Jul 25 2012

Etsy’s Dog Accessories

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Kaitlin Jenkins

I spent far too much time browsing Etsy this weekend, and decided to do a round up of some of my favorite dog related finds to share with you. You know, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time

Sources (aka where you can BUY these things) are listed by item name at the bottom of the post. Be sure to check out these awesome Esty vendors and support handmade/homemade goods!

I’ve been loving the chevron pattern, and this adorable little dauschund case is right up my alley!

I love a good dog bed, and this one is not only cute, it’s plush looking too!

Seersucker bowties….enough said!

This vintage dog breeds poster would look great as part of a framed collage wall.

The aztek/native american/navajo patterns have been really popular lately, I think this collar is spectacular don’t you?!

Seeing this adorable green flower accessory makes me wish we had a female dog….and I’m off to browse Petfinder!!!

I adore these custom portraits by Irene. I’ve actually worked with her once before, she’s wonderful and her watercolors are amazing!

I’ve been loving the nautical theme lately and these hemp collars and leashes are exactly what I’ve been searching for.

I’m a sucker for stationary so these cards are the perfect thing to write my next letter to grandma with.

This tail wagging leash holder is one of my most re-pinned items to date! Have you connected with us on Pinterest yet?

iPhone case/black and white dog bed/seersucker bowties/vintage dog breeds poster/ navajovsnap collar/ green bow collar/custom pet portrait by dimdi/nautical hemp collar/greyhound stationary/wagging tail leash holder/

Jul 18 2012

Instagrammed

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Kaitlin Jenkins

We’ve spent the majority of the last few weeks languishing indoors as near to the A/C unit as possible. Aka- we haven’t been too exciting. I’ve put together a little collage of some of the highlights from the last few weeks.

Little Man loves laying on a chair to catch a sneak peak as to what the neighbors are doing. He’s the next Gladys Kravits!

I finally got my library card, and checked out the max # of books!

Bear also enjoyed being read to by his favorite 4 year old girl. He was a great listener!

We finally have a birdie moving into our favorite green bird abode.

Trying our hand at infusing waters…this one was a Vitamin C Power water

Helping our hens to beat the heat has become a full time job. This is Suzy taking a break to lay her daily (blue!!) egg in the nest box we’ve filled with herbs.

Lots of DIY mani’s and pedi’s have helped to pass the time….along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my handsome hubby!

What have you all been up to? What are your best tips for beating the heat?

Jul 12 2012

Coolie Ring

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Kaitlin Jenkins

Let’s start this post with a confession shall we? I am a terrible, awful, no good blogger. Here’s proof: Waaay back in May I promised to follow up on how to make a frozen ice block toy for your dogs. Here I am two months later and find the post still sitting in my drafts folder….so please apologies all around for not following through.

Alright, confession of guilt and apologies over, let’s get on with it!

I don’t know where in my crazy brain the name ‘coolie ring’ came from, since this is clearly more of a disc than ring shaped block of ice. But the name stuck, and that’s what I keep callin’ it! I already gave you a preview of this project in our Summer Projects post, so I’m just back today with the nitty-gritty details of assembly, which are so easy you don’t really need me at all. But for the heck of it…here’s what I did…

I started with a largish round plastic dish that had seen better days.

Gathered a few small cheap-o plastic toys that would hold up to being frozen, a few biscuits, and a couple chewy sticks.

There is no real science to this, I just arranged things so some would stick out of the ice, some would settle to the bottom, and some would be nearer the sides of the dish. I was afraid if there was too much plain ice that they’d get bored and give up before they got to the good stuff.

I mixed some sodium-free beef boullion with water and dumped it over-top everything. Stuck it in the freezer, where the little plastic toys floated until frozen.

I left mine to freeze overnight, but next time I’d try to catch it a few hours sooner. Scooter would have had an easier time had it been a bit less frozen. Maybe somewhere between slushie and ice cube consistency is what I’ll shoot for next time. But the dogs love it and we’ve made several more since the original one I made for this post (it has been two months…whoops!)

Frozen Treats

In case you haven’t already…be sure to find us on your favorite social media application. We’re currently on facebook, twitter, instagram (@jakenkait28), and pinterest. We’d love to be online buddies with you!!

Doncha wanna be my buddy?

Jul 5 2012

Our Fabulous Fourth

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Kaitlin Jenkins

Hello All! Just checking in after an awesome day (Happy Fourth of July!) off, smack dab in the middle of the week. We sure enjoyed our Fourth of July to the fullest, and hope you did too!

Glamor shot

Here in Kansas, we’ve been stuck with temps over 100 for about 15 solid days now. Basically, we’re stuck in a heat rut. We’re so thankful that we DO have electricity and that no wild fires are knockin’ at our door like they are in lots of areas around the country. Yet, it’s too hot to do anything outside, and the dogs barely want to step out long enough to potty. There’s been a lot of lounging in the A/C going on at our house these past few weeks…

Dogs were roused long enough to get baths, teeth brushed, and bandana’d before resuming another exciting round of napping.

We’ve yet to drag out the kiddie pool, although we sorely need to. I’ve been worried about attracting mosquitoes with the standing water so we’ve for-gone the pool so far.

The boys were convinced to spend enough time outdoors to scarf down their favorite frozen treat- raw bones filled with yogurt before clamoring to be let inside again.

Our poor backyard chickens have been having a rough go of things in the heat too. Keeping them cool has become a full-time job involving lots of ice, frozen fruit, and chilled watermelon.

And finally, we wrapped up the holiday with a light planting session in the (shaded) front yard. Moss roses, Lantana, and colorful loco peppers are all adding a cheerful burst of color to our front beds.