Monday, July 20, 2015

Thrifting Finds #81: Update!

Just a quickie today, kids.

So last week I reported that we were having the sofa cleaned.  It happened, but it was weird.  When I got home from work, I looked at it and it looked pretty good.  Not perfect, but better.  Hubs reported that the guy kept trying to upsell him--fabric protector, clean another chair (that was perfectly clean to begin with), etc., etc.  Luckily, Hubs has sales resistance, so we got the clean chair cleaned free, if we gave the company a good review.

Now here's where it starts getting weird.  The closer we looked at the couch, the worse it looked.  The best was I can describe it is that they removed the top layer of dirt that was hiding the even worse lower layer.  And yes, I realize how gross that sounds, but we're talking two guys and a dog here.  And it's really just grubby; it's not like we peed on it or anything.

So I'm getting a slipcover from Target, and we'll see how that does.  But first, I'm going to try this, since it's cheaper:

My couch isn't microfiber but at this point I probably can't make it any worse.

In other sofa news, I think I've picked one out for the living room, so now I'm soliciting opinions. I want the colors in the living and dining room to be turquoise and orange.  I already have orange chairs and the walls are turquoise, so I figured the couch should be white.   After reading all the above, bear in mind that the living room furniture will mostly be looked at, not used.  So I was thinking about this:

It's kinda mid-century, don't you think?  And it's affordable.  Please post your comments below.  If you have another suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

One last thing:  we have become official Suburbanites with the addition of this:


All I need now is an apron that says "Kiss the Cook."  We got it on a really good sale at Lowes, plus they were having a special on propane, so a $50 tank only cost me $24, plus I had a 10% off coupon.  This is far more grill than we'll ever need, but it is by no means the biggest available.  Actually, it's on the smallish side.

I took another stab at making pickles last week:

Hubs and I liked Pickles 2.0 much better than the first batch.  Hubs thinks they're a little too much on the sour side, but I think they're fine.  When we finish these, I'm going to try making Bread & Butter pickles next.

And that's it for this week, kids.  I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging but truthfully, there has been nothing to report.  I know that doesn't ever stop me, but still...




6 comments:

  1. We have two indoor cats and two indoor/outdoor dogs. I try to never look too closely at the furniture! :-/

    How are you making your pickles? I am currently awaiting the results of my first attempt at sauerkraut. Like your pickles 1.0, it involves no vinegar. I've been buying the Bubbies sauerkraut, but my cheapskate heart cringes ever time I pay $5+ per jar for 50 cents worth of cabbage and salt.

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    1. The Pickles 2.0 recipe involves just vinegar, water, dill, and salt, I think. It called for cider vinegar, which I used, but I think I'd like the plain stuff better. We've finished one jar and are still alive, so score!
      Wow, five bucks for a jar of sauerkraut? No wonder you cringe--I would, too! I think sauerkraut recipes generally don't use vinegar, as it's supposed to be fermented rather than pickled, but what do I know? Have you tried it yet? Is it good?

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  2. It's still fermenting (day 3 today), but we did a taste test this morning. So far I would describe it as "urgh". Hopefully it will get better over the next few days.

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    1. Sorry, I completely lost your post! Have you tried them lately? What's the verdict?

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    2. Well, batch #1 did get better, but it still had a little bit of a funk to it. I tried another recipe that called for whey and caraway seeds to be added to the ferment and it is much more palatable. I think the whey made a big difference.

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    3. If I can get cucumbers at the Farmer's Market today, I'm going to try bread and butter pickles. Fingers crossed!

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