Happy Halloween!

Hope those of you that trick or treat or take the kids trick or treating have a great time and get lots of candy.

Skulls, Not Just For Halloween

When my brother and sister in law came for a visit this month, they brought me a little present. This skull statue with a cactus growing out of its head. 

They obviously know me pretty well, because this is the perfect type of gift for me. I love skulls. 

The skull even has a little dagger going through its eye and mouth.

And because it has a cactus, I'm not likely to kill this plant. I'm really bad with plants but cactus I can usually keep alive.

That skull statue goes well with two other skull statues I have. The little one is a pink quartz stone carved into a skull.  The other used to be a skull air freshener that hung in my car, but I liked it so I kept it. 

I couldn't get a good picture of this pink quartz skull but it really is pretty. 

And they all look great on my shelf.

Lucky and the Sputnik

So I had two Sputnik's that I bought about 4 years ago for the first 4 brother's I adopted and while there were a few small chew impressions in the entrance's, they were still fine. That is until Lucky *The Destroyer* got a hold of them. This is a picture of Lucky in the Sputnik after I turned it upside down because he chewed so much of the bottom of the holes *entrances* that his butt would fall out when he sat in this one. 

He looks comfy but don't let that fool you...he has been chewing the heck out of this thing. You can probably see the chew marks if you look through this holes and out the one on the left. 

See all those little ridges where his nose is in the plastic? Yeah, that's where's he's been chewing. 

Chew chew chew...lol I had to throw the other sputnik away because there really wasn't anything left of it. I have a feeling this one will be chewed into nothingness before too soon. Guess I'll have to get another one. 

Kids Like Mashed Potatoes...

My grandson Logan was eying Ken's plate so he put it in front of him to see what he would do...

Logan mashed his face down in the mashed potatoes and took a bite. lol Yeah it's kinda blurry but you get the idea.

And this is what he looked like when he came up from the plate. Kinda looks drunk on mashed potatoes...lol 

Ken put the plate in front of him again and he did it again. 

I'm sure now Logan will think this is the way to eat mashed potatoes...LOL Just stick your face down in someone's plate and start eating..lol

Weekly Rat Facts: Rats Are Cute

This week I thought I would just show you some pictures of the rats I have right now. After seeing the pictures I think you'll understand why I am such an advocate for these sweet little animals. 

This is Marbles above. He was in the middle of cleaning his face with his back paw. He and Bandit are both 3 1/2 years old and he is so fluffy because he is a Rex, which is also why he has bald spots like the one on his face. 

This is Bandit, he and Marbles are brothers and both are 3 1/2 years old. They are my old men. Bandit has turned into a little cuddler in his old age. He will come over to the from of the cage and just want to be petted. 

And Lucky. He's almost a year old and still the most rambunctious, sweet boy I've ever had. He's always ready to come and give kisses and play. He never slows down.  

Lucky was sharing some of my Cream of Wheat one morning. Of course he stuck his paw in the spoon and tracked it all over my shirt, but what are you gonna do when he's so cute?

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.

This week I received:

2 sample packs of Maxwell House coffee

Sample of Lever 2000 body wash

and a coupon for a free 4lb bag of Purina dog food (That I gave to my brother who has a dog)

I found the links to these freebies at Freebie Shark

Sister Wives and Other Alternative Lifestyles

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret about me... I watch Sister Wives and I like it. I starting watching it last year. I was flipping through the channels and landed on Sister Wives and started watching it with a preconceived notion about what it was going to be like...and I was wrong. 

I did exactly what I don't like others doing, I had made up my mind that these women were brain washed and that their husband was some sort of abusive control freak. 

I'm a pretty open person, I don't have a problem with anyone's lifestyle as long as everyone involved wants to be there participating. That includes gay, lesbian, D/s, vegans, vegetarians, polygamist, transgender, furries, S&M, BDSM, swingers, open relationships, and everything in between. 

I think I had a preconceived notion of what a plural marriage was because of the bad things we see on tv about the occult like sect of LDS Mormons that live in Utah and now here in Las Vegas. I've seen the women from those occult like sects in Walmart a few times in the past. They all dress alike, have their hair done the same and don't talk to anyone even to say, hello. 

After watching the Sister Wives tv show I saw that this family isn't at all like what we've seen in the news. This taught me a lesson...don't go into a situation thinking that you already have all the answers or with preconceived notions of what things are going to be like and that's true of all sorts of life situations. 

Guest Reviewing

Today I'm a guest reviewer at I Smell Sheep. Come on over and let me know what you think of Black Widow Demon (Demon Outlaws #2) by Paula Altenburg. Have you read it and if you did, did you like it as much as I did?

I actually made another appearance on I Smell Sheep, a while back where I talked about books and you can find that post here.

Vintage Style Halloween Costumes

Image source: balancingacttv.wordpress.com

I tried finding a picture of the Halloween costume I used to wear when I was a kid. *back in the early 70's* And I say THE costume because I only had one! I wore the same costume for years because my parents didn't believe in buying a new costume each year when the old one would fit. This witch costume is the closest to the one that I used to wear that I could find. I remember when I first got it, it was huge on me and my mom took a belt to tie it up around my waist so I wasn't tripping over my feet. She got a big one so I wouldn't out grow it for a few years and I remember the last time I wore it I was 10 years old and must have worn it for at least 4 years. It had holes in the vinyl poncho and the mask that used to have a rubber band on it was held on with a blue ribbon that my mom tied the mask to my head with. That thing was completely falling apart but I didn't care..I got to go Trick or Treating and came back with a huge amount of candy. *That my mom and dad raided*

Image Source: starwarsblog.starwars.com

Here's another costume from that time period *the 70's* that I used to see a lot of. Most of those masks were so uncomfortable and you'd start sweating in them because there wasn't enough ventilation. Those vinyl ponchos always smelled so good. *Yeah don't look at me like that, you know you were huffing them too* 

Image source: http://modernkiddo.com/vintage-kiddo-retro-round-up-the-halloween-edition/

Cinderella was a big hit when I was a kid. I used to see costumes like this one on my friends all the time. Now I see the costumes of today and think, We sure have come a long way. 

So what was your favorite costume as a kid?

Haunted Houses

Here's a video from one of the Haunted Houses here in Las Vegas.

I haven't been to a haunted house in a few years. They look like they'll be fun but maybe I'm just cynical now and they don't scare me the way they used to when I was a kid.

Or maybe they're just not done really well and it's all strobing lights and screaming people with chain saw's running after you that really don't get to me. I haven't been to a haunted house that I found scary instead of bloody and gory. There is a difference.

So have you been to any Haunted Houses this year?

Weekly Rat Facts: Rats and Small Children

Having small kids around small pets that can be hurt easily can be tricky, but it can be done with a lot of supervision. My hubby (Ken) hold our grandson (Logan on his lap and lets him put him put just the very tips of his fingers into the cage to let Bandit sniff and lick him. We are very careful not to let Logan get his whole hand close enough so that he can grab one of the animals and hurt them.

Logan is always supervised when he puts his fingers anywhere near the cage where the rats are. Babies don't realize that they can hurt an animal if they squeeze too hard so that means we don't let him near any of the rats without good supervision.

Ken usually keeps Logan just out of reach so he can still see the rats but can't touch them.

When introducing a rat for the first time, there should be two people there. One to hold the child and make sure he can't grab the rat and one to hold the rat and make sure the rat can't run away or crawl on the child and scratch them. We let Bandit sniff logan and then logan petted him for a few seconds.

As you can see we made sure someone had a good hold on logans hand and wasn't able to to do anything but reach Bandit with the tips of his fingers. Bandit is one of my most friendly rats so we knew he wouldn't bite, nibble or scratch. He's a very laid back little rat and things went very well in this meeting.

It can be hard to have small fragile pets around children but with proper supervision, it can be done. I had hamsters, gerbils, rats and frogs around my daughter from the time she was 7 years old. 

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.

This week I received several samples, here's what I got and where you can sign up for similar samples. 

I received a box of Gevalia Cappuccino and 2 coupons for two more free boxes as well as $1 off coupons from Chatter Box from House Party. 

I also received samples of Sensodyne toothpaste, Advil pain medication and Nature's Variety Instinct dog food. 

I found the links to those samples as Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark. 

I also received a box of 4 GoGo Squeeze Applesauce on the go from Smiley360 as well as a coupon for a free box. 

Sleepy Hollow

*Pictures courtesty of Fox*

I wasn't sure I was going to watch this series when it first aired but it turned out to be a really good series and I'm not just saying that because The Headless Horseman was my favorite story when I was a kid. The special effects in this series are pretty cool too. When Death's head was lopped off, it sure looked real enough to me and who would have thought they would make this about the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse? I love that little twist. So the headless horseman is actually Death. That actually makes some kind of twisted sense since he doesn't die. 

It doesn't hurt that he is HOT!

Scary Spider Chocolates

*Picture source Better Homes and Gardens*

Recipe from Site:

Made from sweet candies, these scurrying spiders will have party goers squealing with delight. Melt candy coating or candy discs and place in a resealable plastic bag; snip off a small corner. Pipe spider legs onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and sprinkle with nonpareils; chill until firm. Squeeze small circles of melted coating onto another baking sheet lined with waxed paper and insert eight chilled legs into each circle. Add a 1-inch candy truffle on top of each circle for the body and use small candies or frosting for the eyes. Chill until firm.

Favorite Horror Movies

Today I thought I would list a few of my favorite Horror Movies...in no particular order. 

Anyone who knows me at all knows that this is my all time favorite movie. And this scene between Amy and Jerry is my favorite scene in the movie. Yes, I've seen the remake and while I thought it was a good stand alone movie...I love the original.


This is the first movie I remember watching with my mother when I was about 5 years old. She loved Horror movies and vampires in particular, so this movie holds a special place in my heart.


This is just one of those Horror movies that you either hated to loved. I happen to love it.


How can you not love The Lost Boys?


I am adding this entire series to my favorite list because it's one of those series that I can watch over and over and still love it.


Another series that I love. I thought they did a really good job with this series. Blade trinity will always be my favorite from the series because of who played Dracula..omg he's hot. lol

Favorite Halloween Candy

I posted a picture of some of my favorite Halloween candies but I know other might not be into all the chocolate. I can't imagine anyone not loving chocolate, but that's another story all together. 

When I was Trick or Treating, I always wanted a lot of candy bars. Didn't matter what kind of candy bar it was because I liked them all. 

My mom liked picking out some of the hard candy for herself and I did the same thing to my daughter when she got home with a huge load of candy at the end of the night, I think most parents do. They wait until the kid has gone to bed, coming down from the sugar rush and then go through the candy stash to pick out their favorites. Stashing them away for later. 

*Don't look at me like that. You know you did it too.*

So what did you hope for when you went Trick or Treating?

Chocolates?

Hard candy?

Lollipops?

Sour candies?

Gummi candies?

Pixie Sticks?

Those weird homemade popcorn balls the old cat lady always made? lol 

Weekly Rat Facts: Common Misconceptions

As you probably know by now, I write articles about small animal care. I write about how to care for rats mainly but I've also written articles on hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and mice. Just look back through some of my blog posts to find them. 

Too many times when I tell people that I have rats as pets they get this disgusted look on their face and say things like, "Rats? Really?" or "Don't they carry the plague?"

The fact is they are not dirty, they don't carry the plague and they make great pets.

The truth is, rats are growing ever more popular as pets. People who love them will sometimes take them to rats shows just like a dog show, where they will win ribbons and medals for the best looking rats. Rats are friendly, social, clean and very loving animals. This is Lucky and he gives kisses to anyone who pets him, just like some dogs will when you pet them. He likes to run around and come back to get petted, just like a dog and he keeps himself clean like a cat does. 

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.

This week I won a book, Release Me by J. Kenner as well as some bookmarks in the Fall Equinox Hop giveaway at Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust blog.

I also received some free samples: I found the links for these free samples at Freebie Shark

Sample of Zarbee's Allergy Pills

Nature Valley Oatmeal Squares

And I received two $5 off coupons for any Folger's product. I got these coupons after contacting the company about a stick pack I opened and instead of there being power coffee inside, it looked more like black play dough. So they sent me coupons.

Did You Get Ghosted This Year?

I posted this last year as well but thought it should be posted again. 

I recently heard of getting Ghosted and had no idea what it was. So I looked it up and found this info. When you get Ghosted or you want to Ghost someone else all you do is get two paper lunch sacks, fill them with Halloween goodies like candy, window clings, a card, toys...pretty much anything for Halloween and add either the poem and picture above or the picture and poem below.

Then they are supposed to do the same thing to two of their neighbors and pretty soon the entire neighborhood has been ghosted! How cool is that?

*Just click the pictures to enlarge them*

Review: Black and Blue by Gena Showalter

Today I am a guest reviewer at Fangs Wands & Fairy Dust, where I reviewed Black and Blue for my friend Steph. Please come by her blog and read my review, especially if you love Gena Showalter as much as I do.

Black and Blue comes out on October 22nd. I was able to read and review an advanced copy, which thrilled me.

Kitty Litter Cake

We can't have a halloween party without the Kitty Litter Cake. This grotesque cake is one of my favorites. 

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

You will need:
1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (12 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies

3 drops green food coloring

1 (12 ounce) package tootsie rolls

Directions
Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions (any size pan).

Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble.

Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.

When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 of the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.

Line kitty litter box with the kitty litter liner. Put cake mixture into box.

Put half of the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. Shape the ends so that they are no longer blunt, and curve the tootsie rolls slightly. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with half of the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.

Heat 3 or 4 of the tootsie rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle lightly with some of the green cookie crumbs. Heat the remaining tootsie rolls until pliable and shape as before. Spread all but one randomly over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs. Hang the remaining tootsie roll over side of litter box and sprinkle with a few green cookie crumbs. Serve with the pooper scooper for a gross Halloween dessert.

Adopt A Nytemare

Have you ever wanted to adopt but couldn't find the right baby creature? Well now, you're in luck because I found a site where you can Adopt A Nytemare! I adopted several...How do you like my new babies?

Reminds me of Dracula. In a, I'm gonna rip your neck out, sort of way...lol 

Cute puppy? Hell hound is more like it.

Grim Reaper? With a side of serial killer...

Crazy Maniac? Better not let him out.

Reminded me of a rat...lol Think he'd let me pet him?

So how do you like my new minions?

Mealy Monsters

*Image source Mealy Monster Land*

While surfing the internet lately, I came across something I thought was perfect for a Halloween post. They are called Mealy Monsters and you can find these and others at her blog, Mealy Monster Land. There are links to order the monsters she has available on her site.

I just love these.