Recipe: Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

For this recipe you will need:

Fresh Brussel Sprouts. I made 9 of them but you can make as many as you want. Cut part of the stem off so it looks clean and cut in half length wise. 

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 diced green onions

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Add olive oil to a pan and then add the halved brussel sprouts. Saute over med low heat for 4 minutes and add the diced green onion. Keep cooking until the brussel sprouts have a nice browning on both sides. Add the lemon juice and water and cover. Cook an additional 2 minutes or until tender. You can add other flavors to this as well. Ken wants me to try some garlic butter on them next time. 

How to Kill Roaches With Fresh Step Crystals Kitty Litter or Diatomaceous Earth

When you live in an apartment there's always the chance that some bug will infest your neighbor's apartment and slowly work their way through the walls into your apartment. That's why when I found out that my next door neighbor had a newly discovered outbreak of roaches, I knew I had to act fast to keep them away.

Why Fresh Step Crystals?
Fresh Step Crystals kitty litter is made up of silica which microscopically cuts the roaches inside and out and when the powder gets inside the cuts, it dries them out, sucking the moisture right out of their disgusting little bug bodies. You might have heard of Diatomaceous Earth and how it works to kill roaches and other bugs. That's because it's made of silica, the same stuff found in Fresh Step crystals kitty litter. The only real difference is when you buy a bag of Diatomaceous Earth, it's already ground down into a powder and it costs a bit more than buying the kitty litter. I've used this for other bugs like water bugs, ants and crickets and so I know that it works to kill the bugs.

Before You Get Started
The very first thing you can do to keep roaches out of your apartment or home is to use a tube of caulking and caulk up all the small cracks, crevices and holes that are along the walls, floor boards, behind the appliances and under the sink. Stopping their entry points will go a long ways into stopping them from infesting your home or apartment. Also buy a tube of Combat Gel and use it in the small crevices behind your stove, refrigerator and around the pipes under your sink. Use small thin beads of it anywhere you might have seen roaches. In my case I put some under my sink and in the small crevices around the back of my stove. Roaches are attracted to this, will eat it and die. So whatever the kitty litter doesn't kill, this stuff will.

What To Do
First thing to is buy a coffee or spice grinder so you can grind the kitty litter into a fine powder. You'll also need at least one plastic squeeze bottle that you can use to squeeze the powder into tight cracks and crevices and using the squeeze bottle is a lot easier than any other method I've used. Fill the plastic squeeze bottle almost all the way up and replace the cap. Squeeze the bottle slightly as you go along the walls and cabinets, laying down a fine film of the powder. You should put this powder everywhere and in all rooms of your home. Along all the walls, under all of the cabinets and appliances, inside and around all the shelves. I put it along the 4 walls inside each cabinet in my kitchen and took out all of my dresser drawers and put it under the drawers as well.

Next you will want to take off all of the electrical plates and outlet covers and squeeze some of the powder down into the walls in there. Replace all the covers and install those plastic baby proofing safety covers in every electrical outlet you don't have something plugged into. This way the roaches can't get in through those little openings.

The great thing about the Fresh Step Crystals powder is once you put it down, it keeps working for several months. So after 4-6 months all you have to do is vacuum it up and apply another dusting of it everywhere. I use it as a preventative measure to keep any stray bugs away.

Review: 11 in 1 Credit Card Multitool

This little multitool has 11 different tools built right into it. It's nice and small and comes with a little black carry case that would fit into a pocket, wallet or purse with no problem. It's very thin so it won't take up too much room but has so many uses you'll want to carry it with you everywhere just in case. 

This multitool includes a knife, saw, can opener, bottle opener and a few other things. This is great to take with you on a hike, camping or just to have with you while you are out in the car. It's really easy to use and would come in handy for anyone. I gave this multitool to my husband and he is very happy with it. Men love little gadgets like this one so this would make a great gift. 

If you'd like to buy one of these multitools for yourself, you can do so here. 

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for an honest review, however my opinions are my own.

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 stacking mug set
Twinnings tea sampler
A Wind Chime
A sample of Friskies cat food  *The stray cats got this*

Did you get any freebies this week?

How to Care for a Hairless Rat

Hairless rats, also known as naked rats in the rat community have no hair on them so they need some special care taken with their exposed skin. Their skin may appear wrinkled or a little bumpy but will feel much like human skin. If you've decided to adopt a hairless rat there are some things to consider before getting one since they do require special care in the areas of skin treatment, temperature and housing.

Skin Care
Because hairless rats don't have fur to protect their skin from the everyday scratches and cuts they might get by being walked on or playing with other rats, you may have to keep all the rats nails clipped to prevent more scratches.

The exposed skin of hairless rats may dry out just as mine or yours does and in their case you can rub a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil on them to keep their skin moisturized. You should apply the oil with your own hands as this is the most effective way of making sure it gets in all the right places and it also acts as a bonding time for you and your rat since they love to be petted. The oil can be applied once a week even if your hairless rat isn't having a dry skin problem, it's a good preventative measure to keep them from getting dry skin and it keeps their skin soft. Soft healthy skin is less likely to suffer scratches so easily. Extra virgin olive oil is natural and won't harm your rat if they lick it off.

Housing
Since a hairless rat doesn't have that extra layer of fur to keep them warm, they will need bedding, houses and cozy places to hide out and sleep especially in the winter time or in rooms where air conditioners are running. Because they can get scratches very easily, bedding such a wood shavings, hard pellets and newspaper are not suitable bedding. Newspaper has dye that can rub on onto them and it's not absorbent enough to keep urine from staying wet which can cause rashes and infections for hairless rats.

The best thing to line the rat cages with is fleece blankets or material. The soft fleece will not irritate their skin and is nice and soft for them to lay on. It's also good to cut pieces of fleece big enough to put inside their houses for them to cuddle under and rearrange the way they want to. Some people will use CareFresh bedding and while this is a really good bedding for rats that have fur it's not ideal for Hairless rats because small particles of the bedding can end up in their eyes, under their eye lids which will lead to a veterinarian visit to flush the eyes out. Hairless rats don't have eyelashes to keep small particles of bedding material out so it's up to you to make sure you use the proper bedding for them. It's a good idea to wipe your rats face and eyes with a damp baby washcloth each day. This will remove any dust, sleep gunk or anything else that may have accumulated on their face or around their eyes.

Diet
Hairless rats have a higher metabolism and need a little extra protein in their diets. So things like boiled eggs, chicken, turkey, beef and dog kibble high in protein are all good sources of protein. They only need a little extra since they are small animals but it's good to keep this in mind. A hairless rat will eat more in order to keep their body temperatures up. They will also drink more water and therefore urinate more so their cage may need to be cleaned more often.

Hairless rats make great pets, I have one myself. They may take a little extra care but they repay you with love, cuddles and rattie kisses.

Review: Francois et Mimi Stacking Mug Set with Rack

Can you ever really have enough mugs? Not in my house because I seem to break all the glass and ceramic mugs that we get. Glass is so easy to chip, drop and break and some ceramic mugs aren't thick enough to handle being dropped, even a couple of inches into a sink full of soapy water without breaking. 

These mugs are heavy duty, thick stonewear ceramic that didn't break even when I dropped it into a sink full of soapy water when I was washing it. The mugs come with a nice rack that holds the mugs all together. The mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe and come in nice bright colors. 

The mugs are 12oz each which is bigger than the smaller restaurant style mugs I had at home right now. I really like that with the rack these mugs are saving space in my cabinet because I can sit them right on the counter next to the coffee or tea pot.

I think this mug and rack set would make a wonderful gift for someone and I know of several people who might like a set of their own. If you'd like to buy a set, you can find them here. 

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

Crab Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

You will need: 

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

1 stalk green onion, diced

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 can crab meat

Cut the core out of the cherry tomatoes, scoop out the insides and set aside. 

Drain crab meat and flake to break up. Add all the ingredients and mix. Add the mixture to a ziplock baggie or pastry bag and cut off one corner tip. Gently squeeze mixture into cherry tomatoes and place them in a shallow dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to serve.

You can double this recipe if you are making this for more than 2 people but I made it as an add on to our dinner and I used 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes each time. 

Happy Raturday!

*lucky*

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*

This week I've decided to do something different. All the meme's posted this week are of my own rats. Either meme's I've made or that have been made for me by others. 

*Jasper*

*Lucky*

*Hades*

*Lucky*

*Scribbles*

*Lucky*

*Flower*

*Scribbles*

*Scribbles*

*Flower*

*Flower*

*Flower*

My Split Pea Soup Recipe

So I start my split pea soup with a frozen ham bone. If I make a large ham I will freeze the ham bone with enough ham on it for a pot of soup. If you want a vegetarian version you can omit this step. I fill my large pot with water and boil the ham bone for an hour. 

Take the ham bone out, let cool and take all the meat off the bone. It should fall right off. I diced the ham and added it back to the pot of water. 

Next, chop up 1 large onion and 4 large carrots. 

Add enough water to the pot so that it is completely full and then add the vegetables and ham back into the pot. The water will evaporate as the pea soup cooks. Next take a bag of peas and place them in a colander and rinse them off and then add them to the pot of water. 

After about an hour it will take on a green hue. I simmered mine for 4 hours. I kept adding water because the water kept evaporating and I wanted it thick but not so thick that I could stand a spoon up in. 

After 4 hours of simmering, about half of the water had evaporated and it looked like this. My hubby loves when I make this and it's really easy. 

Rats: What is Popcorning?

*Lucky*

If you've ever owned a guinea pig, you've no doubt heard the term popcorning and probably seen your guinea pig hopping, flipping and jumping all over their cage. But did you know that rats popcorn too?

What is Popcorning?
Just like a kernel of popcorn getting ready to pop, a rat or guinea pig will bounce, jump, twirl and flip and may even sprint in a full out run afterwards. When they do this they are undoubtedly happy and you can almost see the smiles on their little furry faces. When you see a rat popcorning they are letting the other rats in the cage know they are happy or in a mood to play.

In all the years I've had rats, I've had several rats that would popcorn. Brodie, who was my smallest rat would jump and run all over the cage. He would even jump on the backs on his brothers who were twice as big as he was and then run away really fast, stopping to look back to see if they were chasing him. More often than not, they would chase him down, flip him over and groom his stomach until he squeaked.

 Ares would popcorn out of the blue, he would start jumping, twirling and bouncing and running from one spot in the cage to another. He reminded me of popcorn popping because he's bouncing all over the place, Boing Boing Boing from here to there and back again. It's very obvious to me he was happy because after he settled down again he will start Boggling and Bruxing which means his eyes start bulging out and he chatters and grinds his teeth. Rats do this when they are happy. Now Lucky and Flower popcorn like crazy too.

How Can I Get My Rat To Popcorn?
Not all rats will popcorn but I have found that while you have them out for play time you can sometimes get them to popcorn by finger wrestling with them. What you do is pick them up and turn them on their back and tickle their belly for just a few seconds. If they come back to play by grabbing your fingers where it looks like they are trying to wrestle with your hand, you know they like this type of play. When rats get excited and feel playful they will sometimes popcorn as they run around playing with you.

I was able to get Ares and Brodie to popcorn by lightly scratching or tickling their backs or hind ends as they walked by me. This would always get them running and bouncing around. Another way I was able to get my boys to start jumping around was to pet them backwards. Starting from their backs and running my hand from their back to their nose would almost always get them jumping around, but they would come back for more and jump around more when I did it again.

You will see that younger rats are more likely to exhibit this behavior than older rats, because as rats age, they calm down and just want to cuddle on the couch with you.

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 Quaker Oatmeal from BzzAgent
Delallo 2015 Calendar
John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioner sample
A coupon for $1 off Chicken of the sea
Philosophy Renewed hope in a jar moisturizer
Crest whitening products sample
Zicam sample
Digestive Advantage sample
Olay facial cleanser
Secret Deodorant sample

Did you get any freebies this week?

Mary's French Toast Recipe

So here is my extremely simple French Toast recipe. You will need, 3 eggs beaten. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. 

Beat all ingredients together. *as you can see, I don't add any milk to my eggs*

Dip bread into egg mixture, turn over and coat both sides.

When both sides are coated with egg, you want to place them into a hot frying pan with just a little oil.

Fry on both sides for about 3 minutes or until the inside of the bread is no longer soggy.

I don't use syrup but instead mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle that on my french toast.

I sprinkle both sides with the sugar cinnamon mixture while it is still hot. 

This recipe makes 4 pieces of French Toast. 

How do you like your French Toast?

Test Results= Diabetes

Recently I found a doctor that would come out to my home and see me. They even have the lab come out to my home and collect blood for blood tests. I hadn't seen a doctor in 4 years because I have Agoraphobia and have a really hard time leaving my home. So when I started having symptoms of diabetes, I knew I needed to find a doctor to see and find out if I indeed had a problem. 

A couple of weeks ago, my doctor came back out to see me and told me that I do indeed have type 2 diabetes. I kinda already knew that, or at least guessed I might. 

So I've been told to cut out bread, rice, potatoes and sugar. I started off slowly and cut out all of the potatoes and rice and am now cutting my intake of sugar and bread in half. I switched to several different sugar substitutes or I should say I am trying out a few to see which one I like. 

Thankfully I don't have to give myself shots. I just have to take a couple of pills each day. Metformin is a medicine that helps control diabetes so we are trying that out for now to see if that helps. 

For those of you that know the numbers, my fasting blood glucose was 152 and my A1C was 8.2 and my doctor wants my fasting morning blood glucose to be under 120. So that's my goal right now. 

I've had a blood glucose meter for about 15 years because I was diagnosed with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The meter I had was 15 years old so the doc told me to get a new one. I looked online and found that CVS had one for $17.99 and the test strips are only $6.99 for 50 of them. That is a whole lot cheaper than what I used to pay for them. Last time I paid for test strips using a brand name meter and getting brand name test strips I paid $50 for 100 of them. My insurance wouldn't pay for them even thought my doc had written me a prescription for them because I didn't have diabetes. But the new ones I found are even cheaper than what my insurance would pay for since my co pay would be $6 for 50 of them and this way I don't have to worry about getting a prescription for them, I can just order them online. 

So you might be seeing more vegetable type recipes as I try them out to replace the rice and potatoes that we used to have with dinner. I've been trying out a lot of new recipes. lol 

Why Male Rats Should Not Be Given Orange Juice

*Scribbles*

In general you can feed your pet rats whatever you eat and while some might be picky eaters, most rats will eat just about anything. There are however a few human foods that male rats especially should never be given because they could cause cancer. Orange juice is one of these human foods that should never be given to male rats.

Why Is Orange Juice Harmful To Male Rats?
D-Limonene is found in the skin of oranges and when an orange is squeezed, the D-Limonene gets squeezed into the juice as well. Most orange juice companies use the entire orange to make their orange juice and then strain it, so the skin and the skin oil from the orange is in orange juice.

According to The Rat and Mouse Gazette, "It seems that d-limonene and some other chemicals bind to a naturally occurring protein (alpha2u-globulin) in the male rat's kidneys. The protein then builds up and causes cancer."

Can I Feed My Male Rats Fresh Oranges?
Yes, as long as you peel the orange first and rinse it under running water before giving it to your rats. The orange meat is not harmful for rats, just the skin or rind of the oranges.

Is D-Limonene Harmful To My Female Rats?
Female rats are safe because they do not have the protein in their kidneys that male rats have. Only male rats have the protein in their kidneys called alpha2u-globulin.

After finding out that orange skins might cause cancer in my rats, I started peeling and washing all the orange segments I gave to them.

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*

Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

A fellow blogger friend posted her recipe for Eggplant Parmesan on her blog a while back and I finally tried it out. You can find Anna's recipe on her blog- Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

I changed the recipe a little by not adding parmesan cheese or basil because I don't like either one of those things. But Ken and I loved this and I have another eggplant so I'll definitely be making it again soon. 

I'm very happy to have found this recipe and have it come out so good because the first time *and last time* I made any type of eggplant, it came out so bad. I had no idea what the heck I was doing, obviously. I cut thick slices and baked it. Yeah, that didn't come out really well. It was spongy, gross and had no flavor. So I'm really glad to find out that this can actually taste yummy. 

Early Review: Favored By Felix by Shelley Munro

Book Description

Middlemarch Capture, Book Two

A new resort specializing in capture fantasies—the perfect place for Captain Casey Seonaid to blow off steam. To embrace her feminine side, possibly for the last time. And just as she’d hoped, it’s not long before she finds herself “kidnapped”. Let the sexual hijinks begin.

Attractive yet with an air of sadness, Casey snares Felix Mitchell’s attention at first sight. As feelings deepen, he comes to realize Casey just may be his perfect mate. But despite their shared passion, something is amiss with his intriguing lover, something that keeps her from giving herself fully…something she won’t share.

Unexpected troubles plague the resort, drawing the couple ever closer. But the biggest danger comes when Casey finally shares her secret, revealing a familial enemy—and his shocking plans for Casey’s future.

Inside Scoop: Felix may look big and bad, but Casey knows her shifter mate is just a big pussycat.

My Review

Casey is hiding a secret, a secret that her own father is forcing her into. So she and her friend Eva decided to spend a little vacation time at the Middlemarch Resort. A resort known for making their guests fantasies come to life if that's what they wanted. 

Felix and his brothers have come up with a plan to get mates. They will just kidnap them from the Middlemarch Resort and hold them captive until they acquiesce or fall in love with them and agree to stay. 

I loved Casey's character and I really felt bad for her because of her family. They weren't close at all and even though she had done well in the military just like her two brother's had, her father wasn't proud of her at all. Which was quite apparent from the drastic measures he wanted her to take in order to be the perfect soldier in his eyes. 

Felix was beyond yummy with his shoulder length black hair, green eyes and ability to shift into a large black cat. I love a man with long hair and green eyes. My own eyes are green so I'm a little partial to them. Felix doesn't waste time getting to know Casey after watching her on the beach for a couple of nights as she stood out there lost in her own thoughts. She looked sad and depressed about something and that made him want to make her smile. 

So Felix did what any sexy alpha male would do, he made his way onto the beach the next time he saw her out there and within a few minutes of meeting her, he kissed her. Not that she seemed to mind since she kissed him right back. 

Not only do we get a great romance story but there's also a mystery of who is sabotaging the fence and what is going on with Casey's father.

I read the first book in this series, Snared By Saber and I loved it. While this book can be read as a stand alone, I recommend reading both books since it will give you a better understanding of what went on with Casey as well as Eva. Not to mention both books are really great so I highly recommend reading them both. 

I have to say that Casey's father is a grade A jerk! The more I learned about him the less I liked the man. 

If you like shifters, big cats, crazy family members, sizzling sexy men and a little spanking thrown in for fun, then you'll love this book. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

If you'd like to buy this book you can find it here. It releases on February 13th, 2015.

Disclaimer: I was given this book for free by the author as a gift. 

Review: Seeds Of Love

In this box there are ten cards- 2 of each card and five different flower seeds. Vremi's Seeds of Love contains a selection of colorful organic flower seeds: Delphinium, Zinnia Mix, Calendula, Celosia, Sunflower Mix. 

With this you get to send someone something they probably haven't received before and if you have family or friends who love to garden then this is a great gift to send to someone. 

I love the greetings on the seed packets. Not only is it a greeting card but a surprise pack of flower seeds inside. The Seeds Of Love packets are really cute too. Not only can you buy a box of these greeting card seed packets for yourself to send out but you can also buy a box of Seeds Of Love to give the entire box as a present to someone else so they can send out the greeting card packets. 

Not only do these make a great surprise gift but the packets are a wonderful idea to add to Easter baskets this year. Kids can then plant the seeds and watch their own flowers grow in their yard or window planters. 

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

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