Upcycling during COVID_19 quarantine

I’ve been working from home since March 12, 2020 due to the coronavirus. I’m finally getting into project mode! Several months ago I purchased the pillow stuffing (or fluff, as I like to call it) to fix up a pet bed that had seen better days. The blue flannel pet bed has been a favorite among our furry family for several years. It had become quite flat, with a seam coming loose at one end.

For months, I’ve been looking at the bag of fluff and the deflated pet bed that had seen better days

Today, I finally got around to fixing it up! I sat outside in the sunshine and stuffed it full of new pillow stuffing. I don’t own a sewing machine so I just hand-stitched the opening.

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  deflated pet bed

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  pet bed looking very small when rolled up

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  working in the back yard

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  all fluffed up again

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  barely able to get the straps around it now when rolled up

It’s now full and fluffy again ready to provide a cozy sleeping spot for our cats and dogs for a few more years.

I’m including a couple of before and after photos. Maybe I’ll get around to putting new buttons on that work blouse that’s also been waiting for a touch up? What projects are you working on now that you’re home?

Living in Broken America

By Cindy Robinson

The United States of America is broken. We live in a country that is failing its citizens. Growing up I learned about the different political parties representing our country, that each has its own ideals based on their moral beliefs. We learned the purpose of having a fairly equal representation of those parties in our governing offices is to work together, to compromise on issues affecting our country and its citizens – things like healthcare, wages, housing, and protecting our population.

However, our political parties of today have long forgotten the art of compromise, their primary goal is only to further their own agendas and keep the pockets of those already rolling in wealth well lined. Our parties no longer work together to help the American people. They merely work against the opposing party to prevent any positive change for the American people without any regard for the impact these decisions will have on Americans.

An article recently posted on PBS.org pictures hunger in America, showcasing how a variety of families survive on their meager earnings and the small amount of government assistance each receives.  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/picturing-hunger-in-america/#the-rundown . The article also highlights how those in need spend endless hours waiting to get any assistance they are applying for. How is an unemployed person supposed to effectively search for a job that will sustain them when they spend half of one day waiting to turn in paperwork to apply for food stamps only to be told they need to wait further to actually receive the aid if they are approved? Then that person spends the better part of another day waiting to turn in paperwork for the next type of assistance they may be applying for.

Back in December Congress voted to end the extension of unemployment benefits for more than one million Americans. The rug was instantly pulled out from under anyone on unemployment. Instead of receiving a bi-weekly unemployment claim, they were mailed a surprise letter indicating their claim had ended, even if they had money remaining on their claim. While I understand, and support one of the opinions behind this move – to get those off unemployment that are just milking the system, its overall effect has been to send more Americans into the system of applying for benefits, increasing the burden on our already overtaxed economy.

I am one of the more than one million Americans affected by this vote. I was laid off by my employer of nearly 8 years in 2013 when they decided to close their California office and move operations east. In addition to constantly applying for as many jobs in my field as possible, I have spent the better part of the last two months seeking assistance of every kind possible that I could locate with almost no results. I started with dialing 211, the United Way, which is supposed to be a collective listing of resources that a person in need can contact in their area. The people that answer the phones are woefully under trained. I called twice in fact and each time they looked up resources by my zip code and simply told me there wasn’t any rental assistance available in my area and they also weren’t helping with gas bills right now. They neglected to tell me that there is an entire list of resources available on my county website and that while some agencies are approved to offer rental assistance, they are out of funding right now and the same goes for utility bill assistance. I only discovered that these resources existed because I am a tech savvy person. What happens when an elderly person or anyone who isn’t tech savvy calls and receives the same answer? Does that person just give up because they were told there aren’t resources available?

While I am finally being called in to interview for some great companies in Southern California, those who are hiring are also being very thorough and going through long lists of applicants to decide who is right for the job. Long gone are the days when you’d interview and be hired on the spot or within a couple days, organizations are now taking weeks to make a decision.

During my research for great resources to help sustain my household during these challenging times, I entered a contest on 102.7 KIIS FM, Los Angeles hit radio station hoping to win a $1,000 prize. I discovered there is also a Ryan Seacrest Foundation and sent in my information to them. I never heard back from them, even though I provided information on the deadline I was facing.

I’ve reached the point where I am losing everything. The long list of resources who’s primary goal is listed as preventing homelessness don’t have any assistance to offer, decisions on jobs applied to are moving forward slowly so I am losing my rental home of six years.

I’m a college educated administrative professional with strong computer skills combined with great social media and freelance photography skills looking for a job in the Inland Empire area of Southern California along with a needing a new home that will accept me, a child, cats, dogs and an alligator lizard.

 It seems the only true assistance out there today is community, people helping people as our government and assistance organizations continue to fail us. Today’s headlines focused on the story of Shanesha Taylor in Arizona, a homeless mother of two, who left her young sons in the car while she went into a job interview. While I don’t condone leaving young children unattended, why aren’t there more readily available resources in this situation? How is she supposed to get a job and take care of her family if there isn’t child care to support her so she can go on an interview? Luckily for Shanesha, Amanda Bishop stepped in and set up a fundraising effort on youcaring.com and quickly raised $70,000 for the mother of two.   http://ktla.com/2014/04/01/homeless-mom-arrested-after-leaving-kids-in-car-during-job-interview/#axzz2xhHpgbUy She’s one of the lucky ones who had a kind stranger step in to help her during her time of need.

So I’m asking each one of you that read this to please help those in need around you, even if you don’t know them. We’re all battling something but if more of us work together, lives can be saved, lives can be improved. Be grateful for what you have and share your extras with those who need it.

 

 

Treasured Tails Canine Rescue Raising Funds for Medical Expenses

Please consider helping Treasured Tails Canine Rescue in Canyon Lake, CA raise funds for medical care for the dogs they have rescued from high kill animal shelters in Southern California. Click on either of the photos or the link below to reach the donation page.

Kanga AKA Little from Kern shelter, Bakersfield, Ca | Medical Expenses – YouCaring.com.

Rescue founder, Theresa, recently saved a 14 week old Chihuahua mix puppy from the Kern Shelter in Bakersfield, CA. He had been found abandoned in a yard suffering from severe demodex mange which has left his entire little body hairless, scabby and itchy which turned into a secondary skin infection due to its severity. Living in a shelter environment until his recent rescue also left little Kanga (as he’s now called) with severe kennel cough which has progressed into pneumonia.

Treasured Tails Canine Rescue is a non-profit, 501c3 all breed rescue in Southern California. They are volunteer/foster based. They are committed to providing the best care possible for this little dog and giving him a second chance at life. Your tax-deductible donation can help them achieve this goal.

Please stop by their Facebook page for the latest updates on the dogs they have rescued and the progress they make on their journey from scared shelter dogs into loving family pets. Treasured Tails Canine Rescue has other dogs currently available for adoption and Chihuahua mix puppies that will be available soon!

The rescue is also always in need of items such as: dog beds, dog food, chew toys (small and large breed), crates, puppy pads, blankets, dog clothing (for sick/emaciated dogs), Nutri Cal (Tomlyn from Petco), dog treats, and groomers who will donate their services for doggy makeovers.

 

FREE Cat Food Sample UK

Fluffy

Purina One, a Nestle company, currently has an offer open for a FREE can of their new Purina One wet cat food formula. This freebie is only open to residents of the United Kingdom. You can visit the Purina UK site here to sign up for the sample pack of wet or dry cat food. You will need to register for the site, or log in if you’re already a member there. I love getting these sample packs here in the USA because they usually include some nice high dollar coupons for future purchases.

We’d love to hear about any current sample promotions or links to great printable coupons that you’ve come across recently in the comments below.

 

Seeking Donations to Help Tiny the Dog Get Healthy Again

Tiny

Last night when we arrived home for our day at work and summer camp, my daughter and I found a tiny, tiny emaciated female Chihuahua sitting on the sidewalk in our front yard. She immediately came to me with very little hesitation, her pencil thin tail slightly wagging.

She is very thin and weighs about 3-4 pounds right now. She definitely needs to gain a few pounds to be at a healthy weight again. Naturally we scooped her up and took her inside. A busy residential street is no place for a tiny dog to be, let alone any lost creature.

We offered her a variety of pet food – dog kibble, canned dog food, Pupperoni treats, peanut butter and finally, after a lot of sniffing around she decided the kitty kibble was to her liking. She drank a ton of water too.

After that we gave her a quick bath to wash off the first layer of dirt & grime and gave her a doggy t-shirt to wear and a blanket to snuggle up with and placed her in our extra-large pet carrier for sleeping (since we weren’t sure of her tinkle habits or if she’s been housetrained).

Lately I think the “barking chain” has been telling dogs in need the lady in the white house will help you! If you aren’t familiar with the barking chain, it’s the string of dogs barking in Disney‘s 101 Dalmatians that helps Pongo & Purdy locate their puppies and find safe hideouts and transportation along their journey.

Tiny is very thin right now. She needs a trip to the Vet’s office to make sure she is otherwise healthy, she needs to be de-wormed, receive flea medication, receive her vaccinations and eventually get her spay surgery once she gains some weight. She is super friendly and gets along with everyone in the household.

Won’t you consider skipping your venti Starbucks or big lunch out today and donate a few dollars to Tiny so she can become a healthy, happy dog again? We are always happy to help critters in need as they have no voice of their own in this scary world of crazy humans that neglect, beat and abandon them. We can’t save them all, but with the help of generous donors during this difficult economy we can make a difference to the dog or cat that is no longer sleeping under a bush tonight or foraging for food in a garbage can. Your help is appreciated! Please remember to spay and neuter your pets.

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Happy Earth Day!

Susie

Happy Earth Day 2011! In what ways were you kind to our planet today? Are there things you do on a regular basis to help sustain our resources? Are there extra things you did today to honor our earth and promote being green to others?

We do our best to be green and engage in activities around the home that are better for us and better for our planet. We recycle like crazy, we ride our bikes all the time and walk a lot too. We take our own bags to the grocery store and I save run off water to use when watering the outside plants. As of the last month or so, our yard is feeding us a bit too as our orange trees have finally taken off this year and I’ve got more oranges than any one Mom knows what to do with!

As Earth Day draws to a close, I’m fairly stoked about how the day ended up. I live in an old house, a quirky place that is woefully not environmentally friendly. It bakes me in the summer and freezes me in the winter. I am a renter though, so I am also limited in the changes I can make. There has been one task, that regardless of whether it falls in my hands or those of my lackluster landlord that had to be taken care of – our fence in the backyard. I can’t even begin to accurately estimate how old it truly is, built sometime shortly after the ice age I believe. It isn’t safe in general, certainly not when my young daughter is out in the yard playing near it and most definitely not effective in keeping our little Chihuahua safely in the backyard.

It is so old that literally, over the winter months, when strong winds blew, various sections took turns falling. Over time my landlord did get them all standing again (oh the great joy of having to walk your own dog on a leash in your own back yard). However, standing is about all that was achieved. Many of the boards were so loose it was more like a gate than a fence and no repairs were done on other sections of the fence – only those areas that completely abandoned their upright positions.

One day on my way to work I noticed a neighbor was replacing most of their fence so I stopped by and asked if they had a plan for their old lumber. I said I’d be happy to take it off their hands if they didn’t need it. They happily gave me the pile of wooden fence slats. While they are old, many cracked & worn, they are far newer than the ones from the ice age which currently cross my backyard.

Recently I started working on the fence and got a little way into securing some boards when my drill ran out of juice. I went in search of the battery charger only to discover it was nowhere to be found. Suddenly a memory came back to me of the day I was sorting through old things in the garage and had stared at the Black & Decker charger with absolutely no recognition coming to light in my busy brain. Perplexed, I wondered to myself why on earth I had this charger because I didn’t recall having any Black & Decker products. I do believe I accidentally sent my drill charger to the Goodwill bin!

I wasn’t quite ready to part with my $30 to buy the replacement charger I found at Lowe’s and Home Depot. The entire new drill with battery charger only cost me $38 to begin with! I tried various other chargers around the house but none did the trick. Then I remembered I still had my old drill that no longer worked somewhere in the garage because I hadn’t found the best way to recycle it yet. I dug around and found it. Guess what? The charger for the old drill fits my new drill perfectly! Hallelujah!

Today was a day off from work for the Easter weekend. I decided it was fence day! I spent about three hours out in the backyard working on the fence today. I started with the best boards of the freebies I had received and fixed the worst areas. I dug mini trenches along the fence line and lightly pounded the boards into the ground a bit for extra support, then drilled screws into the boards to adhere them to the support beams. I didn’t have to take down the old fencing because my side is kind of the backside of the fence so now we have a dual layer of fencing.

After I had a fair amount of it done, I let our naughty little Chihuahua, Susie out back with me to test it out. Buddy our foster Chihuahua helped me much of the time because he isn’t set on escaping through the fence like my little she devil Susie coaxing you with her sad brown puppy eyes. Really, she is the sweetest little dog most of the time except when she tries to escape! She ran along the fence heading for those familiar openings and found they were no longer there! Ha ha ha, Mama wins again!

It was a fun project to work on and best of all it came together on Earth Day – the only thing I purchased was one small box of screws. I reused a neighbors old boards and I also reused many screws that had been in the old fencing on our property. I spent about $5 to repair my fence and make it safe for the dogs to run in the backyard!

Oh yeah, my dog is recycled too! She escaped euthanasia at the animal shelter because we couldn’t resist her sweet face. Recycled dogs are the best! Remember, adopt don’t shop when you are ready for a new furry family member. Your local shelter is overflowing with animals hoping to be your new best friend.

FREE Taco Bell taco; great coupons for Clorox and Greenies

Image via Wikipedia

Taco Bell is currently offering a FREE taco to customers who ‘like’ them on Facebook. Go to Taco Bell’s Facebook page, click ‘like’ and go to the ‘free taco’ tab to print your coupon!

Clorox is also offering a great deal via their Facebook page when you ‘like’ them as well. Go to the Clorox Facebook page, click ‘like’ and go to the “Clorox Home” tab, then click on the “Products & Offers” tab and scroll to the bottom to print your coupon for $1.00 off any size Clorox product. The travel size wipes often retail for about $1.00 so you may likely score a free product with this deal!

Greenies also has two great coupons going on their site for pet dental health month. Both offers can be found on their site here – one coupon is for $3.00 off the large-sized bag when you ‘like’ them on Facebook. The 2nd coupon is a great one they often have available, buy one get one free, any size single Greenies treat. Greenies are available for both cats & dogs and our pets love them! Finicky felines come running when they smell them and the dog chews them up in the blink of an eye. Best of all, they are supposed to be great for your pets teeth!

GREENIES® Offering Buy One Get One FREE Coupons

GREENIES® is once again offering their great buy one get one FREE coupons on their #1 vet recommended dental chew! These are available just about everywhere including PetsMart, Petco, Wal-Mart, Target and more. Just fill out the short form here, fill your printer with paper and make sure it’s ready to go, then hit print. Remember to hit your back button once or twice as the first one prints and you should be able to get a second coupon as well.

We have both a dog and cats in our home and they love GREENIES®! They entertain the dog for quite a while and even the finicky among our cats enjoy the bite size cat treats they offer.

Pass this on to your animal loving friends and remember, you can subscribe to future posts by leaving a comment below and checking the box to subscribe.

Hello world!

Photos & story by Cindy Robinson

Welcome to Life On The Scene! We’re getting set up in our new online home with a new name and we hope to bring you many exciting features in the future.

We love to cover events across a broad spectrum including the latest in music, photography and sold out concert coverage along with red carpet premieres, theater coverage, sporting events and everyday life happening around us.

Robert Downey Jr.

We are animal lovers too so expect us to post about some cute furry critters along the way! Some of us have kids, so we may post kid friendly ideas & features, money saving tips, and even where to find the latest deals & coupons to get all the things kids need & crave these days!

Do you have a tip? a suggestion? a great idea for us to write about? Please send it in! We’d love to hear your thoughts & opinions.

kitten

 

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