Reviews by Friends of Zrii

CyndiA says "Pelonis heater is great for spot heating in your home. " about Pelonis H0-0218 Heater

CyndiA — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:48:40 GMT

I am sitting here beside my Pelonis heater cube. I tend to chill when sitting still at the computer but hate to heat up the whole house when I know that I'm warm enough when I'm up moving around. Also, the boys tend to like the house cooler. So the Pelonis heater works out great in my small computer area.

My Granny had the Pelonis heater and used it to heat her small living room where she quilted. It was made the whole room nice and cozy, and she didn't much use the other rooms in her apartment, so that worked out great for her. That's what made me decide to get a little portable heater. I really liked hers.

For the size, the Pelonis puts out an amazing amount of heat. I have a bigger model at work, but it does not put out as much heat. It's enough for under my desk. But that one cycles on and off - meaning I'm cold about half the time. The Pelonis has a good fan and just keeps putting out heat until it's actually turned off. So - no cold periods of time.

On high and with the heater right...

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CyndiA says "Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer - Safer and Easier Large Fryer" about Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer - Butterball

CyndiA — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:32:22 GMT

We wore out our last turkey fryer and went with the Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer this time. It's built smaller and safer, plus it can be used indoors which is nice on really cold days which is usually when we fry turkey.

Butterball Turkey company teamed up with Mastbuilt (bit name in turkey or outdoor fryers) for this model which is much like the indoor fryers for chicken and French fries.

There's a housing box and then the oil goes in the unit. A large basket and a lifter round out the product.

It takes around a gallon and a half of oil, so that's a lot. It can be strained and used again. But, I season the turkey pretty heavy, so I don't think it looks good enough to try to strain with all the Holen One rub floating in there. Oh well. Straining oil through cheese cloth and finding a place to store it is not my idea of a good time anyway.

Since we did a turkey breast last night, we ran the temp at 325 F. For a large turkey, it would go up to 375 for frying. With these high temps, we...

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CyndiA says "Easy to cook or grill but plain bratwurst are better." about Hillshire Farm Smoked Bratwurst

CyndiA — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:01:36 GMT

I like Hillshire Farms bratwurst sausages, because they are easy to make and taste good. Most often we grill the brats and have them on big buns with spicy mustard.

The Hillshire Farms Smoked Bratwursts are made with pork and beef, and I think they have an all beef version. That wasn't available at Food Lion when I went.

Off the top, I have to say I'm usually not keen on smoke added flavor, although there are some exceptions. If it's Liquid Smoke, then that is what it tastes like - not smoked - just fake smoke and nothing else similar. That, fortunately, was not the flavoring in the Hillshire Farms Smoked Brats. Still, it was not a real smoke taste or not like off the grill anyway.

We boiled our brats (well - simmered really) in beer with butter and onions like usual, and then put the brats on the grill. So, we got some of the grilled smoke taste too. But, the secondary smoke taste was there.

The smoked Hillshire Farms brats aren't bad. If you don't grill, you might like them for a change...

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Prosperity says "Pho Tran's is great to have in Mountlake Terrace" about Pho Tran's - Mountlake Terrace, WA

Prosperity — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:45:24 GMT

It was a sunday night and, my brother and I were getting really hungry. I suggested we look for a Pho restaurant nearby. After searching on the internet we found one within a mile of his house. It was Pho Tran's in Mountlake Terrace. Before leaving to the restaurant, JP (my brother), as we will call him, thought it would be nice to take a sauna when we got back. He turned on the sauna, and we headed out.

We drove the short drive, and pulled up into the parking lot. Pho Tran's was located in a small strip mall with just about everything you could want. There were other food restaurants, a bar, and electronic stores. We parked right out front of Pho Tran's and walked inside. As we went in we passed by a couple of odd looking fellows who were talking about how they were not afraid of anything. We ignored them and went inside.

Upon walking inside, the first thing I noticed was how bright it was. The decor was light blue, with mirrors on the walls,...

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lorialcorn2006 says "L'Oreal Revitalift eye cream duo nice and easy " about L'Oréal L'Oreal Revitalift Deep Set Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream 1 set

lorialcorn2006 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:59:36 GMT

I received my L'Oreal revitalift deep set wrinkle repair 24 hour eye repair duo through bzzagent . I was very excited because I absolutely love the L'Oreal revitalift day and night creams and was happy to try another product in this line . I have been using it for a few weeks now and I can say that it really makes the skin soft around my eyes . I have not noticed to much wrinkle reduction but Its supposed to take 8 weeks for that to show .

My first impressions are that it has very innovative packaging with the 2 tubes of day and night creams attached to form one tube . This design makes it a bit easier to use the proper formula for the time of day . On the down side I thought the tubes were pretty small and would never last the 8 weeks it takes to see results . Personally I think if a product says it takes 8 weeks that they should really give you 8 weeks worth to use on your first purchase .

The cream is a nice soft cream thats easy to apply and drys quickly . This cream does well in the...

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CyndiA says "Honda Accord - very solid family car with good gas mileage. " about Honda Accord 4-cyl. - 2009

CyndiA — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:02:53 GMT

I got the Honda Accord 4 cyl on the 2009 Cash for Clunkers deal this past summer. That was a short program, so I had to decide fast. With the good reputation on the Honda Accord, I felt it was a safe choice.

To be honest, I much prefer trucks and sports cars. But, I really needed to go with a family car with good sized teen boys and with older relatives who really don't need to try to climb in and out of stadium seating on a 4W drive SUV. Also, I wanted something easier on gas than the Xterra. The Honda Accord fit the bill as far as being sensible and with a nice price with the Clunker rebate.

I went with the black on the Accord with black interior. That is hard to keep clean, but it looks cooler than the other colors (the red being a really awful shade as far as I was concerned). It also does not have the fake wood look inside like with the tan inside option. That reminded me of 1960s station wagons, so I did not like the fake wood trim inside at all. The black has a silver trim which...

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CyndiA says "Splitting logs or wood is a breeze with Yard Machines." about Yard Machines Log Splitter - 25 ton 6 hp

CyndiA — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:33:09 GMT

I am a part owner of a Yard Machines log splittler. They are expensive, so my Dad, his buddy, and I went together and got the wood splitter.

Anyone who has split logs or wood by hand will know that's a really hard job. I'm not really big enough or strong enough to do many splits. My Dad and his friend were getting on up in years. So, it made sense to get a machine to take care of the larger pieces of wood.

I wasn't so sure about the Yard Machines brand, since I'd had a lawnmower by that brand that really was cheap and junky. It only lasted a couple of years and was a rider. I was not impressed.

Yard Machines did get it right with the log splitter. It's been in my garage at least six years with no repairs needed. The only issue that came up was the tires with Dad and his friend taking it to Virginia (3 plus hrs away) to split wood for my aunt. That was hard on the tires with pulling the wood splitter behind the truck. We just got a pull behind cart which takes the weight and miles off the...

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CyndiA says "CVS Q-tips are like trying to put your elbow in your ear. " about CVS cotton swabs

CyndiA — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:05:46 GMT

I like our CVS pharmacy, so I thought I'd try their brand on cotton swabs which are bascially Q-tips with no brand name and used to clean ears and for other odd jobs.

I really should have known better. I tried the CVS brand on a toothbrush, and it was so bad that I only used it once and threw it away. So much for any savings there huh?

The CVS cotton swabs look just like any other normal cotton swab ear cleaners. Well duh. Just how much can you pretty those things up.

The problem with CVS cotton swabs is that the center part - the stick - it bends. You use CVS cotton swabs, and it is like trying to stick your elbow in your ear to clean it. Bend. Stretch. Wobble. I about hurt myself just trying to get the darn thing lined up.

To add some insult to that close injury, the cotton is wrapped loose. No thank you. I do not want to chance having a blob of cotton stuck inside my ear and a trip to ER for removal. Get a better cotton wrap machine or glue or whatever it takes to keep the cotton blob...

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CyndiA says "French's spicy brown mustard - nice taste with a little kick. " about French's brown mustard

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:31:54 GMT

My son just discovered French's spicy brown mustard which made me laugh, since I've always had some on hand. I'll eat the regular hot dog mustard, but I like the little extra zip with the spicy brown. The kid didn't touch it, since it said "spicy." He's not big on hot foods.

I grilled brats, and we were out of yellow mustard. So, the kid decided to try French's spicy brown, and it was love at first bite.

Don't let the name fool you. French's spicy brown is just a nice balanced mustard with a bit of extra flavor but not enough to put anyone off. If it had much kick, the kid would not have eaten it and sure would not be using up all my French's spicy brown mustard now.

Looks like I can cut way back on plain yellow mustard and double up on French's spicy. My son likes it on burgers, sandwiches, and on fried Spam or Treet meat. It's his new favorite condiment.

If you've hesitated to try French's spicy brown due to the spicy name, give it a try. It really is not hot at all. It just packs a bit...

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CyndiA says "Grill Floss - best barbecue grill cleaning tool I've ever owned." about Grillfloss - Barbecue Cleaning Tool, GFLXL, Stainless Steel

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:06:00 GMT

I looked at GrillFloss a long time before I bought one, and I was blown away by how well it worked. It's one of those products that I should have bought long ago. It makes cleaning a barbecue grill so much easier.

Grill Floss has a hook on the end. The hook can be flipped over for larger sized grates. I generally use the smaller end with charcoal grates, since I cook over charcoal most often. And, those grates tend to be the thinner wire types. But, Grill Floss works well on the larger gas grill grates too.

With the little hook design, this just slides right up and down the grate and into the corners and does a great job in getting the gunk off. It takes hardly any elbow grease at all especially if you use GrillFloss when the grates are still warm.

I was so impressed with Grill Floss that I added it at my Open Sky Yes You Can Grill barbecue store online. I just carry top picks for outdoor cooking, so this is definately a thumbs up and a grill cleaning tool I'd recommend to anyone who grills...

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CyndiA says "Acer Aspire netbook - great "on the go" computer in a mini size." about Acer Netbook Aspire One

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:54:45 GMT

One of my students showed up with an Acer Aspire, and I was amazed at how small the little netbook is compared to a full sized laptop computer. I'm not tall enough to actualy use a laptop on my lap, but the Acer looked like it might work. And, it did. The Acer Aspire fits right on my lap with room to move my elbows out and type. Yay!

Now, I have an Acer. It's red, but the red color is not fire engine. It's more a burnt red color. They have pink like in the photo as well as blue, black, and white.

Mine is the 10 inch, since they are phasing out the 9 inch. The only difference is screen size. You don't get a smaller netbook with a 9 inch. You just get a little more plastic around the edges.

The main difference with the netbooks is that they have less storage space, but I do an heavy duty computer work on my desktop computer. A netbook is not designed to hold big programs like PageMaker, but it does fine with MS Word and a few other smaller programs loaded on there. You do need a portable...

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Prosperity says "Home Brewing Kombucha is the practical way to go" about Home Brewed Kombucha

Prosperity — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:02 GMT

It all started last spring when my friend brought some GT's Kombucha over to my house. I had not tried any in years, my parents used to make it when I was growing up, and the stuff literally scared me. Now being a bit older I decided to try it again, and to my surprise it was great. There were many flavors to choose from. The only problem was the cost, it was up near $4.00 per 16oz. I found myself spending well over $200/month just so I could have some every day. This was getting way out of hand for my budget, and since I knew my parents used to make it, I figured I could to. I began my research on the internet on how to make it and found a great web site, www.kombuchaamerica.com where I was able to get the yeast/microbe sent to me in the mail along with brewing instructions. The other supplies needed were a large styrofoam cooler, a heating lamp, glass gallon jars, sugar, green tea, and vinegar. Once I got all the supplies the rest was easy. Now I brew my own kombucha...

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CyndiA says "Love Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango - Yum - So Sexy. " about Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango Moisturizing Body Wash

CyndiA — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:13:50 GMT

I like Softsoap products in general, but I really LOVE the new pomegranate and mango scent. Whew boy. It's a wonderful scent both in the bathroom and all over the house when it's shower time for anyone around here.

Softsoap brand is inexpensive for the bottle soap, and I've found the squeeze soap works better around here. The bars get so messy, and I'm not even convinced the boys use bar soap when I put that in the shower.

I've always just grabbed any scent of Softsoap. One is about as good as another . . . until this pomegranate and mango. They just really knocked it out of the park with this scent.

I thought it just might be me, but my son in college mentioned that the last soap I sent was really great. Yep. It was the pomegranate and mango scent. He has a girlfriend now, so that may be part of the reason he noticed, but this Softsoap really does smell wonderful.

This week I found Softsaop pomegranate and mango at the Dollar Store in town. The manager taught me piano lessons, so I...

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lorialcorn2006 says "Village Naturals are Better than my favorite High end products " about Village Naturals Natural Mineral Bath Soak

lorialcorn2006 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:23:41 GMT

In this economy we all know money is really a problem - Recently my husband lost his salary and works only on commission now . As a result of this I have to depend on my amazon gift cards (that I get for doing surveys) to buy my beauty products now. The other day I found myself with most of my bath salts and scrubs all used up . I was thinking I would end up using all my gift card money to buy just one jar of my favorite salt scrub from Philosophy . Than I thought maybe I should look around a bit first . As a result I went looking for cheaper items that I hoped would be passable and get me through these tough times . What I found were these products called Village Naturals being sold on amazon for 5.99 to 6.99 . I thought gosh this is really inexpensive, it must be really bad stuff for that amount of money - I looked around and I saw a nice large jar of bath salts in lavender and other fragrances that are 95% natural which is good- I also saw that you are getting a big bunch 31 oz is......