Two Crafts

I just finished two crafts! Yay! I've been kinda on a crafting binge lately, but these are my last for a while. I need to work on my book and school! The first are some pillows I got for our bed. It was looking a little bare. The end product is not perfect, but I kinda like it that way. And it was dirt cheap!

Before:

After:

Price breakdown:

3 Ikea pillows $3.99 each

10 feet of rope $2.12

Total: $14.09

The next is something I started in Utah with Allison and just finished. She has one just like it and when I saw it I knew I had to make one of my own. So I did (after she showed  me how)!

I almost didn't add the buttons but I'm so glad I did! That's what I just did. The rest was done before we even left Utah. Look how cute it looks with the big picture:

And the whole thing cost less than $10. Thanks Allison for the help!

My puppies

So I've had requests for a post on Ruby, how we got her, etc. Then I realized I've never done one about Swift. So, two birds with one stone.

Swiftarama

After Zumi had been dead for a month, I felt it was time to find a new shiba to love. I knew I would never be able to replace Zumi--he was truly the best dog I've ever known--but I needed to fill the void. So I looked on various websites, including Craig's List. Every shiba I called about on Craig's List was already taken. Then I found the ad for Swift and saw it had just been posted. I called and went and saw him the next day. Then took Kurt to see him on Saturday. On Saturday night, we decided to make him ours, so on Sunday morning, an incredibly snowy day, I drove down and picked him up. He loved us right away. Swift loves attention. Way more than Zumi did. He's a very hyper dog and does this little high step prance when he gets a toy. When we get home, he grabs a toy and runs around in circles. He often comes to me when I'm sitting on the couch and puts his head on my lap and waits for me to pet him. He's going through his teenager phase right now, which isn't fun, but he's still adorable and we love him. We are Swift's third home in only a year of life. His last two owners both got sick and weren't able to take care of him. His name was Bear Bear before we saved him from a life with a stupid name and renamed him Swift.

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby came into our life by happenstance. I was sitting at work one day when I got an email from my old coworker saying a friend of hers was moving and they had a shiba inu they couldn't take with them. Was I interested, she asked. Of course I was! So we arranged, via my friend, to take Ruby--then named Little Bear--for the weekend to see how our dogs got along. At first, they were great. They played and took naps together. By the end of the first day, though, Swift started getting territorial. And they started to fight. A lot. Never serious--no injuries or blood drawn--but it was still scary. I still really wanted Ruby. At work on Monday I asked people at work if this was normal for two dogs newly living together and they said absolutely. They said it should get better. So we decided to keep Ruby. The fighting has all but stopped and they get along great, even if Swift pushes his alpha role a little too hard. The third full we had her--the week I was gone for school--Ruby escaped from our background. She was missing for four days! And Kurt and I were out of town. Finally, through the help of some awesome friends--we were able to find her. Ruby is an incredibly sweet dog. She loves being pet and will paw at you if you stop petting her too soon. She loves rolling against and on our feet. She's barked only once and that was actually last night. We love our Ruby Roo!

Free Mirror!

When we went to Utah over July 4th weekend, my grandma gave us a gorgeous mirror:

Then she gave me a great idea. She painted her other one black with a natural sponge so the gold frame would show through the paint. So I decided to do it too. And I love the results!

The picture keeps uploading sideways for some reason. Grrr!

It looks so great above my kitchen table! And I would include a pic of that but my table is a disaster, just like the rest of my house. So yay for free stuff!

Kitchen Reno, Day Uno

Kurt tears into the wall.

Let the demolition begin!

July Goals

I'll forego the normal "I can't believe how fast the month is going by!" schpiel (sp?). Instead, let's just go ahead and talk about my goals:

-Read at least two, hopefully three, books for school (and write papers for them).
-Finish my book (this is the month!).
-Organize the office (includes building our new bookshelves and finding a place for the old ones).
-Ride my bike to work on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. This month I will conquer!

And that's it. Believe me, it will be enough.