Home Away From Home

We have two dogs; a Pointer and a Newfie. The boys love to make messes together. Normally I don't mind a stuffed animal graveyard in my living room, but with the Newfie, the stuffed animal grave yard tends to be waterlogged with drool. He drools when he drinks and when he chews. I am grateful he rarely has "danglers"(those disgusting dangling thick drool strings hanging from the sides of a dogs mouth). The boys favorite things to do include chewing bones, killing stuffed animals, and wrestling in the yard. They prefer the latter over ANYTHING else.

This is all why I decided that outside is the best place for the boys when I am not home. This gives them time to play together and effectively dispose of yucky wet toys without creating a soggy mess on my living room floor. The only problem with such an idea is that cold weather is not a friend to our Pointer. We are running into the winter months quickly, and while we still have few nice days like today, they are not going to last long. My poor little Pointer wants to be outside so badly, but he gets soooo cold that he runs outside and within a few minutes is shivering at the doorstep.

Lowes cut my wood to fit in my car.

I got another crazy hair the other day and decided to build him a dog house! It is so cute!!!! It has a little porch and the roof comes out over it a little bit. I made a hole in the back to hold my little space heater so he will be nice and cosy.  The plan is to eventually put the dog house next to my outside dryer vent and run a few loads in the dryer when he is outside! Multitasking!  Here are some pictures of the build. I had a couple of friends help out and we had a blast! We ended the day with Fajitas, chips, and salsa!

Measure once, cut twice... or is it the other way around??

Most of my projects involve cutting wood with the skilsaw. I should really invest in some saw-horses. I usually find myself improvising my cutting surfaces by using anything I can get my hands on. Today I used some left over logs from the outdoor bench I made a month or two ago. Probably not the safest...

A Straight Edge is reeeeally convenient.

Another tool I have come to rely on is my 90 degree angle thingy. I am sure it has a real name... but I haven't been bothered to find out.

We basically just made a frame with the two by fours and then slapped some plywood on the outside. The guys at Lowe's were super sweet and cut the plywood so that it would fit in my car. I don't like to tie things to the top, so making it fit is pretty important to me.  You just have to be sure that when they cut it, they are strategic about it. I had the guys cut my board into the right size pieces for my project. It saved me three cuts.

We Dremelled the longer screws.

It needs to be painted because if plywood gets wet, it will more than likely swell and rot. Ill have more pictures soon of the finished project. I painted it an off white and have decided it looks too plain. You cant be too picky when using "oops paint" in Lowes paint department. I'll update this post when I have gotten around to making it look more interesting!

-S

I hinged the roof for easy cleaning.

UPDATE: While we still use this doghouse during the day while we are home, we have decided to discontinue leaving the dogs outside while we are gone during the day, due to an increased number of doggie kidnapping. Better to be safe than sorry. This article made me ridiculously sad. I had a friend show me a picture of a husky that had been stolen and recovered. They found the husky with her face, and feet duct taped... These sick people dont just trot your dog off with a wagging tail... they seize them violently...

I Underestimated Myself

I am SO wowed by what I did today.

It all started a month or so ago when a friend of mine was looking through a kids magazine or something. She saw a wooden step stool that had custom writing puzzle, pieced into the top step. I thought that it looked ridiculously cute but that it was kind of pricey.

Today I got a wild hair when I saw the pile of extra wood from the drawers. I went online and looked at a bunch of other stools since I couldn't find the original, and set to work creating my own.

I just whipped out my circular saw and jerry rigged a workbench using the bumper of our Jeep. After cutting the shapes for the sides,  I sanded the edges and took a little off the bottom in the middle to make it look like legs. That just made me think of the Leg lamp from A Christmas Story.

The only things I had to purchase for this project (since the wood was technically leftover) was a pack of special screws and some new blades for my coping saw. I learned how to use a coping saw one time in the seventh grade. Our school required all seventh graders to take a two week sample course of each elective that was offered at our school. So for two weeks I immersed myself in safety goggles and the intellectual droning of Mr Wynn. The toughest piece of equipment we were allowed to use was the router. It was SO cool. So cool in fact: that about two months ago I was at an estate sale, and the highlight of the day for me was walking home with my new(used) router!! Wow I definitely get sidetracked...

The one on the left isn't sanded yet.

Anyway, I learned in one day how to use a coping saw and for some reason it was one of the things that stuck. I used it today to cut the letters, and the frame for the letters. I used a sharpie to trace some letters I printed from the computer. No freestyle sawing for me! That would have turned out HORRIBLE. I broke my first "R" but after that, I kind of got the swing of things again.

The clamp was a MUST.

After I cut out the letters, they were in dire need of some sanding because there were funky edges all over the place! Enter: sand paper and file/rasp thingy.

After that, I arranged the letters on the piece I was going to use for the frame, and traced an outline so I would have a guide. Again, NO freestyle cutting for me! Disasters can be averted by learning from MANY past mistakes!! *oops!*

The blade is on the inside. No edges were cut.

I got the coping saw on the inside of the frame by taking it apart and putting it back together with the blade on the inside. To start it out, you just have to drill a hole in the wood big enough for the blade to pass through. I didn't do that great of a job making clean lines on the frame either, so I employed the temporary services of the file/rasp thingy again!

The file/rasp thingy!

Then the sandpapering began. I sanded all the pieces of the step stool until they were baby soft. It took FOREVER. The "E"'s were the worst; So many tiny areas to cram sandpaper into!! All edges and corners were sanded down because I don't want my Godbaby, Rylee, hurting herself on a sharp edge!!

The letters, of course, did not fit their little puzzle frame, so I begged the file/rasp thingy to give me one more hour of its precious time. I paired it with some 80 grit sandpaper to make sure there was enough room around each puzzle piece to wiggle. I ended up using a huge drill bit to make a hole for the "R" because I didn't think it was a big enough space to risk ruining it with my crummy coping saw skills. I might have taken the chance, except that I knew I wouldn't be able to get any sandpaper into such a tiny hole to fix it!

As an afterthought I put some wooden wedges on the underside for support.  Now, even fatty me can stand on this thing without worrying!

They fit!!

Support triangles! Do you also see the leg effect?

Frame on top of top step.

Well I hope you like my wild hair! I was extremely excited about how good it turned out!! When Rylee is old enough to stand on stuff, this should be a real helpful item. I love her so much, and hope she has this thing forever! She comes from a family of shorties, so she may still need it when she grows up ;) For now I think it will probably be used as a puzzle and just a nice furniture piece haha. Its a good present for an infant, right?? lol


-S

The grain of the wood is in a different direction for the letters than the surrounding frame. This makes the letters stand out better in good lighting.

Handy Dandy

Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time there was a girl. She borrowed her dads tools all the time. She lost her dads tools all the time. Sometimes she found her dads tools... years later in the dirt and all rusted up.

One day this girl was packing up for college and began to wonder how she would get through two whole semesters without access to the handy tools her dad had in his tool shed. She worried and fretted herself all the way to college.

Handy Dandy

Her Mom and Dad helped her move all of her stuff into her first dorm room. They even helped her with her first bunch of groceries. Before they said good bye, her Dad tearfully handed her a present. It was a Magic Screwdriver named Handy Dandy. He wanted to be sure she would be taken care of. He knows she breaks things a lot, and thought a Magic Screwdriver would be the perfect gift.

Handy Dandys quick-action sliding barrel

The girl carried Handy Dandy everywhere she went. With Handy Dandys' magnetic tip and easy-to-use bit storage, the possibilities were endless!! There was no down time trying to sort through a mess of unorganized bits! There were no delays trying to unscrew the bit storage from her bottom like many inferior screwdrivers. The quick-action sliding barrel was the perfect solution for quick bit changes! They conquered many problems together and soon the girl wondered how she ever got along without this Magic Screwdriver. If her friends ever needed help, the girl simply whipped Handy Dandy out of her purse, and they saved the day. They battled squeaky doors, and loose drawer pulls with ease! There was no picture that couldn't be hung, and no electrical outlet that couldn't be fixed!

Dr Tape-Measure

Now, it isn't everyday that Handy Dandy is needed. Sometimes days went by with no foes to battle. Handy Dandy got very lonely in the bottom of the girls purse. One day the girl was making drawers for her kitchen, and she employed the temporary services of the young and attractive Dr Tape-Measure. As the days went on, Dr Tape-Measure became very cozy in the pocket that the girl had let him stay in. It was only a matter of a few days before Handy Dandy and Dr Tape-Measure began spending time together outside of the drawer project. As the project came to a close, the girl put all her tools away in the garage.


In a desperate attempt to hang on to her new best friend, Handy Dandy magnetized to the belt clip on Dr Tape-Measure. They clung together in a fit of passion. The girl couldn't bring herself to part them and agreed to let them live together in her purse.

The End

The Purse Family Photo

Update:  Handy Dandy and Dr Tape-Measure soon began a family. Baby Gerber was the next logical addition to the happy couples home.


-S

Update - Peppermint Bark Fudge

K I figured it out...

Do not use Hersheys white chocolate chips for the white layer. Nestle's chocolate chips make the white layer more firm. Use two whole bags!

Hersheys: becomes slightly soft and gooey.

Nestle: Holds shape and doesn't get too gooey!

SOOOOOOOO YUMMMMERS!!

 Here is the updated Recipe card!!

-S

The Kitchen Phase One

I have had so many different dreams of what to do with this kitchen. They, of course, started huge involving knocking out walls, adding a wrap around bar and pot lights. Things have taken a turn for the more simplistic approach. We have found that over-updating, compared to the rest of the neighborhood, can actually decrease the value of the house. So we are going to stick with things that are relatively cheap but make a huge difference.

Changing the kitchen is going to have to take place in Phases.

• Phase 1 is to be shortly described. 
• Phase 2 involves sanding and refinishing all the cabinets in a lighter color. 
• Phase 3 involves either buying or making a moveable kitchen butcher block island. 
• Phase 4 sees a gorgeous new counter top/back splash. 
• Phase 5 is ripping out our floors and having polished concrete.
• Final Phase is replacing all appliances with Stainless steel to appease B. 

These Phases are subject to change at my whimsical desire.

Explanation for Phase One:
I have always been irritated that most of the items stored in the lower cabinets become forgotten relics only to be discovered during moves. Why would I get something to use in my kitchen, only to have it lost and underused. I used to tell myself that if I ever tore out my cabinets, that I would replace them with drawers. One day, not too long ago, I decided It would be much easier/feasible if I just made drawers inside the cabinets I already have!

After carefully examining existing drawers, I figured it couldn't be that difficult. So it begins...

The inside minus one of the shelf pieces.

I had to slide it out.

Phase one is complete. The drawers are pretty much finished. I think I'm going to hold off on putting a second drawer in the pots and pans cabinet to see if I really need it.

 When I hammered the shelves out of place, I had to very carefully turn them and slide them out length-wise. I re-purposed this wood into many of the drawer bottoms.

Tools used to remove shelves

Handy Dandy

I employed my handy dandy drill for purposes of screwing and drilling. I always pre-drill holes slightly smaller than the screw to avoid splitting the wood. I usually choose semi soft wood to begin with to help with this problem as well. After measuring the openings, I was able to construct a basic box using wood and screws. I had to remember to account for the thickness of the drawer slides.

First one!!

Some of my drawers had to be slightly more shallow that others because of electrical conduits at the back of the cabinet space.

I took the faces off some of the cabinets, but others i have left in tact. I don't really have a rhyme or reason for doing this. Its just seemed to work out that way. I may, or may not, go back later and affix the cabinet faces to the drawers anyway.

I made my first Drawer for the purpose of cans and dry goods.

Wish my mixer was a Bosch

I think the hardest part was making sure the drawer slides were level and even with one another. Creating something for them to attach to was kind of irritating too... and not always pretty.

Drawers three and four were for baking items such as big bowls, my mixer, and the blender. I love my mixer, but I still wish it were a Bosch.

I'm sure you have noticed there are three strangely light upper drawers. They were my test subjects. I had no clue what the wood looked like under the stain. I am super excited that it is so neutral. If it had a red undertone, it would have been more difficult to color. I feel like I can do ANYTHING with this, though!!

The drawers to the left of the sink turned out by far the best! Super even and super smooth. I still need to get a small jar of tinted Spackle to hide the screws, but that's not high on my priority list.


Hope you loved my drawers as much as I do!!!

-S

The Front Door

The front door.

It is the doorway to your own little piece of heaven on earth... sometimes.

The Old Door

NEW door!

When we moved back into our house after being gone for over a year, the front door was sticking. It was getting harder and harder to open. I decided to walk to the Library one afternoon. After I pushed the garage door button and made a mad dash to slide under before the door closed, I realized it was FREEZING outside. Because the garage door opener was in my car... in the garage... I tried to get in through the front door. I knew the door was sticky, so when it didn't open right away I shoved it with my hip. My "hip check" was apparently a little beefier than I had intended because along with the door, part of the frame opened too. I completely destroyed the whole right side of the door frame. All this for a Jacket??

Fire Alarm Doorbell

Caulked the seams.

All I could think about is how excited Brandon would be, because he had wanted to replace the door for weeks and I had put it off saying we didn't 'need' to. By the end of the day, however, the deed was done and we had a new door.

We had to caulk and shim and level and screw and tap and foam this stinking door before it fit right. The door came with wonderful instructions which made the whole process much easier.After it was done, i caulked the outside so everything looked even and smooth. Always wear gloves... its super messy. I think i wen through an entire roll of paper towels.

The whole door frame still needs a coat of paint since the raw caulking collects dirt like none other!

-S

Pallet House??

I received an email from a close friend with a link to an article that described how to build a house using only pallets. Pallets?? Like the fuel of choice for college bonfires? I was instantly mesmerized by these individuals ingenuity. I decided then and there that I would make something using the old crappy wood that has been cluttering my yard for years.

The table will have the same design.

When we put in the rock wall, part of the yard was already being held up by an old wood retaining wall. We tore out a good portion of it and now have a pile of old rounded beams sitting in the corner of the yard. I set to work sorting which ones had to be chopped and burned, and which ones might be useful. I quickly saw that there was more than enough wood to make a table, bench and a few chairs. THRIIIIILLLLLEEEDDDDD.

I have, so far, only made the bench. I don't really want to put anything into these works of art that hasn't been previously used in one way or another. I'd like to keep the recycled aspect in full force. There were plenty of materials for the tops of these wooden creations, but to hold it together, I need two by fours. So I finished a bench and am waiting to find some extra two by fours to repurpose and finish the table and chairs etc.

-S

Cookie Monster!!!!

Giant Cookie!!!! I made this with my brother last year. Great memory. We used two 9 inch baking rounds, and then sliced the ice cream to fit from a box of ice cream. We used a spatula to make the edges look decent. The key is freezing the cookie pieces BEFORE you try to put the ice cream on! If you don't, then even if you get the whole thing back into the freezer quickly, a room temperature cookie is still warm enough to melt the ice cream! Trial and error, right? Same thing for Ice Cream Cakes.

-S

Peppermint Fudge Bark

Last years' Christmas Cookie Exchange resulted in my single most favorite treat discovery. I made Peppermint Fudge Bark. I have no way of describing how glorious this dessert was to my taste buds. So just make it and agree.

Pictures are not yet available because last year I was too concerned with eating these tasty dense pieces of heaven to even think to take pictures. I do, however, have the recipe card that I made for fellow exchangers to take home. Thank goodness because one of the layers is slightly different from the regular way I make fudge. I'm not too keen on discovering this one again. It might be easy for someone who is a master chef, but I am no such person. I remember something about the type of white chocolate chips. One kind made the fudge runny, and the other was just right. I'll have to delve into this a bit further to be sure.

I also took this one step further after the cookie exchange and dipped each fudge square into tempered chocolate to make:
Peppermint Fudge Bark TRUFFLES!!!

See the difference? One has the word truffle in the name and the other doesn't. ;) Sometimes I wonder why I have friends.

I hope you enjoy this favorite of mine. I know there are PLENTY of people out there who criticize the idea of calling this "fudge" because it is not made over the stove and no ones sweat or blood went into it. I stand by its yummy smooth texture so who cares if the method is not of the masters? If you wish to make it the "appropriate" way, then have at it! Ill save my energy for other endeavors.

-S

PICTURES NOW!!!!! I made this years batch. Yummers!!! I have decided that Hershey's white chocolate chips are out. The fudge is usually more firm than this. The taste seems to be the same, but I like things to be pretty, so I need to get different chocolate chips :)

It All Starts Somewhere

My husband and I bought our first home a little over two years ago. We lived there for one year before he took a job overseas. I decided that while he was gone, I wanted to stay with my family on the west coast. We rented out the house for a one year lease and bid adieu.
Before we left, there were a few things we did together:
~Built a retaining wall in our sloped backyard.
~Painted most of the rooms
~Fixed the gutters
~Added insulation to the attic
~Tore out half a wall
~Laid hardwood floors in our office
~(Sadly) Removed most of a 60ft tree
~Built shelves in our office.
~Built a planting box

The only thing on that list that required any professional help was the retaining wall. Not so much because we couldn't do it, but because we were running out of time before the big move. We had spent the summer digging the dirt away so there would be a nice flat area at the bottom of our yard. When the move snuck up on us, it was all I could do to get our things in storage, let alone finish a rock wall. The guy who came out actually made the steps much prettier than I had originally anticipated so I have no complaints.

Here are some pictures of our work.


We found weird brick linoleum under the carpet in the office. So we put down hardwood instead. B marked each piece with tape to show where it would go on the floor so he could lay it down the way he wanted before securing it to the floor.





B called me while I was on Vacation on the West Coast and said he decided to "expand the office". I was very afraid, but coming home to the beautiful new half-wall was a very pleasant surprise.




Before the wall...

And After!

Its one of my favorite things about our house now. I was so happy when it was finally finished. We still plan to make it a little taller so the upper yard is more level, but this is fine for now.













The night after the lightning struck, the limb began to slowly fall. It didnt finally tumble until some idiot tree guy decided to climb into the tree! It fell and he left me alone to clean up the mess. The limb missed our neighbors gas meter by a foot or so. This was all while B was away at work. Lucky me. He came home with a brand new chain saw and was very manly about the whole process :)

-S