Let's Talk Google+

Occasionally, I am writing about different social media websites. I use to promote my blog posts. Plus, the posts of fellow writers / bloggers. If you are a writer of any sort of site, social media is the best way to get your websites noticed. Sign up and start promoting / sharing your writing and website links.

Google+ History

Google+ was founded in 2011. It is owned and operated by the Google Inc. It is another social media website. Where people connect, share and comment. You must be registered to share or comment.

Google+ uses "circles", where you can organize your friends. By adding them to different lists. That way when you share something, you can direct it to a certain group of people on a list. Are you a member of Google+?

It reminds me of the way Facebook allows you to place people in different list.

Follow me, I follow you

As with other media websites. I tend to follow all those who follow me. Except for those who share things of : Abuse, nudity or spam. As I like reading on a bunch of different niches and writing styles.

Share Your Photos on Google+

Sunflower taken from last years garden.
Sandy KS aka ©rusty2rusty

I tend to share my blog posts. I help to promote my friends writings and blog posts. I share photography and much more. The above photo, I use on my profile on Google+, as a cover photo. What do you think of it? I am always looking for photography tips and pointers. I took the photograph out in my back yard last past summer. I share photography on a variety of subjects. From  Animals in the area I live, my dogs & cat, freebies I send out for, sunflowers, clouds, and rain storms and photographs related to my niche subjects..

Google+ is a great way to promote your writings and blog posts with other like minded people. It doesn't matter what writing site or blog you write for. I would love to connect with others who use Google+ too.

I would love for you to connect with me on Google+. If you are not a member already. You need to register. You can connect by clicking my profile link :  

https://plus.google.com/+SandySegurrusty2rusty/posts

I would love to see your blog posts over on Google+. As I find many blog posts I don't find on other social media websites. I leave comments on this way and share them.

If you are looking to gain more connections in Google+, please leave your Google+ profile link in the comments below. This is not a follow for follow blog post. People can leave their link if they are looking for new connections. Those looking for new connections can check out link to see if they wish to connect or not.

Are you a member of Google+? If so, what do you like about Google+ the most? What do you like about it the least?

Hostess Brownies MilkyWay Review

The other day I was shopping at Dollar General. When my teen age daughter talked me in to picking up a box of Hostess Brownies MilkWay's. While we was in the check out line. 

It was impulse buy that I don't normally do. I have got away from buying snacks at the stores. Instead I started making my own. Since the heating element has went out in my stove. The only way to make a brownie or cake is in my baby cakes maker. I didn't ant to that. So, I picked up a box for my family to try out.

As you can tell from the picture, the actual product does not look like it appears to be on the box. It never does. It always looks better on the box.

Taking a bite out of the Hostess Brownies MilkWay, I tasted chocolate. It tasted like a chocolate brownie. It did have small chunks of MilkyWay on top. I was able to taste. Maybe if their was more toppings added It would of tasted like a MilkyWay and a Brownie mixed together.

If you want a sweet treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. This product will do the job. I took two bites and passed it on to my teenage son to finish. He loved them and wants to me to the Hostess M&M Brownies to try next.

I don't know if I am going to do that or not. I have to think about it.

If I hate to rate this from 1 to 5. 5 begin the highest rated. I would rate this a 4. I think hostess did a great job in coming up with a sweet treat to satisfy our taste buds for something sweet. However, I think they slightly missed the mark when you could not taste a MilkyWay and a brownie in every bite.  

Teriyaki Chicken Over Fried Rice

Last weekend my boyfriend two my two teenagers to a lake. It is a lake we go to each year with some friends to celebrate father's day. The lake has zip lines, several different kinds of slides and other things to do. I decided not to go for several reasons. 

1. Temperatures were in the 90's - I can't handle hot temperatures. As my body will swell and I have a hard time breathing.

2. Mother nature decided to give me some really bad cramps. Sometimes being a woman really sucks.
3. My GERD was really being a beast. As I was up all night long and morning puking my guts out. I was not in any condition to visit with friends and go swimming.

I was lucky though. My oldest boy, his baby momma and my grandson stopped over to see how I was doing. He made me a homemade teriyaki chicken over rice. 

You can see he made this from scratch. He used frozen peas, corn and carrots, brown rice, chicken pieces and created a yummy stir fry with a teriyaki with pineapple marinade.

I love that my son has a knack for cooking as much as I do. Cooking is something I have taught each of my children to have a skill in.

When the last time someone made you dinner?

Cool Off With Smoothies

I finally broke down and bought another blender. This time I went to Wal-mart and picked up the cheapest one I could find made of plastic. Since my daughter broke three in the past year. 

Yes, I Said Three 

The first one was a Elite Cuisine 17-Piece personal Drink Blender with four traveling cups from Wal-mart. The second was similar from Aldi's. The third was a very old heavy glass blender I recived from my mother. 

Hands Off

This newest blender, I told my daughter hands off. She is not allowed to touch it. As she breaks them. If she wants something made. I will make it for her. She may be turning sixteen in August. However, she has a lot to learn about respecting other people's property. I have repeatily taught my teens to return any item borrowed in the same or better condition.

As I am tired of replacing my appliances because my children seem to break them by trying to push them past their limits. Or for some unknown reason placing them on top of the stove. Which my daughter climbs on top of to get in the cupboards above. While forgetting she placed the blender there. Accidentally knocks it to the floor where glass flies everywhere.

Does It Measure Up?

After using several blenders, I compared my newest one to the others. Does it measure up? yes and no.

It blends beautifully. It turns the frozen fruit in to smoothies. As for ice, not so much. I always find huge chunks of ice when making smoothies with fresh fruit. I notice this blender does better with frozen fruit. Where no ice is needed.

What Kind Of Food Does It Blend?

I have blended an assortment of fruit of with no issues. One day my oldest son was over with his baby's momma and my grandson. It was hot. We didn't feel like eating. So, I suggested smoothies for everyone. As I recently picked up a selection of frozen fruit from 

Wal-mart. I picked frozen mango, strawberry, mixed berry, strawberry / banana, and several other combinations.

I told my oldest son (the one into eating healthy and weight lifting) that I liked making smoothies when I don't feel like eating much during the day but, need something due to my sugars levels being up or down. As fruit and how you prepare it can be very healthy for you. I have been trying to find more healthier drinks and meals due to having type 2 diabetis. 

I recived a book on making different types of smoothies. Called "Green Smoothies" I wrote a review about it. You read about it here : 

http://rusty2rustyschatter.blogspot.com/2016/01/green-smoothies-book-review.html 

I have been trying the different recipes out.

Do you like smoothies? 

What is your favorite smoothie?

Smoothie Recipe
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Making smoothies is easy. You need a blender, frozen fruit, and milk. Honey or sugar is optional.

You place 1 cup of milk in blender. Add 2 cups of your frozen fruit. Blend. Taste. If it is to tart or sour, add 1 teaspoon of honey. Or a half cup of sugar. Blend. Taste.

Either drink or add more honey or sugar for more sweetness.

If the mixture is to thick, add more milk.

I tend to use Stevia. If I run out of honey.  I also like to add Chia seeds for the health benefits. Sprinkled on top, they make any smoothie look delicious.

Promote Your Blogs On Twitter

Twitter is an excellent way to promote your blogs. Many of my friends promote their blog links on Twitter. As well as share other people's blog links.

Twitter History 

Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Noah Glass, and Evan Williams. Twitter employs over 3,000 people. Twitter is a social media website where you can share a short message called tweets, up to 140 characters.

Grow A Twitter Following
I have 1208 followers on Twitter and growing by the day.  When I first signed up for Twitter. I was intimated on sharing links. I was afraid I would share to many and be considered spam. I was wrong in thinking that way. To grow Twitter followers you need to be active on your account. I wasn't active. I notice a few of my friends who were active. So, I asked them a few questions on how I can gain followers on Twitter. Plus the in's and out's.

Follow Me On Twitter

If you are not already following me on Twitter. I invite you to do so : https://twitter.com/rusty2rusty
Once you get to Twitter. Sign in or register for an account, if you do not already have one. To follow someone, go to their profile. You should see a button in the upper right hand corner that says 'follow'. Click on 'follow'. It is as simple as that.

Follow Those Who Follow You
I like to follow all those who follow me. Unless they share things I am against or not interested. Such as : Abuse, nudity, sex, or spam. I normally follow back with in a week's time.

You can find other members of Twitter who follow the same blog niches as you. There are several ways to do this :

1. On the left side of your profile. It will say who to follow. It will list some names. If interested click follow.

2. Below that it says find friends. You can do that by looking through your contacts in Gmail and Outlook. 

3. In the search bar, add your friends name or what you enjoy learning and reading about. 

Follow The Ones You Want

You do not have to follow all the niches or names that come up. Only follow the ones you think you will interested in or want to learn more about. 

My Favorite Niches To Follow

My favorites niches to follow and promote are : food related, animals & pets, home & garden, family, blog posts, and much much more.

Twitter Link Up

I encourage you to follow me on Twitter : https://twitter.com/rusty2rusty

If you want more Twitter followers, I suggest you leaving your Twitter link in the comments below. Follow all those interest you. If other bloggers are interested in gaining more followers. They will follow you back.

Do you have a Twitter account? Do you want more Twitter followers?

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Photos from Pixabay.com a  free use photo website.

Working In The Garden

A year ago I was having a dilemma of  what to do with the area under the tree. I wanted to take the area underneath my tree. Right here and move it. As nothing can grow very well. Except weeds. As the tree shades the area to much. I wanted to remove the wood border and move it to the other side of the yard by the fence. I know the extra dirt over time will slide down to the back of the yard. As the backyard towards the back of the fence fills with water every time it rains. Til we can get the time to move the dirt down. By shovel to that area. 

The area has been tilled up. As most of it is clay. Few things will grow in a shade under a tree. Sunflowers do great!!

 I have started to use pallets to build a garden. I still need to place some cardboard under the bottom pallets. Well, I ordered two book cases from Wal-mart. They came in. As soon as they can be put together. I will use the cardboard under the bottom pallets. I will fill them in will mulch and dead leaves this fall. Next spring I will fill the top pallets with dirt in order to have a garden. I had plans this year but things happened that placed it on the back burner.

This will free up more of the yard for the dogs to run around, the grandson to play, and my teens as they like to throw footballs back and fourth. 

The cost will be buying dirt to fill the pallets. I think it would worth it in the end. 

The tomatoes I planted in the front flower beds in the small pallets are growing well. I can't wait til they start producing. This tells me when I finally get the one set up in the backyard. I will be able to produce a lot of different vegetables. Maybe strawberries or grape to.

I have been checking out different article and blogs for designs and ideas when it comes to planting in pallets.

There are so many ideas for the use of pallets. From making gardens to making chairs and tables. Pinterest has a ton of ideas. have you ever recycled pallets for another use? If so, what did you do?

Add An Email Subscribe To Your Blog

I like to read blogs. In order for me to keep up with my favorite blogs. I follow those I can by email. I may not comment on every one I receive. However, I do read and view each and every one. As I only subscribe to the ones I am interested in. Over time, some bloggers stop adding to their blogs. Or start another one and do not post on a daily basis. This helps my email not get blown up with thousands of emails.

Adding a way for visitors to follow your blog by emails is a great way to increase your blog followers. Those that enjoy what they see will help promote your blog by sharing it through various social media sites.

I have added a way for readers to follow through email subscription on Blogger. You can sign through the Hello bar for email subscription. Or use the widget on the side bar. You can set up a hello bar for email subscribers by going to the Hello Bar website. You get notified through a news letter of new content.

If you want to add one using Blogger. You can do so by adding a widget to your side bar. You do that by going to layout. Click on add gadget. A box will pop up with different gadgets. Look through them til you find that says 'follow by email'. Click on the blue + sign.  Another box will pop up. All you need to do is click save. Than select save arrangement in orange near the top. Than click view blog. You should see where a 'follow by email' gadget has been added. Anyone can subscribe to your blog and receive a new email each time you create a new blog post.

Have you added a way for readers to subscribe to your blog yet?

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 Photos from Pixabay a free use photo website.

Lucky Dog Grain Free Roast Duck Treats

I was lucky enough to be selected to review a treat for my dogs that is grain free roast duck recipe with carrots and oranges. Made by Lucky Dog. It came in 12 ounces.


On the back of the box it claims the recipes only contain quality ingredients. Such as flax seed to promote healthy skin etc. With the six other flavors listed below. Which is great except this particular recipe does not have flax seed in the ingredients. It would led the consumer to believe this products has it in it. Unless they actually check the ingredients. I suggest always double checking to see what the ingredients is in any of your pets treats or dog food for this reason.

Ingredients include: Potato, pea, and tapioca flour, canola oil, duck, carrots, peas and oranges. Calories per treat is sixteen.

The shape of the treat is like a four leaf clover or flour. It is a hard biscuit. It is small in size. As I placed one next to my 5.6 lb Chihuahua wired haired mix to show it's approximate size. He sat very sit as I took the picture. As he has been trained to do a few commands to receive a treat.


While Rascal was waiting for his treat. Kit Kat the feline came racing up and grabbed his snack. Ran for cover. I do not endorse giving these treats for cats. As they were made for dogs. However, Kit Kat sure liked them. She came begging for a second. Which I did not give.

However, I did give Rascal another. After I placed Kit Kat in her room. I also gave one to my Chug named Moose. Both dogs and Kit Kat loved the treats. They have had duck many times before. It is one of their favorite treats. I think I have found another one of their favorites with this particular flavor.

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I received this product for free, a deep discount or I paid shipping and handling. In exchange for an honest review. based on my families and my personal experiences.
Photos © belong to me Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

Fried Salmon With Green Beans

I was playing around in different free online photo editing websites. You can find a bunch of them through Google search engine. I am thinking of creating a post about the ones I use the most often. Maybe explain a little bit about each one.

Created by me under the copy righted name Minipin Pixels

I got my start editing photos when I was creating pixel signature tags in between the births of my teen son and teen daughter. 

Now I alter photos of the food that I eat, new recipes, animals, nature and my family.

Fried Salmon
******************
1st bowl
1 cup of flour
2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
Blend well, set aside

2nd bowl
4 eggs scrambled
Set aside

3rd bowl
1 cup of milk
Set aside

Take one piece of salmon. Dip in 3rd bowl, than in 2nd bowl, than in 1st bowl. make sure it is covered completely with flour. If some parts do not coat. Re-do all three steps. This will not hurt. It will have more of breading on it.

Place in pre-heated frying pan with olive oil.
Fry each side til they are golden brown. Remove and serve.

Tip : If anything is left over in all three bowls. You mix them together and fry them up like pancakes. It will be a fried bread. Do not use to much oil. Otherwise it will not turn out.

Playing With New Pet Toys

I picked up a few toys for the dogs and cat. I figure since I tend to spoil the dogs by always picking up a new toy or treat from the stores. It is time I start doing the same with the cat. 

I picked up a few tennis balls that were made for dogs for Rascal and Moose. I tossed out one at a time and off the dogs went after them. Rascal decided to hide the balls he grabbed in the blanket on the couch. that didn't last long before he moved them somewhere else. As the cat was trying to get them.

Kit Kat did not like Rascal guarding the tennis balls. It was time to start putting her toys out one by one. 6 came with bells. She played for hours batting the balls with bells around. She didn't see to care to much for the blue shiny balls. rascal chase the balls til he heard the bell. Than he ran the opposite way.

Kit Kat and Rascal plays together often. Rascal will be sitting on the arm of the couch or love seat. Kit Kat will jump up out of no way and swat at him and duck. rascal will look over the arm of the couch at the floor. She will pop up and do it again. Than run to her room. Rascal will follow. Next thing you know Rascal comes running back to the arm of the couch or love seat. Only for the cycle to begin again.