Today's Deal: Kitchen Island for $80 plus tax at local K-mart

This is in the Paducah circular for $80 at K-mart: the Home Essentials Kitchen Island. It appears to be solid wood, but I cannot find that specified in the ad. The reviews on the K-Mart Site are quite good, however. The wire basket is included. Buy it at your local K-Mart to avoid shipping charges of around $15.

Looking for a replacement toilet?

I replaced two toilets in my home during my recent home refurbishing, and I chose the Jacuzzi Perfecta, which I found for a really good price at Lowes at Paducah. These cost me $120 each, and this
"toilet-in-a-box" contains everything: toilet, wax ring, and plastic toilet seat. The toilet seat alone is worth about $20, and the wax ring would cost you another $5 or so, which means you are paying a little under $100 for the actual toilet. That's a really good price!
(Note that the list price on this toilet is $250, but our Lowes has it for about half that price. The Perfecta is not on the Lowes website, however if you go to the Jacuzzi Website, you can do a search for the Lowes in your area to find it.)
Also, be advised: the price at my Lowes store may not be the same as the price at your Lowes store. These vary by location, and sales may vary by location. So there's a chance that your store won't have this same good price on this toilet as my store has. You will have to go to your store to find out the price in your locality, since this item is not on their website.
The Perfecta uses a flushing system that is very quick, quieter, and low in water usage. The tank refills quickly. These toilets sit just a tad higher than normal, which my husband and I happen to like, since our knees are getting older and crankier.

And as an aside, let me mention, NEVER buy a WOOD toilet seat. They look and feel nice and they're much cheaper than plastic, but you cannot clean wood sufficiently to keep down the germ count. You end up taking the finish off the wood to clean it, and it looks crappy. Get a PLASTIC toilet seat. It's cleanable, and it will look nice for just about forever. It costs more up front, but the payoff is many times over.

Today's Deal: St. Martin Bistro Set for $197.XX plus tax

Our local Sam's Club at Paducah still has a few of the St. Martin cast aluminum bistro sets for $197.XX plus tax. This is a quality set of two chairs and a side/snack table at a really good price. I bought one today and put it together in about an hour.
(It's relatively easy, as furniture assembly goes: The chair seats just bolt onto the bottom spring frames using four bolts for each chair, and the table has only the four legs, middle support, and top to bolt together, for a total of 12 bolts to put the table together. So we are only talking about a total of 20 bolts for the entire set.)
You will have to input your local Sam's Club on their site to see if it is in stock in your area store to avoid shipping costs. Our store had just a few of these left. The box would not fit into our car, so we just cut open the box in the parking lot and put it in our car piece-by-piece.
I particularly like this style of chair, as the mesh seats are cool and comfortable and they dry quickly after rain. Aluminum does not rust, which is a plus. The chairs both rock and swivel. It looks great on our refurbished deck, and now we can have our coffee in style!
Specifications
-2 sling swivel rockers and 1 side table
- Side table is 23" square and stands 24" tall with decorative cast top
- Comfortable sling seats and backs on chairs
-All aluminum, rustproof frames with a hand applied antique patina finish
-Rocker Dimensions: 26" x 26" x 37"
- Table Dimensions: 23" x 23" x 24"
Warranty:
-5 year limited on frame
-1 year on fabric

Today's Deal: Tool Sale at Sportsman's Guide

They have some really good buys on tools!
For instance, check out the 52 - Pc. Ratchet and Socket Set with BONUS Adjustable Combo Wrench for $12!

My Mom

Our local newspaper invited readers to submit personal stories. I submitted this one on my Mother, about her growing up in the Great Depression. Click the image to see the large format, if you want to read the article.

Today's Deal: Zero Gravity Chair for $40 shipped

This is the best price I have seen on the zero gravity lounge chair. $30 plus $10 shipping.

Today's Deal: New bargains at Home Decorator's Outlet

Home Decorator's Outlet has the 9-candle wall sconce for $14 plus shipping.






Also, they have the fish rain gauge or the turtle rain gauge for $8 each plus shipping.

Oh, and Pier 1 is having their big sale up to 75% off, but you have to go to the store to see what specific items they have in your local area. (no online ordering usually from this vendor)





And here's a set of 2 Adirondack hardwood chairs complete with ottomans for $64 plus $12 shipping.

Refurbishing time...

Well, my deck is about 25 years old, and not ever being sealed, the wood was getting in very bad shape. I had a home handyman fellow come and look at it, and we decided to go for a total refurbishing, which involves removing all of the decking, fencing, and stair covers. The actual underboards are still in good condition, so we'll replace the top timbers with new decking, updated spindle-styled fence, and stairstep covers. While the handyman is here, I'm going to have him re-do my chimney flashing also, as it always starts leaking a tad in strong storms after it's been done a couple-three years ago.

While the handyman was here, I told him I had some other things to do, specifically, installing the new kitchen sink faucet and hanging the new storm door I bought.

And then my mind went to work and I realized I had some other stuff for him to do: putting in the doorway thresholds for the bedrooms that I had stripped the carpet off of was one item. And then I realized that I had two 40-year old toilets and one 40-year old lavatory that had lost their luster a LONG time ago, so I am having him replace them too.

Then I looked at my tub enclosure doors and suddenly realized they were 10-15 years old and bought some new ones for him to hang...

And on and on it goes. Hopefully when he's done I'll have most everything pretty up to snuff. I still don't have my steps to the basement re-carpeted, but I think I'm going to shampoo the carpet on them and try to live with them as is for a while. I'm going to paint my aging kitchen cabinets, and then I have more painting to do on my baseboards and window trim. So that will probably keep my spare time occupied for the rest of this year in between my yard work.

Old houses are a challenge, there is always something that needs doing. However, this is true with just about every house, if you keep the house up. The one good thing about living in a house for along time, however, is that you know all the foibles of the house. Now, take it from me: any house you buy is going to have foibles, and you'll discover them if you live there long enough. Once you know all the foibles, you know what to do when something goes wrong.

For instance, with my house, I know that the chimney flashing is going to have to be re-done periodically or it will leak in strong storms. My porch posts will have to have new bases put on them periodically, because my house faces west and they rot out at the base from the weather. Likewise, my trim paint on the front of the house takes the most weather, so it has to be re-done more often than the rest of the house trim. My gutters have a tendency to stop up from leaves, so I had gutter guards put on them to keep them from stopping up so fast. This allows me to decrease the gutter cleanouts to every couple of years instead of yearly, so the guards paid for themselves a long time ago. I've found that my asphalt driveway can go for about two years if I do a really super job when I seal it, which means I put on two coats of sealer at a time instead of one, since this is one of my least-favorite jobs.

These are the kinds of things you find out about a house when you live in it for a while. Every house will have these kinds of things to see to, it's going to happen no matter where you live. You buy a new house, you buy new foibles. Get used to it, it's a given.

A recommendation for the serious cook

I have used an item similar to this one in my kitchen for years. However, Pampered Chef makes this item, which I absolutely LOVE. If you have a lot of kitchen gadgets that clutter up your drawers (which you are always looking for and can't find immediately), you will surely like this item as much as I do. The Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About is a definite keeper! (Hint: look on ebay, you might find it cheaper there)

COFFEE: first it's good, then it's bad, now it's good again

You gotta love scientific studies, they never turn out the same. Coffee has again been given the thumbs up.

Holy Cow! It's a Japanese beetle invasion!!! Eeek!

Last Thursday I saw some bugs swarming around my crepe myrtle bush in the front yard, and upon closer examination, I saw piles of them on the bush. I also found some on my new little Rose of Sharon bush that I'd planted in an adjacent flower bed, and a few on a daylily plant on the side of the house nearby. Come to find out, these were Japanese beetles.

Now, the Japanese beetle is spread all across Kentucky, and they are worst from June to July. I have never had any problems with them before that I know of, but this year they seem to have made my crepe myrtle the object of their affection. (Which is interesting, because the crepe myrtle bush is not a known favorite of this beetle, however the Rose of Sharon is one of their favorite lunches, as are roses. My roses, however, have no beetles on them, neither do my Rose of Sharon plants in the backyard, only in the sunny front yard. Sunny locations are the prime location they seem to favor, for what it's worth.)

Japanese beetle infestation will kill a plant if you are not careful. And, there's no way to get rid of them totally in any given season. CONTROL is the main thing to concentrate on, and I'm using a product called Bayer 3-in-1.

Read about Japanese beetles and their control here, and then go out and check your yard plants. If the leaves look like something has been stripping them, then examine for Japanese beetles. The beetles are most prevalent in sunny locations and in the heat of the day, say noonish or later. By the way, note at the URL that they do NOT recommend using Japanese beetle traps, as traps can actually draw more beetles to your location and hence increase the damage to your plants.

If you are using the Bayer 3-in-1, you will have to re-spray each time you see more beetles until the 6 weeks of agony is complete (this could mean spraying on a daily basis in some cases). The 3-in-1 will actually kill the beetles after you spray them but you have to re-examine the plant each day for new beetles. Subsequent days will likely not show as many beetles if you re-kill them each day. After that, I recommend that you start watering the plant at the base periodically with the 3-in-1 product during the fall and spring next year, which hopefully will deter re-infestation somewhat (however, there are no guarantees).

NEW STUFF

Well, over the weekend I went to Lowes to buy a new kitchen faucet. My old one is a "classic bottom-of-the-line" Delta, probably costing about $60 when it was new some 20 years ago. It's long since lost its once-shiny chrome luster and has started dripping pretty seriously, so I decided it's time to update with a new Kohler Forte model in brushed nickel, which should nicely complement my stainless steel sink. Lowes $148 price was better than on the internet, by the way, by about $12. I did not get the "pull out" version of this faucet, as something in my mind warns me that the pullout style would not hold up well over time. I might be wrong about that, but I took no chances and got the version with the separate spray nozzle instead. (Read some garden web discussion about pull-out versus non-pull-out faucets here)


While I was at Lowes, I also bought a new storm door for my front door, as I'm convinced that the one I am using is the original that was put on the house when it was built 40 years ago, so you can imagine what it looks like by now. It's actually been painted so many times that the finish is "soft" and sticky feeling from the coats of paint on it. Yech! The one I chose should look nice, as my house has paned windows across the front that the storm door design will imitate. This item cost me around $203 at Lowes, by the way.


Now, here's something you should know about Lowes: I found out that they have a very nice website, but even though the web site may tell you that they do not have an item in your local store, don't believe that.
I spoke with the nice young man in the storm door department, and he told me that the larger Lowes' stores can actually add extra items to their in-store stock that are NOT listed on the website. He said that the website is kind of a "general guide" for what is at your local Lowes store, but that you won't know precisely what items they have at your store until you actually go to the store and look. Neither my faucet or my storm door were supposed to be "in stock" at my local Lowes store, and in fact the faucet I bought was not even listed on Lowes' website at all.

Today's Deal: Solid Wood Laundry Center

The Home Styles™ Solid Wood Laundry Center is a real bargain item at a $59.97 price you won't match anywhere. However, bear in mind, there is a shipping surcharge for the heavy weight of this item which will bump up the total shipping to around $30. BUT, even at $90 including shipping, it's still a real buy for a solid wood laundry cart that has so much storage and functionality in such a compact but portable space.
* Solid wood frame in white finish. Natural, solid wood top has a clear polyurethane finish
* Top lifts up to access 2 cotton-duck laundry sorting bins
* Pull-out utility drawer
* Framed door with adjustable inside shelf
* Metal hang-up rack
* Rear rack for spray bottles / supplies
* Metal rack for a hot iron
* Ironing board with drop-down metal gate-leg
* Roll-about, lockable castors
* Steel hardware
* Measures 75 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 78 1/2"h. with the ironing board extended, 42 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 78 1/2"h. with it closed
* Weighs 84 lbs. Assembly required.

Today's Deal: Eco-Drive Watch for $40

Bargain Outfitters has the Citizen Women's Eco-Drive Watch for $40. This watch never needs batteries, it's solar powered. Go green and get a real bargain, this one originally sold for hundreds. You also get a $4 lightweight shipping credit on this item.
Painstakingly engineered for accuracy and featuring delicate, detailed diamondwork she's sure to love. This gorgeous Watch uses Citizen's Eco-Drive™ system to provide life-long battery-free operation... the 1 year power reserve charges effortlessly in both full sun and indoor light.
* Durable, water-resistant, stainless steel case for ageless good looks
* Comfortable black satin and leather 1/2" w. strap
* Swarovski crystal set case for beautiful style
* Uncluttered mother-of-pearl face with quarter markings, hour and minute hands
* Weighs only 2 ozs.

Today's Deal: 32-stitch sewing machine for $60

You'd like to get your daughter a sewing machine but don't want to risk a lot of money for it? Here's a great little starter machine, at the best price I've ever seen, the Euro-Pro 32-stitch sewing machine for $60 plus about $10.50 shipping. Use coupon code SN545 for an extra $5-$10 off. Members of Sportsman's Guide can get this item for $55 shipped if they use the coupon.
This machine has everything a basic sewer needs: different stitches with adjustable stitch length, buttonholes, free arm, and even if you don't use the coupon, it's still the best price I've seen anywhere for this solid metal machine.
* 32 stitch functions, including decorative, utility, stretch and overlock
* Automatic buttonhole sewing
* Solid metal, strong enough to sew multiple layers of denim, yet agile enough to sew delicate fabrics
* Simple one-motion threading, with built-in tension
* Adjustable stitch length. Foot pedal control with 6'2" cord
* Built-in light
* Convenient free arm with built-in accessory storage

Today's Deal: Solid Wood Cocktail Table for $50 shipped

This apothecary-styled cocktail table is made of SOLID PINE, and solid wood is hard to find these days. Assembly is required.
* Each of the 2 pull-out drawers has multiple knobs for decorative appeal
* Constructed of solid pine with a warm honey stain finish. Measures 38 x 22 x 16 3/4" h. Weighs 58 lbs.
Use coupon code SN407 to get an additional $10 off, which will pay the shipping. Members get an additional $5 off on this item.

Today's Deal: Accent Table for $30 shipped

This Ventura Accent Table is another nice heavy, substantial item I got from Sportsman's Guide. I was very surprised to find that it was so heavy (26 pounds actually), which was perfect for me, as I planned to use it on my porch and didn't want it to get blown away. It was easy to assemble.
* Sturdy tubular metal construction
* Clear tempered glass top and lower shelf
* Circular design with curved legs
* Sure to accommodate a number of room styles.
* 22" diam. x 22 1/2" h.
Using the coupon code SN545 to get $10 off, members can get the table including shipping for about $26.xx, non-members will pay $3-4 more.

Today's Deal: Baker's rack/étagère for $66.xx Shipped

This Aluminum Baker's Rack (or étagère) looks like it's heavy and durable, especially considering that it's rated for outdoor as well as indoor use. I liked it so well that I ordered one for myself. It's easy to find this kind of item, but NOT easy to find one that's this large and substantial.
Shelves are 3'1/4" x 1'3/4". Measures 3'1/4" x 1'3 3/4"x 5'10"h.
Weighs 43 lbs., 5 ozs. Some assembly is required.
Note a $5 shipping surcharge is applied, due to the weight, which makes the shipping total about $15 to my house. (YMMV)
Use coupon code SN545 to get $10 off.
By using the coupon, non-members can expect to pay around $66.xx total, including shipping, members can get it for about $60.xx shipped.

Today's Deal: Solid Wood Side Chair $38 plus ~$10 shipping

Home Decorators Outlet has a solid wood side chair for under $50 shipped. Note that this comes FULLY ASSEMBLED. If you order two, the shipping total should be slightly less than $20. Imagine: two solid wood side chairs for under $100. There is a choice of finishes and choice of seats at the link.
* 33.5"H x 17"W x 21.5"D.
* 18.75"H floor to seat.
* Fully assembled.
* Shipping to California is not available for this item.
* Solid beechwood.
Oh, and they have some arm chairs to match also.

News You Oughta Know

This is stuff you really need to know.
Michael Crighton's article Patenting Life, explains why you do not own your own genes! Consider reading his new book, entitled "Next".
You might have heard John McCain and Obama recently speaking to the "Jewish lobby" AIPAC. Here's "the rest of the story" on AIPAC.
Oh, and you thought we might leave Iraq? It appears there are plans afoot that will keep the US there forever.
FYI, for the past 4 days, Treasury Secretary Paulson has been busy hocking our country at the oil baron pawn shop.Things are so bad that we are literally selling out our country to foreigners...arabs with oil, no less.
Betcha didn't know this: And here's one of the criminal arabs that we give our Iraq military contracts to.
And here's how old John "I don't use lobbyists" McSame's staff pans out.
The Grand Old "Party of Family Values" honors a druggie.

Home Decorators Outlet has even more items on sale!

Holy Cow!
Even if you went there yesterday, it's worth another look today, because Home Decorators Outlet has added even more items to nearly every category, and added to their list of sale items too!

Home Decorators Outlet: Big Sale!

Home Decorators Outlet (Home Depot affiliate) is having a big sale right now, and their inventory is the biggest I have seen in quite some time.
Especially of note, they have some great lighting deals, such as the 6-light Chandelier pictured here for $100.
(actually the chandelier I have over my dining table is quite similar to this one, and I paid more than $100 for it a couple years ago!)
They also have some really cool-looking mod-style table and floor lamps at great prices.
Check their "What a deal" link to find 60-80% discount items.

Coca - Cola® Double Glider: $99.97 plus shipping

If you're into nostalgia, this Coca-Cola glider is the real deal!
$99.97 for non-members, members take an extra $10 off. (Or non-members can use coupon code sg733 for an extra $10 off.) I have bought from this vendor frequently, their service is excellent, they ship quickly, and they do NOT overcharge on shipping. The price for this item including shipping was just under $105 total to mail it to my home! I have priced this same exact item on other websites, and it's well over $200 everywhere else, NOT including shipping.
A 2-person Glider for rocking back and forth, with looks from back in the '40s or so, like you'd see on the porch of the small-town store. Where you'd grab a soda on a July day. All-steel with weather-resistant powder-coat paint. With classic "Drink Coca-Cola®" graphics. The contoured seats and backrest offer comfort support and it rocks like a dream. Approx. 44 x 31 x 33" h. Weighs 40 lbs.