Showing posts with label outdoors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoors. Show all posts

Saturday, February 11, 2012

A Little Sanity Never Hurt Anyone

With my new busy schedule I must find small things to keep me grounded. Taking our sweet puppy on walks has certainly been a wonderful break from reality and has been a productive activity for my husband and I to do together. We usually walk him around our house, through the neighborhood and in the forest nearby.

To mix things up a bit, we have been going to an off-leash park near our home that is absolutely FABULOUS! The park is called Thousand Acre Park and it is off of 84 before you get to any of the falls, Exit 18 I believe. It is so beautiful and so vast that it would take quite some time to have explored the entire park. Sampson loves it because he gets to roam free and meet dozens of sweet dogs who can't wait to play.

In the summer we like to ride bikes on the trails. It's a little bumpy but quite the adventure. Beautiful view of Mt. Hood and a fun little tribute to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Seriously guys, check it out...especially if you're a dog owner!



Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Mission Organization: Garage 101

Our house is fairly small, and of course my stuff takes up most of the space and I got my way when it came to decor and placement of our furniture, as well as where each item in our house calls home. The one stipulation my sweet husband had during the unpacking process when we moved in, was that he wanted control of one room: The Garage.

Unfortunately for him, his wife (that's me!), has a hard time getting rid of things and also has about ten tubs of holiday decorations. Because of this, the poor guy has now gone about nine months with virtually NO garage. I was a little bummed that I did not take before pictures, so let me paint you a picture: There was no way you could walk through the garage. When we wanted to put something in the garbage bins we had to walk outside, open the garage and access the bins from the driveway. Our dog food was located right by the door to the house and was about the only item we could easily access.

One of the reasons this project took us so long to complete is, it is a little on the expensive side. Nice shelving for garages come at a price...and not one we could afford. Lucky for us, my Husband's parents purchased him two large shelving units from Home Depot for his birthday AND helped us put them together.

In only two short hours my Husband and his Dad put the shelves together, while his Mom and I sorted through bins, threw stuff away and put bins in piles based on their contents (my Mother-in-law also took great pleasure in sweeping the place up).

Here is the finished product (still a few things that need to be done):


 He has had this metal sign FOREVER, and finally has a place to hang it. Yes, that's right, I wouldn't allow it in the house. But come on, it will look fabulous in the garage.

 This is an old desk I have had that my husband uses as a work table. The drawers are filled with tons of goodies.

Introducing...our fabulous new shelving system. The shelves on the left are home to all of our holiday decorations, as well as one shelf for sports equipment and "toys". The shelves on the left are for all of our camping equipment. I am so excited to have everything accessible and easy to find!

 As you can see, we still have some random items that need a home, like the mirror in the back and our bikes. Sampson is very excited that he can now freely explore the garage, as he was not allowed in this area before for fear that he would get lost in the abyss.

 My cute little gardening area where we also keep our boots and some painting supplies.

I feel very good about this newly organized area in our home, even though it might mean I see my Husband a little less...

Friday, November 25, 2011

They Call It Puppy Love!

We are loving these Fall walks...especially Sampson!







Yup...that's my husband, he occasionally forgets he is a human being.

Friday, October 7, 2011

A little recharging...

Since I was about two, my family has rented a family friend's beach house almost every year. The beach house is in Tierra Del Mar, which is Pacific City I believe. The house is spacious and right on the beach. The view is amazing and we always spend the weekend watching movies, playing games, and of course...eating.

This year was a little chaotic because in the house were Michael and I, my Parents, my Brother and 3 dogs! Sampsy Pants had a blast and was clearly saddened by our departure. He moped around at home for about 3 days, poor little guy.

 Our days were filled with numerous walks on the beach, where Sampson tested the waters (get it!?) to see how much trouble he could get away with.  He spent his walks exploring, chasing Mike, and visiting other doggies. It was this trip where I discovered his stubbornness and complete naughty-ness!





It was incredibly entertaining watching Sampson with Daisy. He followed her everywhere and had to do everything she did. For the most part, Daisy enjoyed his company. When she was sick of him, she did not hesitate to let him know.



We could see the big rock from the sand outside the beach house. So pretty. I didn't even mind that it wasn't warm and sunny.



 Like I said, Sampson was pretty sad about leaving the beach and his best friend Daisy. He slept almost the entire way home.


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Family Trip to Wahkeena Falls





He loves his Daddy.


King of the Forest







Now I have been to Wahkeena, Oneanta and Multnomah. Where should we go next!?