Review: The Darkest Touch by Gena Showalter

Book Description taken from Amazon:

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes the long-awaited story of Torin, the most dangerous Lord of the Underworld yet… 

Fierce immortal warrior. Host to the demon of Disease. Torin's every touch causes sickness and death—and a worldwide plague. Carnal pleasure is utterly forbidden, and though he has always overcome temptation with an iron will, his control is about to shatter.  

She is Keeleycael. The Red Queen. When the powerful beauty with shocking vulnerabilities escapes from a centuries-long imprisonment, the desire that simmers between her and Torin is scorching. His touch could mean her end, but resisting her is the hardest battle he's ever fought—and the only battle he fears he can't win.

My Review:

I've been waiting for Torin to get his own book but wasn't sure how he was going to get a love life when he can't touch anyone's skin without either killing them or making them really sick and then a carrier for whatever disease he gave to them. But I knew whatever woman that came into his life would have to be strong and willful and Keeley (The Red Queen) is all that and more. 

Keeley and Torin meet while trapped in a prison neither of them can escape from and things go from bad to worse when Torin accidentally kills Keeley's only friend, making her mad enough to want to rip his entrails out and feast on them. But first she has to escape from the prison she's in and that's when sparks really start flying. 

The Red Queen is probably my favorite heroine in any of the books in this series by far. She is sarcastic, strong, willful, stubborn and did I mention sarcastic? Her comebacks are laugh out loud funny. She is exactly what Torin needed. 

Torin has always been a bit of a mystery to me, we really didn't get to know him all that well as the series has gone on, but we sure did in this book, finally! 

I loved that Keeley is so powerful, old and wise and still has a vulnerability about her. I also loved that Torin figures out exactly what her vulnerabilities are and takes steps to make her feel safe and secure. 

My only problem with this book was I found it a little wordy and lacking any real involvement in some parts. I like a book to keep me engaged throughout the entire book and while this one did keep my interest, I found myself bored in some parts. 

If you've been reading this series, you'll love this next installment and if you are new to this series I suggest starting with the first book so it makes more sense. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

I MUSTACHE YOU SOME QUESTIONS

So my friend Anna over at Herding Cats & Burning Soup decided to tag everyone in this meme and I figured, why not. I'll play along too. So here are some answered questions about me. 

Four Names People Call Me Other Than My Real Name

1. Mom

2. Grandma

3. Mare

4. ScaryMary

Four Jobs I’ve Had

1. Self Serve Laundromat Attendant

2. Bakery/Deli Manager

3. Jewelry Store Manager

4. Apartment Leasing Assistant

Four Movies I’ve Watched More Than Once

1. Fright Night *original*

2. Queen of the Damned

3. Jaws

4. Poltergeist

Four Books I’d Recommend

1. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2. Once in Paris by Diana Palmer

3. Dark Prince by Christine Feehan

4. Favored By Felix by Shelley Munro

Four Places I Have Lived

1. Redondo Beach, Ca- where I was born.

2. Van Nuys, Ca- When I was a teenager.

3. Guyandotte, West Virginia for a year when I was a teenager. 

4. Las Vegas where I live now. 

Four Places I Have Been

1. California

2. West Virginia

3. Las Vegas

4. Utah

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now

1. Scotland- being wooed by a sexy Scottish lad. 

2.

3.

4. Yeah sorry, I got nothing for this. lol 

Four Things I Don’t Eat

1. Liver

2. Snails

3. Butternut Squash

4. Honey

Four of My Favorite Foods

1. Chocolate Truffles

2. Pizza

3. Buffalo Style Chicken Wings

4. Donuts

Four TV Shows That I Watch

1. Supernatural

2. Vampire Diaries

3. The Originals

4. Grimm

Four Things I Am Looking Forward To This Year

1. A new laptop

2. Seeing Family

3. Thunderstorms

4. When summer is over/next winter. lol 

Four Things I’m Always Saying

1. Oh dang- I say that all the time. 

2. Whatever- When I'm starting to get mad.

3. What are you doing- I seem to say that to the rats every day. lol 

4. Don't start with me- If I say this it's better for you to just leave. 

Four People I Tag

Everyone and anyone who wants to participate. Just let me know in the comments if you made a blog post and I'll come take a look or tell me in the comments a few of your answers. 

Rats 101: Water Bottle Vs Water Dish

Most people who have rats and hamsters as pets use water bottles but you can use a water dish as well. The differences in using the two different water dispensers is quite big though so if you are thinking of using a water dish, you might want to read this first.

Water Bottles
Using a water bottle that you can hang from inside or outside a cage is probably the easiest way to make sure your rat has a continual fresh source of water. If you use a large water bottle you only have to fill it once a week or when it's almost empty. They are easy to clean, won't leak unless your rat finds a way to chew on it and aren't messy. If you have a rat that likes to chew the bottom on the water bottle through the bars of the cage, you can buy something called a water bottle guard, which is a metal cup that the water bottle sits in and it covers the bottom of the bottle so the rats cannot get their teeth on it.

Water Dish
Using a water dish much like a smaller version of a dog dish and might seem like a good idea but as I can tell you from first hand experience, it's not. When I first got rats I thought letting them drink from a dish like a dog would be better for them and easier. They did almost everything but drink from the dish and it was incredibly hard to keep it clean of debris because they were constantly putting things in the water. I had 4 rats in the cage at the time and put a ceramic dish of water in their cage. They decided it was a bath and jumped in it, rolled and ran through it. Making water spill all over the inside of the cage.

So I tried again and this time with less water. They didn't like that either. Instead of drinking from it they used their mouths to throw food in the water and even picked up their poo and threw that in the water as well. I did find that they liked to lay and play in the water on warmer days to keep cool and they also liked it if I put frozen vegetables in their dish of water so they could 'fish' them out and eat them. So now I only use a water dish as a play toy, to keep them cool if it gets too warm or to let them have fun fishing frozen peas out of the water.

While some rats may like to use a ceramic water dish as their water source, mine did not.

Review: Candy Jar

I first saw Candy Jar on fb and decided to click on the ad to see what it was all about. After reading that the site lets you pick the candy that you want and you can get scoops *about a handful* of a lot of different candy, I knew I was going to order a Candy Jar. You can order three different sizes with a different number of scoops for each jar. I decided on the 16 scoops. There are 8, 16 and 32 scoops that you can choose from. The 16 scoops that I decided on is $29.99. When my Candy Jar arrived most of the candy was already in the jar but not all of it fit because some candies are larger than others. Each scoop of candy is packaged and you can choose how to display it or which ones to put into your jar. 

I decided on trying 16 different types of candy and opened all the packages that had the wrapped candy and put that in the jar first. Of course I sampled some of the candy as I added it to the jar, you know just to make sure it was fresh and tasted good. My husband was sampling the goods as well and all I heard from him was, "MMMmm good, this is good, yeah I like this one too." LOL

They have page after page after page of candy to choose from, so you're sure to find candies that you'll love. It took me a while to pick just 16 of the candies that I wanted to try because some of them I'd never heard of. If you'd like to visit them and check out what they offer, you can find them on Facebook as well as at their Website. 

Dogs Dying After Eating Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana has been legalized in several states and while that might be good for the people suffering with debilitating illnesses who need it, it's come with a bad side effect- dogs are ingesting the marijuana, getting sick and sometimes dying.

Marijuana poisoning is getting to be a real danger to the pets of medical marijuana patients, it can can cause the shakes, loss of motor control, lethargy and vomiting. Sometimes the dog can be treated and is fine, other times though the dog is not so lucky and dies.

Signs of Marijuana Toxicity
Approximately an hour after a dog ingests marijuana, symptoms of toxicity will appear. Symptoms include: drowsiness, glazed or red bloodshot eyes, slowed heart rate, drooling, shakes, loss of motor control, falling down, drop in body temperature, vomiting, agitation, whining or crying, urinary incontinence, seizures, rapid heart rate and coma. In some cases, although uncommon, death can occur.

If your dog is exhibiting any of these signs or symptoms you should get your pet to the veterinarian right away. If you know that marijuana ingestion may be the cause, it's very important to let the vet know this right away so they can give your pet the right treatment.

How Many Cases of Marijuana Poisoning in Dogs Are There?
According to CBS Denver, "Vets say they used to see dogs high on marijuana just a few times a year. Now pet owners bring in doped-up dogs as many as five times a week."

That's quite the increase. Pet owners should know when they bring marijuana or the marijuana edibles into their home when they have a pet, that these substances can be life threatening to their pets. It should never be left out in the open where a pet can easily eat them.

Think of your dog as a small toddler because that's the mental equivalent of a dog. Just like a human toddler, dogs will get into most anything left out where they can get into it.

Marijuana, just like any other drug needs to be kept up and out of reach of kids and animals for their safety.

According to CBS In Denver, "Meola is a veterinarian at a Wheat Ridge clinic. She coordinated a five-year study that shows the number of dogs sickened by marijuana has quadrupled in Colorado since medical marijuana was legalized. Most dogs survive, but not all. "Two dogs, however, got into baked goods with medical grade marijuana butter in it, which presumably seems to be more toxic to the dogs, so we did have two deaths,"

Some people who use medical marijuana think it's funny to get their dogs, "high" but the fact is dogs don't experience the same 'high' that humans do. Marijuana ingested by dogs, causes neurological toxicity and is not fun for them.

Doctors say the real issue is with the edibles items. Dogs are eating things like cakes, cookies, brownies and suckers that are all laced with marijuana.

A responsible pet own would not give their pet a substance they they know could cause harm or even death and in most cases this is not done purposely but leaving a toxic substance out where an animal can get it and eat it is as bad as leaving it out if you have a toddler in the house. Both can be harmed by it, so it's up to you as the pet owner to make sure any marijuana or marijuana edibles are not left out where your pets can get them and eat them.

Those people purposely attempting to get pets high as a joke are under the mistaken belief that marijuana is not dangerous to dogs. I think it's now been proven that they are very much mistaken.

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: 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?