Welcome to my
Perfectly Imperfect Life..........

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Happy Birthday to My Baby Boy!!!!

You are the best birthday present I ever received!


~ The baby of the family~


~In Alaska~
You were a smart little guy -
throwing your bottle out the door so
Whitley would retrieve it for you!


Always a happy little guy,
even when you had to wear glasses
at such a young age.


You have such a quick whit and
 usually keep us in stitches!


You've grown up too fast


  my fantastic Seafood Chef


I am so PROUD of the man you have become
and honored to call you my Son!
I love you with all my being! 


Happy Birthday Cody!
Happy Birthday to us!!

We've made it through another year.
Especially you with all your surgeries.
This last one was the worst.
I know you're still in the recovery period and
will be for some time, but am so glad it was successful.
It had to be ~ to go through all that pain.
You are so brave!


Saturday, May 7, 2016

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you Mothers and Grandmothers ~

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.


 This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. And for the mothers who lost their baby in that precious 9 months that they will never get to watch grow on earth but one day will be reunited with in Heaven!

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

This is for all the mothers we miss.


What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and
know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...

And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.


This is for you all.

For all of us.

Hang in there

In the end we can only do the best we can.

Tell them every day that we love them.


And pray.

When given freely the greatest gift to give or receive is "LOVE"


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox


I love Lilacs!!

Their scent carries all worries and cares away
and brings back childhood memories.

Mom would pick a bouquet
and place it upon the kitchen table.

Each time you entered the fragrance embraced you.

I love this poem....

The Lilacs Mother Planted

I listened by the doorstep as the evening shadows
fell, 
While from the distance floated the faint tinklings
of a bell,
The night hawk circled overhead then dropped
straight down below,
The same as when I first lived there, in childhood,
long ago.
The trees have grown much taller in the yard
where once I played,
And now looked so majestic in their summer robes
arrayed;
And near the walk the lilacs flung their fragrance
to the air
The lilacs that my darling mother planted for us
there.
Ah, yes, what tender memories are forced on us
again,
Who leave our home in boyhood days and then
return grown men;
To seek again the playgrounds which in youth
we loved so well,
The shade beneath the apple tree, the old pump
at the well,
The woodpile, and the cellar door, the dear old
blacksmith shop,
The granary that held the corn with martin box
on top.
But dearer than the playgrounds was the perfume
in the air,
From those dear lilac bushes that my mother
planted there.
Oh, sweet and fragrant lilac, the one she loved so
well,
Thy fragrance brings to memory sad thoughts I
cannot tell;
Sweet lullabies of childhood sung at the evening
rest,
By mother clasping closely the one she loved the
best.
A voice that gently whispered sweet words of
love to me,
A face so kind and gentle, a heart with love so free;
Still yet my heart throbs feel them, still yet I see
them there,
When lilacs that she planted with fragrance fill
the air.

__Ed Blair.

My lilacs are blooming proudly

Once when I lived in Miami
I received a package from Fed Ex

it had been overnighted

when I opened it

I couldn't believe my eyes

or nose

Mom had picked the most gorgeous bouquet
of Lilacs from her garden

and sent them to me

I couldn't stop crying

she had touched my heart once again
the color
I'll never ever forget....



Happy Mother's Day Mom


I lve and miss you soooo much!

Friday, April 29, 2016

Working His Way Back!

Cody went in for a post-op appointment to his surgeon last Wednesday. All looked good. He's kept his nose moist with saline solution so no suction was needed...a relief on his part. He still has to be careful for another month to be sure not to bump or injure it in anyway.

His throat looked good also. Amen. He has cough up several stitches since surgery and he was worried about that but his Dr. said the stitches just don't hold in there very good,, and that's common.
The weird part that I was totally unprepared for and we weren't told about, we found out was completely natural.
The first few days he wanted everything cold, ice cream, jello, popsicles, juice - which was good because it helped keep the swelling down.
Then those things became too cold and he couldn't eat them. Juice became to thin, as did water. He couldn't stand the consistency of jello anymore. We switched to pudding. which seemed to do OK for a few days, then that made his tongue burn.
It's all from the nerves reconnecting at different parts at different rates.
He thought he could handle some overcooked pasta with butter. I picked up some mini shells and he swallowed it whole. It had to be room temperature, anything else hurt.

We've finally found that Capri Sun at room temp is about the right amount he can drink at one time - at room temp.
So far he has lost 14 pounds in one week.

The Dr. gave him more pain meds, I asked for pills this time so the Medicare would cover it. Told him I couldn't afford $300 for the liquid Vicodin and that we've been putting his maintenance meds, one at a time, in a big spoon of pudding and he's been getting them down that way.
He goes back in 2 weeks for another check up.
Dr. said he should start feeling belter soon.
I sure hope so, this has been the roughest recovery from a surgery I have seen and I have seen and been caretaker for many surgeries.

On the bright side, it's one heck of a diet!

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Our K9 Yellow Bark Collar with Case Review #YellowBarkCollarWithCase



I have a Red Dobie/Corgi mix that is my protector ~ from blowing leaves, cars driving by, anything, nothing ~ she sticks her nose between the mini blinds and stands her guard.
She mans the front while my other two man the side and back. Quite a team, until one or the other instigate a barking chain!

So when I was asked to review Our K9 Yellow Bark Collar with Case by OurK9, I actually thought about it. At first I thought OMG I'm not shocking my dog! But after further research and reading their description I learned it's not a shock collar. Well, I like that.
This bark collar works off air pressure and not sound.

''The Our K9 Vibration Bark Collar stops barking with progressively increasing Sound and Vibration which is controlled by a Microprocessor and automatically delivers correction after each bark. It does not work off the sound of your dogs bark but from air pressure delivered through a small hole in the back of the collar. Therefore the fitting of the collar is VITAL if the collar is to work correctly… When the collar is fitted correctly IT DOES NOT MOVE… You can slide just one finger under the collar. If it is NOT FITTED CORRECTLY it will go on randomly and NOT when your dog barks…''

Bella demonstrating correct placement

The lightweight control unit has a reflective collar that glows in the dark for safety. The unit comes in a very nice case to keep the collar in when not in use.
You do have to assemble it but their website and videos are very detailed and my son had no trouble. After assembly and correct placement, your dog wear the collar without batteries to get used to wearing it. When your dog no longer notices it is there you can then insert the batteries and adjust the setting.


We adjusted it to the lowest setting. 
Needless to say I was pretty nervous.
It startled her the first few times.
Now she stops and thinks and is responding very well.
When going for walks she'll bark once, I'll tell her "NO" and she'll stop. Surprised the heck out of me the first time! She no longer needs to wear the collar during walks. I believe it's very important to follow all the directions for a successful outcome.

What The Bark Collar Actually does when Your Dog Barks

''On the 1st Bark ~ 1.5 Second Beep
2nd Bark within 40 seconds  ~ 2.5 Second Beep
3rd Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then .5 sec Vibration
4th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 1 sec Vibration
5th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 1.5 sec Vibration
6th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 2 sec Vibration
7th Bark within 40 seconds
~ 4 Second Beep then 3 sec Vibration

The collar will now enter sleep mode for 1 minute
If your dog does not bark within the 40 sec limit then the collar will revert back to number 1

The use of the warning tone followed by increasingly intense tones and vibration stimuli sets up a
pattern that your dog will quickly learn is caused by its own barking. It takes time to break bad habits.

When your dog forgets and barks again, the warning tone reminds your pet without immediately applying any stimulus. At each step, your dog gets to choose whether it's worth the increasing
discomfort to bark again. We have found this technique of progressively increasing sound and vibration is not only more humane, it is more EFFECTIVE in breaking the barking habit than
conventional shocking bark control collars.

Our K9 Vibration Bark Collar can be adjusted to control the sensitivity of your dogs bark, according to the size of dogs barking.''

1 YEAR WARRANTY - Enjoy an Exclusive 1 Year Un-Limited Warranty. Get a Top Quality Branded Product at an Affordable Price and Try it Risk-Free for 30 Days....



Our K9 Yellow Bark Collar with Case is available at Amazon 

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or a
discounted price from OurK9. Regardless, all opinions expressed are
my honest opinions based on my personal experiences. 

Our K9 Garnet Bark Collar with Case #RoyalBarkCollarWithCase


My son has an American Staffordshire, an excellent guard dog, except when our other two instigate her into barking at any little thing ~ the sound of a weed eater, lawnmower, etc. Once she starts she doesn't stop. It can be annoying. 

So when I was asked to review Our K9 Garnet Bark Collar with Case by OurK9, we actually thought about it. Needless to say, I was very nervous about the "shocking" part of it.

''The Our K9 Static Shock Bark Collar stops barking with progressively increasing Sound and Static Shock which is controlled by a Microprocessor and automatically delivers correction after each bark. It does not work off the sound of your dogs bark but from air pressure delivered through a small hole in the back of the collar. Therefore the fitting of the collar is VITAL if the collar is to work correctly… When the collar is fitted correctly IT DOES NOT MOVE… You can slide just one finger under the collar. If it is NOT FITTED CORRECTLY it will go off randomly and NOT when your dog barks…''

Tora demonstrating the INCORRECT position

Here it is in the CORRECT position

The lightweight control unit has a reflective collar that glows in the dark for safety. The unit comes in a very nice case to keep the collar in when not in use.

You do have to assemble it but their website and videos are very detailed and my son had no trouble. After assembly and correct placement, your dog wears the collar without batteries to get used to wearing it. When your dog no longer notices it is there you can then insert the batteries and adjust the setting.


We adjusted it to the lowest setting. 
Needless to say I was pretty nervous, so we tried it on ourselves first.  We of course anticipated the shock and expected it to tingle.
Even at the lowest setting it was stronger than we expected.
We did see it through.
It frightened her the first time and she came running in the house.
She was scared and we had a hard time getting her to go back outside. I don't think this is the right collar for her.
We have had success with and will be trying the Our K9 Vibration Bark Collars with her.


1 YEAR WARRANTY - Enjoy an Exclusive 1 Year Un-Limited Warranty. Get a Top Quality Branded Product at an Affordable Price and Try it Risk-Free for 30 Days....


Our K9 Garnet Bark Collar with Case is available at Amazon 

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or a
discounted price from OurK9. Regardless, all opinions expressed are
my honest opinions based on my personal experiences. 

Our K9 Royal Bark Collar with Case Review #RoyalBarkCollarWithCase.



Unbelievably this is something I've been
thinking about for awhile now.
Actually something I would never
thought I would ever think about.

I have a Chihuahua that has NEVER been yappy.
I love all animals, no matter what their quirks or noise levels ~
Hey, I've got a Rose Breasted Cockatoo for Heaven's sake!

But in her ripe old age of 12 she has decided to become that yappy  Chihuahua. Maybe it's because she is now hard of hearing or because she has become more protective of me, which I appreciate.
But she does not need to bark during the day just because the neighbor is mowing their lawn or just sitting in their backyard.
She even barks while going for a walk.

So when I was asked to review Our K9 Royal Bark Collar with Case by OurK9, I actually thought about it. At first I thought OMG I'm not shocking my dog! But after further research and reading their description I learned it's not a shock collar. Well, I like that.
This bark collar works off air pressure and not sound.

''The Our K9 Vibration Bark Collar stops barking with progressively increasing Sound and Vibration which is controlled by a Microprocessor and automatically delivers correction after each bark. It does not work off the sound of your dogs bark but from air pressure delivered through a small hole in the back of the collar. Therefore the fitting of the collar is VITAL if the collar is to work correctly… When the collar is fitted correctly IT DOES NOT MOVE… You can slide just one finger under the collar. If it is NOT FITTED CORRECTLY it will go on randomly and NOT when your dog barks…''


Katie demonstrating correct placement

  The lightweight control unit has a reflective collar that glows in the dark for safety. The unit comes in a very nice case to keep the collar in when not in use.
You do have to assemble it but their website and videos are very detailed and my son had no trouble. After assembly and correct placement, your dog wear the collar without batteries to get used to wearing it. When your dog no longer notices it is there you can then insert the batteries and adjust the setting.


We adjusted it to the lowest setting. 
Needless to say I was pretty nervous.
It startled her the first few times.
Now she stops and thinks and is responding very well.
When going for walks she'll bark once, I'll tell her "NO" and she'll stop. Surprised the heck out of me the first time! She no longer needs to wear the collar during walks. I believe it's very important to follow all the directions for a successful outcome.


What The Bark Collar Actually does when Your Dog Barks


''On the 1st Bark ~ 1.5 Second Beep
2nd Bark within 40 seconds  ~ 2.5 Second Beep
3rd Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then .5 sec Vibration
4th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 1 sec Vibration
5th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 1.5 sec Vibration
6th Bark within 40 seconds ~ 4 Second Beep then 2 sec Vibration
7th Bark within 40 seconds
~ 4 Second Beep then 3 sec Vibration

The collar will now enter sleep mode for 1 minute


If your dog does not bark within the 40 sec limit then the collar will revert back to number 1


The use of the warning tone followed by increasingly intense tones and vibration stimuli sets up a
pattern that your dog will quickly learn is caused by its own barking. It takes time to break bad habits.

When your dog forgets and barks again, the warning tone reminds your pet without immediately applying any stimulus. At each step, your dog gets to choose whether it's worth the increasing
discomfort to bark again. We have found this technique of progressively increasing sound and vibration is not only more humane, it is more EFFECTIVE in breaking the barking habit than
conventional shocking bark control collars.


Our K9 Vibration Bark Collar can be adjusted to control the sensitivity of your dogs bark, according to the size of dogs barking.''


1 YEAR WARRANTY - Enjoy an Exclusive 1 Year Un-Limited Warranty. Get a Top Quality Branded Product at an Affordable Price and Try it Risk-Free for 30 Days....


Our K9 Royal Bark Collar with Case is available at Amazon 

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or a
discounted price from OurK9. Regardless, all opinions expressed are
my honest opinions based on my personal experiences. 

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