4th of July

4th of July Wreath--- Cannot wait till we renovate the front rooms and replace this door!

I have been busy trying to decorate the house with 4th of July decorations. This year I realized that I do not have ANY decorations for the 4th of July. The past two days I was on the search, unfortunately, its a little too late and I did not find much. I did find a table runner for our dining room table, I added a white lantern and red tea light and it is perfect. I also purchased two place mats for our kitchen table and two flags for our front porch.

I also purchased the materials needed to make a American Flag Toothpick Wreath. I had seen this a few years ago and thought I would give it a try.
Materials:
Styrofoam wreath

American Flag Toothpicks (I bought 700, and I used between 500-600)

Directions: It's simple. Stick toothpicks in all over the front of the wreath. I did not add it to the back. I also broke some of the toothpicks in half because they were crisscrossing and I couldn't push them in far enough. The more toothpicks you add the better it looks!!! Enjoy!

The wreath was $4.99, and each packet of toothpicks was $2.99. The toothpicks were 60% making them $1.20 X 7= $8.40. Then with my Teacher Discount at JoAnn's they took off another 15%. Making the total cost of this project about $12.00. I am sure you can find the styrofoam wreath for less, but I had the urge to complete the project and not shop around.

If I could Save Time in a Bottle

On June 26, 2011 Ben and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. Orginally, our big celebration was our trip to England, however, on our wedding anniversary we both decided to get each other something special. The first year of our marriage was a busy year. We purchased our home the day before our wedding. We had a new roof put on the home while we were on our honeymoon, put in new windows and renovated the bathroom. We also worked on the landscaping, planted a garden, and Ben got his riding lawnmower. Ben started a new job and continued to build his photography business and bought a NEW vehicle, which he loves. Both Ben and I lost a grandfather. I did a lot of traveling (D.C., Maryland, St. Louis, and England). Overall it was a busy first year together. We hope life slows down a bit for us, although it is doubtful.

We celebrated our day with lots of relaxation. It is very rare that Ben and I spend the day relaxing rather than doing house work, yard work, visiting family, etc. Because it was raining we enjoyed a day inside relaxing.

Ben gave me two rocking chairs for our patio, I am so excited to get them set up. My gift to Ben was a shade tree (we have no trees on our property). We were going to go pick up and plant the tree on Sunday, but due to the rain we are going to do that this weekend.

We did enjoy our cake, and wine, and champagne. We went to a very nice restaurant called Cameron's American Bistro. Ben had Lamb and I had a Cornish Hen. Both of our meals were outstanding. Then we enjoyed a movie (Bad Teacher). It was a great relaxing day! We both were able to enjoy each others company and reminisce about our wedding day and plan for our future.

Trip of a Lifetime

On June 6, Ben and I began our travels to England. We went on a two week vacation. We were extremely lucky to spend the 2 weeks with my friend Rachel, Dan and their son Corey. Rachel and I worked together at Kelleys Island 4-H Camp when she came over with Camp America. Since working together she has been to the US twice to visit us, so we thought it was time we make our way to England.

After nearly 24 hours of travel time, we arrived in England. While on our trip we visited many places (Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Parliment, Burghley House, Castle Rising, the Seaside, Grimsthrope, Liverpool, Twoer of London, London Bridge, pubs, pubs, and more pubs.).

We arrived home on Monday evening. Since I have been doing laundry, spending extra time with Lex-Man, and cleaning up the house and garden.

Below are a few pictures from our trip.

Meet Lex-Man

Life with an XL Dog

Yesterday, I took Lex to the vet. At almost two years old, he weighed in at 92 pounds. When we got Lex he was about 6 months old and weighed only 40 pounds. We rescued him and couldn't be happier. Along with being a little two small he was scared and looking for a family to love him. He had anxiety issues, and still does from time to time. Lex is a mix-we were told Labrador and Weimerheimer.

The first 6 months of having him we walked Lex, 3 times a day RELIGIOUSLY! It was so good for him. Over the past year and a half he has matured but it is important we still find ways to occupy his mind engery and physical energy.

Here are my tips for caring for a large dog:

-Invest in a Kong. Lex loves his. We fill it with peanut butter and pumpkin most commonly. We even mix in his dog food from time to time. It is best to freeze it to make him work a little harder for it. Kongs are used for prevention of boredom, separation anxiety and other behavioral issues. Kongs are great for a dogs dental health. And overall, a great toy for them to play with bounce, chase, chew, etc.

-Kibble Nibble Ball Toy-  Food and Treat activity ball that the dog must roll and work to get a treat. The toy is mentally and physically stimulating.

-If your dog pulls a lot while walking on a leash a gentle leader is a great investment. It is designed so when a dog pulls it adds slight pressure on calming parts and pulls their nose down teaching them that it is uncomfortable to pull. It changes Lex's complete demeanor when he has the gentle leader on, he understands that we are in charge.

-Hide and Seek- Just like the game you would play as children hide and seat is also mentally and physically challenging. My husband and I will play with Lex in the evenings when it is too rainy or cold for a walk. One of us will hide while the other holds Lex back. When ready the hider will call the dog and the dog must search the entire house trying to find his owner by listening to the command "come."

-Gestures- We are also firm believers in adding a gesture to the commands your dog learns. We have trained Lex to sit, lay down, and stay without having to say a word. This is good for him and for us!

-Stereo or TV-We turn on our stereo or TV while gone. Lex is confined in the kitchen using baby gates while we are gone. We are able to use the noise to help occupy his mind.  At times we also had to give him Benadryl while we were gone to help deal with his anxiety.

Overall, my biggest tip is to remember that a little work goes a long way for enjoyment. We have invested a lot of time in our dog and still have a ways to go, but he is learning and  it is paying off.  Tips that work for children also work for raising a dog.