Things Around My House- Inherited and Gifts

A while back my friend Anna, from Herding Cats & Burning Soup did a post about things around her house. I liked the idea so much I did my own post a while back. Then one of my blogger buddies Bytes From The 'Burbs, did her own post. I love these posts and you all seemed to like it as well so I thought I would do another one. This time for things I've inherited or been given as gifts. 

My paternal grandfather was a rock hound. He went out digging for rocks, for years. He found quite a few really nice ones. This is a fire Opal. It's about 3 inches long. My grandfather found this, cut it into the shape it's in now and polished it up. Then he gave it to my mom when I was a toddler. I inherited it when my mom passed away. It's a beautiful stone. 

My paternal grandfather also found this geode. He cut it, polished it and gave it to my dad. A few years ago my dad gave it to me as a gift because he knew how much I liked it. 

I don't even know what kind of stone is in this geode but it's so pretty. 

I inherited this glass music box from my mom when she passed away 7 years ago. It's one of my favorite knick knacks of hers that I now have.

I inherited this piece of petrified wood from my mom. It's a good size piece but I have no idea where or when she got it. All I know is that she had it for at least 40 years because I remember seeing it on the shelf when I was a little kid. 

I asked my dad if his dad gave it to mom but he said he didn't remember. 

I love fake plants and terrariums so my daughter bought me this little terrarium for my birthday. 

This is what I call a Uniblob. I had to enlarge this picture because this thing is tiny. It fits on the tip of my finger, that's how small it is. I collected unicorns for a long time and Ken bought me this about 20 years ago. It's a tiny glass unicorn on a slice of a geode. It looks like a tiny blob of glass but it's actually in the shape of a unicorn. Therefore Uniblob. lol 

It was fun showing you some of the things around my house, I hope you enjoyed it too.

Review: Walmart Beauty Box- February

The Walmart Beauty box is a subscription box that comes out 4 times a year. You sign up for it and it comes automatically every 3 months. These boxes are jut $5 each and shipping is free. 

What was in this box...

Donkey Milk Sleeping mask. 

Tresemme Dry Shampoo. 

P2 Volume Gloss nail polish- share 095- Maid of Honor.

Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Ultimate Hydrating Cream. 

Plackers flossers- 12. 

The dry shampoo surprised me because it says it doesn't leave a white residue and it didn't.  I was almost out of hand lotion and I have dry skin because of Diabetes so this was a welcome sight. I love the Gold Bond lotions. I'm trying to let my nails grow out so I can paint them because I like this color but I have a nail biting habit so it's not easy. lol 

I actually just ran out of these types of tooth flossers so I was happy to see them in this box, they work great. 

The only thing I was on the side lines about was the Donkey Milk sleeping mask. First off it was oily and I'm not about to get that all over my pillow. But if I used a little of it 20 minutes before my shower, it left my face feeling soft. So it was nice, I just didn't use it as directed. 

So for $5 I liked this box. It's all stuff that I will actually use and the box was sent out on time *for the most part* this quarter. 

Have you signed up for the Walmart Beauty Box?

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"You woke me up for that?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I look as fluffy as the towel I'm in."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #18

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.

In January of 2016, 3 police cars showed up after the couple who have had the police called on them 7 times since that past Thanksgiving were fighting, and the guy was taken to jail this time. 2 months earlier on Thanksgiving day I had my family over at my apartment when all of the sudden these two people who lived 5 doors down from me started screaming at each other. The female of the couple smashed her hand through their living room window and walked down the walkway in front of everyone's apartment dripping blood all over the walk way because she cut her arm. I called the police and ambulance that day because she was bleeding really badly. The manager finally evicted them a few months later when she had to replace two front doors after the male who lived there kicked them both in, breaking them. 

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've said before that I have a wide range of musical taste and this definitely fits into my wide range since I don't listen to rap but I love this band especially when Danny starts singing the chorus. He sounds a lot like Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, at least to me and it's a little bitter sweet to hear it now when he reminds me of him.

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 was a great freebie week. I won a beautiful pendant from Gail Koger on a blog contest and received a PinchMe box.

In the Pinchme Box was...

A sample of Dove exfoliating body polish.
A coupon for a free bottle of Nice N Easy Hair Color.
A sample of Whole Blends shampoo and Conditioner.
A Berry Blast RX Bar.

I was so excited to see that Dove exfoliating body polish because I had already received one before in a different box and I love it! I smells so good and leaves my arms feeling so soft. My daughter will be getting another coupon for a free box of hair color. They are giving these out in so many boxes and on their site they had a bunch they were giving away, so my daughter is very happy.

Ken loves those RX bars or any of the protein bars and since I don't care for them, it works out well for him. The shampoo and conditioner samples were great. I loved how soft my hair is and it had a great scent.

The pendant is so darn pretty. I was so excited when I saw what I had won.

Did you receive any samples this week?

Review: Beautifully Wounded by Susan Griscom

Book Description

Sometimes the only way to salvation... is to take a leap of faith.

Jackson Beaumont prides himself on being a nature-loving, guitar-strumming, carefree sort of guy. When the mysterious Lena Benton walks into his bar looking scared and defeated, it's not something he can ignore. He's immediately consumed by concern for her and driven by his desire to help. She's just so beautiful. So wounded.

After being shuffled from one foster home to another growing up, Lena Benton dreamt of finding her prince charming. When the captivating Troy Harington sweeps her off her feet shortly after high school graduation, she's certain she's found her happiness. Unfortunately, Troy's true colors surface shortly after their marriage and things turn ugly. Lena only has one choice. She has to leave him. She has to run... 

Lena's escape has brought her to Jackson, and he clearly wants to be there for her, but can she trust anyone again after what she's gone through? And will Jackson be able to help her heal without losing his heart? 

My Review

Wow, this story starts with a bang right from the very beginning. Lena is in a really abusive relationship and after a beating that she feared might be the last because he might just kill her this time, she makes a run for it. She's been saving money to try and get away from him but she isn't sure it'll be enough. She finds herself in another town but still scared. She ends up in a bar and the guy instantly realizes that something is not right with the woman at his door. 

Jackson owns the bar that Lena walks into and he and his brother also play in a band at the bar. Jackson is known to his friends and family for taking in strays and hurt animals, fixing them and letting them go. So it's really no big surprise to anyone that he wants to help the broken and battered women that walks into his bar. He gives her a safe place to stay for a few days and even tells her she can pay him back by playing his guitar after she played a little when she saw the guitar sitting alone on stage. 

Lena rely's on Jackson while she's recovering and deciding what to do next. She starts to trust him a little more and tells him the truth about what happened to her and he seems to know all sorts of people that might be able to help her because of his past schooling and job experience. Lena has to figure out how to secretly and safely get completely away from her husband and Jackson is right there to help her through it.

I have to warn you that this story starts out with a very graphic domestic abuse scene and the rest of the book is how she gets away from said abusive husband and deals with the aftermath of being an abuse victim. At times this book was really hard to read because of my own past with domestic abuse as a child watching it happen and as an adult being the person who was abused. These types of stories can bring up memories better left in the past but it's nice when you get to the end of a book like this and find a happily ever after. 

I really liked Jackson, his brother and their friends. This was an emotional story but I'm really glad I read it because I ended up really liking it. Lena is stronger than she knows and I was thrilled that she found a nice guy like Jackson after all she'd been through. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week!

On January 31st my grandson turned 5 years old. He had a great time opening his birthday presents but as always when something is going on at my place, Falcor is always curious about what people are getting. I can't believe he's already 5 years old. 

As soon as Logan opened this blue plush dog, Falcor wanted it. He goes nuts for the plush toys but he tears them apart within minutes. 

Review: Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler

Book Description

"Absolutely perfect. One of the best books I've read in years. I definitely want more of Paige Tyler's shifters."-Kate Douglas, bestselling author of the Wolf Tales series.

He's a High-Octane Special Ops Pro

When Special Forces Captain Landon Donovan is pulled from an op in Afghanistan, he is surprised to discover he's been hand-picked for a special assignment with the Department of Covert Operations (DCO), a secret division he's never heard of. Terrorists are kidnapping biologists and he and his partner have to stop them. But his new partner is a beautiful, sexy woman who looks like she couldn't hurt a fly-never mind take down a terrorist.

She's Not Your Average Covert Operative

Ivy Halliwell is no kitten. She's a feline shifter, and more dangerous than she looks. She's worked with a string of hotheaded military guys who've underestimated her special skills in the past. But when she's partnered with special agent Donovan, a man sexy enough to make any girl purr, things begin to heat up...

My Review

The action starts off right away in this book. We find Ivy on an OP where her partner, Dave is killed because he had a problem working with her because she was a shifter. He got what he deserved in my opinion. He should have listened to her and if he had, he'd probably still be alive. She's had a couple of bad partners so she's a little gun shy.

A couple of months later we meet Landon in the middle of a mission and out of the blue he's transferred and he's not happy about it. That's when he meets his new partner, Ivy. After their training they are sent on a mission and it goes well so they are sent to try and find out who is kidnapping biologists and stop them. 

The story was full of intrigue, action, fight scenes and a few really kick ass men and women who know how to get the job done when asked. When we finally find out why the biologists are being kidnapped, it was an interesting twist to this story. I really like all the military type scenes going on in a paranormal type story. Landon and Ivy try to fight their attraction for each other but there's no getting around that when you're working so closely together and when they do finally come together, it's smoking hot! Whew, these two tear up the sheets, quite literally and they are great together. 

The only problem I had with this story was the fact that when Landon finds out that she's a shifter it doesn't seem to faze him at all. I found that hard to believe. I think most anyone would be a little shocked at first. But this is a great beginning to a series and I'm looking forward to reading more of this series in the future.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"If my name is Bean, does that make me a Bean Burrito?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"The face you make right before you sneeze..."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Well hello, yes I would like a yogie."

Apartment Life #17

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 happened this week! On February 27th at 8:30am we heard a loud crash and Ken went outside to see what happened.

*Click on the picture to enlarge it* 

After a chase with police this car crashed into the block wall that separates my apartment building from the store parking lot next door. The police swarmed this area at 8:30am, the K9 dogs were out, and my apartment building was on lock down for almost an hour. Anytime someone went outside to see what was going on, the police would yell at them to go back in their apartment. They started walking around with the K9's and told us that they were looking for a suspect who could possibly be armed. The police helicopter was out but I didn't see anyone get arrested and they finally started leaving after about 2 hours. After the police helicopter left I went outside and got a few pictures of half the car sticking through the wall.

The police were still in the parking lot when I took this picture. The block wall that separates my apartment complex from the stores next door is long and the car crashed down at the end of it. 

I heard on the news later that night that the suspect crashed the stolen car, got out and hopped out over the car and ran straight ahead into that apartment complex at the end of the alley. He had to hop over their locked gates but the police never saw him come out the other side. So he probably hid in someone's apartment that he knew there until it was clear for him to come out and leave. 

The front of this car was completely smashed and cinder blocks blocked the alley for my apartment complex and now several days later no one has cleaned the mess up! Cars are having to swerve around the mess because the maintenance at that complex at the en up the alley and mine are too damn lazy to clean it up. 

I took a few pictures out my bedroom window while we were waiting for the all clear to be able to come outside again. The police had all of the entrances to my apartment complex blocked. This is out at the end where I usually walk the dog.

These two police cars were right in front of another entrance to my complex.

Then the K9 dog and his handler walked through my courtyard. We were told to stay inside so I had to take the picture through my screen door which is why it's so bad.

Another picture of the K9 and his handler.

The police were driving up and down the streets and alleys across the street with their lights on looking for the guy who crashed his car but I never saw anyone get arrested. I head later on the news that the suspect stole the car, led police on a chase, crashed the car and then got away. It was an interesting morning, that's for sure.

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've been a fan of this band for a long time so I was so excited to find this lyric video so I could share this song. The only other version I've found is a live version and it doesn't sound as good as this version but the live versions hardly ever do. I just love this song so much, it's hauntingly beautiful and his voice was just made for this song. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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.

Omg ya'll, I totally messed this one up this morning. I forgot to update this post and there was nothing on it. I was waiting to see if I got anything else in the mail but I didn't and forgot to add the picture. lol

But this week I did receive a book.

It was a slow freebie week.

Did you receive any freebies?

Recipe: Chocolate Mug Cake

Have you seen those recipes for mug cakes that bake in the microwave? I tried a few different recipes and so many of them were so dry after I took them out. I just didn't like most of them. I see now that there are mixes that you can buy in the store that you just have to add water or something, mix and microwave. But if you already have all the ingredients at home and want a piece of cake, here's the best recipe I've found for chocolate mug cake. 

Food Network's Chocolate Cake In A Mug.

I probably should have looked on The Food Network website for a recipe the first time because they have some really good recipes. I made this for Ken the other day and he loved it. 

Have you tried making a mug cake before?

Favorite Picture of the Week

So this is the time of year that bugs other than bee's and wasps come out. I usually find a few spiders or beetles but this was a first for me. I saw this little thing crawling across the floor the other day and against my carpet it actually looked white but it's more a light grey. So I put my glasses on and looked at it because I had no idea what the heck it was and saw it had 14 legs. So I Googled insects with 14 legs and looked through the pictures. This, ladies and gentlemen is a Sowbug. 

According to what I found online about it, it's not a bug at all but a land crustacean that feeds on dead plants. These look like rolly polly's but these cannot roll themselves into a ball. They like dark, damp places to hide and are often found under logs and flower pots. But this is the first time I've seen one. 

I also found out that if they come inside and can't find moisture or a damp place they usually die if they can't get back outside. So after taking his picture, I took him back outside. They don't bite or sting so I just picked him up and put him near the base of the tree outside. 

I never know what insect I'll find around here next. lol 

Why Is My Electrical Outlet Sparking and Popping?

The electrical outlet on the wall in my kitchen started popping when we had the microwave turned on. So we plugged the microwave into a different outlet thinking that would solve the problem. It didn't and this outlet started sparking when nothing was even plugged into it and it was still making popping noises for no reason. So one night when it popped and I saw sparks coming out of the outlet, I called Ken who removed the outlet and replaced it with a new one. 

We've lived here for 20 years and in all that time this outlet has never been changed so it might have just gone bad or something. Ken has done apartment and Hotel maintenance for more than 20 years so he knew exactly what to do thankfully. He said that the good news was there were no burn marks on the outlet or any of the wires in the wall. 

As you can see this outlet was old and I feel much better now that we have a new one. It's been 2 weeks and there have been no popping or sparking going on from the outlet so now I feel much better. I think seeing those sparks flying out of this outlet shaved a few years off my life though. lol 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Storm's Rat Pack*

"Come at me bro!"

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"Clown: Get it away from me! Omg, is that a rat?"

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"And I'm not coming out until someone gives me a treat!" 

Apartment Life #16

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 one if from back in 2013, I stood at my door and took this picture while Ken was whispering, "Mary, stop it the cops gonna see you." So what, what is he gonna do, arrest me for picture taking?LOL 

Police came knocking on several doors in my courtyard trying to find the address 115 *insert street name here* All of us told the three cops that this side was 113 and the other side was 117 and there wasn't a 115 *insert street name here* I don't think they believed us.

 I looked out the bedroom window and the three cops were across the street going from courtyard to courtyard knocking on all the #5's. lol They couldn't find the apartment they are looking for. I bet someone was messing with them and gave them the wrong address on purpose. They left after a few minutes of looking and not finding who or what they were looking for.

Side note: There used to be a building 115 but it was torn down years ago to make room for the freeway expansion.

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

This week I thought I'd share another new song I found by a new to me band. I really like the song and the video is a little sad at times though.

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:

Love, Beauty and Planet shampoo and condition samples.
A coupon for 1 box of Clairol Hair Color.
A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap.

I'll be giving that hair color coupon to my daughter since I no longer color my hair. It's too long and takes too darn long to do that myself on my own hair. I haven't used the shampoo and conditioner samples yet.

Did you receive any freebies this week?