Making our own cat post

Picked up a new kitten this weekend (hey...what is another animal? Am I right??).

She is so pretty!! Hiding right now (shucks, doesn't it figure!).

But, another cat means another cat litter box. We have dogs, and our dogs like to treat the dog like a snack tray ("ohh....almond rocha! Sure, I'll have some!"), and then come give me kisses. No thank you!

With our other cat, Furby, we have her cat box up on a shelf. Since we need a scratching post anyways, how about incorporating a large scratching post to hold the cat box?

Scratching posts are crazy expensive! Fifty to over a hundred bucks for one. Are you kidding me?! It's a couple of two by fours, some plywood, and carpet. It's nuts to me.

I sweet talked hubby.... I purchased carpet scraps today ($10), and hubby fab'ed something up in about an hour. BOOM! Here it is. Total cost to me out of pocket today was $10. Everything else was scraps around the house.

I love me a good deal!!

The more things change....

the more they stay the same.

Odd how that happens!

My oldest son plays hockey. And this year, he has been invited to skate practices with a high level team (he is 15, most the kids on the team are 18 to 20). This is a break for him, a chance to be on the ice, learn some skills and be seen by the coaches. Mostly, to gain better skills and hopefully get a foothold in the coaches mind for next season.

The bad part? He would miss two classes four days a week. And his school doesn't allow for early release for sophomores. What is a mom to do?

I could home school him, but that isn't my first choice. I tried calling the school counselor, met with the principal, neither met with any success. I applied for two different charter schools. He had attended a charter school for his 7th grade and half of his 8th grade years, doing his classes on the Internet, and meeting with his teacher twice a month.

This program was successful for him in the past, and allows for a lot of flexibility; he can do lessons at night or early morning, even on the weekends, he can do work ahead of time if he has games out of town, etc. He simply missed fellow students and wanted the social element that I can't give him at home.

But we have come back around to the web academy again. Funny, when the public school told me "no, he cannot have early release. I guess you can work out a program with the college or attend a private school" my thought was "NO! Those aren't my only options! I can home school my son (I am college educated, he is smart, we can figure something out) or we can charter school (the best choice, as it is still part of the public school system and is accredited, earning him normal high school credits that transfer back)"

Full circle. Back to a form of "homeschooling".

My teen son, the one who earlier this spring told me I needed to get a "real job" is now telling me he is glad I don't have a "real job" so that we have flexibility to do all this. Darn toot'n son!! And THIS is why I don't have a "real job".

Rebuild it, make it better

Our living room ottoman was getting torn up. Having a cat and "pleather" with do that. Plus dogs, kids...a well used living room. Basically, this piece of furniture gets USED.

The small pin holes became small tears, became rips. It was annoying to me (if no one else). I would drape blankets over the top of it, which the dogs or husband would knock onto the floor. Ah well.

A friend gifted me with a gift card, and the fabric store had a stellar sale this weekend. I used this opportunity to buy some upholstery fabric, batting for underneath, and refinish the top of the ottoman.

Hubby unscrewed the top for me and marked where the holes go back in Sharpie. I had washed, dried and ironed the fabric. I laid the batting down on the floor (I prefer two layers because the corners and edges become compressed quickly) in two layers, put the ottoman top in the middle and pulled the batting over the edges to make sure it fit. After ensuring it would fit on all sides, I made a primary cut to all sides (keeping it oversized because you can always cut off more later, but it is impossible to glue it back on). I started on one long side, cutting the under side layer shorter than the top layer and then stapling the top layer to the ottoman. No need to go crazy with the staples at this point (I only did about 3 on each side for the batting to hold it in place). I then did the other long side the same way (cut the under layer a bit shorter, then three staples evenly along the side to hold the batting in place). Then the two short sides. Under cut the batting, then staple the center. Carefully staple the two sides. Now you need to deal with the corners. On the inside batting, you need to cut away a lot of the excess, but not ALL of it. Cut away all but about 3/4 of an inch or so, and then tuck that 3/4 of an inch INSIDE the batting to surround the corner. For the outside batting, you will cut away a lot of that batting as well, tuck around the corner and staple well. Do the same on all four corners.

For the fabric, lay it down on the floor. Place the ottoman on the middle. Pull the fabric over the edges, making sure there is enough to cover all the batting plus a fold-over for a "seam" to staple. Cut away any excess. NOTE: if your fabric is directional, make sure it is straight and even at this time. Also, it is better to leave excess now and cut it off during the process than remove too much.

When stapling, you want to start on one long side in the middle, do a few staples, then alternate to the other side, do a few staples, and switch back and forth until done. Also, keep the fabric SNUG but not tight. To staple, pull the fabric over the top of the batting, fold over the raw edge of the fabric so it is hidden when you are done (and you are stapling thru two layers of fabric). Staple there. Move an inch or less and repeat. After a few inches, do the same on the opposite side of the ottoman, careful to keep the fabric straight and snug but not tight. Complete until finished on four sides.

Corners: I made "bed sheet" corners. I cut away the inside of the corner, used my fingers to tuck the fabric as far into the fold as I could to make the fold straight, brought the fabric straight up, and stapled the heck out of it.

Lastly: ScotchGuard. With dogs and kids, ScotchGuard is my friend. Hoping to make it wear a little better.

Plus, in a few years, I can always refinish it again (like I have done the kitchen chairs multiple times now!). It's not scary, just patience and some staples!

We use it all--goodies for the ducks

I got blessed the other day. A 25 lb box of tomatoes. Too much to use all at once, plus some of it was under ripe, some was overripe.

I ended up peeling them and stewing it up, then freezing it for later use. Leaving me with a large amount of cut out cores, peels and rotten pieces. But in my house, no food gets wasted!

My duckies LOVE tomatoes. Craziest thing.

I also shelled peas on Friday. The dogs enjoyed chewing the pods, and the ducks also ate some. Let them have at it! Go for it, guys.

Cooking your own dog food

Ahh, the good old days. When dogs were fed table scraps. Meat scraps. Leftovers of whatever there was, supplemented by some meat.

Then, in the 60's and 70's, there was the rise of the dog food industry. And today, a burgeoning pet food industry. As if pet owners are too stupid to feed their pets on their own. As if dogs are so fragile that they have to have specific diets that are difficult.

Y'all....I don't know about your dog's, but mine will eat cat crap. Just keeping it real. My dogs will eat garbage. Dead baby birds if they find them in the yard. I mean, it isn't like I "allow" them to eat these things (serve them up on a silver platter for them, here....have some cat crap), no, they go looking for these things all on their own.

Then we had the whole melamine in the dog food, dog food recall there, in 2007. Can we trust the companies making the "right and wholesome foods" for our dogs? I don't know anymore.

We hear them tell us "no table scraps" and "no people food". Excuse me? What do you think domesticated dogs have been fed for the past few centuries? Dog food companies have only been around since the early 1900's, prior to that, all they GOT were table scraps and meat from the butcher.

Leading me to my point. I have a new pug puppy. My Pesto. The industry dog food he was on was causing an allergic reaction in him. Because of this, I started cooking his food for him. But, sadly, I didn't do my research and didn't do it smart. NEED to READ before doing!! Dogs do need vitamins and minerals (easily replaced by a crushed tablet sprinkled over their food). I am now working directly with my vet, creating a meal plan for my pug, with the proper vitamins and minerals.

And, frankly, it will be healthier in the long run, making for a better life for him. Plus, it really isn't any more expensive than the bagged dog food for such a small dog. My puppy....my Pesto....he's worth it.

My garden is outta control

I am having a fallow season. I admit it. It has been one of those springs, moving in to one of those summers.

Hard to feel motivated to do much of anything. Seems like I complete the minimums of what I need to to keep my family running. Nothing horrible, I cook dinner, grocery shop, do my work, clean, etc. But my garden is suffering.

A few times a week, I look at my garden and think "I really need to weed". I have even weeded about 4 times. Still, the weeds are completely taking over right now.

On a higher note, my potato plants are HUGE. The difference between the potato boxes, where they are waist high, and in the garden, where they are only a few inches high...I think going with the potato boxes it is worth the extra work. I have kept up with them this spring, adding shredded paper and grass clippings to them a few times a week. Fingers crossed that we get ton's of potato's for yummy eating in the next month or so!

Chipp'n it

Using it all up!

I am so tired of trimming our trees, and putting them in the brown barrel (our city's yard debris), and then paying for mulch or barkdust. Feels like I am throwing away money.

However, buying a chipper....oy! They are expensive. You can get a cheapie one that will only chip tiny branches. The better ones, they cost more.

We have put off getting a chipper for exactly that reason. For several years now. Recently, hubby found an old one on Craigslist (you never do know what you will find on there). It wasn't running, but the seller was adding two motors with it. Mechanic-man thought he could make it work, and picked it up.

It took more work than he expected, but take a look! Whoop! This is a heap of tree branches that we trimmed off this morning, turned into mulch for the potato boxes by this evening. Isn't it beautiful? I love using things up.