LOL..I know this is off topic, but I gotta tell you this story.. Kathy, you reminded me of my son and nephews and his friends camping out WAY in the woods, and of course drinking beer. They came running back to the house all excited because there were green glowing ghosts on the ground. By the time they all finished telling me what they saw, I realized it was the plants that glow green from phosphorus...LOL and I don't remember what they're called, but they scared the crap out of me when I was a little kid wandering around at night! They wound up leaving their tents and sleeping bags out by the river, and built a bonfire in out old garden and stayed there instead! Maybe living so far from city lights, they really glow a lot more out here.

Have you seen what they call a "dogbone"? It is basically 4 pieces about 6-8 inches long shaped like a bone. It's skinny in the middle & fatter on the end. I would guess at 1 1/2-2" in the middle & 3-3 1/2" on each end. Tiny seams with a space left open for turning & filling & hand sew the opening once stuffed. You may be able to find a pattern to get it exact.

Thanks everyone. The blue, I guess, is ok for now. It just doesn't really sit well with me but I suppose it's better than hot pink or something like that. :) As for the toaster, I measured our cabs and it won't fit in any of them b/c there's a middle divider. :/ The toaster is approx 15x15x15. So for now, I'm going to put it in the corner in the dining area, where the door meets the back wall. I just found this side table with a marble top at the Salvation Army that I might use. There's also quite a few kitchen carts at places like Ikea but I'm leaning towards the side table. The more permanent plan is to buy one of those 24" fridges (kitchen forum currently has a thread on small apps--and now I want to trade all my big size apps for smaller ones!). Anyway, there's one that is rather short (~55 in) and that will give me ample room on top of the fridge to put some kind of open shelving and then use something like a rev-a-shelf thing to slide the toaster forward when I need to use it and then just push it back to place when i'm not using it. That might even give me enough room on the side of the fridge to put in some kind of storage area.

What a great space! I would probably put two very comfortable outdoor chairs there, a little end table between them, and/or coffee table in front, and use it to have coffee or read or a chat. I would also use an outdoor area rug and add some plants. You could keep going and add all sorts of outdoor decor items, but I like outside spaces kind of simple - easier to clean, and store things when out of season. Editing to add....I would also have a dog bed for your cute friend. :)