Deluxe 100% Cotton Damask Stripe Mattress Pad

Having purchased numerous mattress pads (because most of them are utter garbage) I was very impressed when I received this. The actual padding is very nice and a lot thicker than most pads I've seen and also doesn't look like you picked it out of a dollar store (it has a quality look to it, 300 thread count, I believe).

Now, where this really shines is the part where it isn't padded (the fabric that goes on the side of the bed that you tuck in). Most pads have this weird filter-looking material that you can easily poke your finger through. This pad has a very nice quality material thats quite stretchy but very durable. This is a quality pad and I expect it will last me a long, long time.
Deluxe 100% Cotton Damask Stripe Mattress Pad, Queen

Dream Supreme Plus 100% Gel Filled Pillows

I am not normally the type to get really excited over pillows. I wonder if there's a kind of person who can. After far too long, I had to eventually come to the realization that I needed some new ones. I have to throw in my two cents about these pillows as I go to purchase a second set (for my guest room). They are really quite lovely. I've owned them for a few months at this point and they are quite comfortable. They are quite fluffy. They are quite comfortable, like sinking your face into an artificial cloud. I don't know what other criteria to judge a pillow on other than this and price. At least than $15.00 each, I don't know what more you can ask for in a pillow.
Dream Supreme Plus 100% Gel Filled Pillows

Lodge Logic Pro 20-by-10-7/16-Inch Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle

I absolutely adore this griddle, and I use it almost every day.

At first, I wasn't sure that I wanted a cast iron griddle. They are HEAVY and not dishwasher safe . . . so I tried a few nonstick brands first --top dollar brands with high ratings.

I hated them. The nonstick surface was inferior. On a reversible griddle, the underside became sticky and difficult to clean. The heat was distributed unevenly. One claimed to be dishwasher safe, yet when I put it in the dishwasher, some of the nonstick surface came off.

I am extremely health conscious, and I use very little oil when I cook. Food often stuck to the "non-stick" surface -- go figure.

I wanted to find a great griddle that I could use for many things, including cooking like the chefs in Japanese Steak Houses -- I dreamed of using a small dash of my favorite oil and flinging shrimp, chicken and veggies on the griddle like a pro. No, I didn't think I could toss my tools in the air or catch the shrimp in my pocket . . . I just wanted the flavor and the ease of cooking.

By this time, I was on a quest, and the non-stick stuff just wasn't cutting it. I did a little research, and I learned that pros recommend the Lodge griddle, so despite my apprehension, I thought I'd give it a try.

Wow! The pre-seasoned surface is perfect and better than any non-stick surface I have ever used. Just a tiny bit of non-stick spray is all I need, and everything from pancakes to eggs flip with ease. Grilling Japanese style works perfectly.

On the grill side: whole steaks, chicken, fish -- fabulous, fast, and everything has those beautiful grill lines. Nice for grilled vegetables, too.

The griddle is indeed heavy, but it's okay. I wouldn't recommend lifting it if you have serious muscle or joint problems, and I wouldn't want to drop it on my foot, but otherwise, go for it. I'm a softie, and if I can handle it, so can you.

As for not being able to put the griddle in the dishwasher: I don't believe I'm going to say this, but I don't care about having to handwash it. The griddle cleans so easily, a few swipes and I'm done. If I forget to clean it and wake up to it the next morning (okay, so I'm not Suzy Homemaker), I just lay it straight across the top of my sink -- not IN the sink, but rather, balanced from edge to edge, on top . . . and I run a little water over it, let it set for a few minutes, and it's easy to clean.

A word of advice: Just as it says in the instructions, you need to clean the griddle without soap (water only) to preserve the pre-seasoned finish. However, should you want to use soap, you can. There are instructions included in how to re-season the griddle -- it's easy.

I frankly didn't like the idea of not cleaning with soap. I didn't feel as though the germs were destroyed . . . but soap doesn't really kill germs, it merely works as a surfactant that makes water wetter so things become easier to clean.

If you want to kill germs, heat is one of the best ways to do it. Every time you use the griddle, you preheat it on the range for about five minutes or so -- you're killing far more germs than if you had used soap!
You can also rub your griddle with a very light coating of oil, stick it in a hot oven and disinfect it that way (this is also similar to how you reseason it).

This is one of the easiest, most wonderful kitchen tools I own. It is a breeze to use, I feel like a pro flipping all that food around. Everything comes out great, and it is very easy to use, and food does not stick.

I have since added six more pieces of cast iron to my collection, one triangle cornbread/scone, a round muffin/biscuit, and four cast iron skillets. Two of the skillets are antique -- talk about well-seasoned! I do not use the bread/muffin bakers as much as I thought I would, but I use the skillets almost every day. I love them.

PS: I remember reading somewhere that using cast iron also adds iron to your diet. A nice extra, yes?
Lodge Logic Pro 20-by-10-7/16-Inch Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle

EatSmart™ Precision Pro - Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale w/ Extra Large LCD and 11 Lb. Capacity

I would prefer to write this review after some time has passed, but I want to make sure I get my thoughts out here early on.

This is my third kitchen scale. I bake all my own bread at home and good baking requires weighing the ingredients rather than volume measuring.

This scale feels very light which made me nervous at first, but I've used it for three weeks now, through a lot of baking over the holidays, and my concerns seem out of line.
This scale fits all my needs. Here is what I look for:
1. CAPACITY - AT LEAST 10 LB (this has 11 lb, or 5 kg). This is required to be able to tare out a glass bowl which can weigh near 5 lbs empty. 11 lb is still borderline when I'm making bread in a 6 qt kitchenaid bowl, but I just weigh ingredients separately in another bowl if it becomes a problem.
2. PRECISION - DOWN TO 1 GRAM - Another scale I have was only good to 5 grams and, although this was probably good enough, it drove me nuts not to be able to go down to 1 gram
3. STABLE PLATFORM FOR VESSELS -- My previous scale had a platform that sat on top of a pillar and eventually came detached. After that it was a balancing act to weight anything

4. ORDINARY BATTERIES -- I liked my old scales fine, but it drove me crazy that I had to keep buying overpriced CR2032 batteries for the things. These batteries don't last long and cost too much to replace. I can't figure out why they use these "button batteries" rather than the more common higher capacity AAA, AA, C, D, etc cells. It's not like these scales are micro-sized. In any event A BIG BIG PLUS for this scale is that it uses standard batteries! Don't sell this point short.

5. PRICE -- $50, $30, $70 for a scale to do this is crazy. the circuitry in these things is cheap. It's not rocket science. All these scales that have "features" are a waste of money. This scale does what needs to be done for $20.
6. FEATURES -- Zero the scale, read negative numbers, switch between metric and English weights, tare a bowl....that's it...that's all you need. All the rest of it is a waste of money and a further chance for failure. this does what is needed and no more.

7. EASY TO READ -- big numbers. this scale is good....Not so good about this scale (and the ONLY problem I have so far) is that big bowls tend to cover the read out a little and make it hard to pick up the weight. So far it hasn't been a big deal, but it can be a slight annoyance.

BOTTOM LINE:
This scale gets 100% on items 1-6 and about 50% on item 7 for a 93% grade overall...enough for me to give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The only remaining unrated item is DURABILITY....I'll report back in a year. My old, $50 scale only lasted 3.5 years. I'm betting this one goes at least that long...plus I won't be forking over for new button batteries every month and a half.
EatSmart™ Precision Pro - Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale w/ Extra Large LCD and 11 Lb. Capacity

Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter

I previously owned 2(!) Leifheit Pro Line cherry pitters because that's the only pitter of this kind the local stores carry. With each, the plunger fell out at the first use. Finally I got this OXO cherry pitter at Amazon, where I could see on the picture that the plunger cannot fall out. I just used it, and it's really nice to use, the splatter shield helps reducing the splatter, it's easy to clean and store. It very efficiently takes the pit out of medium size firm cherries. When cherries are very big or softer, the pit might stay connected with the cherry and it's a little harder to get it out when the splatter shield is attached. This is a minor inconvenience though and not a complaint. Altogether the OXO did it's job very well and I did not have to hammer the plunger back in only to find it go out with the next cherry again.

Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter

Sterilite 29308001 3-Drawer Wide Cart with See-Through Drawers and Black Casters, White

I use this to store clothing in (and my roommate has one too, also with clothing inside). We both have all 3 drawers filled with t-shirts, other shirts, jeans etc. This stuff is thick and totally fills up the drawers, as well as puts lots of weight in them. I have my set up on an old wooden desk, and it does not move around at all, and even takes my cats jumping on it with no evidence of them having done so. In my roommate's room, he has the drawers sitting on the floor in front of a window (in between 2 taller wooden dressers) and the cats (we have 4 young adults about 10-15 lbs each) all jump on the set of drawers as well on the top of the dressers, and like to sleep on the LARGE pile of extra blankets that are sitting ontop of the drawers. This set shows no dramatic bending of the plastic top, though it does obviously get it to bend slightly under all that weight and stress. Top drawer can still be easily opened even with this slight "damage" to it.


I must say that I actually LOVE these drawers as they are just the perfect width for use with larger items (like clothing) and not just craft items or other small things, and the height of each drawer as well as the depth seem great as well. The only thing I could think of to ask for, would be to have them in different colors (like black) and maybe have the drawer plastic be a little bit more opague... I guess the frame plastic could be a bit thicker, but the 2 sets of drawers that we have in this apartment seem to be holding up pretty good with what we have so far tested them with.
Sterilite 29308001 3-Drawer Wide Cart with See-Through Drawers and Black Casters, White

Pyrex Storage 10-Piece Set, Clear with Blue Lids

A passionate home cook that has been honing her cooking skills for the last 25 years writes this review. My favorite cookbooks are "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute and "Culinary Artistry. Cooking is my form of therapy. I have owned my set of these for at least 5 years, and possibly longer. I have not broken a single piece in that time. This may not sound like much but I am hard on things, and for all of them to still be intact is a minor miracle in my home. The glass is very tough.

Pros:
1. Glass is very tough, seems almost indestructible
2. I like that they are not plastic, so I feel safe about reheating food in them
3. The lids fit well for the first 4 years or so
4. Replacement lids are available at the Corning and Revere Factory Outlet stores
5. These containers fit well into lunch bags so that you family can take your healthy home cooked food to work or school.
6. The containers stack well inside each other for space cramped kitchens
7. You can bake in these and then cool the food (I place the entire container into a roasting pan filled with ice water) put on the lid and slide the pan into the refrigerator.
8. You freeze can food in these containers

Cons:
1. The lids do stretch and warp over time, I recommend buying extra lids before you need them. My lids lasted approximately 4 years.

Overall, I would recommend these to anyone that likes to cook in quantity and doesn't like to reheat food in plastic. I use these everyday in my kitchen.
Pyrex Storage 10-Piece Set, Clear with Blue Lids

OXO Salad Spinner

If you want to get a bit fancy with your salad spinning, this is the one to buy. Not only can you spin the lettuce and remove all the water, you can use the bowl to serve a salad or store lettuce in the inner bowl.

It is so easy to use. You release the lock mechanism at the top and press down. The inner basket starts to spin, removing most of the water from the lettuce. I love the fact that you can rinse the lettuce in the removable inner basket.

You really win with this one. Wash, spin, store...so much less to wash and it is never boring. It is quite large so you do need a big space to store it in the refrigerator, unless you have a big refrigerator, then it is no problem.

If you have memories of trying to swing lettuce around in a kitchen towel, or have tried to use paper towels while they are falling apart all over the lettuce, you must try spinning in this great salad spinner. Once you have spun the lettuce you can remove the inner bowl and dump out the water.
OXO Salad Spinner

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife

The Forschner 40520 was rated as "best overall" in Cooks magazine in Fall 2004. Pretty good report card from "the" chefs magazine. It took top honors over several high end ($80 -$100+) Wusthofs and Henckel models. While they didn't claim that the Forschner was better at any one specific task or that the craftsmanship can stand up to the others (its blade is cut from a blank ribbon of steel, instead of a hand-forged one piece) they did say that its lighter weight was preferred by some of their testers and that it handled the basics just as well as more expensive models. I just took delivery of mine last week and I am putting it to the test. I can say that it arrives razor sharp...nice... and that it's fairly well balanced. The handle is made of a grippy composite that allows you to securely hold firm if wet or in akward positions. The handle is a little longer than others I've owned, maybe too long for small hands, but it is contoured so you can move up towards the blade for better control. The blade does have a nice rocked contour, which makes chopping & dicing easier. I've grown to prefer ligher weight blades and you don't sacrifice much when it's this sharp. Overall I would say that for the price, this is a great chef knife..time will tell if any problems develop. Definitely doesn't have the same craftsmenship or allure of one of the high end Germans, but if your looking for a highly functional, lightweight, standard chef, it's hard to go wrong here.
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Oster 4207 Electric Wine-Bottle Opener

As a person who loathes cheap, clutter, infomercial widgets I bought this out or sheer curiosity imagining it would be returned the same day. This opener is large, requires an electric plug and takes up counter space. But to my surprise it works amazingly well. There is a foil cutter that is stored in the base. The screw enters cleanly and seems to eliminate broken and shredded corks which can be frustrating. Hold the button again and the cork emerges from the device and drops out. I always liked my sturdy and simple stainless steel opener. But this turned out to be a keeper. It's design is contemporary and clean, although it looks like it should do something more profound than just pull a cork. It's also a conversation piece provoking smiles from guests. A pleasant surprise, highly recommended and especially so for a person who lacks hand or wrist strength.

Oster 4207 Electric Wine-Bottle Opener

Brother CS6000I 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple Stitch Functions

This machine represents the most incredible value-for-money on the market today. It is very, very easy to use, and the manual is exceptionally helpful. It comes with every foot and accessory you could ever possibly need. In fact, there is nothing more you can buy for it. Compare that to the other sewing machine manufacturers, which give you only the most basic feet and then you must purchase everything else separately. If you have been hankering for the convenience of fully computerized sewing, automatic needle threading, push-button sewing, and lots of fun stitches, don't hesitate. I highly recommend this machine. I've owned very expensive machines from all the top manufacturers, and would not recommend it if the stitches were not beautiful or if it were loud or junky. This was given to me as a gift (I'm ashamed to say I would probably have walked right past it because of its low price) and I love it so much, I have gone on to buy the Brother serger here on Amazon, and also a $999.00 Brother Innovis, which is another tremendous bargain. I was really pleased to see that even the more expensive machine uses the same bobbins and feet as this one, and this has many of the same features. This $200 machine comes iwth virtually all the same attachments as the $1000 one.

This is the machine that some of the larger sewing and quilting expos are using in their workshops now because they are so lightweight, easy to learn, and reliable. High end Berninas and Vikings are just too complicated for people to sit down and learn at in a classroom setting, and they are way too expensive. This machine is the Featherweight of the 21st century, with tons of stitches and fun built in. Go for it!!!
Brother CS6000I 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple Stitch Functions

Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator

I bought one of these on a whim when the product launched just before Christmas, 2006. It seemed like a perfect - if unnecessary - stocking stuffer for my wife, since we're both wine enthusiasts. I never really felt these "gimmick" aerators did much that a solid 1/2 hour decanting couldn't do. Boy was I wrong.

The device itself is attractive, compact and solidly built. It appears to be a simple oblong plexiglass "funnel" with a rubber grip. There are two small channels in the center of the funnel, which look like "cracks" in the plastic (I've read product info that assures worried buyers these cracks are proper and unavoidable). Wine is poured through the top of the funnel, and immediately a suction sound is heard as the pouring draws air into the wine before it escapes out the bottom of the funnel. The aerator is easily held, and I've never had a problem with spills.

Now on to the "effect" of the Vinturi. I've been using the Vinturi for 5 months now, on a variety of wines ... from a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck", to a nice '98 Vietti Barolo, to a bottle of 97' Phelps Insignia. In every circumstance, with every wine, I've noticed a significant improvement in the quality of the wine when poured through the Vinturi, as opposed to tasted directly from bottle. The flavours are more blended, the finish is less acidic, and frankly, it has made most of the wines I drink a more pleasurable experience, from sniff to swallow. I've conducted several "blind" tastings with friends, and we all agree - this thing works.

If you're a serious wine drinker - or shopping for a wine drinker in your life - give this product a try. At $40, it's about the price of a decent California Cabernet, and will yield results for decades to come. I plan on picking up a few dozen this Christmas and giving them out as gifts to business clients.

Hoover WindTunnel Upright Type Y Vacuum Bags Microfiltration with Closure - 9 Pack

We have a Hoover Tempo vacuum and were looking for some Type Y replacement bags. I found these bags on Amazon and was amazed by the very good price so I took a chance and ordered some.

The bags arrived as promised and appeared to be robust and well made. They fit the Tempo vacuum perfectly as well. After using them for some time my wife, the vacuuming engineer, reports they are "just fine" and comparable to the more expensive bags we had been using. We will be re-ordering these bags when needed. When it comes to finances, I believe every bit of savings helps and we did save money by buying these bags.

Hoover WindTunnel Upright Type Y Vacuum Bags Microfiltration with Closure - 9 Pack

La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger

[IMPORTANT NOTICE on Jan 5, 2010]

My old BC-900 has served me well for the past 4 years. But recenetly there is an inrush of reports on 'meltdown' of the new BC-9009. I can only assume that La Crosse is having very poor quality control with the new model. My advice is to stay away from BC-9009 for now, until the situation has been rectified.

[Update on Apr 15, 2010]

The BC-9009 is available through Amazon again. But of course it will take a few more weeks before we can be sure if the overheating problem has been fixed. If any brave soul decide to order one to try out, I encourage you to exercise the charger fully (Refresh at the 1A current setting) for a few days, and watch for any signs of overheating (such as hot-spot on the base of the charger). Make sure to let us know the outcome.

[Original review follows]
I have a La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger since nearly two years ago, and I'm very happy with it. When the Maha Powerex MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer was announced, its looked even better on paper than the BC-900. So I also bought the C9000 one month ago. Here is my assessment for those two chargers:

First, let's get the similarities out of the way. Both the BC-900 and the C9000 are powerful battery analyzers/conditioners which can also be used as your everyday battery chargers. Both chargers accept one to four AA or AAA cells with independent charging currents. Both come with universal (100-240V AC) adapter.
Next, the differences:
1. SIZE:
First thing you'll notice is that the Maha C9000 is HUGE for a 4-AA-cell charger. It is about twice as large as the BC-900 (see my Customer Image for size comparison).

Larger size makes the C9000 less suitable as a travel charger. However, as a home charger this is actually an advantage. Extra spacing between cells allows better cooling, and also makes it easier to remove individual cell.
2. CHARGING CURRENT:
The BC-900 can provide charging current from 200 to 1000mA for 4 cells, or up to 1800mA for two cells. The C9000 can charge from 200 to 2000mA for all four cells. So if you routinely need to charge cells in a hurry, the C9000 is better.

However, due to the complicated key sequences involved (for example, to charge 4 cells at 2000mA, you need to punch in 48 key strokes!), most sane people will probably leave the C9000 at its default current of 1000mA.

3. DISPLAY:
The BC-900 has a 4-column LCD panel that shows the status (capacity, voltage, current, or time) of all four cells either simultaneously, or individually. The C9000 sports a LCD display with back-light. It is BIG, it is BRIGHT, and it works really well - as a NIGHT LIGHT!

The biggest problem with the C9000's display is that it can only show one status for one cell at any one time. It constantly toggles from one status to another, then from one cell to the next. If you have 4 cells in the charger, it takes 48 seconds or more (depending on the current activity) for the display to cycle through all 4 cells. There is also no way to pause the display. So if you missed one reading, you have to wait for it to cycle through again.

4. ANALYZING / CONDITIONING FUNCTIONS:
The BC-900 has an easy-to-use 'DISCHARGE/REFRESH' function that can be used to recondition old cells. The C9000 has a similar function called 'CYCLE', but it is very tedious to use (see the USER INTERFACE section for details).

In addition, the C9000 also has a 'BREAK-IN' mode which supposedly should be applied to new cells before first use, or to really old cells that have not been charged for years. Beware that this operation takes at least 39 hours to complete, so I doubt many people would actually use it.

5. DEAD CELL DETECTION:
If a cell is completely drained (battery terminal voltage drops below 0.5V), the BC-900 thinks it is shorted and therefore refuses to charge it. This has caused a lot of frustrations among users, but there is a way to work around it (see my BC-900 Customer Image for details). The C9000 is smarter in this aspect. If the battery terminal voltage is too low, it automatically starts charging at 125mA until the voltage rises above 1V, then it continues with the programmed charging current.

The C9000 also measures battery internal resistance when a cell is first inserted. If the user inserts an alkaline cell (which has much higher internal resistance), the C9000 displays 'HIGH' and refuses to charge it. This is a good safety feature, except that it also incorrectly rejected most of my NiMH cells bought four or five years ago. So I cannot use the C9000 to charge or recondition those old cells, even though the BC-900 reports that they still have around 1000mAh of capacity left.

6. USER INTERFACE:
With the BC-900, you can select the operation and current for all cells simultaneously, or you can change them indivdually by using the cell-selection buttons. The only limitation is that once the charging current is fixed, you cannot subsequently select a larger current without removing all cells.

The C9000 has four completely independent charging circuits that can be programmed to different currents. This may sound great at first, but in practice it soon becomes a burden, because you often need to press dozens of key stokes to program all four cells.

For example: If you want to recondition four cells on the BC-900, you'll go through the following sequence:
- insert in all 4 cells at once
- press MODE to select DISCHARGE/REFRESH (2 keystrokes*)
- press CURRENT to select charging current (2-3 keystrokes)
* Note: need to press and hold MODE for 1 second for the first keystroke

On the C9000, you can insert in all 4 cells at once, but you have to program them one at a time. Which means:
- press UP/DOWN to select 'CYCLE', then 'ENTER' (2-5 key strokes)
- press UP/DOWN to select charging current, ENTER (1-11 key strokes)
- press UP/DOWN to select discharging current, ENTER (1-6 key strokes)
- press UP/DOWN to select number of cycles, ENTER (1-13 key strokes)
Congratulations! You just finished programming the first cell. Now repeat that for the other three cells.

BOTTOM LINE:
The Maha MH-C9000 is, without a doubt, the most powerful NiMH AA battery analyzer/charger in the consumer market. However, certain design issues (such as a single-status LCD panel and ridiculously long programming sequences) make it difficult to use for multiple cells. For most of my routine charging and maintenance of NiMH cells, I'll continue to use my old La Crosse BC-900.

Nevertheless, I don't regret buying the C9000, because it was a lot of fun for me to try out all its functions. Plus I now have a really cool (but expensive) night light.
La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger

Frigidaire FAD704TDP 70-Pint Dehumidifier, White

I really liked this dehumidifier for the season and a half that it lasted. I used it in a basement and connected a drain hose for continuous operation. It had no trouble keeping my basement at 50 - 60% humidity and I really never had to do anything except check and clean the filter every few weeks. I felt the noise level was reasonable for a basement. The bucket was a little tricky to remove, but since I had it hooked up to a hose that didn't bother me too much.

Unfortunately it seems like no one can build a dehumidifier that lasts anymore. This one didn't fail completely, but it appeared that something went wrong with the humidistat or electronics. After the problems started the unit always displayed the humidity as 95% and ran continuously. I checked the hose and there was still plenty of moisture being removed so I think the compressor was still going strong. Since I had an extended warranty (I bought this from HH Gregg) I returned for repair but they decided it was too expensive to fix and now I must replace it. I may take a chance on another Frigidaire, or perhaps the Soleus 70 pint model.

I am giving this three stars because although it worked well at first, I think an appliance like this should last for 5 years at a minimum, and also if something does go wrong these should be repairable. That energy star rating means nothing if there are a stream of these headed to a landfill because they don't last.

UPDATE 06-02-2010: I decided to go with this unit as a replacement for my previous Frigidaire 70 pint unit. Just a warning, the unit I got looks slightly different... more like this one: Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier I originally thought this might be old stock, but the date of manufacture was 3/10 so I must be mistaken. Hopefully my warranty will transfer because I have a feeling I will be going through this all again in a couple years.

Frigidaire FAD704TDP 70-Pint Dehumidifier, White

Charlie's Soap Powder - 2.64 lb Bag (80 Loads)

About a year ago I was desperate. I was trying so hard to find something that would get my husbands uniforms clean. He is a garbage man and comes home covered in so much mistery grime it isn't funny. I had tried Tide, All, store brands, and every type of color safe bleach and pretreater out there. Nothing worked. His work clothes would still be heavily stained, and there were times he would come home on a rainy day saying his clothes reaked as soon as they had gotten wet.

I decided to do net search. I came across a lot of posts from diaper sites saying how great Charlie's was and how clean everything came and how well it removed the smell. Although I was not in search of a diaper detergent, I figured if it could clean those well enough maybe it would work for my problem. I went to their website and checked out their products and the information on them. I am so happy I did.

Charlie's truly does clean. My husband's clothes come out virtually stain free. Which is not bad considering what he gets on himself. The odor problem stopped too. I can use it on all of our laundry from delicates to play clothes, so there is no need for me to have multiple products lying around. It is made to work in Regular or HE machines, so when I switched my machines I did not have to find a new brand.

Other added benefits are: you do not need fabric softener, it is one of the safest detergents on the enviornment, it actually helps keep our clothes almost like new, and it is absolutely awesome for our sensitive skin. In addition to that, it safely maintains the flame retardency of childrens sleep wear and maintains the properties of many other types of working gear as well. It is also very cost effective. It costs less per load than All, Tide, Seventh Generation, and many others. You will also get a better clean than you would with any of the afore mentioned.

The company is also extremely customer orientated. They still practice the almost gone tradition of actually caring about their customers. With any purchase they offer free literature giving advice on hard water, diapers, and first time users (if ordered through them directly). Just make sure you check what literature you need on their order form. They will also answer any questions you may have.

Many have not heard of Charlies. Many will ask if it is so great why isn't advertised nation wide. Well, they are an old fashioned company. They believe word of mouth is far more important than some fancy expensive advertising gimic. Anyone can advertise anything, but only the best products achieve gradual fame through word of mouth. Charlie's Soap is one of those products.

I have tried other detergents that claim to do what Charlies does. One of those being Country Save, but there is nothing I have found that cleans as well as Charlie's soap.

I know it seems I am really excited about this product. Well, I am and I always will be. For the first time, I found a product that does what it says it does. "It really cleans." When was the last time you could say that about a product?

I urge you to give this a try. Whether you are very enviornmentally conscious, want your clothes really clean, have sensitive skin, are in the military and can not use optical brighteners, or just want your money's worth, than this is for you. You've got nothing to lose by giving it a try.
Charlie's Soap Powder - 2.64 lb Bag (80 Loads)

Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick Hand Blender

Well ok, maybe I am not all shook up so much as BLENDED up. I purchased this immersion blender after my older no name brand unit purchased at Wally World died in the middle of blending a pot of hot soup. I like that you can wash the blenders blade assembly in the dishwasher and the stainless steel shaft is not stained like so many of the ALL PLASTIC models. Another thing I love is the power of the unit and the sharpness of the blades; they will reduce a pot of cream of broccoli soup to a smooth consistency in nothing flat.


Oh and when I say broccoli soup folks, I MEAN broccoli soup. I put nearly two bunches of steamed broccoli in my soup and I only chunk it prior to blending with the immersion blender. This blender will puree` the soup to a perfect creamy texture in nothing flat. (Reserve a few pieces of the chunked broccoli to add back to the soup for texture purposes) I have also used it on my potato and asparagus soups with equally great results.

If you are looking for an immersion blender with lots of power and a "NO STAIN" Stainless Steel shaft then IMO, you cannot go wrong with this model from Cusinart.

Happy Blending!
Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick Hand Blender

Black & Decker TRO480BS Toast-R-Oven 4-Slice Toaster Oven

I rate this toaster oven 5 stars, not because it is the biggest, best toaster oven out there, but because for the PRICE, it's a great mid-size countertop oven, it's very attractive, it has good basic features with easy dials, and toasts evenly and has a good size interior. Amazon ought to carry this themselves and offer free shipping. I actually got mine from a department store this week for a cheaper price (loss leader probably).

That other post with 1 star was kind of bizarre, getting the wrong rack?? Maybe he got a return or something but these come very well packed. A few features I like about this one is the wire shelf is reversible, no surprise there, but turned one way, it has a wire lip that the enclosed tray can slide under attached, which helps during the baking process to catch any overflow drips. Then your baking pan can sit right on top of the rail. I also like the pull out crumb tray from the front, easy to clean and put al. foil. The sides have little hooks that the wire rack can slide into and it pulls out the rack a slight bit when you open the oven, makes it easy to grab your toast. The front handle is screwed in, all very secure. The cord is shorter than most, but I consider this a plus. Most people place the oven right by a plug anyway and too long of a cord gets in the way. It's long enough to pull the oven out to the front of the counter tho if you are cleaning behind, etc.

Black & Decker made a good one with this model.
Black & Decker TRO480BS Toast-R-Oven 4-Slice Toaster Oven