Reviews by Friends of Meri

TunefulGal says "Immediate comfort with Ikea's 'Poang' chair and then..." about IKEA Poang Chair

TunefulGal — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:03:26 GMT

My husband "Pal" and I have a complete record with the popular Ikea Poang Chair. We purchased our first at Ikea, another (with the footstool) at Goodwill, and pulled in two off the street. They have circulated from room to room and always said "Welcome" to anyone entering the room. Judged by looks only, the Poang is positively seductive.

The Ikea Poang provides comfort and support from the first sitdown. It is not however the chair for a full evening's sit watching TV nor is it the ideal chair for a long read by the fire in the livingroom. Fact is, it's not truly supportive in a way that favors the lower back. Spend too long in it and, if you're not an athletic young thing, you need a good martial arts ki-yi or a hefty helper to get out of it.

The Poang's slipcover is machine washable -- a good thing if your cat likes to sit in it, too. Lamentably, stuffing the two foam cushions removed for washing back into the slipcover presents a challenge hardly less athletic than a robust...

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TunefulGal says "Santa Hats: Wear them or DECORATE or COLLECT them!" about Walgreen's, Petco, Team Santa, etc. Santa Claus Hats

TunefulGal — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:00:05 GMT

Every Christmas season for the past five years, I've photographed students and friends posed in a variety of Santa Hats. This year, I hung up some of my Walgreen's Santa Hats over the fireplace where our stockings usually go. You can see my starters above. I may rearrange them and add the stockings as well.

In the meantime, it occurs to me that with an additional strong loop, each Walgreen's Santa Hat might contain just the right amount of small items representing the smaller amounts the current recession has demanded of a lot of us.

In any case, my favorite hat is the one on the far left which is labelled "Diva". But there others I don't yet own that could make up a nifty collection. The Duluth Trading Company Santa Cap, even on sale at $14.50 this year, is a little more than I want to pay. But I'm keeping my eye on it, and you can too at DuluthTradingCompany.com

If you want them for or about a team, go to TeamSantaHats.com where you can order customized hats for your bridge...

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Katrena says "Rudolph is a Favorite Christmas Movie at My House" about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:49:07 GMT

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has the charm of an older movie with a story that never grows old. This movie focuses on how being different really isn't bad at all.

Sam the Snowman sets the stage and narrates the story beautifully. The characters are lovable, even the Abominable. Although Santa is a bit grouchy in places, he begins to cheer near the end. Even the relentless elf boss decides to soften at bit. The technology used to make the characters is quite interesting and really appeals to kids. Even the scary characters don't look all that scary.

The Story:

Rudolph is born looking different from the other reindeer because he has a shiny red nose. His father decides Rudolph should wear a cover over his nose, and Rudolph is showing great promise as the young ones try out for the sleigh team. Unfortunately, his cover pops off and Rudolph is no longer welcome by the other reindeer his age...except Clarice, who has a crush on him and decides he looks better without the silly cover.

Eventually...

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Katrena says "Twenty-six Princesses is a Fun Twist on an Alphabet Book" about Dave Horowitz - Twenty-Six Princesses

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:22:11 GMT

Twenty-six Princesses [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-24607-4] by Dave Horowitz is a 32-page children's picture book that covers the letters of the alphabet as the story of these princesses develops.

Not all of the princesses are being particularly ladylike, and I think that's why my girls like this one. The book also incorporates rhyming and lots of humor. My girls got a kick out of Princess Nell, who apparently passed gas and they also started laughing about "Princess Ruth, mithing a tooth."

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story.

My Viewpoint:

Twenty-six Princesses is an alphabet book that shows lots of princesses, many of which are behaving badly. This can be a fun book and my kids liked to look for the letter of the alphabet that was somewhere on each page. The rhyming words made the book fun to read. People who are looking for well behaved princesses in their storybooks would probably do better to try another children's book.

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PattyTherre says "My two fave inexpensive body butters but which wins my $8.00?" about Tree Hut vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary: Battle of the $8.00 Body Butters. Which is Better?

PattyTherre — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:00:10 GMT

Body butters! I love them. I have very expensive ones, all natural ones, and I have some inexpensive ones. Two of my favorite body butters under $8.00 are Tree Hut's various butters and Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary body butters. But if I had to pick just one, which would it be? Read on to see!

Tree Hut Body Butter vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary Body Butter

Size and Cost

Tree Hut's body butters come in a 7 ounce tub for about $7.50. Self Sanctuary body butters are 6.7 ounces and cost $8.00. Both go on sale frequently though. There is so little diffrence in the two in these areas that I call this one ...

The Winner: A Tie

Scents

Tree Hut has luscious scents like Coconut Lime, Hawaiian Kukui, and Almond Honey. Avon's Mark brand comes in fresh blends like Lemon Sugar, Honey Jasmine, and Lime Lavender. My favorites are Tree Hut's Coconut Lime and Mark's Self Sanctuary Lemon Sugar. I have tried the other Tree Hut scents and all were amazing. I smelled the Lime Lavender Avon brand and thought it...

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Katrena says "Find Moon Phase Image for Any Date 1800-2199: Cool!" about Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:36:20 GMT

The Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site offers visitors the opportunity to find out the moon phase for dates between 1800 and 2199. According to the web site, the lunar images were created by R. Schmidt.

How It Works:

The home page shows a virtual image of the moon as it appears at the present time in universal time that is updated every four hours. Users may also choose to see the moon as it appears at another time by choosing:

Century
Year
Month
Day
Hour
Time Zone (Universal, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)

What I Like About This Web Site:

Easy navigation--users can go back and reset with another date quickly
Very simple--doesn't have advertisements or other topics
Easy to use--my 8-year-old learned how to use it in just a few minutes
Wide range of dates available
Seems to be accurate but I

What I Don't Like About This Web Site:

The default century is the 1900s
It doesn't list the name of the phase--just shows the picture

My Viewpoint:

My daughter has had an assignment to...

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Katrena says "104.7 fm Radio "The Fish" Has Great Christian Christmas Music" about 104.7 fm radio "The Fish" Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:11:35 GMT

Radio stations don't like the area in which I live. I'm in a rural area where even cell phones often do not pick up. It's not unusual to see people walking around outside their homes when they try to talk on the phone. Radio? Well, if it's not clear, sometimes it's just not worth the effort...unless I try to pick up a station on the radio.

I love to listen to Christmas music. I came across the web site for 104.7 fm "The Fish" in Atlanta by accident, and I'm glad that I did. This Christian radio web site is very user friendly, and at this time they are playing all Christian Christmas music. I particularly enjoy listening to the Christian Christmas music, both older and newer songs, and this station is playing both. They are playing a few secular songs like Frosty and Sleigh Ride. They advertise that they are kid friendly, and so far I would agree with that.

I can easily find the area to click to listen to the station live, and I can also see the last 15 songs played. The song list has...

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GigiandAdonai says "Great for dancewear or for layering. " about Intimate Eve Camisole

GigiandAdonai — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:49:22 GMT

The Intimate Eve Cami came from Sears and I can't remember the last time I shopped at Sears. I was with a friend on Saturday and she was in search of the perfect petite-sized housecoat with snaps for her 88-year-old mother. None of the anchor stores at the mall sold them so they kept suggesting we go to Sears; which really was our last department store of choice when we had Belk, Dillards and JC Penneys but we headed to Sears and while on the way to the lingerie department I spotted the camisoles. I wasn't really shopping for anything and honestly, I wasn't in need of more camisoles but they were on sale so I got me two, a pink one and a white one.

I don't wear many of the nylon camisoles that were worn 20+ years ago. I like the sporty camisoles with the built-in shelf bra. Why? Because many of the dancers realized we could wear these as the outer garment during practice because it was like a tank-top but still added some support. Those of us who are flatchested aren't really...

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ChrisJarmick says "Funny, entertaining, Muppets and Michael Caine --holiday heaven." about Muppet Christmas Carol

ChrisJarmick — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:24 GMT

A wonderful addition to the many variations of Dickens' classic Christmas Carol is this mostly faithful adaptation starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge and a whole gaggle of The Muppets.

If you haven't made it a tradition to watch this one with family and friends every year, then it's time to start the tradition.

Jim Henson's son Brian took over supervising this film with the same care, attention to detail and desire to entertain audiences as his father.

Caine has a blast doing his take on Ebenezer the grumpy mean banker who watches every penny he spends and makes life difficult for Kermit Cratchet, who is of course married to Miss Piggy. Gonzo and Rizzo are like a Greek Chorus doing funny bits of business and acting as narrators. There are some enjoyable songs and several of your favorite muppet characters are integrated into the story.

I'd tell you more about this movie, but if you have any interest in watching it or watching it again all you need to know is you'll laugh,...

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this2shallpass19 says "Great Mexican cookbook that's very informative and instructional" about Mexican: Healthy ways with a favorite cuisine

this2shallpass19 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:09:59 GMT

I really have an addiction to cookbooks. I love cooking and eating a huge variety of ethnic cuisines, so the more cookbooks I can reference the better! A cookbook that I have used for several years is Mexican: Healthy Ways with a Favorite Cuisine. I wouldn't necessarily call the recipes in this cookbook healthy, but they are good!

The book starts out with information about Mexico and their different cultures and regions, and the different food that comes out of those cultures and regions. I found that part of the cookbook to be very interesting and informative.

Another great section of this book includes Mexican food staples like: masa harina, rice, tomatillos, salt cod, papayas, black beans, etc.....and how you store, prepare and eat each item. What I really like about this book is that there are tons of pictures. Not only pictures of the finished recipe, but also instructional photos too.

The recipe chapters in Mexican: Healthy Ways with a Favorite Cuisine include:

Salsas...

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Katrena says "Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress & Sweater Combo Has Pretty Style" about Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:49 GMT

This Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo has a unique style with five layers cascading down, alternating white algodon with blue and white print fabric. Each layer also has a pretty patterned strip to separate the layers with a small lace ruffle at the bottom. Daisies encircle the bottom edge of the dress and a matching soft white cotton sweater can be worn with the dress.

I'm not sure on the price of this dress, but I thought it made a cute gift.

What I Like About the Dress:

It is a very pretty style that looks so cute!
The blue doesn't fade onto the white fabric.
The sweater is separate, so it can be worn sleeveless on really hot days.
This dress has been durable--my daughter loves to climb and crawl and usually puts her clothes to the test.

What I Don't Like About the Dress:

The daisies aren't sewn completely down and tend to curl up.
The dress and sweater both have tags--my 5-year-old absolutely HATES tags.

My Viewpoint:

I think this Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater...

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Katrena says "Tinkyada Grand Shell Pasta is OK but Hard to Cook Properly" about Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Grand Shell (with Rice Bran)

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:18:21 GMT

Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells with rice bran is a very small box of very large pasta shells.

What I like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

I do like the way this product is produced and packaged. It has clear labels regarding multiple allergens and includes the following information:

wheat free
gluten free
kosher certified
cholesterol free
low far
low sodium
source of fiber

This product is manufactured in a factory in which the entire factory only produces rice products, so there isn't the risk of cross-contamination of wheat products, which is great. I've bought quite a few Tinkyada pastas and they seem to be consistently labeled and it's nice to have the peace of mind to have something absolutely gluten-free. I believe these are also organic because they are sold at Whole Foods, which specializes in organic products.

What I don't like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

The package says these are not mushy--that's an understatement. It seems to take forever...

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Caprig says "WHOA! Don't Fall In The Vorrttteeeexxxxxxxx.........." about Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender w/wisk & chopper attachment

Caprig — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:48:38 GMT

My daughter has been addicted to the food channel since she was a little over a year old. Yes, you read that correctly. I gave birth to a gourmet cook.

One of the things that I would see when she was watching some of her favorite shows was the little immersion blenders. I thought they were stupid, but after seeing those shows over and over, I began to wonder if it was something I could use.

When we had to change from a stainless steel Vitamix container to a plastic one, I began to consider that perhaps I should look into an immersion Blender to avoid blending really hot foods in the new Vitamix Vita Prep 3.

WHAT COMES WITH THE CUISINART SMART STICK?

I was at a BJs Wholesale Club when I saw a SMART STICK HAND BLENDER WITH WHISK AND CHOPPER ATTACHMENT for only $32. I thought it looked like a good deal, so after lots of work combining dimes, nickels and pennies, I managed to purchase it, with the promise that if I did not like it, I could return it.

Here is what the SMART STICK...

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Fardreamer says "Alien Resurrection flirts with excellence but fails to get it" about Alien Resurrection

Fardreamer — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:45:31 GMT

One of the most annoying aspects of the movie industry is Hollywood's penchant for taking a successful "property" such as Airport, Jaws and other one-shot films and offering remakes and sequels that were never planned for by the original screenwriters, novelists or directors.

Universal Pictures, for instance, gave the world not only the ridiculous Airport "quadrilogy" of one interesting film and three lame-to-beyond awful remakes/sequels, but it took Steven Spielberg's classic man-versus-white shark summer movie Jaws and saddled it with such unworthy follow-ups as Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D and the inanely idiotic Jaws: The Revenge.

Of course, Universal is not the only major studio to commission "franchises" where no franchise was originally intended; Paramount Pictures, MGM-United Artists and 20th Century Fox have all fallen prey to the lure of Sequelitis.

That the studio which reluctantly released Star Wars in 1977 and suddenly had a big moneymaker in its hands would want to squeeze every buck...

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Katrena says "Pioneer Sisters Gives Glimpse of Life in the Past" about Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder - Pioneer Sisters

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:39:17 GMT

Pioneer Sisters [1935, HarperTrophy, ISBN: 0-06-442046-9] by Melissa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Renee Graef is a 73-page children's chapter book about two sisters, Laura and Mary, from The Little House on the Prairie. Although this book was originally written quite a few years ago, it has a wonderful charm and can give kids a glimpse of what life was like before TV and computers.

The book has eight chapters. My kids particularly liked the one about a fire in the house and how the two sisters decided to use a haystack as a sliding board, even after their Pa told them not to do so. The chapter about Christmas surprises offers a stark contrast to the numerous presents that children often get today.

My Viewpoint:

I have an 8-year-old who is now reading chapter books. She recently discovered the collection of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and enjoys them. I've also read some of these books out loud so that the 5-year-old can enjoy them as well. Pioneer Sisters focuses...

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Katrena says "A Very Strange Dollhouse Was Too Strange for Me" about A Very Strange Dollhouse

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:08 GMT

A Very Strange Dollhouse [1996, Grosset & Dunlap, ISBN: 0-448-41346-9] by Jennifer Dussling and illustrated by Sonja Lamut is a 48 page children's chapter book designed for beginning readers ages 6-8.

A little girl makes a new friend and goes over to her house to play. The little girl has a dollhouse with real people in it. It seems as if that girl's parents have made her mad and the little girl decides to make her parents into tiny dollhouse sized characters. Will this new friend end up changing the main character into a doll as well?

My Viewpoint:

I guess I'm not a big fan of scary and weird books. I'll admit that I stepped on a few cracks as a child in the hopes of breaking my mom's back but A Very Strange Dollhouse seemed to border on voodoo or witchcraft or something of that nature. That's just something I'm not interested in nor do I want my kids to be reading about it.

I'm giving this one a thumbs down for content, although the writing technique and illustrations do compliment...

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Katrena says "Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids is Very Informative" about Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:13:28 GMT

Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids [2002, Little Brown and Company, ISBN: 0-316-30903-6] by Gail Gibbons is a 32-page children's book about trees. It is loaded with illustrations that compliment the information covered.

This book tells interesting facts about trees, such as how to tell a tree's age, in the first section. Kids who are interested in tree facts can learn lots of basic information here.

The second main section of the book shows illustrations of trees and shows how to identify them, including:

live oak
weeping willow
tamarack
cottonwood
lombardy poplar
white birch
elm
sweet cherry
red oak
beech
sugar maple
white pine
pin oak (I had thought that this one had long skinny leaves but learned differently here)
canary palm
black walnut

The last section of the book contains ideas for leaf projects, such as pressing a leaf and doing leaf rubbings and bark rubbings. It also gives interesting tree facts. I didn't realize that the famous sequoias may weigh up to two million tons and...

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Katrena says "Pouch! is Cute Children's Book about Bravery & Separation" about Pouch!

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:48:12 GMT

Pouch! [2009, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-25051] by David Ezra Stein is a 32-page children's picture book about a baby kangaroo who is trying to get up the courage to meet others outside of his mother's pouch.

The Story:

Baby Joey has discovered a whole new world outside of his mom's pouch, but that big world is awfully scary. Each time he encounters another animal, he yells "Pouch!" and hops back into the safety of his mother's protective pouch. He is frightened by a bee, rabbit, and then a bird.

Then another baby kangaroo approaches with the resulting "Pouch!" yell from both baby kangaroos..but wait, will little Joey and the other kangaroo decide to venture out again and make a new friend?

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

Pouch! is a cute look at venturing out to test out the big world. The book allows little Joey to work at his own pace and in his own way. Sometimes I wish I had a pouch for my little ones! I think that a paren's job...

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Katrena says "Little Rabbit's Christmas Encourages Kids to Share" about Little Rabbit's Christmas

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:34:34 GMT

Little Rabbit's Christmas [2007, Peachtree, ISBN13: 978-1-56145-419-8] by Harry Horse is a 32-page children's picture book about sharing at Christmas.

The Story:

Little Rabbit wants a sled for Christmas, but when he wakes up he is disappointed that no sled is in sight. He looked in his stocking, under the tree, and even up the chimney, but he didn't get a sled...but wait! There's something red outside, and Little Rabbit is thrilled to see exactly what he wanted for Christmas.

He decides to go sledding right away, and several of his friends appear and show him their presents of tools and paint, but Little Rabbit isn't very interested. He wants to go sledding. The others might break his sled, so Little Rabbit decides only he can use his new Christmas toy.

Unfortunately, Little Rabbit's wild ride down the hill ends in disaster for his brand new sled. His friend appear...will they laugh, say "I told you so," or find a way to help Little Rabbit?

My Viewpoint:

Little Rabbit's Christmas features...

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Katrena says "Leaf Man Looks at How Leaves Can Resemble Other Things" about Leaf Man

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:18:30 GMT

Leaf Man [2005, Harcourt, Inc., ISBN: 0-15-205304-2] by Lois Ehlert is a fun children's picture book that shows how leaves can resemble people, animals, and scenery. It has 36 pages, and some of them are cut out at the top and/or side to add interest. The illustrations are colorful and fun and encourage kids to look for the various characters formed by the "Leaf Man."

Here are some of the items formed with the leaves:

ducks
geese
pumpkins
squash
turkey
vegetables
cows
prairie
fish
butterflies
birds

Leaf Man also has a section at the back that shows various leaves and identifies what type of tree they represent, including:

beech
elm
poplar
cottonwood
hawtorn
linden
birch
and more

My Viewpoint:

Leaf Man is a pretty quick read with just a small amount of writing on each page, but kids can enjoy looking at the pictures for quite a while. Some characters are easier to see than others. I found the identification of the leaves at the back to be quite informative, and this book could spark a...

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