Princess Aboard Swag

I finally got my Etsy shop open so I could start selling merchandise for the blog!  Hubby got me a vinyl cutter after Christmas and I've been working slowly but surely towards getting items ready.  The first item is the Princess Aboard Vinyl Decal (in the works is a second decal and a line of different T-shirt and tank tops).  Hopefully you guys like it :)

Dreamsicle or a Dreamy Creamsicle

I haven't shared a drink in a while, so here goes it.

As a kid one of my favorite treats were the orange creamsicles that my mom would buy at the grocery store.  As an adult I still love them.  I'll sneak a box in the cart while grocery shopping and a I love, LOVE I tell you, the Dreamsicle flavored sno cones from the stand by my father's office.

So it comes to no surprise that when i tasted an alcoholic beverage that a friend told me tasted like this dreamy creamy orangey icy dessert from the heavens, I had to share it with y'all.

1-2 parts vodka
2 parts orange juice
1 part heavy cream
**over ice

Now that they've developed all these flavored vodkas and rums, I'm wondering if a whipped cream vodka or rum might make this EVEN better.  I think it may be something I have to try.

Homecoming

The hubby had made a stop by her while he was down in Florida, and we'd gotten reports from the repairman, but I don't think I quite realized the massive amount of work that needed to be done aboard Jus'CrewZen till I climbed down the companionway about 3 weeks ago.

Overwhelming……  I guess this is one of those situations where it's good I don't get overly emotional (well at least about most things).  But for a split second I looked around and could imagine myself feeling helpless and just crying.  Throwing my arms up in the air, not knowing where to start, and suggesting we just sell her and start over.

But anyone out there who owns a boat, especially those who live on their boat or have lived on their boat know that "that" isn't really an option.  You can't just trade in your kid b/c they rolled around in the mud, got sprayed by a skunk, fell in a bucket of black ink and then ran through your house and sat on your white couch.  I mean, you may contemplate it, but it's not really an option.

Soot was covering every surface and mildew was coming in a close second.  You couldn't sit down or touch anything without getting covered in some sort of black powder.  They had pumped hundreds of gallons of saltwater down into the salon, enough for there to be standing water in the forward and aft cabins before the repairman pumped it out.  (We have a HUGE bilge.)  Somehow when they sprayed the water down it tore our blinds down off the ports in the salon and salt was also covering most surfaces.

The first day I threw away 4 dock carts full of stuff.  All of the carpet was ruined.  That wasn't too big of a blow, the carpet was only down b/c the previous owners had glued down the previous carpet to the teak.  All of the comforters and bed pillows were ruined.  This hit a bit hard.  I know it sounds silly, but do you know how hard it is to find pillows to like?  Or to find that comforter that is the perfect weight for both summer and winter?

Once I threw away the comforters and bed pillows things got easier.  Throwing away all the pillows (except for 2 that had lighthouses on them) on the settees didn't hurt quite so bad.  And by the time I started chunking away all the food behind the settees and in the galley, I was almost gleeful.
The first day consisted of throwing and making sure that our bunk was completely clean.  I used vinegar to wipe (and re-wipe) every surface that surrounded our bunk.  The second day finished wiping down every surface in our cabin.  It took a while, and I even broke out the battery powered vacuum to get into all the corners, but it was worth it.  The third day was scrubbing the floors, and we're familiar with how much I love that.