Sunday, May 20, 2012

Stilettos and Powertools

This weekend, I spent some time out of my comfort zone. When I was 9, my house burned down and so my mom decided that we'd build my "dream room" when we rebuilt. I ended up with this antique desk that someone had painted white, which worked for pre-teen me. My mom added white porcelain knobs with pink roses painted on them. When I moved out at 19, I took it with me. Then life happened and I lent it to a cousin but it's come back to me again. However, grown-up me does not like the white painted desk. From the back of the drawers, I could tell that it was a lovely natural wood that I could refinish.

Well, that was a terrible idea. I stripped off the white paint and found lime green stain.


I've decided that someone must have stained it in the late-70's or early-80's. To that person: I hate you. I spent last Saturday using a chemical paint stripper to remove most of the paint. This Saturday, I was able to rent a belt sander from Home Depot for $20. It was awesome! However, it couldn't reach the delicate woodworking that was under all the layers of crappy paint. I had to do those by hand. My shoulders and arms feel like I rowed the English Channel... and I'm still not done. Next Saturday, I'm hoping to finish the last nooks and crannies and stain it.


Now, I understand why people just buy cheap desks from IKEA. However, I am permanently attached to the desk. If God calls me to mission in Africa, I'm bringing the desk. My kids and grandkids will ask me about getting rid of the desk and I will tell them the tales of the blood, sweat, tears, and chemical burns I put into it. It's a conversation piece.

I had signed up to bring dessert to our Sunday night church gathering. It made me even more grateful for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It did all the work for these Snickerdoodles and gave my poor sore arms a much needed rest.


Here's the recipe:

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. or 1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
2 3/4c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together sugar, butter, and shortening. Mix in vanilla and eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Roll dough into balls and coat each ball in cinnamon-sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

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