It just keeps on giving

Ever since I got the shredder (which I had convinced Ryan we needed, for privacy and those weirdos who go through your garbage) I've been sort of annoyed at where it has ended up. I had it on the small shelf under the old desk. Tucked back in there covered in dust, and unplugged half the time, I never used it to it's whole potential. So when I was planning out my new desk configuration, I decided my shredder needed to be on a platform with casters so I could easily pull it out and use it.

Enter the old desk.

Ryan cut a rectangle piece out of the back leg supports. I made him spray paint it black though. Unlike the dog dish holder. 

We bought some small casters at the store.

Ryan attached them in all corners. I meant to do this part myself. I even mentioned it in front of my mom and Ryan that I had meant to do it that day but hadn't got around to it. I swear it wasn't a ploy to get Ryan to get on it and attach them, but by the time Mom left, he had them on.

Voila! A platform.

I'm debating adding a handle to it. I might just add a small rope one. We will see how much it gets pulled out first though!

Today also marks the first time in a year that my child tax gets to go straight into the account and not towards paying for the deck.  I'm debating celebrating by spending it on booze and gas.  That's not too redneck of a thing to do is it??! 

Windy Weekend

Wow, it was a windy weekend.  Sure makes it hard to get things done outside when you feel like you're going to blow away.  We spent part of the weekend outside, cleaning up and mowing the lawn.  Funny how your lawn looks so much better after the long winter just by mowing once.

I have a few ideas brewing in my head of things I still want to build or make this week. They were supposed to get done this weekend but it sort of disappeared on me, and I'm not sure what I really did.  Let's face it, you all know it was Ryan who mowed the lawn!

One item we decided we needed outside was a water dish for the dog.  I didn't want to just use an old plastic pail.  I know Rodeo, he'll get bored and eat it or it will blow away! We decided it should probably be metal and I'm cheap and didn't want to buy a 'special' dog dish.  Also, we figured it probably needed to be attached to the fence so it didn't just get tipped over and defeat the point of having a water dish outside.

So, with a dollar store metal bowl in hand and a half baked idea, we set out to make a dog dish holder that we could attach to the fence. We still had leftover pieces of the old desk hanging around, (surprise, surprise, I know) so we decided to re-use the back corner as the wood holder.

Ryan cut a hole in it, siliconed in the metal bowl, used some scrap wood we had laying around and attached it to the fence by the BBQ.

It ain't pretty.  In fact I told Ryan that maybe we should have painted it.  I mean that lovely orange cherry color from the '00's doesn't really match the fence.  *ahem*  And then I came back down to reality and acknowledged that it was just a crappy piece of board, we'll be happy if the whole idea works for this summer, Rodeo actually uses it AND it doesn't completely fall apart through many rain storms.

That, and Ryan already had it attached to the fence and looked at me as if I had lost my mind that I maybe wanted to take it off and paint it.

Up next, out of the old desk, a platform on casters for my shredder.  Also, I have this crazy idea involving towels, kids and these: