A different kind of weekend

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

This was not a big DIYing or blogging weekend. And actually it was pretty nice.

However, because it was a different type of weekend, you get a different type of post today. Get ready for a view into my life outside of renos.

Somehow, Matt and I both arrived home before sunset and at the same time on Friday evening. We headed out with Baxter for a family walk across the fields, which was a lovely way to start the weekend.

Saturday was lots of family time for my nephew’s first birthday, and then a girls’ night at my friend’s new house. I’ve been friends with some of these women since kindergarten. Our unit of six was solidified before we started counting our ages in double digits. While we don’t see each other as often as we’d like anymore, when we do, it’s as though no time has passed. I am very thankful I have such amazing friends.

Sunday, Baxter and I went for a hike with some of his doggie friends. We’re doing the 21-day dog walking challenge from ThatMutt.com (#ActiveMutts). A two-hour off-leash hike is a good way to get some exercise and training practice. My focus with Baxter this month is “come.” There were some great successes and one epic failure. Baxter abandoned our hiking group to join another group with a Great Dane and two Dobermans. He looooves Great Danes.

Since moving to the farm, I’ve become a huge homebody–and there’s obviously no shortage of things to do. Weekends like this that take me away from the farm are not my favourite. However, it ended up being a very nice time and a good reminder to me that it’s important to make the effort to do something different every so often.

How was your weekend? What did you do? How do you like to spend your weekends?

DIY ruler growth chart

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Matt’s and my nephew population increased by two last year, bringing our total allotment to four. For each of our nephews, whether he counts his age in years or months, Christmas is a big deal. But there’s an extra specialness for nephew’s first Christmas, as you probably expect.

My sisters were very specific in their gifting instructions:

“Please remember he will only be about 9 months at Christmas and does not need tons of presents. His favourite toys are currently boxes, paper, strings on his Dad’s sweatshirts and his socks. As you can see, he has simple tastes and you do not need to spend a lot of money on him this year.”

The instructions didn’t really help. The little boys still got a lot of gifts.

The one who followed the directions best was probably my Dad. He gave each of the boys a stick.

Of course, he did hand turn the wood very carefully on his lathe and then sanded them smooth and varnished them. They were special sticks… and were winners with the boys.

Matt and I also made something for the boys, although they didn’t appreciate them as much as the sticks.

We made growth charts that look like big wooden rulers.

I thought these were pretty clever when I first saw them online. Plus, if my sisters ever move, they can take this with them much easier than a door frame or a piece of drywall.

I’m not going into a full tutorial on how we made our rulers, but don’t worry, I will give you my templates, some tips, and posts on two other blogs that will give you everything you need to make your own.

There are lots of examples of these types of growth charts online and lots of tutorials out there. Here are the two posts that were most helpful to me:

Sketchy Style’s DIY Growth Chart – This one is more of a life chart than a growth chart–super inspiring and fun. Becky’s tutorial for transferring type onto wood was revolutionary for me. No stenciling! No painting! Wonderous. (The font I chose is Baskerville Old Face in case you’re interested).

Decor and the Dog’s DIY Growth Chart – Michelle’s tutorial turned me on to paint pens. Transferring type to wood isn’t fool proof, and the paint pens helped me be super precise for the touch-ups. Plus, I was obviously inspired by Ike’s cute photos… although my model wasn’t quite as cooperative.

I made my growth charts out of half inch plywood, roughly 10 inches wide by 6 feet tall. I liked the layered edge that was visible from the plywood. Since they’re so thin, they’re pretty light weight, so a simple sawtooth picture hanger on the back was all I needed.

And here are my templates, just in case you want to make your own ruler. If you’re going to transfer the type directly from paper onto wood, you’ll need the reversed file.

Growth chart template – Free printable

Growth chart template (flipped) – Free printable

Tomorrow is my third nephew’s first birthday. He lives a bit far away, so I don’t get to see him as often as I’d like. I’m hoping my sister’s able to squeeze in time–and get my nephew to hold still long enough–to make the first mark on his chart. Happy birthday, Cole. It’s been very special to see you grow over the past year.

Tips for renovating with your dog

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Hello everyone. Holidays are officially over and it’s back to the regular routine.

Except, that is, for today’s blog. I have a different type of post for you.

As you know, before Christmas we redid the fireplace at our house. Today isn’t the full project post, but that’s coming, I promise.

As part of the renovation we had to make some special considerations for Baxter. Today, I’m sharing some of my tips for renovating with a dog over at ThatMutt.com.

Baxter and I would both appreciate it if you’d click over there to read today’s post.

And for That Mutt readers who are dropping in, welcome. My husband and I live on a 129-acre farm in Ontario, Canada. I blog about our adventures in country-living and DIY renovating, which of course includes our favourite furry fellow, our dog Baxter.

Here’s some links to help you get to know us:

More posts featuring Baxter
All of the fireplace posts (except for the final reveal. You’ll have to come back again if you want that one 🙂 )
Top posts of 2014

Thanks, Lindsay, for featuring Baxter and my reno tips.

Cats and dogs and grass stains in the dark

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

It was late Wednesday night. I was getting ready for bed. From outside through the window I heard a terrible yowl. It sounded cat-like, so of course my first panicked thought was, “Ralph!”

I ran for the front door calling for Matt as I went. Baxter had heard the yowl as well, so he was right with me. I snapped on his leash and we dashed outside. Matt headed for the barn, Ralph’s usual hangout. I realized that neither Baxter nor I had thought to grab a flashlight, so I ducked back inside for one. Then Baxter and I headed for the back of the house where the yowl had originated. Despite my best whistles and even with the flashlight there was no sign of Ralph.

I was thinking clearly enough to realize that our puppy is a pretty sniffy guy, so when it seemed like he’d caught a scent, I trotted along behind him, holding tight to the leash. Down a little hill, up a couple of steps, across the patio, over to the stand of pines and then in the weak beam of the flashlight she was there. A grey furry ball huddled at the base of one of the big trees.

Between the dark and the yowls and the scents, Baxter was a bit excited, so he forgot about all of the good lessons he’s learned over the last little while. Specifically, he forgot:

Cats are boring.
We don’t chase kitties.
Ralph is Julia’s and Matt’s cat. I have to be gentle with things that belong to Julia and Matt.

I’m sure you can guess what happened.

As Baxter took off after Ralph, he pulled me off my feet, down a hill–a little one but it was steep, and towards a thicket. It was only a second or so, but it’s one of those moments that seems much longer than it actually is. All I could think was, “Holy cow he’s strong. I can’t stop him. How far is he going to drag me?”

Baxter did stop before we got too far into the thicket. I had dirt under my fingernails, mud on my palms and grass stains and a scratch on my knee.

Oh, and did I mention I was wearing my pyjamas? Ten minutes ago I was headed to bed! How do things like this happen?

Matt, who was on the opposite side of the thicket, was unsure who needed help most. Remember, this was in the complete dark and even with my flashlight we couldn’t see very much. We determined that I was okay. Matt should focus on convincing Ralph to come out of the thicket, and I would deal with the moron dog.

Okay, he’s not a complete moron. He did find the kitty.

Baxter and I went the opposite way around the house to walk off some of our excitement. Matt has a better whistle than I do, so Ralph eventually came to him. He checked her over, and she seemed to be fine. We have no idea whether she yowled or she made someone else yowl.

My grass stains and I finally headed to bed. Baxter was too restless to sleep. Eventually he convinced Matt to take him outside again for a final check to make sure all was well at the farm.

By the next afternoon, Baxter and Ralph were calmer, but not entirely easy with each other. (And by the way, this picture is incredible progress considering that a year ago Ralph couldn’t stand the sight of any dog, and Baxter’s reaction was to pursue her (literally) even more aggressively).

Oh the adventures of country living.

Have you ever ended up with grass stains on your pyjamas? Has anyone else ever tried to teach a dog and cat to get along?

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Hey y’all. Baxter here.

Julia and Matt decided to take Thanksgiving off. So, with them turkey-digesting and one-room-challenging, it’s been left to me–the dude without any thumbs–to handle today’s post.

Even though I’m a Canadog now, it seems weird to be celebrating Thanksgiving in October. But there’s some perks to the weekend.

Road tripping (I’m a very good backseat driver).

Dog parking (I’ve been to a dog beach, but never a dog park with a dog beach).

Y’all want to know what else was special about this dog park? It wasn’t just for dogs. Although this guy wasn’t really into playing. I walked around his tree five times and did a special dance. I finally got so frustrated I just gave up and barked at him. That’s when Julia told me I had to leave him alone.

There were three special dinnering (two were turkeys and one was the bird of my homeland).

So that’s how I spent the Canadian Thanksgiving. If you’ll excuse me, I have some turkey and chicken and squash to sleep off now.

Hope y’all had a good weekend. Did you do anything special? Or make any new friends? Or eat any good foods? For those other Canadians and Canadogs out there Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy birthday, Baxter

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Baxter turned four on Friday. For our lazy guy, the very best gift is a good nap. And that’s exactly what Matt and I tried to give him. However, things didn’t work out exactly as planned. I’ll let Baxter tell the story of what happened.

Hey y’all. Birthday Boy Baxter, here.

I knew something special was up when I was invited onto the couch. You see, I don’t get to sit on the couch hardly at all. And to be honest with y’all, it’s kinda hard to get comfortable when I know I’m not really supposed to be there. It just feels wrong.

Plus, Matt and Julia are usually there with me, and they always want to give scratches and kisses and snuggles. I mean, I like them alright, but a dude’s gotta have his own space sometimes.

Well, Matt not only invited me onto the couch, but he and Julia let me have it all to myself. Y’all, it was luxurious.

So much better than my chair. I didn’t have to fold my feet up to my chin or hang my head off the edge.

I stretched myself right out on that there couch and had a little doze.

Now I knew for sure something special was up when I was invited onto the bed. I get invited onto the bed more regularly, but it’s usually just to help Matt pick out his socks (I can’t see into the dresser drawer when I’m standing on the floor). But this time, when I was invited onto the bed, Matt helped me lay down, and he even tucked a pillow under my head. I didn’t just doze. I had a full on sleep! Talk about a birthday present!

I was an hour or so into my dreams when it happened. All of a sudden the pillows jumped me!

You see them in that picture up there how they’re all just sitting there on the bed? They look all proper and stuffy, don’t they? Well, don’t let them fool you. Pillows have a twisted sense of humour. They thought it was a great birthday trick to jump on an unsuspecting dude while he was sleeping.

I bow-wow-wowed and bow-wow-wowed and bow-wow-wowed. By the time Julia came to the bedroom, the pillows and I had all collapsed from exhaustion.

As soon as Julia saw us sprawled all over the bed, she knew exactly what had happened (she knows how weird pillows are). She gave me lots of pats and told me how brave I was for battling the pillows. She told the pillows they had to leave me alone because it was my birthday. We managed to go back to sleep, but I slept with my eyes open, just to be safe.

Aside from Julia: He actually does sleep with his eyes open. It’s creepy.

The rest of my birthday was more naps, lots of scratches, some good walks, a phone call from my Uncle Greg, a visit from Julia’s Dad (who shared his peanut butter sandwich), some chicken, sweet potatoes and cheese. And no more pillows. All good stuff.

Happy birthday, dude.

Fields of beans

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

It’s been nearly three months since our fields were planted with soybeans. Well past time for an update, Baxter informed me.

Hello y’all. Baxter here. I went on a detailed inspection of our fields this weekend, and I’m here to share my report on the state of our soybeans. I can’t believe Julia’s let it go this long without showin’ y’all what’s been going on. I’ve decided to take care of this myself. A farm dog’s responsibilities never end.

First off, our soybeans are tall. As tall as me. Some spots are shorter, but most are growin’ pretty well.

Baxter in our field of soybeans

Second off, our soybeans are not real sniffy. They smell mostly like green.

Third off, our soybeans are fuzzy. Not furry like a dog. Just fuzzy.

Yup. We’ve got actual beans, y’all.

I haven’t tasted them yet. I’m waitin’ ’til they get a bit riper for that test. I’ll keep y’all informed.

Baxter’s crop report is turning into an annual occasion. Click here to read his last one from a year ago.

Behind the scenes on vacation

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

This past week has been my second holiday of the summer. It’s been a wonderful time with Matt, Baxter, Ralph and the farm. I’ve spent some time with family and had a few projects, of course.

Here’s a few highlights what’s been happening this week.

Cheering on my sister as she runs her first race since having a baby this spring. She did 5K in 22:30–a great time that was fast enough to come second in her age group!
Checking out a new dog park with Baxter. He had a chance to play with not one but two of his most favourite dogs ever–Great Danes.
Taking a mini getaway to Orillia to visit Matt’s brother and sister-in-law.
Uncovering a family of baby mice in my closet (no picture, you’re welcome). Not how I wanted to start my Sunday morning. It wasn’t a fun experience for Matt either, who was in charge of removal.
Revisiting some classic (for me) ’90s TV and signing two new books out of the library.
Playing in the annual office softball game… until we got rained out… and rained on. My favourite wings for dinner made up for being a bit soggy.
Helping my father-in-law cover his pool for the season. The water was 64 degrees (about 17 celsius). Brrr.
Working on my bookshelf makeover with my Dad, clearing a big pile of firewood and weeds from around the old firepit and finally getting my cold cellar work room organized.

I tried not to be too ambitious with my to-do list for this vacation. So I’m also trying to be okay with not spending as much time on “projects” as I could have this week. I figure I could take a good six months off work and keep myself busy every day.

I think I’d make a really good retired person.

What were the highlights of your week?

Ticked

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

At Baxter’s annual check up, I had lots of questions for the vet about ticks. He wasn’t too concerned about them. Then he looked in Baxter’s ear and found “a passenger.” We went home with new anti-tick medication, tick removal tools and instructions to check him over carefully after each walk.

Then a few weeks later I felt a bump on my back. I thought, “Gee that pimple came up really fast. And it feels weird.” The mirror confirmed that there was a black dot–not a red one–in the middle of my back. I gathered a container, tweezers and Baxter’s tick tools and went to find Matt. Sure enough, he confirmed I had a passenger of my own.

Ewwww.

I didn’t feel the tick bite me, but he certainly had a good lock when Matt went to remove him. It hurt more than I expected. And Matt found that the vet’s tick removers didn’t get a tight enough grip. The tweezers worked best.

The tick (who was still alive–double eww) went into a jar and was immersed in rubbing alcohol.

My brother-in-law the MD provided assurances that I probably was going to be okay and gave me the symptoms to watch out for (which caused a Google search that I can never unsee–seriously, don’t look).

It’s been a few weeks now, and Baxter and I both seem to be fine. We’re waiting for Matt to have his turn with a “passenger.”

It seems to be a right of passage in country living.

Anyone else ever been bitten by a tick? How common are ticks in your area?

Raised dog food stand

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Special occasions should be marked by presents. So for Baxter’s Gotcha Day, I made him a dinner table all his own.

I took inspiration from the DIY Pet Food Station that Kim and Scott made for their Jack over at Yellow Brick Home. As much as I coveted the hairpin legs that they used (love the industrial-rustic mix), I didn’t find any at a price I was willing to pay. So I went to the bench I made for the mudroom and adjusted it to be doggie size.

Like with the bench, I dug into my beat-up antique lumber stash in the barn. People, these planks are absolutely amazing. Sure they weigh 3 tonnes and are covered in poop and who knows what, but they’re phenomenal. The plank I chose was too big and heavy for me to move on my own, so I lopped off a 4 foot piece with my circular saw and got to building.

I think the details on the construction are pretty self-explanatory, especially if you reference my bench plans. I used my Kreg jig to attach the legs with three screws each. In terms of finished measurements, the stand is 10 inches high, 24 inches long, and 10 inches deep. The legs are at about a 15 degree angle and are 8 1/4 inches end to end. The bowls are 7 1/2 inches in diameter.

Cutting the circles for the bowls was the hardest part. I drew my circles using the bowls for a template. Then I drilled a hole so that I had a spot to insert my jigsaw blade, and I cut along the line. I think I figured out why this wood is so darn heavy. It is super duper dense. My jigsaw blade broke before it was even halfway around the first cutout. Initially the cutting was so slow that I thought my blade was dull. But when I installed the new blade after my first one snapped, it still took a significant amount of force to push the jigsaw along the line ever, ever so slowly. And I had to do it twice! Darn dog needing water as well as food.

To seal and protect my dense, hard, beat-up beautiful wood, I turned to Waterlox, the same solution we used on our DIY kitchen counter. It’s food safe for humans, so it’s an appropriate finish to use on a stand whose sole purpose is to hold (dog) food. Nothing’s too good for my puppy.

From my past experience with the bench when it turned black because it sucked up so much stain, I knew that the wood would be thirsty, and boy was I right. It took about three coats before the finish started to build up and look shiny on the wood. Even then, there were some sections (the ones with the most worm holes) that just sucked the Waterlox right in. All in all, I did a total of 6 coats of finish.

After that, it was simply about putting the bowls in the stand and filling them up! Tip: kibble on its own isn’t very appetizing. Sweet potatoes make it much more palatable. (That is, if you’re Julia. If you’re Matt you give in to the sad eyes and put ketchup on it. Yeah, my husband and the dog are totally related.)

Bon appetit, Baxter. Or as Matt says, “Mangey, mangey”–as in French “mange” with an “ee” ending. (He and the dog share their own language as well as the same taste buds.)

Do your pets get presents? How do you handle pet food at your house? What’s your pet’s favourite food?