tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46168065557344941422024-02-20T21:19:14.300-05:00It's Raining Crafts & DogsA personal blog of DIY, crafts, dogs, recipes, camping, kayaking, and life...Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.comBlogger673125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-52276730938846133342016-05-11T16:47:00.001-04:002017-10-30T10:16:09.990-04:00New Site Location
I have moved my personal blog to it's own domain at http://www.rainingcraftsanddogs.com. Please follow me and the pups to our new home on the web! :)
Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-77501717118821026342016-03-22T11:34:00.000-04:002016-03-22T11:43:35.028-04:00Kayaking with the ManateesIn February Jason and I took a wonderfully relaxing two-week vacation. We got to do many exciting things between our week in South Carolina and our week in Florida, but kayaking with the manatees was one of the highlights of the trip. (I'll post more about the rest of the trip later).
We went to Crystal River with my mom and our Florida friend, Beth. We each rented single kayaks fromRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Crystal River, FL, USA28.902479 -82.5926011999999928.8468755 -82.673282199999989 28.9580825 -82.511920199999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-19926799478073741522016-02-08T10:45:00.000-05:002016-02-08T11:24:27.645-05:00Mongrel Snowflakes!
Mongrel snowflakes! #winter #snow #kentucky #giantsnowflakes #henrycounty #backyard
A video posted by Christy Mesker (@christymesker) on Feb 8, 2016 at 7:31am PST
Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-76731574096147530332015-11-05T10:50:00.001-05:002015-11-05T10:52:20.169-05:00Solo Fall KayakingTuesday late afternoon I took my first solo kayak outing at Lake Jericho. There was only one other kayaker on the lake and he was fishing. I think it was the most peaceful trip I've ever taken out there. It was nice to paddle around leisurely and watch the wildlife. I found that slow paddling and waiting and watching yields animals that don't even know or care that you are there.
A video Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Lake Jericho, Kentucky 40068, USA38.4368414 -85.280653938.4119649 -85.3209944 38.4617179 -85.2403134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-79611252589798068962015-10-05T10:03:00.000-04:002015-10-05T10:05:43.784-04:00Kayaking Shelby LakeYesterday was a gorgeous fall day in the mid 70's with the sun shining bright and a nice breeze blowing all day. Christina and I decided to try out a new kayaking spot in Shelbyville, Ky called Shelby Lake. It's a small 20 acre fishing lake in a Clear Creek Park with a tiny campground, volleyball nets, hiking trails and lots of wooded areas with picnic tables to hike or boat to and Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Shelbyville, KY 40065, USA38.2120144 -85.22356660000002638.1121874 -85.384928100000025 38.3118414 -85.062205100000028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-91497050455861544892015-09-28T13:39:00.002-04:002015-09-29T09:40:01.195-04:00Casey County Apple Festival
Saturday I traveled with my Mom and Aunt Cindy to Liberty, Kentucky to pick up my Mama Rosie and go to the Casey County Apple Festival. I had never been to this one before, I do love festivals, and it did not disappoint! It was small, but had a lot of different vendors, tons of food, and the main attraction - the biggest apple pie I have ever seen in my entire life!
Pie Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Liberty, KY 42539, USA37.3184064 -84.93939790000001737.2678924 -85.020078900000016 37.3689204 -84.858716900000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-2979608986575507532015-08-21T16:19:00.000-04:002015-08-21T16:24:15.289-04:00Pantry Door Updates
I continued the rubbed oil bronze updates with our mirrored pantry doors that are off to the side of our living area of the main floor. We removed the doors and the top trim piece so we could take them outside to paint. I then taped newspaper over the mirrors. Since these doors get used multiple times on a daily basis we primed and sealed them as well.
Before painting the doors, I Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-26054455748943424892015-08-10T15:50:00.003-04:002015-08-10T15:54:42.042-04:00Kayaking Floyds Fork at The ParklandsThis past weekend we tried some moving water kayaking at The Parklands of Floyds Fork. We put in at Creekside and paddled to the Fisherville takeout. The water, running at 94 CFS, was up just enough for us to do a four mile run without having to walk the kayaks over low areas along the way. We did get stuck a few times but were able to scoot ourselves over the shallow areas enough to keep Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Beckley Creek Parkway, Louisville, KY 40245, USA38.2082757 -85.47462329999996238.1833222 -85.514963799999961 38.233229200000004 -85.434282799999963tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-81090902721663751832015-07-13T10:48:00.000-04:002015-07-13T10:48:01.382-04:00Kayaking Guist Creek LakeYesterday we decided to try out a new kayaking location with the McDowell's in Shelbyville, Ky called Guist Creek Lake. It is a 317 acre lake primarily used for fishing, but it also has a water skiing area to the left of the marina and a great kayaking area to the right of the marina, all in a no wake zone. There is also a campground and Jon boat rentals.
We got a later start than weRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Guist Creek Lake, Kentucky, USA38.2082374 -85.153769738.1583364 -85.2344507 38.2581384 -85.0730887tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-33433088791219672312015-07-08T16:15:00.002-04:002015-10-06T13:02:32.351-04:00Riceless Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Ingredients:
1 Pound of Ground Beef
2 - 4 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
24 oz Spaghetti Sauce
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1.5 cups of Mozzarella Cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F
Cook beef in skillet until almost browned; drain beef.
Place beef back in pan and add chopped peppers, onion powder,Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-59076448430913368882015-07-08T13:40:00.001-04:002015-10-01T10:25:54.092-04:00Couch to 5KThis week I decided it was time to try a new fitness routine since I can't seem to stay motivated with anything else (aside from kayaking, but that's more leisure paddling than a workout). I've always wanted to run, but the times I've tried I've not done well because I didn't pace myself and ended up with aching knees. (I have a bad knee that generally gives me fits).
So as the Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-43801975426162587052015-06-22T12:03:00.000-04:002015-07-17T09:48:46.136-04:00Father's Day PaddlingWe spent another hour at Lake Jericho with the kayaks on Father's Day. This was our second trip out and we both did much better than the first time out. We are quickly adjusting to the Sea Eagle kayaks. Before I loaded up any gear in mine I took it out and tried to tip it over just to see how much it really took to tip. I can tip it, but I have to try really, really hard to get it to Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Lake Jericho, Kentucky 40068, USA38.4368414 -85.280653938.4119649 -85.3209944 38.4617179 -85.2403134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-35888094188163647112015-06-17T15:29:00.000-04:002015-06-17T15:41:00.760-04:00Maiden Kayak VoyageI've been wanting to try kayaking for quite some time now and Jason got on board with me recently. Now that we are camping more, and usually near lakes, we decided to bite the bullet and give kayaking a try. At first we were looking at beginner hard shell kayaks. Wow, there are so many to choose from! From sit-ins to sit-ons, cheap to extremely expensive, recreational to touring. &Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Lake Jericho, Kentucky 40068, USA38.4368414 -85.280653938.4119649 -85.3209944 38.4617179 -85.2403134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-76871143509524799852015-06-12T15:21:00.000-04:002015-06-12T15:26:26.235-04:00Dale Hollow Lake Camping TripSee the entire Dale Hollow photo album
May 17 - 21, 2015 was our annual spring camping vacation. We had a group of five - Jason and me, Christina & Charlie, and Beth. This year we decided to go to Dale Hollow Lake in Burkesville, Ky since none of us had ever been before.
The day we left Charlie and Christina left a few hours before us. We met up with Beth so she could follow us Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Dale Hollow Lake State Park Road, Burkesville, KY 42717, USA36.6554306 -85.293978136.6299536 -85.3343186 36.680907600000005 -85.2536376tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-36967297642732552712015-06-08T10:29:00.003-04:002015-10-06T13:12:58.633-04:00Crock Pot Chicken Curry & VeggiesThis is a very delicious and easy low carb slow cooker recipe my husband throws together. It is not induction friendly due to the cream of chicken, but is fine for anything after the induction phase.
Ingredients:
6 - 8 Chicken Thighs or Breasts
1 package of Frozen Onion & Pepper mix
1 package of Frozen Broccoli
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/2 Tbs of Curry Powder (or to taste)
Black Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-16941419727705223102015-04-21T15:30:00.000-04:002015-05-07T14:59:49.163-04:00Camping at Big Bone Lick State ParkThis past weekend Jason and I went camping at Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Kentucky. This was our first trip out with the new (to us) Ameri-Camp fifth wheel camper and our first trip out for 2015.
We had perfect weather and had three RV sites with four other friends - Christina, Charlie, Beth and Lydia. Beth had her new rig out for the first time and Lydia came for a night Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0Big Bone Lick State Park, 3380 Beaver Road, Union, KY 41091, USA38.8829555 -84.74983709999997938.858235 -84.790177599999978 38.907676 -84.70949659999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-56520043487251824572015-03-09T15:03:00.001-04:002015-03-09T15:04:20.840-04:00Winter WildlifeIt's been a while since I've posted some photos of our local backyard wildlife (or front yard as it generally is around here).
This little opossum was scrounging around the bird feeder and eating up the sweet potato fries we had thrown out for the birds. The birds didn't touch them, but he located all of them, even the ones still under the snow, and had a nice little meal. I felt badRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-17418226161790505942015-03-09T14:42:00.001-04:002015-03-09T14:42:41.592-04:00Girly Prize Pack
My latest Internet win - an awesome girly prize pack from a Facebook group I'm in. This one was a random drawing for helping another member become an Uber Brand ambassador and I happened to win the draw. The prize pack includes three varieties of Herbal Essences shampoo, three varieties of Lady Speed Stick deoderant, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of earrings, and a necklace. Yay me!Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-67169769595702970842015-03-04T13:32:00.001-05:002015-03-05T08:34:22.494-05:00March SnowIt's been almost 2 weeks since we've seen the ground due to about 6" of snowfall and frigid temperatures ever since. This has been the view from the front porch for the last couple of weeks.
Yesterday got to a balmy 59 degrees and we got a couple of inches of rain, which melted most of the snow off and started quite a bit of flooding in certain areas. Our pond is about to overflow. It was kindRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-62520652969010782292015-02-13T09:53:00.001-05:002015-02-18T10:07:09.066-05:00Zep Commercial Cleaner Prize Pack
Yesterday I received a prize pack from Zep Commercial Cleaners that I won last month. I received a heavy duty degreaser cleaner that works great for cleaning stovetops, sinks and anything else that gets extra grimy. They also sent their new microwave cleaner. Today is Friday, which is cleaning day for me, so I'll be giving it a whirl today. And they also threw in a bonusRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-24469762210101563552015-01-01T09:58:00.000-05:002015-02-11T14:21:39.797-05:00Bakeware Set
This is a fantastic Bakeware set I won back in November from Kitchen Daily. It arrived on New Year's Eve in perfect timing to cook up some yummy food for a small get together. I won it from a contest entry form on one of their blog posts. This was one of the first of many prizes I've won online and I thought I might start documenting some of them here to give a shout out to the folks Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-78936883333861267832014-12-29T05:54:00.000-05:002015-01-21T15:43:59.023-05:00More Charity BearsI made three more Charity Bears to give out to my girlfriends for the big University of Louisville vs University of Kentucky basketball game over the weekend. I think they turned out so cute! Now I just need to make a UofL bear for myself!
Making these bears has been a great way to get me some extra practice in on the machine and working with curves. These were made with team themed fleece I Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-3129575946743047702014-12-23T07:08:00.000-05:002015-01-28T10:51:14.304-05:00"Hear Doggy" Dog ToyThis week my pups were lucky enough to receive a Hear Doggy "squeaky" toy...but the beauty is, they hear the squeak and we don't! At first I wasn't sure how well that would work, but sure enough when we squeak the toy we just hear a poof of air, but they tilt their heads like something very interesting is going on! We owe thanks to Go Pet Friendly for giving us the opportunity to try out the HearRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-73560306648526134012014-12-09T07:51:00.000-05:002015-03-05T19:33:19.777-05:00Sewing a Charity Bear
Today I sewed my first stuffy, which will be a Christmas gift for Laila, my one year old granddaughter. I needed something simple for my first stuffy attempt, so I opted for the free Charity Bear pattern by Shiny Happy World.
Laila loves soft fleece so I cut the main body pieces from a tan fleece blanket I had laying around the house but never use. I used lavender felt for theRaining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4616806555734494142.post-44511147925428313782014-12-04T06:08:00.000-05:002015-01-21T16:10:48.988-05:00Our New Camping RigYesterday we finally got to pick up our new fifth wheel camper we purchased before the Thanksgiving holiday. We had to wait to bring it home until we were able to get the fifth wheel hitch installed in Big Nasty (our Ford F-350). So now it's home and in the driveway waiting to be leveled so I can start stocking it up for our spring camping adventures!
Here she is just after getting the hitch Raining Crafts & Dogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399199872554161802noreply@blogger.com0