Storing Paint So it Doesn't Dry Out and Safe Storage of Chemicals

For a week or two, we have had a weird chemical smell in the garage. We weren't sure what was causing it. 

I searched and found that a five gallon bucket of Drywall Primer was leaking. I had it on carpet and I am not sure how the bottom of the plastic bucket cracked but my only guess is that some water spilled and then froze causing pressure on the bottom of the container. It hadn't been opened so it was odd that it leaked.


I can't imagine that is it but you can clearly see the crack in the bottom and it slowly leaked out causing a hard form of paint in the shape of the bottom of the bucket and so I got rid of the carpet and scrubbed the garage cement and poured the now half empty bucket into another container. 


Two days later, we still smell something and then I could smell gas in my basement. I don't have any idea what is going on so I put a fan in the garage and the basement hoping it is residual smell but it continues to get worse. 

I dig around all the paint strippers, oil mix, lawn mower and then I remember I had an extra 5 gallon gas container on the bottom shelf. I lift it and the paint underneath it was bubbling and there was "wet" under it. 

There was a slight crack which must be VERY slow leaking as it was still half full but I guess half of it leaked around the back of the bookshelf and then down the crack between the drywall and cement. 
 
It must have run down that wall inside the wall and then hit the basement cement as I can't see any indication of it in the basement on the wall or floor but it is behind the entertainment center so I hope it isn't ruining the carpet under there. 
 
I dumped it into another gas can and washed the shelf and the cement around the book shelf and there is still a smell. I pray nothing sparks so I have kept the fan running. It smells a bit better so I am hoping it will evaporate. 
 
While cleaning out, I put all the paint for the house on one shelf but many of the paint cans seemed quite empty so I thought that I should consolidate the paints into smaller containers as I had over the past few years and it would save space on the shelf.
 
I brought about 12 gallon cans into the house and started opening them. Four of the first 6 cans were hard like a rock. One was like putty and one was separated and rust dropped into it when I opened the can. 

There were only two that had usable paint in them out of all the house paint used in the house. I did save some of the "putty" type paint as I can still use it to spot paint the walls I used it on. 

The paint in the plastic containers I used to store the paint in the past few years, the paint was in good condition, it was easy to mix as I could just shake the container in my hand verses trying to shake a paint can.
 
EVERY can had rust around the lid area and when I opened them, the rust dropping into the paint.  

The film containers worked for about five years, the play dough container also lasted about that long but my favorite is the Tupperware as they seal really air tight and they don't dehydrate and dry out. 
 
The larger containers are from dry "Gatorade," "Wylers" and "Country Time" drink mixes. They work VERY well and the paint in those is at least five years old and is in great condition and is so easy to mix and use as you can easily hold it in one hand as you paint with the other. 
 
I used a rubber spatula to get the paint out into the plastic containers and in one, I had a larger amount so I used a plastic square chocolate covered almond container and put saran wrap over the lid before putting it on just to make sure there was a good seal on it.
 
Out of all the gallons of house paint in my garage, I only kept one. It had a plastic lining on the inside and I had 3/4 of a gallon in it still.

I do have some new paint I bought for the wedding and never used and some that I was going to use to paint my garage etc but since they haven't been opened, I let them be until I need paint for something. 

Princess One is looking at houses so I told her she could take what I had to use if she wanted once they get a home.

I wish I had done this years ago but each day I get a little more done in the yard, house, or garage or even just a project. Yesterday, I winterized most of the yard and did most of Princess Three's Christmas quilt. I have a "list" and each day try to get something checked off it and can happily say that it is going well. Even on the rough days, I get something done so it has been a few good weeks that way. 
 
It would be great if I could get lots checked off before the holidays but I am giving myself the gift of being happy with what I do get done and I can see little accomplishments daily so life is good.              

I wanted to share that I thought I was safely storing chemicals but realized that my garage was a hazard. Before winter comes, you may want to do a little chemical check to make sure your chemicals are stored well and not leaking. Learn from my mistakes! :-)

New Tile for The Batrhoom and Kitchen Part - 2

I shared yesterday about putting tile in my bathroom and kitchen. Then, I started to grout the tile. 


There is a back story. I had some help tiling my bathroom floor after all my flooding years ago. They didn't have time to grout the tile.

I used a pre-bought mixed grout and not knowing anything about grout, I used it but it was really dry and I was practically pushing it in by the hand full and it didn't wash off well and I figured grouting was not my thing.


A few years back, my dad came down and helped me tile my shower in the basement. He also had to leave before the shower was grouted. Because of my horrible experience I didn't even attempt to grout the tile in the shower. 


I hired someone to come and grout the shower and I was AMAZED when he pulled out a frosting bag filled with grout and used it to fill in the gaps between tiles. He then used the grouting float and wiped it and then rinsed with the sponge.

It took him about an hour to do the entire shower. I couldn't believe it since it took me hours to do a small floor. 


I at first mixed some dry grout in a rust color and made it rather thick but after doing about a foot, it made the kitchen look dark and the tiles changed color with the darker grout. 

I used a sharp steak knife to quickly scrape out the grout and then used an off white colored grout instead. I didn't want to use white as I thought it would show more dirt and water stains. 

I mixed the lighter grout a bit too wet as when I squeezed it in and wiped with a sponge, too much came off and then when it dried, it left holes as it had too much water in it. 

There must be a happy medium but I was happy in the end with the kitchen over the bathroom as I just really don't like the bathroom sink colors but all in all, I think it was a good thing replacing the other sink and I really like that the tiles covered up some water damage on the paint over the sink in the kitchen. 


I made videos of showing how I used the frosting bags and also a second talking about how it left holes. I just went over the entire thing a second time after the holes showed up and it seemed to work ok but just more work. 


Don't forget to use a "Grout Seal" product over the grout so that it doesn't stain with mildew or other stains in the kitchen. I show the product I used in the video.

New Tile for the Kitchen and Bathroom Part 1

I put a new bathroom sink in a few weeks back with some help from my dad. I kept postponing posting about it because I wanted to make a video on it. I never did. There are so many times that happens and life moves on and I never get to posting things. 

The sink I put in the bathroom to replace the old sink has a shorter back splash so that left about an inch of drywall showing that needed to be painted. I didn't have exact paint and hoped what I could find would be close enough but as you can see by the top picture, it was darker than the wall paint so I needed to do something about it.


I found some glass mosaic tiles at a second hand store and they were a dollar or two a sheet and there were four sheets. I thought they matched the bathroom well enough that I could use them as back splash in the bathroom and then stick a few rows over the shower to not have them only over the sink.
 
I looked for my tile stuff in the garage but it wasn't where it used to be so I wonder if I donated it or something.  A great neighbor Greg lent me the adhesive and the spacers. I loved that the tiles are on mesh so you can place the entire row or two by just cutting the mesh between rows. BEST invention ever! 
 
I tiled the shower in that bathroom with my dad so I have done tile work before so I wasn't too nervous about it but I was glad that my friend Greg told me to put spacers at the bottom of the tiles as well so you can grout the base. 
 
When my dad and I did the tub tiles, we didn't use spacers at the base and the grout hasn't stuck well at the base since there was only the tub and tile for it to stick on. 
 
It is always nice when you can have someone give you tips about things they know to save you time.  

I am not thrilled with the sink we installed as it was a used sink but I don't have the funds to be picky in my life so I am just grateful that I was able to find one that mostly matched for a price I could afford and hope that the tile back splash works. 

I also have a place behind my kitchen sink that water has damaged and I also can't afford to redo my kitchen and the counters at the moment so I figured with the tiles I had left, I could do a little back splash in my kitchen as the colors of the tile actually match better in my kitchen than the bath. 

I stayed up late putting the tile in and will share what I learned about grout tomorrow. :-)

New Halloween Tradition - Picking Your Treat

The past few years Halloween has been weird. Princess Five has gone to a friends house for the evening and made doughnuts for trick-or-treaters and only went to a house or two to trick or treat. 

Last year, I was working on pruning the Big Tree in the back and handed out candy once I finished but it wasn't enjoyable since I had worked late and was very sore.


This year, I was planning on working in the yard but wasn't feeling all that great and so I figured I would skip that for another day. I was sitting at my table with some jewelry that I had gone through and was about to put them in the larger bag of jewelry that I am getting rid of when I had a thought. 


I asked Princess Five what she thought of me giving out jewelry for Halloween. She thought it wasn't great or not great and so I thought I would try it for a few kids and if it didn't go well, I would just go back to only candy.

So, I thought I would have a tray of candy and a tray of jewelry. I took the pirate trays I had and laid out the candy and laid out the jewelry and put them on a stool by the door so that they could choose if they wanted candy or jewelry. I had scouting stuff, pins, some boys necklaces and lots of girls jewelry. 

I didn't stick any earrings out but put all the other stuff out I had. I had some key chains and some collectors coins as well. 


The first two kids were THRILLED to be able to pick what they wanted. Both chose trinkets over candy. The first boy took the scout neckerchief holder and a girl picked jewelry. 
 
After such good responses, I took a piece of red fabric and put more items out. There was a pin from Wisconsin on the tray and I figured no one would ever take it but I figured I would put it out anyway. 

Kids LOVED picking something. The boys 2-5 picked candy and almost everyone else picked jewelry, pins or coins. 


Princess Five and I decorated the house using the pirate from girls camp and a chest that I found at a second hand store and then I put in lots of gold and silver jewelry. 

I thought that was a great back drop for the jewelry and brought the whole "jewelry" theme in. Soooo many kids ran off to show their parents what they chose and several of the kis said "This is the best house ever!" 

Then, another boy said, "I am coming to your house EVERY year!" 

I thought it may turn out weird and I would have to go to just handing out candy, but in the end, I didn't give out much candy at all. 

I gave out candy to about 20 people in all. I had two boys come up and they were thrilled to get pins and then they ran to tell their dad who had a little one about a year old. He brought the little one to the door and then he said, "Oh, if I had to choose, I would have taken the Wisconsin pin." I told him he could take the pin. 
 
He rolled up his sleeve and showed me a Wisconsin Tatoo. He was from there. He was SO excited about the pin that he went out and told his friend about it and then his friend came and asked if he could have a pin. He was at least 35 but was SO excited to be able to pick a pin. 


You can see the red and white Wisconsin pin in one of the pictures above. I didn't get one negative comment all night. It was really fun to hear the comments and see the smiles as they got to choose what they wanted. 

I got rid of lots of jewelry that night and made lots of new friends. I took a few pictures of my sister and nieces and also of a few cute costumes. This mom made this chicken costume out of several boas. I thought it deserved a picture. 

I also got a picture of a friend of one of my girls we haven't seen in a long time with her son. I also took a picture of a cute "link" costume and a teen boy that was thrilled with a "POW" coin he chose. 

It was amazing to me that within a second or two of seeing the jewelry or pins, people would pick out something they loved. They didn't have to search long. They just seemed to go right to the one thing they would want. 

I fear I may have set myself up to do it again next year. I think it may be a new tradition.

The Stories This Sweatshirt Could Tell

I wonder if others have a favorite work shirt, pants etc. 
 
I purchased this sweatshirt on a clearance rack for $2 or $3 many years ago at Kmart. I liked it because I have a long torso and many sweat shirts pull up in the back leaving my lower back exposed and I hate when I catch a chill on my lower back. 


This shirt was a size 3 x and that made it long enough that I could wear it and it would cover my lower back when I was working. About 15 years ago, I started painting the house and painted just about every room since then. It was nice to be able to have this sweatshirt while working. I love that it is mostly cotton which makes it so much more comfortable.


Since that time, I have worn it to remove and replace the windows on my trailer, paint the outside doors and trim on the house. Worked in the yard, tiling the shower, replacing lights and lots of other jobs. 

I wear it all the time because I always find myself doing some project even if I hadn't planned on doing one. It just happens that I start working on things and when I wasn't wearing it all the time, I ruined many shirts, jackets and pants. 

I stick my fingers through the holes in the wrists to keep my hands warm so it is nice that I have it. I think if I ever make myself a t-shirt quilt, I will have to include a square of this in it as I have so many memories wearing this sweatshirt.

Hoopla - Game of the Sixties

This past week, I found the coolest antique game at a second hand store. 


I have heard of the game of "Hoopla" a few different times. There is a game from "Cranium" that is called Hoopla and one of my girls told me that they played a game of "Hoopla" that was different which is "Twister Hoopla" and said it was really fun.
 
Imagine my surprise when I found this different game of "Hoopla" at a second hand store. Several people commented on the game in my shopping cart.
 
The box was so big but I was interested about the cover. On the cover, the children are small and the game is HUGE so I thought perhaps you stuck the game on a higher object and threw round discs or something. Like throwing rings on a peg.
 
When searching "Hoopla" online, there are some peg games where you throw rings onto pegs so it would make sense. 

I almost put the game back a few times as the box is so huge and I thought it wouldn't be good to store it for a few plays but then I thought I could always just play it and donate it back. 
 
I looked at it like paying for a bowling game. you enjoy yourself for an hour or so and don't have anything to take home so I decided that if Princess Five and I have fun playing it, I can donate it back if we don't want to store it.  
 
It was $3 and so I purchased it and today when Princess and I had some time in the evening after our Sunday schedule, we pulled the game out and Princess thought it was the coolest thing that they used to write the instruction on the lid of the game and wondered out loud why they still don't do that. 
 
It took a minute to figure out how to put it together as twice I put the wooden dowels into the base before looping the green handles in as you can only get that piece in BEFORE putting the pegs in the base. 

We did have to read the instructions and it didn't take long before we understood the object of the game. 

I love that they made the top like "Plunko" from "The Price is Right" show as it makes the game just a little more fun watching the hoops plink down into their spots.
 
It was evident from the beginning that Princess Five is MUCH better at this game than I was and the two discs I scored I had the lift one side of the base to get them but Princess was a master and swooped around collecting them with ease. 

If you cause the little man to fall off, you lose your turn. You get different points for the different colored rings. 
 
It did get more difficult the more rings you got on the little man as he is balanced on the wire and with the weight of the rings, he leans more and it is easier for him to fall off. 

Also, if you go too fast with rings on him, he can lean enough that they fall off while he is moving fast so the more rings you have on for your turn, the slower you have to work.

I did want to mention how cute the inside of the box was as well. I show a picture at the top where everything is pictured so you know exactly where to stick everything back into the box. Getting to spin the base also made it a fun game. You can see in the video, we both enjoyed playing the game. I think we will have to have a "Hoopla" tournament over the holidays.