Lola's Cozy Kennel

It's been awhile, old friend. I just ate a whole big candy bar, ignoring the suggested 3 servings per bar, so I'm on a sugar high at 9PM. Normally at this time I would be slipping into my PJ's and a pair of my fancy novelty socks, packing my lunch, and jumping under the layers of warm covers in my terribly uncomfortable bed. Instead, I sit in the living room writing to a dwindling crowd of readers (crowd? I should be so lucky!), ready to punch my laptop right in the money-maker since my "s" key must be forcefully pushed in order to result in an "s" appearing on the screen.

I've been keeping terribly busy with adjusting to my new life. By busy, I mean frazzled. Who would have thought that having to feed a baby every 3 hours would leave not much time to get things done in between feedings? I feel like I am feeding her all night until I'm able to get her in bed and have 30 minutes to myself to clean and pack up for the next day. I felt so proud of myself for actually finishing a project this weekend that I'll ignore the fact that it took me four weeks to even think about starting it.

For some odd reason, we were recommended a dog kennel that was far too large for a Shiba Inu. Our 20 lb Lola was sure enjoying her space in a kennel big enough for a lab, but it was taking up too much space in the living room and Chris preferred switching out the eyesore for one we could hide behind the couch. I was so excited about finding the perfect sized kennel on Craigslist, that I didn't realize that Lola might not be as excited to lose the only home she's known. We've had her new kennel for about a month and she had yet to step foot in it. I thought that if I made it a little more comfy, then perhaps she would wander in there on her own for a little siesta.

There was a great sale at Hancock Fabrics last week, so I picked up a roll of foam and some clearance fabric. I cut the foam to be a foot high on the sides and to cover the bottom.

I then covered the sides with a soft cotton fabric and the bottom with a durable corduroy. I added some velcro to the corduroy in order to make it removable and washable. It was a quick 1-hour project that may not look perfect, but it gets the job done. After placing the finished project in the kennel, Lola waltzed right in and took a nap.

Memorial Day Weekend

With a few appointments over the weekend keeping us from taking our originally planned 4-day trip to Chicago, we decided to take a short trip to Minneapolis instead. We left very early Sunday morning with Lola in tow. It was her first vacation with us and she was having the time of her life!


On the way, we stopped at a rest stop for a walk through the woods (even though it was a rest stop, it was beautiful nonetheless) and then on to a little shopping at an outlet mall. We did well and bought only a few things, including a baby onesie with a whale on the butt (we just couldn't resist!). Then we were off to our hotel. We stayed at Sofitel, a super nice French hotel that has a few locations here in the States. I would highly recommend it. It was a beautiful smoke-free hotel in a great location and they even allow pets to stay free of charge, which is super rare. Luckily our hotel room was ready super early, so we headed straight there for a comfy bed. Actually, it ended up being the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on! Lola loved it too.


We stayed awhile at the hotel for a little relaxation and play time. Doesn't the bed just look like heaven?? It was even better than a Marriott bed, which is hard to beat!

We did some exploring and shopping throughout the trip, and while IKEA is usually what I look forward to, we happened to stumble upon something even greater. I'm a huge organization nerd, and if I could afford all the great organization stuff then my pantry would definitely look like this:

Alas, my pantry definitely doesn't look like this. Actually, I don't even have a pantry, but a girl can dream. And dream I did when I entered the monstrosity that was The Container Store. An organization nerd's dream! Chris really had no interest in the place, but he was a good sport and spent my allotted 1/2 hour in the awesome store. I came out with some great ideas of how I'd like my yet-to-be-built master closet look.

We ended the trip with a picnic at Minnehaha Park and were home in time to relax a bit before bedtime. All in all, it was a fun and much-needed get away!

A Day in Pictures

What a day - and it's only 4:00. Up 'n' at 'em as usual, Chris and I tackled some morning chores and then got down to some deep cleaning. It's a gorgeous day out and we were ready to take advantage of it. I made us a hearty breakfast of strawberry crepes and then we were off! While Chris handled the manly chores like cleaning the yard and garage, I got down and dirty in the house. Put a little music on for me, and I can clean like nobody's business.

First things first, I deep cleaned the french doors and then left them open for Lola and Trio to roam around outside. Even Lola must have been in the cleaning mood because she took advantage of the towel I laid down and wiped her paws upon entrance.


Of course I had to stop the cleaning a few times to keep an eye on the kids. Trio's exceptionally reserved about the outdoors, so I was surprised to see him investingating the backyard with Lola.
I know what you're thinking, but yes, our cat is the size of a small dog. In fact, Lola and Trio are the exact same weight - a healthy 17 lbs. :)

After finishing the doors, I moved on to cleaning the inside of the fireplace and then I was off for more misadventures in the kitchen. The oven had been running on self-clean all morning, and just as I was getting ready to bake, I noticed that the latch wouldn't budge from the lock position. I was in the middle of making Runzas. How do these babies look?!


If you answered beautiful, then you would be correct. Once Chris got home from some errands, he was able to unjar the door (I guess it just needed a man's touch) so I could proceed with cooking my masterpieces. They turned out golden brown and delectable, as expected.


After chowing down I was up to the master bath to lay down a few more tiles. Those suckers are are much more difficult than HGTV makes it seem! We started last night by laying down all of the ones that didn't need cut. We got those done in an hour and were having the time of our lives. Then came the tricky part: cutting the tiles to perfection. It seems like each one takes an hour. I was working with a particularly tough cut for around the vanity and got a nice straight cut along with numerous blisters. The only thing keeping me going was the lady across the street.

I haven't met many of my neighbors yet, so I don't really know her story. From my second story window it seemed that she was 60ish and kooky. My ears first perked up after hearing someone repeating "tweety" in a sing-song voice. I got up to spy out of the window just to see her return inside. A couple of minutes later, she returns singing "tweety bird" over and over. I look out again and she's just sitting on her front porch looking up at a chirping bird. I hope that she soon moves on to a nursing home (*cough* psych ward *cough*) so we have a shot at getting a neighbor our own age and sanity level.

Pick Lola! (Please?)

All three people who are reading my blog, immediately click on the "Vote for Me" button on the righthand side!! Bissell is having a contest to find their next pet model, and Lola would be perfect!

Grand Prize:

-Pet's photo placed on a future Bissell package

-One Bissell product of winner's choice

-AND a $10,000 donation to the pet cause of my choice

So why choose Lola? I'll give you three good reasons.

1. She's pretty darned adorable. And I know the for us people with dog children, that we all think ours is the cutest, but she really is. Seriously. You know you'd buy something just because it had her face on it!

2. Contrary to popular belief, Shiba Inus shed like crazy. I mean crazy! One pass of the vacuum in the great room and it already needs emptied due to being full of dog hair. And she does her fair share of getting into things. I'm eyeing the Bissell ProHeat 2X® Select Pet as my prize, should I win.

3. Upon researching the Shiba Inu breed, I was introduced to an amazing organization. Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue is dedicated to helping the poor little ones left behind by puppy mills and owners who didn't know how to handle them. There are a lot of great Shibas up for adoption. If you think a Shiba Inu would be right for you, then go check them out! I know that a $10,000 donation would help them provide the care that many of the incoming dogs need to survive.

So, what are you waiting for? Click on the Lola button and vote away! Lola thanks you.

Happy Birthday Lola!

Lola is celebrating her first birthday today! She appreciates dog bones, peanut butter, and gift certificates to Gap (hey, shouldn't I get a little something for taking care of her for a year?!).