…In the Toilet

Hi.  Louie and I are part time plumbers (because we have to be), and today, we each took a turn at fixing our ‘terlet’ as Louie’s calls it.  Our toilet is a Sloan Flushmate  toilet. We have had it for a little over 9 years, and it has ‘served’ us well.

As you can see,on my messy counter, I have a bag which has two ‘not so good’ flush handles (might have to click and enlarge picture to see). One broke right after we bought it, because the part that connects to the handle, and also goes through the wall of the side of the tank was plastic, and well, it just wasn’t designed well for an air pressurized water tank, so we got a replacement.

We must have ordered two, because I installed a new one this morning. The toilet wasn’t flushing like it usually flushes. It seemed kind of weak and tired, so I investigated. Actually, the handle has been in pretty bad shape for quite awhile. I don’t know why we put this off so long. Yes I do. Plumbers always take a long time getting things done (sorry if there are any plumbers, or wives of plumbers reading thing…this also applies for mechanics as well…as I am the wife of one).

So I decided that this is the day that I finally investigate our problem. This is the new handle attached.

I don’t have a tank full of water, I have an air tank half full of water, and the other half full of air.

Another problem we had, was that the nut that held the handle to the side of the tank was metal.  It was not staying tight, and that was probably the reason the old handle finally gave out. I replaced the handle, and replaced the metal nut it with a plastic one, so I could get it tighter and it would stay tight. (Note white plastic nut on side of tank.) Another problem, was the makeshift clip (piece of wire hanger) that holds the two metal rods together. The original clip didn’t last very long, and I have been making my own clips since. Plastic wire ties didn’t work, as they broke quickly, so for the last several years, a piece of coat hanger bent in a circle has served it’s purpose.

The way the Flushmate works, is you push down on the flush handle, just like any other normal toilet handle. The bent metal rod on the inside of the tank, that is part of the handle, pulls the rod that is clamped to the top of the air tank UP, which then pushes DOWN on the white plunger located in the center of the tank. (Click HERE to see how it works, and click HERE to see a real one in action.There are neat little videos on this website to watch if you so choose.) When the plunger is pushed down, the air pushes the water into the bowl at a high rate, and carries the waste farther down the sewer line than regular gravity toilets.

Anyway, I took off the piece of wire hanger, and in it’s place, threaded a small key ring loop through the hole in each rod to connect them. One ring worked fantastic, so two must work better, right?

After the handle was fixed, it didn’t seem to flush any better, and still sounded weak, so I got out our handy dandy Owner’s Service Manual, called for my plumbing partner, Louie, and passed the baton to him.

See where the yellow tag on the hose is? Follow the hose over just past the hose clamp. See where there is a little white circle. That’s lime on top of the Air Inducer. When you flush the toilet, you should hear air being sucked down into the tank through the opening of the air inducer. The air inducer was plugged. Thanks to the invention of toothpicks, the air inducer is now clear, open, not plugged, and it SUCKS AIR!

My old toilet works like a new one now.

My toilet is happy, so am I, and we didn’t spend any money. How much better could things be?  I might just see if the Flushmate company will send me a couple new clips, just in case my  key rings don’t hold out.

(We actually have a new model of the Flushmate in our basement bathroom, and it has been maintenance free from the day we installed it.)

Boy, I bet you didn’t think you’d be reading about toilets in blog land today, did you? Thanks for humoring me and staying with me. I love ya!

Be blessed,

Michelle

Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse!

Remember this shower curtain?

I spent 2 1/2 hours this afternoon watching redecorating shows on HGTV while I unpicked stitches to separate the decorative cloth ribbon, and the ruffled skirt from the body of the curtain.

I now have a large (measures 52” x 66”) piece of FABRIC, 5 FAT QUARTERS, and just slightly under 24’ of DECORATIVE RIBBON (70” of each of four different ribbons, to be exact. Click on the picture to see the rolls of ribbon easier).  The time spent was well worth what I gained in fabric and ribbon from a $2.38 cloth shower curtain. Shower curtains, valances, and curtain panels are wonderful sources of fabric, when you garage sale or go thrift store shopping. Heck, when you redecorate, keep your old curtains and shower curtains for fabric. You loved the design once, you just might again, reused in something else.

 

Oh, I just LOVE fabric candy. Yummy!

 I hope you too, think about recycling, repurposing, and reusing items. I love the feeling of making ‘something out of nothing’.  After all, when making a quilt, or any other sewing projects, only YOU have to know where your fabric came from….and see?  It doesn’t HAVE to be expensive.

 

Tonight we watched another ‘thrift store’ movie. This week, it was ‘Cellular’. Again, we are just a ‘few’ years behind on the current movies on DVD, but it was a very good movie, all the same. Louie and I each gave it ‘two thumbs up’. 

Cost of night at the movies: $3.38

Time spent with my sweetie: PRICELESS

The recycling, repurposing, and junkin’ queen,

Michelle

 

Be blessed, and have a wonderful weekend!

 

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

WOW! I just discovered these guys. They are awesome! See for yourself, then go to youtube, search for Ukulele Orchestra of GB, and enjoy more videos.

Be blessed,

Michelle

Internet Explorer Error Message

I don’t know about all of you, but lately, I have been viewing a lot of internet explorer error messages which pop up when I go blog surfing. Some sites are worse than others. The error looks like this:

When you click the ok, the website clears, and when you try again, the error message pops up again, or you get a screen like when you don’t have a connection. You can click on other feeds you have, and nothing happens. You end up having to close IE, then open it up again, trying to get the same site, and it happens again. FRUSTRATING!!!! (So after explaining all this, I realized that you probably ALL have already experienced this…sorry!)

Vicki, over at Tazz's Corner has posted a very nice, simple, easy to understand tutorial to FIX this problem. Hop on over and see Vicki’s solution, and enjoy her blog while you are there.

Be blessed, and have a GREAT week!

Michelle

 

Some Days You SCORE!

I love showing friends my treasures. They ask where I got it, and I say, “Where else? GOODWILL!” They look me in utter disbelief, then they say, “No WAY!”, or they raise an eyebrow, roll their eyes, and say,  “WHY CAN’T I FIND ANYTHING NEAT LIKE THAT?????”

Well, I tell them, FIRST, you have to GO junkin’, but you also have to realize that sometimes you go and don’t find one single thing, and other times, you go, and fill the van!

I believe I had very good luck yesterday, and it wasn’t even hard on my pocketbook.

What do you suppose I found that weighs 9# 14 oz?

FABRIC!!!!

2 yards of ‘Chicken Soup’ by Hoffman International Fabrics:

1 1/4 yards of Debbie Mumm fabric

4 yards of (no name vintage) White/blue polka dots

3 yards of Cranston Print Works ‘Cheater’ fabric

1 piece 2 yards and 1 piece 6.5 yards of  Cranston Print Works Pink fabric =Total 8.5 yards

 

Muslin  1 piece is 45” wide =12 yards

1 piece 90” wide= 3 yards

Total Muslin=15 yards

So what do you suppose this is? Nope, it’s not a skirt! It is a cloth shower curtain folded in half lengthwise.  What do you suppose it will be when i get done with it?

Most likely, FAT QUARTERS!!!! I might take the time to unstitch the decorative trim from it before I massacre it. It is a very very dark blue, but almost looks black, which is what drew my eye to it.

I also found some (2 strand-50 yard)embroidery floss to add to my ‘stash’

…and a couple books. They say if a person has lots of books in their home, that is a sign of an intelligent resident….(Does that mean you actually should be READING them????) I am a more of a ‘picture book’ person, myself!

…and it’s always great to have books for reference, and inspiration…

…and who couldn’t resist this cute little sheep bank? Actually, my husband bought it for a friend, but he has to get it away from ME first! Isn’t it adorable?

 

I was pretty excited to find these salt and pepper shakers from Longaberger.  I don’t have any other Longaberger items, but these are sure cute, heavy duty, and they are MINE!

So all in all, I felt like I had a pretty good day junkin’! I think I’d like to go again, as I had SEW much fun….

Oh, Louie!!!!! Get your shoes on! There’s treasures waiting!

 

Be blessed,

Michelle

A Sweet Pay it Forward Gift

Friday, before the big rainstorm hit, the mailman left the mail, but since it was raining so hard, we didn’t get the mail until yesterday (Saturday). My sweet friend, Marlene, sent me a ‘Pay it Forward’ gift, and I love it!  It is a two sided ‘Church Ladies’ apron. It has hens and roosters on one side, and lions on the other side. It fits me perfectly.

I loved the sweet note she included with it. Thank you, my sweet friend!

 

Be blessed,

Michelle

Storms, Laundry, and a Movie

I didn’t make any plans today, because earlier, it was raining, and thunderstorm warnings were out, with promises that storms would pop up several times during the day, bringing high winds, and possibly hail, and reminders from television anchors telling of what damage storms had already done yesterday, or earlier today, and I just didn’t want to end up being ‘sucked up’ by a tornado, and deposited in Kansas (Auntie Em! Auntie Em!) like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  The only place I really wanted to go today, was the chiropractor, so I called and made an appointment for tomorrow morning, when the weather promises to be perfect, and stayed home. 

Instead, I started my laundry, and popped in one of the ‘Goodwill’ movies I recently purchased.

Let’s talk about my memory. I don’t have one.  The only memories I have are from (unfortunately) traumatic events that have occurred during my life, or from very very happy occasions (I will NEVER forget my sweet Louie). Everyday happenings, and non-important things, just do not stay in my memory. I wish they did, but they do not. Often times, people will say to me, ‘Remember when……blah blah blah…”…nope, don’t remember, sorry.  Sometimes I think in my very early years, when something bad happened, I must have trained my brain to brush every day happenings aside and move on, and ‘bury’, or ‘discard’ life’s unpleasant events to protect myself.  But anyway…..

I watched the movie ‘Little Black Book’ today.  I remember seeing the previews, and I remember seeing the dvd at Sam’s for $19.99, and thinking I didn’t want to pay that much for it, but I don’t remember ever watching it.  Evidently, I had. So as I started watching it, parts of it seemed vaguely familiar. I kept thinking, ‘I think I remember seeing this’. As it turned out, I HAD seen it, but having the memory (or not) that I have, MOST of it seemed new again. I guess that’s the beauty of having no memory. They say everything in life has a positive side. I guess the positive side to this ‘not remembering the movie’, is I ENJOYED it the second time, as much as the first time, and since I don’t remember anything, everything OLD will always be NEW to me again.

So now the laundry is done, except for folding a few pair of socks, I watched an enjoyable movie, and it didn’t storm like it was supposed to, but storm warnings are out, and I’m just going to stay PUT! Maybe when Louie comes home, we can watch another movie I’ve seen before.

Hope your day is as wonderful….be blessed!

Michelle

ps…it stormed after my original post, and here is my very first EVER youtube video. Louie drives in the driveway near the end.

Just Perfect!

Well, so far, I have had a pretty busy weekend. I guess it didn’t start out that way. Thursday after work, I did manage to get my uniforms washed and hung up to dry on hangers in the laundry area, but that was about the extent of it. Oh, wait, I guess I did work on cleaning up a sewing machine to put on ebay, so I was in the basement with my sweetie until late.  Ok, so I guess I was busy…..but then I needed some blog reading time, so I was up late.

Friday morning, I got up fairly earIy, after only four hours of sleep.  Thursday after work, while Louie and I were watching our nightly Two and a half Men episodes, I picked his glasses up from the arm of his chair, looked through them, was disgusted AGAIN, about the fact that he had wet sanded the lenses about a year ago because they were scratched, (but through MY yes, I concluded that the little ‘bubble effect’ that he created was not ANY BETTER than the scratches) then I refused to give them back. I told him he would be going to Walmart  as soon as he got out of his chair, because he needed to go find some reading glasses to use while I ordered him new lenses. Do you know what the kicker is in this whole episode? He had his eyes checked after he ‘sanded’ his lenses last fall.  He told the eye dr that he thought he did a pretty good job at getting out the scratches, and the dr agreed with him!  Personally, I think the dr was probably thinking, ‘Hmmmmm….if Louie really likes to look through oblong bubbles all day, I guess that’s his prerogative, but personally, I think he’s a little wacky!’…but you know, doctors can’t say that!

’

So anyway, I got up pretty early, because I wanted to get to the eye dr early, as his office is only open part of a day on Fridays.  I got his new lenses ordered, and hopefully, they should be back somewhere between Wednesday and Friday.  Louie and I had an appointment we needed to go to after that, and Louie was back to work by 11am. I pretty much was a lump in front of my computer or tv for the rest of the day. I had no energy, or motivation.

About the time I should have been going to bed, I decided that I couldn’t look at my cluttered bedroom closet another minute, and started pulling clothes out I never wear any more. Then I started pulling shirts out of Louie’s side that have not seen daylight for many many moons. Then shoes, and purses….then dresser drawers.  I got that job done after a few hours, and headed toward my office.

I also have a double closet in my office that we converted to storage with wire shelves, and it was overflowing and looked sort of like this, and was about as dangerous when I slid the doors open, if I COULD slide the doors open….

Do you remember Mr. Whoopee’s closet? That is where he went when he needed to find his 3DBB? (3 dimensional blackboard). Wonder why he didn’t just put it in one of his desk drawers…..hmmmm.

Here is the closet in my office with the doors closed…

…and here it is after a few more hours of organizing and filling boxes to take to Goodwill. The doors open MUCH easier now, and that scratchy, scraping sound is gone too!

 

Ahhhh…..I feel MUCH better now!

So, about 2am Saturday morning, I went to bed, and about 6:30, my internal alarm clock went off, and I got up. Yep, I stayed up all day. I had things to do! I had vacuuming to do, the basement to pick up and try to get organized again, toilets to clean, (you know the routine), and a shower to take.  My sweet brother called and said he and his wife wanted to come spend some time with us. We told them we needed a little more time to finish up what we were doing, but would love to spend the day with them. They came over about 11:30, and we headed for the Quad Cities to do our favorite thing….go junkin’!

The first place we went was Dynasty Buffet for lunch, then we started looking for treasures! I came home with several more movies on dvd that were older, but new to me.  The BEST thing I found though, was this piano bench.

 

I looked at it and just KNEW I HAD to have it. Louie looked at me and said, ‘Where are you going to put it?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but I will figure out a place for it.’ I honestly had NO idea, but I knew I did NOT want to leave it there, or I would regret it. It really has character, is solid, and very sturdy. 

After Louie went to bed, I was going to call it a night too, but then decided to go get the bench out of the back of the van. I polished it up, and had already decided exactly where I was going to put it….

 

…right next to my chair in the living room. There was a space there that needed filled, and this worked perfectly.

It is the perfect place to put movies we have not watched yet, and a place to hide my dog bone neck pillow.

It is also the perfect place to put my newspaper and magazines, and the tv remote control. See? Perfect!

I thought I would show you where Louie and I sit when we are watching tv.

This is the view from our chairs. 

So anyway, when we got home from the Quad Cities, we all ordered supper from a little ice cream shop that is VERY reasonable in price, sat and visited for a few hours, then our guests went home. It was a wonderful day. 

Oh.  The price of the piano bench? $14.38.

Today, the sun is shining, and while it is still pretty chilly out, later on, Louie and I are going to jump on our Goldwing, enjoy the sunshine and open road, and thank God for supplying a beautiful day for us.

I just couldn’t resist leaving this little video for you to enjoy. They just don’t make good cartoons like they used to.  Don’t forget to turn off my music before you watch it. It’s amazing. They actually used cartoons to educate kids while they provided entertainment. Ah…the good old days!

Have a beautiful, wonderful Sunday. Remember to thank God for all the blessings in your life, hug your loved ones, and tell them how much you love them, and…

Be blessed,

Michelle