The Repurposed Cabinets

I have been chipping away at my overwhelming "to do" list (I have to laugh at this... such an extensive and critical list). I've been much more successful at doing crafts and reading than I have been at cleaning. I have done some work on the rocking chair, but it is slow going (and at times frustrating). However. I'll share some of the results of my work.

This is a cabinet we bought (for about $5) for our bathroom to use for storing towels and other things (our bathroom has no built-in cabinets or shelves. This is pretty common in Germany). I've never been thrilled with it because... well, as you can see it looks cheap (because it is) and although our bathroom tile/tub/toilet are brown, it just made everything seem more dark. This was the first thing I started working on. In fact Josh wasn't even out of the house and I was lugging this cabinet (don't let the look fool you, it is heavy!) up the hallway and out to the deck to paint. I used some ideas/inspirations from Pinterest... and here is the final results:

There are a few things I was disappointed in. First, my spray painting skills are not nearly what they should be. You may not be able to see it in the photos, but trust me there are some definite runs/drips in the paint. I am a perfectionist, but I know when not to attempt something. The cheap cabinet was not worth the time/effort to sand and then repaint with better form. I also was somewhat disappointed in the Modge Podge I used for the decoupage. I couldn't (for the life of me) find Modge Podge in Germany - either on base or off. For those of you who don't know, Modge Podge is a miracle working crafting glue. It's not just a glue, it also makes an amazing clear coat. You can use it for just about anything - whether you're trying to glue something or create a clear coat/seal on something. Anyways, I couldn't find any real Modge Podge but found a recipe for some homemade Modge Podge online. It's actually pretty simple - cooking a mixture of flour, sugar, and water, then adding vinegar. It worked well, however it didn't dry clear like real Modge Podge - it dried with a bit of a sandy/cloudy look. It turned out okay with what I used it for, but I wasn't thrilled with it not being clear. I also was overall frustrated with this cabinet because I used up 3 cans of spray primer and 5 cans of white spray paint. Eeessshhh. But. Now that I have put the cabinet back in its rightful place in the bathroom, it looks much better. It definitely brightens the whole room.

This is a bathroom shelf-type thing which sits on top of another cabinet in our bathroom. This shelf/cabinet combo was left behind by the last people who lived here (well... at least I think it was. Maybe it was put there by the landlord. It was in the house when we moved in). I've kept the top of the shelf covered with a colorful beach towel as there were some water marks/stains on the top (which you can't really see in the picture). But I decided to brighten up the top of it a bit. The few decorations I have in the bathroom are fish/beach themed, and our predominate colors are brown and red. Knowing this, I attempted to stick with that theme.

The bottom half (under the shelf) is a simple two door white cabinet. At first I wasn't going to do anything with this cabinet, but after seeing how everything looks together in the bathroom, I am tempted to paint the door handles the same red as the other cabinet (above). I'm still debating...

I also saw on Pinterest (I'm telling you, it's a dangerous site!) an idea to dress up glass jars to use them for storage. I liked this idea. I would love to be able to put things I use frequently out in the open so I didn't have to dig into a cabinet when I need them. The whole idea is to take a jar, wash it, take off the label, and then Modge Podge paper (any paper. I used scrap booking paper, but I think it would be neat to use old sheet music or pages from a book) on the outside of the jar. I had a hard time getting my paper to cooperate with me... so I had to do a layer of Modge Podge over the top of the paper instead of using it just as glue. As with my cabinet, it didn't exactly try clear... so it looks a little cloudy. But. I still liked the end result. It was fun to do, so I'm trying to think of more reasons to make these jars. We have to recycle our glass anyways, so I may as well try to find a way to reuse it which is fun.

So. There is the fruits of my labor thus far. I would have thought I'd have a lot more to show you by now... but... well, I guess my only excuse is that my kitties are cute snugglers, I have found many interesting books, and I love being lazy. So there ya go.

"To Do"

Josh is gone for six weeks to NCOA - Non-Commissioned Officers' Academy. It is a school he has to go to for his newest rank (even though he got that rank over a year ago.. the school for it is a little delayed). NCOA is located down in Ramstein - so for once (in theory) we would be at the same base for work. However, he is staying in the dorms on base and has a fair amount of homework to do. I also am not working my usual full schedule (perfect timing) and have more days off. So although he isn't far away and I have opportunities to see him... well, it will probably still be a long six weeks. However, I have been making a list of things for myself to get busy with while he is gone. Get busy, or stay busy. For the first three weeks he is gone I don't have any classes as school starts back on August 22nd, so I'm determined to really take advantage of these extra days I have.

My List of Things To Do:

• Crafts. I enjoy doing crafts of any sort and I tend do go in phases of being crafty. With school and work I haven't really been crafty in a long time. Pinterest (yes, I have been sucked into that website like so many. It's a great site, but a time-sucker) gives me endless ideas of things I would love make. So I'm going to give it a shot. I don't have any specific crafts I want to get done... I just want to craft. 
• Finish my refinish projects. Last year I acquired a wood rocking chair and a bed frame/headboard for free. I got both with the intention of refinishing them. I got started on the rocking chair (and got a good portion of it done) but got delayed as I was waiting to find some tools (I was seeking a dual voltage dremel tool. Turns out... no one in the world has ever needed a dual voltage one, so I had to decide to get either a 110 or a 220 voltage) and then the weather turned nasty, I started working, ect., ect., (insert other excuses here). I never even touched the bed. It just sits in our garage (which we only use as storage anyways) taking up space. So I determined to get going on those projects. Maybe announcing it to the world will force me to stick with it and finish it off. 
• Deep clean. I will admit right now my house is a disaster. In the last few weeks with school I was simply doing the bare minimum amount of cleaning to get by. My house is in need of a good deep cleaning. I also am needing to go through some things to do some purging. Time to clear out some things we don't use and free up some space.
• Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read books which are not textbooks.

Here is to spare time which will hopefully be spent wisely.

Who will it be?

If you haven't caught on to this by now, I like to take some time and cruise around on the internet for travel deals and ideas. Sometimes the only reason I (initially) want to go somewhere is because I find a screaming deal. One thing I keep close tabs on is airfare back home... or from home to me. I discovered last year that in August the prices for October and Thanksgiving dropped to a cheap level. Keeping this in mind, I've been watching the prices for airfare and just like last year the ticket prices to fly over here for Thanksgiving were at a low level. I told Mom - just to put the idea out there - and she took my idea seriously. My parents talked it over, and my dad (due to work and other things) won't be coming over, but my mom is going to come to visit. She had told me she invited my aunt and kind of put the idea out there to a few people. Yesterday while checking my email at work my mom had sent me her ticket confirmation - she's officially coming to visit over Thanksgiving!

And she's bringing a "guest" to boot. She told me she and the "guest" want to surprise me so she's not going to tell me who it is ... or she's going to try her absolute best not to tell me as my mom (like me) gets so excited about surprises sometimes she spills her guts. Ha ha. A part of me really does want to be surprised at the airport. The other part wants to know ahead of time who this "guest" is so I can plan accordingly (Do I need an air mattress? Or can they share a bed?). Honestly I'd be "surprised" right now to know who it is since it's not my dad. But. I am just overwhelmed with happiness to know I will get to see my mom and someone else who I love soon.

Just because it is a "surprise" doesn't mean I'm not actively trying to figure out the surprise. I already told my mom I have my suspicions or some guesses to make. She told me to tell her my guesses... and they were: my Auntie Rosie, my grandpa, or my brother. She told me it wasn't my aunt and certainly not my grandpa (she got a laugh out of that one - Grandpa isn't a big traveler). She didn't say yes or no to my brother... and at the moment that is at the top of my list for guesses. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it would be to have him visit. However, I still have a few more guesses... which include: my sister-in-law or my niece (either alone or in combo with my brother/sister-in-law). I also am not excluding my Auntie Donna or my cousin Noelle... however hunting season will still be going on and well, the trip would interrupt their hunting (let your redneck flag fly). I would guess (and hope and pray) for my best friend Jen... but I know she doesn't have the extra money for a plane ticket at the moment.

The question remains... who will it be? And... will Mom crack and spill her guts?