Sunday, May 31, 2015

My 10 Year Blogoversary!


I started this blog 10 years ago when a friend talked a couple of us into starting up a blog at the same time he did. TK *Trollking* was a friend from a couple of forums and yahoo groups that I frequented back then and he talked us into starting blogs of our own. Sadly TK passed away a couple of years ago and most of the friends that started up blogs back then, no longer keep up with their blogs, but I have slowly been plugging along for 10 years.

My blog has changed as I've changed over the years. I've met a lot of really wonderful people and made quite a few friends along the way. 

Over the past 10 years I've shared pictures of my hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, rats and now my dog. I've shared the sorrow of my mother's passing, the joy of my grandson being born and my 24th anniversary with my wonderful hubby. 

I've ranted, reviewed, shared my thoughts and advice. I don't think I ever really thought that I would still be blogging 10 years later or that anyone would read what I had to say, but many of you do and I thank you for sticking with me through so many years. 

I hope that I'll be here in 10 more years and that you all will still be here with me. 

To thank you all for visiting today and over the past 10 years. I decided that I would celebrate the day by sharing with you my mom's favorite soup recipe.

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups of vegetable stock or broth
3 cups of roasted and chopped carrots, celery and green onions
3 eggs well beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Place chopped vegetables on baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until done. 

Add vegetable broth or stock to large pan and heat until almost to a boil, add roasted vegetables. 
Let broth come to a boil and add beaten eggs a little at a time, stirring the entire time. Cook for 1 minute and serve. 


Saturday, May 30, 2015

Recipe: Fried Potatoes and Eggs Comfort Food


Do you have a favorite comfort food that you go to when you're not feeling good? I do and this is it. It's actually really easy and you can add other things to it if you want to. Sometimes I'll add bacon or spinach but most times it's just this. 

Recipe:

3 large potatoes
4 eggs mixed in a bowl
2 stalks of green onion-diced
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

What to do

Heat skillet with oil
Wash and cut potatoes into chunks and add to pan. Fry with lid on over medium heat until tender. 
Add mixed eggs and diced onion right over the potatoes and keep turning until done. 

This has always been what I wanted when I wasn't feeling good or was sick. My mom used to make this for us when we were kids and it just stuck with me. 

Friday, May 29, 2015

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 coupon for a free pack of Johnsonville Grillers
A coupon for a free Reese's Candy Bar

I also received an envelope with 2 free samples of Southern Breeze Sweet Tea.

Did you get any freebies this week?

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Review: Simply Simily Stainless Steel Water Bottle


Product Description
Are you tired of the usual warm and fishy smells of the water in your water bottle? Is it difficult to clean your plastic water bottle thereby making it look oily and smelling funny no matter how much you wash it? Have you had problems with water bottles leaking inside your bag? Do you desperately need a water bottle that keeps your water nice and cool without making it smell and taste funny? The Simply Simily Stainless Steel Water Bottle might be the solution you so deserve. This blue single wall metallic bottle is designed to keep water very cool for long hours and still remain fresh. It's easy to clean and though it's really tight, the cap pops right up when you need to drink. The design is really beautiful plus it has two areas to fix to a camping gear or a bike. Despite its sexy and slim silhouette, this bottle holds up to 26 oz of water which is a lot.

Dimensions 10.75" H x 2.5" W, 26 oz (750ml)
Classic black twist cap
Made out of quality stainless steel
Single wall metal layer, BPA free
Lifetime Warranty

My Review
This is a nice size, light weight stainless steel water bottle. It's easily carried in a purse, bag or clipped onto a bike, bag or can be used with a clip to clip onto a belt when hiking. I filled it with water and kept it upside down for a few minutes and nothing leaked from the cap. I filled it with warm liquid and found that you'd have to be careful if you want to fill this with hot liquid because it would be very hot to hold. Then I filled it with cold liquid and found that it did keep the water cold for quite a long time. I found that the opening is also large enough for ice cubes to fit through so you can put ice in this water bottle if you want. 


I don't go out a lot but I do use water bottles and the plastic ones just don't last long and they are hard to clean even with a baby bottle brush. This stainless steel bottle has a wide enough opening that the bottle cleaner I have can really get down in there and clean any hard water or juice from the bottom of the bottle.


My husband loves this and he will probably be using it more than I will because he takes his bike all over town and this fits into the water bottle holder on his bike really well. It's a simple design and I like that it's not plastic and I don't get that weird plastic smell coming from it that so many new water bottles seem to have these days. This also seems like it's really durable and strong and I don't have to worry about it cracking if I happen to drop it on the floor. 

If you'd like to buy one, you can find it here

Disclaimer: I was given this product for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Review: Müller® Dessert Inspired Yogurt



I like yogurt and dessert so when I heard that there was a dessert inspired yogurt that is even good for you nutritionally and tastes really good, you know I had to try it.


We took the coupons that BzzAgent sent me to Smith's Grocery store and picked up some yogurt. There are so many great flavors to choose from including, Strawberry Cheesecake and Raspberry Brownie Supreme but I decided on Dark Chocolate & Cherry flavor. I mean, you really can't go wrong with that flavor combination and I was right, it was so good. Everything you expect a flavorful yogurt to be. 


I liked that the cherry filling was in a little side compartment and I could add as little or as much as I wanted to the rest of the yogurt. I think most people use it all because that's what it's there for, right? It was good and I can honestly recommend it. 

Disclaimer: I was given coupons to try this product for free thanks to BzzAgent.


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Review: Barilla Pronto Pasta

Smiley360 sent me two boxes of new Barilla Pronto pasta to try out at home. 

With this pasta there's no waiting for the water to boil. You add the pasta to a large pan, add 3 cups of cold water, turn it on high and set your timer for 10 minutes and wait until the water is absorbed. There's no draining needed because all the water gets absorbed by the pasta so you can add your favorite sauce right to the pan if that's what you want to do. Stir frequently and serve with whatever sauce and add ons you want. 

The pasta got done in my pan in just 10 minutes and I didn't have to wait for the water to boil before adding it in. I did have to add an additional 1/2 cup of water since the pasta wasn't done once all the water was absorbed and it stuck to the bottom of my pan a little, which I didn't like. 

I added a pasta sauce and meatballs to mine and we had this for dinner along with salad. It was simple, tasty and easier to make than I thought it would be. I was afraid the pasta would stick together but it didn't which was nice.

Then a week later we tried the Barilla Pronto Spaghetti noodles and the instructions are the same. Add the noodles to a pan, add 3 cups of cold water, turn on high and cook for 10 minutes until all water is absorbed. 

This time it took 13 minutes and I had to add an additional cup of water when the spaghetti didn't get done and the water had been absorbed in the allotted time. 

While the taste of the spaghetti noodles was good what I didn't like is that it stuck to my pan quite a bit as you can see in the picture below. 


So while this pasta tastes good and you don't have to wait for the water to boil or drain the noodles you do have to stir all the time, it sticks to the bottom of the pan, you might need to add more water and you have to make the entire box at one time. 

Would I buy this? Probably not. It tastes good, just like any other noodle but I have to make the entire box which is just too much for the two of us and some is wasted since it sticks to the pan and while I don't have to wait for the water to boil, I do have to stir and watch it more closely. Might be a great product for some but I'll stick with regular pasta that I drop into boiling water and don't have to worry about it sticking to the bottom of my pan. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a free product from Smiley360 in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, May 25, 2015

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 got 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*





Saturday, May 23, 2015

Review: Smoking Gunn by Amelia James


Book Blurb
Max Gunn lives a trouble-making, hell raising, rock star life—no good for any woman—and he’s okay with that. He’s been in love before, but never for long, until stripper goddess Blaze grabs ahold of his wayward heart, and he can’t shake it off. Can he do something crazy and have more than a fling with her? Or has he done too much damage already?

My Review
Max Gunn is a rock star and adored by people, mostly females just about everywhere he goes even if that place happens to be a stripper bar. But when he is confronted by Blaze, a woman who isn't interested in him, that fact interests him more than the girls grabbing at his ass for a little attention. 

The description of Blaze on stage, stripping, dancing and gyrating for anyone who couldn't take their eyes off her was in a word...incredible. I've never been to an actual stripper club, nor have I ever watched a woman or man gyrating on stage, doing a sultry dirty hip shaking dance but after reading this authors description, I feel like I have. 

Max is a guy who is used to getting what he wants but when Blaze turns down his request for a lap dance he doesn't let that stop him from wanting more. 

This is a quick and extremely steamy short story that gave us a quick erotic look at what might happen when a rock star winds up in a strip club with a stripper who plays hard to get. 

If you're in the mood for an erotic romance short story, then this might be exactly what you've been looking for. 

If you'd like to read this book, you can find it here

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclaimer: I was given this book for free by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Pink Paws Dog Poop Bags

Product Description
Earth Friendly Poop Bags - We use EPI technology that allow the dog waste bags to break down in as little as 18 months.
Recyclable - Our cardboard cores and packaging are made from 100% recycled materials.
Extra Large Doggie Poop Bags (8.5 x 12.5 inches) easy to open waste dog bags that are leak proof. Our poop bags are designed for the largest dogs and strong enough so there are no messes.
18 Rolls (360 Bags) - 6 Month Supply - Rolls fit in all standard sized dispensers.
Rose scented to forget about what is in the dog poop bag, easy to open and detach from the roll. With every purchase we donate a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer research - Let's Bag This Cancer!

My Review
Since getting Falcor we've started buying all sorts of products that I never knew existed, like doggie poop bags. When you take your dog for a walk, the right thing to do is to take a baggie with you so you can pick up your dogs poo. No one wants to be out for a walk and step in poo that someone left behind when they didn't clean up after their dog. 

I would have just brought a zip lock bag or plastic bag with me but while doing the monthly pet shopping online, I saw that they sold poop baggies that have scents to them and are just the right size to pick up his "business" while out on a walk. What I really liked about these is that they donate a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer research. There's a win win if ever there was one. 

I've been using a different brand of poop bags and they are fine, they work but they didn't have a scent like these do. These have a nice rose scent to them and they are larger than the other bags I was using. I really like that. And they are really easy to open and you wouldn't think that would be a big deal but some of the other brands are not at all easy to open. 

This product had been $16.95 at the time I purchased it but I got them for just $1.00 by being a member of AMZ Review Trader

This box comes with 360 bags, which is enough for a few months for me. 

If you'd like to purchase this product, you can do so here

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

Friday, May 22, 2015

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. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding CouponsAMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received a Sample pouch of Zero Grain dog food.
3 Free coupons for Stevia Sugar Substitute.
2 sample of Bio Freeze for pain.


I also received a huge box of free samples, coupons and full sized products for my Health Baby House Part thanks to Seventh Generation. 

My Healthy Baby House Party kit contained
A bag of diapers size 3
Full Size Pouch of baby wipes
Filter water bottle
Full size bottle of Dish Detergent
12 samples of baby vitamins
Coupons for many baby products
Bingo Games
Flash cards for games at the party
Goodie Bags
Samples of Laundry detergent, baby wipes and dish detergent

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Recipe: Stir Fry Vegetables and Fried Rice

So last week I decided to make this dish with some fried rice. It came out so good I thought I would share the recipe with you. I cooked some chicken for Ken separately and he added that to his plate. 

I made Fried Rice for the first time a couple of months ago and it was so easy to make. If you've never made it before, here's a really simple recipe for it. For the Fried Rice you need day old steamed white rice, it just comes out better if it sits in the fridge over night before you use it in this recipe.


After it was all done, I put a scoop of Fried Rice in the middle of the plate and added a scoop of the vegetables on top of it. This was Ken's plate and he had chicken on his but you can omit that if you like. 

You will need...

Stir Fry Vegetables
3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 cup chopped mushroom
1 cup chopped Bell Pepper
1 cup chopped Broccoli
1 cup chopped Cauliflower
1 cup chopped Carrots
1 cup chopped Yellow Onion
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Broth
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder

Add oil to a large pan and heat. Add vegetables and stir over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add everything else, cover and cook for an additional 6 minutes stirring occasionally until tender. 

Fried Rice
1/2 cup diced Yellow Onion
3 cups day old Steamed White Rice
1/2 cup frozen Peas and Carrots - boiled
2 beaten eggs
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp powdered Chicken Bouillon Cube dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
3 Tablespoons of soy sauce
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the peas and carrots, onion and rice. Stir fry until heated through. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the spices and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

What It's Like Having A Hairless Rat


This is my hairless rat, Flower. She is 2 years old and although I've had rats for about 15 years, she's my first hairless one. I wasn't sure if she would need extra or different type of care after I rescued her from a lady who no longer wanted her so after doing research, I wrote an article about How to Care For A Hairless Rat


Care for a hairless rat and a furred rat is pretty much the same although I do have to rub Extra Virgin Olive Oil on her skin each month, not that she minds. It's just another game to her. She also gets a little extra protein in her diet and has extra blankets in her houses so she can stay warm if she's cool. 


Flower is very affectionate and will lick my hands *give kisses* while she is out running around on the couch or if I put my hand in her cage. 


She can get a little messy, especially if I share some whip cream from my pie with her. lol 


And she thinks she's a cover model. Easy Breezy Cover Rat. 

Monday, May 18, 2015

Review: Quick Stitch Sewing Kit



Product Description
 Portable light weight sewing kit that is easy to grab. Fits easily in your purse or brief case and can taken with you wherever you go!! Easily stored in your car as well.

 Perfect portable beginners sewing kit for repairing those unexpected rips and tears, missing buttons and more! No need to take out a heavy awkward sewing machine! Quick Stitch has all the sewing notions and supplies you will need.

Can be used for emergencies, as a travel sewing kit, as a starter sewing kit for any quick fixes and emergency or survival sewing needs at home, school, or at the office. With Quick Stitch sewing kit - Just say sew sewing kit.

Sewing kit for adults, both boys and girls ,and even children as a beginners sewing kit or your first sewing kit. Can be used as a survival sewing kit and army sewing kit to fix and repair all kinds of sewing thread repairs.

No need for a professional sewing kit! Quick Stitch sewing kit has all you need for those unforeseen quick fix needs. Just grab your Quick Stitch sewing kit. 


My Review
This kit contains: 24 Stainless Steel Needles of Various Sizes Contained In A Protective Plastic Case, 12 Spools of Assorted Popular Colors of Thread, A Pair of Stainless Steel Scissors, A Seam Ripper with Plastic Cover, Two Needle Threaders, Tape Measure, Straight Pins, Safety Pins, Thimble, and Buttons. All inside a Portable Carrying Case.

This kit is the perfect first sewing kit for someone or an emergency kit to keep in the car or purse. It's small enough to keep just about anywhere and has everything you need to sew up a small hole or rip in clothing. 

It's great that it has a zippered carrying case to keep everything together in one place. There's enough thread and needles to last for many years of small fixes. I really like that it comes with 2 threaders to help thread the needles since I need reading glasses now in order to see small things like this, so this was a big help for me. 

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review. 

If you'd like to buy one, you can do so here

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*




Saturday, May 16, 2015

Review: Midnight Raven by Becca Boucher


Book Blurb

Kat Brennan was a loner. Trust no one, and don’t let anyone in, was the mantra she lived her life by. The few times she had, it ended badly. Now alone and bitter she’s facing the consequences of her actions. Until one night a chance encounter with a raven sets into motion a range of events, and desires, she thought she had buried long ago. 

Cace Matthews was a successful doctor to the outside world. He seemingly had it all, good looks, a fast paced career, and a prestigious new job. But no one knew the real Cace. The shifter who searched for the truth, the end to the curse that had been placed on his family. 

When the two cross paths it leads to discovery and passion. 

Can Kat accept her true lineage and the magic that surrounds her? More importantly, can she let go of decades old resentments and let herself find true love? Can Cace bridge the gap between family commitments, and the desire to be himself, all while navigating his true feelings for Kat? And will they both live to see midnight? 

Adult themes and content 18+

My Review
I felt sorry for Kat right away. You can just tell when someone is depressed and on the edge and that's the way she felt to me. Kat seems to have shut her self off from others and isn't looking for a relationship but that doesn't stop Cace from trying after they meet. 

After meeting Cace and finding out he's a shifter and that she has a special gift, she also finds out they are in danger. Cace is a wonderful character. He's a raven shifter and I totally loved that he is able to fly and we get a sense of what it's like to fly through him. Case and his sister are looking into the death of their grandfather, so there's also that mystery story line going on as well. 

With everything that happens and all the different things going on, this story should have felt bogged down with too many things happening at once but the author did a wonderful job of keeping everything flowing and keeping me engaged. 

I have to say that I'm still reeling from the ending of this book. I never saw that coming. There's a twist in this story that totally changes everything and everyone involved and I was completely shocked when it happened. 

While this is book 2 in the Moon series, you can read this as a stand alone book with no problem at all. If you like fairies, shifters, paranormal beings and family curses then you'd probably like this book. 

If you'd like to buy this book you can find it here

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclaimer: I was given this book for free when I won it in a contest. 

Review: Stylus Pen by Jiggy Brands


Product Description
Stylus grip pen with twist-action mechanism.
Black ink with medium point.
5 3/8" W x 1/2" H x 3/8" diameter.
Ink Color/Point Style: Black ink with medium point
Available In Black, Blue, Green, Purple, Red

My Review
I really like the stylus end of this, my husband and I tried it out on our Kindle Fire right away and it works well for us to tap the keys and be able to tap just the one key we are going after. That is the entire reason I wanted a stylus in the first place. My fingers kept hitting extra keys and so did my husband so we needed something like this. The pen side works really well but there doesn't seem to be a lot of ink in it so I have a feeling it would run out if we kept using it. Since all we really wanted was the stylus part, this works well for us.

It ha a nice rubber end for clicking on things on a touch pad, phone, Kindle ect. 

It also has a pen on the other end in case you need to write something on a piece of paper. 

I'm happy with it because I was able to get a 99% off coupon code it from No Kidding Coupons so I only paid .15 for it when the Amazon price at the time was $14.97

If you'd like to purchase this Stylus pen you can do so here

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

Friday, May 15, 2015

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 2 boxes of Pasta from Smiley360 to test out at home for free.


I also received an autographed book, Midnight Raven by Becca Boucher. She also sent me a fridge magnet and a business card. 

Did you get any freebies this week?

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Review: Grill Brush by Inspired Grill Instruments


Product Description
16-inch long handle means no burning from hot grill whilst cleaning. A non slippery, non slick handle allowing for easy grip even when you have greasy hands. Great value brush on Amazon!
Firmly interwoven, extremely flexible bristles allowing brush to reach every crevice on your grill with little effort or force required from you.
Only requires water to clean no heavy scrubbing or soaking the brush for ages to keep clean and therefore no fuss. Simply rinse the brush under a tap to clean for the next use.

My Review
During the summer months we like to grill food on the bbq and my old grill brush was just about done for, we needed a new one. So when I was given the chance to get this one for a deep discount from Elite Deals Club, I jumped at the chance and bought it.

I used to bring the grill in the apartment and clean off all the metal parts that my meat was going to be touching because I don't want old food and ash getting on the meat that I'm cooking. Hubby thought that was weird, that I should just take a grill brush and knock off most of it because with the high heat that a bbq uses anything left gets turned to ash and won't hurt you to eat. But I still like to scrub the grill before I add new meat to it. So I love this brush. It's got a long handle so I can have the fire going and clean the grill and not worry about my hands and arms getting burned. This is exactly what I've been wanting. 

If' you'd like to purchase this grill brush you can do so here

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

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Recipe: Mary's Potato Salad

I make my potato salad a little different than other people do because I like a lot of pickle in it. Ken told me it should be called pickle salad. 


First thing you do is boil 5 lbs of red potatoes until they are soft but not too soft. You want them to stand up to being mixed with the other ingredients. Once boiled, put in cool water for 3-4 minutes and then drain. If you leave them in the water too long they will get mushy. Put the potatoes in the fridge for 2 hours until cool. 

Once completely cooled, take then out and cut into large chunks. Bigger chunks stand up better to being mixed. I cut each potato into 4 or 6 pieces. 


Slice one can of whole black olives and set aside. 

Dice 2 Claussen Kosher Dill pickles and set aside. 

Pour out 1/2 cup of pickle juice from the pickle jar into measuring cup ad set aside. 

You will also need 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. 

Add all of the ingredients to a large pot and mix using a large plastic spoon. 

Of course you can leave out the pickle juice if you don't like it with that much pickle but that's one of the things that I really like bout this recipe. 

Do you have a favorite potato salad recipe? 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Cute Animal Pictures

So today I thought I would share pictures of my animals. This is Falcor and me playing with one of his rope toys. This silly dog has a lot of energy and has taken to bringing us one of his toys and dropping it in our laps when he wants to play..which is all the time. 

Flower is my hairless rat. She and Scribbles are both 2 years old and she still has so much energy. She is really funny to watch run and jump all over the couch. She just had her weekly ratty massage with a little extra virgin olive oil to keep her skin from drying out. I have to get the oil all over my hands and then grab her and quickly and gently rub my hands on her because she doesn't want to sit still long enough for me to do it. I think it's fun for both of us. 

Scribbles is my 2 year old male rat and he's been a little under the weather lately. Last month he had an abscess on his nose and this month he has a small one on his shoulder. Thankfully they aren't getting too big and I can either lance them or let them drain and go away on their own. He's slowing down a little and showing his age but still comes running over to the front of the cage each morning when I clean the potty corner. He knows he'll get a treat a some mommy time. He used to want to come out and get held or play but now he just lays down and wants to be petted for a while. When he's done he'll turn his back to me and go back in his house. He comes out of his house several times a day and stares at me until I give him a treat or a petting. I know he wants a treat because he'll start sniffing all over my hands and push me away if I pet him. But if he wants to be petted he'll lay down and close his eyes once I start petting him. Yep, he has me trained well.