paints contained mercury and many exterior latex paints still do. For this and other reasons, latex paints must not be disposed of in liquid form.

Specifically do not:

pour latex paint into storm drains, onto the ground,

or into creeks, streams or rivers

put cans of liquid paint out for regular trash pick up

try to burn paint

Local organizations would be happy to accept your left-over paint. Art teachers, summer camps, and non-profit organizations such as Scouting, 4-H, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army can use a potpourri of paint colors for murals, activities, service projects and to spruce up donated items. Leftover paint can be used as a primer for new projects.

High school or community theatre groups can use it for stage sets.

It takes a phone call or two to find a way to donate the paint.

Recycling your old paint might be another option. Some states have recently passed or are considering legislation to require paint manufacturers to collect left-over residential paint for post-consumer use. Even if this program hasn't reached your state, you can ask your local paint dealer to help you re-purpose your excess paint. Start by filtering out solids like thickened paint and brush bristles. Then separate the cans into light colors and dark colors. With the help of your paint professional, light colored paints can be combined and re-tinted to a fresh, new color. Dark paints blend into a brown color. Empty paint cans are recyclable, too, just like food and drink cans.

If you must dispose of your old latex paint, turn it into solid waste. If there's less than one-fourth of the paint in the can, take it outside, place it where kids and pets can't get to it, remove the lid and let the paint air dry. When the paint is hard, you can put the cans out with the rest of your trash. You may need to leave the lids off to show your trash collector that the can is safe for collection.

For larger quantities of paint, you can pour the paint into a cardboard box and mix it with shredded newspaper, cat litter, or a commercial paint hardener to speed solidification. The box goes in the trash when the paint dries and the cans are recycled.

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Please remember that you must link to your specific Project Genesis post, not just to your blog. These are archived and we don't want readers searching for your post. Also please follow the RULES I have established. If not, I will bounce you out.. with regret, but bounce " boing" you will go.

I am so grateful to all of you who link and who follow Genesis. It all helps the planet.

Suzan

A set of simple candles

I'd been thinking about it for a while and as Hanno was away last night I decided that it was time to have a no electricity night. I wanted to experience the candle light, and the silence, and see if I could knit and write by just the feint glow of candlelight. It was overcast all day so by 5.30 pm it was quite dark. I started getting my candles ready.I'd already had a hot meal at lunchtime

Your home - know it, share it and make it productive

I didn't blog about this when we were in the thick of it because I didn't understand fully what had just happened. I thought it was just one of those things that you think about, it doesn't happen, and you go on as before. Many of you know that in those wee small hours when I lay awake, I think about what is happening in my life, if improvements are needed or if we need to completely stop

SURPRISE!

Everyone loves surprises, well good ones anyway; not the water heater

is not heating anything, the car battery is dead,

or the patio set blew into the pool...again... kind of surprises...

There is a twofold purpose to this surprise.

One, to celebrate a milestone in my posting and two to

pronounce a genuine thank you to my Followers.

No sign ups were necessary, or comments to be left.

I randomly selected 2 numbers that I had

assigned to my Followers on the day of

reaching my milestones.

Jane of Mamie Jane's and

Rebecca Ersfeld For Vintage Living

were selected. Each will receive a

winter white vintage button bracelet from me.

(please email me your address)

Surprise!

If there was a way to send each Follower a gift

from my heart I would gladly do so.

I am grateful to all who visit, who comment, who send me

delicious emails and make me laugh.

Suzan

...and because they are white

I am linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm

for White Wednesday. I've missed so many weeks,

it's nice to be back.

Create Change - The World Will Thank You
Project Genesis October 1st

Back in the swing of things

Well, here I am back again and I have to tell you, I missed being here. Writing my blog early in the morning sets me up for the day and I felt a bit disjointed without it. I've done most of what I needed to do and although I didn't have a break in work, I feel energised and raring to go.Our little garlic patch.I finished the two soap making workshops and everyone really loved them. That gives

Fiskars Pruners Winner

I used a random number generator to select the winner. Congratulations to Tina #13 ♥ Tina said...My hubby would be thrilled to win these pruners! (he does most of the outside work and I cook the harvest!)Great giveaway Rhonda, and thank you for including everyone! :) September 23, 2010 5:54 PMTina would you kindly send me your postal address and I'll get the prize in the mail for you.

I Am No Longer Young

I am 70 in my years.

I can no longer see out of my one eye.

My hearing is unreliable.

My breath is not always pleasant and I

grouch and growl at misunderstood sounds.

My nose is crusty and miserable with allergies.

I can no longer easily get in and out of a car, nor arise

from my spot on the sofa without a grunt or a groan.

I have turned grey and I am covered in spots and warts that

make me avoid looking into mirrors, for I no longer recognize myself.

I am snappish at times because my bones ache and I

have little tolerance for loud rambunctious children.

I enjoy my naps and my dreams of youth.

My memories of my family are happy ones.

I was rescued just as I was being trampled by larger

companions. I was quite ill and assumed I

would never find a loving home.

My family loved me on sight, nursed me to health

and I have been fed and sheltered ever since.

I enjoy a much younger companion named Howie.

I think I would be called a "cougar".

I am no longer young, but I am proud and honest and loyal.

Age is a blessing and a curse..

and a bitch like me..

Bitch [BI ch]

noun

1. a female dog

Please join Razmataz for this week's photo challenge - age

Justice

Create Change - The World Will Thank You
Project Genesis October 1st

Fiskars pruner giveaway

A couple of months ago, when Tricia was visiting, I had an email from Fiskars asking if I wanted to try some of their products. I rarely take up these offers, although they come fairly frequently from various companies, but when I told Tricia about it, she told me that she had been using her Fiskers pruners for four years and they were wonderful. She is a florist, and knows her pruners. On

Birthday photos

Just a short note to update you on the past couple of days of birthday celebrations. Tricia arrived on Thursday and while Hanno and I were out on Friday morning buying the meat for lunch, Tricia stayed at home to tidy up. When we came back she'd removed all the rags from my rag bag and told me that quilters in Sydney would give their eye teeth for the soft cotton squares in there. She

The Party's Over

It's OVER - Hallelujah!

We caused traffic jams and worked our butts off but It's OVER!

Four full (very full), carloads to Good Will whoo hoo

An extra special thank you to Ann who worked so

many hours for us, and she had nothing in the sale!

Ann is such a generous, giving spirit in this crazy world.

She provided all the rolling racks and extra tables

that kept our sanity, and ran non-stop the

whole day helping us and the customers.

We are so grateful for your kindness and charity.

I personally am very thankful that you wandered into my life.

To our customers, thank you for your patience and your money :D.

We are happy that some of our "special" things (Maria) found happy new homes.

Suzan

Closer

closer

bring or come to an end [trans]

the garden is coming to an end

petals drop, dry and shrivel

fall is close

Please join Razmataz

for other viewpoints on Closer

a little sidebar here:

this post is # 300

timing perfectly with a milestone in Followers

so next week a surprise!

if I survive the sale....

Suzan

Preview Night

An enormous thank you shout out to all the lovely gals

who stopped by tonight; and a weird look to

the strange lady unknown to all who just wandered into the garage

and was looking around without so much as a how de doo

..and then said .."oh this is just holiday stuff " and wandered back out...

Vegas

I was sending everyone off tonight with a "thank you for shopping Che-Z "

Saturday here we come!

Sale of Sales

Not the prettiest picture ever on OGM but

this is what I have been doing. This is why I have not

visited blogs and why I am a wee bit tardy on almost everything.

These are friends "shopping" the four rolling clothes racks

and 14 bins of shoes, t's, slacks and purses currently clogging

my living room.

You see, when I have garage sales at my home I allow

one preview night for close friends, usually the Friday before.

I'm not sure exactly how this sale veered so far off course,

but for the past five days I have had preview night,

afternoon AND morning.

The more the group of 5 has sold, (and we have sold a lot) the more

motivated we are to purge, and so daily arrivals of fresh

merchandise have occurred. This mean all the tables inside

the garage have to be re-staged and re-arranged by me

in order to accommodate.

We are having fun, laughing, sharing stories, catching up..

We are also exhausted, have new muscle strains and headaches, and

the sale isn't until Saturday!

Tomorrow I have declared to be the final preview night.

AS always I declare this will be my final sale EVER!

( They all laugh right in my face)

A peek at one of the 6 lineups in the garage.

( also not a pretty shot)

Local friends...see you tomorrow and/or 7:30 Sat

Next week we return to our regularly scheduled

programming with a surprise!

Suzan

It's Hanno's birthday, plus other excitement

First things first. It's Hanno's 70th birthday on Sunday! The whole family is coming, my sister arrives tomorrow, and all the kids will be here for a party we're having on Saturday. It promises to be a beautiful day, one we'll remember for a long time. Hanno does a lot for us as a family and we're all looking forward to being able to show and tell him how much he is loved and appreciated.

Soap - a new recipe

Next Tuesday I'll be starting the first of two workshops on soap making at my local Neighbourhood Centre. The classes are booked out, twice. Last weekend, I decided to make a batch of soap so that those participants on the first day will have a bar of soap to take home with them. I also wanted to go through the procedure and focus on the important parts of the process. I decided to change

All is right - right now

Ever have one of those days where you just love your kids

and your friends and they're all being so sweet and

wonderful and everyone

is in a pretty good place and you find yourself

just grinning like a goof for no reason?

Today is one of those days.

Sweet wonderful chats with both the kids;

friends on the phone and email all weekend about

the upcoming sale at my house.

Friends dropping off their treasures to sell and then

swapping out for other treasures from other gals.

Early bird shoppers coming by at all times of day for

the past three days and three friends coming over tomorrow to

help price and stage for another enormous garage/collectible sale at Z's.

Today, right this minute, all is right with my world.

I'm enjoying an ice filled, frosty glass of milk,

because my friend Carole and I were just emailing

about milk ( ? but true I swear!) and I started craving some.

I know things could change in an instant..

but right this minute I am gloriously happy and content.

My most heartfelt wishes that your world is also

turning well for you.

Suzan

Be sure and link over to Carole's blog

Brimfield treasures oh my!

Chicken, four ways

Every time I cook I try to produce something delicious, with no nasty additives, that gives me value for the money and time I put into it. Chicken is one of those things that can be cooked in a number of ways, it is excellent as a leftover, can be used on sandwiches and the bones can be boiled to make chicken stock - the basis of many a good soup. The chicken I had last week was a 2kg/

A Different Reflection

Those who know me intimately, realize I view things slightly

different than the way most people do. I am also known to

ponder an idea or problem upside down, inside out and

sideways until I feel that I have a clear vision of how to proceed,

or that I am aware of all potential versions and possibilities.

When confronted with issues I am commonly the participant to play

devils advocate to the problem and try to walk in the other guys shoes;

(dearest Pam can attest- I think she rolls her eyes now when I say,

"playing devils advocate").

Sorry, I digress, but it does apply, hang in there with me.

So.......Chania's photo challenge this week was reflections, and on many

of my sleepless nights this past week I imagined mirrors and gentle waters,

flowing curtains, and ethereal images of angels......

Not my darling daughter's boob, er breast.

While editing some of my not so grand ideas, I scrolled past these

shots I snapped as she was leaving the house one afternoon.

A recently purchased t shirt provided her an added bonus...

A boob alert, a warning of impending breast-dom which DD and I

found hilarious.

Whenever light of any intensity hit her chest region,

a vivid, sparkling display of dancing ( bouncing?) fairy lights

proceeded her every step.

SO....

While technically appropriate with a theme of reflection,

( they do reflect the hell out of it don't they?)

it is not the lovely image you will find with the other

participants. Please visit all the other gals linking to

Razmataz whose minds aren't as twisted as mine.

I would blame the lack of sleep but I know close friends

would betray me in the comment section alerting you to the fact

that lack of sleep has nothing to do with my sense of humor...

***********

If mine were still as "perky", I would have snapped up a

couple t's for me to wear everywhere, just to see the look on people

faces as I approached. C'mon can't you see it?

Fairy lights in the produce section, standing on-line at the post office,

6am Starbucks run.....

maybe it IS the lack of sleep....

Suzan

You mean, we don't have to live like this?

I am continuing on from yesterday's post. There were many comments about how we are sometimes treated when we live the way we do, some comments about government assistance and some questioning how to help. Let's discuss all of those things.BTW, my Frugal Home workshops are simply a continuation of what we discuss here. We talk about budgeting, how to lower the cost of living by shopping for

Passing on what we know

We run by different clocks you know. Ours at home is more a seasonal time-frame, or one that revolves around meals and sleep patterns, whereas the business clock is run to the financial year and revolves around nine-to-five and the weekend - that great payoff for putting in time during the week. We have different holidays too. In the business world, time is set aside for employees to have

Fall Arrives at Oldgreymare

It does not matter that the calendar disagrees,

nor that the weather will not cooperate,

in my heart fall is here, and that's all there is to it!

If I decorate for fall, it will come....

Please join all the other White Wednesdays

hosted by Kathleen at Faded Charm

Aquaponics revisited - UPDATED

I've had a few emails recently asking about aquaponics so I thought I might do an aquaponics post, even though we sold our system three years ago.Aquaponics is an organic way of growing vegetables and fish in the backyard. It's like hydroponics, with fish attached, and unlike hydroponics, it's organic. I think it will be much more popular in the future as people start producing more food in