Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Review: Bound By Blood by Cynthia Eden

Book Description:
Vampires and werewolves have been blood enemies for centuries, but now a new threat is rising...demons are escaping from hell and those demons are intent on wiping out both the vamps and the werewolves. 

In order to stop the demons, pureblood vampire princess Morgan LaBeaux agrees to the treaty offered by werewolf alpha Jace Vaughn. She'll mate with him, share her blood with him...and in return, the wolves will aid the vampires in this battle. 

But Morgan doesn’t realize just how dangerous the wolves can truly be. Jace has been waiting years to claim her. He’s set a trap for his princess, and now that he has her, Jace doesn’t plan to let her go. He’ll send the demons back to hell, and he’ll keep his vampiress—forever. 

Author's Note: This story contains one hot alpha werewolf, sexy times, and intense action.

My Review:
I love both vampires and werewolves so when I found this book and it featured both vampires and werewolves, I knew I had to read it. 

Morgan is a pureblood vampire princess and has agreed to mate with an alpha werewolf in order to make both of them stronger to fight the demons who are trying to take over and kill both their factions. 

Jace is an alpha werewolf and has been watching Morgan for years and knew she was his destined mate. He's not about to let her go once she agree's to mate with him so his pack and her clan can join to fight the demons trying to kill them. 

What neither faction knows is that it's no accident that the demons have a door in which to escape from. Someone opened a door a let them out and it was an inside job. They have a traitor in their midst!

While this is a short read, only 89 pages it's also the first book in the series and sets up some of the characters really well. You get a chance to know some of them and find out why a vampire mated with a werewolf. I haven't read the other books in this series but I fully plan to because this book was a lot of fun. I've been reading Cynthia Eden for a while now and am already a big fan so I can honestly tell you that all of the other books of this authors that I've read, I've liked. 

This is an extremely fast paced, action packed lust at first sight book. Which was really good since this is a quick read. The story kept me engaged which I really like and I loved the characters. 

If you are like me and love a good paranormal romance and love both vampires and werewolves then you'll like this book. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

If you'd like to order and read this book for yourself, you can do so here

Monday, March 30, 2015

Happy Raturday!

Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've 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*






Sunday, March 29, 2015

Review: Stranded & Seduced by Shelley Munro


Book Description
House of the Cat #2.75 - Note: this book is a stand alone story.

Resistance is futile.

Cimmaron Zhaan refuses to follow the traditional path of a Dlog woman. Instead she dreams of traveling through space and flying spaceships for the Coalition. Years of hard work bring her goal within grasp, until her superior seeks sexual favors and leaves her stranded on the isolated planet of Marchant.

Enter sexy club manager Tamaki Grierson. Cimmaron's not looking for a mate, but there's no denying that sparks fly between them. Desperate to leave Marchant, all she wants is to keep her head down and work--no romance for her.

But there's something strange about the club and curiosity leads Cimmaron into trouble. Before she knows it, she's naked with Tamaki and his best friend. Kisses. Heated embraces and torrid sex. Their loving is breathtaking. Her resistance is at low ebb, her heart and mind battling her overwhelming attraction for Tamaki. If she isn't careful, her Dlog hormones will tie her to him for life and her struggle to fly spaceships will be for naught.

Warning: This sexy romance contains one ménage a trois scene and was previously published.

My Review: 
Cimmaron is a space ship pilot and that wouldn't be strange except she's a Dlog female and most people don't expect a Dlog female to be doing this type of thing. When she won't accept the sexual advances of someone on the ship she's on, he strands her on a planet where she has to take a job in order to survive. 

All Cimmaron wants to do is get a job and save enough money to clear her name and get on with her life. But when her new boss makes her feel things she'd rather not feel, her life is in for a quick turn. 

Tamaki finds himself hiring a new bartender and while he finds her sexually attractive and alluring, as the club manager he can't risk his job by getting involved in anyway but professionally with her. Control is taken out of their hands when Cimmaron 's curiosity gets the better of her and she finds herself in a part of the club she was told to stay away from. 

The sexual tension between Tamaki and Cimmaron is so thick you could cut it with a knife but I was still shocked when the threesome happened. There's a reason people are acting strange and why Tamaki and his best friend need to be careful about what room they enter together. Some of the dialogue between Rico and Tamaki made me laugh out loud because you could tell it was so out of character for them. When we find out the reason that strange things are happening at the club it all starts to make more sense. 

This is a stand alone book so even if you haven't read the previous books in this series, you can read this one with no problem. 

I really like hot sex scenes as well as a little humor in my romance and this book had both.

I give this book 5 stars. 

You can read an excerpt here and purchase the book here

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy by the author in exchange for my honest review. 

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Review: Freeman Beauty Feeling Beautiful Facial Masks

It's been a while since I've used a facial mask of any sort. I used to love to get into my mom's cabinet when I was a kid and get into her cucumber peel off mask, put t on my hands and then freak my brother out by pulling it off and saying it was my skin. Yep, I was THAT kid. lol 

So I was interested and excited to get to try a few new to me facial masks. I was sent: 

Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask

Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask

Honeydew & Chamomile Sleeping Mask

Cucumber Peel-Off Mask

I used the Cucumber peel off mask first and the first thing you notice is the scent. It smells so good and when you apply it to your face it's cool, refreshing and just feels good going on. It only takes a few minutes for it to dry so you can peel it off and my face felt smooth and clean. 

I tried the Charcoal & Black Sugar polishing masks next because it jut sounded intriguing. I didn't know what to expect from it at first but it actually had a nice scent and as I rubbed it on my face I could feel the tiny sugar crystals being rubbed on my skin. After I washed it off, my face felt smooth and clean and not dried out at all. 

I haven't tried the sleeping mask yet but I did use the Avocado & Oatmeal Clay mask and I really liked that one as well. All of these asks left my skin feeling clean and smooth and had a nice scent to them. I applied them before entering the shower and washed them off in the shower because I found it less messy that way.  @Freemanbeauty @Influenster  #FeelingBeautifulin5 #contest


Disclaimer: I tested the Freeman Beauty Feeling Beautiful™ facial mask for free from Influenster, but all opinions are your own.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Review: K2R-803 Cell Phone Portable Charger with Flashlight




Product Description
This is the travel charger for your iPhone, iPad, Samsung, smartphones, and tablets. It has two USB ports so you can charge two devices at one. It has a lithium ion battery pack and a flashlight for power outages and camping. It also has 4 LED light indicators to show remaining charge. 

My Review: 
The first thing I noticed is how small and compact it is. It's small enough to fit in a purse, drawer, bag or glove compartment of a car. It comes with two USB cables so if you have two things you need to charge or you and a friend want to charge a phone at the same time you can. This product is also really easy to charge up. You can charge the K2R-803 Portable Charger by plugging the micro-USB tip into the "IN" adapter and connecting the universal USB end to any standard USB port.

I hear people all the time needing to charge one of their devices, especially phones. My husband told me that the last time he went on a plane that people were plugging their phones into the walls and sitting along the walls waiting for their phones to charge. Wouldn't it be better to just be able to take something like this with you and be able to charge your phone or other device when and where you wanted?

With pretty much everyone having some sort of phone, tablet or other type of portable device, I think this would also make an excellent gift. 


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

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

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 bottle of Diatomaceous Earth
A Vegetable Slicer
Heat Bag Sealer

I also received a box from BzzAgent with coupons for a free pack of bacon, pasta and sauce. 
In the box was:
Brownie mix that had broke open but I managed to salvage it. 
Banana chips
Bag of Coffee
Tomatillo Lime Tortillas

Did you get anything free this week?

Thursday, March 26, 2015

New Treat For My Rats

I heard in one of my rat groups that rats like live mealworms. Since I didn't think I could feed live worms to my rats I bought freeze dried mealworms and at first they just sniffed them and looked at me like, what am I supposed to do with this?

But Scribbles decided to take one and after a bit of sniffing he munched it down and has been munching a few a day since then. 

Flower just sniffed them at first. 

But soon picked one up and started nomming on it.

She really likes them now.

Scribbles did the same and just sniffed them at first but quickly got the idea that they were a crunchy treat to eat.

And has been eating them when I give them to him ever since. 

Freeze dried mealworms I can handle feeding to them since they like them. Oh the things we do for our pets. lol 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Review: Merry & Seduced by Shelley Munro


Book Description
All roads lead home at Christmas…

Cyborg Amme Vanak is wired to care for children and since her current charge is grown, she’s feeling edgy. She’s hoping a Christmas visit to Earth with her friends will offer distraction and maybe even a fling with a sexy Earthman before she flies on to Viros for a new adventure.

Wealthy entrepreneur Marcus Polo is single with a rockin’ social life until an unexpected Christmas gift throws his existence into chaos. A chance meeting with exotic Amme deepens his turmoil. She might be the solution to his problem, but she’s different from his exes, and she pushes every one of his sexual buttons.

Amme is torn. Marcus Polo is handsome and kind and so, so attractive. Even better, it seems the fascination is mutual. Amme is having a ball on Earth, but as departure day creeps closer, she becomes increasingly conflicted about leaving. Then there’s the whole alien thing. Somehow, she doesn’t think Earth and Marcus are ready to accept aliens are fact and not science fiction.

Warning: Contains a bunch of aliens intent on relaxing and enjoying a New Zealand Christmas, some canoodling under the mistletoe and addictions to chocolate.

My Review:

When Camryn comes back to Earth with her mate and shipmates, she expected there to be some drama with her brother. What she hadn't expected is for Amme the cyborg to get attached to a child and the child's father so fast. But they are having a good time, planning a party and Christmas and everyone plans to get back on the spaceship and go home after their vacation. 

But plans almost never end up the way you plan them and this vacation is no exception. After Camryn visits with her brother and sister in law and fill them in on where she's been, the neighbor comes over with a bombshell of his own and he needs help. Good thing Amme is there and is just the right woman for the job.

Poor Marcus is desperate for some help and thankfully Amme has the exact knowledge that he needs. They hit it off right away and her being an alien cyborg makes for some of their conversations to be really funny. 

Things really start to get interesting when Marcus's sister Olivia shows up at his home and needs a place to stay. Not to mention Marcus having to deal with a crazy ex girlfriend who is completely obsessed with him. 

I loved the first book in this series and knew I wanted to keep reading it, and somehow the books in this series just keep getting better and better. I really like that even though some of the aliens are shifters and Amme is a cyborg, they really aren't all that different from humans. I think that's part of the reasons it's so easy to see how they all got along so well with Marcus and Camryn's brother. 

If you like aliens, shifters, cyborgs and surprises then you need to read this book. 

If you'd like to read an excerpt of this book you can do so on Shelley's website

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

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Recipe: Vegetable Chili


You will need: 

2 Tablespoons of oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped zucchini
1 chopped green bell pepper
4 chopped carrots
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1-16oz can of Kidney Beans
1-16oz can of Black beans
1-16oz can of tomato sauce
1-16oz can of diced tomatoes

Add oil and vegetables to a large pot and saute over a medium heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. 

This recipe was easy and versatile because you can add or remove any vegetables you want or use other beans.

I ended up making a big pot of this and it made excellent leftovers the next day. 

Monday, March 23, 2015

Happy Raturday!


Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've 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*





Sunday, March 22, 2015

What to Expect During a Venous Ultrasound

Some people may undergo an ultrasound of their legs before or after surgery to check the blood flow as well as to make sure there are no blood clots. A venous ultrasound is also done when your doctor suspects you may have blood clots because of swelling or tenderness.

What is an ultrasound?
An ultrasound which is also sometimes called a sonogram, is an image of internal structures. Sound waves are transmitted through the hand held part of the machine and are converted into electrical impulses. The monitor part of the ultrasound machine shows the images and records them so a radiologist can read the results.

What to Expect During a Venous Ultrasound.
You will be asked to lie face up on the examination bed. You may be asked to bend one leg so the technician can reach the inside of your leg. Since the transducer needs to be pressed firmly against the inside of the leg you may feel some tenderness or pain when the technician presses the transducer into the inner thigh.

The transducer is coated with a colorless, odorless gel so it can easily move over the body part being scanned. The technician will move the transducer over the inside of each leg, from the feet to your groin area.

If a Doppler ultrasound is performed at the same time, it is done using the same transducer and you may hear a loud pulse or heart beat like noise as the blood flow is monitored and measured.

The technician may have to apply some pressure while holding the transducer to your skin and it may be a little painful when he presses down. When I had my venous ultrasound a few years ago, the technician squeezed my calf and pressed the transducer into my inner thigh and it was a little painful. But the entire procedure only took about 30 minutes.

Why would a Venous Ultrasound be Necessary?
According to RadiologyInfo.org "The most common reason for a venous ultrasound exam is to search for blood clots, especially in the veins of the leg. This condition is often referred to as deep vein thrombosis or DVT. These clots may break off and pass into the lungs, where they can cause a dangerous condition called pulmonary embolism. If the blood clot in the leg is found early enough, treatment can be started to prevent it from passing to the lung."

A few years ago my doctor ordered a bi-lateral venous ultrasound of my legs because my feet and ankles started swelling for no reason. Bi-lateral means both legs.

How To Prepare:
Wear comfortable clothing, you may be asked to take off your pants and put on a gown. There is no other preparation necessary for a Venous ultrasound procedure.

Once the ultrasound is complete the technician will wipe away the gel and let you get dressed.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Review: Emmy's Best Premium Chicken Jerky Treats for Dogs


Product Description
SIMPLY THE BEST TREATS FOR YOUR DOG: Your Pet Knows The Difference Between Treats They Absolutely Love, and those They Simply Tolerate. Our Jerky Treats are Tail Wagging, Jump Up and Down Delicious. Stop Wasting Money on "Tolerable Treats" and Invest in the Good Stuff!
100% SOURCED & PRODUCED IN THE USA: USDA Grade A Chicken Breast Sliced and Dehydrated in Small Batches, then Packed up to the Brim with Lots of Love in Every Bag!
NO CHINA SOURCING OR MANUFACTURING: Don't Risk Your Pet's Health with Cheap, Mass-Produced Treats. Give Them the Best-- Emmy's Best! Fair Warning, Your Neighborhood Dogs Will be Jealous, and May Show Up at Your Door!
OUR INGREDIENTS ARE SIMPLE: USDA Grade A Chicken. No Fillers, No Additives, No Preservatives. Your Pet Will Taste the Difference, and You Will Feel Better About Giving Them the Best.
PAW'S PROMISE 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: If Your Pet Doesn't Love Them, Send Back the Empty Bag and We Will Refund Your Purchase. How's That for Standing Behind Our Product?


My Review
I have a 10 month old dog that I've had for about 3 months now and I'm always reading labels to make sure it hasn't come from China because of all the problems associated with dog food products that have come from China. So when I read that this isn't from there and there's no outsourcing from China with this product I was really excited to have my dog try this. The ingredients are all natural and that's great when you're trying to do the best for your dog. My dog is small and he tends to have a sensitive stomach but I gave him a small piece of this chicken jerky treat and waited 2 days to give him any more to make sure he wouldn't get an upset stomach from it and he didn't. They are easily broken into smaller pieces if you're wanting to give just a small treat or if you have a smaller dog like I do. He also loves them. It's nice to find a teat that my dog likes to eat and is good for him. Most dog treats have a strange smell to them but after opening this package I wasn't put off at all, these chicken jerky treats smell really good. 

While they might be a little pricey, that's okay for me because my small dog only gets treats occasionally and a bag this size will last him all month. If you'd like to buy them, you can find them here

Disclaimer: I was given a coupon to buy this product in exchange for my honest review.  

Friday, March 20, 2015

Review: Claimed & Seduced by Shelley Munro


Book Description
Shapeshifter Prince Jarlath Leandros of the planet Viros is a man who understands duty. As heir, he’s had his future as leader of the House of the Cat mapped since childhood. Boring! Jarlath yearns for an indefinable more.

Keira Cloud is beautiful and sexy, she’s independent and confident, and not only is she an enemy from the House of Cawdor, but her stepchildren accuse her of murder. Not a suitable woman for the prince, but Jarlath aches to claim her.

When the House of the Cat comes under attack, Jarlath is thrust into the middle of danger where life or death is the only option. A war is brewing, one that brands Jarlath and Keira enemies, yet their hearts shout otherwise and their animal selves—the leopard and the crow—care nothing for conventional barriers. Right or wrong, passion blooms out of control and with the city under siege soon Jarlath’s life is anything but boring. Now all he needs to do is survive…

My Review
At first I thought Jarlath was going to be one of those "Feel sorry for me, I'm so privileged but have to pick a wife that I don't love...type of guys" And while his parents are pushing him to pick one of the suitable women they have picked out for him to choose from, he soon finds himself with other plans. 

Keira is a widow and not at all suitable marriage material for Prince Jarlath, especially since so many people think she killed her now deceased husband. But that doesn't stop Jarlath from spending time with her. Keira has some secrets she'd rather keep to herself but it's getting harder and harder for her to keep them secret especially since her family is his families enemy. 

I really didn't care for Jarlath's mother at all. I really wanted her to change her attitude so I could come to like her more but there's almost always one character that will get under a reader's skin and she was that character for me. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. You ever want to just reach through a book a slap a character? Yeah, totally that. 

I have to say that each and every sex scene or scene where Jarlath and Keira were intimate, even a little bit was so hot that it could have melted the jewels right out of the Queen's tiara. But that's not a bad thing at all, sexy time is good. 

I love paranormal romance and for me if you add a little something more like people from another planet *which is what this is* then you get even more because the laws, terrain, worlds...everything is different from what you expect to find here on Earth. Reading a book and not knowing what might happen because it's not Earth is exciting. Alien races can do things that we aren't used to, not to mention that this book has shifters in it, big cats as well as crows. 

I'm really hoping that Ellard who is Jarlath's best friend and a great secondary character, gets his own story. He went through a lot in this book and I'd really like to see more of him. 

I've read several of Shelley Munro's books and one of the things I really like about her stories besides the great plots are the unique character names. There are some names that are so unique that I've never read them anywhere else and doubt I will. I really like that about her books. 

I loved this story and easily give this book 5 stars. 

If you'd like to read an excerpt of this book you can do so on Shelley's Blog

You can buy the book on Amazon

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author. 

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 Bottle of Instanatural Lavender Essential Oil
Day by Day Beauty Oil Absorbing Face Blotting Papers
Bobbi Jean's 2pc Silicone Tong Set with Bonus Spatula
LA Fuel Chewing Gum

I was also sent a free Secret Deodorant and face wash. I bought the other one for just .99 because they sent me an email invite to do so. 

I also received these 5 facial masks from Influenster. 


Did you get anything free this week?

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Police Dogs: Vicious Animals Or Helpers?


While the Police Department will tell you police dogs or K9's as many of us call them, are intensely trained animals to help the police in certain situations. A lot of people if asked, will tell you they think police dogs are mean and are trained to attack on command. Is being held by a police dog a form of brutality? If the human officer cannot bite a suspect then why should a dog be allowed to inflict such bodily injury?

German Shepherds are most widely known as being Police dogs, but a few other breeds are also used. Most police dogs are trained to intimidate, find, chase and hold suspects who are either running or hiding from the Police. Police state that the dogs objective is not to bite a fleeing suspect but to find, grab and hold on until the dogs handler gives the release command. While a suspect is being 'held' by the dog, he may get bitten even if he's not fighting or trying to get the dog off. Often times the officer will not call the dog off until the suspect has put his hands out to his sides and is laying down on his or her stomach. All the while the suspect is being bitten by the Police dog.

How hard would it be for the average person to lay still while having their arm or leg chewed on by a large animal? In many states, attacking a Police dog is a felony. So if you try to defend yourself while a police dog has your leg in it's mouth and is biting you. You may find yourself in even more trouble if you accidentally harm the dog while trying to get it off you. In many states the Police dogs now have the same rights as a human officer. If one is killed, the suspect can then be prosecuted the same as if he killed a human officer in the line of duty.

Dogs are also used in other parts of Law Enforcement. Dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs, bombs, explosives, chemicals and used in Airports to sniff the baggage for things that aren't supposed to be there.

It's up to the handlers actions and whether he let's the dog bite the suspect for longer than is necessary when several other human officers are standing around the suspect yelling at him to lay face down when the dog is chewing on his leg. These dogs are supposed to be helping save the human officers life in case of dangerous situations and they are used to safe guard the public. But instead of the public liking and trusting the dogs to do their job, they are scared of them and have every right to be.

Most Police dogs live with their human partners or handlers as they are sometimes called. The dogs interact with the handlers family members, friends and anyone who would come to their home just as a regular pet would. This is supposed to ensure that the Police dogs remain friendly, social animals.

According to Vindy.com, "Police say the Friday attack of the department’s police dog, Storm, on an 8-year-old boy was an unfortunate accident, but Storm has done much more good than bad during his time with the department. The boy, Patrick Assion, was visiting his grandmother’s house in Campbell and playing hide-and-seek with his cousin in the backyard when Storm took hold of Patrick’s arm and dragged him to the ground. The incident left the boy three physical reminders of the attack: a red mark on his arm, a T-shirt full of holes and a torn-up sweat shirt."

Police dogs bite the wrong people at times and sometimes it's a tragic accident but when police know that their dogs are trained to bite when they sniff out drugs and they hide a small amount of drugs on a small child who then gets bit, who's fault is that? The Handler should have known better in my opinion. According to the Huffington Post, "Children were subjected to a “simulated raid” of a party so they could witness police searching citizens with dogs and look for reasons to arrest them in a “drug awareness” event.  The idea went from bad to worse when one of the children was attacked by the police dog as it sniffed them for drugs."

There are instance after instance where police dogs have attacked the wrong person and yet these dogs are still used. Maybe they aren't trained as well as the police want us to believe they are? In probably one of the most horrific stories I've ever read about a K9 attack, an elderly woman was mauled by the dog. According to The Free Thought Project, "Irene Collins, an elderly cancer patient of Middlesbrough has died over the weekend, after being attacked by an out of control Cleveland police K9 last Wednesday night.

The police had a heavy presence in her neighborhood that evening and were going door to door searching for an escaped alleged drug dealer. Neighbors of the ill grandmother reportedly warned the officers she was frail and in bad condition.  They went to her door to disturb her anyway. The dog attacked the woman in her kitchen as she was leading the officers to her back yard.

One neighbor told the Daily Mail,  ‘She wasn’t bitten, she was mauled. A relative told me the dog had punctured and broken her arm, ripped her other arm, and then managed to bite off her calf muscle after it had been restrained.’

The department has issued a statement saying:

“The police dog involved has been withdrawn from operational policing activities and support is being provided to the police officer who was handling the dog at the time of the event. We are committed to learning any lessons that may arise from the investigation and the daily use of police dogs remains operationally important in reducing crime and disorder and protecting the public. Our dogs are trained and licensed for use in accordance with national police guidance.”

This is why it is very important to never consent to a search, or let police into your home, even if you have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide."

Still other people are worried that the use of dogs in Police work should be considered animal cruelty. Humans knowingly become Police Officers, knowing full well what the risks are. But dogs have no say in what they are trained to do. Should dogs be forced to take a bullet or knife wound for a human officer or be put into harms way or dangerous situations just because it's a dog?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

What You Should Know Before Donating Hair to Locks of Love


Many people with long hair, like myself get told that they should cut their hair and send it to locks of love. When I'm in the salon chair the person cutting my hair has on occasion told me that if I wanted to cut off 10 inches of my hair I could send it to locks of love and they would make a wig for a cancer patient. I'm sure you have heard this too, but the real truth is not all kids that get wigs are cancer patients. Most kids have a disorder called alopecia areata that has no known cure.

You should also know that they will not use hair that is less than 10 inches long, isn't in a pony tail or braid or has been swept up from the floor. The hair they can't use they sell. Before someone cuts their hair off to send to them, you should do some research. When I looked at their website I found out that a lot the wigs they do give out aren't free to the kids. They have to pay according to their family's income level, a sliding scale fee.

Locks of Love FAQ pages states that they do sell some of the hair donations they receive," Hair that is short, gray, or otherwise unusable will be sold to help offset manufacturing costs. Locks of Love DOES NOT throw hair away unless it is wet and moldy or not bundled in a braid or ponytail when it is received."

They also state that they will accept gray hair donations but they will be sold to offset costs as gray hair cannot be used to make wigs for kids. They also say they cannot use bleached hair as it disintegrates during the manufacturing process.

Their FAQ section also states it takes between 6-10 donated ponytails to make one hair piece for a child. If you want to sponsor one Locks of Love child for what they call one cranial prosthesis, it will cost the sponsor $1000.00.

Children with short term hair loss, like chemotherapy patients don't get 'real hair' they get synthetic hair pieces and children under 6 years old also get synthetic hair pieces. In order to get a vacuum fit hair prosthetic they need to have long term hair loss and be between the ages of 6-18.

For a child or their family to apply for a hair piece they have to send in a completed application, a medical diagnosis from a doctor, photo of the child, two letters of recommendation from teachers, friends, coach ect, telling why they would benefit from a hair piece. They also require a most recent tax return or other proof of Social Security, Welfare ect. The family has to prove they are financially disadvantaged.

When they are approved a plaster mold is made of the child's head so the prosthetic can be custom made. The child can also ask for a specific color of hair.

They state they are a not for profit organization that provides hair pieces to children that are financially disadvantaged and 18 years old or younger, but how much money do they make by selling the hair that's donated but they say unusable in these wigs? The Locks of Love financials page shows they made millions of dollars in 2007.

There is no way for someone to know whether or not the hair they donated was actually used for a wig or was sold for money. According to A New York Times Article Locks of Love ships the pony tails and the plaster molds to a company called Taylormade.

This New York Times article states that the wigs are actually made in Indonesia, so Taylormade must take the mold and order and send everything to a company in Indonesia for the prosthetic to be made. It can take up to six months for the child to get their wig.

Locks of Love states they consider the retail costs of the prosthetics to be between $3500 and $6000 but Taylormade says they sell the custom made wigs to Locks of Love for $1000, which Locks of Love pays for with donations.

So before you donate your hair to Locks of Love, you should remember that some hair is unusable and sold or thrown away. Hair that has been weakened by chemical processing and won't survive the manufacturing process or is sent in wet or moldy is tossed in the trash. Gray hair and hair that's fewer than 10 inches long or isn't sent in a braid or pony tail is sold to cover the charities' over head costs.

If you really want to donate your hair to charity, a better way to do this and make sure the money gets to the kids that need it is to sell your hair and send in some or all of the proceeds. Websites like The Hair Trader will let you list your hair for sale for free. Some people on their site have made $1000 or more from selling their hair.

When most people think of Locks of Love they think that cancer patients get the hair and get a free wig, but the hard truth is that Locks of Love doesn't consider the loss of hair because of chemotherapy to be a long term loss and therefore most of these kids are given synthetic wigs that look less like real hair.

Locks of Love calls itself a not for profit organization yet they do generate a profit, they say in order to cover the costs of manufacturing the prosthetics and over head. Non profit organizations are allowed to generate a profit for themselves yet most don't. Locks of Love says they receive 2000 donations per week and it takes 6-10 pony tails to make each wig. With all the donations they had they should have been able to make over 10,000 wigs, yet as of 2005 they had only made 2000 wigs since the organization had started in 1997. Where did all of that unused hair go?

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Review: Bobbi Jean's 2pc Silicone Tong Set and Bonus Silicone Spatula.


Product Description: 
Protect Your Expensive Cookware - Prepare & Server Your Food with Ease

Bobbi Jean's Tongs Set & FREE Bonus Spatula is the perfect addition to your kitchen utensils and here's why:

• Enjoy the sturdy construction of a stainless steel tong with the protection of the silicone heads to prevent scratching and abrasions to your pots & pans
• Use the 9 inch tongs for shorter reach when preparing food. The 12 inch is perfect for deep pots & serving food. The tongs are featured in a dusk grey suitable for any kitchen décor.
• The FREE BONUS Silicone Spatula with Stainless Steel Handle is featured in a Pea Green. The curve shaped spatula is perfect for blending dishes & scraping bowls when preparing bake goods.
• The tongs are heat resistant up to 480°F. They are perfect for pan searing and deep frying.
• Smooth Locking Mechanism makes storing them in a drawer really simple. The lock doubles as ring for convenient hanging.
• BPA FREE & 100% Food Grade - Prepare your meals safely.
• Peace of Mind with our BOBBI JEAN'S GUARANTEE - If you aren't satisfied for any reason, receive a 100% NO HASSLE REFUND!

My Review: 
I recently bought myself a new set of non-stick pans and wanted to make sure that they stay scratch free and therefore non-stick for as long as possible. So I bought a a wooden spoon and hard plastic spatula at the same time. I've been wanting to try out the silicone coated spoons, spatulas and other cooking utensils as well so I was excited when I was able to get this tong and spatula set at such a great discounted price and try them out. 

I used the silicone coated tongs to cook several pieces of chicken thighs in my frying pan and they worked really well at being easy to use, easy to grip foods and easy to wash off afterwards. The big plus for me was that I didn't have to worry so much about being careful about not scraping the bottom of the pan for fear of scratching the surface because these silicone coated utensils won't scratch my pans. The silicone spatula is great and works really well. It also works well as a large bowl scraper when I made a cake and needed to get the cake batter out of the bowl I had mixed it in.

If you'd like to order this set for yourself, you can do so at Amazon where I ordered mine. 

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

Monday, March 16, 2015

Happy Raturday!


Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've 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*






Sunday, March 15, 2015

How to Litter Box Train Your Pet Rabbit

*This is the little bunny we found in the alley and found him a forever home*

Rabbits can bring much joy to a home, but they can also bring many, many small surprises all over your floor if you don't litter box train your bunny.

It is easier than you think to litter box train a rabbit as long as you know before hand that it will take some time and patience. You will need:

A litter box- just like for a cat. You can get an expensive kitty litter box or you a get a hard plastic Tupperware type box, your rabbit won't care which. I have found that a triangle or corner litter pan works well for inside the cage.

Litter- Carefresh or Yesterdays News is the best thing to use for bunny litter. Never use cloth, cedar or pine shavings as they are bad for bunnies if they chew or eat them. Never use anything that makes a lot of dust as this will give your bunny respiratory problems.

How to get a rabbit to use the litter box.

Put the corner litter box in the corner of the rabbit's cage. Pick up some of his droppings (feces) and place them in the litter box. That way it will smell like a place to go to the bathroom.

If there are any puddles (urine) soak them up with a little toilet paper and place the toilet paper in the litter box.

Let your rabbit get used to having the litter box in his cage for a few hours and if he hasn't checked it out and jumped in, you can entice him in with some Timothy Hay. When you see that your rabbit has used the litter box make sure to praise him, say something like, "Good Bunny." And rub his head so he knows you are happy.

Rabbits are very intelligent animals and will catch on if given enough time, patience and praise.

When you let bunny out for exercise you should have several litter boxes out where he plays. Put urine soaked tissue and droppings in each one so he knows what they are for when he smells them.

If your rabbit has an accident, pick him up immediately and gently place him in one of the litter boxes and feed him some Timothy Hay, then praise him.

After a while your bunny will understand what he needs to do and he will do it. You need to be consistent over the first few days as to not confuse the rabbit as to what to do and gets the hang of it. If you are holding your bunny and he urinates on you, the worst thing you can do is get mad and yell at the bunny. You should pick him up and set him gently down in the litter box and praise him. Keeping him in the litter box by giving him some Hay or a small treat will give him positive reinforcement, making training better for your bunny.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

How to Keep Pet Rats Cool When the Power Goes Out

*Lucky*

It's not something we want to think about but if an emergency does happen because of a blown transformer or a thunderstorm knocking the power out, it's a good idea to know how to keep your rats cool in the summer when air conditioning isn't available.

Frozen Water Bottles
I always keep a couple of plastic water bottles filled with water in my freezer in case of an emergency. This method will work for short amounts of time where you need to keep your rats cool. Just take a couple of frozen water bottles and wrap them in a light cloth and place them in your rat cage. The rats will be able to sit or lay next to them and keep cool. You do need to make sure to wrap the frozen water bottles in a light cloth to absorb the condensation so the cage doesn't get wet and to keep the rats from getting frost bite if they lay right on the frozen bottles.

Ice Air Conditioning
This method works well for times when you need to keep the rats cooler for longer periods of time. You will need a hammock or hammocks, a large plastic pet igloo and a bag of ice.

Hang the hammocks in the cage from the top of the bars so that the rats can easily get into them. Place an unopened bag of ice or ice packs on top of the cage and a plastic igloo on top of the ice so that the igloo covers the whole bag of ice. The Plastic pet igloo will act like a refrigerator and keep the cold air from going anywhere but down, right into the hammocks.

Just place the rats in the hammocks and they will have a cool place to lay until the ice melts. When the ice melts, just replace the bags with new bags of ice.

Bath Time
If your rats already like water and are used to it, you can fill a tub with about an inch of cool water and let them run around in it. They will get wet and it will cool them off. Don't force your rats to stay in a tub of water if they are scared or not wanting to be in there. You can always hold your rat and gently rub a little water on his back while you pet him and get the same effect.

Rats like to be kept at temperatures between 60F and 76F, but they will tolerate cooler temperatures much easier than warmer temperatures because they can snuggle or burrow into their bedding to keep warm.

One of the Ice packs I have is a larger CoolBrick. It's the size of a brick and lasts a very long time. I would use this on top of the cage for the *ratty air conditioner* But if for some reason the power goes out for just a couple of hours I have ice packs in my freezer for emergencies to keep my rats cool. They last longer than ice and are easy to keep in the freezer.

It's great because it's non-toxic and I can reuse it again and again. Knowing that it gets really hot here in the summer months I've made provisions in case the power goes out for a couple of hours. I say a couple of hours because I wouldn't use this method for more than a few hours in the temps that we get here..ie..115 F

I have two different types and sizes of ice packs. These are smaller gel packs. These would be used inside the cage if needed. I would wrap them in a dish towel and let the rats lay next to them to keep cool. You can also freeze water bottles and wrap those in dish towels.