A To Z Blogging Challenge: B is For Bed Bugs

That's right, I said Bed Bugs. I know it's not something most people want to read about or talk about but if you watch the news reports or read articles about it, then you know it's getting really bad and they are sprouting up in more places than just Hotels and Motels.

After hearing all the doom and gloom on the subject I started reading around the internet about how many people were getting ripped off big time by having pest control companies come out and spray. The thing is, they have to keep coming back and spraying because one time doesn't get them all. That's where they get you in the pocket book. They charge you for each time they come out and spray. I'm talking into the thousands of dollars.

So I read and searched and came across a few forums where people were talking about getting rid of the little buggers yourself and it not costing an arm and a leg. I figure I want to be proactive and either make sure I know how to get rid of them if I get them because they seem to be everywhere, or at the very least prevent the little beasts from taking up residence if one or two happen to hitch a ride on a shoe or pant leg. *This stuff is scary*

I started reading people saying they got rid of bad infestations by using Fresh Step Crystals Kitty Litter. It sounds crazy but according to them it will kill most insects because it dries them out from the inside out...it's a desiccant and dries their little ugly buggy butts out.

Save your money for things that work and don't give money to pest control companies that use chemicals that don't work. Bed bugs are immune to so many of the chemicals that are used by pest control but they keep using them and charging you hundreds of dollars.

Using Kitty Litter or diatomaceous earth which is a desiccant and dries bed bugs out, some tape and vaseline...you can rid your house of these pests yourself, but you have to be vigilant and get the kitty litter into all the little spots in your home. It really does work and it's easy and cheap, what do you have to lose before you spend hundred's or even thousands of dollars on a pest control company?

I got a bag of the Fresh Step Crystals and a coffee grinder. I ground up some of the crystals and sprinkled it around where I usually get ants and crickets coming in along my living room wall. It killed the ants and they stopped coming in. I didn't have half as many crickets as I'd had the year before and...now get this, I actually found dead bugs in the kitty litter lines along my walls. Bugs like beetles, water bugs and rolly polly's. Did you know that bed bugs even attack pets? I didn't either so here's how to get rid of them.

I also read on some forums that if you spread vaseline on the feet of your beds and furniture, you can prevent a lot of bugs from getting on them because they get stuck in it and can't walk through it, makes sense to me.

I now buy bags of diatomaceous earth because it's already in a powder form and easier to use than grinding up the kitty litter and it gets rid of all the bugs. I just sprinkle it everywhere, along the walls, in the cabinets, along the window sills, under my bed, in the closets..everywhere. Then every 6 months I vacuum it up and sprinkle some more. I find dead bugs in the powder, ants, beetles ect. You will need to sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on your hanging pictures, drapes, inside of electrical outlets, inside all cabinets, and on all furniture. Turn furniture over and sprinkle the underside as well. Then check each week to see if there are any bed bugs on the furniture.

If you already have bed bugs you may need to throw away some of your furniture because they can hide in the small areas that you can't get to. On your bed take strips of duct tape, place it on the bed and pull it off, Any bed bugs that are there will be ripped up with the duct tape. After doing that, sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on your bed and rub it in. Then replace your sheets with new clean ones. Rub vaseline all over the feet of your bed so that more bugs can't climb up the feet. You can kill bed bugs on your clothes by putting your clothes in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.

You'll have to check your bed, couch, chairs ect for bed bugs and use the duct tape to get them off if you see them. A mixture of 2 parts rubbing alcohol 1 part water if sprayed on them will also kill them.

It can take up to 6 months to totally irradiate them.

A to Z Blogging Challenge: A is For All About Me!

Me, holding my newborn grandson, Logan.

Since this is my very first post in the A To Z Blogging Challenge, I thought I would take this opportunity to let the other bloggers in this challenge who might visit my blog know a little more about me.

So this post is all about me!

Hi, My name is Mary and I live in Las Vegas with my hubby Ken and our 4 rats. I have a 21 year old daughter who recently had a baby, so we are grandparents! If you scroll back through some of my posts you'll see pictures of both my rats and my grandson, Logan.

I was born and raised in Redondo Beach, California where I acquired a taste for seafood. I like pretty much all seafood. But some of it doesn't like me. I have a weird allergy to raw shrimp. I can eat it after it's been cooked but if I touch it to peel it while it's still raw, I break out in blisters where it touched my skin. Weird right?

I am a Freelance Writer and most of my articles have been written for Yahoo! Contributor Network and you can find my profile here. I mostly write about small animal care but also write about other things.

I am an avid reader and can read 2 books a day if I have time. My favorite genre right now is Paranormal Romance. My wallet can't keep up with my voracious reading appetite so I am a member of Swagbucks where I can earn Amazon gift cards just for using their search engine and using their referral links when I shop on websites that I would have already been shopping on. If you have checked out Swagbucks yet, now is a great time to do so.

I am also a member of several survey sites where I earn points for doing surveys and cash them in for prizes as well as gift cards.

I also frequently enter giveaways, blog contests, fb giveaways, and I do pretty well winning free books.

You can find me on the freebie sites, entering for free samples and I post all the free products I've gotten each Friday and the sites where you can sign up for freebies too.

I love to cook, bake, write, read and listen to music. But I think I chat mostly about my rats and other small animals I've had. I write articles that I hope will help others care for their small animals. I think back to the first mouse I adopted when I was 12 and I knew nothing about them. I know I made mistakes and it would have been great to have the resources we have now. We have information at the touch of our finger tips and I can only hope that my articles help new pet parents care for their small furbabies.

You can also find me on Twitter and feel free to follow me, I'm @scarymary66

So, that's me in a nut shell. Thanks for visiting.

I would also like to make a special shout out to Arlee Bird, who is the A to Z Challenge founder.

Happy Easter!

Easter Rat...says Happy Easter

Ato Z Blogging Challenge: Schedule

As some of you may know, I'll be participating in the A to Z blogging Challenge starting on April 1st with the letter A. Each day except for Sunday, I'll be posting a blog post with the next letter of the alphabet.

While I'm doing this challenge the Twitter Wednesday and Freebie Friday posts will be on hold unless I can work on in with a letter on the alphabet.

This month you'll probably learn more about me than you ever wanted to because a few of my posts are going to be personal, a few will be funny and of course I'll have a few rat posts in there as well.

I hope you'll come back each day and find my posts interesting. I just looked and there are over 1500 blogs participating in this challenge this year. It should be fun.

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.

This week I received a good amount of free samples. I got a coupon for a free box of Fleischman's bread when they held a giveaway on their fb page. 

All of the other samples came in one box from Proctor and Gamble, you can request what ever freebies they have on their site every 3 months. 

What I received from them was samples of:

Tide Pods
Tide Boost Vivid
Crest White strips
Pantene shampoo and Conditioner
Downy Infusions
Crest Toothpaste
Downy Unstoppables

I found the link to all of these freebies from Freebie Shark. Just go to their Freebie Shark site by clicking on the link and see what free samples are available and sign up for them. It's that easy. 

This week I also wanted to share samples of baby products From the Honest Company, I got for just $5.95 shipping and handling. 

Disclosure: This was not completely free, you have to pay a small shipping and handling fee and call and cancel your membership within 7 days of getting your free trail box in order not to be charged for a full box. 

If you have a baby or are a grandmother like me, this was a great little sample pack to get for just $5.95

I received 7 diapers, 10 baby wipes and 5 samples size bottles of Baby balm, Hand soap, Hand sanitizer, Laundry detergent and Body lotion. 

Your bundle could be different products. I got both bundles, the diaper and family essentials bundle. If you want to keep getting each one it is $35.95 a month for each bundle. 

My Ratties!

Everyone knows I have rats so I thought if you haven't seen them by now I would introduce you to the 4 boys I have. This is my little guy, Patches. He has gained a little weight and loves his yogis. He doesn't like to be picked up too much, but if we sit by the cage and pet him, he loves that. He's a half hairless rat, meaning one of his parents was a hairless rat and one wasn't. 

This is Bandit. We named him Bandit because he's a food thief. He will stash any treats we give him and then he'll run around the cage, stealing treats right from the other rat's mouths. They usually prevent him from getting their treats but sometimes he's too fast and I have to keep him out while they eat their treat or just make sure there's enough to keep him occupied so he leaves the others alone while they are eating their treat. 

This is Lucky. He's my three legged rat. His right front paw is missing but that doesn't stop this little guy from running all over the place and causing havok when he's out on the couch with us. It seems he likes to chew..on my shirts, my couch, my hair, Ken's eye brows, the hammocks, the fleece blankets..lol He's such a sweetheart though.

This is Marbles, he's from the same litter as Patches and they are both half hairless. He loves to come out and play on the couch but he still has a slight problem with me picking him up and being handled, but he is getting much better. 

Well, there you have it. All my boys. Don't you just love those little faces?

Current and Ex- Military Faking or Exaggerating TBI To Get More Benefits

I don't know about any of you but a while back I watched a show called America's Got Talent and was moved by the story of Timothy Poe and how he had been injured while in the army and now had TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)..

I later found out that he made the entire story up. He was never injured. Heck, he wasn't even in the Army as long as he said he was.

Here's his story.

I was shocked to see this guy on an episode of Dr. Phil and how Dr. Phil called him out on every single one of his lies and even got military records showing the guy was a liar. I mean, who does this? Who makes up a traumatic brain injury and why? For sympathy? For more benefits?

So I went looked and found a couple more stories..
Matt Farmer, an American Idol Contestant also lied about his TBI.

I think it may be time for shows like these to make sure they do background checks and get facts before airing them on tv. But why do they lie about things like this?

Maybe these two articles will shed some light on those questions.

Tide of New PTSD Cases Raise Fears of Fraud

Are Soldiers Faking Their Injuries to get More Benefits?

If you read those articles, it seems that a few doctors think that some soldiers are actually faking their aliments including PTSD and TBI in order to get more benefits after they retire from service. Since there isn't a true test for PTSD or TBI and symptoms can be exaggerated or even faked outright, it seems that there's probably a good chance that some of the people saying they have these ailments are probably faking it to get disability.

That's a really dirty thing to do because in essence they are taking money from those who really have suffered an injury and are really suffering from these things.

Dealing With Neuropathy Caused by HIV-AIDS

My husband, Ken has been dealing with neuropathy in his feet for a few years now and when it first started it was just a little tingling, pin pricks of pain. Now though, even though he's taking medicine that's supposed to help with the pain, the pain has gotten worst and he is thinking about taking more drastic measures...like a nerve block.

What is Neuropathy?
Taken from.. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php  - Medical News Today

"Neuropathy is a collection of disorders that occurs when nerves of the peripheral nervous system (the part of the nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord) are damaged. The condition is generally referred to as peripheral neuropathy, and it is most commonly due to damage to nerve axons. Neuropathy usually causes pain and numbness in the hands and feet. It can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic disorders, and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes of neuropathy is diabetes.

Neuropathy can affect nerves that control muscle movement (motor nerves) and those that detect sensations such as coldness or pain (sensory nerves). In some cases - autonomic neuropathy - it can affect internal organs, such as the heart, blood vessels, bladder, or intestines.

Pain from peripheral neuropathy is often described as a tingling or burning sensation. There is no specific length of time that the pain exists, but symptoms often improve with time - especially if the neuropathy has an underlying condition that can be cured. The condition is often associated with poor nutrition, a number of diseases, and pressure or trauma, but many cases have no known reason (called idiopathic neuropathy).

 In the United States, about 20 million people suffer from neuropathy. Over half of diabetes patients also suffer from the condition."

Ken doesn't have diabetes, he wasn't in an accident that caused damage to his nerves and he wasn't exposed to toxins. What my husband does have is AIDS and his doctors informed him that because of the disease he has, he can get all sorts of different diseases and conditions like neuropathy. Ken found out he was HIV positive back in 1992, when our daughter was just a year old. Thankfully neither our daughter or myself were exposed and we are both HIV negative.

When the pains in his feet first started, the doctors told us that they could treat it with different medicines and so they tried Gabapentin first and he's still on that because it works a little bit. I looked around online and found something called Neuragen gel, so I bought some of that and while it works on some of the minor pain, the scent of this stuff is so bad that Ken hates using it. It gets on his socks, shoes and won't wash off easily and since it doesn't work really well, he only uses it when the pain gets really bad just to mute some of the really bad pain.

Ken's doctor didn't know what else to do because nothing has been working, so he sent him to pain management but they just want to throw pain pills at you..which is exactly what they did. The Lortab didn't do a thing to lessen the pain and he told them he didn't want anymore and asked if there was something else they could try. The doc said they could try a nerve block, where they give you a series of shots in your spine.

o.0

This sounds kinda risky to me. I haven't done my research online about it yet, but I'm wondering how much feeling he would have in his feet after a nerve block? Would he be able to walk? I still need to find these things out before he goes in and says yes to something like this. If they could just target the nerves that are causing the pain and shut those off and he still had feeling enough in his feet to be able to walk, that would be wonderful but I have no idea if they can do something like that.

While we are waiting to see what else they decide to try, I decided to try some massage oil on his feet because he said that sometimes if I rub his feet, it lessens the pain for a while. Now I don't know if you've ever had one of those sharp shooting, stabby type pains in one place where it feels like someone is taking a needle and poking you with it? Yeah, I have and Ken said that's the kind of pain he feels in his feet all the time. I know from experience that rubbing that pain does sometimes make it go away, so I figured massage oil and a foot rub might help.

I was right!

Although, the foot rubs don't make the pain go away for very long, Ken said that when I do it at night right before bed that the pain is so much less that he can actually fall asleep and is able to stay asleep for a while because the pain isn't keeping him awake.

He's still talking to the doctors about other alternatives but at least this is working to give him a little relief for a while.

Do you know anyone with neuropathy? If you do, what do they take for the pain?

Confessions Of A Candy Addict

I may have told you a couple of years ago that my favorite candy is gumballs. I don't even have to eat them...I just like looking at them and opening up the top of the jar and smelling them. Yes, I realize this is two stops short of a fetish and I'm ok with that. lol 

I always seem to have some sort of candy on hand to snack on every once in a while.When my daughter was younger I would get candy and have it in the candy dishes for her and her friends...*but I really had it in the house for me* That's right, I bought a tub full of Laffy Taffy...145 pieces of it! Hubby is helping me eat it..lol 

My daughter and husband knew how  much I wanted cute candy dishes so they bought me these two really cute candy jars that I have on my shelf. Of course they are filled with candy. One with gumballs and the other with Laffy Taffy. 

Now this is a real shame...an empty candy jar. It's sitting on another shelf just waiting for me to find the right candy to fill it with. I'm thinking something colorful for easter like Easter M&M's. You can't tell but this is a gallon size candy jar..it will hold a heck of a lot of M&M's. 

The last candy I bought and filled this with was a 5lb bag of Sunkist Fruit chews. That lasted me about 4 months..it would have lasted longer but I gave a good chunk of it to my daughter and her boyfriend and I had the candy dish on the coffee table filled and when company came over they ate some..which is fine, that's why I got the big bag. 

So are you a candy addict too?

What's your favorite candy?

Some Of My Favorite Commercials

The funniest mouse commercial you'll ever see. You have to watch the whole thing!  

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.

This week I received a coupon for a free 20 oz bottle of coke from My Coke Rewards. All you have to do is enter the codes under the caps of coke and other coke products and when you have enough points, turn them into free coke. 

I also received 2 samples of Adam Levines cologne for men and perfume for women.

A sample of Celestial Seasonings tea. 

Aquaphor for lips

Vitamelts sample

Peets coffee sample pouch

I found links to all of these samples at Freebie Shark and you can too. Just visit their site and sign up for the freebies when they tell you one is available. 

Tough To Tame by Diana Palmer

The other day I had a bit of a small rant about some of the reviews on Amazon for this and other Diana Palmer books because a lot of her books follow the same type of theme. I happen to like that, at least I know exactly what I'll be getting when I pick one of her books and I'm glad I ignored the reviews and bought this book, it was great!

Dr. Bentley Rydel is a woman hating, surly veterinarian who has gone through several employee's at his office because of his temper tantrums and Cappie is the newest employee at the office. 

Bentley and Cappie slowly get to know one another and find they have a lot in common and of course it looks like they are going to go forward with their relationship when something from Cappies past comes between them. 

Will they be able to get past it and work things out? 

You'll have to read it and find out for yourself...

Now I love these boss/secretary type stories where the woman is a shy virgin and the boss is some big surly, mean tempered woman hating idiot who falls for the girl by the end of the book. Diana Palmer always gives me what I'm looking for when I want to read this type of story and since I've read so many of her books, I'm already familiar with the other characters in the Jacobsville stories.

The very first romance book I ever read was Once In Paris by Diana Palmer so her books really hold a special place in my heart.

Howling Wolf Mouse

Now here's something you don't see everyday.

Instant Vs Brewed Coffee

I like Instant coffee much more than brewed coffee. I know, it's a real shock that someone would actually admit to that, but there you have it. As you can see in this picture, I do have brewed coffee in the house. Actually I have several sample sized packages of ground coffee in my place and on occasion I try them. I haven't actually found one I like, I think they are all too bitter..but I still try them. 

I like instant coffee because I can make it as strong or weak as I want, cup by cup and it's not bitter like brewed coffee is. 

I actually thought about getting a Keurig coffee machine but a friend told me if I don't like the brewed coffee taste, I wouldn't like it. 

So I'll just stick with my instant..you can have the brewed.

Should You Give A Bunny As A Gift For Easter?

Here's a little bunny we found in the alley behind our apartment building a few years ago. He was just a baby and we looked to see if someone lost him but never found an owner so we found him a good home with people who already had bunnies and a big back yard. 

You might think it's a great idea to give a pet to your niece, nephew or friends kid for Easter. But before you go and buy someone else a new pet there are things you should consider.

Do they want a new pet? Do their parents want them to have a new pet? Are the parents willing to take care of the new pet when the child gets tired of caring for it?

I took in more than a dozen hamsters, rats and a bunny when my daughter was little and her friends no longer wanted their pets and their parents weren't willing to take care of them. An animal is a lifelong commitment, not a commitment until you get tired of it or it starts acting in a way you don't like. I had 2 hamsters that bit the hell out of me, but did I give them away? No, I wore gloves when I picked them up and held them. Just because they were biters was no reason to give them away, they deserved a forever home and they got one.

Which is why it really makes me upset when I read people's posts on fb and twitter who have decided the pet they adopted is just to much trouble to take care of, so they send them back to the shelter or give them away to who ever will take them. And then later on I read how they adopted another animal and are trying again. Those types of people are the worst in my opinion. They should not have pets...period. Do not adopt a pet if you aren't willing to give them a forever home even if they have health problems, are biters, act out and need training or are not getting along with your other animals. Dogs will get along with other dogs if you get them training. If you are too lazy to train your dog..don't get a dog!

This is Ares, he's always been a little standoffish and didn't like being picked up like the other rats did. But I gave him his space, I gave him what he needed so he would be happy. It's not all about you when you have a pet, you have to give them what makes them happy too and if they don't like being held, a certain food, being around noises or kids then you have to figure out what they do like and try to give it to them. I found out that Ares liked to be petted as long as he was sitting inside the cage and I wasn't trying to pick him up, so that's what I did. He was very friendly, just didn't want to be picked up. If I turned the cage around and let him hop out onto the couch himself, he would crawl around on me and was fine with that. As a responsible pet owner it's up to you to find out what works for the pets you bring in your home. 

This was my mom's dog, Cupcake. When mom passed away my brothers and I got together and decided we were going to keep her. My younger brother Billy, was all set to take her home but our older brother John, asked and all but pleaded if he could take her home because she had been our mother's dog and he wanted her. 

Billy said yes, with the understanding that if for whatever reason he couldn't keep the dog he would give her to Billy. 

I don't think it was even two months when John said that he couldn't keep Cupcake because his other dog was being a bully and was picking fights with her. So Billy was making preparations to go and pick the dog up, he was just waiting on confirmation that he didn't want to keep the dog. Then just a day or so later John tells us that he gave Cupcake away to a neighbor lady (no proof that he didn't just take her to a shelter) and he wouldn't tell us who. 

Why did he do this, you might be asking? Because this is the type of POS this person is. Instead of giving away the bully dog that was picking on the little dog that had been his mother's or getting big bully dog training to get along with the little dog...he gives our mom's dog away right out from underneath us because that's the type of person he is. 

It's people like this and others that should never have pets. If he hadn't been a lazy pet owner, he would have gotten his big bully dog training and he could have kept both dogs. But this situation wasn't really about the dogs at all, it was about making sure that Billy didn't have a chance to come and get the dog. To cause as much pain as possible. 

It's troubling to think about but there are owners out there that think nothing about the pets they have. They either have them so they can fight them...ie..dog fighters who have pit bulls. 

Or they have them to be guard dogs in their place of business or front yard and they are always chained up outside with little to no human interaction, they are there to do a job. 

And then there are people who are just too naive to have a pet because they have no idea how to take care of them. I saw a few of those types of people when I rescued a few hamsters from families who no longer wanted them. 

As you can tell this is a cause near and dear to my heart. It breaks my heart to see neglected animals or animals thought of as throw away pets. If you adopt a pet, they should be with you until you or they, die. If you cannot or will not give an animal a forever home, no matter what...then don't adopt.

Have You Ever Gone On A Double Date?

I was thinking back to when I was a teenager and some of the stupid things I've done and one memory popped into my head that made me laugh...my one and only double date.

When I was 17 years old I lived in Guyandotte, West Virginia. It's a little town near Charleston, West Virginia. It had a flood wall all the way around the town because we were so near the Ohio River and if it started to flood the town they closed the gates and you were either trapped inside the gates or trapped outside the gates until the gates were opened again.

I lived there for a year and in that time the flood gates were never closed so I'm guessing it didn't happen very often.

So I was in High School while there and one of my friends asked me if I would go on a double date with her and her boyfriend and his friend. I thought sure, why not what could go wrong?

I thought she was such a nice girl and we would have a nice time. I thought we would go to the movies or something, I didn't think to ask what we would be doing.

The three of them picked me up in her car and introduced me to my date...Alfred. Alfred was 18 years old about 5'9" and had the biggest afro I've ever seen on a white guy. But he seemed nice enough and my girlfriend Breanne asked him if he would drive so she and he boyfriend David could sit together in the back seat. So I'm sitting in the front seat with Alfred and we start driving around when David pulls out a bag with 2 6 packs of beer in it. I didn't drink and thankfully neither did Alfred but Breanne and David did. A few minutes later we pull over at a gas station and Alfred informs us that he has to call his mother every hour until 10pm when he has to go home..O.o So he got out and called her.

I had to be home at midnight and everyone else said they could go home whenever they wanted. So we drove around and were making our way to a park when I hear weird noises coming from the back seat..I turn around to find my friend Breanne and her boyfriend having sex in the back seat...Holy cripes! I'm beyond embarrassed but Alfred tells me that she does this every time she fixes him on a double date.

So after stopping at the park for an hour we head back to a gas station so Alfred can call his mom and check in. It's almost 10pm and he says he has to go home and I figured that they would take me home too. instead after we drop Alfred off they stop down the street and pick up Danny, who is now supposed to be my date...O.o

Danny is 18 and already half lit up and takes a beer as soon as he gets in the car. Danny is sitting in the front with me and he is driving..I would have offered to drive since I was the only one not drinking but I didn't know how and didn't have my license. I didn't realize how drunk Danny was until we are driving down the street and he takes out several mail boxes and a wooden fence as we are driving down the street. I want to get out of the car and go home but my mom is home and she doesn't drive so I am on my own.

We make our way to another park and they agree to wait there for a little while until they sober up a little. Thankfully I spotted a pay phone by the restrooms and call my mom to tell her I'm not going to make it home by midnight. I let her know everyone is too drunk to drive and how we took out a fence and some mail boxes and really don't want to get in the car with these idiots until they can drive without taking out another fence.

When I get back to the car Breanne and David are having sex in the back seat again and Danny is standing out side the car laughing at them. When I get over to him he asks me if I 'put out'..I assure him that we are not having sex and he lost interest in me a little while later I find him passed out in the front seat so I go and sit down by the pond but where I can still see the car in case these idiots wake up and decide to take off without me.

It took about 2 hours for them to wake back up and be sober enough to drive me home. I never did speak to Breanne after that.

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.

I won that beautifully hand beaded candle from Megan Slayer who also writes as Wendi Zwaduk on her post at Cyber Launch Party. She also sent me some swag. 

I got a free sample of Pantene Expert Shampoo and Conditioner from Vocal Point. 

I got a free sample of Metamucil and Playtex tampons, which I found links to both of those freebies at Freebie Shark. 

RIP Ares

The last of the 4 boys I adopted nearly 4 years ago has passed away. He was 3 1/2 years old and one of the sweetest little rats I've ever had. Also one of the biggest weighing in at 3lbs. 

In his last few months he had Hind Leg Degeneration and couldn't walk very well, he just pulled his back legs behind him so I put him in the smaller single story cage so everything would be closer and easier for him to get at. He was still such a happy boy and always ready to give kisses. 

My pretty boy. Last year I grew a small canister of cat grass for him and his brother but they wanted nothing to do with it. 

He sure did like his steamed rice and carrots. 

He and hades were best friends and cuddled all the time. 

Here is Hades looking at me wondering why I was bothering them. He was protective of Ares but sadly he passed away a couple of months ago.

I always thought Ares had such a pretty little face, very expressive eyes. 

This is a picture of all 4 of the brothers. Ares, Hades, Jasper and Brodie. They were my big squishy boys and now the last one has passed away to be with his brothers who I know were waiting for him. 

Jasper was on his back and Hades was laying right next to him while Ares walked on both of them to see if I had a treat...which I did. 

Ares and Jasper cuddled together in the hammock. They were both such sweet boys and I miss them all. 

Ares has been slowing down for some time and when he refused to eat or drink anything I knew he wasn't going to be with me for much longer. I held him, gave him lots of love and he passed away peacefully in my arms. 

A Small Rant

I was looking at some of the reviews on Amazon for a few of the books I had planned on buying but couldn't make up my mind which ones I was going to get. I knew I wanted to buy a Diana Palmer book, I just wasn't sure which one in my wish list I wanted to get, so I started reading reviews...big mistake.

Seems like there are some idiots out there in internet land. Diana Palmer happens to be one of my all time favorite authors. I have a huge stack of her books on my book shelves. But it seems that there are a few people out there that have bought more than one of her books, knows what kinds of stories she writes, doesn't like the recurring cowboy, virgin theme in most of her books and so they write bad reviews on her books.

My thoughts are if you know that an author writes a particular type of story and you know you don't like it, why do you keep going back to reading more of them just to write a bad review for them?

It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you don't like the hairy chested cowboys who meet the shy virgins in small towns or most of the heroes are ex special forces military who are always on the look out for the bad guys to come and mess with them in their small town...why do you keep reading the books knowing full well that's what you are going to get?

I read these books because I know exactly what I'm in for when I buy them and I like that I can always count on the same sort of book when I'm in the mood for that genre.

Myths Your Grandma Might Have Told You

There are little white lies that your mother, father, grandparents tell the little one's just to keep them from getting into trouble or making a mess. Then there are Myths that they actually believe to be true that they might have told you and when you get older you think, "Why did I believe anything they said?"

Going Outside With Wet Hair Will Give You A Cold- Totally false. All it does is maybe make your hair frizzy...

Swimming While Menstruating Will Make Sharks Attack You Because They Can Smell The Blood- Ridiculous. Sharks Attack Humans Because They Are Hungry And We Look Like A Good Meal. lol

Cracking Your Knuckles Will Give You Arthritis- I actually asked my doctor and he laughed..not true.

Going Outside In The Cold Without A Jacket Will Make You Catch A Cold- Not unless the the person you are out there with has a cold a sneezes in your face.

If You Swallow An Apple Seed, It Will Grow Apple Tree's In Your Belly- Grandma was a funny old woman, always telling me this. So I swallowed a few apple seeds just to see if it would work..it didn't.

Don't Swallow Your Gum, It Will Stay In Your Stomach For 7 Years!- No, actually it won't. Your stomach breaks down anything that can't be absorbed and it comes out where everything else eventually comes out..in the toilet.

Don't Make Pasta Sauce While Menstruating, You'll Make The Sauce Go Sour- I don't see how anything that's going on down below can make the food I'm cooking...go sour. That would be a super power and all women would everywhere would be threatening to make dinner for their husbands during "THAT" time of month if they weren't nice to us.

Don't Make That Face, Or Your Face Will Stay That Way Forever!- If only it were that easy to get back at a little brother, alas it's just not true.

Stop Masturbating Or it Will Fall Off/ You'll Go Blind!- At a certain age teenage boys need their own bathrooms because they spend so much time in there no one else can use it. But I don't know of one case where 'it' fell off or caused blindness from over use. lol

If A Dog Scared You While Your Pregnant, Your Baby Will Have a Fear Of Dogs.- Only if you tell the child to be afraid of dogs when he's older. A Fetus cannot learn anything from you before birth.

Don't Drink A lot of Tea Or Your Skin Will Turn Darker.- I love tea and I drink quite a bit of it and I'm still lily white, so myth debunked.

Eating A lot of Fish Will Make You Smarter.- I've met some people who eat fish 4 times a week and they are, how shall I say...a few pieces of chicken short of a picnic basket. Dumber than a box of nails. Fish didn't help their brains any, they might as well eat cookies every day for the next 10 years for all the good it's done.

Breaking A Mirror Will Give You Bad Luck For 7 Years- I'm sort of a klutz and have broken many a mirror and don't think my luck has been all that bad. Unless you factor in the fact that I haven't won the lottery, Mega Bucks or Publishers Clearing House...

Tampons Can Get Lost, So Don't Use Them!- Lost? In a Vagina? Where would it go exactly? Maybe my mother thought it would travel all the way up to my brain and stick out one of my eye sockets. Either way, it's a myth, tampons can't mysteriously disappear or get lost.

Do what myths were you told when you were younger?