Reviews by bparker

bparker says "Great alternative to the mall for baby and children's clothing!" about children's orchard - Laguna Niguel,, CA

bparker — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:21:14 GMT

Children's Orchard is a baby and children's store exchange. I found this store through my daughter with my first grandchild. It's a great store with a surprisingly large selection of items for babies and children. They carry clothing, toys, books, baby items and many accessories for sale. Some items even have their original tags.

It's an absolutely great solution to finding a way to recycle the clothing, toys and equipment children grow out of and get store dollars to purchase much needed age appropriate clothing and toys. Unlike a thrift shop, Children's Orchard is a clothing exchange and only carries gently used items. It is well organized and offers an excellent selection of items, brands and sizes.

Spring cleaning your kids closet is always rewarded with a nice store credit or cash for good condition items. Children's Orchard near us accepts items as big as children's beds.

Items brought in to be sold must be clean, without stains or damage, fashionable,...

...

bparker says "Be a leader for older girls." about Girl Scouts

bparker — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:36:29 GMT

I've been involved in girl scouting for many years, a leader of older girls for 5 years now. It really is a good place for girls to get a sense of community. They get a bigger picture of their immediate community and it's needs. Learning that, all by themselves they can make a difference in their communities is the gem of it. And, if they have a good leader, they learn that community service projects can be a lot of fun. Keeping it theirs and keeping it fun is the secret to a good group.

If they stay together throughout their teen years they also learn to overcome the embarassments of being in scouts and be proud of their accomplishments, (especially if their leader is patient and lets them set their own rules). I've even witnessed girls helping each other through very tough times, likes deaths of parents, drugs and sexuality. It is really very much like a family atmsphere as they grow in scouts, not necessarily best friends at school and in the outside world, but girls...

...

bparker says "Costco's customer service is beyond compare" about Costco - All, USA

bparker — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:43:19 GMT

I am reviewing Costco Southern California. Sorry, for some reason it dumped in Chicago.

I have had a costco membership for years. What I love about it is there no hassel return policy.

I have actually brought a five year old dryer in dirty and not working and received a full refundt. I love buying things here for this very reason. Especially things that always break after a year or so.

The one exception is electronics. But, I have bought two computers there and several printers. You do get an extended warranty for no extra charge in addition to lifetime support over the phone. I've used their support and it is great.

One thing to watch out for is buying a lot of food items in bulk. It's easy to go over your budget here. So show restraint with wandering through.

...

bparker says "Excellent for entertaining small group. Works well with meats!" about All Clad All-Clad 3 quart Fondue Pot

bparker — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:25:39 GMT

After traveling to Europe a few years back and having the most wonderful intimate dinner with locals huddled around a large Fondue pot with bubbling oil that each of us cooked our steak in, I decided I had to do this at home. I had the hardest time finding a fondue pot designed for hot oil. Most fondue pots seem to be designed for dessert, hot melted chocolate or cheese. This one is good for meats in hot oil as well. Mine has the ceramic insert for even heating.

It's best to heat the oil first on the stove. It would take forever to do this with a sterno. Just be careful tranferring it. The oil should not be bubbling.

I found this one and it is beautiful. It is really a lot of fun to eat this way. Simply make or buy several sauces for dipping, cut up bite sized chunks of good quality steak, add hot oil to this pot, place sterno underneath and enjoy. It makes for an enjoyable meal with everyone participating in the cooking all while huddled over a table drinking wine...

...

bparker says "Bonanzle the place to find everything" about Bonanzle

bparker — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:31:12 GMT

Bonanzle is a great online shopping experience. Most merchants here are also on Ebay and Amazon. But, because Bonanzle's fees to sellers are so much less, so are the products you buy. When Puchasing on-line check here first for comparisons. Most items have negotiable pricing. Don't forget to negotiate.

I have purchased books, antiques, gently used clothing, office supplies and hand made soaps from a number of buyers. I found the buying process easier than most. They have a real time chat feature whereat you can bargain with the sellers real time. I found this to be pretty cool. I have found pricing to be fair and items received were as described.

...

bparker says "Love It" about Oreck XL Ultra Bagged Upright Vacuum

bparker — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:46:34 GMT

I purchased this vacuum about two years ago after yet another one stopped working after just a year. This vacuum is great. Yes, the initial purchase price is high, but it is definitely made to last which I what I was looking for.

Initially it bothered me that it didn't come with attachments. But, they give you an excellent hand held for stairs and edges which works great as well. It cleans well, it lasts forever and it's easy to carry up the stairs.

...