Flower's Cage Set Up

I know on Monday's I usually post the Happy Raturday post but the lady that run's the fb page that I get the pictures from is away at school for the next few weeks so I thought I would post a rat related blog post instead. 

Flower has moved into the bigger cage and she's loving it. Yes, both Scribbles and Flower have been solitary rats. I got them that way and they weren't social at all and didn't like other rats so they stayed by themselves. Rats should be kept in pairs or more because they usually like the company but if they are rat aggressive to other rats, sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Flower seems to like one of her new beds. This is the same bed that Lucky used to sleep in and as you can see in the pictures below...he was a lot bigger than she is. lol She is my dainty little girl.

Lucky was a big boy. When people saw him, they always remarked at how big he was because he was a huge rat. Flower is so much smaller than most of the other rats I've had.

When Lucky slept on his back, he just about took up the entire bed. But Flower has a lot of room to stretch out in it.

I put 2 hammocks, 1 fluffy bed, 1 hanging fleece tube, 2 lava ledges and 1 fleece cube in the cage and she went around sniffing everything before settling down for a nap. 

The ramps are covered so that their feet don't accidentally get stuck in the little holes in the ramp. I usually just buy big stretchy socks and snug them up over the ramps. They re easy to pull on and off and cheap enough that I can just throw them away and use a new one when they get dirty.

She spent a lot of time in this bed before checking out the hammocks and cube.

I always put a baby blanket inside her cube so she has something to cuddle in when she sleeps. This is how the blanket usually looks like after a few days. She totally destroys it! it's no wonder I am constantly buying baby blankets and shirts because she's a chewer and loves to chew on my shirts when she comes out to pay too.

Here's what Flower's cage looks like now.

Last year I bought a box of 48 fleece throws because I used the fleece to cover the shelves in the cages as well as on the bottom on the cage. I now have 6 throws left because they love to chew they to bits. 

And after she got all settled in, we shared an ice cream cone.

Product Review: Resistance Bands Barbells

As most of you know, on June 10th of this year I fell and broke my Humerus in my right arm in 3 places. While I'm almost 100% better I still can't move my arm behind my back like I used to before the fall. I'm still doing the PT exercises and still trying to get back the strength I once had in my right hand and arm. So when I was given the opportunity to test out this exercise kit at home, I jumped at the chance because I've been using household items such as cans of vegetables as weights and doing stretching exercises without any equipment. 

Using these resistance bands has been interesting and hard at the same time. Hard because I used to be able to pick up a gallon of milk with my right hand and now I just can't do that, but I'm hoping now that I have this exercise set, I'll be able to strengthen my hand and arm up again and be able to get back to normal. 

This kit was really easy to get started with with easy clear instructions and everything is included that you would need to start out. Even for a total beginner, this was easy for me. It comes with a DVD which was really helpful so after watching it, I started with just one arm exercise a day because my arm is still stiff and if I over do it, it hurts a lot. But after 4 days of working my arms, I could tell a slight difference in the amount of weight I can hold with my right arm, and my shoulder seems not as stiff as it was. I plan on working with this for a few weeks and seeing if this will help strengthen my injured arm, but so far so good. 

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

Recipe: Pumpkin Pound Cake

2 weeks ago I spotted a recipe for Pumpkin Pound Cake on FaceBook. So I copied, pasted and put the recipe away in a folder in my email until I was ready to make it. I kept seeing it popping up on fb so I decided to just make it because you know what next month is, right? It's pumpkin everything-month!

Here's the recipe

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes -

So I added all of the ingredients and mixed and poured it into a greased and floured baking pan and baked for 45 minutes. 

Just ignore my baking pan. This one is 30 years old and has seen better days. I need new ones. But it gets the job done. lol So after baking this is what the cake looked like and let me tell you, it smelled so good!

This cake came out light, fluffy and super moist! I don't put icing on my cake because I don't like icing. But this cake didn't need it, it was so good. 

Do you like pumpkin flavored things? Think you might try this?

Review: Yellowstone Fugitive by Saige Silver

Book Description

Outlaw Tess Robinson will do anything to avoid prison, even if that means braving the harsh terrain of the Yellowstone wilderness alone. Grizzly shifters Dean Stamper and Jace Dixon are hot on the trail of the curvy young fugitive, but they’re soon grappling with a huge problem: Tess is their fated mate! 

Now the shifters have a difficult decision to make: Should they arrest the woman they love and condemn her to years in prison, or break the law themselves by harboring a fugitive? 

Soon they realize they have a much bigger problem on their hands. A sociopathic drug kingpin is on a mission to find Tess and her bears. He’ll stop at nothing to quench his thirst for blood and vengeance. Will Dean and Jace be able to protect the mate they’ve waited a lifetime for? 

This is a full-length standalone grizzly shifter novel with a HEA and NO cliffhangers! Contains adult content, 18+ only

My Review

I've never been to Yellowstone so I kinda like books set in this place because I get a sense of what it might be like to be there. When Tess gets pulled over because one of her break lights is out, she fights back the panic and tries to stay calm. But the cop can see she's nervous and asks her to step out of the car. And that's when everything goes wrong...Instead of getting out of the car, she starts the car and drives off really fast, finds a place to park and leaves the car. She had no other choice though, if the cop had opened the trunk, he'd have found the drugs and she's be on her way to jail. 

Best friends, Dean and Jace took the job in the wilderness of Yellowstone so they could be closer to the outdoors. Being bear shifters, the city life just wasn't the life for them so they left their jobs as city cops to be forest rangers so they could let their bear's run free in the forest of Yellowstone as much as possible. 

It took just one look at the fugitive photo of Tess and Dean volunteers to go and find her and bring her in. But just looking at the her photo gave him a surge of lust that went right to his nether regions. As Dean and Jace set off to find her, Tess is making her way through the wilderness. Tired and sore she spots an old run down cabin and decides to spend the night and that's where Dean finds her. 

Even though Dean and Jace know she's a fugitive, there's just something about her that draws them both in. Fated mates? Could be but how will they live happily ever after when someone is out to kill her and she's facing charges for being a drug smuggler?

I like that more authors are adding curvy heroine's because not all of us are a size 6 and we like to read about women that we can relate to, so this was a big plus for me.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy 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:

A box of 48 Colored Pencils

Impress Glue on Nails

I also cashed out enough points on eRewards to get a $25 Starbucks gift card! This survey site is by invitation only (they have to invite you, not me) but it does pay off so if they ever sent you an invite, accept it. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Tom Box Subscription Box

I found out about this monthly subscription box when a FB friend posted a picture of what she received in her Tombox a couple of months ago. So I looked the site up and decided to give it a try. Now it says that the boxes start at $10 a month but I went through the questions process and was told my box would be $16  month. Not sure how someone gets the box for $10 a month. But you can personalize the box and get even more stuff than this. I could have gotten double the make up for an additional $6 or a pack of disposable razors for an additional $12. I chose not to take advantage of either of those things. 

I really think this is a great box for women because you get your choice of pads or tampons, jewelry and name brand make up. I know whatever I can't use or don't want, my daughter will gladly take. But this would also make a great present for someone.

This is a "That time of the month" box. 

It comes with either pads or tampons *You get to pick which you want*

A Beauty Product

And Jewelry

This months box came with:

Always Pads
A beautiful gold tone necklace
Hikari Mascara
Evolvh Leave in Conditioner
Suds Lavender Chamomile Bath Salts
Eslor Skin Care Introductory Collection Pack

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.