Kraken Rum Shower Curtain: Decorating Disappointment

So for ages I've been drooling over the Kraken Shower Curtain, I even had an entire steampunk bathroom design planned out around it. I thought it was so awesome I was actually willing to spend the $60+ on a stupid shower curtain. It was my holy grail of shower curtains, and it was out of stock. For months. MONTHS. and then...it was in stock, and it was MINE.

Look at it. This shower curtain amazing, looking like it's all made out of sail cloth and super pretty and crap. Grommets at the top, sail cloth, quality, awesomeness. NO. no. LIES. ALL lies.

After paying $70+ including shipping this is the piece of crap I got in the mail. There was no sail cloth in a lovely cream color. No my friends, instead what I got was a shower curtain printed on super bright white cheap nylon that was so thin it was entirely transparent. The screen printing was faded and pixelated, there were stray threads and poorly sewn button holes instead of grommets.

So yeah, I would have taken better photos of this hanging up, BUT in order to return it, it must be in perfect pristine condition, and since I want my $60 I wasn't willing to chance it. Sorry, I was not about to take this one for the team. I figure a review would be good enough, especially since Kraken does not allow for any public commentary on their site, and while I looked for reviews BEFORE purchasing, there were none.

So in conclusion, DON'T buy this shower curtain!

ETA: I'm updating this post a little since it gets so much traffic. 

The company does not provide return instructions online so I contact customer service. They wanted me to send it back in the original box but I said eff that, because it would just add to the shipping cost. Instead I sent it back to the company in a poly mailer, which was no problem.

The company never contacted me when they received the curtain so after a few weeks I emailed them.They told me that the return would be processed soon. All together it took over a month for my original credit card to be credited.

I considered buying some other pieces from the website, but after my return experience, I would not recommend working with the company at all, since they don't seem to have any qualms about putting out inferior products and taking their sweet time in processing returns and responding to customer emails.

As far as alternatives, this Thomas Paul Octopus Shower Curtain is closest, but is super expensive (I know, as if $60 wasn't bad enough) at $120.

There's also this Mermaid Shower Curtain, which is available through etsy for $65 from a seller with a decent amount of positive feedback.

Why the hell are shower curtains so expensive?

Fall in Upstate New York

Anyone from Upstate New York knows that we have three seasons: Winter, Mud, and Construction. Not only that, but the weather can change at the drop of a pin. It's one of those places where if you're visiting, you need a giant suitcase: the fact that you can go through all four seasons in a single day means you basically need to pack you're entire closet

Which explains how it was 60 degrees and sunny last week and snowing today. Seriously. Snowing, and it's sticking. The Boy, Lux, and I spent the night cozy under 3 blankets with some candles and hot chocolate watching it snow outside.

 Let's see how many kinds of plaid I can wear at once!

Remembering warmer days, before we had to turn the heat on in the apartment, here are a few pics (and by a few I mean a couple, because I just realized that when I handed The Boy the camera he spent all his time documenting a cow) from our excursion to Bowman Orchards. Bowman is the orchard that I went to growing up. We always picked our apples here and now other place compared. It has been wonderful to see a family run operation expand over the years - when I was a kid there was a little shop where you could buy a few fall things, cider, donuts, etc.

Things are different now. The line to get in stretches all the way down the road. Now there are animals, an apple launcher, a general store, a bakery, a candy apple shack, a cider slushy stand, a playground, pony rides, and the list goes on. It almost made me excited for the day when I would have kids - although it all adds up pretty quickly, I would much rather have my kids running around a farm than shut inside playing video games.

The Boy was particularly in love with this little lady -in fact I just discovered that what I thought was photo number 10 was actually a full minute long movie of her eating. Engrossing.

Come on, it's a potato launcher but for apples, how awesome is that? And educational! What a great what to teach your kids about pneumantics!

Yes, look at that bright sun and green grass. Now we have snow! Yes, it's going to be a long winter.

Recipe: Potato and Leek Casserole

So now that I'm settled in with The Boy I've been doing a lot more cooking. It's pretty satisfying and while I haven't lost any weight yet (ha, wouldn't that have been nice), I actually feel a lot better now that we've cut eating out to only a couple meals a week (generally we give in for take out once a week and probably go out for at least one meal on the weekends).

As I've mentioned before, I'm a vegetarian whereas The Boy is not. He also happens to be an engineer and pretty anal, and harasses me for eating meals composed entirely of starch. Sorry, I happen to like carbs. A lot. Not only that, but quite frankyl I don't have time to make a main dish and a few sides. My motto is One And Done.

My solution to this is to throw Quorn chicken into just about any casserole or "bake" that I come across. Quorn is extra awesome because it doesn't contain any soy, but unfortunately it does have eggs, so it's not vegan. Sad face. But it works for me.

 So here is my adaptation of Food For My Family's Potato and Leek Gratin (oh, and I stole her pictures too, but mine did not look nearly this good).

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoe
• 3 slender leeks, washed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup dry white wine/sherry/vegetable stock
• 2 C heavy whipping cream
• 2T butter
• 2 Quorn Naked Cutlets

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 2-1/2 or 3-quart casserole dish. I forgot to grease my dish and it came out fine.
2. Thinly slice the potatoes, skins on. Thinly slice the leeks and toss with the minced garlic. Layer in the casserole dish: potatoes , leeks with garlic, salt and pepper, cutlets, repeat. I recommend you go liberal with the salt, or you'll be adding a lot afterwards.  Finish with a top layer of potatoes. Dot butter on top.
3. In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together the sherry/chicken stock, the heavy cream and the nutmeg. Pour over the potato and leek layers. The liquid should just cover the final layer of potatoes.
4. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 80-90 minutes. At 20 minutes, open the oven and gently push the potatoes back under the cream. Repeat this at 40 minutes and again at 60 minutes. Remove the gratin from the oven when the top is lightly browned and the potatoes are soft. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving.
   

Makes 6-8 servings.

Super Easy Last Minute Halloween Ideas

I've been really busy and pretty much haven't done anything for Halloween...I suppose if I had a stoop, a porch or a window that people could actually see I might be more motivated. Suffice to say, I live in a basement, so that's not happening. But whatever, I still like to make stuff, and I might go visit my parent's house so I can sit in front of the fire and scare the 5 trick-or-treaters who come by.

If you're scrambling to Halloween-ify your abode here are some super quick and easy ideas.

  Two bunt cakes stacked on top of each other. Voile! A pumpkin!

Orange pancakes and black frosting, tasty and creepy.

Candy corn pudding, also known as vanilla pudding with food coloring.

Halloween Party Mix: Popcorn, Pretzels, Chocolate Covered Raisins and Candy Corn

Don't have time to carve a pumpkin (because we all know it takes a lot more time than we ever think it will), try one of these ideas.

Pumpkins in Fishnets

 Use a drill to make polk a dot pumpkins.

 Because who doesn't love puffy paint!?

Maybe I'll try this, but naturally I would have to make it overly complicated so it ends up being just as time consuming as trying to carve a grave scene or other complex pumpkinscape (once I spent 3 hours carving a pumpkin. That, my friends, is dedication). Did you know that the first Jack-o-Lanterns were carved out of turnips? They must have had some tiny knives cause those things are tiny. 

These decorations are quick, and perhaps most important, cheap...

Yellow & Orange Balloons + Sharpie Marker. BOOM DONE.

Some glass stands and pillar candles from Walmart and a bag of $2 Candy Corn, doesn't get any easier.

Mini pumpkins, tea lights and pipe cleaners and you've got a job well done.

So there are a few of my suggestions, you can find other Halloween ideas on my Halloween Board over at pinterest. A lot of these photos don't have credits, so if you own one or know where it came from please let me know so I can credit. hearts&&hearts!

New Hair, And I'm Vain

 I got new hair. I kind of love it, it make me feel like Ariel  in the Little Mermaid. Thinking about going a little bit more red next time, since this faded pretty quickly. This is what my hair looked like after 12 hours, I definitely need to get me one of those curling wands.

Friends, This Is Important to Remember

Pinterest Addiction

In case you aren't friends with me on pinterest, I've gone totally bananas on the site. Seriously, it is so much fun. There are so so so many ideas out there...which is both good and bad. Good, because it is totally stimulating my interests, bad because instead of doing my work all I want to do is make stuff.

Anyway, here are some totally rad tips, ideas, and craft projects I came across.

Hearts folded in half with one side taped down in a circular pattern. 

Who knew lovely could be so simple?

5 Reasons to Drink Lemon Water in the Morning - Super interesting! I want to start doing this, maybe integrate it into my routine along with my vitamins.

Awesome, how to give yourself a text manicure...uh trust me, it makes sense if you click the link.

  Stitch Doilies onto Table cloth, embellish with buttons, ribbon, embroidery.

Directions on how to make a Wedding Day Emergency Kit - this is going to become more and more handy over the next couple years as everyone I know gets married.

How to print on fabric - I think this is an awesome idea. Not sure what I'll do with it yet, but totally good to know.

Wooden letters glued to canvas and then painted over in white 

Yes, doing this asap.

How to make your own lotion bars - Booya LUSH! I'm gonna take you on!

DIY Mercury glass - YES YES YES. I have such a sick obsession with mercury glass, especially since Christmas is coming up, and this is going to save me a lot of money. I am going to turn everything I own into mercury glass.

Adirondack Mountains, I Own You - Hiking Cascade Mountain

Yeah, you know that blogger feature where you can schedule posts? Well I really need to look into that. Life has been beyond insane. Basically I've been going to school, working two jobs and dealing with life...which, in case you were wondering, is a little overwhelming. But what can you do?

I've been going crazy over with Etsy, and while I'm scrambling a bit, it's super satisfying that people actually like what I'm making. I love my customers, they are really what gets me through life. Every sale gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I think Etsy is particularly important to me because it gives me a feeling of immediate gratification...which I definitely do not get with school. Let it be known, if you are interested in grad school 95% of your goals will be long term! It takes months to hear back from a publisher, or a conference, and it is literally years in between things like qualifying exams, candidacy exams and graduation. No joke, most of the time I wonder if I am ever going to graduate. Poop. If you're choosing an academic career I highly recommend you pick up a hobby, too.

Anyway, what I've neglected most over the past couple months is working out. It's kind of depressing. The Boy has definitely made me fat. I'm bigger than I've ever been, and quite frankly I feel like poop. The only thing that is making me feel any better is the fact that he's gained just as much weight. A couple weekends ago a group of us took advantage of the Indian summer and go on a hike. And get less fat in the process.

We thought that we were just going on a nice Saturday nature walk, do some leaf peeping, stroll through the woods, lovely! No, that was not the case. That was not the case at all. Instead we climbed up a mountain. Now, to be fair, it is basically the smallest mountain around, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a freaking mountain.

Not all of us were exactly "prepared." Take for instance RJ, who I referred to as our Fresh Air Kid. In case you're not from upstate, a Fresh Air Kid is an inner city kid who comes upstate for the summer to spend some time in the great outdoors...meaning they are not always entirely prepared for the experience. Hence you get kids dressed like RJ running around mountains.

 Please note that we decide to take The Freshest Route.

He looks happy, but he was actually gasping for breath.

This is me trying to have fun. Please note how sweaty and generally unpleasant I look, because I was feeling about 10 times worse.

Hiking always seems like fun until you actually do it. Or maybe that's just me. Either way I can pretty much guarantee you that I will be all gung ho about hiking, and then after 10 minutes of trying to climb up the side of a mountain I will be wishing I was home and in bed, or maybe sitting by the pool.

Poppy was the only one of us who didn't want to die.

Holy moly, we were out of shape. It seemed like every 10 minutes we were getting passed by a horde of children and a pack of dogs, all with boundless energy. At one point we were mocked by an older couple. But you know what? Who cares, at least we were out there.

 

Yay, look how much fun we're having!

Literally, climbing up a mountain.

Thankfully, hiking becomes fun again for the 15 minutes you hang out eating on the summit. Then it becomes un-fun again as you try not to fall down the mountain.

Required group photo. I have to admit, we do live in a pretty awesome place where views like this are common place.

In general I'd say that there are two major satisfying moments of hiking: getting to the top, and getting back into the car. Much like pregnancy (or so I imagine), a few hours or days later, I have once again convinced myself that hiking is a great idea! Yay, nature!

Bride and Groom Candy Apples (Not as complicated as you think!)

So the other day I mentioned how I made a bazillion Bride and Groom Candy Apples for a friend's Bridal Shower. If you are looking to do them yourself here are some helpful hints. Regardless, they tasted delicious, so if you're looking to just make yourself some tasty treats these are one excellent way to go.

Things You Need:
Apples
Sticks (don't use lollipop sticks like I did, instead go with popsicle sticks)
Caramel
Milk
White Chocolate (I used Wilton chocolate melts)
Dark Chocolate (Again, I went with Wilton melts)
Plastic Baggies (if you're going for the fancy kind)

It's a pretty straight forward process...

Put your sticks in your apples. If you are like me and screw up by having lollipop sticks (I'm not the one who bought them), then you have to break out a screw driver because the sticks won't go in on their own. No worries, hand tools only, leave the power tools in the closet. Tools of the trade folks.

You basically need 3 Tablespoons of milk for every 14oz of caramel. The more milk you add the thinner and more drippy your caramel will be. I heated mine in the microwave on defrost, stirring ever 30 seconds or so until it was melted all the way through.

Dip your apples and set them either on a buttered sheet pan or on aluminum foil. I let mine sit over night, but if you put them in the fridge they will set much more quickly. If you do not want to do the chocolate layers you can also dip the apples into other toppings (like nuts, crushed oreos, etc) before the caramel has set and then pop them in the fridge.

Place about 14oz of white chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and heat on defrost, stirring every 30 seconds or so until melted all the way through. Dip your apples once more. Again, you can set them on a buttered cookie sheet or foil. If you put them in the fridge they will set in about 5 minutes, otherwise it will take considerably longer on the counter top. I also found that the white chocolate gave a very thick layer (much more so than either the caramel or the dark chocolate).

Let it be known that caramel and white chocolate are an excellent combination. If you are doing a Halloween theme the white candy apples would make adorable and delicious ghosts!

After the white chocolate has set melt the dark chocolate using the same method as above. I find out to be a little tricky to make the tuxedos. The best bowl for dipping seems to be a more shallow one, as the chocolate gets lower it definitely becomes more difficult to make uniform tuxedos.

In order to do the decorations on the Bride apples I simply filled a plastic baggie with melted white chocolate, snipped the tip off and drizzled.

In order to do the bow ties and buttons I used the same plastic baggie method, but made sure to only make the tiniest corner snip in order to get a fine point. I found it was easier to draw on the buttons and bow tie after the tuxedo had set.

Voile!

p.s. I think that photo looks like the old fashioned Farmer and His Wife photo. They just need a pitch fork

Kicking Off Halloween

In my world Halloween is a month long holiday. This view is shared by several of my friends, primarily one of my closest, Meghan. In an effort to stretch the holiday out for as long as possible she has already planned and hosted a fabulously cute and spooky party.

How cute is her house, right? No corner, fixture or ceiling was left unadorned. I love people who get as excited about Halloween as I do.

As an added bonus, Meghan is a vegan who whips up some of the most delicious food you've ever had, all from scratch. I absolutely love eating her food because no matter how delicious it is or how much I eat, I never feel gross or sick after. It's like magic.

Awesome Zombie Cake! Coffee Chocolate Cake with French Silk Frosting, Oreo Cookie Crumbles and Gummi Worms...The hand (made from a stuffed latex glove) is a particularly gross addition, but really makes the cake.

Vegan Chocolate Spider Cupcakes lurked among the adorable Halloween village. Becareful not to eat the googly eyes. Or you can be like me and accidentally eat them, and then pretend you did it on purpose and make a comment about it being the Halloween version of a Watermelon Seed Spitting contest when you spit them out on to a napkin.

I made Butter Beer! It was pretty awesome, basically all you do is melt from caramel and butter in a pot, add some mulled apple cider and vanilla cream soda and ta-da! For the adult version you can also add some Applejack brandy. I have to say that all together the whole thing is delicious, and highly recommended - especially on cold evenings!

This soup is my new favorite thing: Basically carrots, onion, rice and vegetable stock. Delicious. Not pictured were delicious Apple Cider Cupcakes, Squash Casserole and numerous other tasty treats and finger foods.

Our entertainment consisted of tarot card readings (which, I have to say, I am pretty good at), Sleepy Hollow - one our of favorite Halloween spooky videos, and the Ouiji Board. No joke, ouiji boards freak me out a little. Whether it's just the product of an already unstable mind or not, there are so many 'ouiji boards ruined my life' stories that I generally avoid them. They are some freaky ass things. Luckily were were dealing with the world's laziest ghost, because when we asked if it had a message for us, it gave a definitive "no" for an answer.