The afternoon heat wave

Our house faces East. We live in a multi-level. The afternoon heat pours into the back side of our house. All of the "important" rooms are on the West side, the master bedroom, kitchen, dining room and family room. I honestly didn't realize that this was going to be an issue until we moved in.

We have since planted trees in the backyard but it will obviously be a while before they start lending the much needed shade. We are currently debating a pergola for shade. I'll add sun shade fabric on top and the side to protect us from the afternoon sun. We looked at metal gazebos but decided against them due to our high wind problem.

I worry about Cassie being exposed to the heat as well. She has her dog house but rarely uses it. I make sure there is plenty of water for her. She loves to sunbathe and be outside. In the heat of the summer, she will just have to stay inside. I'm not sure she'll like it but I don't see any other options.

As for the inside of our house, I have curtains over the sliding glass door and curtains and blinds in the master bedroom. I'm currently researching a way to make my current curtains help with the heat.

As you can tell by the light, the back of my house is fully exposed. Any ideas?

Introducing our newest family member, Cassie!

7 weeks old

 Our little Valentine, 3 months old

 She loves this puppy, 4 months old

I've spent lots of time crafting stuff for our puppy. She's pretty spoiled. We have lots of fun with her and look forward to years of companionship.

Cassie got a dog house since she loves to play outside. She mainly uses it to store her toys. I'm hoping she'll choose to use it.

This dog house is made of cement board, big mistake, but you live and learn. Why a mistake? We didn't follow the instructions for cutting. It made a huge mess and the blade was smoking. Oh well. At least we know this dog house will last FOREVER! I used these plans as my guideline. They were pretty vague but we got the main idea. I chose to build a separate platform for the dog house. I also altered the plans to make it longer. I felt like 25 7/8 inches were going to be too small. I used the measurements for Cassie's kennel to make a decision about the length.

I saw a cute dog house on Pinterest and this is was my decoration inspiration.

This is my result:

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I'm back... and have lots of projects in the works

Things have been pretty hectic for me lately. I was in a car accident this past November and subsequently needed shoulder surgery. My husband's health continues to decline and he is in desperate need of back surgery. He is currently not working due to the pain he experiences and the doctors have determined that working will only make his back worse.

As a result of this, we have been on a fundraising campaign. My mom's cousin's generously donated a Yamaha Clavinova electric piano for us to sell. Their grandson decided that he'd rather use it as an art piece instead of playing the piano. There are a few scratches on the top that need to be fixed before we can sell it.

I searched Pinterest for help with this project. I chose to try the crayon method since I have some on hand.

Here's the before:

And the after:

Verdict? I think the crayon worked well on the smaller scratches but not the larger ones.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Home Depot to find a better fix.

Next project is..... refinishing a piano bench. My mom's cousins brought the bench to match the electric piano and also another one. I can't wait to start on it.

Utah Summer Bucket List - 2014

Rich's twins come to visit only once a year during summer. We try to pack a years worth of activities into 6-7 weeks.

I've seen a lot of things on Pinterest lately talking about a summer bucket list. I've decided to compile my own Utah version. Some items will be general summer activities and others will be localized to my state.

• I love sidewalk chalk. I think these types of pictures would be a blast.

 

• Do science experiments. Our boys love science. Summer is a nice break but stuff like this will help keep their brains working.

• Volunteer. I firmly believe that you will feel better if you help someone else.

• Family movie night

• Day at the Dinosaur Park

• Go to Bear Lake

• Attend Webeloes Day Camp

• Watch fireworks
• Make home made ice cream 
• Weekend with Grandparents

• Go to This is the Place Monument
• Take pictures at the Bear River Bird Refuge.
• Blow bubbles

• Picnic in the park 

• Splash pad

• Water fight

• Visit Union Station
• Take Front Runner to Salt Lake City

• Attend a Raptors game

• Make smores

•  Make cupcakes

•  Go to Hill AFB Museum

•  Feed the ducks

•  Mini golfing

•  Temple Square

•  Get ice cream

•  Day hike

• Play in the dark
• Boys day at Toads
• Light a dandelion on fire

 

• Tour Sweets candy factory

 

• Camp in the backyard
• Go fishing

• Go to the Drive In movie

• Go to weekly kids club movie

And the bucket list is complete!

Getting Organized - Command Center

The cabinet next to my fridge is a nightmare. It is where we put everything that has no home. It gets cluttered quickly. Mail gets lost. Coupons are expired by the time I find them again. I've been searching pinterest to find a better option. I now have a few ideas in mind and cannot wait to get started.

Here are a few of the Pinterest ideas that inspired me:


My first priority will be the back of the door. We already have a dry erase calendar on the side of the fridge that will soon live on the door.

This is a work in progress. I'll show you through every step.

To give you an idea of my starting point. Here is a BEFORE photo:

Wish me luck

Craftiness of late

When I'm not reviewing products, I'm searching Pinterest for the latest cute craft. I had a friend request help with her daughter's Halloween costume. My friend is a single mom who has MS. I was excited to make something cute for a little girl.

My other friend requested a Halloween wreath and a small Batman birthday cake.