A Purrfect Way Pet Sitting Service

12/08/2024

Goose (on table) and Maverick😍

12/08/2024

Monkey eating breakfast in bed....a REALLY big dog bed😍

08/08/2024

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07/08/2024

Another fabulous "perk" of being single..you can go shopping for a mattress; take your time choosing exactly what is right for you, the price point that is affordable, the delivery date that coordinates with your schedule....and not hear ANY complaints about price or firmness or height or delivery date and time. It was actually enjoyable!! Also didn't have to reward/bribe someone with lunch or dinner out because you asked him to do something like be an adult for a few hours 😆😍

New mattress was delivered this morning and Macy was first to approve it! I finally got rid of the 2 twin sets that were pushed together to make a king (bought that way years ago because we couldn't agree on a king mattress firmness!) I have more room IN my bedroom, plenty of room for the cats and best of all, it was my choice and I could finally get rid of the final piece that we "shared" as a married couple. Today is a REALLY good day 😍😍

31/07/2024

Kit Kat is sequestered in the house tonight😍 She gave me a scare because she missed 3 meals; she wasn't at back door waiting for me yesterday or today. She usually doesn't wander off so this concerned me.

Finally at 6:30 pm tonight she showed up and was hungry! I knew rain was coming and it is in fact pouring right now. She is in the spare room out of the elements for tonight. Might only be for tonight if she gets too upset and vocal about being in here..but baby steps again to try and get her used to being inside. After all, now that house has been minus 1 human for almost 2 years I have the extra room. Got rid of a husband, got another cat. 😆😍

29/07/2024

My indoor fur kids Patrick, Macy & Happy, and outdoor kitty, Kit Kat 😍

27/07/2024

When I was a little girl probably around 5 or 6 I used to tell people in the neighborhood that I "lived in the house with purple steps". My dad painted them a shade of brown that looked more plum to me than brown 😆 I asked him one day to paint our front door purple to match the steps, which is when he told me the steps are brown, not purple. I dearly wanted a purple front door! He told me when I had my own house one day I could paint my own door purple. Thanks, dad...I love it!!! Have always loved the color purple (and in some light, certain browns still look purple to me). I recently learned that purple front doors can mean the owner is energetic, creative, free-spirited. It can symbolize meditation and spiritual energy. It can also mean the owner is a witch, so maybe the people who need to stay away from me will do so 😆😍

24/07/2024

I get a LOT of joy out of my pet sitting business and am so thankful for my loyal clients!! In the past almost 25 years in business, I sat for 2 different families in the same house. One family used me for years and when they sold their home and moved, they left my card on the fridge for the next family with a recommendation for my business. That family has used me for years as well and is now getting ready to move away. They told me my card (the NEW one, with my wonderful, updated last name!) is on the fridge waiting for the new owners because they have cats and will need a sitter. "Pet sitter conveys with the house"..I love it😍😍

23/07/2024

Buford likes to hang out in the cat carrier!!😍

23/07/2024

Biiiig stretch for Merlin😍

23/07/2024

Louie moved to his big rock!!😍

23/07/2024

First visit with Jazzy! She's not too sure of me, yet but not hiding 😍

23/07/2024

Comet & Sheba Sue 😍

23/07/2024

Cali loves to roll on the cement floor of the attached greenhouse😍

23/07/2024

Spending time this week with Louie the Bearded Dragon, DoughBoy the bunny, and Buford, Merlin & Bing the kitties😍

15/07/2024

Patrick says, "Mom! Before you sell it, take my picture sitting in it..I've never gotten to sit in your curio cabinet before"😍 It is sold; just waiting on person to pick it up (minus the kitty, of course!) SO glad to be getting rid of this..it is the final piece of handmade furniture made by the ex. Looking at it every day HURT and I no longer want the visual reminders of my past life. I found a spot for every knick-knack I kept (sold everything out of it that he gave me, too!) More room in my home and less to dust!😍

15/07/2024

My resident bunny is eating all the Creeping Buttercup..no need to weed-whack😍

15/07/2024

When it's hot and I don't have to be out doing sits I hibernate inside and work on hobbies. This is the latest diamond painting I finished last night. Took 4 months, but wow! I love the colors and can't wait to go buy a canvas to glue it and hang on wall😍

15/07/2024

Cali says "Good Morning"😍 I get to spend the next 2 weeks with her..and the outside view is gorgeous, too!

01/07/2024

Hibernated for several hours yesterday and finished another painting! This is my version of one offered by Wine & Design..I snapped a pic off a sample on their wall and decided I could try it on my own at home. Changed the colors and the background shapes from the original design..had fun and it's now hanging on wall in my dining room😍

01/07/2024

I updated my website over the weekend on a mobile-friendly template..yay!! It should look good on all devices now, whether using a laptop, tablet or phone. Glad my provider finally got with the times and made it easier to tweak details.

Check out www.apurrfectway.com if you get a chance😍

For the first time since getting a website I decided to include my starting price for half hour pet sit. I never did it before because I wanted people to call or email for a quote, and I didn't want other services just copying my pricing. HOWEVER, recently I discovered 2 new services in my area who charge $40 for a 20-30 minute visit!!! And $60-75 for 45 minutes to an hour. Holy moly! I think that's outrageous. I've been doing this almost 25 years and have hundreds of references and tons of experience. My guess is that the newer services might see my website and lower their prices if they don't get enough clients..but we'll see!

I do need to increase prices due to rising cost of everything, so beginning August 1st my rate will be $24 for 30 minute pet sit; $30 for 45 minute sit. I will also require 1 week's notice to cancel sits during the year; 2 weeks notice at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Cancellations have gotten a little out of hand and it makes it hard for me to plan and budget, not knowing if the sits are confirmed until last minute.

The only other policy is that I do not refund for early returns..once you leave and the assignment begins, that time is booked specifically for the care of your pets. If you return early I most likely won't be able to fill that empty spot so I cannot refund the unused visit(s).

In extreme cases/emergencies, I do waive my policies on a case by case basis..but that's another reason I have been able to stay in business this long! I have policies but I understand life can be unpredictable and I am not an unreasonable person. Several of you have been with me since the start and your loyalty is precious to me!

I treasure each and every one of my clients and your beloved pets. Thank you for your loyalty and support!😍

pet sitting business in Calvert County Maryland

17/06/2024

Had a free afternoon yesterday so did a hobby that brings me great joy..a painting class! The first picture is the instructor's version; the second picture is my creation. What a fun few hours! Now to browse some thrift stores to find a frame. The instructor said she loved my vibrant yellow, my wispy clouds and soft blending of my pink, orange and yellow😍

09/06/2024

Currently reading the book, "Don't Believe Eveything You Think" by Joseph Nguyen. So interesting! He talks about goals either being "of desperation" or of "inspiration". Goals of desperation are those set to achieve something else..a goal for a better job to make more money to get out of debt faster, for example. They are a stepping stone, a means to an end..but of course the end often moves and you set another goal, and another to achieve something you need.

Goals of inspiration, however, come from a deeply moving thought, an idea, a calling. They are a powerful force of life needing expression. They are not created from a place of need, but from a place of abundance...something we want to do, don't have to do to survive. There's no pressure, no urgency. We feel like life is full and we want to share our abundance with others. I realized one of my first goals of inspiration happened back in 2000 when I had the idea to create a pet sitting business, just to see if the idea would take off around here. We didn't need the money at the time; I just wanted to see if a dream I had could take shape in the real world. Almost 25 years later, that dream is still a reality for me!

I realized while going through my separation and divorce I of course had all goals of desperation..I needed a second, more steady income source as a way to keep a roof over my and my cats' heads and get these bills paid all on my own, in addition to pet sitting that was reliable but not quite the level of steady I needed. I needed to get a plan in place for emergencies, for home repairs, for basic maintenance. Surviving.. but not yet thriving.

It took 15 months for my mind to settle into a routine of 2 jobs and doing it all on my own and realizing that I can do it by the Grace of God, prayer, and my hard work. God and life has been good to me and the blessings keep coming.

Now that things are more calm and I have a sense of peace, I am experiencing "goals of inspiration" and it's so exciting! My mind is clear on what I want to give from my place of "abundance". My artistic ideas are flowing and I have an idea to combine my love of cats and my hobby of making greeting cards to hopefully benefit a local cat shelter. I also want to start fostering kittens now that I have the available spare room in my home. I don't "have" to; I want to..and it's a wonderful thing to be able to focus on my "want to do's".

I am allowing my imagination to just run with whatever idea I have and see where it takes me and it is so much fun. My meditation practice has evolved with the use of a sound bowl and ocean drum and my sense of peace, gratitude and joy has reached a new level.

I never thought I would say this, but my divorce ended up being the best thing that has ever happened to me! I've learned to tap into the source of my inner strength more than ever, truly listen to my intuition, set healthy boundaries to keep my circle small and authentic and enjoy this new life!

I had to go through marriage with that toxic person to see and appreciate the authentic, genuine people on the other side of it and know that there can be true beauty from ashes!!😍

21/05/2024

My kitchen cabinet DIY is done!!! Took almost 2 months to repaint the frames and 18 doors since I had to fit the project in between pet sits and subbing at Edward Jones..but I did it! And I saved anywhere from $1800-$2800 doing it myself😍 The handles are spray-painted a "hammered copper" and I think they really pop with the colors in my countertop.

16/05/2024

Going through an old album of pix from back when I first started the pet sitting business😍 This dog was not a client but he totally deserved his own page in my album. He was the goofiest, sweetest dog and he belonged to the neighbor who lived behind my parents in St. Mary's. Duke had a talent for escaping the backyard after his parents went to work. He wouldn't go far..he would make a run through the neighborhood and then come spend the day with my mom and dad, since they were retired and home all day. At least several times a week on his run through neighbor's yards, he would steal something. One day he brought daddy a workglove. A few days later, a boot. The funniest thing he ever brought, however, was lunch in a brown paper bag!!! He came flying down the road with the bag in his mouth and my daddy opened the bag to find a sandwich, cookies and an apple!! There was no way to tell where the lunch came from so daddy let Duke eat the sandwich. I can only hope he didn't steal ALL the items from the same person, lol!!!

15/05/2024

My divorce group is reading the book, "Set Boundaries, Find Peace". It's really been eye-opening in many ways and we are only on Chapter 5!

With all of the scenarios and personal stories in the book for examples, I realized that I did actually attempt to set boundaries throughout my marriage..but he totally ignored, discounted, made excuses for or disrespected them.

A memory popped into my head the other night from 2014. I got the mail one day while he was at work and found to my horror that there was a bank statement addressed to him AND her, using our address. Livid, I tore open the envelope to discover there was a safety deposit box in their names at a local bank and this was the annual bill. I confronted him as he violated a big boundary and I wanted his answer. He told me she "needed help as she didn't know where to go to get such a box, and she needed someone outside the family as an emergency contact". Both of those facts I knew in my head were BS and told him so. An eighteen-year old knows WHERE to get a safety deposit box. And you DON'T "need" an emergency contact. He told me to "think what I wanted to think".

I told him to go to the bank and get his name OFF that account and if I ever saw anything in their names at our address again I would divorce him. He must have gone to the bank and taken our address off (or he got a PO box) as I never saw another thing come to the house addressed to both of them. But did he take his name off box? I doubt it.

He also totally clammed up and never mentioned her name again, even though after this I would ask about her regularly because her presence in our marriage bugged me. We even had her and her 3rd husband out on our boat, and to dinner just prior to this! I didn't know husband #3 was a "bad marriage" and she was in process of divorcing him. She rented the box to hide papers from him, I later discovered.

My wasband's answer was always, "I don't know. Haven't talked to her in months. No idea what she is doing", every single time I would ask him something about her.

It was ALL lies. But when someone WANTS to cheat, no amount of the other person having and trying to enforce boundaries on him or her is going to work. I couldn't follow him everywhere he went. Boundaries will be ignored, disrespected and the cheater WILL try to make YOU the villian in the story, as you try to find out details and piece things together and you become "too sensitive/insecure/argumentative/ready for a fight". I didn't want to fight! I wanted him to respect me AND our marriage.

As my mind mulled all this over, plus a few later episodes of him violating more boundaries, I realized something and just let it wash over me. My marriage was DESTINED to fail with this man. For whatever reason, he was GOING to cheat and do whatever he wanted to disrespect me and violate my trust. It was going to fail, no matter what.

As I let that sink in, it was like God just said, "Let it go. Let it ALL finally go. He was determined to cheat and had NO interest in living an authentic, true relationship with you. He didn't love you, he used you. You need to let go, and let Me show you a new path".

God hadn't spoken to me quite like that since the day I stood in my kitchen and cried, "make it stop. I can't take it anymore." I heard His answer then (in the form of a picture of my ex escorting his girlfriend down the aisle at her daughter's wedding) and I heard his voice today. So, God, I am letting go! You obviously have a better plan for me than dwelling in the past..I heard it loud and clear!

15/05/2024

On this night 26 years ago I was packing the last few things from my room at my childhood home and getting ready for settlement on this house the next day and step into what I thought would be forever life with my now ex. I can remember the excitement, thrill and the nerves kicking in all at once. My daddy, famous for his use of humor in exactly the right moment said "well, gal, as of tomorrow at 11 am you will be officially in debt for the rest of your life"🤣

Mom and dad, thank you for your wisdom, guidance, humor, love and financial sense that you passed down to me. I know you're smiling down from Heaven and are proud that I listened to all of your lessons! Because of all I learned from them, I was able to not only keep this house in the divorce.. I also didn't have to pay my ex a dime to walk away from our life when he chose the other woman.

I thought the memories of this day might feel like another gut-punch but I am focusing on the happy memories involving only my mom and dad and all they did to help me make this house a home ❤️

14/05/2024

Been thinking a lot about my mom and dad lately and had a dream about them last night. They met on a blind date arranged by my dad's sister and were married 50 years before mom passed away in 2001.

My dream, as dreams often do, suddenly morphed into a snippet of MY life with a new guy...but his face was blurry!! They say you only ever dream about people you've seen in real life; that your brain cannot "make up" faces. No idea if that's true but perhaps that's why mystery guy's face was not clear?

That's the 4th dream I have had in last 5 months where I can't see his face! Show your face, would you, please?? 🤣 Or is that my clue that I am supposed to stop looking?

Help a gal out, please..lol! I feel like I should write a personals ad.."in search of a tall, dark-haired guy..slim to medium build, approx 55-62 years old with old-school manners and a nice smile. Must love music, have a sense of humor and love to laugh. Must understand that I love cats and if not of same mind, be willing to fully accept that of me and not consider it a conflict" Are you out there, blurry-face guy?? 🤣😍

14/05/2024

Kona & Java Joe😍