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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A PinchMe box containing...
2 samples of Starbucks coffee.
2 nexcare bandages.
Vagisil Cleanser and a Vagisil Wipe.
Power Beets drink mix.

A Greenies Party Pack from Ripple Street.
In the box was frisbee's
Greenies dog treat samples for guests
Plastic treat bags for guests
Coupons
A full size bag of Greenies for me *falcor*

I also cashed out my points on e-Rewards to get a $25 Macy's gift card.



At Macy's I bought 3 makeup products Concealer, Finishing Spray and Makeup Primer. And I spent less than $4 for it all with that gift card.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins

Book Description

Have you ever heard of the old Celtic legends of the Fae - beautiful, magical, deadly and a love of messing with humans just for kicks and giggles?

Welcome to my world.

What started out as a strange assignment, leads to one of the most gruesome murder mysteries of our times and my friends and I are set and determined to find out who is killing off Fae and Witches alike.

Couple of problems in the way – I hate the Fae and the Prince of the Dark Fae is bound and determined that I work for him. He’s a rude, overbearing egotistical ass with a compulsive need to possess, dominate and control me. Oh – did I mention that he is absolutely sex-on-a-stick gorgeous and he makes me feel things that I never ever wanted to feel for a Fae…every time he touches me or looks at me with those golden eyes seems to pull me further in under his spell, despite my better judgment.

My friends and I can’t trust anyone and nothing is as it seems on the surface – not even me.

Warning: Mature content and language not intended for anyone under the age of eighteen.

This book is not intended for anyone under the age of 18, or anyone who doesn't like lip biting, throw your ass on the bed, tear your clothes off and leave you panting dominant alpha male characters. This is a dark, dangerous, intense, gritty and raw read. Scenes are dark, disturbing, and scorching HOT. This book is a soul crushing, tear jerking, and leave you hanging on the edge of your seat fast paced book. 

Side Effects may include, but are not limited to: Drooling, lip biting, wet panties, crying, and screaming at the author. If any of these things happen, do not seek medical attention—get the next book in the series and enjoy the ride!

My Review

Synthia worked as an enforcer for an organization of witches that kept otherworld creatures on the right track and out of the newspapers. More than 30 years ago the otherworlders made themselves know to humans and the Fae came out to let humans know that they were superior to them. Now the governments were run with the help of the otherworlders. So the enforcers enforced the laws and kept the humans safe from the otherworlders. 

It was surprising to me that the Fae were awful creatures. They could feed from human emotions and even take a part of the soul as they fed. The Fae were also known for torturing anyone that crossed them and having no mercy while doing it. They were not the nice guys in this story. So when Syn was sent to their headquarters to steal something and she was caught, I had a bad feeling that she was going to be tortured and it wasn't gonna be pretty. The Dark Prince might be drop dead sexy but he was also a Fae. Then the first twist hits this story and things change rapidly. The twist I never saw coming and damn but I loved it. It really set up the rest of this story. 

Ryder is the Dark prince and he's an ass. He does a lot of things that just piss me off. He makes Synthia do things that she doesn't want to do and he can make her do them just by thinking it. Like I said, I didn't like him at all. But Ryder and Synthia work together to try and find a serial killer. One twist after another is thrown at us as we're reading and a lot of times I can see a twist coming but I didn't see any of these coming. They just came out of nowhere and changed the course of the story which was interesting. Then right when I think I know where this story is heading, they throw in another twist. This story had me all over the place. I was mad at him, felt sorry for her and then was fanning myself because these two together are hot as hell. I was loving this book and then it ended on a huge cliffhanger. 

A cliffhanger. I couldn't believe I put in so much time in this book and was loving it for it all to come crashing down from a cliffhanger. Unbelievable. That cliffhanger completely ruined this book for me.

I give this story 2 out of 5 stars.

Review: Hawkyn: A Demonica Underworld Novella by Larissa Ione

Book Description

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione comes a new story in her Demonica Underworld series… 

As a special class of earthbound guardian angel called Memitim, Hawkyn is charged with protecting those whose lives are woven into the fabric of the future. His success is legendary, so when he’s given a serial killer to watch over, he sees no reason for that to change. But Hawkyn’s own future is jeopardized after he breaks the rules and rescues a beautiful woman from the killer’s clutches, setting off an explosive, demonic game of cat and mouse that pits brother against brother and that won’t end until someone dies.

Aurora Mercer is the half-wytch lone survivor of a psychopath who gets off on the sadistic torture of his victims. A psychopath whose obsessive psyche won’t let him move on until he kills her. Now she’s marked for death, her fate tied to that of a murderer…and to a sexy angel who makes her blood burn with desire…

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

MyReview

Hawkyn is all alpha male and his priority to his duty is paramount in his mind...that is until he breaks the rules by saving a woman that was about to be killed. 

Aurora is a Wytch (offspring of a succubus and human male witch) so she has some powers but hasn't honed her skills. But her powers weren't going to help save her from a serial killer and Hawkyn can't stand by and do nothing even though he's the guardian angel for a serial killer, which is crazy.

And if you've been reading this series like I have then you'll be happy to hear that Azagoth makes an appearance and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him. All of the Memitim who are born and later become guardian angels are Azagoth's offspring, he's never cared about them before but now he does and things get scary when he's mad. He is a demon after all. 

Aurora got away from the serial killer but he's not giving up that easy, so Hawkyn has to keep her safe by keeping her some place that the sicko can't find her. Only his family isn't making that easy for him to do. He's finding doors slammed in his face at every turn and if he breaks the rules, he gets 'punished' which is just barbaric. And then there are a couple of fabulous twists and you know how much I love a good twist. If you been a fan of this series, this book will not let you down. 

This was a crazy story but dang it, I loved it so much.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Bring The Heat by G.A. Aiken

Book Description

HE SAYS . . .

I, Aidan the Divine, am, well divine. My name was given to me by the Dragon Queen herself! I’m a delight! Cheerful. Charming. And a mighty warrior who is extremely handsome with a very large and well-hidden hoard of gold. I am also royal born, despite the fact that most in my family are horrendous beings that don’t deserve to live. And yet, Branwen the Awful—a low-born, no less—either tells me to shut up or, worse, ignores me completely.

SHE SAYS . . .

I’ll admit, I ignore Aidan the Divine because it annoys him. A lot. But, we have so much to do right now, I can’t worry about why he keeps staring at me, or why he always sits so close, or why he keeps looking at me like he’s thinking about kissing me. We have our nations to save and no time for such bloody foolishness . . . no matter how good Aidan looks or how long his spiked tail is. Because if we’re going to win this war before it destroys everything we love, we’ll have to face our enemies together, side by side and without distractions. But if we make it out alive, who knows what the future will hold . . .

My Review

It's been a while since I've read a book in this series but I usually like the books so I went ahead and picked up another one. The one thing I know for sure is that these books usually make me laugh at times and this one was no different. There's always great banter between the characters, Aidan and Branwen are fun together. The banter between these two had me laughing at times and she is really funny because she knows how to really get under his skin. 

Branwen and Aidan get sent on a mission together but neither are happy about it. Both are dragon shifters that have human looking forms as well. 

While I liked the battle scenes and seeing past characters, I would have liked to have seen a lot more of the main characters and their romance. Yes, they get together and have some sexy times but it didn't feel like a romance to me. It felt more like a book about the war and battles with some sex thrown in for good measure. 

The battle scenes are graphic and brutal but added to this story. A lot of past characters showed up in this book so if you haven't read the series up to this book which is book 9 then you might feel a little lost if you started with this one. There was a lot going on in this book and even though it wraps up nicely, it didn't feel complete if that makes sense. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Did you guys get the email too?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Just 5 more minutes on the internet, please?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I don't understand this. Do you understand this?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"We're learning how to internet. I think I broke my laptop."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I already uploaded a picture. Now how do I get likes on it?"

Apartment Life #35

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

So last year I was out taking Falcor for a walk and spotted this car. Most of the windows were smashed, the tires were flat and at one point someone had thrown a grocery cart right through the windshield but I didn't get a picture of that. 

So I called the non-emergency police number and reported a suspected stolen car that had been dumped. There was glass all over the ground around this car.

The police came and put that yellow sticker on it. My daughter took this picture from her car when she came over the next day. 

My daughter took this picture of the windshield too. The car stayed there for 3 days before it was finally towed away and the police were there checking the inside before the tow truck took it away. 

This is the first time I've seen a dumped car on my block. I've seen a few cars with smashed windows because someone stole something out of the car but this was a first and I was a little surprised it took 3 days for it to get towed away after I called to report it. 

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Favorite Video of the Week

I saw this and I couldn't stop laughing. The person who added the music to this video is a genius.

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A sample of Dunkin Donuts cold brew coffee.
A sample of Whole Blends shampoo and Conditioner.
A hard water test strip from the water district.

And a Smiley kit from Smiley360 that contained samples of Advil PM.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Leopard's Blood by Christine Feehan

Book Description

Though he was born into a leopard’s lair in the bayou, Joshua Tregre’s fighting skills were honed in the rain forests of Borneo. Sleek and deadly, he’s the perfect man to take over a crime syndicate back home in Louisiana’s lush swamplands. His razor-sharp instincts give him an edge in the violent underworld he knows so well, but even the watchful leopard inside him isn’t prepared for the threat that comes from the girl next door...

She is a woman who can create beauty out of thin air—and out of the ruins of her own life. The games that dangerous men play have taken their toll on her, but she is bent, not broken. And it’s her fierce spirit that’s like a lure to Joshua, a temptation he can’t resist—even if it means bringing his true nature into the light...

My Review

Sonia has had a hard life and now she's living in the swamp where she feels relatively safe. We meet her at the beginning of this book when she's trying to make it to the middle of her swamp land so she can shift and let her cat (leopard) out. A cat who's in heat but she wants to make sure they are away from any men because she doesn't trust her cat or herself. Unfortunately for her a male leopard hears her cat's mating calls and comes running. The cat's mate and then she runs off, shifts and finds herself face to face with what she thinks is a wild leopard, only he's a shifter too and they both shift and since she feels the same as her leopard who is in heat, she mates with the man she just met in the swamp. 

Holy moly, there's so much sex in this book...so much! But I liked the story that went along with these two. Joshua is an alpha male and makes no secret of it. He finds out that she restores old houses when she disappears after her heat is over and he can't find her. So he hires her to restore his house and she's shocked when she finds out who she'll be working for. 

He knows how the shifter world works, how they think and the rules. So he finds it incredulous that she doesn't and didn't even know she was a shifter until she was older and her leopard came forward when she was in trouble and needed to be saved. He just can't wrap his head around those circumstances at first but after she explains her life to him then the spots falls in to place. 

There are so many secrets and twists in this book but they all added to the story. I do love a good twist and this had several that I really liked. When she finds herself in trouble again, I thought that it didn't make a lot of sense for her to do the things she did. But I liked the way it all worked out. 

The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Joshua called her, baby all the time. That got on my nerves a lot. There was a lot of sex but they are shifters, animals so I can over look that because they are different from humans.

Bastien and Molly need their own story as well. These two are so sweet together. Bastien is a cop and Molly is hiding from her past but he knows that there's more to her than she's letting on. The secondary characters in this book are really good and they really added to the story. 

The danger, sex and story line made this a really exciting book. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

This is long the path where I usually walk Falcor and he doesn't usually walk up there because it's a couple of feet above where the side walk is. But he ran right up there this day and sniffed around.

He found a flat rock and just stood there like he wanted me to take his picture so I did. 

And then he went back to sniffing along the sound wall and the fence. 

Review: Wolf's Mate by Katie Reus and Savannah Stuart

Book Description

She wasn’t supposed to fall for him.

Erica’s time away from her pack was just supposed to be fun. Then she met Hudson. Instead of the no-strings attached fling, she ended up falling for him. But they’d promised each other that they’d keep things casual. Instead of risking her heart, she ran. Now she’s pregnant—and he’s determined to claim her. But the last thing she wants is to be an obligation to him.

Now she’s pregnant.

Erica could never be a duty to Hudson, but for some reason that’s what she thinks she is. He tried to go slow, to give her space—so he wouldn’t scare her off. Now he realizes that was a mistake. It’s time for this wolf to claim his mate. Unfortunately a neighboring pack is stirring up trouble for his pack, and his she-wolf is determined to keep walls between them. Walls he intends to bring down once and for all. 

Length: novella

Author note: all titles in the series can easily be read as stand-alones. There are no cliffhangers and each story has a HEA.

My Review

Hudson is second in command of his pack. He and Erica both wanted a no strings attached fling but she fell for him in the month they were together, fell hard. Hudson asked her to stay a little while longer but she figured if she stayed longer her heart would be even more broken than it already was going to be when she left. So she went back to her own pack after having taken some time for herself. Then she figures out that she's pregnant after getting sick. She panics a little because she doesn't think that Hudson wants anything more than a good time but once he finds out, he claims he wants more but it's hard for her to believe that he really wants her and not just because she's pregnant. 

These two could have cleared up so many misunderstandings if they had just been open and honest with each other but that seems to be a problem with a lot of couples. 

While Erica and Hudson are trying to get to know each other more and get used to the fact that they're going to be parents, a neighboring pack of wolves were causing problems for Hudson's pack. Hudson's brother is the alpha and they're both trying to figure out why this other pack is causing problems for them. 

This was a short sweet PNR novella. Just the right length for me one day when I had a little time to spare. I have a soft spot for shifters and this was a great story. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Discloure: I was given this ebook free from NetGalley but all opinions are my own. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #34

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

A couple of months ago I started taking video of the kids in my courtyard when they would come up to my door and tease my dog. They will bark at my dog, stand directly in front of my door and bang on my metal security door or just stand there making faces at me or talk to my dog so that he starts barking. 

I've asked the parents to keep their kids away from my door but they just don't care enough to even watch their kids when they are outside, let alone stop them from doing something. So I just keep videotaping everything for my own documentation of what I'm having to deal with. Just a few minutes before I took this, the kid was banging on my door trying to make Falcor bark. When I complained to the manager she said there was nothing she could do, that if they bothered me too much I could always call the police. 

This is an everyday occurrence now if I leave my inner door open on nice days. Every. Single. Day. I hardly ever even keep my door open because of the kids. This video was taken a couple of months ago and now that's it's so hot outside the kids don't come out as much but when they are out, they still do the same thing.

One more bit of info.

The maintenance man for my apartment complex came to my door Tuesday morning and told Ken that he got fired. The apartment manager had been out of town last week but her adult son lives with her. The office has an inside door that goes right to the manager's apartment so while she was gone, the maintenance man used that inside door in the office to get in her apartment and steal some of her food. The son noticed the food missing and called corporate to report the maintenance man who was fired on Tuesday. What an idiot. He and Ken are friends, that's why he came to tell him what happened. 

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

I was sent an artificial indoor tree for free this week. You might have seen the review I wrote for it on Saturday.

I also received a free bottle of Lysol Daily Cleanser from Crowdtap.

I love my new tree, it's cute and small enough that it fits in my living room. The Lysol Daily Cleanser works really well. I've used this brand before and think it's a really good one.

Did you receive any freebies this week. 

Review: Beauty and the Beast by Skye Warren

Book Description

FALL IN LOVE with this modern day fairy tale...

Erin cleans Mr. Morris's house twice a week, soaking up every moment with the reclusive ex-soldier she secretly loves.

Blake Morris knows he's scarred both inside and out and is no good for the beautiful young woman who cleans his house to pay for college. But when Erin walks in on Blake touching himself and moaning her name, all bets are off.

Blake receives an offer to return to his alma mater as an associate professor. This is his chance to reenter the world-and to be worthy of the woman he loves. But when they both enter the classroom on the first day, everything is on the line-his career, her future, and a love greater than they knew possible.

Can beauty save the beast?

Find out in this steamy contemporary fairy tale retelling!

WARNING: This full-length novel contains a scarred military hero, a young college student working as a maid in his house, and a happily ever after!

My Review

I picked this up when it was a freebie on Amazon. 

Blake Morris has been hiding out in his house since he got out of the military where he was injured. He's scarred on the outside as well as the inside. He has some serious emotional baggage that he hasn't worked though. 

Erin cleans Blake's house a couple times a week and has feelings for the guy. She's using the money she makes to help put her through college. 

First off, I would have liked a lot more back story on Blake, his military service, how long he's been out...ect. We really don't get a lot of back story on this guy and a lot is left up to our imaginations. The second thing that bothered me was the instant sex in this story. Sure, they both have feelings for one another but to jump right into sex without giving time to get used to the characters with very little back story was disconcerting. 

Blake falls for Erin fast and hard but she also has strong feelings for him. They're in a relationship and he takes a teaching job at the college that she goes to. That wasn't awkward at all but they seem to pull it off until someone from his past makes trouble for them. They have a few hurdles to jump over during their time together but I think they made good choices for the most part. There is an abundance of of sex in this book and Blake comes off quite needy and clingy but given the circumstances of what he's been through, I forgive him. But if a lot of sex throws you off, then I wouldn't pick this book up. 

I actually like both Blake and Erin and like where this story was going and how it ended. I just think it could have been a bit more engaging, a bit more of a slow build up to a relationship so that the reader is kept wanting more. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Baby I'm Howling For You by Christine Warren

Book Description

WELCOME TO ALPHAVILLE, where the she-wolves and alpha-males play. . .for keeps.

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

My Review

Renny found herself on the run from coyote enforcers who were sent after her. She stumbles onto an alpha wolf's territory as she's being chased and even though the wolf shifter might kill her for invading his territory, that was better than being caught by those who were after her. She had taken a job as a librarian but when the coyote alpha of the town wouldn't take no for an answer regarding her, she had to run and she ran right into Mick's cabin. 

After people in the town found out about her, they made her feel very welcome. Mick especially wanted her to stick around since he was completely enamored with her but was taking things slow. He had lost his mate and was a little gun shy about new relationships even though his wolf was wanting to get a lot closer to her. 

You would think that the guy who has been chasing her would give up now that she's in a town full of shifters that are protecting her but no, he's not right in the head and it shows so many times in the actions he takes. 

Family secrets come to light at the same time old enemies come back into Mick's life. There's danger, crazy shifter fighting and a stalker. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Unbridled by Diana Palmer

Book Description

A lone wolf takes on the threat endangering everything he loves in an unforgettable story in the sensational Long, Tall Texans series

Widowed Texas Ranger and single dad John Ruiz hardened his heart years ago. Day after day, he tracks the roughest criminals in the Lone Star State, leaving little room for love. So when John butts heads with the beautiful nurse who’s helping his young son, he’s floored by how quickly the sparks fly.

Ever since her mother’s and brother’s brutal murders, Sunny Marlowe has devoted her life to helping save others. Adorable Tonio Ruiz is just another youngster she’s trying to help—or so she tells herself. Little does she know he’s John’s son. When her life comes under fire, can one mysterious rancher rescue her?

My Review 

I've been a huge fan of Diana Palmer's books for a long time. So I was so excited when I got this book because it was one that I wanted to read. 

John Ruiz, a Texas Ranger isn't looking for a relationship because his son didn't like the thought of his dad dating after his mom passed away. His son, Tonio is a troubled kid with an attitude problem and John just didn't know how to react to his sons outbursts.

Sunny is a nurse with a tragic past. She's painfully shy and lives by herself. So when John shows her a little attention a couple of times, she doesn't know how to act but she knows she doesn't want to give him the wrong idea. She's not looking for a relationship. 

Sunny and John go out to eat a few times as friends even though they are attracted to each other they don't act on it. They both have their reasons just to stay friends. 

There are two gangs in the area that Sunny lives in and she helps a young boy from being bullied by one of the gang members not knowing that it's her friends son. Sunny finds the boy who was being bullied in the hospital cafeteria and they start to talk. Tonio has no idea that Sunny knows his dad and he confides in her when one of the gang members beats up a friend of his. Tonio agrees to talk with a cop friend of hers about a gang member. There's an investigation going on where they are tying to get enough evidence against one gang member to put him in prison but the investigation is slow going. 

Meanwhile John and Sunny are getting closer until they have a misunderstanding and their relationship falls to the ground in shattered pieces. Things are said in anger that shouldn't have been said. It was a sad part of this book for me. What John said to her in anger coupled with the fact that he's a workaholic and never has anytime for his son, made me not like him a whole lot. 

But John made up for it in big ways when Sunny finds herself in danger and this one had a great ending. I've always been a big fan of this author's books and this was no exception. If you like romance with a bit of danger thrown in then I would definitely pick this one up. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of (me) Mary Kirkland*

Apartment Life #33

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

This house is across the street from where I walk Falcor, just down the street from me. They have two large dogs, a Doberman and a Rottweiler. The dogs will bark at anyone walking their dogs on the walking path across the street from them. About 2 years ago the Doberman learned how to scale the chain link fence and jump right over it and would run and charge anyone walking their dog. It even happened to me once. 

The dog never bit anyone as far as I know and hasn't attacked any dogs as far as I know but it's scary having a large dog jump a fence and charge at you when you're walking your small dog. I picked Falcor up and the dog just stayed back about 10 feet from me and barked at me until I started walking home and then he turned around and went back home. 

Several people complained to animal control who was at their house several times. They still have the dogs but now as you can see, they've put up plywood along the inside of their fence so the dog can't climb over it. It's actually worked so far but the dogs still bark like crazy when they see other dogs. And there are a lot of small dogs in my apartment complex that walk their dogs along the walking trail that I was standing on when I took this picture.

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Review: Museum Trees

I've said before that I like having indoor plants but I can't seem to keep them alive so I rely on artificial plants to bring color and life to my apartment. I have several artificial plants but I'm always on the look out for more because they really do brighten things up. 

So this week I added another artificial plant to my apartment. It's bigger or rather taller than the others that I have and I really think it fits in nicely in the living room which is small so it's hard to find new pieces to fit. Museum Trees offers custom artificial trees and plants that fit in anywhere you'd like to add them. 

I've been thinking of adding a taller plant in my living room for a while so when I saw this one, I knew it would fit in nicely and it really does. This artificial plant came with the pot and it really looks real. When our daughter came over she said she couldn't tell that it was an artificial plant at all. I really like the look of it and it just takes a damp cloth to clean the leaves when they get dusty. I don't have to worry about dirt, pollen or dry leaves falling off and making a mess. 

Living in a small apartment with no balcony and no place to have a garden outside makes it hard to have live plants around but artificial plants are just as nice in my opinion and I'm happy I don't have to deal with insects and dirt. I stood this plant right next to my bookshelf and think it goes well where it is. 

If you think you and your family would enjoy having an artificial tree in your home, you can visit Silk Plants Direct and use promo code BLOGGER10 to save 10% on your order (custom orders excluded).

Disclaimer: I was given a free artificial plant in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

Favorite Video of the Week

If you've never seen Alonzo Lerone then, you're welcome. lol I think after seeing him the first time I was hooked, he's so darn funny. He usually reads Tweets that have bad spelling but this time is was Tinder Profiles and those are funny as well.

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A free sample of Dove Body Wash, Face Wash and Body Lotion.
2 samples of Lubrigyn cleansing lotion.

and

A free DegustaBox! That's a $20 value. I entered one of their fb contests and submitted a picture of a dish I made with one of their products and I won! They DM'd me on fb but she got my name wrong at first. LOL


So did you guys get any freebies this week?

Review: Smoldering Ashes (book 4) by Annie Anderson

Book Description

Kyle Brennan can't catch a break.

After centuries without a mate, he finally found his only to have her ripped away from him. But the woman who came back doesn't remember the first thing about him. Kyle doesn't know this woman, and he's not so sure he wants to.

Nicola Miller has a big problem.

She can't remember a single second of her life before she woke up in a hospital bed in Knoxville, Tennessee. Not just that, but she has a huge, hulking man in her hospital room claiming to be her husband - a man she obviously doesn't know. She's not sure how things could get any worse.

But the last shards of Nicola's life are about to be burned to the ground. Because someone has to pay for the sins of the past, and she's wearing the face of the woman who committed them.

It looks like the last of their luck has just run out.

My Review

So I picked this one up when it was a freebie but I didn't read the 3 books in the series before this one. The description on Amazon said it could be read as a standalone so I took a chance and it worked out fine as a standalone. 

Nicola wakes from a coma to find a huge man next to her that she finds out is her husband. She's scared because she doesn't remember anything but she knows the nurse isn't human but then she finds out that neither is she or Kyle, her husband. 

This book goes back and forth from past to present so you get a lot of information as to what happened to her and Kyle to bring them to this place. 

There are a lot of people mad at Nicola because of what she did before her coma but some understand what really happened and have forgiven her and are ready to give her a fresh start. She's not sure where she fits in with Kyle or his family and since they all seem to be in the same house as her and Kyle when he takes her home, things are tense. Things get said and she takes off but gets kidnapped. A lot is going on at that point and some revelations are brought to light and the book wraps up nicely after a few really tense pages. So even though I haven't read the rest of the series this was a good read and I didn't feel like I was missing a lot by starting where I did. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: DegustaBox Subscription Box- June

DegustaBox is a monthly subscription box filled with food and drink products. The price for the box is $19.99 a month.  

You do not get to pick any of the products you get, it's a surprise each month. But they say each box contains 10-15 items and each box is worth at least $30. I like trying boxes like this because they usually contain products that I've never tried or haven't seen before. 

What was in this month's box?

Tickle Water watermelon sparkling water. 

That's It fruit bar. 

Mutti Peeled Tomatoes. 

Walkers Shortbread. 

Goya Black Beans. 

Lundberg Family Farms Cinnamon Sugar chips. 

True Lemon. 

Goya The Perfect Seasoning. 

Zollipops. 

Goya Corn Tortillas. 

I really love the Goya products. Since trying them in these boxes, I've been buying them and it's a really good brand. I love black beans so I'm always happy to see those in the box as well as the tortillas. I used the Mutti Peeled Tomatoes right away and made chicken cacciatore and white rice. 

Ya'll it was so good. 

We ate or tried everything with the exception of the True Lemon because we've had that before and knew what it was like. It's good as a mix for water. Makes a good lemonade. It was a good box this month as I enjoyed everything in it. 

If you don't live in the US, they have a Great Britain Website.

If this box looks like something you'd like, you can use code MARYK-ACB and get your first box half off. That's a big box of food for only $10! and you can cancel anytime. So if you're interested, go to the DegustaBox site and sign up and don't forget to use my code to get your first box for just $10.

Have you tried any of these products?

Review: Target Beauty Box- June

This month's Target Beauty Box was $7 and totally worth it in my opinion. 

Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb.

What was in this month's box?

Eyelure Accents- Fake eye leashes. 

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mascara. 

Sleek MakeUP Major Matte Lip Cream. 

Good Chemistry Fragrance Perfume. 

Garnier Micellar Water. 

Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste. 

Up&up Premium Cotton Rounds. 

As soon as I saw that they were offering a mascara in this box, I scooped it up because they can be expensive so this was a good deal.  That mascara is $8 all by itself if you go to buy it in the store, so like I said, a good deal. 

I've never used fake lashes before but I put them away for one day when I might want to try to put them on. Let's just hope that I don't glue my eyes shut. 

The matte lipstick is nice and a shade that I can wear. I already like the micellar water, I've used that before and it works good. The perfume was nice, a little goes a long way. Cotton rounds? Eh, they're cotton rounds. They works the same as all the others do. The Colgate toothpaste works well but I still like Crest the best.

Were you able to get this box?