What to Expect During a Venous Ultrasound

Some people may undergo an ultrasound of their legs before or after surgery to check the blood flow as well as to make sure there are no blood clots. A venous ultrasound is also done when your doctor suspects you may have blood clots because of swelling or tenderness.

What is an ultrasound?
An ultrasound which is also sometimes called a sonogram, is an image of internal structures. Sound waves are transmitted through the hand held part of the machine and are converted into electrical impulses. The monitor part of the ultrasound machine shows the images and records them so a radiologist can read the results.

What to Expect During a Venous Ultrasound.
You will be asked to lie face up on the examination bed. You may be asked to bend one leg so the technician can reach the inside of your leg. Since the transducer needs to be pressed firmly against the inside of the leg you may feel some tenderness or pain when the technician presses the transducer into the inner thigh.

The transducer is coated with a colorless, odorless gel so it can easily move over the body part being scanned. The technician will move the transducer over the inside of each leg, from the feet to your groin area.

If a Doppler ultrasound is performed at the same time, it is done using the same transducer and you may hear a loud pulse or heart beat like noise as the blood flow is monitored and measured.

The technician may have to apply some pressure while holding the transducer to your skin and it may be a little painful when he presses down. When I had my venous ultrasound a few years ago, the technician squeezed my calf and pressed the transducer into my inner thigh and it was a little painful. But the entire procedure only took about 30 minutes.

Why would a Venous Ultrasound be Necessary?
According to RadiologyInfo.org "The most common reason for a venous ultrasound exam is to search for blood clots, especially in the veins of the leg. This condition is often referred to as deep vein thrombosis or DVT. These clots may break off and pass into the lungs, where they can cause a dangerous condition called pulmonary embolism. If the blood clot in the leg is found early enough, treatment can be started to prevent it from passing to the lung."

A few years ago my doctor ordered a bi-lateral venous ultrasound of my legs because my feet and ankles started swelling for no reason. Bi-lateral means both legs.

How To Prepare:
Wear comfortable clothing, you may be asked to take off your pants and put on a gown. There is no other preparation necessary for a Venous ultrasound procedure.

Once the ultrasound is complete the technician will wipe away the gel and let you get dressed.

Review: Emmy's Best Premium Chicken Jerky Treats for Dogs

Product Description

SIMPLY THE BEST TREATS FOR YOUR DOG: Your Pet Knows The Difference Between Treats They Absolutely Love, and those They Simply Tolerate. Our Jerky Treats are Tail Wagging, Jump Up and Down Delicious. Stop Wasting Money on "Tolerable Treats" and Invest in the Good Stuff!

100% SOURCED & PRODUCED IN THE USA: USDA Grade A Chicken Breast Sliced and Dehydrated in Small Batches, then Packed up to the Brim with Lots of Love in Every Bag!

NO CHINA SOURCING OR MANUFACTURING: Don't Risk Your Pet's Health with Cheap, Mass-Produced Treats. Give Them the Best-- Emmy's Best! Fair Warning, Your Neighborhood Dogs Will be Jealous, and May Show Up at Your Door!

OUR INGREDIENTS ARE SIMPLE: USDA Grade A Chicken. No Fillers, No Additives, No Preservatives. Your Pet Will Taste the Difference, and You Will Feel Better About Giving Them the Best.

PAW'S PROMISE 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: If Your Pet Doesn't Love Them, Send Back the Empty Bag and We Will Refund Your Purchase. How's That for Standing Behind Our Product?

My Review

I have a 10 month old dog that I've had for about 3 months now and I'm always reading labels to make sure it hasn't come from China because of all the problems associated with dog food products that have come from China. So when I read that this isn't from there and there's no outsourcing from China with this product I was really excited to have my dog try this. The ingredients are all natural and that's great when you're trying to do the best for your dog. My dog is small and he tends to have a sensitive stomach but I gave him a small piece of this chicken jerky treat and waited 2 days to give him any more to make sure he wouldn't get an upset stomach from it and he didn't. They are easily broken into smaller pieces if you're wanting to give just a small treat or if you have a smaller dog like I do. He also loves them. It's nice to find a teat that my dog likes to eat and is good for him. Most dog treats have a strange smell to them but after opening this package I wasn't put off at all, these chicken jerky treats smell really good. 

While they might be a little pricey, that's okay for me because my small dog only gets treats occasionally and a bag this size will last him all month. If you'd like to buy them, you can find them here. 

Disclaimer: I was given a coupon to buy this product in exchange for my honest review.  

Review: Claimed & Seduced by Shelley Munro

Book Description

Shapeshifter Prince Jarlath Leandros of the planet Viros is a man who understands duty. As heir, he’s had his future as leader of the House of the Cat mapped since childhood. Boring! Jarlath yearns for an indefinable more.

Keira Cloud is beautiful and sexy, she’s independent and confident, and not only is she an enemy from the House of Cawdor, but her stepchildren accuse her of murder. Not a suitable woman for the prince, but Jarlath aches to claim her.

When the House of the Cat comes under attack, Jarlath is thrust into the middle of danger where life or death is the only option. A war is brewing, one that brands Jarlath and Keira enemies, yet their hearts shout otherwise and their animal selves—the leopard and the crow—care nothing for conventional barriers. Right or wrong, passion blooms out of control and with the city under siege soon Jarlath’s life is anything but boring. Now all he needs to do is survive…

My Review

At first I thought Jarlath was going to be one of those "Feel sorry for me, I'm so privileged but have to pick a wife that I don't love...type of guys" And while his parents are pushing him to pick one of the suitable women they have picked out for him to choose from, he soon finds himself with other plans. 

Keira is a widow and not at all suitable marriage material for Prince Jarlath, especially since so many people think she killed her now deceased husband. But that doesn't stop Jarlath from spending time with her. Keira has some secrets she'd rather keep to herself but it's getting harder and harder for her to keep them secret especially since her family is his families enemy. 

I really didn't care for Jarlath's mother at all. I really wanted her to change her attitude so I could come to like her more but there's almost always one character that will get under a reader's skin and she was that character for me. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. You ever want to just reach through a book a slap a character? Yeah, totally that. 

I have to say that each and every sex scene or scene where Jarlath and Keira were intimate, even a little bit was so hot that it could have melted the jewels right out of the Queen's tiara. But that's not a bad thing at all, sexy time is good. 

I love paranormal romance and for me if you add a little something more like people from another planet *which is what this is* then you get even more because the laws, terrain, worlds...everything is different from what you expect to find here on Earth. Reading a book and not knowing what might happen because it's not Earth is exciting. Alien races can do things that we aren't used to, not to mention that this book has shifters in it, big cats as well as crows. 

I'm really hoping that Ellard who is Jarlath's best friend and a great secondary character, gets his own story. He went through a lot in this book and I'd really like to see more of him. 

I've read several of Shelley Munro's books and one of the things I really like about her stories besides the great plots are the unique character names. There are some names that are so unique that I've never read them anywhere else and doubt I will. I really like that about her books. 

I loved this story and easily give this book 5 stars. 

If you'd like to read an excerpt of this book you can do so on Shelley's Blog. 

You can buy the book on Amazon. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too.

This week I received:

A Bottle of Instanatural Lavender Essential Oil
Day by Day Beauty Oil Absorbing Face Blotting Papers
Bobbi Jean's 2pc Silicone Tong Set with Bonus Spatula
LA Fuel Chewing Gum

I was also sent a free Secret Deodorant and face wash. I bought the other one for just .99 because they sent me an email invite to do so. 

I also received these 5 facial masks from Influenster. 

Did you get anything free this week?

Police Dogs: Vicious Animals Or Helpers?

While the Police Department will tell you police dogs or K9's as many of us call them, are intensely trained animals to help the police in certain situations. A lot of people if asked, will tell you they think police dogs are mean and are trained to attack on command. Is being held by a police dog a form of brutality? If the human officer cannot bite a suspect then why should a dog be allowed to inflict such bodily injury?

German Shepherds are most widely known as being Police dogs, but a few other breeds are also used. Most police dogs are trained to intimidate, find, chase and hold suspects who are either running or hiding from the Police. Police state that the dogs objective is not to bite a fleeing suspect but to find, grab and hold on until the dogs handler gives the release command. While a suspect is being 'held' by the dog, he may get bitten even if he's not fighting or trying to get the dog off. Often times the officer will not call the dog off until the suspect has put his hands out to his sides and is laying down on his or her stomach. All the while the suspect is being bitten by the Police dog.

How hard would it be for the average person to lay still while having their arm or leg chewed on by a large animal? In many states, attacking a Police dog is a felony. So if you try to defend yourself while a police dog has your leg in it's mouth and is biting you. You may find yourself in even more trouble if you accidentally harm the dog while trying to get it off you. In many states the Police dogs now have the same rights as a human officer. If one is killed, the suspect can then be prosecuted the same as if he killed a human officer in the line of duty.

Dogs are also used in other parts of Law Enforcement. Dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs, bombs, explosives, chemicals and used in Airports to sniff the baggage for things that aren't supposed to be there.

It's up to the handlers actions and whether he let's the dog bite the suspect for longer than is necessary when several other human officers are standing around the suspect yelling at him to lay face down when the dog is chewing on his leg. These dogs are supposed to be helping save the human officers life in case of dangerous situations and they are used to safe guard the public. But instead of the public liking and trusting the dogs to do their job, they are scared of them and have every right to be.

Most Police dogs live with their human partners or handlers as they are sometimes called. The dogs interact with the handlers family members, friends and anyone who would come to their home just as a regular pet would. This is supposed to ensure that the Police dogs remain friendly, social animals.

According to Vindy.com, "Police say the Friday attack of the department’s police dog, Storm, on an 8-year-old boy was an unfortunate accident, but Storm has done much more good than bad during his time with the department. The boy, Patrick Assion, was visiting his grandmother’s house in Campbell and playing hide-and-seek with his cousin in the backyard when Storm took hold of Patrick’s arm and dragged him to the ground. The incident left the boy three physical reminders of the attack: a red mark on his arm, a T-shirt full of holes and a torn-up sweat shirt."

Police dogs bite the wrong people at times and sometimes it's a tragic accident but when police know that their dogs are trained to bite when they sniff out drugs and they hide a small amount of drugs on a small child who then gets bit, who's fault is that? The Handler should have known better in my opinion. According to the Huffington Post, "Children were subjected to a “simulated raid” of a party so they could witness police searching citizens with dogs and look for reasons to arrest them in a “drug awareness” event.  The idea went from bad to worse when one of the children was attacked by the police dog as it sniffed them for drugs."

There are instance after instance where police dogs have attacked the wrong person and yet these dogs are still used. Maybe they aren't trained as well as the police want us to believe they are? In probably one of the most horrific stories I've ever read about a K9 attack, an elderly woman was mauled by the dog. According to The Free Thought Project, "Irene Collins, an elderly cancer patient of Middlesbrough has died over the weekend, after being attacked by an out of control Cleveland police K9 last Wednesday night.

The police had a heavy presence in her neighborhood that evening and were going door to door searching for an escaped alleged drug dealer. Neighbors of the ill grandmother reportedly warned the officers she was frail and in bad condition.  They went to her door to disturb her anyway. The dog attacked the woman in her kitchen as she was leading the officers to her back yard.

One neighbor told the Daily Mail,  ‘She wasn’t bitten, she was mauled. A relative told me the dog had punctured and broken her arm, ripped her other arm, and then managed to bite off her calf muscle after it had been restrained.’

The department has issued a statement saying:

“The police dog involved has been withdrawn from operational policing activities and support is being provided to the police officer who was handling the dog at the time of the event. We are committed to learning any lessons that may arise from the investigation and the daily use of police dogs remains operationally important in reducing crime and disorder and protecting the public. Our dogs are trained and licensed for use in accordance with national police guidance.”

This is why it is very important to never consent to a search, or let police into your home, even if you have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide."

Still other people are worried that the use of dogs in Police work should be considered animal cruelty. Humans knowingly become Police Officers, knowing full well what the risks are. But dogs have no say in what they are trained to do. Should dogs be forced to take a bullet or knife wound for a human officer or be put into harms way or dangerous situations just because it's a dog?

What You Should Know Before Donating Hair to Locks of Love

Many people with long hair, like myself get told that they should cut their hair and send it to locks of love. When I'm in the salon chair the person cutting my hair has on occasion told me that if I wanted to cut off 10 inches of my hair I could send it to locks of love and they would make a wig for a cancer patient. I'm sure you have heard this too, but the real truth is not all kids that get wigs are cancer patients. Most kids have a disorder called alopecia areata that has no known cure.

You should also know that they will not use hair that is less than 10 inches long, isn't in a pony tail or braid or has been swept up from the floor. The hair they can't use they sell. Before someone cuts their hair off to send to them, you should do some research. When I looked at their website I found out that a lot the wigs they do give out aren't free to the kids. They have to pay according to their family's income level, a sliding scale fee.

Locks of Love FAQ pages states that they do sell some of the hair donations they receive," Hair that is short, gray, or otherwise unusable will be sold to help offset manufacturing costs. Locks of Love DOES NOT throw hair away unless it is wet and moldy or not bundled in a braid or ponytail when it is received."

They also state that they will accept gray hair donations but they will be sold to offset costs as gray hair cannot be used to make wigs for kids. They also say they cannot use bleached hair as it disintegrates during the manufacturing process.

Their FAQ section also states it takes between 6-10 donated ponytails to make one hair piece for a child. If you want to sponsor one Locks of Love child for what they call one cranial prosthesis, it will cost the sponsor $1000.00.

Children with short term hair loss, like chemotherapy patients don't get 'real hair' they get synthetic hair pieces and children under 6 years old also get synthetic hair pieces. In order to get a vacuum fit hair prosthetic they need to have long term hair loss and be between the ages of 6-18.

For a child or their family to apply for a hair piece they have to send in a completed application, a medical diagnosis from a doctor, photo of the child, two letters of recommendation from teachers, friends, coach ect, telling why they would benefit from a hair piece. They also require a most recent tax return or other proof of Social Security, Welfare ect. The family has to prove they are financially disadvantaged.

When they are approved a plaster mold is made of the child's head so the prosthetic can be custom made. The child can also ask for a specific color of hair.

They state they are a not for profit organization that provides hair pieces to children that are financially disadvantaged and 18 years old or younger, but how much money do they make by selling the hair that's donated but they say unusable in these wigs? The Locks of Love financials page shows they made millions of dollars in 2007.

There is no way for someone to know whether or not the hair they donated was actually used for a wig or was sold for money. According to A New York Times Article Locks of Love ships the pony tails and the plaster molds to a company called Taylormade.

This New York Times article states that the wigs are actually made in Indonesia, so Taylormade must take the mold and order and send everything to a company in Indonesia for the prosthetic to be made. It can take up to six months for the child to get their wig.

Locks of Love states they consider the retail costs of the prosthetics to be between $3500 and $6000 but Taylormade says they sell the custom made wigs to Locks of Love for $1000, which Locks of Love pays for with donations.

So before you donate your hair to Locks of Love, you should remember that some hair is unusable and sold or thrown away. Hair that has been weakened by chemical processing and won't survive the manufacturing process or is sent in wet or moldy is tossed in the trash. Gray hair and hair that's fewer than 10 inches long or isn't sent in a braid or pony tail is sold to cover the charities' over head costs.

If you really want to donate your hair to charity, a better way to do this and make sure the money gets to the kids that need it is to sell your hair and send in some or all of the proceeds. Websites like The Hair Trader will let you list your hair for sale for free. Some people on their site have made $1000 or more from selling their hair.

When most people think of Locks of Love they think that cancer patients get the hair and get a free wig, but the hard truth is that Locks of Love doesn't consider the loss of hair because of chemotherapy to be a long term loss and therefore most of these kids are given synthetic wigs that look less like real hair.

Locks of Love calls itself a not for profit organization yet they do generate a profit, they say in order to cover the costs of manufacturing the prosthetics and over head. Non profit organizations are allowed to generate a profit for themselves yet most don't. Locks of Love says they receive 2000 donations per week and it takes 6-10 pony tails to make each wig. With all the donations they had they should have been able to make over 10,000 wigs, yet as of 2005 they had only made 2000 wigs since the organization had started in 1997. Where did all of that unused hair go?

Review: Bobbi Jean's 2pc Silicone Tong Set and Bonus Silicone Spatula.

Product Description: 

Protect Your Expensive Cookware - Prepare & Server Your Food with Ease

Bobbi Jean's Tongs Set & FREE Bonus Spatula is the perfect addition to your kitchen utensils and here's why:

• Enjoy the sturdy construction of a stainless steel tong with the protection of the silicone heads to prevent scratching and abrasions to your pots & pans

• Use the 9 inch tongs for shorter reach when preparing food. The 12 inch is perfect for deep pots & serving food. The tongs are featured in a dusk grey suitable for any kitchen décor.

• The FREE BONUS Silicone Spatula with Stainless Steel Handle is featured in a Pea Green. The curve shaped spatula is perfect for blending dishes & scraping bowls when preparing bake goods.

• The tongs are heat resistant up to 480°F. They are perfect for pan searing and deep frying.

• Smooth Locking Mechanism makes storing them in a drawer really simple. The lock doubles as ring for convenient hanging.

• BPA FREE & 100% Food Grade - Prepare your meals safely.

• Peace of Mind with our BOBBI JEAN'S GUARANTEE - If you aren't satisfied for any reason, receive a 100% NO HASSLE REFUND!

My Review: 

I recently bought myself a new set of non-stick pans and wanted to make sure that they stay scratch free and therefore non-stick for as long as possible. So I bought a a wooden spoon and hard plastic spatula at the same time. I've been wanting to try out the silicone coated spoons, spatulas and other cooking utensils as well so I was excited when I was able to get this tong and spatula set at such a great discounted price and try them out. 

I used the silicone coated tongs to cook several pieces of chicken thighs in my frying pan and they worked really well at being easy to use, easy to grip foods and easy to wash off afterwards. The big plus for me was that I didn't have to worry so much about being careful about not scraping the bottom of the pan for fear of scratching the surface because these silicone coated utensils won't scratch my pans. The silicone spatula is great and works really well. It also works well as a large bowl scraper when I made a cake and needed to get the cake batter out of the bowl I had mixed it in.

If you'd like to order this set for yourself, you can do so at Amazon where I ordered mine. 

Disclaimer: I received this product at a deep discount in exchange for my honest review. 

Happy Raturday!

Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've gotten permission from Rat Logic's fb page to share their pictures on my blog. So get ready to smile because these are cute. 

*click pictures to enlarge*

How to Litter Box Train Your Pet Rabbit

*This is the little bunny we found in the alley and found him a forever home*

Rabbits can bring much joy to a home, but they can also bring many, many small surprises all over your floor if you don't litter box train your bunny.

It is easier than you think to litter box train a rabbit as long as you know before hand that it will take some time and patience. You will need:

A litter box- just like for a cat. You can get an expensive kitty litter box or you a get a hard plastic Tupperware type box, your rabbit won't care which. I have found that a triangle or corner litter pan works well for inside the cage.

Litter- Carefresh or Yesterdays News is the best thing to use for bunny litter. Never use cloth, cedar or pine shavings as they are bad for bunnies if they chew or eat them. Never use anything that makes a lot of dust as this will give your bunny respiratory problems.

How to get a rabbit to use the litter box.

Put the corner litter box in the corner of the rabbit's cage. Pick up some of his droppings (feces) and place them in the litter box. That way it will smell like a place to go to the bathroom.

If there are any puddles (urine) soak them up with a little toilet paper and place the toilet paper in the litter box.

Let your rabbit get used to having the litter box in his cage for a few hours and if he hasn't checked it out and jumped in, you can entice him in with some Timothy Hay. When you see that your rabbit has used the litter box make sure to praise him, say something like, "Good Bunny." And rub his head so he knows you are happy.

Rabbits are very intelligent animals and will catch on if given enough time, patience and praise.

When you let bunny out for exercise you should have several litter boxes out where he plays. Put urine soaked tissue and droppings in each one so he knows what they are for when he smells them.

If your rabbit has an accident, pick him up immediately and gently place him in one of the litter boxes and feed him some Timothy Hay, then praise him.

After a while your bunny will understand what he needs to do and he will do it. You need to be consistent over the first few days as to not confuse the rabbit as to what to do and gets the hang of it. If you are holding your bunny and he urinates on you, the worst thing you can do is get mad and yell at the bunny. You should pick him up and set him gently down in the litter box and praise him. Keeping him in the litter box by giving him some Hay or a small treat will give him positive reinforcement, making training better for your bunny.

How to Keep Pet Rats Cool When the Power Goes Out

*Lucky*

It's not something we want to think about but if an emergency does happen because of a blown transformer or a thunderstorm knocking the power out, it's a good idea to know how to keep your rats cool in the summer when air conditioning isn't available.

Frozen Water Bottles
I always keep a couple of plastic water bottles filled with water in my freezer in case of an emergency. This method will work for short amounts of time where you need to keep your rats cool. Just take a couple of frozen water bottles and wrap them in a light cloth and place them in your rat cage. The rats will be able to sit or lay next to them and keep cool. You do need to make sure to wrap the frozen water bottles in a light cloth to absorb the condensation so the cage doesn't get wet and to keep the rats from getting frost bite if they lay right on the frozen bottles.

Ice Air Conditioning
This method works well for times when you need to keep the rats cooler for longer periods of time. You will need a hammock or hammocks, a large plastic pet igloo and a bag of ice.

Hang the hammocks in the cage from the top of the bars so that the rats can easily get into them. Place an unopened bag of ice or ice packs on top of the cage and a plastic igloo on top of the ice so that the igloo covers the whole bag of ice. The Plastic pet igloo will act like a refrigerator and keep the cold air from going anywhere but down, right into the hammocks.

Just place the rats in the hammocks and they will have a cool place to lay until the ice melts. When the ice melts, just replace the bags with new bags of ice.

Bath Time
If your rats already like water and are used to it, you can fill a tub with about an inch of cool water and let them run around in it. They will get wet and it will cool them off. Don't force your rats to stay in a tub of water if they are scared or not wanting to be in there. You can always hold your rat and gently rub a little water on his back while you pet him and get the same effect.

Rats like to be kept at temperatures between 60F and 76F, but they will tolerate cooler temperatures much easier than warmer temperatures because they can snuggle or burrow into their bedding to keep warm.

One of the Ice packs I have is a larger CoolBrick. It's the size of a brick and lasts a very long time. I would use this on top of the cage for the *ratty air conditioner* But if for some reason the power goes out for just a couple of hours I have ice packs in my freezer for emergencies to keep my rats cool. They last longer than ice and are easy to keep in the freezer.

It's great because it's non-toxic and I can reuse it again and again. Knowing that it gets really hot here in the summer months I've made provisions in case the power goes out for a couple of hours. I say a couple of hours because I wouldn't use this method for more than a few hours in the temps that we get here..ie..115 F

I have two different types and sizes of ice packs. These are smaller gel packs. These would be used inside the cage if needed. I would wrap them in a dish towel and let the rats lay next to them to keep cool. You can also freeze water bottles and wrap those in dish towels.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too.

This week I received:

A Retractable Dog Leash from No Kidding Coupons *99% off coupon code*
A Paddle Grater from No Kidding Coupons *99% off coupon code*
Grilling Liners from No Kidding Coupons *99% off coupon code*
Dove Spray Deodorant

Did you received any freebies this week?

Review: Forever After by Linda Poitevin

Book Description

The epilogue you’ve been waiting for! 

Wedding bells are in the air, but single mom Gwynneth Jacobs and Hollywood mega star Gareth Connor are finding that the road to matrimony is anything but smooth. Each thinks they’re doing what’s best for the other, but with everything from the paparazzi to an overzealous wedding planner getting in their way, they may have lost touch with what exactly that is. With Gwyn developing decidedly cold feet over the whole event, can they reconnect with what’s truly important in time for their upcoming nuptials? Or will they have to face the possibility their lives may just be too different after all?

My Review

Gwynneth and Gareth want to get married but because he's famous and has other people like his manager telling him what he should do like have a big wedding to please his fans...his soon to be wife is feeling a bit overwhelmed by the massive wedding that the wedding planner has come up with for them. 

In comes Gareth's mother to the rescue so to speak. She can tell something is wrong with her soon to be daughter in law and tells her son to open his eyes and listen to Gwynneth and find out what's wrong. 

Plans change, people are going to be upset, the paparazzi are on the loose taking pictures they never should have been able to take and poor Gwynneth is about to have a melt down. 

The kids in the story were so very cute and I thought they really added to the realism of what it's like to live with kids around. 

This is the first book from this author that I've read but I doubt It'll be the last. I really enjoyed this story but have to say if my soon to be husband wanted to hire a housekeeper for me...I'd probably say yes before he finished his sentence. But I can absolutely understand why Gwynneth kept saying no to it. 

This was a really cute story and I really enjoyed it. I give this book 4 stars. 

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book because I am a subscriber of this author's newsletter. 

Review: Morning Star Farms Chik'n Buffalo Wings

It's been years since I've tried any of the veggie patties or vegetarian foods. I remember them not being so good but I've had a few people tell me over the past year or so that some of the frozen veggie 'meats' are quite tasty. So I decided to give one a try. 

I was a little surprised at just how many meat replacement type products there are. I found buffalo style nuggets, sausage patties, and patties that look like chicken and beef. So I decided to try the Morning Star Farms Chik'n Buffalo Wings.

They look and smell just like any other frozen chicken nugget that I've had. After baking them in my George Foreman Rotisserie Oven for 20 minutes, I took them out and tried them. I have to say that they were much better than I had expected they would be. I think the buffalo seasoning was a little hot and needed a little more saltiness flavor because there wasn't a lot of buffalo flavor other than just being spicy. I cut chewed some of the breading off so I could taste the inside by itself and found it wasn't bad at all, it has a pretty good taste to it.

These were better than I thought they would be and I plan on trying a few more of their products now. Because at $3.50 a box, it's comparable to a box of actual chicken nuggets.

Ken ate some of them with me and even he said that they were not bad at all. They were a little spicy hot though. I think when I try another product from them, it won't be a spicy hot one. 

How To Care For Wild Mice

Wild mice live in areas that we frequently pass by without knowing they are there, they will have babies in dark, quiet places that we come across at times. Places like car engines, pipes, lawn mowers and sheds are all places you might find wild mice and their babies (pups).

If you are an animal lover like I am, when you come across a family of wild mice living in your shed or garage your first thought isn't going to be how to get rid of them but how to make them more comfortable.

There are several things you can do if you notice wild mice are living among your belongings and you don't mind that they are there. First thing to remember is that they are wild mice and not pets. They should never be caught to bring home as pets, unless you find orphaned pups that will die without your care or a sick or hurt animal that needs medical attention.

Although a lot of veterinarians will not take on wild mice as patients you might be able to find one in your area that will. Contacting your local ASPCA, mouse rescue or animal shelter may be another way of finding a vet that will treat wild mice.

Making wild mice comfortable:

Find small boxes like Kleenex or other tissue boxes and cut small wild mice size holes in the sides of the boxes so the mice can walk in and out of the box easily. Put a few shredded paper towels in the boxes for their bedding. Get a bag of mouse food at your local pet store and leave a couple of small piles along the wall near the boxes. This way you will be able to tell if they wild mice are using the boxes without actually looking in the box. If the piles of food you left have been disturbed then you know the mice are eating it.

Also get at least two plastic lids, leave them near the food with a little water in them. You will need to change the water in the lids every day because mice will run through them and get the water dirty. Make sure the lids are small, like from butter tubs so the mice can easily access the water without drowning or getting stuck in them.

What to do if you find orphaned wild mice:

The first thing you should do if you find newborn wild mice is leave them alone. Don't touch them or move them because the mother might be out looking for food and she could be coming back, but she might refuse to take of her pups if you handle or move them.

You can leave a small pile of mouse food near the babies and check back in a couple of hours to see if it's been disturbed. If it has the mother mouse is probably back and taking care of her pups.

If after a few hours it doesn't look like the mother has come back, you can then bring the pups in your house to take care of them. Newborn wild mice will be pink, have no hair and their eyes will not be open. They will need to be kept warm and eat every two hours in order to survive.

The best way to keep them alive is to find a mother mouse that is nursing her own babies and add the new mice to her nest. If you have friends that have mice ask them if any of them have had babies recently. You can also find nursing mother mice at pet stores, mice rescues, and animal shelters. Your local veterinarian's office may also be helpful finding a nursing mother mouse.

How to add orphaned wild mice to a nursing mother's nest:

If you are able to find a mother mouse who is nursing her own babies, you need to know adding the wild mice babies to her nest doesn't always work and she may eat the babies. But there's a good chance if done right she will accept the pups and raise them right along side her own.

A mouse knows her own pups by their smell, so in order for the new mother to accept the orphaned wild mice you will need to make the new pups smell like her own babies. To do this you should wear gloves so your smell isn't on the babies and all she smells in her pups.

Put on the gloves and give the mother mouse a treat of some kind, a piece of fruit, yogurt drop or pudding. Anything that will keep her occupied for a few minutes so you can add the wild mice pups to her nest. First thing you should do is pick up a hand full of the bedding in the cage and rub it all over your hands, then carefully handle the wild mice and try to get the smell from the bedding on the pups.

While the mother mouse is eating, get her pups and a handful of the bedding they were sleeping on and add the wild mice pups to the other pups in the nest. Gently rub all the pups with the bedding from the nest and put the nest bedding and all the pups back in the nest where the pups were.

Most mother mice will let you handle them and when she is done with her treat you should pick her up and hold her, letting the smell that is all over your gloved hands get all over her. Then put her back in the cage and watch to see if she accepts the pups. Most of the time she will accept the pups and raise them as her own with no problems. If there aren't any problems within the first few minutes of her returning to the nest then things should be fine.

If the mother mouse does not accept the wild mice pups, you may have to care for them yourself.

How to care for wild mice pups yourself:

There are a few things you will need to do in order to keep the pups alive. Feed them, keep them warm and clean and help them go to the bathroom. Keeping them warm is easy as getting a heating pad, setting it on low, wrapping it in a towel and placing it under the cage. This will keep the bottom of the cage warm where the wild mouse pups will be sleeping without getting them too hot which could lead to dehydration.

Next thing you need to know is baby mice cannot defecate or urinate without help. A mother mouse would lick their genital areas to stimulate them into defecating and urinating, but you can do this two ways. Either by using a wet cotton ball and gently rubbing it on their genitals or using your finger and doing the same thing. You will need to do this after you feed them each time and they should urinate most of the times you do this but only defecate once every third time.

Keep the wild mice pups clean by using a wet cotton ball, warm water only to gently clean them. There are several different kinds of formula you can get to feed the wild mice pups. Most veterinarians can give you several choices but if you can't find a vet that will see the wild mice pups you can buy dog, cat or even baby formula. I would suggest getting several different kinds because the wild mouse pups may not like one kind while they love another.

While you are waiting to get the formula you can use diluted sugar water so they don't get dehydrated. Make it by using 1 cup on warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Use a small eye dropper or plastic syringe to give the wild mouse pups the sugar water. You can also dip the end of a paper towel into the solution and let the pups suck the sugar water from it. This will only work for an emergency and only for the first day while you go and get some formula.

Most pet stores or veterinarians offices will have dog formula, nipples, bottles, or small eye dropper syringes. If you cannot find dog formula the next best thing to buy is soy baby formula you can get right from any grocery store. I would suggest getting powder formula so you can mix it as needed and it won't spoil. Every two hours you will need to mix 2 teaspoons of water to every ½ teaspoon of powder. Feed all the wild mouse pups every two hours, you may need some help if there are a lot of pups.

At a week old the wild mice pups will start to get hair and at two weeks their eyes will open and they will be able to start eating other soft foods. But will still require you to feed them formula also. You can supplement the formula feeding at this time with baby food, soft vegetables and fruit.

At three weeks old they should have teeth and start eating other solid foods such as mouse food, as well as fruits and veggies. They will not be weaned yet so you should still be offering formula a few times a day. At this time they will be more active and if you have been keeping them in an open box, they should be transferred to a cage so they don't run away and get lost or hurt.

At four weeks the wild mice pups should be completely weaned and eating mouse food without getting formula feedings. You should still give them bits of fruit and vegetables but make sure to remove any leftovers that night so they don't spoil which can make the mice sick.

All mice even wild mice are social animals, meaning they should be kept with other mice. Orphaned wild mice pups that have been hand raised should be kept as pets since they won't have the proper education to take care of themselves and haven't learned how to get and find food from their mother.

Mice usually live between 1-2 years. The hard part is over now you can have fun with your new little mouse family.

Happy Raturday!

Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've gotten permission from Rat Logic's fb page to share their pictures on my blog. So get ready to smile because these are cute. 

*click pictures to enlarge*

Review: InstaNatural Lavender Essential Oil

Product Description

Relax the body & mind with the soothing aroma of InstaNatural's Lavender Essential Oil. The light, floral scent of Lavender Essential Oil makes it a perfect addition to your household. Its calming properties help you relax after a long day by relieving stress and enhancing your mental state. Use it as a linen spray to enjoy the comforting scent around your home, such as on clothing or pillowcases, or use it with your favorite Essential Oil Diffuser. With InstaNatural, rest assured you will receive the best customer care and highest-quality Lavender Essential Oil around. It is 100% natural, pure and undiluted with no added ingredients or fillers. The Lavender Essential Oil comes in a large 4 ounce dark amber bottle to preserve the quality of the oil, while the dropper top allows for convenient and accurate measuring. InstaNatural's Lavender Essential Oil is produced in small batches to ensure quality and freshness.....Made in the USA & Cruelty-free.....MANUFACTURER GUARANTEE - InstaNatural backs their products with a Lifetime Money Back Guarantee, no matter where you buy our product. If you're not satisfied, simply contact us and get a full refund.

My Review

I've only used essential oils a few times and usually they come in small bottles. But this is a nice big bottle and it has a dropper so you can measure how many drops you are using. I first put a few drops on the plate of crystals I keep in my living room. I can wash the crystals off and add a new scent to them if I want to. Right away I could smell lavender in the living room and kitchen and I only used a few drops. It's been a few days and I haven't had to add more drops of this essential oil to the crystals because the scent is still so strong.

This essential oil can also be used in the bath. Just drop a few drops in the water as the tub is filling up and you have a nice scented bath water. 

This oil can also be used in an oil diffuser and the scent lasts a really long time, plus a little goes a long way. You can also use this to change the plain scent of a lotion by adding a few drops to the lotion bottle and shaking. I also found that if I add a few drops to the hand soap it gives it a nice lavender scent as well. 

If you'd like to buy this you can find it on Amazon. 

Disclaimer: I was given this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Visiting Hours: My Experience as a Visitor at Rawson Neal Psychiatric Hospital

A few years ago I went to visit someone in a Psychiatric Hospital, the experience wasn't at all what I expected. While each hospital is unique and different if you're going to visit someone in a psychiatric hospital you might experience some of what I did.

While going to visit someone in the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was told that visiting hours were from 7pm to 8pm each night. That's right, it's not like being in a regular hospital where a visitor can come pretty much any time during the day, you get one hour each night to visit.

When you walk up to the front door, you have to wait for the security guard to come to the door and let you in. He first has to scan the plastic badge he wears and then punch in a code into the keypad in order to open the door. All the doors in the facility are opened the same way. The first day I went to visit, I had my purse with me, the security guard told me I had to leave it in the car and only bring my keys into the facility with me. Then the security guard will tell you to stand in line and wait to check in. You have to be at least 16 years old to visit a patient, babies are not allowed in the facility.

You are not allowed to bring anything other than your keys into the facility or a bag of clothes for the patient. No cell phones, purses, sun glasses, cigarettes, food or drinks are allowed. When you get up to the desk to sign in, the clerk asked me what ward the patient was on and she gave me a sign in sheet with name tags for that particular ward. I had to put my name, date, and my relationship to the patient and then peel one of the stickers off and put it on my shirt. You have to wear the sticker the entire time you are there.

After everyone has signed in, someone from the ward you are going to will come and walk you there. To get to the ward I was visiting, my group went through 5 locked doors. Each door had to be opened by the person taking us. He would scan his plastic badge and punch in the number on the keypad, he would then wait to make sure everyone had gone through the first door and shut it before making his way to the next door.

When we got to the visiting room, we were asked to hand over our keys and they put them in Ziploc baggies and into a bucket that sits underneath the nurse's station until we leave. If anyone had wallets, pens, paper, or anything else they could clearly see in their pockets they had sneaked in, they were asked to remove these items as well before going into the visiting room.

The visiting room was opened the same way all the others doors were. There were two doors to this room, one we came in and one the patients came in from. Once we all took a seat, the patient door was opened and the people we were there to see were informed and came into the room. There was at least one employee from that ward in the room with us at all times. If any of the patients got out of hand, they were escorted back to their rooms. If any of the patients were on suicide watch they had someone from the ward within arms reach at all times and listened to everything that was said between patient and visitor and took notes on a clip board while in the visitor room.

At 8pm, an employee from the ward let us know that visiting time was over and the patients were escorted out through their door first. Then the visitors were let out the door they had come in through. We were handed back our keys and led back out through the doors we had come in. Going out, the person escorting us had to unlock all the doors the same way, with his badge and punching numbers into the keypad.

As we left the last door, the stickers we had on our shirts were collected and we were let out the front door leading to the driveway. It was an interesting experience and at one point I felt like I was in jail, but at least I know the patients aren't getting out before someone let's them out.

How To Treat A Rat Bite

*Scribbles*

Rats and other rodents have large sharp teeth that they use to chew through hard nuts, wood and even plastic. So if they do bite you it can be quite painful.

Wild Rats
Most of the time wild rats will not get close enough to you to bite. If you have a wild rat cornered in your home, garage or outside you are very likely to get bitten because they will bite when scared or cornered or feel like they are in danger. If you put yourself in this situation, you only have yourself to blame if you get bitten. If you come across a wild rat, leave it alone. They are most likely to be more afraid of you than you are of him.

Domesticated Rats
Even domesticated rats will sometimes feel threatened and bite or scratch you. Some baby rats that have been handled badly or not handled enough will be skittish when you first bring them home. Patience, a soothing voice and treats so he will see you are not a threat will bring your little guy around to feeling comfortable with you.

If You Do get Bitten
If you do get bitten the first thing you should do is rinse the area off and see how bad the bite is. Control the bleeding by applying pressure to the affected area. Apply antibiotic ointment like Neosporin and a bandage.

If the injury is on a finger, remove all rings and jewelry from that hand just in case it swells up later. Watch for signs of infection which would include:

Severe Pain
Redness around the area
Pus
Swelling
Heat
Fever

If the rat that bites you is someone's pet, you should get their information like phone number, address and name in case you come down with more than just an infection.

If the rat that bites you is a wild rat, you should seek immediate medical help. Some wild rats can carry diseases like Rat Bite Fever. Symptoms associated with Rat Bite Fever are:

Headache
Fever
Vomiting
Pain in the back and in the joints.
Rash
Swelling
Redness
Severe Pain

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek immediate medical help.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too.

This week I received:
A box of Hot Cocoa Single-Serve 40ct. Sampler from Two Rivers Coffee
Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye *Won from a blog*
Dapper Dude's Wash n Go, Dog Shampoo from No Kidding Coupons *99% off discount coupon*
Copper Nozzle for a garden hose from No Kidding Coupons *99% off discount coupon*

I also won a blog contest over at Fangs Wands & Fairy Dust that included a book, cookie cutters and a fridge magnet. 

And I won $40 worth of gift cards from Crowdtap. 

And I won cookies from a fb promotion. 

Did you received any freebies this week?

New Laptops and Security Certificate Errors

So my old laptop was freezing, was slow and I was just having problem after problem with it. So I bought a new Acer laptop and I got it yesterday. I was so happy...

Then I hooked it up, turned it on and tried getting on the internet and while I could connect to the internet, all these security certificate error pop up kept popping up at every page and with them I wasn't able to download anything. I tried downloading Google Chrome but the pop ups and certificate error messages kept me from being able to download anything. So I called my ISP- Centurylink.

I was on the phone with a Centurylink tech person for over an hour yesterday and she has me Ping this and NSlookup that and had me into little black boxes that I didn't even knew were on my computer. She told me it was a DNS server issue but after an hour she couldn't figure out what the problem was so she was going to have another tech person called me back in 24 hours.....

So today I Googled Security Certificate Error popups and found one tech guy that said to make sure that the date and time were correct on your new computer. I look down and see the date is set to 2013 and think to myself...it can't possibly be that easy, can it?

I change the date and time and restart the laptop and all the pop ups have disappeared. I was even able to download Google Chrome. Sheesh maybe I should be a tech person because the last few times I've had a computer problem, I figured it out myself by Googling the problem.