At the Fence

Hi Neighbors! How has your weather been lately?  We have been extremely hot several days in a row now.  Now, our dogs are definitely feeling the heat.  What a great time to try out a Kool Collar  in our Pets on Parade Event.  A Kool Collar can be used both inside and out.  For outside use, you fill the Kool Collar with ice cubes.  As they melt and drip down your dog, they cause evaporation and this helps to cool your dog.  Now of course inside you don't want water dripping off your dogs so Kool Collar has a KoolTube freezer tube that can be frozen and inserted in the Kool Collar. The Kool Collar comes in 3 sizes, small, medium and large.  And it also comes in three colors, red, blue and black.  If needed you can purchase extra KoolTubes.  This would be great on days like today, because as soon as one melted you could replace it with a frozen one. Handwash your Kool Collar in cold water and line or drip dry.  Do not dry clean or place in a dryer.  The Kool Collar

Hi Neighbors! As you all know I recently became part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  As part of this crew, I receive many different types of homeschool curriculum to share here with my neighbors At the Fence!  I am so excited to be a part of this crew!  So throughout the next few months you will be seeing many reviews for curriculum that you can both use at home for homeschooling or as refresher courses. First up is one we have really enjoyed!  It is called Homeschool Spanish Academy .  One reason we enjoyed this one is because a church we visit in Chicago has quite a few Spanish speaking families, and although many speak English several of them are more comfortable speaking Spanish.  I chose my two sons to take advantage of this class.  It is an online, live, video class.  You actually see and hear the teacher and are able to ask questions as you go along.  Not only is it great having an online teacher, but she is actually from and lives in a Spanish speaking country.  The boy

Hey neighbors! Do any of you suffer from back pain ?  I have, and believe me when I say it is not something I ever want to experience again!  One really bad thing was I was not at home.  What started out as some back discomfort, quickly escalated to Severe back pain and an emergency room visit.  One of the ladies we know in Chicago suggested visiting her chiropractor. So, we loaded up and took a 45 minute trip only to have him tell us he would not consider doing anything to my back.  He explained that what I was describing sounded more like a disc problem and that by adjusting my back at all he could actually do more damage.  He recommended the local emergency room.  So, we took off again. At the ER they did x-rays and gave me some morphine for pain.  It didn't even touch it.  The next day I was still in so much pain that we visited another ER.  Now, I could barely walk.  I had pain in the lower right side of my back, that shot all the way down the back of my leg to my heel,

Hello Neighbors! How is everyone?  We have another great addition to our Pets on Parade Event At the Fence!  The Litter Pearls Micro Crystals ! This product is from Ultra Pet This Cat Litter doesn't clump!  It is made of silica gel that absorbs the moisture and traps bacteria inside the crystals.  A 7lb. Bag of Litter Pearls Micro Crystals should last for two months (for one cat).  All it needs is proper daily maintenance which is ... removing the feces and stirring through the contents in the litter box especially on the bottom (this lets the crystals to release a moisture so that they can be used over and over).  Be sure to read their page about silica gel and why it works. You can also check out their Facebook and Twitter . When my eleven year old daughter started to open this she said "Hey, this looks like Cotton Candy!".  She thinks it is hilarious!  It is pale blue in color and is completely unscented, no chemicals added.  I personally hav

Hey neighbors! I am so excited!  Our back deck is almost completed.  It actually has several levels and a grill area.  It is wonderful!  And work has started on replacing our front porch.  I will be doing a post to show you the differences.  Next on my list of renovations are the two main doors.  One front and one in the back.  They needed replaced anyway, but now that the new deck and patio are going up They are really looking bad, especially compared to the deck and porch! Anyway, I have been looking at some different options on doors4home .  I am really beginning to dream!  I found several that I really like.  I definitely want a window in the front door, but not too big.  I have included several here that I thought looked nice.  What do you think of the ones above?  It is an older home so I want to find something that fits in well with the present look. For the back door I am not quite as concerned that there be glass in it.  I am thinking solid wood, but I am still tr

Here are some tips on how to make cheap cat furniture. Cat furniture can be incredibly expensive. Have you seen the price of a scratching post, lately? $30 for a post on a platform, wrapped in rope! That’s crazy – especially when you have the tools to build your own out of scraps at home! Scrap Lumber Just about anybody has scrap lumber lying around. Well, maybe – but you can get construction grade lumber for your projects, and not spend as much. Construction grade lumber has “voids” in it – meaning that two-by-fours will have knots, and plywood will have gaps where the glue and filler didn’t spread. It is used at the construction level,  where appearances won’t matter in the long run. The carpenters will fill the voids with wood putty and paint the surfaces that show. This wood is great for cat furniture that you plan to cover with carpet or rope,   such as scratching or climbing posts. The basic structure of construction grade lumber will be mostly covered, anyway, so the b

Hey neighbors! I had the privilege of keeping track of Scott Garcher as he traveled across the United States in the Race Across America.  Scott Garchar is part of the Ohio CycleWorks Bike Team who is being sponsored by Fedex Custom critical during the RAAM (Race Across America).  Now, I personally have never heard of this race before, but I have since learned that it is one of the most grueling races in the world.  Starting in Oceanside CA and finishing in Annapolis Maryland, I was able to follow Scott Garcher's race by using SenseAware. SenseAware is a device that can track your "package" it's entire trip.  It allows you to see exactly where the package is, but it also allows you to monitor, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and light exposure.  I found this totally amazing. This is very important when you are transporting medical supplies.  See below: Current location—Know where your shipments are in near real-time. 􀁴􀀁 Accurate temperature—Verif

Hello Neighbors! Great to see you out At the Fence today!  I know several of my neighbors own dogs, so I thought for our Pets on Parade event you might be interested in learning about Dr. Bill's Dog First Aid Kit .  If we have pets we are sure to have minor cuts, scrapes and abrasions, and although we don't ever want it to happen there could be other injuries as well in the lifetime of a pet.  So, wouldn't it be convenient to have a first aid kit designed just for your dog?  Dr. Bill has done just that! I received my kit and wanted to take some time to share with you just what is inside this kit.  In the top section: a roll of medical Adhesive tape 1" x 10 yards 4-single packages of Diphen (Helps to relieve allergic reactions.) 4-3"sterile cotton tipped applicators 4-packets of 2 capsules of Tri-Buffered Aspirin Inside the lid is a Quick Reference Manual where you can write in all your vet's information.  On the back of the reference manua

Hey neighbors! This is obviously not part of the Pets on Parade!  I did tell you though that there would be the occasional post that was not part of the event.  Anyway, have any of you tried the new Dry Idea ?  I received the Dry Idea Advanced Dry Roll On.  (Powder Fresh)  The roll-on delivers 24 hour protection, fast drying MicroCotton Formula, Hypo-Allergenic, and contains Vitamin E.  It is available in 3 scents-Powder Fresh, Cotton Dry, and Unscented.  Not only is this available in a roll-on, but you can also purchase Dry Idea Advanced Dry in Clear Gel and Invisible Solid. So whatever type of antiperspirant/deodorant you are looking for, they have it.  And, Dry Idea has a Sweepstakes going on with $1000 in prizes.  $500 first place and 10 $50 2nd place prizes.  You can sign up by clicking this URl: http://insiders.purex.com/dryidea?id_784   And please use the URL as they are keeping track for us! Now, 3 neighbors will each receive a coupon for a FREE Dry Idea Advanced Dry .

Hi Neighbors! PetSmart sent us one of their Puppy Starter Kits for review.  It is filled with really great coupons!  The Puppy Starter Kit is $19.99 and there are vouchers for products and services worth over $130.  Not only that, but when you go to their site and register your new puppy, you will receive more than $100 of additional coupons.  First off there is a coupon for a free bag of specialty puppy food (up to $15).  This will be super useful!  Who doesn't need dog food to start out a new puppy. Then your newest addition can experience a Puppy Bath, Brush and More at PetSmart (Puppy must be between 8 weeks and 5 months old).  Not only will you have a full puppy, you will have a clean one!  Next up is a Free 1-hour Puppy Orientation Seminar with an accredited trainer.   Puppy Bath, Brush & More Puppies up to five months old get a shampoo and massage; hand-brush; blow-dry; nail trimming; ear cleaning; loose hair removal and a bow or bandana. What about

Hi neighbors! I hope you all are having a great week and that you are enjoying the Pets on Parade Event!  Next up is a unique product for cats.  It is called " Chateau Looey ".  They are really cute covers for your litter box.  And not only can they be used as covers to hide the litter box and contain spillage, but you can also use them as a hideaway for your cat.  Put a soft pad or blanket inside one and your cat now has a bed or somewhere to go just to rest. Best of all, they are not tacky looking.  Each Chateau Looey is designed to look like a home.  You can choose from 6 different styles.  Buy all the same, or mix and match to fit in with your home decor.  They have Bora Bora Tropical Hut, Hacienda, Malibu Beach House, Midtown Brownstone, Pasadena Cottage, and Yellowstone Cabin. This is the Pasadena Cottage. (Side view.) Front view, litter box inside. The Chateau Looey Litter Box Furniture is made of a sturdy cardboard and comes to you flat, in 3 piece