Cuisinart CHW-12

Something I find a bit frustrating with coffee making machines is all they make is coffee.  Ok, yeah, you can run water through and have a pitcher of hot water, but if there's a coffee drinker in the house - that's not going to go over well when they're having a caffeine fit and you're sitting there happily enjoying your tea and a bowl of instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal.

Anyway, what brought this subject up was last nite I was browsing through the latest issue of ShopSmart magazine and saw one gem of a coffeemaker!  It's called the Cuisinart CHW-12 and acts as both a fully programmable coffeemaker AND a hot-water dispenser!  

The  Cuisinart CHW-12 is loaded with awesome features:

• stainless steel
• 24 hr programmable
• self clean function
• auto shutoff
• 1-4 cup settings
• 12 cup carafe
• carafe has a drip-free pour spout
• carafe temp control heater plate can be set at high, medium or low settings - great for keeping your coffee at just the temp you like it
• easy to read program panel has a blue back-lite and digital clock
• no need to wait till the brewing cycle has finished. It has a special pause feature so you can have that first cup before you crack under the pressure of waiting
• removable drip tray allows plenty of room to use travel mugs
• water system works independently of coffeemaker
• safety lock on the bottom of water system, so no need to worry about small children accidentally dispensing the hot water
• tells you when water is ready, when to add more
• can put tea cup in the bottom & hold lever till you get amount of water you prefer
• Includes a charcoal water filter & Gold Tone Filter that removes impurities!
• 3 year warranty
• Dimensions: 10.8 x 12.4 x 16.5 and weighs 9.5 lbs

That's quite a list, but then again, this is quite a coffee making machine!  If you take a look over at amazon, you'll see 104 consumers reviewed the Cuisinart CHW-12 and it scored a 4.5 stars!  That's impressive!  Everyone agrees that it makes the best coffee they've ever tasted.  

There are a few folks who have had a few problems with the hot water side, but that's because they ignored the instructions.  : )  So, tossing that out the window, the Cuisinart CHW-12 is an incredible coffeemaker and one that you'll enjoy waking up to every morning!

List Price: $185
Amazon:  $99.95 plus FREE shipping!  A 46% savings!  You really can't beat it!  So, click here and head over to amazon now, and get ready to experience the best coffee you've ever had.

PS:  To see the Cuisinart CHW-12 in all it's glory, be sure to watch the video.

Welcome the newest member of my family!

Little Piper on my lap.

Meet little Piper!  A friend of my brother found her at the end of his drive and gave him to my brother to give to me.  I take in strays and ferals as they appear on my porch.  Anyway, Piper makes cat number 16, and she's as adorable as her little face.

Piper is making working a challenge. Since she's the only kitten, she demands my full attention.  If I sit, then my lap must be available.  If I stand, then I obviously want to drag the vulture feather across the floor so she can chase it.  If I don't catch on that this is what she expects - she sits down and meows till I surrender.  She really knows how to work me.   LOL

Jeff the cat was really ticked when she moved in.  He went around smacking the other cats over the head as if he were saying, "If you're the one who did this - take that!!!"  They stayed away from him for a good week.  He's slowly coming around...I think.

Piper asleep on my lap.

On the work side, the incessant rain has made keeping up with the farm nigh on impossible.  There's areas that are so saturated, the mower will sink to it's axles and more if you try to mow.  That leaves me using the weed eater to cut large sections that no weed eater was meant to cut.  Hopefully, it will hold out till the ground dries.

Neither me nor my mom have our gardens in.  Well, we have a couple things in the ground but that's about it.  Mom had someone run the tiller for her yesterday and it kinda sunk.  It sure did look dry enough though.  : )

Besides trying to make the most of those rare moments in between the rains to get caught up with the grass mess on the farm, I'm working on a new project that will hopefully launch in a couple days.  I'm opening a store for selling PLR.  PLR is short for public label rights.  You write articles, blog posts, ebooks and reports for bloggers and internet marketers to buy.  It's a lot of fun.


Anyway, that's a heads up on what's been happening since my last post.  Keep checking back this week for the latest product review or better still, subscribe to my feed and get notified by email when a new post goes up!


Catch y'all later!  Make it a great day!
Yo

Time for some family fun! Free Comic Book Day

Ladies, if you have a hard time getting kids to read - comic books are the way to go. They also make a great opportunity for you & your husband to kickback and have some quality time with the kids reading them together. So, take advantage of Free Comic Book day this Saturday (May 7, 2011)! Read more here Comic Book Day also puts focus on reading to kids - Omaha World-Herald

USA Today

That's one of the ideas behind Free Comic Book Day, which celebrates its 10th anniversary Saturday. In addition to celebrating independent comic shops, the day helps promote reading with kids and tries to introduce more people to comic books. ...

Before you start bone-building meds, try dietary calcium and ...

My mom and I were talking recently about people going to the doctor for every sneeze or hangnail, and how it drives up the cost of health care. It reminded me of an aunt of mine who was an RN. She firmly believed that medicines were from G-d and that we should make the most of them.Her philosophy changed too late. I went and saw her in the hospital, not long before she died, and she told me, "If I had the chance to do it over again, I would never take another pill."If you pay attention to the commercials when they tell you the side-effects, you can understand what happened to her. The side-effects mean you might end up taking another pill, because the previous pill damaged this, that or the other. It goes on and on.There are other alternatives to pill popping when it comes to women and our calcium needs as we're getting older - it's called a good diet and supplements. This study shows how you can make the most of your meals without having to resort to some pill that could possibly cause you serious problems down the road.Read more here U of I study: Before you start bone-building meds, try dietary calcium and ... - EurekAlert (press release)

Examples are soy milk, orange juice, yogurt, crackers, cereal, bread, breakfast bars, and even pancakes. The researchers also looked at the effects of dietary protein, vitamin K, soy, and sodium in their literature review. The new USDA food pyramid ...

Columbia Hiking Boots Review for Women

Anyway, my favourite place to hike is our farm, which is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians.  It's a nice 300 acres with around 200 of it being woods.  There's steep ravines, caves, some large rock outcroppings and lots of large fallen trees to walk along and climb over.  Jeff likes exploring their hollow insides.  It's great fun and lets me spend time with the little rascal and get my exercise in at the same time.


Unfortunately, my hiking boots bit the dust and I'm looking for a replacement pair that's not going to kill my budget, and yet be of good quality so I'm not wasting money.  Yeah, I’m sure some of you are thinking I should just wear a pair of cross-trainers or something.  Cross-trainers are fine for hiking through your local neighbourhood park, but I live in the foothills of the Appalachians - wearing cross-trainers would only get my ankle broke.

Today, I ran across this little baby.  It’s the Columbia Sportswear Women's Ashlane Mid Omni-Tech Hiking Boot.  It’s a beauty.  Columbia is an excellent name in outdoor products, so you can’t go wrong with buying Columbia hiking boots.  Here’s the low down on this pair of Columbia hiking boots for women:

• The waterproof suede and mesh upper is backed up by Columbia's Omni-Tech waterproof breathable membrane.
• The gusseted tongue blocks trail debris from sneaking inside during your hike,
• The AgION anti-odor treatment prevents your fellow hikers from giving you embarrassing nicknames once you take off your Ashlanes at camp.

Anyway, I like them and they're now sitting in my wish list at amazon.  They normally run between $75 - $95, but you can pick them up at amazon for anywhere from 39 - 41% off the regular price, depending on how big your foot is.  I’m a size 8, so my pair of Columbia hiking boots is going to cost me $56.47.  Pretty good, huh!  One more very important thing - they all come with FREE shipping.


So there ya have it!  If you’re like me and after that next pair of hiking boots - grab these up while they’re still available in your size at amazon.  

   Have a great weekend!    Yo and Jeff the hiking cat


PS: Jeff the cat has his own blog. He hasn’t posted in it since his brother died.  But here’s a link to one he wrote after we got back from a long hike: How Dare You Human!

Where's the beef? Oh! There it is! Me in my graduation picture!

Graduation is just around the corner and it got me thinking about my ol’ college days.  Those days when I put on a lovely 30 pounds.  Yip, I was one of the statistics.  I didn’t realise how much I weighed until I saw a picture of me in my gown, holding my “I-can’t-believe-I-made-it” college diploma, with my mom and dad on either side.  I looked like a big pumpkin in a black gown.  I sat staring at the picture in horror thinking, “Man! I look gross!”

I wasn’t sure how to get that much weight off. I’d never been that overweight in my life.  So, I did a bit of shopping around and found Denise Austin’s “21 Jump Start” book.  I liked that it had success stories in it, but more importantly there were daily readings of Denise sharing her own story.  And perhaps even better than that - there were loads of recipes, some of which I’ve used for the past 15 years!

I peeled off a little over 30 pounds using the “21 Jump Start” book.  So!  Thinking about May - graduation month or June if you’re on a weird schedule, I thought I’d give you the heads up on the Denise Austin work out book that really does produce the results you want.

Here’s the layout:

1.  Success story.
2.  Daily reading
3.  Positive thought for the day (very very helpful!)
4.  Days menu that also includes eating tips of the day & page numbers to the recipes.
5.  You’re activity plan for the day, along with fitness tips of the day.

Workouts are broken into days of the week.  You alternate between aerobics and strength training.  Each exercise for a particular strength training day is illustrated with pictures and the details on how each is to be performed.

At the end of 21 days, if you’ve honestly applied yourself - you’ve got your confidence back, are thinking more positive and accomplishing things you’ve been putting off or taken steps toward doing things you thought you could ever do.  It’s a brilliant book.

One last thing, keeping in mind that Denise is not only a wife, but a mother and career woman.  She basically burns the candle at both ends, so your workouts are 30 minutes at best.  She has an entire chapter called, “In-a-Hurry Exercises” - exercises you can do while getting ready in the bathroom, kitchen, at your desk at work, in the car, and in line at the grocery store, etc.  

Another chapter focuses on balancing family, work and exercise.  There’s tips on eating out, how to build a fitness plan, tips on dealing with each body part from head to toe, and more.   
 If you're looking to drop some weight and have fun doing it, you definitely want to pick up this book. 

Carpet Cleaners Review: Woolite Carpet Cleaner

Ever have one of those mornings when you awake to a total disaster?  Well, this morning was one of those mornings.  It began with my cat sitting by my head and deciding to puke.  I managed to shove him off the bed before his breakfast ended up beside me.   So, he puked beside my bed. But! That wasn’t good enough! He went on to puke on the wood floor,  and 3 other places on my carpet.


It didn’t stop there. There was a dark patch on the carpet that wasn’t puke. I looked over at Dougie the Cat and he had blood all over the side of his head and it was dripping on the carpet.  His wound he got over the weekend had burst open and the infection was running everywhere - mainly on the carpet.


That’s when I decided it might be nice to share my dream machine with you just in case you have pets too, or accident prone kids.   As you can see by the pic - it’s the Woolite Rugstick. As many messes as my cats make from infections, chucking hairballs, peeing to annoy me, to upset tummies, this little baby has been a sanity saver!


Here’s amazon’s description of this wonderful little woolite cleaner:


Product Features


* Innovation for foam cleaning
* Convenient and easy system
* Perfect for area rugs
* Powerful cleaning action pushes foam deep into carpet, lifting and loosening embedded dirt from the bottom of the carpet fibers up


Adding my own on the Woolite rug cleaner, it’s also lightweight, easy to put together, and covers a lot more area at one shot than getting on your hands and knees doing it the old fashion way.   I’ve also found I can put quite a bit of pressure on the handle to dig deep into the carpet and the handle takes it really well.


HOW IT WORKS:





I have to say after reading some of the negative reviews on the product that the reviewers had obviously never used the Woolite cleaner,  because their claims were rubbish.   The other reviewers were bang on.  Obviously a stick carpet cleaner isn’t going to do the exact same job as a Rug Doctor or a home rug cleaner,  but it sure does come close.

The directions tell you straight up that you might have to clean some of the stains 2 or maybe even 3 times to remove a stain depending on the type of stain it is.  From my own experience,  how long the stain has been there also makes  difference.  For example, I have one stain that even mom’s big Bissell can’t get out, so I wasn't surprised when my little Woolite cleaner couldn't either.


Another reviewer also made a good point. The video shows the woman just gliding it along and cleaning. LOL No, you have to do a bit more scrubbing than that, but I’ll tell ya, it sure beats getting on your hands and knees to clean up frequent messes.  One helpful tip I might add here is make sure you scrub top to bottom, left to right and even diagonal.  It will give you a more effective clean than just going top to bottom of the stain.


I also found that like myself, it’s a hit among pet owners.   One more thing, the kit comes with a trial size so you’ll want to pick up the full-size carpet cleaner.   So, give it a shot!  You won’t be disappointed.