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on my deck – late july 2016

by Kaylah Stroup July 27, 2016

It’s been about a month since my last plant update. See here. Without the photos to compare I don’t think I would realize just how much everything has grown! To be honest, I’ve kind of been ignoring them again. They get watered fairly regularly but for the most part I’ve just been letting them do their own thing… and it really seems to be working out for me. Not really much else to say, just wanted to share some photos of all my pretty babies!

In my post from last month I shared a very similar photo to the one above. It’s pretty awesome to see how much all those little guys have grown up in the last month. Sometimes propagation can seem like it takes forever and that nothing is happening but the difference between those two photos certainly proves otherwise.

How is your garden doing?
xoxo

See here for tips on propagating succulents.
To see more photos of my plant collection browse the “plants” tag or follow me on instagram. I recently started using the hashtag #kaylahheartsplants.
See my tips for house plants here, and tips for healthy succulents here.

Workman Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup July 25, 2016

Last weekend Jeff and I took a little trip to visit a waterfall that was around two hours away. The drive was fairly uneventful. Ohio is a wonderful state, there’s lots to see here but there is no denying that sometimes the drive from one area to the next is boooring. At least for someone who grew up on this side of the US.* Rolling fields surrounded us, and apart from gorgeous old farmhouses every so often there wasn’t much to look at. Shortly before the waterfall we passed a beautiful cemetery. I spotted a few old stones from the road but didn’t think too much of it.

After having so much fun hiking around the waterfall, we weren’t quite ready for our little adventure to be over yet. Jeff asked if there was anything else I wanted to do while we were out and I suggested swinging by the cemetery we had seen earlier. I figured there would at least be a geocache there (there totally is!) and that maybe, just maybe, I could snag a few photos.

I hopped out of the car, examined my surroundings, and apologized to Jeff. “I’m going to be a while. I just need to shoot this, and this, and this! Oh and that!” The cemetery was a lot older than what it appeared to be from the road. While it was no Mount Moriah, it was even slightly overgrown in spots. I was in love!

We wandered around the cemetery for a while, going our separate ways then joining up again to excitedly point out interesting headstone to each other. This beautiful, old cemetery seemed so randomly placed. Surrounded by fields, it was like none I had ever visited before. I did a little research when I got home but could find no extra information or anything out of the ordinary on this place. (I was hoping for ghost stories, obviously!)

There were a lot of instances in this cemetery where I was super excited about this or that but I think that finding the face above took the cake. Jeff and I were admiring two large headstones, both doing the mean lean. They were meticulously carved with beautiful detail but I didn’t even notice the face until Jeff pointed it out. While it’s no skull and cross bones (number one on my to find wishlist!) it’s incredibly awesome!

Every time I think to myself that I’ve already visited all the interesting cemeteries in my surrounding area I’m proven wrong.
xoxo

*Last year when we visited Phoenix the guy at the rental car place asked where we were from and upon hearing Ohio exclaimed how green and beautiful it was here. He was amazed by all the trees! We, on the other hand, were completely enthralled with Phoenix and it’s desert landscape!

It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup July 21, 2016

If you’ve been hanging around these parts for a while, you may recall how a few years ago I went through a spell where I was obsessed with mushrooms! I still think they’re really interesting and I point them out to anyone who will listen when I find them but I don’t really go out of my way to look for them anymore.

Since Jeff and I have been out chasing waterfalls, we’ve obviously been spending more time outside and in our parks. The weekend before last we took a two hour drive to Honey Run Falls. It was a nice little waterfall that I can imagine would have been just breathtaking after a big rain. We shot the falls, then hiked around the park. It ended up being an incredible spot with beautiful mossy ledges, as well as lots and lots of mushrooms! I honestly don’t remember the last time I enjoyed hiking around, and sweating so much. You guys, new Kaylah with a fitbit is a changed lady!

Anyway, we were on the hike back to the car, and I was already having the best day when I spotted a curious stump a few feet away. I could see it had something on it but presumed it was sawdust. As I approached I realized that “sawdust” was actually tons, and tons of little mushrooms. In all my mushroom hunting time I had never seen anything quite like this. It was nothing short of magical!

I’ve identified these as Xeromphalina kauffmanii which commonly grows on rotting wood, and in large clusters like this. They were orange in color but I really fell in love with these photos in
black and white. I feel like it gives them even more of an other
worldly appearance. I almost feel like it looks like something you might find underwater. Way rad, right?!

Xeromphalina kauffmanii, golden trumpets

xoxo

Klaus’ pup-iversary

by Kaylah Stroup July 20, 2016

a few days after adopting Klaus. July 2013.

Three years ago today I went to a tiny shelter I had driven past a million times before to look at some puppies I had seen photos of on Craigslist. After spending the fourth of July weekend at my parents I had fallen even more deeply in love with their dog, and decided I needed one of my own. After that weekend but before this trip to the shelter I had met with one other dog who within the first few minutes home proved that maybe she wasn’t really as “cat friendly” as her foster mom had said. It broke my heart to take her back but it’s a decision I still feel confident in today. She clearly wasn’t the one. My cats were my biggest priority, they came first. I had to make sure they were safe so I decided the only route to go was to get a puppy.

The shelter was advertising a litter of puppies who were only recently old enough to be without their momma. Beautiful, tiny, brindle babies all with names starting with the letter “D”. I fell in love the second I saw him. Dylan. He was the sweetest little sleeping angel, all curled up in the corner of the crate while his siblings crawled on around and on top of him. I held him, and I was officially done for. I was his. He was coming home with me! He obviously needed a new name, one I stole from The Life Aquatic, but otherwise he was perfect. Three years later this big puppy still makes me smile about fifty billion times per day.

Klaus. What to say about Klaus? Well, he’s a baby. A giant baby. He has a sensitive stomach which has sent us to the vet more than once, he sneezes at nearly every smell (sunscreen, hairspray, spicy food, etc), and sometimes even gets little rashes from laying in the grass too long. He’s also a giant baby in sense that there is no place he’d rather be than snuggled up to his humans. Errr, I mean, between his humans. He loves being held, and if you sit down around him he’s probably going to try to wiggle his way into your lap.

Klaus looooves squeaky tennis balls, not quite as much as he loves Jeff, but very close. He’s recently started sleeping in the bedroom with me at night. If I’m alone he sleeps in bed, but if Jeff is there he has to sleep on the floor because he is totally bed hog and there simply isn’t enough room. We need a California King! When he’s not allowed on the bed he’ll just stand at end of it with his chin resting on the edge, giving you puppy dog eyes, until he’s invited up. He definitely knows how to work his cuteness – no doubt about it! He thinks showing his belly is the answer to anything I say no to or anytime I ask him to go to his crate. Sometimes it totally is the answer. I love petting that belly.

Sometimes he drives me crazy, like by barking at strangers, and I start to think “maybe I am just a cat lady…” but I can’t imagine life without Klaus. The company he provides me is immeasurable. I don’t know if I would have been able to handle the last two years of living alone without him by my side. I treasure our walks around the neighborhood together, and I feel safe with him.* He always seems to know exactly when I need him.

still loves sitting on Grandma’s lap!

Here’s to many more years with my smelly bed hog of a puppy! Sometimes you drive me nuts but I love you dearly.
xoxo

*Can I tell you my favorite story about feeling safe with Klaus? Okay, so, I’m walking him in my own backyard which should be safe but my neighbors always have strange folks coming and going all day long. A dude pulls up, gets out of his car and starts “Eyyyy baby! You look fine. I like them tats!” I force a strained smile and says “Thanks!” Klaus is just watching him. The guy follows with “You got a man?” Before I can even say a word Klaus loses it. He might be a big baby but that boy has a BARK. Visibly frightened by my big scary pup (hah!) the dude apologized and left. I don’t necessarily feel like I was in danger but dang it, I hate when dudes ask if I “have a man”. Klaus told him!

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Lake Erie cairns

by Kaylah Stroup July 18, 2016

Are you guys familiar with cairns? A cairn is literally just a human made pile of rocks. Sometimes they’re used to mark trails, or signify someone has died in a certain spot. In certain areas they’re used as a hunting implement to direct animals toward a game jump. Other times, and in this case, they’re made just because they look really awesome. Basically there are tons of reasons one might build a cairn, and tons of places you might find one!

I remember the first time I saw cairns. I was on a camping trip, and we were kayaking down the river. We rounded a corner and, to the left, the rocky shoreline was covered in these stacks of rocks. There were TONS of them, and some were taller than me. I didn’t know what they were, or why they were there but I instantly loved them. I excitedly took a few photos. It was another year before I saw another one which I shared a photo of here! Four more years passed, and finally last week I spotted another while walking on the beach. It was only three rocks high, so hardly a cairn at all but it inspired me.

Before I knew it I had built a whole bunch of them. Our beaches here in Cleveland aren’t very rocky, at least not the ones I frequent but we do seem to have an abundance of bricks. I used a combination of rocks, bricks, logs, driftwood, styrofoam, and even trash to make mine.

They’re just piles of rocks but I can’t get over how awesome my little creation looked. I built them on a section of the beach that sometimes completely disappears when the tide comes in. I doubt my structures lasted more than a day or two but I hope someone spotted them before they washed back into the water.

Don’t be surprised to see if you see more of these popping up on the blog later this summer. I’m hooked! I’m excited to go back and see what I can do with a little bit more time, and on a day when there are more large pieces of…well, whatever waiting for me! Building things on the beach is easily one of my favorite hobbies.
xoxo

Check out my found on the beach tag for more interesting beach related posts!

On The Cutting Room Floor

by Kaylah Stroup July 14, 2016

Last weekend was a good weekend.

I’m still struggling with the whole “too hot to function, oh no I’m overwhelmed!” thing but Jeff and I were on a roll last weekend. I honestly don’t remember the last time I had such a productive weekend. Not productive on the internet, my inbox is still a mess and I should certainly be a little bit more ahead on my scheduled posts, but I took lots of photos, and got lots of exercise. Saturday I have two whole posts from so more on that next week. Sunday though…

Sunday I…
▴ woke up early and explored an abandoned church! Jeff and I had been scoping out this church for a while now. I haven’t been in any significant abandoned buildings in a while so I feel kind of out of the game. I was a little shaky, and a man screaming about something outside was quite unnerving. I didn’t shoot anything worth writing home about but I’m pleased we got inside. It was a great start to the morning!
▴ ate my way through Taste of Tremont! Figuring there wouldn’t be any parking available, Jeff and I walked from his house which was super fun. It was waaaarm but I’m always pleased to do “city stuff” like that. I feel like a greater part of the neighborhood by being able to walk somewhere. Stupidly, I didn’t take any photos of what we ate but rest assured, it was deeeelicious. Pulled pork, blueberry lemonade, kettle corn, and finally some chocolates from Lily Chocolates. They have this one truffle right now called Strawberry Fields. It’s white chocolate, basil, and strawberry. It’s literally the best chocolate I have ever eaten! Another Taste of Tremont highlight was all the dogs. SO MANY PUPS!
▴ met up with friends and admired our new public square. Cleveland is on the up and up, man! Our newly renovated public square was recently opened, and boy, it is pretty! After checking out the square we walked for around the city for a few miles. At the end of the night we were treated to the most beautiful sunset. I love this city.

Here’s to making more days like this happen! Clearly, nothing too exciting happened but spending time with my friends, and getting lots of exercise is always great. I’m like a puppy, I need to use up all my energy or I start to go a little crazy.
xoxo

vintage globe collection

by Kaylah Stroup July 12, 2016

If you’ve been around these parts for any amount of time, you probably know that I’m a collector. You might even say I collect collections. It’s in my DNA, I swear! Although his aren’t as precise as mine and organized, my dad definitely has a few collections. My nephew too! Basically, when I like something I just want lots and lots of that thing. As much as I’d love to be a minimalist, I enjoy my possessions too much. They’re a huge part of what makes home feel like home to me.

A few years ago I had a little series here on The Dainty Squid where I shared photos of my collections. Since the start of that series many things have changed. Uh, well it’s been five whole years. My life is completely different. Some of those collections came with me, like the teeth, but others I’ve outgrown, like the cuckoo clocks. When I look back through my old posts I see peeks at my old life, and it’s super fun to see how even though things are completely different some things never change. I’d like to start the series over now, share new photos of what my collections are like, and just document what it’s like in my home at this time of my life. Isn’t that really what this blog is all about? To start with I have some photos of my globe collection for you!

My globes have all come from estate sales, garage sales, and auctions. A few have been received as a gift as well. I’m very thrifty when it comes to my collections, and this one is no exception. Much to my disappointment, in the last few years the price of globes has sky rocketed. I guess that’s what happens when things become super popular. When I first started collecting it was easy to find them for five bucks or less but anymore, especially online, you’re going to be paying A LOT more which is a huge bummer.

I’ve been collecting globes for probably around five years now. Just like anything else, there is an ebb and flow to my obsession. Sometimes I’m actively hunting every chance I get, but most of the time I just let them come to me. I’ve actually slowed down a lot recently due to space issues. Twenty one seems to be enough for now. It’s also at the point where I don’t see any point in spending great sums of money for something I already have more than a few of. Not to say that if I happened to find the *perfect* one there wouldn’t be space for it but until I see the next one I just can’t live without, I don’t need anymore.

Actually, I take that back. I’m slowing down on globes of the planet Earth. Did you even know they made globes of other things?! The moon! Mars! They’re generally A LOT more expensive though. I’ve managed to get my paws on three moon globes in the last few years, seen above, but Mars globes continue to elude me. They’re fairly abundant online but the prices keep me away. Maybe someday I’ll find a lucky Mars globe in an auction box for dirt cheap. Fingers crossed!

Below is a size comparison between my largest and smallest globes. The tiny one is actually a pencil sharper that was a gift from a penpal. The largest I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago. The person selling it requested I take really good care of it because she had a lot of fond memories of playing with it as a child. I paid a whopping three dollars for it. Score of the century if you ask me! It’s lived in three houses with me but in each has yet to find the perfect place to be displayed simply because it’s so large.

Do you collect globes? If you didn’t already, I’m sorry if you start because of me! When I started this post I was trying to think of when I started what my motivation was since it seemed like an important part of the story but I was drawing a complete blank. I figured it was just one of those things that kind of happened, like I bought one, then another, and then it just became a thing. When I typed the words “do you collect globes?” though it triggered a memory of a photo I saw on flickr many moons ago. I guess that’s where it all started for me. I saw a photo of someone’s collection, maybe just five globes or so, but I loved how they all looked together. All these years later I still love the colors and how a grouping of globes looks!
xoxo

DIY Shower Melts

by Kaylah Stroup July 11, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StimulateTheSenses #CollectiveBias

You guys know I’m not too too crazy about the summer heat. I try to embrace it but I never fully can. One of my qualms about the heat is that I can’t take my bubble baths. Baths are a huge part of my life in the cooler season. At least twice a week you can find me reading, brainstorming or eating dinner in the bath tub. No shame in my tub game. In the summer it’s just not possible, I would roast. I do take a lot of showers though! Most hot days I have to take one before bed to even be able to sleep (Life without air conditioning! Woo!) I also enjoy my post bike ride cold showers.

Earlier in the year I reviewed some bath products and in the comments someone mentioned a shower bomb. I had never ever heard of or even thought about that being a thing. Something to make showers more relaxing? YES, PLEASE! Because I never shower for as long as I bathe I couldn’t bring myself to spend any money on something that would be washing down the drain almost immediately. Then it hit me – why not make some!? These babies are simple to make, they’re cheap, easily customized, and of course, make those cold showers that are necessary in the summer even more relaxing!

Supplies needed;
Baking Soda
Citric Acid (found in the canning section of the grocery store!)
Nature’s Truth Essential Oils
Silicone Mold (frozen smiles mold from Target)

1. Whisk together one (1) cup baking soda with a third (1/3) of a cup citric acid.
2. Add a very small amount of water and mix that in. I found it helpful to use a spray bottle and stir after every spritz to avoid accidentally using too much water. You want it to be damp, and pack-able but not soaked.
3. Add in your essential oils! How much you use depends on how potent you’d like your bombs to be. I used around 20 drops but feel free to use more or less!
4. Pack it your mold. It doesn’t have to be a silicone mold (but that’s what I had on hand and c’mon, denture shower bombs?! YES!) You can use a cupcake liner, or even make them into little balls of your own.
5. Set aside to dry. Dry time will depend on how wet the mixture is as well as how humid your home is. I put mine on the deck on the sunny day and within less than two hours they were good to go!
6. Place at your feet, and enjoy! Water hitting these directly will dissolve them almost immediately so try to keep them in a corner where the water only splashes on them. Be sure to store the other in an air tight container for future use!

As you can see there is tons of room for modification in this “recipe”. The amounts listed above made one full tray of the silicone denture molds, as well as four standard sized cupcake liners (filled about half full.) Unlike a bath bomb, the benefit of these is just the smell which is why I didn’t use any artificial colors or add anything else fancy.

I ended up making two batches and chose to use Nature’s Truth Essential Oils in Happiness and Energy. Happiness is sweet and fruity, while Energy is more earthy and citrusy. I purchased these from Target.com. Check the vitamin aisle if you want to shop in person at Walgreens or CVS! I also totally convinced my mom to purchase some as well by telling her all the ways I love to use essential oils. My favorite of which is to put a few drops in the foam filter of my vacuum. Instead of smelling like dog every time I turn it on it smells like lemon. Even if you don’t make these shower bombs, you need to do the vacuum thing. Seriously, life changing!

Will you be making some shower bombs? They’re so simple to make, yet so perfectly satisfying!

xoxo

Six years with Professor

by Kaylah Stroup July 6, 2016

I heart cats pin from Moorea Seal

Two nights ago I was laying in bed sharing a pillow with Professor, who was licking coconut oil out of my hair, when it occurred to me “I think our anniversary is coming up.” I wrote down a reminder to check in the morning and drifted off to sleep. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up. A quick search on the blog and I found that July 6th, the next day, marked six whole years with Professor. Six years on the sixth – it’s a special one! I’ve really been slacking off with my animal posts these last few years, which I regret. I’m definitely trying to get back into the swing of it and what better excuse to do so than an anniversary?!

If you haven’t been around since he first showed up (which wow! hi! crazy if you have!) here’s a little bit of a recap for you. My parents live in the middle of nowhere, and one evening my mom spotted the tiniest little Siamese kitty walking in the driveaway. Knowing that was my dream cat, she scooped him up and brought him over to my house so I could say hi and take some pictures before taking him to her boss at the time who had a cat rescue. Basically everyone in my family knows that if you see a cute animal, you better tell Kaylah because she’ll want to take pictures of it.

I was falling in love from the second I saw him but had no intention of bringing another cat into my life. After hanging out with him for a day it was time to take him up to where my mom worked to give him to her boss. After getting there I texted my mom to see where she was. She responded she had the day off and to just go find her boss. I think this might have been the only time in my life when being sickeningly shy actually worked in my favor. I decided to take him home with me because there was noooo way I was going to talk to her boss all alone. On the way home I stopped off at my parents to chat with my mom and it was there I made the decision to keep him. Clearly it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

All these years later and he’s still the same goofy kitten I fell in love with. I call him my perma-kitten because despite his age he still acts like a kitten. He has unlimited energy and is often seen (and heard) darting from one side of the house to the other for no apparent reason. He’s also an all star cuddler! Literally the most cuddly thing in existence. Sometimes he just cannot be close enough. His hobbies include chasing flashes of light (like reflections from your phone), lounging in the sun for hours, never shutting up, and ripping open bags of treats. He’s a little devil but could absolutely turn the biggest cat hater into a fan.

His latest obsessions are coconut oil, and drinking water from a glass. He can hear me opening the coconut oil jar from the other side of the house and will immediately coming running. He would love it if I let him dip his face in but is more than happy to have me wipe some on his nose or to lick it off my legs. Such a little weirdo! And the drinking water out of a cup thing? No idea why he started but he went from not paying an ounce of attention to my glass to not being able to resist. It’s impossible to keep him away!

The only thing that’s really changed is the color of his fur! Seriously, check out his fur in the photo below from 2012! I thought he was sooo dark then but he just continue to change. I’m starting to think in another few years I’ll have two black cats instead of one. My little guy went from being a toasted marshmallow to a burnt one.

summoning a demon with Squid + Klaus. I mean, I’m not sure why else they’d lay in this weird configuration.

I could type for hours and still never properly express how much Professor means to me. The world would seriously be a better place if everyone had a fuzzy little kitten like this in their life. Here’s to many more years with this little creep!
xoxo

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