Product Review: Set of 4 Deluxe Metal Plastic Die Cast Construction Toy Vehicles Playset

Product Description

Set of 4 free-wheeling construction vehicles

Metal Plastic Die Cast vehicles

Each vehicle measures 7 x 3 x 3 Inches

No batteries required

My Review

Little kids, both boys and girls love playing with dump trucks and cars. Especially if they have other kids to play with them. So when I was given the chance to get this set for free, I jumped on it because I have a grandson who is almost 3 years old and I thought he would love this set of trucks. He already has some little trucks and cars and my daughter told me he loves playing with them. But most boys do so that's really no surprise. 

I liked these because they are bigger than the small matchbox type cars and trucks so they are a little different from what he already has and different usually means, play with right away for kids. Toys are always a hit when my grandson comes over for a visit so I know he'll enjoy playing with these as well. 

They are made well and seem pretty sturdy. I expect he'll have hours and hours of fun with these trucks. 

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

Product Review: Icetek Sports Multi-Purpose Credit Card Size Pocket Tool

Product Description

Multi-purpose credit card size pocket tool. 13 tools include: letter opener/blade, scissors, rulers, tweezers, Special features include magnifying glass, Straight pin, pressurized ball point pen and Phillips screw and LED mini White light.

My Review

I really like these thin pocket tools because they fit in a pocket or wallet and can be stored anywhere that you might need one in a hurry. As you can see the scissors and some of the other things come out pretty easy and go back in just as easy. But I had a hard time getting out the blade and straight pin. It didn't come with instructions or any paperwork letting you know what all is in the case. So that was a bit of a drawback for me. 

But if you know someone who likes these types of things, then this would make a great gift or add on gift to a basket or stocking stuffer. 

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

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*

RIP Scribbles

I rescued both Scribbles and Flower at the same time, March of last year from a lady who no longer wanted them. He was very friendly or social but after a few weeks of interacting with him, he became such a sweet boy. When I shared my food with him, he'd always put him paw it in and it made me laugh.

He played in the ball pit..mostly just walked through it and ignored the balls.

Was always ready to come out and say hi.

And posed for pictures last Halloween. 

Falcor always wanted to play with him but he just sat there eating his food ignoring the dog completely.

And posed for more pictures. He loved coming out to play, share my food and get some cuddles with us.

Then a few weeks ago he started getting sick and I started him on antibiotics right away. He got better and then got sicker really fast. The last week he was with me, he was so spoiled, he got pretty much anything he wanted including ice cream, baby foods, cream of wheat, meat balls and of course yogies. 

Scribbles passed away yesterday afternoon. He was 2.5 years old. 

RIP my little man.

Product Review: Melamine Bowls Set Of 12

Product Description

Made with BPA-free materials, these brand new 15-ounce dinnerware bowls are suitable for home, office, and special events. The sleek yet simple design will complement any table setting. The lightweight yet durable structure makes these easy to travel with, such as while camping, traveling in an RV, or other adventures. Melamine Dinnerware Set of 12 Plastic Bowls, for Home Kitchen, Parties, Weddings, Restaurant, Catering, Camping Dishes, and Safe for Kids; Great as Soup Bowls, Pasta Bowls, Salad Bowl, Cereal Bowl, Small Serving Dishes, and Office Parties

I really like these little bowls. I am a candy lover and I always have some sort of candy in dishes around my apartment. My daughter loves this fact because she knows when she comes over that there will be a bowl of some kind of candy on the table. I filled one of the bowls with assorted candy and placed it on the tv. 

Sometimes when I have company over and I want to sit out small bowls of candy, nuts ect..I don't always have extra bowls to do this. But now I do and these are just the right size for things like that. They are small bowls, just 15oz but that's more than big enough for what I'll be using them for. They also are just the right size for small kids to eat cereal and snacks out of. 

The only downside to these bowls is that they are not microwavable. If you'd like to purchase these bowls, you can find them here. 

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an 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. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

Fructis Full & Plush Shampoo and Conditioner samples
Allegra Allergy Sample
2 Nexcare Bandaids
Coupon for a Free Candy Bar
4 Equate Pads
4 Poise Pads
Cera Ve Cleanser and Moisturizing Cream

Did you get anything free this week?

Does Your Mouth Itch After Eating Fruit?

If your mouth or lips itch or tingle after eating certain fruits, you should read this article that explains why. I've known for a long time that it was a slight allergic reaction because I asked my doctor about it a few years ago and he told me. I have that reaction to avocado's, banana's and melon's. I've been tested and I'm allergic to Ragweed so the chart on that article I had you read is right. 

Most people will just avoid those foods that make their mouths itch but I like fruit too much to let a little itch for a few minutes stop me from eating a banana or having a slice of cantaloupe. I also have another food allergy that is a bit more problematic. I wrote about it in this blog post a few years ago. I'm allergic to raw shrimp. I can't peel them without wearing latex gloves because I'll break out in blisters if I touch raw shrimp. But once it's cooked, I'm fine.

So does your mouth itch when you eat certain fruits? Have you ever asked your doctor about this? Did you know it was a slight allergic reaction?

Review: Dead Ice by Laurell K Hamilton

Book Blurb

Anita Blake has the highest kill count of any vampire executioner in the country. She’s a U.S. Marshal who can raise zombies with the best of them. But ever since she and master vampire Jean-Claude went public with their engagement, all she is to anyone and everyone is Jean-Claude’s fiancée.

It’s wreaking havoc with her reputation as a hard ass—to some extent. Luckily, in professional circles, she’s still the go-to expert for zombie issues. And right now, the FBI is having one hell of a zombie issue.

Someone is producing zombie porn. Anita has seen her share of freaky undead fetishes, so this shouldn’t bother her. But the women being victimized aren’t just mindless, rotting corpses. Their souls are trapped behind their eyes, signaling voodoo of the blackest kind.

It’s the sort of case that can leave a mark on a person. And Anita’s own soul may not survive unscathed . . .

My Review

I've been a fan of this series for years and this book is no exception. Anita Blake is called upon to find out who is raising zombies to make some weirdo zombie porn. Only thing is, when she and her fellow officers watch the porn video they can see something is very wrong. The zombie in the video looks scared. Zombies aren't supposed to be scared unless they somehow have their soul back...which just couldn't be...could it? 

The thought that some voodoo practitioner could take out and put back someone's soul so that the zombie body rots a little in between and the zombie knows what is going on but is helpless to do anything about it...yeah, that's some awful shit right there. 

In the middle of all the zombie kinkiness going on, Anita is trying to figure out who is going to be in her commitment ceremony because she doesn't want anyone to feel left out or for there to be any problems because someone was left out. She and Jean Claude are trying to figure out their wedding and what kind of rings to make that she can wear everyday. 

I used to really feel for Asher but his character is just going down the tubes in this one. He's making decisions that make no sense and it seems like he's doing things to try and make Jean Claude jealous and Anita mad but all he did was make himself seem like he might not be around much longer if he doesn't stop doing things to alienate everyone. His character just doesn't seem to fit into their group anymore and that's sad because I used to kinda like him, but not much anymore. 

People who have been a fan of this series since the beginning will like this book as well, I know I did. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

If you'd like to read this book, you can find it here. 

Product Review: Nuwave Oven

If you are friends with me on Facebook you might have seen my post last week about one of my neighbors giving me a brand new Nuwave Oven because she ordered one and they sent her one for free. I was so excited to try this out and Ken has been wanting one for a while. 

We had a 6.5lb pork roast in the freezer so we thawed it out and after reading the directions, it said I should cook a 3-7lb pork roast for 17-19 minutes on each side. So I did that and checked the roast. It was dry like beef jerky on the outside and completely raw on the inside. In order for us to eat dinner, I had to cut the ends off because they were done and put the roast back in the Nuwave Oven to continue cooking. 

Only the ends of the roast were done after 40 minutes of cooking so we had dinner but the roast didn't have that baked in the oven taste and the outside was so dry and tough. It took a total of 2 hours in this oven to get the meat cooked and even then it was still a bit pink in the middle. 

This oven is supposed to cut cooking times in half! But I could have cooked this roast in the regular oven in 90 minutes and it would have been fall off the bone done. 

I'm one of those people that if I try something and it doesn't go right the first time, I'm not likely to try it again. So I gave the oven to my daughter because I knew I wouldn't use it again. My first thought was to throw the entire things into the trash but Ken is the voice of reason and he stopped me. lol 

So this was a huge flop, fail, dud, disaster. 

I wouldn't recommend this oven at all.

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*

This week all the pictures are meme's that I made from pictures of my own animals.  

Favorite Picture of the Week

Ever wonder what it's like to have a hairless rat? Flower's cage is right next to the table I have my laptop on so when she wants to come out I open the cage door and she walks out onto my table. First thing she does is dive bomb my shirt for a cuddle. 

Here's the bottom level of her cage with the cage door down. She will walk out onto the table and come over to see what I'm doing and then dive bomb my shirt. When she's done getting a few cuddles she'll go explore the table and if I've left any paper lying around, she'll snatch it and drag it back to her cage and then come back to see what other trouble she can get into. 

Nature Box Subscription Box Review

I'm always up for trying new snacks and I love finding healthy snacks now too so I was interested in trying this Nature Box out when I saw it. I was really happy when I found out that my first box would be free and I could keep getting boxes for jut under $20 a month. The other great thing is you get to pick what you get in your box each month from the large assortment of snacks that they have on their site. 

I picked 5 snacks to start with in my first box. 

Nature Box is a monthly subscription box that let's you choose what snacks you want to get each month. I picked these snacks to try out.

I picked the Cranberry Pepita Crisps

Peanut Butter Nom noms

Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars

Cranberry Medley

Mini Cocoa Belgian Waffles

These are good size bags of snacks too. Not little sample sizes. I opened the bags right away and tried a piece of each one. My husband went right for the Whole What Figgy bars and he ended up eating two of them right away. They were a big hit with him. I found them to be a little dry for me. 

Next I tried the Peanut Butter Nom noms and while they had a good taste, they were a bit on the dry side. 

My favorite out of this box is the Cranberry Medley. It has dried cranberries and blueberries in it and they are so soft and sweet. 

The Mini Belgian Waffles and Cranberry Pepita Crisps are really good.

The idea of the Nature Box subscription snack box is great. If you can find 5 snacks that you really like, it might be worth the $20 price tag each month. I would give this box a 3 out of 5 stars but I plan on trying another box of snacks. 

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. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

3 books I won in a blog contest
A sample of Beneful Dog Food

I also won a total of $35 in Amazon Gift Cards from Crowdtap.

Did you get anything free this week?

Pregnant Peppers?

The other night I cut open a bell pepper only to find it had a small baby bell pepper inside it. 

My pepper was pregnant! I almost felt bad about cutting her and her baby up and cooking them...almost.

Review: Prophecy: Child Of Light by Felicity Heaton

Book Blurb

A vampire unlike any other, Prophecy lives life in the dark until the night she encounters a sensual dark-haired vampire who is both her enemy and the man who will change her world forever. 

A loyal hunter for the Aurorea bloodline, Valentine is bound by duty to report her as the vampire of the prophecy, but he cannot shake the vision of them he saw in her blood. Torn between duty and desire, and determined to uncover the truth, Valentine goes against his order to execute her and kidnaps the beautiful Caelestis female instead. 

Thrust into a terrifying world where the seven bloodlines and the Law Keepers are hunting her and her only hope for survival is Valentine, Prophecy battles her temptation to surrender to her illicit attraction to him and fights for her future. 

When she discovers her extraordinary destiny, will she be strong enough to embrace it and stop a deadly war from igniting? 

The first novel in the Vampires Realm series and the best selling Prophecy Trilogy, Prophecy: Child of Light, is part one in an epic tale of forbidden love that is sure to capture your heart and leave you craving more. 

My Review

This book starts out with a great story line. A female vampire has been hidden away by her vampire family and she gets restless and sneaks out to hunt/feed for the first time by herself. After feeding she finds herself in front of a gorgeous male vampire from another family and hurries home. Valentine knows who Prophecy is and has no choice but to tell his superior but when he is tasked with killing her, he saves her instead. Valentine kidnaps Prophecy and makes her see that now that the families know what she is, they are going to kill her. She doesn't believe it until she hears her vampire brother calling her an abomination that needs to be killed. 

The premise of the story was good but that's where it ends. The writing, pace and story line after they leave together was just slow and repetitive. This could have been a great book but the story was poorly executed and didn't keep me engaged at all. 

When reading a romance book I like there to be an actual romance. It even has romance as part of the title...(Vampires Realm Romance Series Book 1) but alas there is no sex in this book. There are some kisses and biting but no sex. The cover shows two naked people but this book doesn't live up to the cover at all. 

If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's a cliffhanger and this book has a major one! Nothing is resolved, nothing. We don't find out if Prophecy saves or destroys them. One of the main characters disappears and we don't know if Prophecy ever finds him. A book should have a beginning, a middle and an ending that clears up the majority of the questions asked in the book. This one definitely didn't do that. It doesn't matter if this is part of a series or not, each book should resolve what questions and story lines are going on in the book. A lot of readers like myself, really hate cliffhanger endings. This book was boring, it didn't keep me engaged at all. I can usually read a book in a day but I struggled for 2 days to keep reading this book. I almost just put it down and didn't finish it but I figured I would at least have some closure to Prophecy's story and feel better about finishing it, but that didn't happen!

If you'd like to give this book a read, you can find it here. 

I give this book 1 out of 5 stars. 

Bark Box Subscription Box Review

Since I now have a dog, I thought it would be fun to get a box of goodies just for him. He's so playful and so energetic that he chews through toys faster than I can keep up. So after reading about this Bark Box subscription box, and seeing that it comes with toys and treats, I decided to try a box out for him.  I get boxes of stuff all the time for myself and he's always hanging around hoping that I'll give him something out of the box to play with. As you can see, he was thrilled that he actually got something out of this box.

The toys seem are cute and he took to them right away. Falcor tore that snow cone toy all to bits within 6 hours. lol 

So far he's really liking the new treats and I feel safe giving them to him because according to their website all the treats are made in the USA/Canada. This box came with two toys- a snow cone toy and a fire hydrant rope toy, one treat bar and two bags of treats.

Bark Box customizes their boxes for the size of your dog. My dog is small, under 15lbs so I picked the small dog box.

Falcor started playing with his new toys right away. Both toys were torn to bits within 2 days. At least he likes the treats. 

Disclaimer: I was given a code to get this box at a discount in exchange for an honest review. 

BeechBed Hen Bedding

*My brother with his rooster*

If you have chickens then you might be interested in BeechBed Hen Bedding. 

Here's some info from their website...

BeechBed Mix is a product cut from Michigan Hardwoods.

Our Hen Bedding is a safe and natural product for all egg laying hens. When it comes to your hen, BeechBed Mix will give your hens a comfortable egg laying environment that will give your hens years of comfort and extra warmth during the winter months.

When to change:

We recommend changing your nesting boxes once a week so your egg laying hens have a clean nest to lay eggs in. If there are more hens using one nest, the nest will have to be changed more frequently. (Monitor and change as needed.) See Note Below

Note: 

I recommend changing your hen bedding frequently for two reasons: Hens are picky and will stop laying eggs or if the hen bedding gets too low, you will have more breakage of eggs from (scratching it out.) When the nest boxes are clean, the eggs stay cleaner too. 

Full house cleaning twice a year recommended.

In between cleanings of nest boxes, if it is predicted to be extra cold, you can add an extra layer of BeechBed Mix Hen Bedding to each of the nesting boxes for warmth.

Do you have chickens? What do you use in the hen house as bedding? Want to give this a try? You can go here to their website and check it out. 

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*