Tutorial: Re-Flavor Your Dog's Bones

Does your dog lose interest after they lick all of the flavor off of their bones (real, not rawhide)? Ours does. Now he has a large collection of bones laying around the house that he doesn't even touch...like a mini graveyard.

So, I did some Googling and learned how to re-flavor his bones so he will like them once again. Here is how:

1. Collect bones and place them in a large stock pot.

2. Make either beef or chicken broth...enough to cover the bones. I used 8 cups of beef (that is what Wallum T. Doggie picked). 

3. Bring to a rolling boil, turn down to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Watch your dog act funny in anticipation.

5. Take bones out and let them cool. DO NOT give your dog a scalding hot toy. That is just mean.

6. Watch your dog stare at their "new" toy. Note: It took about 30 minutes for them to be cool enough for him to have one.

7. Give your dog their bone.

8. Watch your dog be happy. :)

Happy Wally!

There you have it! Happy dog and $30-$40 savings!

Tutorial: Purse with Pockets

My finished purse!

So I needed a new purse and I LOVE being organized, so I found this one from allpeoplequilt.com on Pinterest. As I was going through the pattern to see what I needed and how to create this cute purse, I realized (no offense to whoever created this) but the directions and only two pictures just wouldn't cut it if you didn't have previous purse sewing experience (which I do...LOTS). So, here is my supplemental tutorial on how to create this purse. Be sure to download the instructions, too, as I will refer to those as needed!

Materials:*

• 1⁄4 yard for straps
• 2⁄3 yard for pockets
• 2⁄3 main body
• 2—101⁄4×141⁄2" rectangles thin, firm batting OR fusible fleece (which is what I used...MUCH easier)
• 34" x8" of Pellon 808 fusible interfacing (this is NOT in the original pattern, but it makes the straps SO much more durable, trust me)

Finished Bag: 8×10×4"

*The pattern refers to the pattern pieces as blue print (straps), blue-and-green print (pockets) and green print (bag/lining), but that is SUPER confusing. Especially since no one on earth will run out to get the exact fabric they used in the pattern.


Start by cutting out the fabric and getting the straps ready. Iron the fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of the straps and then iron the straps in half lengthwise. The fold each side into the center of the strap, like this:

Iron your pocket pieces in half (per the PDF instructions) so they are the same width of the main body fabric.

Next, iron on the fusible fleece to the half of the wrong sides of the main body fabric. Like this:

Time to start sewing! Sew your straps down each side (slow and steady) just as the instructions say. The nice thing about the fusible interfacing is that it helps your straps hold their shape so I didn't even pin them! Just go SLOW...

Next place your pocket on top of your main body and measure 4.25" in from each side to determine where to put the straps. Pin the straps down carefully and make sure your strap isn't twisted. Sewing your straps down will make the outside pockets of the purse. Make a mark 10.25" up on each strap so you know where to sew across and back down. Also, make sure that where the TOP of the stitch is attached, it is still 4.25" away from the edge of your bag!

Carefully sew right over your previous stitches on the straps, so you can't see there are two sets of stitches!

Pin the right sides of all your fabric together. The bottom of the pockets should line up. Also, either tuck in or pin the straps down so they don't get caught in your stitches. Leave a 5" opening at the "top" of the pieces...opposite of the lined pocket side.

This is the trickiest part...after you iron all your seams flat, pin all 4 corners flat and sew a line 2" from the corner. Then, trim the fabric. This makes your square corner from your purse. Your purse will then be 4" wide.

Finally, turn your purse right-side-out through the 5" whole. Slip-stitch the seam closed and turn your lining into the body of your purse. Fill with ALL your stuff! Enjoy!

Crafties

I've been busy sewing...trying to get a few things done before I really start working on the baby room things. Here is what I got done this weekend!

A placemat for under Wally's dishes. He just gets SO sloppy/slobbery and it is easier to toss this in the wash  than get down and scrub the glue-like slobber off the floor. So far, so good! It really contains the mess! :)

Dish towel from target and two strips of fabric that are tucked under on each side and top-stitched. 10 minutes max!

I NEEDED a sewing machine cover. For whatever reason, my machine did not come with one...just a place to tuck the presser foot. I made mine with big pockets for my scissors and the power cord. Love it!

Finally, some bibs. I actually cut these out as a gift a LONG time ago and never got around to them. I ended up making something else. Anyway, Michael Miller oilcloth on the front and Michael Miller dots on the back. Jesse said they aren't girly enough, but once he sees how nice it is to keep our little one clean he won't care! :)

More projects to come...LOTS more. I have a huge list of baby room projects. Hoping to get the room painted this weekend and make some major progress on the bathroom, too!

B or G? The Big Reveal...

I had SUCH a fun weekend...

Friday started with an early anniversary celebration...I got to pick out all of the flowers for our backyard oasis and since I got my gift early, I gave Jesse his gift, too! It was an NDSU Bison Beanbag Toss game...he was THRILLED and we ended up playing for several hours. It was nice to just relax and enjoy the near 90 degree day together!

Saturday was a blast! A bunch of us usually get together for craft day, but this time we were able to turn craft day into POOL DAY, which was a great decision since it was 85 degrees! My friend's parents graciously let us use their pool for the whole day...grilling, relaxing, eating fruit AND the big GENDER REVEAL!

Yes, the baby actually cooperated on Friday during our ultrasound and we were able to get confirmation on the sex. SO...I baked a cake to bring along to pool day to surprise the girls! This is how it went:

Anticipation...

Getting closer...

And...

It's a GIRL!

BIG hugs!

And high-fives (those two guess right...and got cake first)!

Then back to relaxing!

It was SO wonderful to share this moment with some of the best ladies I know (wished a few others could have been there, too, but everyone is all caught up now on the big news).

Sunday brought our 6th wedding anniversary! Even though Jesse had drill most of the day, we had a fantasticly low-key celebration last night. We went to the restaurant we ALWAYS go to for our anniversary...6/6 years...Chianti Grill. YUM. The first two years we happened to get the same table (#26) so the third year we decided to request it...and they got it wrong. LOL. So the next two years I didn't take a chance and I went the week before to SHOW them our table so they would get it right. 

This year, we took a chance and didn't reserve...and we STILL got our table! So fun! Anyway, we had such a good night enjoying lobster ravioli, chicken sorrento, turtle cheesecake and awesome conversation with each other. Loved every minute of it!

Wally's Weekend: A 4-Dog Sleepover

Let me start by saying...we had a BLAST this weekend with 3-4 dogs here the whole time, but I will NEVER own 3-4 dogs myself. That is just craziness. One is great, two would be my absolute maximum. :)

Wally's weekend started off on Thursday night when his new friend Dakota came to visit (along with my mother-in-law). He had a pretty good time with her, but was completely covered in slobber, as she is an ear-biter. A really cute, really fluffy ear-biter. My MIL helped out all day Friday with extra chores around the house to help us get ready for baby...she painted, washed, scrubbed and even helped cook dinner after all that. It was SO wonderful to have her here to help! She even volunteered to come back. :)

Friday night brought two more friends for Wally...Ruby and Shiloh...our friend's two-year-old yellow labs. It was a labfest and Dakota felt a little left out.

Dakota, Wallum (Wally), Shiloh and Ruby (left to right). 

On Saturday we took the labs and headed to the park. Dakota stayed back to help pack up before we took my MIL out for an early Mother's Day breakfast (and my very first Mother's Day celebration, too...thanks for the perfume, honey!). The pups had an absolute BLAST, as you can tell from these pictures!

SWIM!

WIGGLE!

SHAKE!

They got to go for ANOTHER run later that night and needless to say, all of the dogs put THEMSELVES to bed at 8:30. Too cute! :) Wally's new friends are welcome to come back for another sleepover anytime!

Halfway there...

20 1/2 weeks!

Half done with this pregnancy. Wow. Crazy. It really became real last week when we had our ultrasound and now we started looking at our "to-do" list and only one word comes to mind...yikes!

So much to do in the next 19-22 (oh, please I hope not 22) weeks ahead! Let's see...what have we checked off the list so far:

• Empty baby room
• Make a list of 8,487,548 other projects to do around the house

Baby's room is almost cleaned out!

Bathroom floor tile is in! Ready to grout - add that to the list!

What is left to do:

• Finish our bathroom remodel
• Paint baby room
• Refinish/assemble crib
• Decorate baby room
• New light in baby room
• New window in baby room
• New trim in baby room
• Find a daycare
• Sign up for baby classes
• ...

The list goes on and on. Fortunately, our families are awesome! My mother-in-law took 2 1/2 days out of her busy schedule to come help out this weekend. She is the sweetest! It was SO helpful and nice of her. My parents are slated for some help in June with a few things (will have to add "make a German Chocolate Cake for Dad" to the to-do list!). 

Slowly but surely, it will all come together. One thing at a time. :)

Bubble Ninja

Last week we had the good fortune to spend some extra time with my sister (who is due the week before me - yay!) and our nephew. We had a blast! It is so fun to "be a kid" again with him and to think of all of the fun memories we can look forward to making with our little one! I took a few pictures at the beginning of the night, but then time slipped away and so did the sunlight. We were having too much fun playing t-ball and hiding from the neighbor's dog for me to get too many more pictures...

The bubble ninja! Shortly after, the bubbles ran out...so we moved on to another activity. :)

Sidewalk chalk! It was so fun...we traced Channing (in blue) and the he "traced" his mom  (in orange). Hmmm...

The artist and his muse. :) Too cute!

And we're having a...

very stubborn baby!

I'm not going to complain at all, because our baby is healthy and that is what matters. However, the little stinker would NOT move its butt so we could see...b or g? Luckily (?!), baby would also not move enough to get ALL of the measurements they needed. We got most of them...enough to know things look good, but we are lucky that we "must" to go back for the rest, thus getting another chance to learn this baby's gender!

We tried everything, too. The tech wiggled the sensor on my belly to try to jostle the baby into moving. No. We tried putting the table I was on upside-down to let gravity do the work (the baby was too far down to get the sensor in the right spot). No. I even tried getting up and moving around, doing toe touches, etc. No. Thanks, baby. I think (s)he gets that from me...I MIGHT be a little stubborn...sometimes.

Still...the process was amazing. It was so beautiful to be able to SEE the little life that is growing in my belly moving and sleeping (yes, we even saw a yawn!) and knowing that baby is all safe and sound. Thanks be to God!

We are not sure on the exact date of the next appointment yet, but in a few weeks we should be able to pick a paint color for the room we spent all Saturday cleaning out in preparation of painting this week. Ha ha. The tech did give us a 75% guess, but until we know for sure, we are not buying anything or announcing anything. :)

Baby's right foot! Too cute. 

Baby's profile!

Pinkest Party Ever

Two weekends ago I attended our niece's 3rd birthday party...the pinkest party I have EVER been to! It was lovely! In this case, the pictures are definitely worth 1000 words, so I will keep my commentary short and share these lovely shots instead.