Intex Above Ground Frame Pools: What To Know Before You Buy

Wrap your Intex pool in reed fencing for an upgraded look
Image via Home Depot

Third summer update: still loving the pool, and gearing up for a third summer! This was such a great purchase. There is nothing reddit.com/r/pools hasn't been able to answer for me. You do not have to know or buy everything all at once! Learn, and add on as you go. See bottom of post for my season 3 upgrades. 

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Yesterday I set up an Intex 12ft above ground frame pool solo. Over the past couple months of trying to research it, I had such a hard time finding any kind of info in layman’s terms, so I thought I’d make a blog post to help you figure out: 

- How to buy one while they are sold out everywhere

- What you will need to prep and set up

- What chemicals and accessories you will need for an Intex above ground frame pool (or Bestway, or Summer Waves.)

I’ve heard these are sold out everywhere, but there were tons new in box on eBay, and of course, they all dropped $100 after I bought mine. I don’t have much patience for auctions anymore, so I sorted by Buy It Now + Accepts Offers and made offers until someone accepted. I wanted 12ft since 6-8 people relax in it at a time. The 10ft frame pool kits with filter were significantly cheaper. 2022 update: They're $216 on Amazon right now, even cheaper than when I bought. 

PB Teen's Harry Potter Home Decor Collection

If you saw my post last year about taking my mom to Harry Potter World in Orlando, you'll understand how excited PB Teen's new Harry Potter home collection makes me. And just in time for the holidays. I definitely know some Harry Potter fans who will be getting Christmas gifts from me from this collection! 

5 Prints I Love This Week

Caitlin Foster Hank's Field Guide Art Print

Who run the world?

Photos: Rachel Eubanks

Athens is full of amazing women. They're creative, professional, musical, and at times intimidating. As an exercise to bust through the temptation to feel competitive or jealous, Rachel Eubanks made an awesome blog celebrating Athens, GA women. My roommate Rachel Bailey (executive director of My Athens, freelance writer, and photographer) and I were so flattered to be photographed for Boss Bitches of Athens and to have a chance to talk about female friendships and the dangerous fuel social media can give us to make fun of people we don't actually know.

Read the full post here.

Textiles I'm Currently Loving:

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Home Tour: My House

I have a blast photographing home tour posts, and last year I had the camera turned around on my own home for my friend Mattie's blog. (Can you believe I kept it clean long enough to get through every room?) Some of my favorite shots of my place are below, and you can view the entire post at Somethings.

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  I made a Dia De Los Muertos display in our window for Halloween, and we decided to keep Skelly (a Hometapes family heirloom) in the window all year round.


My roommate bought me this crawfish alphabet print while running around junk shops in New Orleans with the prop department for "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The silver stars are leftover decorations from Julian Koster's Music Tapes caroling tour a few years ago. 

 Clear glass votive holders make handy pots for tiny succulents, especially if you catch them 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I've had some of these plants almost four years. The long skinny crystal is selenite, a gift from a friend to protect our home.

I mixed my own custom colored chalkboard paint for the kitchen. My dad and I went to the range with these vintage targets (unintentionally vintage... he keeps things a longgg time :) and I'll be framing them soon. Something about them reminds me of an old Bond movie. 

 Antlers from dad // boots stamped with Bicentenial jangles // map of the heavens from an old National Georgraphic // gold foam ceiling tiles (super cheap on eBay) // hooks of festival badges from work trips past.

 Jordache jeans pillowcase // sheepskin blanket // the record corner.


 Painting from Lauren Gregg // my late dog's collar made by Jonny Corndawg // salt crystal lamps // smudge stick // Wild Unknown Tarot. Beautiful deck. // Necklace from one of my favorite clients, Page from Dream Boat / Hope for Agoldensummer. She could it at a powwow in Portland. // My favorite candles right now are earthy scents, and clean burning Mrs. Meyer's.

 // Linoleum floor cloth DIY //

 // This sofa has been with me since college, which is part of why I keep it hidden under blankets. Our living room is the touring band hotel. //

// Security system next to the front door //

 // Bathroom door is wallpapered with 70s childrens' encyclopedia pages. It's held up pretty well over the years with just double stick tape! //

 // I love Jose Pulido's prints. //

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Later on I realized something was missing from these home tour photos...

This little lady! Willie Mae!

And this roommate wrestling with her!

Now that's more like home!

Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta with Peas, Mushrooms, and Sausage

Photo: Mine. Visit Pimento, Cheese Please for recipe.

I came across the blog Pimento Cheese, Please about a week ago, and drooled all over my keyboard at the Treasure Trove Pasta. Thursday I had some gals over for dinner and drinks, and modified the recipe to use Tofurkey Italian-style veggie sausage cut into slices at an angle instead of regular Italian sausage.  I also used the whole bag of frozen peas, since it was a slim chance that I'd remember to use the remainder before they disappeared into the freezer-burn pit of despair and forgotten foods. It turned out exactly as I was hoping, and the leftovers were delicious, even when eaten directly from the fridge after a night of cocktails. (It's been a busy week, okay?) Next time, I'll try subbing the pasta for a bowl of sauteed veggies in gorgonzola cream sauce.

Southwestern Stuffed Portobello

I love stuffed mushrooms, and I've been experimenting with using whole portobello caps instead of the baby bellas I'm used to making. This is a handy way to use up taco night leftovers (not that I ever have any trouble with that.)

Mushrooms are fat-free and low in calories. They are high in vitamins C, B6, and B12, believed to aid in flushing toxins from your body. They're also high in riboflavin, niacin, selenium, and potassium.

1. Remove your stems. Most you'll buy will be just the caps anyway.
2. Stuff with the combination of your choosing:

• corn
• diced peppers & onions (dice them fine so they'll cook up fast enough)
• cooked chorizo or soyrizo crumbles
• black beans or refried beans 
• cilantro

3. Top with shredded cheese. I'd use pepper jack. Try to use enough that it forms a full layer on top so that the ingredients inside don't dry out. 

4. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes in a pyrex or ceramic baking dish. I've found that metal sheets got too hot and made the bottom of the mushroom overcooked and soggy. After 12 minutes, I sliced them in half so they could cook through. 

5. Top with salsa if you have it.

Baking dish pictured: Le Creuset Stoneware 1-1/4-Quart Rectangular Baker in Caribbean

Coming soon: Portobello pizza

Dia de los Muertos prints from Mis Nopales Art

Being a broke twenty-something, collecting these $10 prints from Jose Pulido's Mis Nopales Etsy store over the years is as close as I may every come to "art collecting."

I've always been drawn to Dia de los Muertos imagery. I think it's the idea of celebrating and honoring those have passed on in a colorful way instead of dark mourning that appeals to me so much.

I bought the scooter print above a few months ago as a gift for the dude, and have a few others grouped in my hallway. I love the affordable price, the small size, the color choices, and the happy skeletons enjoying an afterlife. Each print is a limited run, so I've waited too long, and missed out on a few in the past (particularly Luke & Leia) but the shop is regularly updated with new designs. Smaller card-sized prints will run you $4.

Sorry for the small images! Couldn't find larger ones in his shop.

This Luke and Leia buttons are only $2.50 for the set!

Frida Kahlo Calavera

Summer of Love limited edition:

This biking skeleton made a great gift for my cycling enthusiast roommate.

This one sits on my desk at work:

Buddy Holly

George and Abe

Dad's Den: Crystals, Antlers, and Artifacts

My dad's den has always been my favorite room of my parents' house. When I was a little kid, I always wanted to sit and play in his den while he did paperwork at his desk, and now I dig through his records. 

My dad's eye for Native American flourishes, crystal clusters, keepsake books, antlers, and other frontier gems has had a big influence on me over the years. If you heard me say that someone "decorates like my dad," you'd probably assume that was on insult, but it couldn't be farther from it.

I wish I'd brought my full camera home with me last time, but phone photos will have to do for now.