Feel threatened in today's world

It shouldn't resort to this

Do it for fun 

do it for a good reason

 to do it for your safety

But out of all three do it safely,,,,, if not it could change your world and your life

I know I bought that sink for some reason

After redoing the whole ceiling to my liking adding the lights now it's onto the kitchen walls and countertop

Up to this point we finally got the kitchen cabinets in the kitchen sank so much fun to wash dishes in the tub

The original counter was a galley style counter which took up a lot of room

Note the apartment size stove 20 inches wide

So after ripping it  all out piecemeal we still had to make it function because we live here

So after a while it finally got to the point where we have to bite the bullet and trash it and get it all out

So its this point we only put in  3 cabinets against one wall and add 2 larger side-by-side  

window and a new countertop and a new stove and a new sink

If I decided to put in granite or courts it would've been almost $2600 that ain't going to happen

Corian countertop was 1900 that it going to happen either

Now I almost had a company billed me Formica laminate countertop for 400

 I was already to do that BUT I got to thinking  something my dad used to say never be afraid to tackle a hard  job

I have to tell the truth here I love craigslist

However I wasn't looking forward to building the counter

So it went like this 2 precut 25 x 10 countertop blanks 40 bucks 

One 5 x 12  Formica laminate 175 to edge molding 105 (when I do the other small

countertop next to the stove I didn't have enough so I had to get two sticks)

1 quart contact cement one roller $35 

If I gave it to a cabinet company it would've cost me $400 savings in my pocket priceless

                              (. Nice to have a 30 inch wide stove normal size 👍 )

Living in a manufactured home they don't put normal size cabinets normal size refrigerator stove or sink that's really a bummer as you feel like you're living in a mini world so we now have a normal size sink an stove we don't really need a bigger refrigerator

So actually square foot per square foot we ended up with the same amount by going straight instead of having a galley type kitchen which opens up the living room dining room and by the way did I say our footprint is only 11.5 x 17.5 not quite the Taj Mahal  or a New York apartment but at least I don't have to go far to get a glass of water and ice cream one  ( five steps )

There's more room in my old fifth wheel then there is in my whole house

Now  the next project is backsplash for the counter and walls and solid wood bamboo flooring

Along with one cabinet and microwave above the stove and another cabinet to the right of the stove at the rate I'm going I could probably be about 2 years no it just feels good getting down to this point it's almost like there's a light at the end of the tunnel 😎

Marco he's not to happy    betty she could care less she knew there has to be a food treat somewhere involved

You don't say

The Quilt Lady this one's for you !

Seeing as how I could not put it on your comment side of your website

So I thought I'd add a little something for you

A business card tree of Forget me knots 

Military Service personal life does matter

Size does matter

Free ???

So sad and prophetic

Have you thought about it

MThis is Staff Sargeant Nick Lavery. He lost his leg while deployed in Afghanistan, and fought not only for his life but for another chance to return to active duty and continue to serve his country after being given the offer to medically retire. He puts his life on the line like many others so that Americans can live freely, enjoy liberty, and pursue happiness.

So please tell me again why kids today need to go to a college that they think they shouldn't have to pay for, where they have safe zones because words hurt, and PTSD counseling for those who have been offended by writing on campus.

Remember kids, freedom is not free and neither is college. If SSG Lavery can fight for freedom with one leg, you can find a way to pay for college with both of yours..."

Typical New England ingenuity and you know if we can fix anything sometimes

Plumbing Fix

After Sunday's surprise discovery that the water supply hoses, pre-attached to our new kitchen faucet, are too short to reach the water supply shut-off valves under the sink, I took to the internet to find a work around. Either my search terms weren't very good or there just isn't a posted solution out there to this particular problem. Luckily, a trip to my local Ace hardware store was all it took to work out a quick fix.

#1. Know what you are dealing with.

Granted, this can be easier said than done when it comes to Ikea products.

This is the end of the water hose, or faucet connector, supplied by Ikea that is supposed to attach to the water shut-off valve. In the US, the threaded stem on the shut-off valve is typically 3/8 inch. Therefore, you need a hose with a 3/8 inch connection. According to the Ikea pictograms, however, the faucet connectors on the Elverdam faucets sold in the US and Canada are 9/16 inch. Which just doesn't make sense. These things are always 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch. I dug out the faucet connectors from the old kitchen sink we removed. The end that fits on the shut-off valve is indeed 3/8 inch. How do I know this? The label was still handily attached to the hose. Next, I measured the connection on the old faucet hose and the connector on the Ikea hose. They appeared to be identical in size.

#2. Ask a professional for advice.

I took the old faucet connector and my camera with all sorts of pictures of our plumbing set up to my local Ace hardware store. Then we played show and tell. Only I didn't need to bust out the camera.  I explained that the pre-attached faucet connectors on my new faucet are a couple of inches shy of reaching the shut-off valves. And that I am uncertain whether or not I can access the ends that connect to the faucet itself. So rather than try to replace the connections with longer ones that will reach, I need some kind of extension to bridge the gap. My valves are 3/8 inch and it appears that the exposed connectors are 3/8 inch as well.

#3. Buy what the professional tells you will do the job & ask more questions if necessary.

On the left is a 9 inch long (the shortest they had) faucet hose with 3/8 inch connections on each end. This one is made of reinforced PVC. They also are manufactured with braided stainless steel, like the shiny ones attached to the Ikea faucet. On the right is a 3/8 inch compression union. Below is a close up. I can't find either of these products on the Ace website :-(

These little dookickeys are made to connect 2 sections of rigid, copper water pipes. Nevertheless, part of this is exactly the thing we need to MacGyver our kitchen faucet set up. (Obviously, I need 2 faucet connectors and two compression unions; one for the hot water & one for the cold water.)

#4. Fix the problem and feel really smart and accomplished.

Collect your tools. You will need a bucket, an adjustable wrench, and a towel in case there are any leaks. 

Screw one end of the newly purchased faucet connector to the shut-off valve. All the advice I found online for this procedure cautioned against tightening the nut too much. Well, what exactly does that mean in practical terms? Tighten the nut as far as you can with your fingers. Then use a wrench to turn it one full turn. I marked the nut with a piece of blue tape to be certain when one full turn was complete.

Before going any further it's a good idea to flush the water line before connecting the other end of the hose to your faucet. You want to flush out any sediment that has collected in your pipes rather than run it through your clean, new faucet and gunk up the aerator. To do this, hold the open end of the hose you just connected over a bucket. Open the shut-off valve and run the water until it looks clear. Close the shut-off valve.

Remove the nuts from each end of the compression union. The small rings were inside of each nut. You don't need the nuts or the rings, just the threaded tube that, in this picture, has the white label on it.

Screw one end of the threaded tube into the open end of the new faucet connector. Tighten with your fingers then turn the nut one full turn with a wrench. Repeat this procedure on the exposed end of the Ikea faucet connector.

If, like here, the sink drains aren't hooked up, place a bucket in the sink under the faucet. Place a second bucket under the hoses you just MacGyvered. Open the shut-off valve and turn the faucet on and off to test.  Repeat step #4 for the hot water. You should now have running water and no leaks under the sink. Congratulations

Anything is possible

One thing always leads to another

Things to do on a rainy day. 

You can go to your favorite candy store and try these new treats

Or if you get grandchildren what a happy way to wake them up

But if you must go out  on a rainy day always be prepared when you want to take a picture of don't forget your

 

You never know when you're going to run into a one-man

Or If it would be more fun to take your friends to a

If not you could always go to a movie and seeThe latest,,!!                ( 007 ) 

If That's not good enough you could take  in a wonderful

Or stop by the local city

And after,,,,  whats better then a refreshing

So you see I have way too much time on my hands,,!!   but I think it's cool