Around the house: The things I truly love

Having just gone through the process of packing up our entire house, moving it, then unpacking it… I’ve been thinking about the stuff we have. We cleared out so much in the packing process, then even more (“why did we keep this?”) in the unpacking process, so the stuff that made the cut is stuff that truly works or is just plain loved.

I get a lot of emails about past product reviews, asking if we still use this or how’s that holding up. Silly me. It never occurred to me to do a “where are they now” style post about past product reviews. Thank YOU guys for being so smart and prompting this post. I figured I’d address some Qs today, along with a couple new items that I adore! If I missed something, please let me know!

1. BarkBox: I got some Facebook messages asking if we still subscribed to BarkBox and is it worth it. The short answer: YES! We do, and I think it is. The long answer: Well, honestly, we had a series of mishaps with October, November, and December that all, thankfully, got resolved. I decided to tackle all those BarkBox customer service issues and include a review in a video. It was a comedy of errors: camera tipping over, Cooper barking, Newt biting Emmett’s ear, etc. And then I screwed up the file. Crud. I tried fixing it today to no avail, obviously, but if I DO get it fixed, I’ll be sure to post! In the meantime: If you want to subscribe, you can do so through my affiliate link, which also gets you 10% off. And here’s the hilarious cartoon for this month’s, which has long been Emmett’s philosophy…
   
2. The water fountains: I’ve done a couple reviews and giveaways of the PetSafe fountains (here and here). Those are old posts, and during our “trial” periods with both, there was some apprehension among various herd members. Recently, a friend asked for an update. Did they ever get used to them? Or did we go back to bowls? After a while, it was clear that Newt was drinking exclusively from the fountain and ignoring her water dish. The boys drank from whatever–dish or fountain–was closest. I wanted them to shift to fountains because we have very hard water, and our new house didn’t yet have a water softener. So, they didn’t get an option. We put one fountain downstairs and one upstairs, and they’ve been fine drinking solely from those. And I feel better that they’re drinking filtered water. That said, we did have to order a replacement motor for the Zen. It wasn’t an expensive part (~$15) and the fountain’s running just fine now.
3. Ruggable: This one hasn’t been on the blog yet, but I wanted to share it because I think it’s a smart buy for dog-loving homes! These guys sent me a sample for consideration of the gift guide, but as you know, the gift guide only features products that include giveaways. However, we had the sample, and our new house has kind of a weird set up. You come in through the garage, and the bedroom is right there on the left and the door to the backyard is straight ahead. Which means that the dogs frequently come in from outside–from walks through the garage or from playing in the back–and jump straight in our bed. It’s just what they do. So, the perfect spot for the Ruggable. It’s a rug in two parts: the non-slip base and the top that peels away. The top is flipped up in the corner in the pic below. Why? So you can toss it in the wash machine! And dryer! Seriously, a machine-washable rug! We desperately needed something like that for this spot in our hallway. It’s worked really well since we put it down in December. You can check it out here: Ruggable.
   
4. My growing pit bull “stuff” collection: I know I said I cut down on stuff. But… there’s one area (okay, two if you count books, but you can’t count books as “stuff”) that’s grown. Hehe! John bought me a Pittie Chicks sweatshirt for Christmas, and I loooove it! It fits well. It’s warm and cozy and flipping adorable. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on it, too. Love. Also, I know I’ve mentioned before that I’m a huge stationery/notebook geek. I started looking for handmade notebooks on Etsy, and I found Black Dog Bindery (hello!) and a custom breed notebook! I emailed and asked if she could do a pit-type, and she sent me a rendering of a pit. The dog had cropped ears, so I asked if she could do one without, and not only did she do it! She sent me BOTH! Swoon! (She has other super cute stuff, too, but who doesn’t want a custom breed-specific notebook?!?!) And, they’re Coop-approved!
   
5. The Honest Kitchen: Yep, Coop’s still on Brave, and it’s still working for his belly! {…knocks on wood…} He has had a couple tremors since my last tremor FAQ and update, so… I don’t know. I guess my bottom line is that the food is working for him, and he’s healthy. The tremors have diminished significantly. So, we’re happy.
6. Toys: It’s safe to assume that none of the toys I’ve ever reviewed are still whole. In fact, did you see my Instagram on the Tuffy Level 10? Four minutes. Sigh. Cooper’s got a pretty substantial carbon pawprint.

There you have it! Sort of my version of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” but with fewer cars!

I’m 100% positive I missed some questions, so please do ask away–or if you want more info on any of the above. I’m always happy to share, share, share!