Kitchen Island - June 2017

When I sold our massive china cabinet last summer, I knew I wanted to replace it with something much smaller, but struggled to find exactly what I wanted and needed without spending hundreds of dollars. 

Before

Honey suggested an island that his work was no longer using after their remodel, and the dimensions were perfect!   It was somewhere in one of their seven storage units and they said if we could locate it, we could have it.  We were fortunate to find it in the second unit, but it was in the VERY back of the large unit.  We spent an hour moving boxes of documents and office chairs and desk and there it was... A tad bit of water damage on the top, but that was okay.

Water damage

It was so heavy that we had to put it on a small furniture dolly we have, so I could move it around.  Some of the gems we discovered was a piece on the back that would extend out an additional 27" if it had the piece attached.  We thought it would fit just right into our kitchen style and the spot we needed it to go. Turns out it was worth over $1,000, but we got it for free!  I love a great bargain! 

back extension

First thing was adding knobs so I could access the draws as I started on the make-over.  I started with a coat of regular teal wall paint to match our kitchen cabinets, added a little burnt umber to antique, and finished with some white to transform it to it's new version. 

The top was a bit more tricky as it was glossy.  A little sandpaper to rough it up did the trick and painted it white.  Honey liked the natural wood look for the top at first, but he eventually, he concluded, the painted version was great. i added a little burnt umber to highlight and add details to the top, and now it looks like it's always been distressed. 

The back

My adorable new helper

I must have missed a spot

The final version

 We decided it was time to move some pieces around to make everything look better and give us more space, and we were very pleased with the final look.

Love came a whining with some sad sad eyes

Lost, no collar, no microchip, but trained and hungry.

Two weeks ago this little female Black and Tan Coonhound pup showed up at our door.  Not wanting  our to see another dog get hit on our busy road, I let her in the house.  Because we all know I need one more thing to take care of...   We quickly figured out she was house trained as she would run to the door when she has to go and gave us about 30 seconds to get moving or start cleaning. 

Penny and Bandit in a tug-a-war over a stick

Oh, I didn't want ANOTHER DOG, we already have two larger type dogs (German Shepherd, Australian shepherd, and now a Coonhound????? 

We called every shelter, vet office, and rescue place seeing if anyone has called in missing her.  None.  Zip.  Nada... So here we are with a $300+ dog... I know that's what I was thinking!  But Only fell in love with her and those floppy ear, the elephant way she thunders through the house, and she snores when sleeping, and attempts to learn the boundaries of her new home.Pretty Pink collar, sleeping on a cushion in her room.  Course she's not fond of those 5 a.m. "I gotta go potty" times, but it will get better, we tell her. 

The "fierce" turtle Penny tracked and hunted down. 

Other morning I caught her baying up a storm and rolling something around in the mud.  I felt so sorry for the poor turtle that cause so much excitement that morning as to warrant being attached by some ferocious yipping, slobbering, sharp toothed beast who was trying to teach him to fly.  It wasn't working.  I finally took the poor creature and let it be free on the outside of the yard.  Penny must have followed it's scent for 5 more minutes before I made her come in.  Whew!  Saved a life! 

So that's some of what is new in our lives.  I'll have to share more later.

LYNNET

Works for Me Wednesday: Dirty Dog Paw cleaner

 Imagine two dogs who love outside, but those dogs actually are indoor dogs... (the simple fact that we have a BIG indoor dog is another matter, but not of our choosing).I think they believe we live in a barn as many times as they go in and out of the house (no we have no place for a doggy door).  Most days it isn't a problem except on snowy or rainy days.  Can you imagine wiping those muddy paws off with a beach towel up to 10 times per day? That's 80 paws per day!!!  Imagine what that does to our floors! 

Loving the snow time - muddy paws

I was excited when I saw a product on TV one day The Paw Wash - While I thought it was ingenious, I'm not willing to pay close to $30 for this, but put it in my Pinterest Pet file.  I thought there had to be a more thrifty solution and one day, while making dinner, it hit me.  Why not use an extra empty Kraft Parmesan cheese container because it's big enough for a big dog paw and for a smaller dog as well!   (check out how I reuse one for everyday cooking). 

exploring the creek - muddy paw

Here's what I did:

Paw-fectly gross!

1. The next time the dogs went outside on a rainy day, I was ready!  Taking the lid off, I filled it with warm water and had two ratty old towels ready. 
2. Laying one ratty towel at the door, I let one dog in at a time, stopping them on the towel.  
3. Starting with their front paw, I inserted it into the water filled container, and gently moved the container up and down, washing the mud clean off each paw.  While the dogs were not exactly thrilled at first, they have learned to stand and wait.  It only took a few "pumps" in the water to get each paw clean and quickly wipe their paws dry with the towel as soon as I remove it from the water. Doing all four didn't take that long and the results were great!  Of course my kids think I'm nuts, but it's much easier than trying to make sure you've RUBBED all the much off. ** Note, if you have multiple dogs, use clean water for each dog. 

 This is how it helped:

1. This has not only dirtied up fewer towels (note less laundry)
2. It has saved my floors from the muddy paw trails. 
                   Can you imagine that mess tracked in on the floors!
3. Less need for mopping and vacuuming constantly. 
4. Dispose of dirty water back outside

 Call me crazy, but this is what Works-For-Me and I'm joining in with We Are That Family for What Works for Me!

Dog gone clean

It days like this when I've washed my hands over 20 times already (it's only 8:15) from wiping snotty noses, that I don't really mind the dogs licking the leftover scrambled eggs left in the high chair by Miss C. I rather think the dogs have done a fine job and may give them the job permanently... I mean, really! Isn't the reason we have dogs for the sole purpose of cleaning up the food the kids have dropped on the floor? Am I alone in this or just losing it?

Give this dog a bone please!

Our son's dog, Bandit, sure was a cute little pup when he first brought him last year. Yes, we know he wouldn't stay little very long and he didn't!

This DOG has chewed holes in two walls, chewed on our beautiful bed and dresser... But the last straw... The last straw was when he chewed a hole in my own personal quilt! I almost cried when I discovered it and I literally HUNTED the dog down! But what could I really do?  I have no idea when he did the nasty deed and he has no idea what naughty mishap/deed he did was finally discovered. 

It has been a month since IT happened, but I really was unsure how to fix it.  Every time I snuggled with my quilt or placed it on my bed at night, all I seemed to see was THE HOLE.  I finally had enough of letting it upset me.  I mean really.  It's a quilt!  It could have been something much worse and it could have been in a worse place!

There's no mistaking who chewed on my cozy quilt

Since it is a quilt, and quilts are patches of fabric that have been sewn together, what a better way to fix it, than with a patch!  I was thankful to still have a piece of fabric from the front border and one that was even

"Patched" fix on front of quilt

"Patched" fix on back of quilt

Mr. Destructo with four paws and a bad habit

chewed strap

Why does it only take a cute puppy one minute to chew the LOWER strap off a $62 Swiss Army Wenger Laptop backpack, but it takes me $2.30 AND 2.5 hrs to attach a new strap by hand?

  I would have used the old strap, but it was digested and the outcome was not pretty. 

fixed strap

  I know that location is the key, so I requested Oldest to please locate his backpack to a higher elevation! I really think Bandit should have been named Chewy, but Bandit fits because he is a bit of an outlaw due to his destructive habit.

Have you had to deal with a pet that chews all the time? Do you have any practical solutions you can share?




Lynnet

Works For Me Wednesday: Thundershirts

Did you know that our German Shepard has some significant struggle  with anxiety when we travel (read "vomit") , I leave the house or there are loud noises?  It has been something we've struggled with since we brought her into our family in 2008.  That's a LONG time to be searching for help and many sleepless nights due to:

• thunderstorms and/or strong winds
• fireworks
• car back firing
• dynamite blasting - okay this is not typical, but there is a sand and gravel company within 2 miles of us and this is a frequent method.

We have found a few "bandaids", but they really don't help her cope and feel calm:

Hiding from the storm in laundry room

• giving her Benadryl, but what if we gave it to her and then the storm would completely bypass us. 
  
• Leaving the laundry room light on with the dryer on air (nice way to run up the electric bill), but it's really hard to sleep with that bright light shining down the hall  and the noise reaches every corner of our home. 
  
• "sleeping" on the couch - note: there is actually no sleeping involved because she is constantly jumping on the furniture, trying to hide behind the recliner, or crawl on my lap or join me where ever I might be attempting to sleep.    The whole couch shakes because she is so afraid!
  
• percription meds - they are very expensive and we are not crazy about drugging her up. She developed a keen ear and sense of smell for the pepperoni package opening, because that is what we would wrap her meds in. It was traumatic to attempt to shove a pill down our dog's throat and hold her mouth closed to make sure she swallowed it. No wonder she hates storms!

A very relaxed Lady with distant rumbles

It is quite a helpless feeling to see the fear overtake our sweet dog and we have searched for ways to help her, so we were thrilled to hear about Thundershirts from a friend of ours who got one for their dog to help with some anxieties. We contacted Mary Gilbreth, dog trainer and Behavior Consultant of MySmart Dogs and were thrilled to spend time visiting with her about Lady and her anxieties.  I was so blessed with the time we spent talking with Mary and we are so incredibly thankful for her concern and care to help people and their dogs with behavior, anxieties, agility, house-training, and so much more.  

What are Thundershirts?  
Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited.

They are made of comfy t-shirt type material that has velcro to help secure it on your anxious dog that gives them a sense of feeling secure. There is no tugging or fighting to get it on, which would add more stress to an already anxious dog.  When we put it on Lady, she actually gets so incredibly relaxed, that the results are incredibly better than anything else we've tried!

Advantages: Sizes from the smallest tea-cup size up to 110 lbs, it is machine washable and stylish as well, but more importantly, it helps with: 

• Noise Anxiety
• Separation Anxiety

• Travel Anxiety
• Crating
• Barking
• Other Uses
    hyperactivity, distracted, and leash pulling behavior

As I was talking to Mary, we discussed how this type of pressure comfort helps those with:

• People with autism use pressure to relieve their persistent anxiety.
• Children with certain behavioral problems use pressure shirts and weighted vests to relax and focus.
• Parents use swaddling to calm an inconsolable newborn infant.

So I asked "W" (the Aspergers/ADD student I teach) why he likes to wear long-sleeved shirts or his jacket/coat and he told me because it made him "feel safe and secure."   It was light bulb kind of moment for me!  Was so excited to share this with his father and he is going to see about trying some Under-Armour to see if this would help.  I was almost giddy to learn this!


I hope that, if you have a special four-legged family friend/dog that suffers from any of the anxieties above, please check into a Thundershirt.  It's what Works-For-Me!

Shhhh....

9:30 p.m.
I couldn't believe it

The cage was quite empty

this is the pits!

Frantic fingers won't quit

raking sand and bark

for I have grit

I'm not ready to admit

that Bindi, the snake has split

oh, yeah, this is legit

Bindi must, I will submit

have found some hole

with a sneaky tool kit

I will not throw a fit

for I am not a twit

oh, contraire!

to Thin Mint Cookies I will flit

and pray the cat

will not quit

 and catch that snake

Lickety Split

 7:30 a.m.

oh, Youngest was quite a hit
when this morning he proclaimed
"Mom, I found it!
It's in YOUR room!

I did not lose it
but I did calmly walk
 to the dog-gaurded serpent

I did not think
my fingers closed behind it's head
and carried safely for it's benefit
to it glass abode.

*sigh*
It's only Monday, is it?