Housewife Woes

Today I found myself in the midst of a very familiar meltdown. It was the "no matter how much I vacuum I can't get these dang floors clean" meltdown. You see, we have a very, very hairy dog. He's a yellow lab cross but his coat is more like that of a German Shepherd. So he has long-ish wiry hair that weaves into our carpets and a thick undercoat that seems to shed like crazy (I'm talking fist-fulls of hair everywhere!) for months out of the year. For the past 5 or so years, we've gotten by using Adam's beloved shop vac. Well, lately it seems to clog very easily in multiple parts of the hose. My floors are never clean and it's driving me crazy! Normally I wouldn't care quite this much, but with a baby who could crawl any time in the next few months, I just can't take it anymore. I'd like to be able to put Ellie down to play anywhere in the house without worrying about having her covered head to toe in dog hair when I pick her up. Not to mention how much of it she'd likely end up eating!

But that's enough ranting! If anyone happens to read this and has good recommendations of an affordable, yet pet-hair-busting vacuum, please comment!

Few Things Are Cuter

  
Than pets. Especially when their bellies are full and they've had their daily walk/exercise. So freakin' cute. I have a feeling I'll be one of those moms that knows she should sleep when the baby sleeps, but instead sits awake staring at the cuteness.

Catnip Bed

 

A little break from wedding posts to talk sewing! I had such success with my hot packs that I decided to experiment with the same idea for my cat, Gabby.  For this fun little project you'll need fabric, a lining fabric (I think I actually used an old pillowcase), thread, sewing machine, rice and catnip. 

Put all four layers of fabric together as follows: lining fabric, outer layer fabric - right side facing up, outer layer fabric - right side facing down, lining fabric. Sew around three edges using a small stitch (so the rice won't fall out later). Turn right side out. Top stitch around the three edges. Next, do a few curvy stitches from the open side of the pillow to the opposite side (like quilting). Make sure not to sew too close to the open side (you need to leave room to fold the fabric in and sew it shut later).You should have separate 'compartments' in the pillow now, with one side open so you can fill them before sewing them shut. Now fill each compartment partially full with a mixture of rice and catnip (about 3:1 if you're using good quality catnip). Fold in the open edge and sew shut. 

Now you have a fun little bed for your cat! Or, if your cat is anything like mine... an extra large toy! For increased playing pleasure, pop this baby in the microwave for a minute and watch your cat go crazy!

Doggy Adventure Resort

We have a dog. We have an upcoming wedding. Needless to say, as much joy as the dog (Kody) brings to our lives, he will probably add more stress than joy on the day of the wedding. So, we've been looking for the perfect doggy daycare to house our crazy canine companion. We've been pretty happy with the kennel that he has stayed in during past vacations, but in the end, it's just a kennel. There's indoor time and outdoor time, but essentially he spends most of the day in his kennel walking between the outside run and the inside run. Not a very exciting life. Well, our options were recently expanded when we decided we were moving (yes, before the wedding... that added stress will be another post, another day!). Lucky for us though - our hometown-to-be has a doggy adventure resort!!! I kid you not, a resort full of adventuresome fun, for dogs! They spend their days in a group going hiking, taking walks on the beach, playing group games with the other dogs, eating home baked treats and get this - having 'relaxing massages by the fire.' We couldn't be more excited! Of course, we'll go and check it out before handing our hound over to these strangers, but really, it sounds ideal!

Do you have furry family members? Where will they be on your wedding day or during your next vacation?