From the attic to the college apartment...furniture reincarnation

Hubby and I bought this dresser when we were first married almost 27 years ago.  Now, don't ask me what we were thinking....it was during the "Early American" furniture phase, lots of oak, geese, country decor....you remember...you know you do.  It also came with a large hutch that sits on top (which is still i the attic), but I digress....

Our youngest daughter is moving into her first college apartment this weekend (after doing the prerequisite one year each in dormitory hell and sorority house purgatory), and we have been rummaging around trying to find furnishings, since the money tree has been picked bare.

We remembered the dresser, which has been sitting in our attic for the last 9 years.  Our baby girl gave it one look and we got the "seriously?" eye roll from her.  Luckily, she's seen her father and I tackle any number of crazy redos, so she finally placed her trust in us,  jumped in her car and sped off...as is often the case with her.  We finally did get her to come back and actually do some sanding.  I really should've gotten a picture of that!

...and here it is!  Hubby sprayed on a couple of coats of Sherwin Williams "Parakeet" paint, we put on new brushed stainless pulls, and it's got a completely new personality, don't ya think? 

And now it's ready to enter it's new life as a dresser in a college girl's apartment....God help us all. 

No more chipped nails - CND Shellac review



June 24th - 2 days post manicure

I occasionally treat myself to a pedicure, but almost never do I get a manicure. I'm just too hard on nail polish..and I'm cheap.  It seems like it barely lasts a day without the inevitable chip...and the foul words that fly from my lips.


Imagine my surprise when I was getting my toesies done recently and my tech told me about CND Nail Shellac.  It's guaranteed to last 14 days.  Yeah right...14 days???  I gotta see this for myself.  I told some friends about it and they were just as skeptical as I was, so I figured "a picture is worth a thousand words...."




Here we are 2 days after the manicure.  Still looks just as shiny and flawless as the day it was done.






June 28th - 6 days post manicure

6 days post mani, and it's still looking great.  My nails grow pretty fast, and you can see how it's starting to show new growth near the cuticle, but it's still shiny and chipless....and this was after peeling shrimp, pulling weeds almost daily, swimming and countless dirty pots scrubbed.

July 7th - 15 days post manicure

Now, I had every intention of taking pics somewhere between 6 days and 15 days, but dear hubby swung a surprise weekend beach trip on me and well, that took precedence over my nail photo shoots.

It's looking pretty bad here..and yes, I kind of started picking away at it, but I can't complain.  We're 15 days in here, including the aforementioned shrimp peeling, weeding AND time spent in the surf and sand.

 Now comes the fun part....getting it off.  I was a little nervous about this, since it doesn't just wipe off.  I soaked for 10 full minutes in pure Acetone...no it didn't peel my skin away from the bone...it didn't burn....nada.

 After 10 minutes, this is what happened.  I just took a wooden cuticle stick and it literally peeled off.  A quick swipe with a cotton swap, and it was all gone.

My nails were back to their colorless state. 

Now, I've since heard from people that if you do this repeatedly, your nails will get paper thin.  I don't know this for sure, but I probably won't do this on a regular basis...purely special occasions...plus remember, I'm cheap, and this costs more than a normal mani.

All in all, I was very happy with the results. 

 Two non chipped thumbs up!

Shedding light on another great reason to drink wine!

Anyone who knows me, knows that our crew drinks our fair share of wine, strictly for the uh....health benefits...yeah, that's why. 

Well, I've been saving colorful and interesting wine bottles in the hopes of someday getting a bottle tree...until I ran across this idea.

I was lurking around Pinterest (don't y'all just love that site!!) and found this wonderfully creative idea for wine bottle torches!!

Visit this site for a complete list of materials and instructions.  We were able to find everything we needed at Lowe's and get this done in a few hours.  Our great neighbors, Mike and Darren, brought over some of their wine bottle stash...they like to stay healthy too....and we were able to put them all along the side and back fence. 

Pretty cool, huh?  Of course, this picture would've looked even better if I'd turned on the garden lights, but....oh well.

Now for your overly cautious (neurotic) people....NO, the fence didn't burst into flames, NO it's not a Molotov cocktail...it's just ambiance folks!

Also, I'm told that the colored wine bottles will begin to fade and lose their color in time.  The only way I know to rectify this situation is to drink more wine...problem solved.

Meatless Monday - Beach Shrimp

I tore this recipe from the pages of Southern Living several years ago, and it's been a family favorite ever since.

Super simple, fast, tasty, sloppy....what else could you want?  This is a great dish to prepare for a gathering of family and friends.  We plop this dish down into the middle of the table, tear off hunks of hot, crusty French bread, and go all in.  At the end of the meal, it's nothing but shrimp peelings, wadded up paper towels ('cause I ain't using good napkins) and buttery smiles of gluttony.

Beach Shrimp

Ingredients

• 3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp*
• 1 (16-oz.) bottle Italian dressing
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 lemons, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup butter, cut up

Preparation

• 1. Place first 4 ingredients in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, tossing to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture, and stir. Add lemon halves to pan. Sprinkle evenly with parsley; dot with butter.
• 2. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan.
• *3 lb. frozen peeled, large raw shrimp, thawed according to package directions, may be substituted. Prepare recipe as directed, reducing pepper to 1/2 tsp.

Click here for the printable recipe.

Make sure you get nice size shrimp.  This wasn't the biggest of the bunch, but it's the one that got the photo op...yummmmm!  Snap off the heads, but leave the peel on.

I made a double batch, so that's why it looks like Paula Deen was in charge of butter portions.  

I hate clean up, so I even use a disposable pan.  I told you this was easy.

I promise, this will become one of your favorite meals.  You can worry about your diet and your arteries tomorrow.

Funny Friday - dance with me!!!

This dog definitely dances better than some people I know (myself included).   This is hysterical....watch the entire thing!!  It's not on youtube, so click the link below.



Dancing with the Dogs!

Ch Ch Ch Chia....

So, last night, oldest daughter and I are sitting there watching the news and I hear the familiar tune, "Ch Ch Ch Chia" blaring from the TV.  I block it out as I've always done it the past, only to realize somewhere in the dark recesses of my brain that the commercial is not for the vast array of available Chia Pets....it's for....get this....an Omega 3 supplement.   What???  Well, I had to rewind it and watch the commecial to let it fully sink in that the people who are selling this

and this

and this

Okay, I have to confess, I totally missed the Chia Mr. T experience...

what rock was I living under???

and even this....

Disclaimer:  I'm not endorsing any particular political party here, but I mean, every president should be enshrined in the form of a Chia, don't you think???

Seriously....the people who have brought us Ch Ch Ch Chia Pets now want us to INGEST these seeds for our health?  How can this be?????

I'm quite sure a billion dollars have been spent on scientific research and that they're perfectly healthy and good for you (of course, I googled Chia seeds and apparently they are quite good for you...even Dr. Oz  says so...and if Dr. Oz says it, then...), but I just can't muster the courage to swallow anything that is even remotely associated with the above images and/or has a catchy jingle that goes along with it.  Sorry, just can't do it.  Maybe another brand....if it's a miracle supplement...and it'll make me 20 lbs. lighter and 20 years younger.  Heck, if it promised that, I'd even sport the green vegetation hair!  In the meantime....Ch Ch Ch Chia.....

Disclaimer: 

The opinions expressed herein represent my own....they may be crazy, but they're mine.  Also, I have not been paid for this "endorsement"...seriously. 

Meatless Monday - Shrimp Quesadillas

Loved this recipe.  I confess, I stole it straight from The Pioneer Woman's blog.

Ingredients

• Flour Tortillas (I used whole wheat)
• 12 whole Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined (I used 1 lb. of smaller shrimp)
• 8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper
• 2 cups Cheese, Grated (Monterey Jack Is Best)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt to Taste 

Preparation Instructions

Pour red sauce over shrimp. Set aside.
Chop vegetables into large pieces. Heat skillet over high heat and add olive oil. Cook vegetables over high heat until they start to get brown/black. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Return skillet to high heat, then dump in the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until shrimp is opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. Remove from skillet and chop into bite-size pieces.
In a separate skillet, heat butter. Place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on ingredients: cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn’t overly dry.
Remove from skillet and slice into wedges

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, red or green salsa...whatever you like.

This is a definite keeper!!