My House Smells Like Dog Pee

Blitzkrieg developed a bladder infection as a side effect of chemotherapy. Poor little dog is piddling almost every hour in the house on his way to the front door.

This is my old toy box Lisa made me.

 This is unusual for Blitzkrieg. He has an accident in the house one or two times a year tops. We checked with the oncologist. This new behavior is a medical thing not a behavioral thing. Trust me, Blitzkrieg's potty bark is so sharp and forceful it could shatter glass. Consider it the canine equivalent of a toddler screaming in the middle of a public place,"I HAVE TO GO POOOTTY!"

The problem is the infection is overwhelming his little bladder that he often barks to be let out and the flood gates open on his way to the front door.

To deal with pet accidents, I got a Bissell Spot Lifer as gift on Blitzkrieg’s first Christmas. I think I got more use out of the box because I turned it into Blitzkrieg’s first toy box until I made him a toy box from a wood wine box. 

This is my new toy box Lisa made me. It's comfy.

 
Between the Spot Lifter and the later gift of a Bissell Ready Clean carpet cleaner I was able to keep up with the rare dog accident.

Until now.

I almost fell over from the smell coming from the dry living room carpet when I bend down to clip Blitzkrieg’s leash to his collar for a walk.

O.M.G! Ew. Ew. Ew!  I'm big baby about smells. I better never have a human baby because I'd make them potty in the yard like Blitzkrieg so I don't have to deal with stinky diapers. Whiiiich I just tipped Children Services off about me early and put myself on some sort of Watch List. Oopsie.

The Avengers Assemble! Sign

Husband and I did not officially discuss it but it was understood we would give dog chemo to each other for our anniversary because Blitzkrieg is our most precious gift.

It is in line with tradition. The first anniversary is Paper. The fifteenth anniversary is Dog Chemo.

Now you know.
 

On a recent walk with Blitzkrieg (made possible by you and dog chemo), I discovered the little darlings from the neighborhood next door kicked in several slats from wood fence that divides the two neighborhoods – two feet from the fence gate. AGAIN. Apparently, the cherubs think the word condo means rich. *sigh*

The weathered and broken boards somehow made their way to my garage.

Riding the Cancer Go Round

Canine cancer goes round with ups and downs like a merry go round but it is not nearly as fun. 

Each week of treatment has downs as well as ups.

It is stupid of me to think chemotherapy is like taking an antibiotic for an infection. You’ll feel cruddy for a few days but during the rest of the course of treatment, you’ll feel so fine the doctors will remind you repeatedly to finish your meds.

Three weeks in I don’t’ think I’ve been living with this long enough or at its most severe to be feeling so up and down about the situation but I do.

Down
 The chemo days are rough because they have to sedate Blitzkrieg to do it because of his abuse issues. To this day, he goes berserk if you try to restrain him or wrap him in a towel. This makes Blitzkrieg a less than ideal patient because we never know if or what extent the reaction will be to exams, or shots, or a day long IV full of drugs blasted into his body.

Blitzkrieg was so zonked he fell asleep on the way home from the vet. The chemo upset his stomach so much he didn’t eat for three days.

Wine Crate Dog Toy Box or Dog Bed

Blitzkrieg didn’t know what toys were when he first came to live with us. When he stress chewed his fur, I gave him a toy as a positive distraction. Blitzkrieg would look at me as if to say,” I know this is mine because you gave it to me but what do I do with it?” (It still hurts to type this.)

At the time, I whipped up a quickie toy box from a cardboard box. I took the opportunity to try covering the box with wrinkled brown paper bags.

Eh, not much to look at but it works for now I thought. I fully expected Blitzkrieg to stress chew the box. Then I would  take the opportunity to replace it  with a proper toy box later.

Save this recycled wine crate project to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

How to Make a Photo Canvas that Won’t Put You in the Poorhouse

Many of my friends and family have my photography hanging in their houses.

Except me. 

Photography is our family hobby. My grandfather started the tradition. He passed the hobby onto his children, my father and my aunt. My dad passed it onto me.

One of the best photography classes I ever took was from my father in his kitchen. One by one, my Dad handed me a different type of camera lens, various telephoto, macro, and specialty lenses. I put them on my film camera body and looked through his kitchen window and at the same pot of flowers to  understand what each lens did to my subject.

I passed photography on to a friend I consider my family. 

Many of my family and friends have my photo hanging in their homes. I’ve been asked to shoot photos for others too.

Photography wise, it’s a cobbler’s kid doesn’t have any shoes situation around here. Here’s my photo collection. One photo of Husband and Blitzkrieg on my desk.

This Isn’t’ a Real Post. This is Me Being Grateful Instead. You've Been Warned.

There’s a reason why I am a green DIY blogger instead of a Slice of Life blogger. I absolutely stink at kicking the personal and emotional door in and letting my innermost thoughts and feeling spill onto the Internet like the many bloggers I admire. I’m going to try my hand at it today. Please forgive me if I stumble.

First things first.

Thank you.

Thanks to your generosity, we raised enough money to pay for Blitzkrieg first two chemotherapy treatments within the first 24 hours of taking donations for the Blitzkrieg Cancer Treatment Fund.

Raise Money Online

Please don't think that money is the only way you can help us. There are many people who have said insensitive things to Husband and I once we started telling people the news. They think we're crazy and stupid for treating Blitzkrieg. It is sad because some of those people are pet owners too.

My Dog Has Cancer

Blitzkrieg has cancer, lymphoma to be exact.

I want to die.

Blitzkrieg was snoring and snorting more heavily than usual. He was due for a routine vet check. Our vet didn’t find anything enlarged or unusual. We thought it was his seasonal allergies since mine are also working overtime with the early warm weather. While we checked out, Husband insisted we make a grooming appointment.

I’m so glad Husband insisted we make a grooming appointment.

 When you travel, you should take a friend. This is Bear. He is my first toy and best friend.

Two weeks later, we drop Blitzkrieg off at the vet for his grooming appointment. Later that day, we get a call from the groomer telling us one of Blitzkrieg’s broken teeth (from his abused like a punching bag days) is infected past the gum line. She asks if the vet can pull it. Of course. Maybe this is why Blitzkrieg was snoring heavier than usual?

We get a second call from the vet. Blitzkrieg’s tonsils are swollen. They wanted our permission to do a biopsy – absolutely!

Garage Workshop Transformation – Replace the Garage Door Opener

Normally I’m a fix it instead of replace it kind of gal. Except when it comes to my garage door opener. I’ve had issues with it refusing to close and the door popping open after tinkering with it for years. 

The break in last summer was the last straw. I’m giving in to my geek side instead of my green side. I replaced my old garage door opener with an uber sweet Craftsman Assurelink Garage Door Opener that allows me to open and close the garage door with my smart phone.

I was so excited about having a garage door opener that works 24/7  I hugged the box after the UPS man delivered it. Blitzkrieg will recreate that scene for you now.

The things I do for this woman. And treats. Lots of treats.

Even though I was excited at the prospect of having a garage door opener that worked, I had a few reservations.

Make a Mini Wood Pallet Butterfly

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing everyday that scares you.” Today that challenge came courtesy of Scribble Shop on line craft shop. No, they didn’t challenge me to DIY with a chain saw, or fire, or anything mildly explosive.

 Pity.

Scribble Shop asked if I wanted to participate in an Iron Chef type of craft challenge. Except I didn’t have to go to Japan or compete against Masaharu Morimoto.

Double pity. The original Iron Chef is tops in this house!

ScribbleShop sent me and a group of bloggers a mystery box of supplies from their shop. They challenged me to use everything in the box to make one craft project.

Bitzkrieg helped me open the box.

How to Recaulk a Bathtub or Shower

I solved my bathroom mold and mildew problem with a permanent non-toxic solution. I installed a larger bathroom exhaust fan.

The new fan made a world of difference! My bathroom doesn’t smell like a locker room two days after I clean it like it used to.

The photo isn't out of focus. That's drywall dust and a 

shining example of why I should have worn a dust mask.

Unfortunately, the caulk around the shower is stained. I scrub it with hydrogen peroxide based bleach. It doesn’t help much. It still looks gross.

   You don’t know how embarrassing this is for me to show you. YUCK!!!

Removing the caulk and caulking, the shower with new caulk is the only solution.

My Homemade Green Cleaner Labeling Privileges Have Been Revoked

I make homemade green cleaners. I know exactly what is in them, making them takes a few minutes, and they are less expensive. For the most part, my homemade cleaners clean the same or, as in the case of my homemade daily shower cleaner, better than their store bought counter parts. Woot! Woot!

 I store my cleaners in empty and repurposed spray bottles. I finally got around to making labels for the bottles  I worked too hard on my half bathroom remodel to ruin the granite counter tops with a homemade vinegar based cleaner from the other bathrooms by mistake!

I gave up printing designs in super cute and colorful ink because the cartridges in my inkjet dried out. AGAIN!

I went with black laser print ink that never runs dry instead of plunking down $80 for color ink cartridges to do a whim project. Since I could not do super cute and colorful label designs, I went with decorative fonts.

Should I Repaint My Kitchen?

Husband and I like to paint rooms with deep and saturated colors. I think it comes from renting white walled apartments for so long.

I did something a little different when I painted the kitchen walls. I went with a muted green/white wall color because my overall plan is to paint the kitchen cabinets a bright cheery red instead of replacing them. I want to play with deep and light color tones in this room. 

I’m not sure but I think I went too light on the wall color in this room.

Husband is taking advantage of this and pushing for an orange room. Especially after I took the personality and color quiz on My Colortopia. Based on my answers, My Colortopia gave us an orange paint color scheme we both like. 

Free Hugs T Shirt

Learn how to make this shirt!

My big 2011 blog goal was to speak at a blogging conference. I have been working my tail off. There many talented speakers and not as many blog conference speaking slots.

I did back flips when I got the notice Blissdom 2012 selected me to be one of the Newcomer Community Leaders!  

What does a Community Leader do at Blissdom? This year, Blissdom changed their session format. Instead of doing a panel discussion with Q and A at the end, each session will have one speaker. Then we will divide into groups by blogging niche. The Community Leaders will lead discussions about how to translate the speaker’s information to fit each blogger’s situation and specific niche needs and quirks.

You can read my bio here. They make me sound very smart. 

(Smart like I know stuff, not smart as in Alec.)

30 DIY Goals for 2012

I learned early on that it’s better in the Spousal Management department if I give Husband a head’s up on a major DIY project. For some crazy reason, the man doesn’t like to come home to surprises that look like this:

Surprise! I’m painting the kitchen! Doesn't it look GREAT?!

The Nester is holding a Home Goals party. In the interest of holding myself accountable for actually doing a planned project instead of plunking my tush in front of DIY Network and only dreaming about it, I made a list of DIY project goals for the year.

Husband, consider this list your head’s up for 2012.

Garage

Yeah, I know I said 2011 was going to be the Year of the Garage Workshop. It accidently turned into the Summer of the Remodeled Garden and Porch which had yummier results than accidentally ingesting sawdust. Although I reserve the right to ingest sawdust at any time in the future because who couldn't use a little more fiber in their diet? 

This looks largely the same except I painted the wall blue.

I Sorta Got Insulation for Christmas

Last year I asked Husband for garage insulation for Christmas  because I really want to get my garage workshop project moving after painting the walls Smurf Village blue. He thought I was being way too practical (again) and went in another direction.

I’ve been whimpering, or loudly whining and complaining if you want to believe (and you shouldn’t) the other member of my household, that I can’t spend quality time with my compound miter saw (last year’s Christmas gift) once the weather and garage grew cold.   

Lisa really likes this Pink Panther guy

Husband and I decided to bump this project up in priority on our (my) punch list. 

I did a bit of insulation research at the trifecta of home improvement stores (Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards) that are all so close to my house that I may never move for that fact alone. *happy sigh*

Here’s the wall insulation low down:

How to Make Reusable Cloth Gift Bags

I usually like wrapping Christmas gifts. I have all sorts of tips and tricks to upcycle just about anything into gift-wrap, ribbon, and bows to make Pinterest perfect gift-wrap. My gift wrap turned art projects reduce waste while the recipient  is none the wiser. All they see is a pretty package and that’s the way I like it.

I save paper gift bags like these in our stash stored in an under bed gift wrapping storage box similar to this one) for Husband because he claims he’s not as good at wrapping gifts as I am. This may or may not be a spousal management issue on his part because it means I end up wrapping almost everything. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your continence.)

As our extended family has grown so large that it takes me days to wrap all of their gifts. After last year’s four night wrap a thon left me less than holiday cheerful (to put it mildly), I promised myself I was going to make wrapping gifts easier this Christmas.

With reusable cloth gift bags!

Pin this idea to your Pinterest Boards! Share it with your friends!

How to Make Two Tone Cloth Placemats

I want to replace my placemats for the holidays. Me being me, I figure why buy, when I can DIY? 

 Learn how to make a nosew and sew versions of my Christmas cloth napkins here.

This project will also help me in my New Year’s Resolution to use my fabric scraps for impromptu projects before buying new fabric.  I made a deal with myself that I cannot start on the sewing room/guest room/room where-furniture-goes-to-die remodel I want to do until I do something with all of the fabric and supplies I’ve been hanging on to for Someday.

Today is Someday.

Garage Workshop Transformation: Insulate the Garage Door

After I put Insulate the Garage on the Garage Workshop punch list, I realized we’d lose heat through the garage door if we didn’t replace it with a new insulated garage door.

Then I fell over at the price of insulated garage doors.

I wondered if I could save myself a truck full of money and the hassle of installing a new garage door and disposing of the old one ethically by insulated my current garage door.

Turns out you can. Whew!

I looked at garage door insulation options.

Make Solar Milk Jug Ghosts for Halloween

The rechargeable batteries in the solar garden lights I repainted last summer heaved their last breath. 

While I am searching for outdoor rechargeable batteries,  I need something to light the way for the Trick or Treaters.

Luminaries are simple and festive. However, I don’t want to with traditional candles in case the kids accidentally walk into them. Husband says lighting your neighbor’s children on fire is rude. What-ever.

Green Moms Carnival: Green Pet Edition!

Welcome to the Green Pet edition of the Green Moms Carnival! October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month as well as National Pet Wellness Month. I thought of no better way to celebrate than to ask my wonderful friends to share their stories about greening their pets.

Before we start, I want to introduce my guest editor and the inspiration for today’s carnival, my one eyed rescue Pekingese Blitzkrieg!

Hello everyone! I realize Lisa saying I am the guest editor is trite blogging device.

I humor her because she pays me in dog treats to pose for blog photos. 

Since it’s National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, let kick off the carnival with…