The Last of the Summer Fun and Lacey Update!

Oh Summer. I wait for you all year long and before you know it – poof! – you are gone.

Our summer got off to a weirdly slow start due to the constant heavy rain. Husband and I tag teamed a few necessary business trips so Lacey would not be face her greatest fear – being left behind. 

Lacey’s behavior is not consistent enough to earn the privilege of a vacation or to keep us from being kicked out because of her behavior. Husband and I took long weekend staycations instead because we still need time off to unplug, be silly, and recharge.

We started with short trips to the dog park. Lacey thinks she has to challenge other dogs and get them before they get her - a classic case of Little Dog Syndrome.  We keep the dog park trips short so Lacey won’t get overwhelmed.

Some of Lacey's summer adventures!

Just like with human kids, there are well behaved dogs that play well with others and sometimes there are bullies who try to challenge the other dogs or dominate them. It is critical you keep an eye on your dogs at all times to head off any potential problems and be ready to leave to avoid them even if it means you are only there for 15 minutes.

Sometimes we had to leave the park shortly after we arrived with our tail between our legs because our kid was the one whipping the other dogs into a frenzy. It doesn't happen often, and it is part of the process as we puppy step her in the right direction.

Can Small Families Save Money at Warehouse Clubs?

Bulk buying is usually the greener choice because it reduces the amount of individual packaging for the item but will bulk buying at a warehouse club save a small family like mine money?





Once upon a time Husband and I had a warehouse club membership. That particular club leans more toward small businesses than families but we regularly purchased items we needed when we performed at the renaissance festival like vats of sports drink mix (90 degree F in 3 layers of brocade yo) and an industrial bag of flour to bake the many loaves of bread we needed for The Queen’s Feast. We knew after careful tracking, that some things cost the same as in a regular grocery store but were easier to buy them at the Sam’s Club if we needed a large quantity of say, soda,  for an event.

We eventually quit Sam’s Club after we stopped performing at the renaissance festival. We didn’t need the super giant size quantities since we weren’t feeding fellow performers. We lived in a small duplex with almost no food storage space to hold giant quantities of well priced baking ingredients before they expire. It stopped making sense for us.

I’ve been thinking on and off about joining a warehouse club to cut down on our packaging waste, especially after My Zero Waste’s Zero Waste Week and the discussions of buying in bulk. I’m sure we will cut down on packaging waste if we join but will it save us money or should be keep on keeping on with our fairly low waste ways?

DIY His and Hers Diva, Maestro Signs

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape brand painter’s tape for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

While shifting items around in my craft room I found two blank plaques I bought to make His and Hers signs for the house. I figure it is about time I do the project but with a twist. Instead of labeling our items His and Hers, I invoked our old renaissance festival characters and made Diva and Maestro  signs.

How to Make Diva and Maestro Signs

13 DIY Craft Storage Ideas

I’m taking the opportunity to rethink how I organize my craft supplies as part of my craft room/guest room remodel. When I bought our house my main hobby was sewing and costume design. All of my other craft supplies fit into my vintage wood crate storage drawers.

Don’t worry. I am not giving these beauties up! 
They will get a tweak in the new room. Stay tuned!

Soda Six Pack Organizers kept all six of my craft paints organized.

Well, OK. This is a beer six pack organizer. I have several soda six pack holders covered with wrapping paper organizing other bits and bobs throughout the house and in my craft room.

How to Make a Fake Vintage Wood Crate

I need more food storage space in my kitchen. I know, I know who doesn't?

In my case we have one three shelf cupboard that holds actual food and the other cabinets hold dishes, mugs, and a bunch of empty mason jars waiting for our garden to ripen.

Replacing the current kitchen cabinets with my dream of cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling isn't on the 2013 DIY List. Someday, but not today.

 Where can I find space in our small kitchen?

Opinionated? Share Them for Rewards @Yappem

I stumbled upon a screaming good clearance sale while running errands – heavy cotton t shirts for 50 cents each. I snapped up several for future t shirt projects – the holidays are coming up soon. I wanted to get the word out quickly and to my on line social networks since it is an unadvertised sale. I figured now is as good as time as any to share the experience using Yappem (since they asked me to help them get the word out. I figured I better give it a good test!)



I learned about Yappem when I attended the Awesome Party in Chicago last month. Yappem is a new social media network where you can post your retail and brand experiences and share the  information to your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, email, and my Yappem followers at the same time using one app. 
As much as I love technology and being an early adopter, I wondered if we really need another social media network to keep tabs on, I mean, isn’t this what Yelp is for?

Well, no.