Mugs: Do not pass go, head directly to your kitchen, open the cupboard where you keep your coffee mugs and count them. I’ll wait. Oh, and don’t forget the insulated ones you take with you in the car – count them too! And the ones you have put away because you could not bear to part with them because of sentimental value. Now, in the comments, share how many you counted. (Just curious, no judgment.) Do you have a favorite mug? And in case you were wondering, cats are the most popular pet in the United States: There are 88 million pet cats and 74 million dogs. How are these two things connected? Kelley runs Max and Plugs, an exceptional online pet store that sells mugs just like her mug, so if you want one you are in luck!

Thieves: OK, I’ll tell you a secret. A deep, dark secret. I’ve known Cynthia for about 14 years. Admittedly, I haven’t know her well for all 14 years, but well enough to know that she is not an Advil-popping kind of gal – and despite the fact that she will drink an occasional Coke, she would be one of my go-to people If I wanted insight into the best organic chocolate. (I don’t.) However, when she would talk about the essential oils “thieves,”  I thought she was saying “bees.” For a very long time I thought she was a beekeeper and harvested some sort of oil from them. (It’s true, Cynthia – I’ve waited all these years to share this with you.) And when she offered to send my sweet mom some “bees,” I was concerned and confused (my hearing isn’t good, mind you) and asked her to spell it for me. OH, THIEVES. OK, OK. At this point I didn’t know anything more about thieves, but I did know it came in a bottle and did not buzz…and I tried it. It became one of the essential oils, along with lavender, that I have learned to appreciate for its healing properties. (My other favorite is tea tree oil. Cole never had lice, despite being exposed, so amen. God bless tea oil.)  I digress. Remember: These reviews are all about randomness. Cynthia, I think I’ll order both reviewers a bottle of thieves.

Submitted by: Kelley

Reviewer: Carmella Highwater

I was really happy when I received this photo for review as I knew this was a gal after my own heart; both a cat and coffee lover!

The playfulness of the coffee cup tells me this is a fun person who loves to have a good time. It also clearly indicates this is not just any cat lover. No. This is a CRAZY CAT LOVER, which leads me to believe she is no stranger to the sound of hairballs being hacked up. Much like scooping the litter box, hairballs are just part of her daily routine and she’s not afraid to tackle either like a boss. No squirming for this gal.

I suspect she has more than one home décor item related to cats, whether it is an embroidered throw pillow with a witty cat saying or a picture of her feline friends hanging as a focal point in whatever room she spends most of her time. Black clothing is a thing of the past for this person while lint rollers are a necessity. Her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts most likely have numerous photos of her cats doing what cats do and she’s not ashamed to share them. She loves her kitties and would do most anything for them and that’s okay because it shows she is a kind person with a big heart.

In order to keep up with the demands of her kitty-kids her kitchen holds an elaborate coffee brewing system. A dark, caffeine-filled cup of coffee is essential to get her day started and keep it going, as any cat owner knows the cats are in charge and they wait for no one. They decide when they eat, where they sleep, what mischief they will get into and whether or not she can do any computer type work from home without one or more of them deciding the keyboard is a good place to nap. Coffee is the fuel that keeps her going and she is a real go-getter.

At the end of her busy days, she loves to settle down with a good book, probably switching from coffee to a warm cup of tea with her feline companions snuggled close beside her. She loves the sound of a peaceful purr that lets her know all is right in her world as she ends one day and prepares to start another.

All in all I conclude this lady is truly the cat’s meow powered by caffeine. I like that in a person. MEOW!

Reviewer: Adolph Deflor

Kitty footprints on the INSIDE of this cup? Clearly the owner is not germaphobic; the mere suggestion that a cat may have stepped on the inside of this cup would paralyze my desire to fill it with tea, even if the footprint IS heart-shaped. Not only is the owner not germaphobic, but she is not a man. No man, even the gayest of the gays, would use this cup–just sayin’.  That being said, let’s face it: anyone who identifies so deeply with her cat-ownership that she is willing to proclaim it on her cup is, indeed, as she admits, crazy. Crazy-fun, though! Because this is not a mug of a shy person, a person who does not want to be asked about her cats, right? And isn’t there just one burning question that this mug is begging you to ask its owner? How many? Indeed…how many cats does it take for the cup-owner to declare herself crazy about cats? I am just going to go out on a limb and say that more than three cats is crazy, but it’s not about me…so ask her. How many, Lady? Or is it not cat-quantity but depth of feline devotion…perhaps she is cat-monogamous. Maybe she has just one cat, but Cat Lady is so devoted that it has every cat-accoutrement from the pet boutique, and eats organic cat food in a sweet little ceramic bowl that says, “I LOVE MY CAT LADY.” Inquiring minds want to know.

Submitted By: Cynthia

Reviewer: Tic Tac

I’m not sure I can impartially review this product or person!  I don’t trust anything that I am supposed to gargle with and swallow that is also good to clean my toilets and use as an underarm deodorant (101 Ways To Use Thieves).  God help me, I believe this stuff may be good for the environment and perhaps helpful for humans but I just can not get on board.  I barely trust baking soda (brush your teeth and put out fires??)  Some times I like things that specialize.  Oral care OR cleaning supply OR deodorizer.  CHOOSE. Putting my own biases aside, I believe this person is honest and ernest in her desire to save the world from all things chemical.

Reviewer: Les Aspirin

Thieves. I began to read the description of this item and I was whisked back in time to a simpler world. As we all know, simple has many uses as a word. Simple can mean easy or stupid, for example – or both. In a simpler world, people known as carpetbaggers would go from town to town, selling their items. Hucksters – or peddlers of wares, or whatever name you wish to use – sold items that would do it all: clean your clothes, cure the common cold, and bring rain – all in one bottle. And people would believe because this person would speak with authority and seemed so sure of himself and his snake oil. After all, they were simple people.

Some will read this and think it a negative review of this person…and that could not be further from the truth. Items, products and things are rarely great at several things, but people can be. The term from the Middle Ages is Renaissance man, meaning a person with many talents – a person who could run and write, paint and fight, sculpt and think, even rhyme and drink. Many consider Leonardo da Vinci that kind of person. While this person may never paint the Mona Lisa or invent the airplane, he may be a rare multitalented multi-tasker – a person who can bring home the bacon and cook it up in a pan.

You know what’s good on bacon? This stuff called thieves . . .

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Good to Know:

The average person has 22 coffee mugs

Thieves was created (Young Living) based on research about four thieves in France who covered themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims.

I will be back soon with two more reviews. Don’t forget to leave comments, questions, and observations to win a random prize.

Forgive me I forgot to Thank our submitters and Reviewers. Thank you more times than mugs in peoples cupboards. ♥

Odd Loves Company

Review 1: Jar Opener and Lap Top