Reviews by Friends of kevster

CyndiA says "Love these little mini 5 x 7 inch legal pads in pastel colors." about Tops Docket 5 x 7 Mini Legal Pads

CyndiA — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:04:49 GMT

Legal pads are convenient but bulky, but these Tops Docket 5 x 7 inch are just perfect for most situations. I can even stick one in my purse which comes in handy for so many times when I want to write down a quick note.

I first ordered these at work through Office Depot, and I continue to do so. My boss found out that he liked the little pads better than the big ones too - or for most things.

They are, as I said, 5 x 7 inches - a nice size.

These little notepads are lined which is nice. They may have unlined paper pads too. I've never checked. I personally like lines on my paper.

The colors that I get here are yellow, blue, and my favorite - lavender. They call them pastels. They have a bit of color but not enough to make it hard to read over them. It's very easy to read my black and blue pens over these colors.

I do use full size legal pads from time to time, but these 5 x 7 inch writing pads are my "go to" now. I really like the size.

...

LisaCarey says "I can breathe again- boy this is fast acting!" about 4 Way Fast Acting Nasal Decongestant Spray 1 Fl.oz

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:29:38 GMT

It's winter time, which means I have sinus trouble. Between the wonky weather in Houston (one day it's 70 the next its 55), travel, dry air from furnaces and the cold weather when I travel the months of November, December and January are tough on me. Desperate for fast relief I sent the husband out (my hero!) to pick up a sinus spray that would really work. He came home with 4 Way Fast Acting Nasal Decongestant Spray.

4 Way Fast Acting Nasal Decongestant Spray is easy to use, and only takes a couple of puffs of the applicator. The applicator actually is the right size for me, not too big and not too small. It is important to follow the directions as using this product too many times or using too much of it can really damage your sinus passages and cause nose bleeds.

That being said, if you follow the directions and just want quick relief then 4 Way Fast Acting Nasal Decongestant Spray is a good nasal spray to use. Within about an hour I was able to breathe freely and get...

...

LisaCarey says "Takes off a days worth of makeup and more " about Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:12:01 GMT

My mom likes Clinique (and Lancome) in that order. I like Lancome and Clinique - in that order. The good news is that when we visit each other we don't have to pack our entire skin care regime but borrow from each other to take care of our skin. During my week of borrowing one of the products I absolutely had to use of her's was Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover.

I am not big on makeup, but when I put it on I use products that are meant to last a long time, all day and most of the evening too, so I use waterproof mascara's and long wearing lipsticks. This makes removing make up at the end of the day a little tough, so I need something that can "take the day off" and be gentle enough on my skin. Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover does a very good job of both.

Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover is easy to use, but I do suggest using only cotton balls. I was out, and used a tissue and ended up having to use far more than I normally do. so invest in some cotton...

...

LisaCarey says "Great for moisture - not so much on wrinkles " about Olay Pro X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:55:55 GMT

Thanks to my membership with Vocalpoint I received a full size jar of Olay Pro X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream to give a try. Now, I am willing to pay more for a quality product, (like Lancome or Clinique) but was so glad I had the chance to try this first.

Let me start by saying, I don't really have any wrinkles. I do have one along the top of my forehead, but around lips and eyes I am pretty lucky. I think it's genetics because my mom still has beautiful skin and she is over 60. The first week that I used Olay Pro X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream the very first thing I noticed was that it was very smooth to apply, only took a little bit to handle my face and neck and that there was no "yucky" scent to deal with. It was also extremely moisturizing, so much so that I had concerns about my skin turning oily.

The next week I used Olay Pro X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream my skin was softer and smoother, but still no discernible difference with my wrinkles.

After a week traveling (and...

...

CyndiA says "Yay - Found Rainbo Rolls so can make little ham cheese snacks." about Rainbo Dinner Rolls in Foil Tray

CyndiA — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:35:21 GMT

Remember those little ham and cheese roll sandwiches that always got gobbled up at parties? Well, maybe they were not big all over, but they were super popular in the South.

For some reason, the grocery stores around don't carry the little Pepperidge Farm rolls now, so that knocked out these appetizers. Until . . . Rainbo started selling a similar type roll in the foil tray.

And, yes, it is Rainbo with no w and not Rainbow rolls. Bet that will confuse a lot of folks huh.

Rainbo rolls can just be heated up as bread, but I usually make the ham and cheese sandwiches. The whole tray of rolls are split like one giant sandwich. Then just put ham and cheese in there and pour butter with mustard and poppy seeds (though I used parsley this last time).

I'm glad I was able to find this brand making the tiny rolls. It had been ages since we had ham cheese appetizers, and they went over great at our family gathering this past weekend.

...

LisaCarey says "I feel pretty oh so pretty - and romantic and I smell good too?!" about Michael Kors Fragrance

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:11:46 GMT

Most people are very selective about the perfumes and fragrances they use. It's a very personal thing. For example Angela feels Beautiful when she wears Estee Lauder's fragrance every after many years of use. I feel the same way about Michael Kors perfume.

What do I like about Michael Kors perfume?

it's sexy, every time I put it on I feel like I am attractive
it's romantic
I like it so much I put it on just for me!
subtle tones, but "load" enough to stand out
every time I wear it someone asks me what I have on
the sales lady laughs when I buy it - saying you have to have a certain type of personality to go with this one - and I guess I got it
long lasting
florals, musks, spices

What don't I like about Michael Kors perfume?

it is expensive

Michael Kors perfume is not so subtle, or soft but it is brilliantly beautiful to the senses. It evokes romance and a feeling of being beautiful, not to mention gets me noticed. What more could a girl ask for in a fragrance? ...

...

LisaCarey says "Makes me a Picasso with photos " about Google Picasa 3

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:59:11 GMT

I am a frugal person by nature, and if I can find something for free that will do a job as well as something I have to pay for then I am all for giving it a try. Google Picasa 3 is one of those free things that works as well if not better than many other photo enhancement and publishing tools.

What I like about Google Picasa 3

it's free
it is easy to use simply download and start using it
stores my photos for me
allows me to safely and quickly share them online (without any need to have ads to buy something like Snapfish does)
easy to use correction and enhancement tools - zoom, cut, crop, red eye
and best of all - easy to do export

For example, I took hours trying to figure out how to make a picture the right size pixels using other tools. I really need pictures as part of my service writing articles and since I can't afford a professional photographer - it's all up to me. In order to make a photo the right size I simply go to the photo choose the short cut for export...

...

LisaCarey says "Helps this family save on entertainment, dining and more!" about The Entertainment Book

LisaCarey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:12:40 GMT

I love to save money, but don't we all. One of the best ways I found to save money many years ago (when I was a single parent) was the Entertainment Book. Now, many moons later, I am older, wiser, still a parent and still using the Entertainment Book just about every week. To be honest, the only time I didn't use it was when we lived in Knoxville because there wasn't one available there.

What I like about the Entertainment Book:

easy to buy online
pays for itself in just one use
used for dining, fast food, entertainment, dry cleaning, car washes, oil changes, travel plans, hotels,
helps me find places I may not have tried without the book
helps me save money wherever I go
savings with both coupons and the card
registering my book means I can use extra printable coupons from the website
coupons grouped according to usage
coupon index in alpha and neighborhood order

What don't I like about the Entertainment Book:

that this year I don't have two of them and...

...

CyndiA says "Sea Best Tilapia - healthy and does not taste fishy." about Sea Best Tilapia Fillets

CyndiA — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:41:19 GMT

We are trying to eat healthier and especially like tilapia, because it does not taste fishy like some fish. There are several brands I buy, but I like Sea Best which comes in a one pound bag with each fish fillet individually wrapped. I can cook up one fish fillet or the whole bag, and the fish all stays fresh.

There are six fillets per bag or, at least, the bags I've bought have had six. The sizes are small, and the bag says it's 4 servings. So, I guess they figure on everyone eating one and one half piece of small tilapia fillet. That seems rather odd - but well . . . OK. They are small enough that my son actually needs 4 to fill up.

Tilapia is healthy and has the good fish oil, and this is straight up fish and not breaded or coated with anything. And, it comes it at under 100 calories per serving, but as I mentioned, the fillets are small.

We quick pan fry the tilapia or broil it, but my son likes it's baked with cheese and butter which is fabulous - but that kind of sucks the "healthy"...

...

LisaCarey says "Doesn't get my shoes under anywhere " about Shoes Under Shoes Under

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:23:46 GMT

Usually I am very hesitant to purchase most "as seen on TV" items, but I have had some success lately and honestly was getting desperate to find a way to store my daughter's shoes so that we could find them later. After much begging by my daughter to purchase the Shoe Under (she saw the commercials) her dad and I agreed and put through our purchase.

First, let me start by saying the site is awful. Sure I can get lots of them for less dollars (the more you buy the less they charge sort of) but then I had to pay extra for shipping. The doubled my order and never gave me a chance to correct it (no check your order function before submitting). You put in the number your credit card information and hit submit, there is not way to check anything to make sure there is no mistakes. Whallah! A screen pops up and I now have 6 of them coming in the mail and my credit card was charged for it. Next I find out that it's almost impossible to find their customer service number on the site. Once I had...

...

LisaCarey says "Nothing fun about the fandango " about Fandango

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:09:52 GMT

Once upon a time I could go to the theater and enjoy a good movie. Now, with young children in the house I have to be much more picky about when I see a movie and which ones I take time for. I first started using Fandango many years ago after moving to help me find cinemas and get information about movies but recently I also gave it a try for a Fandango gift certificate that I won from a contest right here on Viewpoints. (Thanks viewpoints!)

I wanted to take my children to see Toy Story 1 and 2 the double feature in 3D. While some of the online information was helpful such as the cinema and times some of it was confusing and I ended up having to call the cinema anyway. I did like that I could see a quick review there about the movies, but of course nothing that could rival the reviews here on Viewpoints.

Next I attempted to purchase my tickets and use my gift card. There were several things about this process that I didn't like. First, there are service charges - so much...

...

LisaCarey says "Dora saves Swiper from the naughty list " about Dora the Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:56:54 GMT

My daughter's love Dora the Explorer and as soon as the commercials started for Dora the Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure they started asking me if they could watch it. I had every intention of letting them watch it - on television -- but a trip to the movie store and a tired mom expected snow over the weekend gave in.

In Dora the Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure Swiper actually gets caught by Santa swiping toys on Christmas (apparently it's ok to do this on other days) and gets put on the naughty list. Dora decides to save Swiper and they go through a series of Christmas Carol moments in an effort to get Swiper off the naughty list and onto the nice list.

Back in time they go, to see Swiper as a baby. They also visit the future, when Swiper is surrounded by toys but has no friends.

Dora the Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure is a typical Dora adventure. Tico and Isa, Boots and Benny the Bull all make an appearance. There is some Spanish words...

...

LisaCarey says "Fountain of youth in a cream" about Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Targeted Line Concentrate

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:46:50 GMT

I have always thought that one of the most important things for a woman to take care of is her skin, maybe because I have always admired my mom's beautiful, youthful looking skin. I admit that I don't have many lines or wrinkles and put that down to genetics more than anything else, but I do have one or two so I decided to try Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect.

I admit that I have used Clinque and Mary Kay in the past. Avon just never really worked for me. I currently love the results I get from Lancome products but when you get a chance to try something that felt the way that this lifting and firming moisturizing cream did in the store you definitely want to bring it home, even if Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect in the very smallest jar is $60.

I experienced amazing results in just a few applications of Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect. I admit to only using it at night but it actually is a day cream and includes SPF 30. However, I was afraid to give up my...

...

LisaCarey says "Go where no movie has gone before and I didn't want to come back" about Star Trek

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:33:55 GMT

I admit it, I am a "Trekie." Having grown up watching Capt. Kirk and Spock as well as the rest of the crew of the Enterprise, to become an adult and parent watching each of the new "generations" as well as each movie (and even owning them) I was sure that Star Trek was coming to an end. Honestly after ST: TNG I was pretty much over it as many of the newer shows and movies may have had better sound effects and more technology on the ship the story lines just didn't cut it.

But WOW! You can read in all the other reviews about the amazing cast of characters and IMDB.com can give you a list of them on the newest Star Trek (2009) . I have to say that Bruce Greenwood (Capt. Pike) and Zachary Quinto (Spock and most well known from Heroes) gave stand out performances. The cast and the crew of the newest and oldest Enterprise really have it all. They are amazingly smart (geniuses all), sexy, and daring. The ship itself offered more bells and whistles and while this may have been the oldest...

...

LisaCarey says "Not good for dishes, dishwasher or the environment " about Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent - Lemon Splash

LisaCarey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:44:12 GMT

I was thrilled when my husband brought Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent - Lemon Splash home when I sent him to the store for dishwasher detergent. We have been trying to "go greener" cleaning more environmentally friendly for both our home and the environment- even going so far as making many of my cleaning supplies as I need them.

Unfortunately Palmolive eco+ Gel Dishwasher Detergent - Lemon Splash doesn't live up to my expectations, the name of Palmolive or the description of a eco friendly dishwasher detergent. I have used it several times, even included using Jet Dry in my energy star dishwasher and each time my dishes come out with white dirty dusty streaks on them - especially the plastic products. I have to spend a great deal of time washing my dishes by hand to get rid of the white gunk which has built up so much on some of them I can't remove it and have ended up having to throw some things away!

Palmolive says that this is an eco friendly product, but in this...

...

Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

...

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...

...

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...

...

LisaCarey says "Visiting the grandparents and holiday travel is easy" about Continental Airlines

LisaCarey — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:40:40 GMT

There are many advantages to living in Houston and one of them is that Continental Airlines offers many non stop flights from Houston to were I want and need to go. Much of our family lives in Ohio and without Continental Airlines it would be difficult if not impossible to see our family (with them traveling here or us traveling there) as often as we do. My daughter has flown using their unaccompanied minor system (which is expensive but never messed up); I have flown alone with two preschool children in tow and so far every experience has been excellent.

What I like about air travel with Continental Airlines

at check in they offered my husband a security pass so he could help me get the kids to the gate
they always take excellent care of my unaccompanied minor daughter as she travels back and forth
the flight attendants let ME handle the children - with the occasional helpful suggestion (say about ears hurting)
daily flights back and forth to where we need to go
check...

...

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...

...