Tuesday, September 26, 2023
A Review of the Movie The Tomorrow War
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
A Review of Siamese Cats as Pets
Siamese cats have been around for hundreds of years. It is believed they were first seen during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which was between 1351 and 1767. At that time the country was known as Siam. In 1939 the leadership of Siam was changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, and along with this formation, the name of the country was changed from Siam to Thailand, which is what it is known as today.
Legend tells the story of Siamese cats being collected as treasures of war by the king of Burma, who brought them home to live in his palace, believing them to bring luck and power to those that kept them. At that time, royals were the only ones allowed to keep these cats and they had the run of the palace and grounds.
This is all conjecture, of course, the exact origin of Siamese cats is not known for sure, only that they have been kept by humans for a very long time!
Or do the Siamese keep us? That is a question for another time....
The first Siamese cat arrived in America in 1879 as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from from the American consul in Bangkok. The female cat, named Siam, was the first Siamese to live in the White House, but not the last as the daughters of both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter had these beautiful cats as pets and they roamed the White House as their ancestors did the King's palace.
Why Many People Think Siamese Cats are Mean
Many people think Siamese cats are mean and they would never want one as a pet. Much of this misconception comes from the 1955 cartoon movie Lady and the Tramp, that almost every youngster watches multiple times during childhood. The portrayal of Siamese cats in this movie makes them look not only mean and destructive but also cruel to other animals.
See the movie clip below from Lady and the Tramp.
I am sure it was not a deliberate act on the part of the screenwriters, they probably had no idea at the time that this movie would make many kids (that later grew up into adults) think that Siamese cats were mean and would not make good pets. Even today, in 2023, when I have repairmen or painters come in my house most of them always say "Your Siamese cats are so friendly, I always thought they were mean!"
Siamese Cats Are Not Mean!
I grew up loving Siamese cats. I never had one as a kid, but I loved the look of them! So beautiful and regal. I knew they were the cat for me! I got my first Siamese in the mid 90's and I have had 5 others since. I have three of them now! Affectionately called "Meezers" I have adored all my Siamese cats. They are lovable pets, just ask anyone that has one. They are pretty much like any other cat, the only major difference being they are very chatty. They like to talk to you and will hold a conversation with you, if you give them the chance. The bad thing is, only they understand the entire conversation, since they understand human language and we have no clue how to speak cat!
Don't ever doubt they understand what we say!
Siamese Cats as Pets
I have had both male and female Siamese and found them to be equally loving. Some are more cuddly lap cats and others want to be around you all the time, but not touching you. Some are more a one person cat and others are attention hounds to everyone that will pet them. Each has their own personality, just like all cats. One great thing about Siamese cats is that they are long lived, and if cared for properly easily live 15 to 20 years!
One Thing I Have Noticed From Experience
The cats we got as small kittens have turned out to be more loving, calm and trusting of us than the ones we have adopted as adults. I would bet that this is probably true of most cats, but it seems especially true of Siamese. Two of the Siamese that we have now were adopted as adults. It took a very long time for them to warm up to us, and I am still not sure that they trust us completely. Not knowing their history before coming to us, it is impossible to know what happened in their past to make them how they are, but we still love them unconditionally.
Here are the cuties we adopted from a rescue:
Here is the cutie that raised from a kitten:
And last but never least is my two boys that have already passed.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
A Review of my Homemade Italian Salad Dressing Mix
We eat a lot of salads in our house, especially in the summer when the garden is growing a multitude of fresh veggies. Our favorite salad dressing is Italian. We always used to buy Wishbone House salad dressing, but we really went through it because we not only used it on salads, we also liked it on sliced vegetables and as a marinade for meats that we cooked on the grill. I was buying two bottles every time we went shopping!
I found myself mentioning it to a friend of mine who also loves salad and grilling. She said she made her own mix for salad dressing and marinades. She said it was much cheaper, especially since she had a herb garden which provided her with many of the needed ingredients. I had to laugh, I could not believe it never occurred to me to make my own, which is really silly since I make so much other stuff from scratch instead of buying it.
I asked her for the recipe and she texted it over. I lucked out because I actually had all the ingredients, so I didn't even have to go to the store. She had split the ingredients in half, dry ingredients and wet ingredients. I asked her the reason for this in a later conversation, and she told me that she makes the dry mix to give away as gifts at Christmas time. She said that people loved it because it was so easy to make, and it saved them money too!
Ingredients:
3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like spice)
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon basil
Wet Ingredients:
1/8 cup of finely grated bell pepper
1/8 cup of finely grated carrot
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of olive oil (can use any oil you like)
All you have to do is mix the ingredients and shake well for two minutes. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
This dressing is not only good on salads and meats, it's great drizzled over hot vegetables. Toss it over noodles and with grated cheese for a great side dish. It is so versatile once you make some you will not want to be without it. I usually keep a jar of the dry ingredients mix in my cupboard to season soups and casseroles. It really is almost like an all purpose seasoning.
If you want to make this mixture and give it away as a jar gift, simply fill a decorative jar with the dry ingredients only and shake thoroughly. Tie a pretty card to the jar that lists the wet ingredients to mix with the dry. That's all there is to it. An easy and thoughtful gift that almost anyone will love.
I have told my friend what a blessing her recipe has been to me and all the things I make with it. I have even given her some ideas! I highly recommend you try it, I think you will love it too.
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Get Rid of Slippery Bathtubs! Use SlipDoctors Non-Slip Treatment
Use in Baths or Showers
When we moved into our house in 2016, one of the first things I noticed was that the bathtub floor was slippery! I mean dangerously so. Stepping over the side, I had to hold on to the wall because my foot would slip when lifting my other leg in. It was scary! After a few months, I knew I had to do something. I dreaded taking a shower because I was honestly was afraid I would fall.
When I looked up on the internet what to do for slippery bathtubs, I first thing I saw with the textured rubber stick ons that you can put on the floor of your tub. So I ordered some. When they arrived, I cleaned the tub and let it dry and stuck them on. I immediately hated how it looked, I felt like I was back in the 70's. Those stickers looked pretty tacky. However, they did stop my slipping problem, even though I didn't care for the feeling of stepping on them. I figured it was the price I would have to pay to be safe. Unfortunately, less than a month later, when I was cleaning the tub, I noticed that the stickers were starting to peel off. I remember thinking.....there has got to be a better solution than buying and applying these ugly stickers once a month.
So back to the internet I went. This time, I looked on You Tube to see if there were any how to videos on preventing slippery bath tubs. I took a look at a few different ones, and I found out there are solutions you can put on your bathtub or shower floors to give them a more stable grip when wet. Many of them were a bit more complicated than I wanted and some could actually cause harm to your tub, like one that called for sanding your tub floor! I didn't want to do anything like that and end up with a scuffed up awful looking bathtub.
I decided to take a look on Amazon. I typed "preventing slippery bathtubs" in the search bar and the first thing that came up was "SlipDoctors Bathtub & Shower Kit | Non-Slip Treatment for Ceramic or Enamel Tubs & Tiled Showers" When I looked further, I began to get hopeful. It seems easy to apply and it got good reviews from other customers. This is the video I found showcasing this product:
I ordered it. I knew I would be kicking myself, if it didn't work, but I had to try. A couple days later, when it arrived, I handed it over to my husband and said "please put this on the bathtub." He was happy to, as he didn't like the slippery tub floor any more than I did. I am allergic to many chemicals, even soap, or I would have done it myself, I was just that anxious to try it!
It didn't take long at all, after washing the tub and wiping it dry. The solution was dry in a short time as well, but I let it sit a couple hours just to make sure. I finally was ready to see if it worked. I turned on the water and stepped in and I had no slippage! I even tried to slide my foot across the tub floor and it was difficult. However, picking when my foot straight up, the floor was not at all sticky. The floor looked exactly the same and felt the same under my feet. It was like a miracle! My slippery bathtub floor problem was solved.
They gave us enough for two applications, but believe it or not, 7 years later it still is as non-slip as the day it was applied. Now that is what I call a GREAT product!
Remember, you must get the right product for the type of tub or shower you want to apply it to. We got the ceramic and enamel treatment, but if you have an acrylic or fiberglass shower or tub, make sure you get the treatment for that. The two different treatment are in the links below.
To look at all of the products that are available from SlipDoctors, click the link below:
SlipDoctors Treatments
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Animals: Pets & Wildlife Reviewed on Review This Reviews!
Treasures from the Archives of Review This Reviews!
The contributors of Review This Reviews love animals, especially our pets. As families with pets, we have found several fabulous products to make our pet's more comfortable for home or travel. For instance, did you know there are disposable pet bowls? They make traveling with dogs much easier or make the pet sitters life easier because they can simply throw away the food bowls instead of washing them.
For pups that don't like to get wet in the rain, there are doggy rain coats. Or, if your dog needs a hair cut and you don't want to pay a professional doggy hair stylist or your pup just needs a trim between stylist visits, then we recommend this cordless clipper for you.
Click Here for More Dog Related Reviews!
For cats, why not have a lovely end table that doubles as a comfortable cat house? That gives the cat privacy while still being in your protective company. Many cats will run for shelter when company comes in. The cat house gives them that needed place until they are ready to venture out again. With a cat cushion inside, the end table becomes a cat bed too.
Click Here for More Cat Related Reviews!
If you don't have a pet yet, or perhaps want to add to your pet family, you may want to consider a hairless guinea pig. This review shares the things you should know before you decide to bring a guinea pig home.
Of course, none of us wish to think of our beloved pets being lost and unable to find their way home. During the month of July, we celebrate National Lost Pet Prevention Month and focus on learning how to protect our pets and prevent our pets getting lost.
Wildlife Around Us
Several of the Review This Reviews Contributors enjoy exploring the great outdoors and taking pictures of the wildlife. That leads us to doing research on the animal and writing a review on the wildlife we found interesting or pretty enough to photograph.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
What is Jolabokaflod? Christmas Eve Traditions to Try! Holiday Gift Ideas
So you might be wondering what a Jolabokaflod is and why it's important! Well in the interests of learning something new every day, this is one word and idea that really resonates with me and my family.
Jolabokaflod is an Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition. Every one in the family gets a "book" gift on Christmas Eve and the rest of the evening is spent reading and drinking hot chocolate and eating some of those wonderful Christmas cookies that seem to magically appear at this time of year.
Our family is blessed in so many ways! All our children are grown and have children of their own. Our children and grandchildren don't really need more "stuff". Each family member has a roof over their heads and food on the table. Clothes in the closets and shoes/boots for whatever weather conditions may be outside. So what more do we need?
The simple answer is NOTHING!
The most important things to us (my husband and myself) is BEING with each other and sharing time together. Yet at Christmastime, we also like to do something special for our family.
So this year we have made the decision to do what they do in Iceland. Instead of gifts for the adults we will focus on purchasing a book that we have loved and share it with another member of the family.
The grandchildren will still receive traditional Christmas gifts, but a book might find it's way into that idea too! We love reading and love promoting reading skills to our grandchildren as well.
If you are looking for a great list of books to peruse, you don't have to go too far! Review This Reviews has an amazing list of books that have been reviewed by the writers of this site! There is everything from Puzzle Books and Riddles, to Murder/Mysteries, Biographies, Cozy Romances and so much more!
Some books are from new authors and some are from well known authors who have been writing for years.
There is something for everyone at ReviewThisReviews.com! Click on the link and then follow the tabs across the top! The first one you come to is BOOK REVIEWS. How much easier can gift finding get?
We (my other half and I) will be using this link to find the gifts for our own first of a kind, Jolabokaflod that we will celebrate this year!
Now I have to add an addendum: This idea is not for every one and if you are interested there are a host of "OTHER" reviews that might help you find that perfect gift if you are celebrating in a more traditional way.
May Your Christmas be everything that you hold dear to your hearts and may you enjoy each other's company making great memories as you go along! Blessings to all!
Friday, November 4, 2022
Best Gifts for Christmas 2023 - Recommended by Our Contributors
Each contributor has selected one gift to recommend here. There are gift selections for women, men, children, and there is even a gift suggestion for pet owners included!
We have a larger selection of choices featured on our Christmas Gifts Pinterest board, if needed.
We invite you to sit back and enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own home!
Best Gift for Readers
Kindle Unlimited Gift SubscriptionCheck PriceYears ago, my daughter gave me a Kindle Paperwhite.
Even though I was hesitant to set aside physical books, once I started reading books on my Kindle, I found I really liked how lightweight and thin it was compared to an actual book. It is so easy to slip into my backpack, tote or purse and take my entire collection of books with me anywhere I go. This is especially awesome when we travel.
My mother-in-law lives in a small apartment on a very fixed income. She doesn't have room or money for an extensive book collection. The Kindle made the perfect Christmas gift for her. We included a subscription to Kindle Unlimited with her Kindle and we can renew it every year, if desired. Since she loves the Kindle & the subscription, I expect this is something we will do for years to come. Kindle Unlimited allows her access to thousands of books for free. It is like owning your own multi-level library full of your preferred genres of books!
I love the Kindle Paperwhite for reading books, but if you want colored images on your e-reader, I recommend the Kindle Fire. Great for Cookbooks, Magazines, video games & more.Gift choice from Sylvestermouse - To Read Her Full Review, Click Here
Wild Bird 24 oz. Wire Tube Nugget Feeder Check Price
Best Gift for Nature Lovers & Photographers
My husband and I enjoy spending time sitting at our kitchen table and watching the birds in our backyard.
I have several feeders in our backyard, but my favorite is this wonderful feeder that holds suet nuggets. This feeder attracts a variety of birds, particularly different woodpeckers and nuthatches.
I keep it up and full year-round and set up my camera to photograph the wide variety of birds that visit this feeder.
Gift choice from Mbgphoto
The Best Gift for Those Who Like Tool Organization
Grypmat Pro, Original Flexible Tool Tray Organizer, Industrial Strength, and Heat Resistant Silicone-Polymer Mat, Non-Magnetic, Grips To Any Surface With Easy Clean Up, Seen on Shark Tank (Trio Pack)Check PriceGrypmat is a trademarked, silicone tool organizer that sticks to surfaces and keeps your tools near you while you are working. It holds tools, bolts, screws, and other items and prevents them from rolling away or getting lost while protecting your work surface.
In December 2020, I gave my best friend a Grypmat. I was so glad to give a gift that has been so useful and enjoyed by him. My friend fixes anything and everything; automotive, HVAC, and major home repairs just to name a few of his specialities. I had witnessed times where he dropped tools into areas that are difficult to reach so I bought a Grypmat for him. He said he loved it then. I recently asked if he still uses it and he gave an emphatic yes. He said, "I like that it's chemical resistant and hasn't bloated, weakened, or stained." My friend was so excited to talk about it that he offered to send me photos of his current project using the Grypmat. I declined. I am taking his word for it that he recommends and uses the Grypmat.
The mats come in a couple of different colors and three different sizes. You can purchase just one mat or a set of three. It is a plus that Grypmat is a Veteran-founded company founded by former Air Force F-16 Mechanic, Tom Burden. Be careful to purchase the Grypmat instead of a knock-off. The imitations are not the same quality.
Gift choice from Dawn Rae - To Read Her Full Review, Click Here
Best Gift For Shipping Food
1 lb Glazed Pecan Tin | River Street SweetsCheck Price
For more variety, check out their pecan pralines or fantastic fudge.
Gift choice from Wednesday Elf - To Read Her Full Review,
Click Here
Best Gift For Christmas Decor
12Pcs Ivory Resin Nativity Figurines Set Christmas Ornaments GiftsCheck Price
Best Gift For Exercising
Best Gift For Coffee Lovers
Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker, Single Serve & 12-Cup Carafe Drip Coffee Brewer, For K-Cup Pods or Ground CoffeeCheck PriceIt was the perfect gift for our two-person household and is one that he uses every day to make his cup or two of coffee. He uses two refillable pods, which make the Keurig a more economical and environmentally friendly choice.
I love that it brews one cup of coffee for Chris or a whole pot when our family is home for the holidays.
For small households like ours or homes with few coffee drinkers most of the time, this is the perfect coffee maker.
Best Gift for Outdoor Enthusiasts
These eco friendly fire starters by Gerossi are fast, convenient and oh so easy to use!
The gift all love to receive, but rarely purchase for themselves.
These little fire starters are a game changer to start smokeless fires whether at home, the park, the campsite or in your yard!
Perfect for backyard fire pits, barbeques, tabletop fire pits and old fashioned campfires.
Gift choice from The Savvy Age
Best Gift For Music Lovers
Shokz (AfterShokz) OpenMove - Open-Ear Bluetooth Sport Headphones - Bone Conduction Wireless Earphones - Sweatproof for Running and WorkoutsCheck Price A good set of headphones is a must for anyone who enjoys listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. My husband and I love our Shokz bone-conduction Bluetooth headphones, which are extremely lightweight and comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time. They deliver superb sound quality and leave our ears uncovered so we can hear a phone ringing or a car approaching.
Best Gift For the Cook
The Ninja Foodi Indoor 5 in 1 Grill will be the perfect addition to your kitchen. We've had ours for a couple of years now and wonder how we ever got along without it.
Wolf-Garten RR1500 Bypass Secateurs, 28.1x3.62x2.5 cm, RedCheck Price
Best Gift for Gardening
Wolf-Garten By Pass Secateurs are a treasured practical gift that I use frequently in the garden for a variety of small and large pruning tasks.
Gift choice from Raintree Annie - To Read Her Full Review,
Click Here
Best Gift For Pet Owners
HOVONO Double-Compartment Pet Carrier Backpack for Small Cats and DogsCheck Price
I really love my Hovono Double Compartment Pet Carrier because it has
so many uses!
Not only can I take more than one of my cats to the vet at a time, I can also take my two kitties hiking with me!
It can also be used as a backpack for camping, the large double compartments will hold all the equipment you need.
The best part is knowing that if I need to leave my home in an emergency, I can pack both my girls and leave with them safe and comfortable. I highly recommend this!
Gift Recommendations for Children
Kids Toy Tin Tea Set & Carrying Case
Recommended by Sylvestermouse Collectible Funko Wizard of Oz Plushies
Recommended by Treasures by Brenda Sleepy Time Gifts for Kids
Recommended by Wednesday Elf Family Game Night - Here to Slay
Recommended by Dawn Rae Battleship Classic Board Game
Recommended by Sam
MORE CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS
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The Review This Reviews Contributors
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Memory of Our Beloved Friend and Fellow Contributor
We may be apart, but
You Are Not Forgotten