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Insta-Life – Morning on the Trails with Emma & Quinn

August 25, 2012 in Get the D-Tails, Pups

I just got back from a 3 mile trail run with the girls at a local park. It was so much fun! They’re quietly snoozing on the couch now and I thought it might be fun to share some photos with all of you.

I’m a big fan of Instagram and have been known to ~~over-~~share photos from life, DIY and dogs. If those sounds up your alley, you should definitely connect with me there! My username is craftedniche …I know, shocker right?

It was perfect… even though it’s pretty hot out today, most of our run was in the shade. The trails were clear, although very dusty. Hindsight…. wear old shoes. Whoops. My glowing tangerine shoes were not so glowing…

You can see in the top-right photo above, Emma decided she was pretty tired 1/2 way. They were trying to pull me (which meant an ab workout as I resisted – woop!) and I think it wore her out a bit. What’s a good dog-mom to do? Find a creek for them to cool off in!

We veered off on another trail that showed a nearby creek on my handy-dandy map. How do I know I love my dogs? I climbed DOWN about a 5-6′ drop off to a creek bed… just so they could swim.

I trust my lab Quinn off-leash so I slipped off her leash and used it to extend Emma’s. They had the best time swimming in this deep section of the creek. After a quick dip, it was time to get back on the trail…

What goes down, must come UP. There’s no photos of this part because it got a little messy. I had 2 wet dogs scrambling to climb back up the bluff to the trail. Quinn managed to claw her way to the top, but Emma was stuck. Good thing I wore an old t-shirt. I grabbed that wet-creek-water-boxer and gave her the ol’ heave-ho to the top. Which left me wet, and now clawing my way up too. By the time we got to the top, we were ALL a dusty, dirty hot mess. Oh well… gotta keep moving!

The run really was perfect. We only saw one other runner and a couple of trail-riders on horses. Very relaxing and a fun change of pace after running on sidewalks for a couple months. I planned ahead, knowing we would make a big loop during our run. Where did we end? At a nice, cold creek crossing of course!

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!

I forgot how much fun wading in creeks can be. We played in the water for a good 1/2 hour. I had nothing to lose, so I jumped in with my sneakers/socks on.

Awww Quinn…

After a short walk to the car, the girls were all too willing to jump in the back. I think these puppers were ready for a nap!

Hip-hip-hoor-YAY for fun exercise with my pups (and grainy self portraits…)

All in all, a great way to start our weekend. The mowing can always wait… having a little fun with these two was totally worth the muddy paws, dirty shorts and soggy shoes.

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

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Blogging Without Borders – The Before

July 1, 2012 in Building and Repurposing, Gettin' Crafty, Pups

I’m a little jittery about this post. I think it’s the unknown that makes me nervous. No… I KNOW it’s the unknown. Sometimes not knowing what you’re getting into can be fun, but other times it’s down right nerve wracking. I wouldn’t call myself a basket case on this one, but there’s definitely some anxiousness.

So what’s the wishy-washy, case of the “Can-I’s?” all about? Check this out:

I’ve joined such an awesome, talented group of gals for this 5 part series that will run through the end of the summer. We’re all working outside of our comfort zone on projects and tackling things we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the gusto.

Blogging without Borders

Season of Change ~ Summer Edition
5 Part Series – Mondays – July 2, July 16, July 30, August 13, August 27

I can’t wait to see what they do and I hope you’ll hop over to their blogs to check in on their projects and progress too! I’ve included links to each of their pages at the bottom of this post.

So enough yapping… What’s my plan? I’m taking the “Blogging without Borders” in a couple directions. Yes, I’ll be trying new things… but I also wanted to think “outside the box” and “beyond my front door”… What could I work with/on that’s outside of my typical space? My office!

I work for KolbeCo Marketing Resources as an Account Executive. It’s an AWESOME place to work. Plain and simple. I work with such fun people and even get to bring my dogs to work. Good luck topping THAT right?! Well, you’d think that as a DIY gal I’d have spruced up my office a bit… but I haven’t. I spend 40+ hours a week in my office, but I’ve completely slacked on making the space reflect my personality. The only pieces of “me” that I’ve added are the scrapbook paper silhouettes and a store-bought dog bed. Pretty pathetic right? Well it’s time for a change!

Forgive my photos for the before pics… I used my iPhone and then spliced them together (somewhat) with picmonkey.com Sidenote – they’ve finally added collages to their arsenal. I’m still going through picnik withdrawal, but it’s getting better.

Say hi to Emma and Quinn! They definitely brighten my day, one wag at a time.

Be gentle guys. My desk is MESSY. These were snapped on Friday night before I cleaned everything up for the weekend. It’s a week’s worth of files, notes and print-offs all fandangled around.

You can see the silhouette prints on the left. My space has the sideboard/credenza, an L-shaped desk and the bright green chair. KolbeCo loves all things green so you’ll see pops of it throughout the office. Even our conference room chairs are bright green! If you visit the website you’ll get a feel for the company… and even read about the Board of Dogrectors!

Same space… different angle:

I’m standing in the corner on the dog bed to take this pic. You can see the cute circle wall clings that were waiting for me on my first day. Everyone signed them, including the dogs!

What’s on my desk? Way. Too. Much. Binders, folders, papers, iPad, treat jar (necessity if you ask Quinn & Emma), wireless keyboard, pen cup, organizer, phone, paper tray, sunglasses (two pairs?!), aaaaaand much much more.

This space needs help! Blogging without Borders will be the kick in the pants I need to spend a little time on this space. I have a couple of ideas in mind already, and I’ll probably do some searching for other design inspiration. Helloooo Pinterest!

Some definite MUST-HAVES:

Color and Patterns. I want to be inspired by my space. Adding color and patterns will help me do that! I scored a $1 item at a yard sale a couple weeks ago that will play a big part in this piece.
Recover the dog bed. Emma tore a hole in the current one and loves to spend her afternoons removing the stuffing. How sweet of her. I need to recover it and put a stop to her de-stuffing. Why throw away something that could easily be repurposed?
Wall art. Pretty self explanatory?
Organization. I want to find a “Dana” way of organizing my things. Right now there is just WAY too much stuff on my desk. The credenza is basically just taking up space right now… I need to work that storage into the equation and USE it.

Some maybes:

Layout. I don’t love facing the wall in the corner. I think I’d be happier if I could face towards the door and feel more “open”. There’s only one outlet in the room though and my internet cord is short… I might have to get creative on this one!
Seating. It could be fun to recover (or paint) a chair to include in the space. We’ll see. That would depend on thrifting finds in the near future. Maybe I already have something in the shed that could work though? Hmmm Time to dig!
Lighting. It might be nice (and fun) to incorporate some different lighting into the office. Right now it’s florescent lighting that can’t be turned off, but a lamp could help to soften it a bit. I have a gaggle of lamps around the house. I’m sure I could find one that could be spruced up and included.

I’ll definitely have to keep the pooches in mind as I make plans/changes within the office. I want them to be comfy and content in there too! Can you believe I get to take these faces with me to work every day?

Total. Hams.

I’m REALLY excited to jump into this series and share my projects / progress. Hopefully you’ll stop back every other Monday to see what I’m up to. Don’t get me wrong… You can come every day if you want… Look for the next update on Monday, July 16th! (Wow, how is it July already?)

Be sure to stop by these other great blogs to see what they’ll be tackling in the Bloggers without Borders Series!

Amy @ Buffalo Roam, Dana @ Crafted Niche, Jaime @ Crafty Scrappy Happy, Heidi @ Décor & More, Tisha @ Delectable Home, Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage, Kirby @ Kirb Appeal, Holly @ Life as a Thrifter, Cassie @ Primitive & Proper, Debbie @ ReFresh ReStyle, Jessica @ Stay At Home-ista, Karah @ the space between, Laura @ Top This Top That and Kelly @ View Along the Way.

Whew! I know it’s a long list, but trust me, it’s SO worth it. Click around and get inspired. That’s such a talented group of bloggers with awesome skilllllls.

Hope you had a great weekend everyone. I’ll blog about my road trip adventures later this week!

UPDATE July 16: See Blogging Without Borders – Rearranged, the second installment!

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DIY with Dad

April 29, 2012 in Bathrooms, Building and Repurposing, Outside, Pups

My Sunday Productivity Level peaked at about 8:30am today… when Dad and I were just finishing up our To-Do list for the weekend. After he packed up and hit the road, I promptly headed to the couch.

And camped.

All. Day.

Don’t judge.

…I can feel you judging me!

We had a great weekend and crossed several items off my list. You see, I’ve been without a second bathroom since last fall when Mom and I did some tiling. Yup, the toilet really has been sitting on a tarp in the shower for ~~five~~ more months than I care to admit. BUT – not anymore!

Dad gave me a quick wax ring how-to (yuck) and then proceeded to drop that baby into place. Hallelujah! A real, live, working second bath! Woop!

A quick dig in his (so friggin’ heavy) bucket o’ tools and he had a hold of his two “must have” tools:

1/2″ and 7/16″ Wrench
1/2″ and 9/16″ Wrench

According to my Dad, these are the two most common sizes you’ll ever need. Noted. Literally… I wrote it down! ..and now that I blogged about it, I can toss that piece of paper and use my blog for reference.

Before I could even stand back and admire my newly re-installed toilet, Dad had already moved on to his next project. Installing a brand-spanking new GLASS STORM DOOR on the front of the house. Oh man – you have NO idea how excited I was about this. I found this door at Lowes last fall on Clearance. It was a $330 special order door that had been returned. Lucky me scored it for $30.

Yes…

THIRTY dollars. Hardware included!

First task… remove the existing door. Come to find out, the brick moulding around the outside was rotten in the bottom right corner:

After a trip to Lowes for a $15 piece of brick moulding, he pried off the old piece and replaced it with the new. Booyah. That’s some handy-Dad work for ya!

I don’t have photos of the actual moulding/door installation process. Sorry. I was the official door holder. Example of how the conversation went…

Dad – “Dana, hold the door and don’t let it fall ok?”

Dana – “Ok, got it.”

Dad – “Are you holding it?”

Dana – “Yep… I got it.”

Dad – “Now don’t let it fall!”

Dana – “I’ve got it Dad.”

Dad – “You holding it still?”

Dana – “………….” <crickets>

LOVE YOU DAD! For the record – “I’ve got it Dad.”

So a couple ~~hours~~ tweaks later and the door was installed and working like a dream!

I may or may not have been standing outside demanding he give me a thumbs up.

Yep, my lanterns are still hanging from my log. You can read more about those here.

I’m seriously loving this door. It really shows oh-so-much-more of my cheery yellow door.

The girls are loving the door too! They like to peer through the glass looking for squirrels, rabbits, people, blowing leaves (yep, those call for a good bark too)… if it moves, they’re interested!

The best part – the door has a lock! I don’t have to worry about one of them jumping up and strategically knocking the handle to let themselves outside. While Quinn would likely stay close to home, Emma’s been known to go on a great adventure around the town (with me on her heels: Furious. Terrified. Screaming.).

I had to adjust the lighting on the picture below so you could see more than just a black hole of a room. The dark blue walls in my living room make it tough to get these shots!

Great before and after right?! The new door is exactly what I wanted.

…and what the girls wanted too…

Dad and I cranked out some other things too while he was here… Re-installed the trim in the bathroom. Put hinges on the bathroom cabinet doors. Picked out some pegs for him to take home (along with the old storm door that’s going to go on his garage!). Oh…. and some beer and Mexican! Labor payments come in the form of food and beverage around here. Interested? Call me… we’ll talk. Currently looking for a concrete person. Willing to pay in Mexican or Sushi!

~~Way too~~ long story short, we accomplished quite a bit for one weekend! The only downside of the entire 2.5 days… finding out my DishNetwork package didn’t include the network playing the Blues Playoff game last night. Ugh. SO frustrating. Instead, I followed along on Twitter, Yahoo and streaming radio online from our local KMOX. Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

I’m feeling motivated to keep going in that spare bath now that it’s functional once again. I’ll be sure to share the successes and fails along the way. I’ve already had one major fail… which completely derailed my motivation. I’m back on track now though! Stay posted.

Cheers to productive weekends! Maybe now I’ll get my lazy butt off the couch and crank out a couple more things before the day is up.

P.S. The photo collages / edits in this post were done using a downloaded version of Picasa. I’m still working on figuring it out, but it just might be my replacement for Picnik. Sigh. Oh picnik, how I miss thee.