Starting Out

Hello world, it's nice to meet you.

So if you've stumbled over this blog, chances are you're wondering what the heck is up with the title.
It's fairly simple really.
I'm a geek, my kids are geeks, and my husband is a geek.
We live in a mobile home (I'll give you a moment to visualize hillbillies and banjos) in the middle of a corn field.

It's always interesting to see how people react to the information that someone lives in a mobile home. It's usually a "Oh, that's nice", tempered by pity or contempt. I guess it's simple to paint all trailer dwellers with the popular imagery of hicks in white tank tops hooting for Nascar drivers.
It's honestly not really the truth though. We're educated and cultured people. We appreciate art and classical music. We love puns and reading. Just doing my small part to help people realize that class doesn't come from money and it's not determined by where you live.
So, that little bit is out of the way. Hope you're still with me after my mini rant.

So why a blog?
I think I have some interesting, or at least mildly entertaining perspective to share.
Living in small spaces teaches you some fairly interesting things. Organization, what to hold on to, what matters, just to name a few.

I'm really cheap, I'll get that out of the way now. But I think that ads to what I have to share with all of you. Why? Part of it is due to the fact that I'm like many Americans right now. We live on not a whole lot, and have to make do. The other part is, I think of saving money as a game, a challenge. And I LOVE to win.

I upcycle a lot. It's become a bit of a passion of mine.  As I said, I am cheap. But that doesn't mean that I like things that are cheaply made. A bit of a contradiction? Perhaps so.
But I adore finding old well made items and re-purposing or just cleaning them up to make them useful again.
I really find that the saying "They don't make things like they used to" is quite true.  I hate it when I spend hard earned money on something that turns out to be a piece of junk.  Don't you?
Hence, upcycling/refurbishing.

Upcycled Chandelier. 
We'll start out with this piece. It was my first foray into upcycling/refurbishing and one of my favorites. 

Pretty, right?
Well..this is how it started out.

This find was from our very own barn junk pile. It had been sitting around rusting for probably about 40 years, if not longer.
So, I get my husband to rewire it. I found the heavy glass shades for 1 dollar (I know, right?) each at GoodWill, I even got an extra one for 6 dollars total. I love the shades, not only for the design but because they are NOT paper thin.  I took care of the sanding and painting and voila! For 22 dollars in supplies and a little bit of work, we have a beautiful "new" light fixture.

Now a tip on rewiring old fixtures, use WD40 liberally before you attempt to yank the old wiring out.  Seriously, this will save you a lot of cursing and yanking on stuck wires. Plus, if the wires break off too deep in the fixture, you will have a much harder time getting them out.  Spray the insides of the lighting fixtures where the wiring is, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, laying flat so the WD40 doesn't run out. The longer it rests, the better. The wires will come out MUCH more easily with needle nose pliers. Clean the piece out very well after the wires are out and let it air dry before you paint it. You don't want WD40 left in the fixture, as it can corrode the fixture and the new wiring from the inside.
And obviously, never attempt electrical work without some preparation and study on the subject.
Seriously, don't fry yourself.

One last fun tip.
Do you compost?
We do. And I was forever sick and tired of  taking the composting out in plastic bags or in a bowl every single time I had even the tiniest of offerings for the compost pile.
The solution came in the form of an ancient old blender that no longer worked.  I found this piece in my grandmother's basement.
And lo, I had an idea.
The actual base was trash, the electronics were fried. BUT! The top part, was made of heavy 1/4 inch thick glass. And it still had the lid.
Perfect.
We now put our composting in the old blender top and take it out when it's full. It doesn't look out of place on the counter top and it's covered to keep out bugs or inquisitive pets.