Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I painted you a cormflower."

*Photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I made dis wiff mai paws."

*Photo courtesy of Rambling Ratz*

"I see a stray yogie. I must rescue it. I'll save you, yogie!"

Recipe: Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these as a side dish for dinner the other night and they were so good. 

You'll need:

10-12 White mushrooms

2 Broccoli florets

3 Brussel Sprouts

3 TBSP finely diced tomato

1 tsp finely diced cilantro

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

What To Do:

Remove stems from mushrooms and place mushrooms stem side down in a shallow baking dish. Bake in oven at 400F for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Blot with a paper towel to remove any moisture that leaked out of the mushrooms. 

Finely chop the mushroom stems, broccoli florets, and brussel sprouts, add everything you just chopped to a saute pan with a TSBP butter and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let cool. 

Next, finely chop the tomato and cilantro and add to a bowl with lemon juice. 

After everything has cooled for 10 minutes, add the tomato and cilantro mix to the sauteed vegetables and mix together. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper or as much as you want and mix well. 

Using a small spoon, scoop the mixture into the mushrooms and bake an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy. 

Depending on the size of your mushrooms, you may find you have a little of the mixture leftover. I've used it in my salad, in breakfast burritos, mixed in eggs and also with chicken or meatloaf. 

Do you like stuffed mushrooms?

Favorite Video of the Week

If you've never watched Jenna Marbles, then you're welcome. If you have you already know how funny she is and she does do some cussing...naughty girl. But I found this funny. And for the ladies, Do you think your finger nails say something about your personality?

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A sample of Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner
Disney Car Window Decals
A $5 amazon gift card from Crowdtap

As you can see, I was sent 7 of the Disney car window decals. When this freebie went live, the page wouldn't load to finish it and get the window that told you it was on the way. So I did what I do with other sites when this happens...I kept hitting refresh. A couple of times I actually went back and redid the entire form and chose a different color thinking maybe that background color wasn't working. *Headdesk*

So it seems that all of the times I refreshed the page, it actually went through and so that's why I was sent 7 of them. lol

It's cute though. Ken, Me and Falcor. 

On a side note, I've been a little behind in visiting blogs the last couple of days. On Wednesday I fell on the 2 steps coming back to my apartment with the dog and broke one of my toes and sprained 3 other toes. I also hyper extended my elbow and I could barely use my left arm for a couple of days. I'm feeling a little better now though. So if I've missed some of your blogs, I've been catching up the last two days.

Recipe: Caramelized Cauliflower & Mushrooms and Fried Eggs

For years at lunch time I would make Ken and I a sandwich. That was our go to lunch for years. A couple of years ago I found out I was Diabetic and the doc wanted me to stay away from bread, cereal, pasta, sugar...or to at least cut some carbs and sugar where I can. So I gave up eating cold cereal every morning and I've been trying other things for lunch which has been interesting. Ken still eats the sandwiches for the most part, I can't seem to bring him over to the dark side with me. Bwahahaha! *Evil cackle*

So I was looking up lunch recipes and came across a sauteed Brussels sprouts and fried eggs that I will be trying but I didn't have Brussels sprouts so I chose cauliflower and mushrooms which worked just fine in my opinion. 

What you'll need: 

4-5 Cauliflower Florets

2 Mushrooms

2 eggs

1TBSP Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Add the olive oil to a pan, turn to med heat. Cut the Cauliflower florets in half and add to pan. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook until the cauliflower florets are tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from pan and fry eggs in the same pan. I use a non stick pan so I didn't need to add more oil or butter to the pan. 

I really liked it and I'll be trying it with other vegetables, especially the brussels sprouts. 

What's your favorite lunch?

Favorite Photo of the Week

My grandson went to SeaQuest and had his face painted. He looks pretty happy about being Batman. 

Recipe: Chickpea and Avocado Salad

You will need: 

1 Avocado, Cubed

1/2 Cup of Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 Cup Diced Tomato

Small handful diced Sweet Onion

2 TBSP Diced Cilantro

2 TBSP Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 Cup Spiral Pasta, cooled

Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Mix everything together and enjoy. 

I've had this for lunch a few times now and it's so darn good.

What's your favorite salad?

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Dis Seal tastes like Chicken."

*Photo courtesy of Rat Logic*

*Photo courtesy of Mary Kirkland (me) *

"Rawr, I are big scary dinosaur."

Favorite Video of the Week

I saw this and thought it was so darn unique. If I still had rats I would so do this for them. How cool is that?

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Samples of Tampons and Pads from U by Kotex
A coupon for 12 free cans of dog food from Smith's Grocery Store
A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Target Baby Box

So imagine my surprise when a friend on FB posted that Target had a baby subscription box and this month's box was just $5. I looked at the products and figured I'd use most of them and what I didn't use I could give to my daughter for my grandson. But I ended up keeping all the samples because my daughter bought a box for herself and I'll actually use all the products in this box. Ha! Hey this stuff smells nice. I may or may not already have a bottle of baby lotion in my cabinet. Hey, it smells good. 

So what was in the box you may be asking? 

CeraVe® Baby Healing Ointment 

Raw Sugar Vanilla Bean + Sugar Natural Body Wash 

Baby Dove Rich Moisture Tip to Toe Wash 

Dapple Baby Laundry Detergent Strips 

Oilogic Slumber and Sleep Essential Oil 

10 count- Water Baby Wipes 

Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Lotion Zinc Oxide Sunscreen SPF 50 

UpSpring 100% Organic Coconut Oil Skin Lotion

And the best thing is the box was just $5 and free shipping. 

I've now tried a little of everything in this box and my favorite thing is the Raw Sugar Vanilla Bean body wash. it smells just like fresh vanilla beans. My least favorite thing was the coconut oil. It's the first time I'd ever tried any type of coconut oil products and I found this to be extremely oily. Go figure, right? It has oil right in the title of course it's going to be oily but I don't want my skin feeling oily and I wouldn't have put this on my baby because it's so oily. I never even used baby oil on her skin. 

So I think this box was well worth the money I paid for it. 

Review: While They watch

Book Description

While They Watch is a sexy, new adult romance featuring an innocent former-musician struggling to find her place in the world after abandoning her dream of becoming a concert violinist. Fortunately, she meets a mysterious and dominating stranger who puts her back into the spotlight…but nothing could prepare her for his desired performance.

Warning: This novel is a taboo exploration of exhibitionism, light dominance, and the naughtiest of fantasies. The content may be too extreme/intense for some readers...

My Review

Morgan had been in college and a promising violinist. But something happened and she's no longer in college and now works at a cafe. She's supposed to be meeting a couple of her friends at a fetish clubs for a friends night out but they flake on her so she ends up there alone. Over walks Anthony to tell her in no uncertain terms that she doesn't belong there. I would have walked out at that point. I mean, what an ass. But she stays, has a drink and tries to do something nice. 

Next we meet Simone who is a Sadist and Dominant as well as the owner of the fetish club. In my opinion she's probably also a serial killer who just hasn't been caught yet. #CrazyBitch

I thought this story was good but the characters really lacked. I didn't like any of them and for different reasons. Anthony is big, egotistical and wealthy. He's used to getting what he wants but he lacked emotion in my opinion. Morgan is innocent, inexperienced and naive. She meets some domineering guy in a fetish club and just decides to do what he wants. There's naive and then there's dumb. Simone is the character I liked the least. She's sadistic, sarcastic and not in a good way and also scary as hell. You don't want to run into this woman in a dark alley. She might beat you with a whip just for looking at her the wrong way. 

I don't usually mind erotic romance. I don't mind fetish clubs or even BDSM in a story. When done right I think it's quite erotic. But even though the story could have been beyond great, the characters personalities took away from the feel of the story, at least for me. I don't think any Dom worth his salt would have pushed an innocent, inexperienced, naive girl he just met the way Anthony did and then acted like he really had no emotions about it afterwards. *Not that I would know from first hand experience* I've read enough of these types of books written by people who live the life style to know that it just didn't feel right. 

This book centers around a fetish club, exhibitionism, Dom/sub relationships and the relationship/romance between the couples. If this type of story makes you uncomfortable, then this is not the book for you.

I give this story 3 out of 5 stars.

Oh but we're not done. Not at all. You see, I saw this ebook being recommended for me on FB so I bought it because it sounded interesting. If it had just been the first book I reviewed I would have been fine with that but there were two bonus books after the first one. It was the second book in this ebook that really got a reaction from me. I almost didn't finish it and that hardly ever happens. The second book was Takeover, book one of a BDSM trilogy. You'll find out why I had such a hard time reading this one in my review below.


Takeover- Book 1 by Lana Grayson

Book Description

A reckless sacrifice to protect a family legacy...

Sarah
Kidnapped. Imprisoned. Ravished.

When tragedy stole my family, my father’s will mandated my future. I didn’t inherit Atwood Industries. I became the only one capable of protecting it.

Atwood Industries belongs only to a male heir, my heir. And my enemies—my own step-brothers—will stop at nothing to create a shared bloodline.

But they’ve made a mistake, and they’ll forever regret trying to control me.


Nicholas

Damned. Destroyed. Enthralled.

My family’s livelihood depended on acquiring the rival Atwood Industries and seizing the innocent woman bound within its terms of succession.

I never expected such a challenge from my step-sister.

I never thought I’d betray my own blood to protect her from the nightmare we began.

But if I don’t stop her, the woman I’m forbidden to love will sacrifice herself to tear apart my billion dollar empire...


My Review

Sarah lost her father and two brothers. Her mother marries someone she despises and now she has a step father and three step brothers who she finds out will do anything to get control of her father's company. And I do mean anything. Her step father tries nicely to buy the company from her at what he considers a good price but she won't hear of it. She produces her fathers will and lets them know that only a male heir can inherit her company. So until she has a bouncing baby boy, the company will stay in trust with her running it.

Her step father gives his sons an ultimatum...kidnap Sarah, rape her, impregnate her and keep her until she has a male heir of their blood line so they can then control the company through the child.

I think at this point you see my problem with this story. These brothers are legally her step brothers and their father is seriously sick, twisted and perverted as well as sadistic. Sarah is shown no mercy by any of them. She is beaten, raped and if the step father finds out her secret...she'll be killed. The brothers are grown men but they are scared of their father and so they go along with what he wants them to do but they also have their own agenda and try to get Sarah to see that they can all help each other without any of them getting killed.

There really wasn't any real redeeming qualities about any of these men and if she falls for them in the next two books *Which I won't be reading* then she's an even bigger dumbass than I thought she was. I would not call this a romance book or story. Once you bring rape into a relationship, it's not romance by any means of the imagination. Not only was the story line vile but it ended on a dreaded cliffhanger. So I didn't even get to see if Sarah got away, got revenge or got her mother away from that psycho. This story pissed me off, made me feel dirty for even reading it and made me want to fling my Kindle across the room. Of course I didn't but it took me a few days to calm down with enough of a level head to even be able to write a review for this.

I gave this story 1 out of 5 stars.



Deja Vu by Sosie Frost

Book Description

They say the future is uncertain...
But what happens if I have no past?


I don’t remember giving birth.
I don’t remember my name, my family, or where I come from.
I don’t remember…anything.

The only clue to my past rests in a bundle of blankets swaddled in my arms—a newborn baby girl.

With no leads and no family able to find me, the only way I can learn the truth is if I recover my lost memories myself. Fortunately, I have help.

Detective Shepard Novak, the gorgeous, blue-eyed police officer assigned to my case, is determined to uncover the mystery—and with it, my secrets. But as the days become weeks, the only memories I keep are the ones we’ve made together.

I shouldn’t feel the way I do for him, and I shouldn’t have let him get this close. But I can’t remember a life before him…and I’m not sure I want to search anymore.

Is it worth sacrificing my past for a chance at our future?


My Review

The last story in this ebook was the best and that's not saying much. Evie wakes up and discovers she was hit by an ice cream truck, had a baby and has amnesia. Detective Shepard Novak is the first on scene and he helps her try and find her family. After months of looking, no one comes forward for her and she only remembers fragments of memories.

It was a good story but it was so boring. Page after page of her playing with the baby, fretting the baby might have a cold, getting closer to Shepard and trying to remember the baby's father. It's only at the end of the book that we finally figure out who she is and why no one came looking for her. It was just boring, so damn boring.

I gave this story 3 out of 5 stars.


Have you ever read a book that really made you mad? 

Recipe: Fajita Style Vegetable and Bean Burrito

You will need:

1/2 Onion

1/2 Bell Pepper

3 Mushrooms

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Can Refried Beans

1 Can Black Beans

1 Envelope Fajita Seasoning Powder

1-2 Flour Tortillas

2 TBSP Olive Oil

What to do:

Heat the refried beans in a pan. Heat the black beans in another pan. Add olive oil to a saute pan and heat on low. Slice the onion and bell pepper into thin strips and add to saute pan, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Slice mushrooms and add them to the onion, bell pepper mixture. Saute over medium heat for another 10 minutes. Add 3 TBSP of water to vegetables and 1 tsp. of Fajita Seasoning. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes. 

Heat your flour tortillas in a microwave for 15 seconds or until hot. Add your ingredients and roll into a burrito. Enjoy. 

I had this for dinner and again for lunch, it was so good. 

Happy Raturday!

*photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*photo courtesy of Rat Logic*

Favorite Video of the Week

The only things I'm afraid of are bee's, wasps, hornets ect.. and Ants. I can deal with ants but if I see a bee, I just freak out. I got over my fear of other bugs so it was interesting to see this video.

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A Sample of Tetley Green Tea Immunity
I ordered a few things for my daughter's birthday and was sent the other two samples along with what I ordered. A sample of lotion and a sample of Acne Solution.
I also won the Keychain and fridge magnet in a fb contest

Did you receive any freebies or samples this week?

Review: Target Beauty Box

So this month there were two Target Beauty Boxes available to get and I got both of them. Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. I posted a link to it on my blog when this one went live, I hope a few of you were able to get it. 

In the first one was...

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser – 0.5 oz

Sally Hansen Double-Duty Base & Top Coat – 0.45 oz

HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner – 1.57 oz

Dr Teals Lavender Foaming Bath – 3 oz

eb5 Facial Cleanser – 0.35 oz S

Rimmel Colour Precise White Eyeliner Colored liquid liner

Banana Boat Dry Balance SPF 30 – 1 oz

And in the second one was...

SheaMoisture Kukui Nut Facial Cream Cleanser + Face & Neck Cream – 5ml

Juice Organics Deluxe-Size Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner – 1.2 oz each

Burt’s Bees White Tea Extract Facial Cleansing Towelettes – 10ct

Hello Extra Whitening Pure Mint Flouride Toothpaste – .85 oz

Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask – 1ct

ACURE Pore Clarifying Red Clay Scrub – 1 oz

Raw Sugar Lemon Sugar Body Wash – 2 oz

This month each box was only $7 which made the decision to get both of them much easier. It's worth it in my opinion to get a box of samples to try out for just $7 and these were great samples.

Have you tried this beauty box yet?

Favorite Picture of the Week

I know what you're thinking. Mary, it's a pan of vegetables. And you're right but look at those colors. Aren't they pretty? I was making stir fry vegetables and steamed rice for dinner and when I had all the vegetables in the pan, I stopped and thought, "Damn, that's a beautiful pan of vegetables." lol In case you're wondering it's, baby carrots, broccoli and purple cauliflower. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Yes I had a baff. No, I'm not happy about it."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Recipe: Roasted Chickpea Tacos

You will need: 

1 Can Chickpeas

2 Avocados

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/2 Cup Diced Cilantro

1TBSP Mayonnaise

4 Tomatoes, diced

1 Cup Shredded Lettuce

1/2 Cup Diced Yellow Onion

1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Corn Tortillas

2 tsp. Sliced Black Olives

2 Sliced Mushrooms

I used only a handful of the Chickpeas for this recipe. Rinse them and pop them out of their skins. One of my blogger friends said to do this and she was right. Toss the chickpeas in a little olive oil and season them. I used a little Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper but you can use whatever spice you like. Roast them in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until crunchy. Set aside. 

Make your guacamole. Smash 2 avocados, add 2 tsp. lemon juice, dash of salt and 1 TBSP. Mayonnaise. Mix well and set aside in refrigerator until ready to make the tacos. 

Make homemade Salsa. Dice the tomatoes, add the diced onion and diced cilantro. Mix well, add in a dash of salt and 2 TBSP. Lemon juice. Set aside in fridge until ready to use. 

Dice the black olives and set aside. Shred the cheese and lettuce and set aside. 

Add a little of all the ingredients to warm corn tortillas and enjoy. I just pop my corn tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them. 

These were very good and as you can see they were meatless, and I didn't even miss the meat. Ken on the other hand wouldn't even try them. 

I actually made large bowls of salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese that way I can just pull out everything to make a couple of tacos for lunch this week. 

Does this sound like something you'd like?