Refinished desk with Mod Podge and fabric.

I recently discovered Mod Podge (decoupage) furniture. I now want to Mod Podge the entire world. Check out this old desk that I salvaged for my daughter’s room. It was such a cool shape, I just had to do something with it.

BEFORE:

This was a crackle paint job gone bad. I had to strip the entire desk (what a mess -I would never recommend doing that again) and then paint it with primer.

AFTER:

I painted the entire desk a fun pink color in high gloss.

I cut out some fabric and “Mod Podged” it to the desk. I even lined the drawer. After it dried, I began to apply the top layer of Mod Podge so that it did not feel like fabric. It took several coats of Mod Podge (maybe 5 or 6) using high gloss to achieve a smooth, glossy finish.

After everything dried, I attached (Well my husband attached) the fancy knob for a bit of embellishment.

Image: Comwiz (Flickr)

Homecoming Mums in Texas

Many students in Texas take homecoming mums just as serious as the homecoming game itself. A homecoming mum is an oversized corsage wildly decorated in school colors with anything from bows, bells, stuffed animals, long ribbons or streamers, and even lights. This southwest version of a corsage is so big it is worn around the neck as a breastplate with streamers flowing down the front of the body to the floor. When it comes to mums for homecoming, it seems the tackier, the better. Homecoming mums have been known to cost more than $200 and weigh more than 20 pounds. Traditionally given to girls by their boyfriends, mums are exchanged by boys and girls alike by family members or friends. Boys wear a smaller version of mums on their sleeve called homecoming garters.

The Speedo Dash

At Cupertino High School near San Jose, Calif., the boys water polo team shows off their half naked bodies -scantily clad in Speedos by making a dash out of the corner of the football stadium and running across the field during halftime.  That may not seem so bizarre, except that they do this at the moment the homecoming king and queen – all dressed up – are being crowned. Nonetheless, it is a popular homecoming tradition at Cupertino, with their much anticipated entrance being announced over the stadium PA and high school girls cheering wildly as they dash across the field.

Cross-dressing

In a small Texas school district, high schoolers from Spurger county celebrate TWIRP, which stands for “The Woman Is Requested to Pay.” During homecoming week, boys and girls have a chance to reverse social roles and let older girls invite boys on dates, open doors and pay for sodas (cougars in the making?) There is an additional twist. To add a dramatic visual to the conventional role change, this homecoming tradition encourages boys to dress like girls and vice versa (in other words – cross dressing.) This unusual tradition has been stopped by one parent’s complaint of “homosexual overtones.”

Weird Homecoming Mascots

Forget fierce and intimidating animal mascots, some high schools are so confident in their athletic teams, they transcend the cliché symbols of bravery, stamina and victory. Take the “The Laurel Hill Hoboes,” for example. This high school mascot is a basically a clown-type bum with a school letter t-shirt. A high school in Huntington Beach, California has “The Huntington Beach Oilers.” The mascot is a man in a hard hat, boots and a wrench standing in front of an oil leak. It is easy to imagine the students fighting each year over who is going to be the mascot in that homecoming parade. Centralia High School features “The Orphans” (for boys) and “The Annies” (for girls). New Berlin High School has a pretzel as their mascot.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Austin.

Image: Melissa Ann Barrett (Flickr)

Below are the top cities to find “real” desperate housewives. These cities, based on affluence and marital status, are likely to be loaded with bored, wealthy married women who participate in outrageous consumerism, self-centered behavior and other heedless displays of so-called desperation.

Frisco, Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas –including the drama queens. Seventy-five percent of the population in Frisco is married. According to Zillow.com, the people who live in Frisco include “Country Clubbers” and “Lap of Luxury” suburbanites. The stay-at-home wives in this Dallas suburb spend their days keeping the local plastic surgeons in business and spending their husbands’ paychecks at Stone Briar Mall.

Newport Beach, Calif.

Nearly one in three Newport households (28.6 percent) earn more than $200,000 a year, and the median home value tops $1 million.  Fifty percent of the population is married, and a large majority of the elite suburbanites in Newport are still single. Ladies, if you are looking for an eligible bachelor to whisk you away to suburban bliss so you can enjoy the good life, then resent him, cheat on him and take all his money in a divorce settlement, this is a good place to move.

Gladwyne, Pennsylvania

Gladwyne, Penn., is a small Philadelphia suburb with a population of just over 4,000. The average household income is about $300,000, and the median cost of a new home is about $800,000. Desperate housewives in this affluent town are likely to be found playing tennis at the Philadelphia Country Club or shopping at the Suburban Square Shopping Centre. If you are in the mood to see a good housewife cat fight, you may find competitive soccer moms getting into it at Miquon Elementary School.

Glencoe, Illinois

There are approximately 8,465 who live in this small suburb near Chicago. The average household income is $257,718. Located just north of Chicago on Lake Michigan, this quaint town is in the middle of four well-to-do country clubs and several golf courses. The stay-at-home wives in this town enjoy lunching at Frank & Betsie’s Restaurant, where they can indulge in an afternoon martini or glass of white wine. There are plenty of spas in the area, but perhaps the most popular among the local desperate housewives is the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa.

Auburn, Ala.

Have you seen the tuition of Auburn University? Most of this area’s residents work at the University of Auburn. With a population of 56,000, the average household income in this zip code is $329,378. The president of Auburn University, G. Jay Gogue, earns $727,761 a year. The Auburn faculty and their families are living high on the hog and are accustomed to a certain lifestyle that fosters desperate housewife behavior. Auburn housewives, who are also considered to be “cougars” or “milfs,” are likely to prey on young male college students or athletes for kicks. The university itself is a great place to find scandal and drama –a perfect stage for a desperate housewife.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Austin, Texas

Modify your schedule the days before

In the days leading up to the time change, begin to readjust your sleeping and eating schedule to one hour earlier. Your brain knows that the time on the clock has changed, but your body’s internal clock does not. By training yourself days before, you will give your internal body clock a head start.

Set your clock late afternoon or early evening on Saturday

Even though daylight saving time officially changes at 2:00am on Sunday morning, it is a wise idea to acclimate yourself to the time change while you are still awake on Saturday. Late afternoon or early evening is ideal (as long as you have no time sensitive engagements), because before you are ready to go to bed you will already be operating one hour in advance. Getting an hour more of sleep will help you get up an hour earlier and not be late for church or work.

Take it easy the day of the time change

Time changes affect your sleep and energy levels so keep a light schedule and do not exert yourself too much on the Sunday after the time change. During the first few weeks of the time change, try to resist the urge to take long naps late in the day. It also helps to expose yourself to light during the day and keep the shades drawn at night to get your body into the natural Arcadian rhythm cycle.

Time Change Facts

• The idea of daylight saving time was conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784.

• The plan was formally adopted in the U.S. on March 19, 1918 in “’An Act to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States.”

• The phrase “daylight saving time” is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not politically desirable.

• On Halloween, children’s pedestrian deaths are four times higher than on any other night of the year. In order to provide trick-or-treaters more light and therefore more safety from traffic accidents, a law to extend DST to the first Sunday in November took effect in 2007.

• More light in the evening is favorable for a low crime rate. During DST, violent crime goes down 10 to 13 percent.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Philadelphia

Image by: N0Nick (Flickr)

Brown Jug Restaurant
1204 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 761-3355

This campus favorite is a versatile place where you can take a date, take your parents out when they come in town or just wind down and have a beer.  The Brown Jug Restaurant is easy on your wallet too, as many college students agree that prices are reasonable, even downright cheap. If you are going to experience their libations, try one of the 10 different Long Island iced teas. (Tip: The green dinosaur is the most popular.) If you are looking for something good to eat, the veggie pizza is highly recommended along with the Feisty Feta & Greek pita bread.

Good Time Charley’s
1140 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 668-8411

Described as the epitome of an Ann Arbor college bar, Good Time Charley’s is the bar of choice for many students at the University of Michigan. If you are going for heavily loaded drinks, you will appreciate that the Long Island iced teas are served in a pickle jar. This bar also has just about every flavor of shots imaginable. Good Time Charley’s gets packed on the weekend, so if you are looking for a place to meet other students, you will have no problem finding them here. Conveniently positioned on the corner of South University Avenue and Church Street, Good Time Charley’s is within walking distance to the University’s dorms –which is a good thing if you’ve had one of the Long Island iced teas.

Rick’s American Cafe
611 Church St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 996-2747

Offering a typical American varsity vibe, Rick’s American Café is everything you may imagine a college bar to be. With their tag line “The Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On,” Rick’s promises the flirtatious, sexy college party experience with flowing alcohol and live entertainment every night of the week. Honored by Playboy as “College Bar of the Month” and named “Best Campus Bar in Ann Arbor” by the “Michigan Daily,” Rick’s American Cafe is one of the busiest bars on the University of Michigan’s campus since it opened in 1979.

Blue Leprechaun
1220 S. University Ave. #109
Ann Arbor, MI 48113
(734) 665-7777

The Blue Leprechaun is one step up from a college dive bar. It is a bit classier than the typical college bar in Ann Arbor and is often frequented by more a more distinguished college crowd, including grad students and professors. Overzealous fraternity boys and sorority girls are generally not found drinking here. The fireplace in the front room gives this bar a cozy, pub feel. The Blue Leprechaun has live music, karaoke and a hip lounge downstairs that has a more laid-back atmosphere than the bar upstairs. If you are looking for a drink and dinner deal, Tuesday nights are “Everything is Half Off for Grad Students Nights,” which may explain why so many grad students like to hang out here.  If you are tired of pizza and hamburgers, this is a great place to go for some Irish comfort food, such as fish and chips or Sheppard’s pie.

Grizzly Peak Brewing
120 West Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 741-7325

This is another brew pub that is popular among a college crowd with a more distinct palate. For those who enjoy the taste of beer and are not just looking for a cheap buzz, this pub will blow you away with its list of fine imports and locally brewed beer. They offer a great list of rotating and seasonal brew. Patrons enjoy a bustling bar with good spirits, food and a dim, warm environment. As a local favorite, this pub draws a diverse, lively crowd. While it may not be located on campus, many college students go here to treat themselves. If your parents are in town and offer to take you to dinner, take advantage of their offer and order something nice for yourself, such as the spicy, beer-steamed mussels or the pretzel-encrusted salmon with a Black & Tan brownie beer.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Detroit.

Photo by St Gleam (Flickr)

Never Use the Mattress Handles

Ever wonder why mattress manufacturers put such flimsy handles on the sides of the mattress instead of the ends where it is easier for two people to lift vertically? Believe it or not, mattresses with handles were not designed to move and transport a mattress at all. So, if you have ever ripped off mattress handles while moving, you are in the majority of people who use mattress handles against the manufacturer’s intentions. While it may not seem logical, most mattresses handles are only provided for product positioning, not for exerting great force, such as attaching a rope to them and hauling the mattress to another floor.

Buy a Mattress Bag

You can purchase a specially-made mattress box or bag from a moving company. Mattress bags keep your mattresses and box springs clean during moving or storing while protecting against soil, dust and water damage. Many plastic mattress bags have built-in handles, but they are not very sturdy for transporting, so do not rely on them for transporting up a stairway.

Rent a Truck

Unless you have a large car with a roof rack, and you have experience with transporting large, awkward objects, tying a mattress to the roof of a car nearly always ends in disaster –especially if you have a king-sized mattress. It is not worth losing your mattress on the road. Even if you are moving your mattress a short distance, it is best to rent a small moving truck or pick-up truck. Home improvement stores have truck rentals for as low as $19.95.

Use a Moving Strap or Sling

Moving straps are sturdy tools for moving bulky furniture and would work fine for carrying a mattress up a flight of stairs. However, if you want to get even more specialized, one particular company makes a mattress strap sling carrier called the EZ-Sling. The EZ-Sling makes it easy for two people of different heights to carry and deliver an oversized mattress. For $19.95, you have greater control, helping you avoid swaying, wobbling and hard-to-balance hassles.

April Lentini writes for Apartment Guide in Washington, D.C.

Image by: firstbaptistnashville on Flickr

It’s easy to find a volunteer organization in Philadelphia that could use your talents and give you the great feeling of helping others. Here are a few great places to get started.

Philadelphia Cares

For those who are not sure what to volunteer for, the Philadelphia Cares Web site is a good place to start. The Philadelphia Cares site calendar features the latest events in need of volunteers and matches people with various nonprofit agencies. You can decide on a volunteer opportunity based on when it is convenient for you and which opportunity best matches your talents and resources. From fundraising events to working with animals, children and senior citizens, you can find something that has meaning to you.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Philadelphia

If you are looking to develop a bond with a youth in need, this is a great organization that fosters mutual bonds between an adult mentor and a child. According to the latest Census information, approximately 120,000 children in Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia and Montgomery counties are at risk of social and academic failure. You can be a positive influence on a child’s life, but you may discover that you need to mentor a child just as much as he or she needs you.

Philabundance

Philabundance is Philly’s largest food bank network in the area. Their mission is “to end hunger and malnutrition in the Delaware Valley by acquiring food and distributing it through organizations serving people in need.” According to a recent study by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national nonprofit company in Washington, Philadelphia is the second-hungriest area in the nation. Philabundance has volunteers of all ages and walks of life who donate their time to work in the warehouse, provide administrative support, and assist with special events.

Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo relies heavily on volunteers of all ages to help with administration, give tours and even help as zookeeper assistants. The zoo has volunteer programs that are perfect for adults, teens and college interns. If you love working with animals and enjoy educating other people about animals, the Philadelphia Zoo would be a great place to give your time and interact with other animal lovers.

Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia

Doing physical work with your hands can be very rewarding. Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia focuses on building multiple homes in a community rather than scattered site houses. The organization rehabilitates entire neighborhoods by providing simple, decent, affordable homes for families in need. You can get involved with Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia by providing some much-needed elbow grease in building homes or donating materials to the organization.

No matter how much time you have to give or what your interest, there is a volunteer organization that needs your help in Philadelphia. Discover the joys and benefits of being part of a bigger community in Philadelphia.

April Lentini writes for Philadelphia Apartment Guide near Restaurant Row.

The days leading up to Valentine’s Day inspire many people to cuddle up with their sweethearts and watch romantic films. But what about single people, or worse, people who have just had their heart broken by an unexpected or nasty breakup?  Don’t despair. Buy yourself some chocolate and ice cream, have yourself a good cry and curl up in front of your TV to embrace your newfound freedom. Here are eight great break-up movies that will make you feel glad to be single.

1. Sleeping With the Enemy (1991)

Think twice about envying the woman who appears to have it all: a handsome husband, a nice house and basically anything that money can buy.  So what would bring such a charmed housewife (Julia Roberts) to fake her own death, cut off her hair, move across the county and change her name? Why, her rich husband of course! See why this thriller will make you glad that you never got married or glad to be divorced.

2.  The War of the Roses (1989)

In another (seemingly) perfect marriage, the Roses are a professional, middle-aged couple who live in a small mansion and have two kids in college. They grow tired of each other, and their bitterness turns into a contest to out-humiliate each other in front of each other’s clients and friends. Eventually, their quarrels escalate into a violent personal war inside their large house where they both end up dead under the chandelier. This version of War of the Roses makes the real battles between the Houses of York and Lancaster at the end of the Middle Ages seem like child’s play.

3. Thelma and Louise (1991)

Geena Davis and Susan Surandon star in this action-packed story of two best friends who decide to go on a girls’ weekend trip. They end up being the victims of circumstance and become outlaws on the run. The men in their lives are enough to make any woman happy to die alone. If those weren’t enough reasons to convince you, the movie is worth it just to see a young Brad Pitt make an appearance before he became famous.

4. Secretary (2002)

This is a good movie to watch if you have ever thought your own life was messed up. A socially awkward and dysfunctional young female who just checked out of the hospital for self-injury starts dating her boss, who introduces her to a relationship of BDSM. Since she already has a self-destructive streak, she falls in love.  Her boss fires her, humiliates her and eventually marries her so that they can continue their dominant/submissive lifestyle happily ever after.

5. Closer (2004)

This mixed-up tangle of love stars Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen. Basically, four people’s lives are intertwined by lust. No one is really happy with the person he or she is with. When their eyes wander, they switch partners and each end up more heartbroken than they were in the beginning. This is a good movie to watch if you feel that your quest for a satisfying relationship is thwarted by the very confusing and insatiable human condition.

6. Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Set in the 1950s, this is a story of two women who befriend each other and have a relationship that borders on lesbianism (considered a mental illness at the time). This tale of an obsessive relationship between two girls ends with murder by brick bludgeoning. If you think you have problems with your own love life, try living in the old days where you considered mentally ill if you did not conform to society’s standards.

7. Sid and Nancy (1986)

Nothing makes you happier to be single than a good, old fashioned dysfunctional rocker love story. This movie is based on the true story of Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman), bassist of the seminal punk rock band The Sex Pistols and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Filled with an abundance of reckless drugs and sex, the love story ends up with a stabbing.  On an interesting side note: Courtney Love auditioned for the role of Nancy Spungen but did not get it. Ironically, she was later compared to the rock star’s troubled girlfriend on account of her marriage to Kurt Cobain.

8. Revolutionary Road (2008)

Have you ever dreamed of getting married and starting a family? Maybe you’ll decide that traveling the world and pursuing your dreams should come first after you see this depressing movie. A young couple falls in love, moves to the suburbs, starts a family and becomes completely miserable as the bored housewife experiences a midlife crisis. She plots to move the family to France to pursue acting but a pregnancy with the couple’s third child puts the couple in disagreement and as a result, the desperate housewife gives herself an abortion and dies. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet costar in this drama that makes their last film together, The Titanic, look like a love story with a happy ending.

Now you have plenty to keep you occupied, with eight Valentine’s Day movies for the jilted, single or heartbroken who are looking for movies to make them feel better. Single life does not seem so bad now, does it?

April Lentini writes for Greektown Chicago Apartment Guide
Image: ginnerobot (flickr)

Have a clean apartment and get a baby sitter

While most guys could care less about candles and soft music, they do appreciate a clean house.  Pick up your things and make room for your guy to be a guy on Valentine’s Day. Doing his laundry for him would be taking it one step further –but only if you are already on that level of intimacy. If you have kids, get them out of your home. Better yet, arrange to have them spend the night at someone else’s house if possible. When transforming your apartment into a guy-friendly romantic escape, the focus should be entirely on your man.

Get dressed up (or down) and have dinner ready

Where do most men want to go on Valentine’s Day? Nowhere, that’s where. They’re tired. They worked all day and they probably had to stand in a long line at the grocery store buying you flowers and candy if they were not creative enough to get a custom valentine gift (but that’s another article). The last thing your man wants to do is wait an hour to be seated at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. So, dine in. Surprise him with the smell of his favorite meal cooking as he walks in the door. If you lack the talent for cooking, order in his favorite meal. Even if he made reservations somewhere, he will probably prefer to eat alone with you in that smoking outfit you’ll be wearing. Bow chica wow wow.

Succumb to Guy Activities

What do guys want to do on Valentine’s Day? Well, if you’ve been partners for a while, probably nothing. A MythBusters Marathon may be a married man’s idea of a hot date, so why fight it? On this one night, it won’t kill you to sit on the couch with him and appreciate his passion for explosives. If he likes to play video games, just go with it. Maybe he will suggest some risqué movies or games that will keep you both entertained. The point is this: you are making this his night to be pampered, so if he wants to vegetate in front of the TV, so be it. If he wants to tinker around in the basement or garage, strap on a tool belt and offer him a helping hand. For him, making an effort to take interest in his stuff may be more endearing and romantic than you think.

Many women see Valentine’s Day as an excuse to be pampered like a queen. Fair enough. However, if you are lucky enough to have a man that treats you like a queen (on most days), turning your home into a man cave for one night is not going to hurt you.

April Lentini is married and likes jewelry, chocolates and flowers. But she appreciates those things the most when they are unexpected –not on the commercial Valentine’s Day. April writes for ApartmentGuide in Chicago’s Greektown. (Image: CarbonNYC)

In what ways would you let your man be a man for Valentine’s Day?

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