A Little about Washer and Make your own Dog Leash — The Lovely Crazy
Look at that old man face…. how can anyone stay mad at him? (there was a recent incident involving bananas, you can read about it in the last post.)
Before we get started on the leash, I’ll give you a little background about Washer the trash dog. A little over 9 years ago, Nick brought home this 8 week old little ball of fur for us as a Christmas present. Oh man, he was so so so freaking cute, but that didn’t stop me from crying… Why you ask? Because I didn’t want a golden retriever, we never talked about getting a golden, we talked about getting a husky or a german shepherd. And so I cried.(I was so pissed) But it didn’t last long. A few hours after he was home, I fell in love and we have been a little family ever since. Mind you that the first two years of his life, he was a terrible beast of a dog. Nick and I were really young and neither of us had ever had a puppy before so we kind of let him do whatever he wanted…..not a great idea. He was a shit. He would eat everything and anything. Seriously anything; book shelves, linoleum floors, windowsills.. You name it, he ate it. He also started to act a little jerky, growling at little people and getting aggressive around food which ended with us having to hand feed him for about 8 months. But eventually he grew out of his eating parts of the house, now he just eats anything food or trash .He doesn’t mind little people so much anymore just as long as they don’t try to play with him, and he now sits in front of his food bowl leaving great big puddles of drool until he is told he is allowed to eat. Oh how he has grown
One question that people always ask us is,”Where did that name Washer come from?” Truth is, it was kind of joke. We had had him for a few days and hadn’t named him by the time we went to my Dads house on Christmas. Sitting around with my family, we came up with all sorts of stupid and inappropriate names. At one point appliances were named off and I guess the name Washer just kind of stuck out. We had planned on changing it right away, but as you can see, we still haven’t gotten around to that.
Anyway, Washer has had the same leash for about 7 years. (His first 2 years he ate a few) That’s a long time for a leash, especially if you think of all the times that it has been dragged through the mud, pulled into the lake, or my favorite, peed on. Yup, his current leash is ripe and it’s about time we made the old man a new one.(Ok, its more for us, but he seriously has been peeing on it a lot lately and I am not a fan of handling a pee soaked leash)
1 custom sized leash. Super simple and cheapy cheap.
What you will need is….
- 6-7 feet of 3/8 rope(or however long you want it)
- two 3/8 inch rope clamps(1 package comes with 2)
- carabiner
- scissors
- hammer
- lighter
- measuring tape if you want exact measurements(it’s not necessary)
Note: You can get the rope, clamps and the carabiner at any hardware store, but I think the big ones like Home Depot or Lowes sell rope by the foot so you don’t have to buy a 50 ft piece…unless you want it.
First thing.Trim the ends of the rope nice and clean. Take the lighter and melt the nylon around the end of the rope so it will stop it from fraying…BE CAREFUL….And do it over the sink or somewhere with water…It’s not hard to do, I just don’t want anyone to burn themselves or the burn their house down.(not that I think you are going to)
Once the nylon is melted and no longer hot…Make a small loop and place rope into rope clamp. Make sure to leave the loop big enough for the carabiner to fit. Now hammer the clamp around the rope, I mean, really smack that thing We used a scrap piece of wood to hammer on… and I suggest you do the same.
For the handle, make a large loop, whatever size that works for you, and do the same hammer clamp situation on the ends here.
Pretty freaking simple….Thats it, you are done and now you have an awesome customized and pee free leash.
New and old. Hopefully he won’t pee on this one for a while.
Have a great weekend and l would love to hear from anyone that makes themselves a sweet ass new leash!
Have a great weekend!
-C
My motive for this drink…get rid of a few candy cane….. And maybe make a little kid happy, but that was just a bonus… I would have made him drink this even if he didn’t like it. (I am awful like that)
All you need is a cup of milk(cow, soy, rice..whatever) a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a tiny pinch of salt and a candy cane. We don’t need to add any extra sugar because the candy cane is sugar. 
Stick all ingredients into a pot on medium heat and whisk until the candy cane is melted and the milk is as hot as you like it.
It you want(we did) top with a dollop of whipped cream(or whipped coconut cream) and sprinkle with a little more crushed candy cane…..Best served after a long afternoon of playing in the snow!
It’s kind of turned into a Nick birthday tradition for us to hike up Mount Philo. We started with a couple inches of snow and a little freezing rain at the bottom of the trail and ended at the summit hiking in a foot of snow. So beautiful. 
Our Christmas tree tradition. Every year after we cut our tree down, we string up the lights, pop a giant bowl of popcorn and string it up for the tree while watching Elf. I look forward to this night for weeks. We started stringing popcorn too many years ago when we were living in our first apartment. We didn’t have any ornaments or money so we just did popcorn. Then we added Elf to the tradition. How can it get better? It’s really the highlight of the season. 
The tree…….minus the ornaments. I am still up in the air about putting anything else on it this year, I love the way it looks now.
The Chelsea Market in NYC was really fun. Its located in such a sweet building with a bunch of neat little shops. We made our way there for the Etsy craft fair which was really cool. We even made it early enough for the door prizes! And just look at these light! By far the best light display I have seen this year.
Nick and I always joke about getting a bike with a side car…..I think it was meant to be.
Waking up earlier then everyone else and hitting the streets. Walking around the lower east side at 6 am on a saturday is really fascinating. The streets were almost complexity empty and there was less of a hurry hurry energy. I got to see the sun coming up. 
A bowl of delicious grapes. Can make anyone happy, right.
Made from necessity, a seat near the door to sit and remove shoes, store winter stuff and doesn’t look like I threw a bunch of milk crates together..I threw them together and added a nice blanket, I’m classy like that. I do love a good milk crate…there has always been something so satisfying to me about a free plastic receptacle that has a world of uses. These three crates and some scrap wood have changed my entire living situation. The entryway of our 200 sq ft loft is now super functional, looks fantastic, and makes me happy. .All from a the scrape pile. 
It’s not what you think…we have a barn that is pretty much dedicated to scrap wood and some other building material that has come from buildings we have worked on. This picture does not do our scrap wood(and junk) pile any justice. It is pretty crazy, and drives me nuts. I don’t know how many times I have threatened a 30 yard dumpster, but you know what? When Nick or I are in need of some wood, we always find ourselves rummaging through the pile and can almost always find a piece of what we are looking for. The pile somehow always redeems itself, for that reason it still lives on(for now). Being that you as a sane person, you probably don’t have a barn full of scrap wood(and junk), so what you will need for this project is..
Three milk crates..What I found was that there are some milk crates that are not the same size so make sure that you have three that are the same. These crates are 13x13x11.
Measure and cut ply wood. The top and a bottom are the same measurements…Here comes some math…. three milk crates that are 13 inches long = 39 inches. One crate deep is 13 inches. . Cut two pieces 39.5 inches by 13 inches. (The extra 1/2 inch is so the crates can move in and out easier)
Now measure and cut sides. Two pieces at 13×13.The crates are 11 inches high, but you need to add the extra 1.5 inches because of the thickness of the plywood. If your milk crates are a different height, use that measurement plus 1.5 inches.
I caught that piece of wood he is throwing at me. Ok, not really, but I could have. Here Nick is cutting four 10 inch pieces of 2×4 for the legs. We decided on 10 inch legs because we wanted a bench that was a little taller than the average chair, which is about 18 inches floor to seat. If you wanted to make the legs shorter or taller, by all means, I just wouldn’t go to much taller or you might not be able to sit conformably on it.
After you have all your legs cut, mark out where you want to place them. We did a one inch recessed from the front and the side…but do whatever looks best to you. Mark where the legs go and place two screws into inch leg, screwing from the inside of the bench. 
And thats it… ..now you have the frame. Take a minute here to admire your handy wood working skills. If you are not into the raw wood look, this would be the time to paint it.
With the crates inserted…Doesn’t it look magnificent! I choose these 3 crates for the colors and the patterns..I wish I has a grey crate that fit. That would have looked awesome.
Test one……….the crate slides out perfectly and my mittens fit!!
Now for the big test……….and it works!! My butt safely seated. My feet touch the ground and I can bend over and tie my shows… can’t get any better…
But it did. The addition of a folded blanket as a cushion. I was going to make a cushion but found a really pretty blanket at the second-hand store that was perfect. It was 2 bucks and is actually way more practical than a cushion. I can wash this blanket, a hand-made cushion, I probably wouldn’t want to mess with that, plus a piece of foam alone cost like 25 bucks. The blanket was meant to be.
Wowzers.. What was I thinking! I know, the same thing you are…YES YES YES!!! Gluten free what now.. My lovely sister is on that ban wagon. She has been having”issues” lately(so many, it’s hard to pin point) and says she is feeling better without the gluten. Me being the lovely person that I am want to feed my poor sister, make her happy with food. I HAD to prepare that lady a dinner and it had to be pizza cause I know how much she likes her pizza. So I brain storm. What would be a good gluten-free pizza crust? I could do the obvious and get gluten-free flour, but to be honest, that’s some expensive stuff and I really didn’t feel like going to the store. I wanted to work with what I had in the house….and ah ha, there it is, cornmeal.. With a little bit of water I can turn that into some polenta and a super gluten-free pizza crust.
There really isn’t a whole lot of ingredients to this pizza… Cornmeal for the polenta. Marinara sauce….I used jarred marinara because it was a little easier and we don’t always need to make things from scratch…Lots of onions(2 finely sliced), handful of sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced squash and parmesan cheese. Most of the prep takes place at the same time, but that’s good, we can multi task, just have everything pre chopped and ready to go. First thing first, start the polenta
On a well oiled baking sheet or pizza sheet..spread the polenta into the shape of your desire. I went with a somewhat circular shape, but now that I think of it, I wish I had been more creative, like maybe a triangle or even the shape of a bus….Yeah, a bus shaped pizza would have been cool.
You can do this pre crust or at the same time, but roast your sliced squash. Place single layers squash on an oiled pan, salt and pepper, then into the oven. It should take 10 minutes on each side.
I Sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese and pile on those onions and mushrooms,. Sprinkle with a little more cheese. ( use vegan cheese or no cheese if you want it vegan) Back into the oven for another 15 minutes to give everything some time to crisp and melt. 
Remove from oven and appreciate…That is one good looking pizza. I took a long spatial and run under the crust just to make sure if wasn’t stuck. I also found that if you let it cool for a few minutes before serving, the polenta gets a little stiffer and easier to handle, but not necessary.
Sometimes, no matter whats going on with the week, Monday seems like, well, like a Monday. I drag a little on Mondays. I think it stems from the Monday through Friday school week that was beaten into me for 16 plus years. Hate Mondays, Love Fridays.. Yup, I blame the public educational system(I have to blame someone) I want my day back. I don’t want to feel the drag today. I am going to have a fantastic day. I’m getting excited, pumped up and ready for the week. I am turning my Mondays into fun days. Funday Monday…Yes, yes I did just say that. . See, don’t we all feel better already?
One large rutabaga… This one fed 2 as a side… but if your eating just the fries, eat a whole one to your face. It’s totally cool.
Chop the rutabaga into fries and toss with a smidge of oil, salt, pepper and ground up rosemary. Don’t like the rosemary… don’t use it. Maybe try something else like sage or garlic and onion powder or curry powder. Just use whatever you like. Throw into a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, give them a flip and back in for another 15, Simple. Easy.
Persimmons.,,,,,,,,,,,. Do I need to say more?
This new tea… I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but oh do I. It’s so freaking good, I have been drinking it every day. I must stock up before its gone!
Look at how happy this guy is. Its hunting season and we forgot his bright colors so we improvised. Yellow trash bag ribbons. His new nickname is now Trash dog. It fits him.
Watching this little. She is an amazing human being and I love love love her.. I think she might be mine. She really likes soup..
My elf candle holders I got from CB2. I wanted them so bad for years and finally the last year they sold them I bought myself these guys. I heart them
Oh you like my new milk crate show bench? Its awesome,, one of the best uses of scrap wood and milk crate that I have ever done(Yes there has been other scape wood milk crate projects) Well you are in luck..I will show you how to made it.. watch for it next week!
I love old strainers. I kind of have a thing for them. This big guy is now in my collection. Bonus, green AND purple kale….
Hanging out with my sister. I haven’t seen her for what seems like the past 4 months(she is in nursing school). This was her last day of classes so we cleaned her house, folded laundry while listening to music and I made her dinner.We wrapped up the night by mass texting our other sisters inappropriate pictures of the elf on the shelf. It got pretty crazy. It was such a great night. I love my sisters.
I don’t know what got into my head today, but I was hell bent on making blondes. I was already committed to make cupcakes with the help of a little little, but, not going to lie, the cake was coming from a box. It wasn’t going to satisfy my baking itch. You see, it’s the misters birthday this week and tonight was the family B-day dinner. My family consists of a whole lot of people, and half of them are 13 and under. So instead of busting my butt baking an amazing 4 tiered strawberry chocolate cream cheese cake for kids who won’t even try it(that was last week, the cake came out fantastic and everyone but the birthday girl ate it. But maybe a 2 year old doesn’t need to like strawberry cake) I decided that I was going boxed and low and behold, they loved Hey, sometimes you gots to make the people happy. But I really wanted to do something else, something a little more special, something for the more mature pallet……..banana brown butter blondes…..Oh yea, I did and I did.
Not a heck of a lot of ingredients. Flour, sugar, banana, butter, egg and vanilla. I always forget something in my ingredient line up pics. Today it was the cinnamon, but thats ok, its optional anyway.
Start with browning the butter… lots of lovely little bits. Smells super nutty.. You want to do it first so it can cool a little before using.
Cooled butter mixed with the brown sugar.(I might have jumped the gun a bit and hit was still slightly warm) Make sure when you add the butter you add all the little flavor bits. Mix or beat it up. then add the vanilla and egg.
Now mash up and mix in the nanaers. Swirl it in, just like that. Now is a good time to add a little cinnamon… but don’t add it if your don’t want too. 
I don’t know how I ended up using like five different mixing instruments for this little batch of brownies, but I did, and I definitely trashed the kitchen. First off, I was at my sisters and I don’t know where she puts all of stuff.(She doesn’t either) Secondly, I was also making cupcakes and garlic bread, pasta, and salad at the same time…so maybe that all made me a little more messy than usual…..Whatever. its ok, I cleaned it up. Anyway, above you see me using an electrical beater to mix in flour. I used the beater for the cupcakes and then started used it in the brownies..It was fine, I used low speed for just a sec but I would recommend to just stir in the flour..Try not to overwork the batter.
Ready for the pan…..Its a bit thick, which is good. Your going to have to scoop it more than pout it. Make sure to spread it evenly in pan and not just plop it in and stick it into the oven. 
Aaaahhh, so darn pretty.
And cut into little squares..I love the casserole dish in this picture.… my sister might not ever get it back. 
To add a little something something, I went and added a small smear of Nutella on half the batch……I think it was a good idea.
Happy Hanukkah!!! Today is the first day of the festival of lights and I wanted to send a little love towards those who celebrate it.
I didn’t actually use all the potatoes in the picture, but I wish I did. There was the perfect amount for dinner for two people, but I wanted to make a few extra for left overs….there were none. Oh well.
I did a matchstick dice for the apples.. I didn’t want the apples to be to chunky and I didn’t want them to turn into sauce so the match stick worked well. After I diced the apples, I squeezed a little lemon over the top to keep the apple from turning brown.
I start grating the potatoes and onion, and whoa! Imagine my surprise when one of the potatoes was purple… I got pretty excited.The color is so beautiful. and made the latkes look so nice…It was meant to be.
Super squeeze the juices out of the grated potato and onion. If you don’t get most of the liquid out, the potato won’t crisp up and will fall apart and be and it will be gross. So SQUEEZE!
Add in the egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix it on up. Did I mention that I was making these for the mister and the GF sister..No flour, just cornstarch. I think they might have come out even better without the flour…so yeah, these babies are gluten-free.
Your mixture is going to start to get a little watery again. Its cool, just squeeze it out with your hands and smash into patties.
Enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan on medium heat. Test the oil to make sure its hot enough before sticking the latke n the pan. To test, sprinkle water in pan, if it sizzles, its ready.Working in batches, fry each latke on each side for around 5 minutes..you don’t want to cook to fast or the inside of the latkes will be raw. I always do a tester and feed it to nick. He’s my guinea pig….He said they were awesome..
With every batch made, stick on a wire rack and keep in the oven to stay warm. The rack keeps the bottom from getting soggy on the pan… so use it. 
Roasted apples are the BOMB!!! Its like eating apple sauce sticks or little bites of heaven(A bit dramatic, but these are so good) I roasted mine for 20 minutes, until they were nice and soft but not completely failing apart. If you are into it, add a touch of cinnamon…I did’t this time, but you bet I am going to be making myself a big ol bowl of roasted apples this week, and yes, I will top with cinnamon. 
A bowl of apple slaw, sour cream and lemon wedges….I put the latkes on a nice little pile of greens. A very good idea. A dinner worth celebrating! 
I also served the latkes with roasted chickpeas and cailflower…for more of a meal…( Mini recipe… Cauilfower and chick peas drizzled in olive oil, tossed in salt pepper and garlic, roasted 30 minutes and topped with lemon) A little added veggie and protein….I am looking out for you people.
There we have it…my variation on a traditional food. Enjoy your fried pancakes of potato and onion, they are a food worth a celebration.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles — The Lovely Crazy
February 13, 2016 by maximios • Blog
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Pretzels go into the food processor and pulsed until a mostly fine crumbly crumble. Now in goes the big ol scoop of peanut butter. Pulse until mixture comes together
Go ahead and take a bite……so good right?..Start turning the mixtures into small balls..think grape sized.
That’s it…Imperfect little perfect candy nugget truffle thingys….I sprinkled the tops with colored sugar.. you know, for a little holiday fun.. 3 simple ingredients( oil doesn’t count).. and 10 minutes of hands on time…can’t get much better then that.
Ingredients
Pretzels go into food processor and pulse until a fine mealy constancy.. Add peanut butter and pulse until combined and is easily handled. Add a bit more peanut butter if the mixture seems to dry or another pretzel if mixture is too loose.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Roll mixture into small grape sized balls. Pace in the fridge or freezer for 1/2 hour.
After the balls have chilled, place chocolate chips and coconut oil into a double boiler and heat until chocolate is fully melted. Place balls 2-3 at a time into melted chocolate, roll around to completely coat, then transfer back onto wax paper. Once all balls are chocolate coated, sprinkle with something( if you want) and place back in fridge to set up.
Share(if you feel like it) and Enjoy!!!