Throwback Thursday...1980 and Farrells Ice Cream Parlour Birthday Party

So on Facebook I have been posting various TBT (Throwback Thursday) photos of myself when I was a child...you know, way back in the LAST CENTURY.  When everything was orange...and velour.

This morning as I was sifting through my photos, I came across these two gems:

1980. My birthday.  Im front and center in yellow.

This party was in Columbus Ohio,  at Farrells Ice Cream Parlour. The waiters wore barbershop quartet type outfits, and they would bring you a GIANT bowl with an ice cream sundae in it,  and everyone would get a spoon and dig in. The theory was that you were supposed to scoop it out and have it in your own bowl...but that never happened. Everyone would just take their utensils and go to town from the same communal ice cream sundae.  Oh criminy, can you even imagine doing that now??  I am getting a nervous tick just THINKING about eating after everyone. all those germs and backwash. (Dry heaves commencing in 3...2...1...)

My supremely talented neighbor Margaret Harris (I STILL remember her name) made that Winnie the Pooh cake for me and the girl next to me with the blonde hair and the blue jumper tied at the shoulders was my BFF at the time, and partner in crime, Amy.

At one point Amy and I had matching shag haircuts. yep, that kind of makes us like war buddies in my opinion.

Farrells was my favorite place to go as a kid. I dont think they are still around, except in California.

Such an easy time. I am waxing nostalgic.

Kids these days dont understand, and I dont think they ever will. My childhood was amazing, and my children wont ever have these simple experiences that I did. They dont know what ice cream parlors are, they dont know what it is like to sift through photos..or having to take photos to a lab and have them developed and WAIT for them. They wont know what it is like to have a shag haircut, or bellbottom pants. They wont ever have a chance to play on unsafe playground equipment, or eat communal ice cream with 10 of their friends.  

Sad really.

TBT.  I feel old.

So this happened...painted laminate countertops

The 1970s ugly laminate had to go. But we werent quite ready to invest in the granite just yet. So we decided to try a pinterest idea and paint over the countertops and seal them with a bartop epoxy resin.

So this past weekend we bit the bullet and did it. (Hubby wasnt 100% sold, but I said "Hey if it doesnt work we will be replacing them anyways. This is a trial"  He agreed)

BEFORE:

I decided on a black base. I used Behr Marquee base primer paint, tinted to Off Broadway Black.
I bought a quart of it and painted the entire countertop the base coat.  I waited an hour and recoated. so I had two nice coats.
Here:

After just the base coat hubbs was impressed with the difference.  he liked just the base!

I was tempted to just keep it the dark color.  But wanted to try my hand at the faux technique.

I then took craft paint in 3 various colors: Slate Grey, pearlized white and powder blue and dabbed in random patterns, using small pieces of a natural sea sponge. It looked like a bunch of kitty paw prints all over the countertops, so I then took a cleaning sponge and cut it in half and used the black base and did random squares over that.  Then I took a dry paint roller and rolled everything together, giving it the subtle streaking and flecking I was looking for.

I then did 3 coats of quick drying poly, sanding in between each coat with 220 grit and 400 grit with my random orbital sander, just to seal in the colors and seal the paint.

We then taped up a couple of tarps and used a bar epoxy resin to pour over the countertops.

 We mixed part A into part B for 4 minutes. Then Poured into a clean container and mixed again for another 4 minutes.  (phew)

Pour over surfaces and spread with a squeegee or paint stick or putty scraper. This stuff is self leveling (if the temperature in your house is warm enough). I don't recommend doing this in the winter or in colder temps.  We had the heater on and brought in space heaters just to make sure we had the proper atmosphere while doing this. You have 15 minutes to play, and that's it. Seriously. After 15 minutes this stuff will ripple if you try and mess with it too much. So two hands are better than one if you are doing a larger area.

Its so shiny....

Now walk away.

Walk away for 24 hours. 

Dont touch.  Dont breathe on it. Dont even look at it.

after 24 hours you will be able to tell if you want a second coat or not.

If you are happy with it, then in another day you can start putting stuff back on it, as it will be fully cured.

It will be water resistant, and hard as a rock!

and the Hubbs??  He loves it.

Now next is to get rid of that faux brick veneer!

Then paint.

Then Backsplash.

so much to do so much to do!

Demolition of the tower of terror...

Out 1970s kitchen has had it coming for a long time now.  I have waited for this day for 10 LONG YEARS!!! And today it finally happened.  I tore down that bleeping tower of terror.
The oven tower and upper cabinets had blocked the view into the eating area, and basically cut the kitchen in half.  It made the kitchen look closed off and crowded and cramped.  I know this kitchen has great potential,  and the first step to unlocking its greatness was to finally start demolishing the eyesore.

BEFORE:

So hubbs and I got out the prybars, we got out the oscillating tool, we got out the muscle and elbow grease and went to town...

took out the wall oven and needed to cut the tower in half, flush with the countertops...so only demolishing half the tower.

AND after several long hours, we finally got everything out.  Phase one COMPLETE!!

 Still have tons of work to do, but at least those cabinets and that oven tower and GONE!

Next on the agenda:

getting rid of that faux brick veneer backsplash (gag, hate it). 

new countertops.

turning that end portion of the counter into a butcher block

new backsplash

crown moulding around the upper portion of the cabinets

painting

now i can live with this for a little bit as we plan for phase two.

so happy right now.

Its that time of year again!!

BOOSTERTHON FUN RUN!!!

Time to donate to a good cause!!

Raising money for the school and new technology for the school.
Foof will be running laps and you can donate per lap, or a flat rate.
Even just a dollar or two helps.!!!

so visit his page HERE:


His goal is to win the big prize this year, his last year in elementary school. so help a brother out.,

THANKS Y'ALL!!!