http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/CyndiA Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:47:13 GMT Reviews by CyndiA http://www.viewpoints.com/Crisco-Cooking-Spray-review-52f15 I really like the new Crisco cooking sprays. They come in three flavors - original, butter, and olive oil. That's nice when cooking various dishes. If I'm doing paninis on the George Foreman, I go with the butter flavor. For vegetables, I prefer the olive oil flavor. Regular is good for just anything. — The new tops on the Crisco sprays are nice. They are more accurate than the old type spray tops similar to hairspray bottles. — In addition to using these in the kitchen, they are great on the grill. Some foods like fish especially tend to stick on grill grates. The Crisco sprays take care of that problem. The flavored ones also add just a touch of flavor as well. — Crisco has noticed that a lot of grillers are using sprays now. They even have a contest this year. You can win a grill or even a $10K backyard makeover. I never win in contests, but I'm going to enter anyway. It would be so neat to win a grill or even better a make over for my barbecue area which is... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:47:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Crisco-Cooking-Spray-review-52f15 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/United-States-Postal-Service-review-297b4 I am starting to get paranoid about sending things in the mail. I have these random stamps that do not have the postage marked on them. I start to second guess on them and end up putting two on the envelopes, so they don't get returned or lost. — I know prices increase, but the USPS has such a random approach to stamp hikes. It seems like I just bought stamps. Then I discover (not sure how) that they went up again. It couldn't be in January, and they couldn't drop me a note on that. It's a one cent hike in mid-May. Here it is June, and I'm scratching my head. — I did go check the USPS web site. The information is there after a good number of clicks. My cracked bell stamps are FOREVER stamps. They do not go out of date. Well, that's good. Could they perhaps write FOREVER on them? OOPS! They did. It's in fine print up the side. Good thing someone around here has better eyesite than I do. — They do sell postage at the USPS site, but I like to get my stamps at the... Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:52:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/United-States-Postal-Service-review-297b4 CyndiA 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Cheeseburger-In-Paradise-Huntersville-NC-review-13011 My family really likes Jimmy Buffett, so we decided we'd check out the new Cheeseburger in Paradise after white water rafting at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. We had, to say the least, worked up an appetite. — Cheeseburger in Paradise in Huntersville is very new. There's a small sign off the highway. Then, you drive back in a developing area - all the way to the end. It's not far. It just seems like you may be lost. But there it is - in all it's newness and flashy colors. You can't miss Cheeseburger in Paradise if you keep driving. — This is one of those cute theme restaurants. You walk in and think you're at the beach. The whole thing is centered around the bar with tables surrounding the bar area. They have palm huts and lots of neon. — We did get the high tables with the tall chairs. Those really are not comfortable. Our feet were dangling for a pretty long time. I think I'd ask for a normal table or a booth the next time. — The... Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:53:59 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Cheeseburger-In-Paradise-Huntersville-NC-review-13011 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/US-National-Whitewater-Center-review-83f41 We were off to the U.S. National Whitewater Center today. You may have seen it on TV during the Olympics. The boys did. I didn't. Maybe next time. — The U.S. National Whitewater Center is a man made white water rafting area near Charlotte, North Carolina. It's the piedmont, so we don't have hills high enough for mountain whitewater. Not to worrry. We just built whitewater. — I'd call the whitewater center more of an outdoor play complex. There's the water, of course, for rafting and kayaking. Canoeing is out beyond the white water area. There are trails for walking and mountain biking. They also have rock climbing walls and towers with ropes. They have concerts at the Center as well. Just check the web page for the dates, times, and groups. — This is a new attraction for the area. I think this is the second year (2008). Everything looks new, and they are still building and working on roads. Trees are still small. Grass and plants right around the center are not well... Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:13:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/US-National-Whitewater-Center-review-83f41 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Cense-Beef-Grass-Fed-Cows-review-7bef0 I love to grill and love good meat. I was drooling for a whole day waiting to cook up my La Cense meat that came by UPS. I would have cooked it right up, but my son was working late, and the meat was well packed and frozen. — La Cense is 100% grass fed beef. This is the kind of meat I enjoyed when I visited the relatives in the Virginia mountains. Poppaw would always have a few cows for milk and for meat. — With grass fed beef, you have variations in flavor. It's like with other products like apples. The flavors reflect the areas - unless it's mass production like with grain fed beef. I'd been seeing some of the news about the grain fed cattle and how they were packed in small spaces and fattened up fast. Some of those stories were really awful.  La Cense does offer another option. It's a ranch in Montana where the cows roam free and eat natural vegetation. The cows are not hit with preventive antibiotics. They don't rush "downer" cows... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:18:49 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Cense-Beef-Grass-Fed-Cows-review-7bef0 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wham-O-Slip-n-Slide-yard-water-slide-review-66482 The boys wanted to get a Slip 'n Slide for my oldest son's graduation luau. They didn't have any of the old fashioned ones at Wal-Mart, so we ended up with the deluxe double land NASCAR Slip 'n Slide. Yay for us! — Our slip 'n slide works like the others. You lay it out flat in the yard (on a hill is you have one), hook up the hose, and turn on the water. The kids run and slide stomach down to the end - getting wet of course and laughing. — The boys at my party were bigger, so they had to jazz things up. They got ahold of the dish washing detergent and poured that on the slip 'n slide. To make them go faster of course. Then they poured the dish washing liquid right on their clothes and ran and slid down the slip 'n slide. They enjoyed that. — The girls did not slip 'n slide - probably because the boys had it all soaped up and messy. They also probably did not want to get hurt, and the boys were downright rowdy - which is no surprise if you have boys. — I... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:42:46 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wham-O-Slip-n-Slide-yard-water-slide-review-66482 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Weber-Smokey-Joe-Gold-Charcoal-Grill-review-78f73 I got a Weber Smokey Joe tailgate grill many years ago. Our household goods were in storage with a military move. I wanted to grill out, so I picked up this small grill by Weber. — The little Weber grill works just as well as the big one. It has the same kettle shape that means even cooking. The vents on top help with heat regulation. The bigger one has bottom vents. This one does not. Too messy I'd say. — Obviously the Weber Smokey Joe won't hold as much as the larger sized Weber grills, but it holds more than I would have thought. It works fine for family cook outs (and uses less charcoal), and it's a nice second grill for side dishes or hot dogs. — When I want to cook up small amounts, I generally grab this little grill. We use it about once per week. We also take it on trips like to concerts or ballgames. — If you do use the Smokey Joe for tailgating, be sure to take some water to make sure the coals are out before you put the grill back in your car.... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:58:32 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Weber-Smokey-Joe-Gold-Charcoal-Grill-review-78f73 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/TecNu-Oak-and-Ivy-review-dae52 I don't react to poison ivy, oak, or sumac, but my boys do. Same with their Dad. Also my Mom, brothers, sister, and most of the other relatives. I got the good genes on something. No allergy to poison plants. But, I do get to try to clear up these awful red itchy bumps and blisters, since that's what Moms do. — Kurt from the Nature Center told me about TecNu. I went in the Center, so he could show me what TecNu looks like. His was a big industrial bottle from Forestry Supply online. He said I could also find it at drugstores but in tubes. I went right on to the CVS and got a tube for my boys, one for their Dad and one for my Mom. — The way TecNu works is that it soaks up the poison oil to prevent outbreaks. So, it's not a treatment if you get poison outbreaks. They say not to put this on outbreaks that are open and draining. It's to use when you've come in contact with poison to keep from getting rashes. — All you do is squirt some TecNu out and rub it on skin... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:11:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/TecNu-Oak-and-Ivy-review-dae52 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Oral-B-CrossAction-Pro-Health-manual-toothbrush-review-b8b23 I broke my toothbrush when I was at the hospital staying with my Mom. That turned out to be a good thing, because my new Oral-B CrossAction Pro-Health toothbrush is a lot nicer than the one I had been using. — Using the Oral-B (which is a manual toothbrush) is like getting a full mouth massage. — The bristle design is pretty complex. There are some high bristles at the top. On the sides are some soft rubbery spikes (but they're soft). The center has three types of bristles of different heights and leaning different directions. Even the back of the toothbrush head is textured. — The first time I brushed, I thought, "Wow!" The Oral-B CrossAction really does massage everything without being rough. My gums are a little sensitive, but even though I could feel the bristles getting around and between my teeth and on my gums, the sensation was very nice - not painful at all. Sometimes my gums will even bleed just a little with a brand new toothbrush, but they didn't with... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:49:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Oral-B-CrossAction-Pro-Health-manual-toothbrush-review-b8b23 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wages-of-Sin-A-True-Story-of-Lust-Lies-and-Cold-Blooded-Murder-review-44ea0 Wages of Sin is a true crime book about the murder of Christopher Hatton. His body was found in a campfire partly burned and with the hands cut off. The head was mostly missing, because he was shot with a shotgun before being hauled off to be burned. — The roommate and his stripper girlfriend were both linked to the murder. They had been going in the apartment and cleaning and painting. While they tried to cover their tracks, they did a rather awful job of it. — The book focuses on Stephanie Lynn Martin. She's an interesting character, because she grew up in a stable, religious home with both parents. For no obvious reason, she graduated and began stripping at the Yellow Rose in Texas. That's where she met Christopher's roommate. He was there to enjoy the show and started telling Stephanie that he worked for the government and was a hit man. She thought this was very exciting and hoped she could witness a hit at some point. How strange. — William M. Busenburg was... Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:04:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wages-of-Sin-A-True-Story-of-Lust-Lies-and-Cold-Blooded-Murder-review-44ea0 CyndiA 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Campbells-Soup-at-Hand-review-26465 The new Soup at Hand soups by Campbell's are a good idea. They come in microwave containers so can be taken to work or on trips and heated up and eaten right in the container. — Actually, it's says on the container that you can just drink the soup from the container. I would be unlikely to drink a soup. I really like to eat my soup with a spoon. Genereally I go for the chicken soups with stars or noodles. Kind of hard to drink. Even in the creamy versions, I still like a spoon.  It's not a big deal to take a plastic spoon along with the Soup at Hand container. Still super convenient. — They only offer a few of these at the local IGA, and they just got them in recently. There were a couple of the chicken and a couple of the creamy soups. They may offer the whole line of Campbell's soups, but I'm not sure about that. It would be a good though. — The flavors are like the traditional Campbell's soups in the cans. Very close. I probably would not guess it wasn't... Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:29:59 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Campbells-Soup-at-Hand-review-26465 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Starbucked-A-Double-Tall-Tale-of-Caffeine-Commerce-and-Culture-review-122d3 Even though I do not drink coffee, I have been quite curious about this trend call Starbucks. Seriously. How did coffee become the fashion of the generation? — Starbucked by Taylor Clark is a book that takes you inside and all the way back to the beginning with Starbucks. If you love their coffee, then you will love this wild ride. If not, you still will. It's an excellent book. And, Clark says at the end that he's not a coffee fan. I liked him and the book even more when I read that. — It would be hard not to notice that Starbucks is quite a sensation. Every corner - there you go. We even have a Starbucks in town now, so I know it has to be all over. We have always been like a few years behind on Cosmo mag trends. If it's here, it's everywhere. — I'm the curious type, so even though I'm not a coffee drinker, I really wanted to know how a company could get this hot and maintain. Before coffee was the cool thing to drink, I could not even imagine someone asking... Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:36:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Starbucked-A-Double-Tall-Tale-of-Caffeine-Commerce-and-Culture-review-122d3 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Cricket-review-db7c2 I read the Cricket review by Redstarr (one of my favorite reviewers), and I thought I'd go with Cricket. She's young and has great ideas and I was sold. I still think Cricket is a wonderful idea (and Redstarr is on target), but sadly they do not cover everyone. — First I was thinking to set up Cricket online, but then I thought maybe I better go in person and make sure I was getting the right thing. This phone will be moving at the end of the summer as my kid goes to college. — I could see online that Cricket was in the closest town but never could find directions or an address. How odd. I just flagged down a kid in town and asked. He said I could get Cricket at Wal-Mart or go to the Cricket store next to Food Lion. Easy enough. — I went to the Cricket store. This was a strange place. The man did not make eye contact, but he did give me a Coke. I wasn't thirsty, but he did not ask - just handed that to me. So, that was nice and I held the Coke and thanked... Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:42:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Cricket-review-db7c2 CyndiA 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Aim-toothpaste-review-16ef2 My favorite toothpaste is Aim. — I don't know why Aim advertises as a mint toothpaste. I suppose it has a bit of mint, but this is a great toothpaste for those who can't handle mint. — I can eat hot peppers and spicy food and never miss a beat. When I get ahold of peppermint - OUCH. I brush with Crest which has a lot of peppermint, and I can stick my tongue out and see it quiver. When I was a kid, Santa would give me peppermint candy canes, and my eyes would water when I tried to eat my candy. I would think, "Santa must not like me that much to give me this." — Maybe I am the only person in the world that is sensitive to peppermint. I've never heard anyway else mention that it tears them up. But, I think surely someone else must have the same reaction. — If regular mint does not do you proud, then Aim toothpaste is a wonderful alternative. Even though it says mint, it is much milder. It's more like spearmint than peppermint. — Another plus (though it... Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:04:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Aim-toothpaste-review-16ef2 CyndiA 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Choy-Chicken-Chow-Mein-review-30c60 La Choy canned meals are rather like Hamburger Helper but in the Asian realm. La Choy meals are quick and easy, and if you like them, they are inexpensive and tasty. — I had not had canned La Choy for years, and I really do mean years. My Dad liked Asian food. There was no place to get such foods around here, so my Mom bought La Choy from time to time. — I think my Dad and I were the only ones who really liked La Choy canned meals. Everyone ate. That was just how it was back then. Complain and you could cook your own or go hungry. — It had been 20 years or more since I'd had a La Choy meal. I just saw the cans at the grocery store, and I remembered how I used to enjoy the canned Asian meals. I bought La Choy Chicken Chow Mein and La Choy Rice Noodles. I've bought the noodles in more recent years to make candy dipped in butterscotch. The La Choy canned meals could be served over rice, of course, but we always had them just sprinkled with the crunchy rice noodles.... Sat, 24 May 2008 00:55:28 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/La-Choy-Chicken-Chow-Mein-review-30c60 CyndiA 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Olympic-1-1-2-inch-paint-brush-review-35753 It's back to painting around here. I got the kitchen and one bedroom last year but did not get the big room - a living room L-shaped room. — In my supplies I had a never used Olympic 1 1/2 inch paint brush. This seemed like a good idea for the trim work - those little wooden edges around the walls. — BIG MISTAKE. — The Olympic brush is not angled, and it's much easier to do edges with an angled brush. It's possible to do tedious work with a really good quality flat edged paint brush if it's small. — Unfortunately the Olympic paint brush is super fat at the bottom of the bristles. I'd say the end is about a 1/2 inch wide and gets bigger with paint added. That means paint goes all over the place. Even though this is a small paint brush and looks like it would work for edges and small spaces, it's really only good for big spaces. No one with any sense would use a 1 1/2 inch brush do do wide spaces. — I cleaned this paint brush out after about two... Fri, 23 May 2008 22:37:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Olympic-1-1-2-inch-paint-brush-review-35753 CyndiA 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hamburger-Helper-Beef-Stroganoff-review-2f3e1 Our favorite Hamburger Helper mix around here is the Beef Stroganoff. The flavor is really nice on this one. We like several of the mixes, but this one tops the list. — They have changed the Beef Stoganoff mix recently. It used to come with a little flavor pack that was mixed in at the end with milk. That did work out better, but I guess maybe some folks felt it was too much trouble. When the milk and thickening sauce mix is added for the full cooking time, it separates a little bit. It's not bad. But, they had the right idea when they had that last minute sauce mix to put in. — With this new and easier mix, the dish does not look like the picture on the box. It does not look very pretty actually. That's OK. It does taste very good. — Even with the typical dump, stir and heat recipe now, Hamburger Helper Beef Stoganoff is the best in the collection though certainly not the healthiest with the milk added. It's definately a comfort food and something that I should... Wed, 21 May 2008 01:01:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hamburger-Helper-Beef-Stroganoff-review-2f3e1 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Oriental-Trading-Company-review-cdea4 Generally I buy quality items and keep them forever. In cases where I need little trinkets like party decorations and favors or items for party gift bags, I turn to Oriental Trading Company. — I did not have a need for little favors, until I had kids. Kids love little playthings that don't have to be treated carefully. I can pay a few cents for Halloween vampire teeth, and that's great. The kids think it's cool to have fangs. They enjoy them for a few days or weeks. — Right now, I'm planning a luau for my son who is graduating from high school. Oriental Trading Company just happens to be featuring luau items. Hum. Maybe it's not such a unique idea. That's OK though. They have cool supplies and things that the kids (of all ages) will enjoy at the party. I'm ordering leis and water squirters and umbrellas to put in the punch cups. Just little things that will give the party a festive air. — It's amazing how many trinkets they have at Oriental Trading Company. I can... Mon, 19 May 2008 23:55:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Oriental-Trading-Company-review-cdea4 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Geico-review-026c5 Geico sure got it right with that gecko campaign. That gecko probably ranks up close to Santa Claus as far as recognition. I give credit where credit is due. Stroke of genius - that gecko. — I went with USAA for many years for car insurance and was always happy with them, but I thought maybe I could save a buck or two. Geico sounds like a great low cost alternative. — I called. No problems other than they could not cover my Harley. Bummer. They farmed that out to Progressive I think. Now I see on commercials that they cover motorcycles. I guess they listened when they called and asked why I switched and I said I wanted someone to cover my bike too. I smile when I see that commercial and wonder how much my input impacted. OK. Probably not much. Still interesting that they added bikes. The bike was one of my concerns, but I made the switch when my kid turned 15 and was going on my policy. The quote on a 16 year old male looked high. State Farm had... Thu, 15 May 2008 23:52:59 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Geico-review-026c5 CyndiA 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/VistaPrint-com--27078-review-bf6d6 I have business cards at work so hadn't paid any attention to online companies offering business cards, until I started working on my own web sites. I thought it would be nice to have some cards to hand out when folks ask about my sites. — One of those deal flyers was on the counter where I'd ordered something from Amazon. It was from Vista Print dot com. I could get 250 business cards for $1.99. — I went to VistaPrint.com and checked things out. I thought maybe the cards would be real low quality or that they'd have the printing company name on them somewhere for advertising (which wouldn't look too cool). — My hopes weren't super high, but the site looked nice. It was easy to navigate. Very simple to set up a business card with templates. There was an option to upload and design your own with a photo or graphic. I thought about that, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time and then be disappointed. — Fortunately they had a barbecue graphic which worked out... Wed, 14 May 2008 21:20:37 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/VistaPrint-com--27078-review-bf6d6 CyndiA 5