Dresser Remix - Part 1

Among her other talents, my Mom is an awesome, crafty human being. While she was pregnant with me, she took it upon herself to refinish eight sets of drawers, two for each of her children. Each brother got a gray/black combo, reversed so they were different and my sister had pink and white. I got purple and white. Somewhere in there she also refinished a bachelor cabinet in red and white. These drawers have stood my siblings and I in good stead. Most of the sets are still around, although one or two have gone missing over the years, and they don't necessarily still look as shiny and new.

The remaining dresser I have, as well as the bachelor cabinet, have certainly seen better days.



However, they have in large part held up incredibly well over the years. Most of the damage was child, rather than time inflicted (I take full responsibility for those stickers on there, sorry Mom). The reason for this is, in large part, because my mother was terribly industrious when she did the refinishing. So industrious she put on FIVE coats of paint. Yes...FIVE. This would come back to haunt us later.




By haunt us, I mean that after two days of reapplying chemical paint stripper ad nauseum, large amounts of the paint still hadn't come off.



Next up? Sanding time....

Movin' and Rollin'

Last month, with copious amounts of help from two of the best friends a girl could ask for, I packed up my flat in London and headed back to the States. There may also have been a horrific amount of Starbucks' DoubleShots drinks consumed...but I'm not going to go into the details. After ten days at my Dad's, my Mom flew in and we drove out to Michigan to get the ball rolling on that whole 'life' and 'going back to school thing. Oh what a drive...

There is a phrase that there are only two seasons in Michigan: winter and construction. Here's a little protip for you - this is actually true for the majority of the Midwest. Particularly Western Pennsylvania, which is also known more commonly as one of the inner circles of Hell. Picture twenty MILES of single lane construction. Hello Barrel Season.


Oh yeah....there was also a gigantic truck with half of my Dad's apartment and the entirety of his storage locker packed in there....


My Father is what one might kindly refer to as a pack rat. Okay no, that's an exaggeration, he'll hang on to *anything* if he thinks there might just possibly be a use for it at a later date.

This includes the coffee filters to a coffee maker that he owned (and got rid of) in 1975.

Before my parents met.

I am not even exaggerating.

Other gems included a 3 foot tall, mirrored plinth (circa 1980, it was apparently very stylish back then), two 12 x 16 bright purple, shag carpets, and a file cabinet that I think belonged to my grandfather before he married my grandmother (and doesn't open). Somehow, despite my vigilance, all of these things ended up on that truck.

....I love my family. But sometimes, they're nuts.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

As previously mentioned, I'm moving back to the States.
Specifically, this Wednesday. This has resulted in all kinds of chaos over here, mainly consisting of 'Oh God, I have to pack my entire liiiifeee'. It is however, going surprisingly well. Mainly due to two amazing friends, who were here yesterday for almost 12 hours helping me pack.

Seriously, friends are amazing.

For the past several months Alli and I have been working our way through the Harry Potter movie series. I'm incredibly sad that I won't get to go to the premiers of Deathly Hollows Part 1 & 2 with her, particularly as the newly released trailer looks absolutely amazing. Tonight we watched Order of the Phoenix, which is my least favorite of the books, but not a bad movie. The battle scenes at the end, in particular, are incredible. To celebrate, I made Butterbeer, a recipe for which I had stumbled over earlier this afternoon.


Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find butterscotch topping (actually, when i described it, the guy at Marks and Spencer looked like I was nuts. Such things may not exist in England, I guess), so I used toffee dessert topping instead. I did manage to get some A&W Cream Soda though. All in all, it was tasty for the first three sips, then it was just WAY too sweet. I'm thinking if (and when) I try this again, I'll use the club soda instead, and nix the butter entirely. It doesn't add anything...granted, being sans butter and butterscotch may make this NOT Butterbeer, but i think it will be tasty anyway. I experimented on had Alli try some as well, and she agreed with me. We also both agree that adding Rum had a lot of potential as well.....*angelic whistle*

Just in case anyone wants the recipe....

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda

½ cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)

½ tablespoon butter

Directions:

Step 1: Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated.

Step 2: Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit.

Step 3: Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses; a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!

Weird Things I Have Found While Packing

I'm busy packing up my apartment for when I move back to the States in July, it's absolutely staggering the amount of crap I have managed to accumulate over the past two years. Some of it however, is just plain weird.

Exhibit A:
A copy of my course schedule for spring semester. From my FRESHMAN year.
In college.
In the States.
How the hell did it even get here??


I'm now slightly worried about what other horrors might come crawling out from the depths while I pack. Hopefully my glasses will be among them, as they've been missing for over a month.

Girasol does Greece

I cannot express how much I love Stephen for sending me this Girasol....it has become my travel companion. It's a blanket, it's a pillow, it's pretty much everything (okay, it doesn't do dishes, but that's about it). I've had a great time taking photos of it in different places and sending them back to him, it's like a Flat Stanley that can give cuddles.

Last week, I took the Girasol to Greece and showed it the sights. We caught some sun by the pool in Rhodes....



As well as by the Mediterranean....



Then took in the beauty of the Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens.....


And then went to feel the vibes at the Temple of Dephi...



I may or may not have been there too....more of my photos to come...(oh, and the Elephants, can't forget those)

Greece!

I'm in Greece....it's awesome. Back home tomorrow. In the meantime...ooooh shiny