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Frustration Free Packaging at Amazon.com

Last summer my sister purchased one of those Nerf surf guns from Amazon.com.   It must have taken me thirty minutes to get it out of the package, because it had about 20 plastic clamps anchoring it to the box.   And working all those clamps loose didn't help my arthritis.  The box wouldn't have protected the gift from the package handlers either, since it had no lid.   I've purchased some items in Amazon's new Frustration Free Packaging, and it's so much easier to get to the product!   Amazon has a whole list of items available in Frustration Free Packaging.   Check it out!

Weight Watchers New System

Weight Watchers unveiled the new system this week.   Instead of figuring your points based on Calories, Fat and Fiber, they are now using Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates and Fiber.   Some foods are higher, some are the same and some are lower.   Especially fruit, which is now zero points.    Instead of a points finder that I called my WW Slide Rule, we have to purchase a calculator.   Most of the food at the center has gone up too.   One Point Bars are now two points.  Two points bars now three points.   Weight Watcher shakes have gone from one to three points.  

I took my calculator to the store to re-figure my favorite foods.   Unfortunately, I'd gotten into the habit of bulk buying then storing in Tupperware or Lock-n-Lock, so I'd lost all the nutritional information.   Cell phone to the rescue!   Snap the nutritional table, send the picture to my email account, then figure it once I get home!

Shoelace Update at Resole.com

I emailed customer service last night, and had a response this morning.   We'd assumed they'd just replace the new laces, but they put them inside the shoes.   My husband hasn't gotten around to wearing them yet.

Get Your Shoes Fixed at Resole America

 

I sent off my shoes to www.resole.com and had them fixed up.   It's a really easy procedure.   You can print out the pre-paid mailing label than pack your shoes and drop them in the mail.   Resole America will fix many brands of shoes:  MBT, Rockport, New Balance, Clarks, Fine Italian Leather, Birkenstock, Footprints, Havana Joe, Vasque Hiking Boots, Military Boots and Bostonian.   If you don’t have anything suitable to ship them to www.resole.com, you can send off for a pre-printed label and mailer.   That’s what we did this time, and it arrived quickly.

They access them, select replacement parts that closely match the original materials.  Many services are available:  Full Soles, Half-Soles, Combo Soles/Heels.   They'll even put in lifts.  You can also have your insoles replaced.   Which I did this time, because my orthotics tend to tear up my insoles.  I started using Resole America several years ago when shoe repair stores locally would not repair our Rockport shoes.

Resole.com also does a good job cleaning up your shoe.   While they usually replace our shoe laces too, it got overlooked this time.  I’ve sent them an e-mail, and I’ll post their response here.

Still, it’s a great way to get more wear out of your shoes!

How to Make Good French Toast

My French Toast was always inconsistent until I saw a demo on Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show.

You start the night before, by putting your bread out on a rack to get stale. (So your toast doesn't fall apart when you add the egg batter.) The next morning, you mix up your favorite egg batter, Mr. Brown says to use only half and half with eggs, but I use skim milk with egg beaters if on hand. I also make my french toast with reduced calorie bread. Fill a 6 inch cake pan with your egg batter. I like to use this size since it fits my regular bread well. Then dip your bread in, 30 seconds on each side. And put on a cookie rack for two minutes to let the egg mixture seep toward the center. Next cook in your pan. The less you move your toast at this point the better. I lift up a corner to test brownness. When it's brown on both sides, move it to your oven set at 375 Degrees F (to cook the center), and fry the rest of the toast. Alton Brown suggests moving your fried toast to a cookie sheet lined with a cooling rack, but I simply use a Oven Crisper Sheet. By the time the last of my french toast is fried, the first slices are ready to come out of the oven.

In our house Maple Syrup is the only thing we pour on our french toast and waffles.

Deep Fried Turkey Safety

Let's have a safe Thanksgiving.

If you're planning to deep fry your turkey this year, I suggest watching these two short videos first. The second video is from the show that made me an Alton Brown fan.

Deep Fried Turkey Explosion Demo

Deep Fried Turkey Mini-Tutorial

Movie and TV Deals at Amazon

Black Friday Event with savings up to 70% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/22 - 11/29. Movie and TV Deals. If you're interested, bookmark this page and check back often. These deals are changing by the hour!

Black Friday Deals at Amazon

Check out Black Friday Week at Amazon! Be sure to bookmark this page, so you can grab the deal when it comes available.

Holiday Cooking Tip

I love my Brownie Edge Pan. I no longer have to worry about mush in the middle! You get at least two edges on each slice! Another unforeseen benefit turned out to be how easy these brownies were to remove from the pan. I've used my pan for much more than just brownies: cake, rice crispies treats and more. If you bake No Pudge! Fat Free Fudge Brownie Mix, Original, 13.7-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6), you'll need two mixes. I've heard other mixes take just one, but for me it's either No Pudge or from scratch.

This would make a great gift!

Black Friday Starts Early

Save big on HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players, home audio equipment and more from top brands starting on 11/22.

Come back every day to see our latest deals.

Black Friday Deals

Photo Tip - Removing Glass Reflections

Ever try to take a picture through a window and end up with a nasty reflection? That's where the Circular Polarizer comes in. Just screw it to the end of your lens, then rotate it until the reflection disappears. You lens should have the filter thread size printed on the end. Some Point and Shoot Cameras come with an optional accessory called a Lens Adapter Tube which will allow you to attach other lenses, etc. and of course filters.

Travel Tips

This holiday season, airport security will be tighter than ever! Nearly every time, security must open my bag, and then it's up to me to put it all back together. On our last trip, it got easier with packing cubes. All my lose items went into these handy containers, and guard looked at each cube, instead of fingering through all my items.

It's my goal to match my packing cubes colors to my suitcases, to make it easier come packing time.

Once you reach your destination, simply move the cubes to your drawers. No need to worry if the drawers have been cleaned recently.

Another great accessory are Compression Bags, because you can pack a lot of the clothes you don't mind getting wrinkled in a lot less space. At the end of your vacation, these Compression Bags become laundry bags!

With bedbugs on the rise, I suggest adding Bed Bug Spray to your list.

Early Holiday Shopping

Get a Head start with the Early Bird/Gifting/Sci-fi Event

Savings up to 57% on over 3000 eligible DVDs and Blu-ray discs from 11/2 - 11/21

Check it Out!

Wall Street Journal

We've subscribed to the The Wall Street Journal for years. I've always found a lot of fascinating articles, some of the opinion articles contain useful information. For about a year, we've been receiving our issue a day late. When contacting customer service, we learned that due to cancellations of several critical flights, the journal is one day late, and it will remain so until further notice. However, we can still get our issues downloaded on time with our Kindle Wireless Reading Device. It also means fewer trips to the the local recycle bin.

Save the Planet

Back in the 70s, they called it ecology. Today, it's called being green. Just a few ideas to get started.

1. Recycle your newspapers.

2. Instead of buying disposable water, invest in a Brita Purifier and buy some Kleen Kanteens. Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Poly Loop Cap (12-Ounce, Black Eclipse)

3. An idling car emits 20 times pollution than one moving at 32 miles per hour. So, turn off the engine after fifteen seconds.

Photographic Techniques

I like to call myself a photo enthusiast. I've been taking photos for 40 years, so in that time I've picked up a few tips.

1. Be sure to use your LCD screen to proof your pictures as soon as possible. Since your pictures can look great on your two-inch screen, it's a good idea to enlarge them on your screen to make sure they still look good. I've taken many shots that look good, until I enlarge them.

2. Beware of camera shake. I use attach my camera to ThePod, to create sharp pictures. Also, my camera pod is easier to haul around than a tripod. But that's not all I do. I've learned the process of pressing the shutter release will also cause camera shake, so I often use a self-timer. Some cameras have self-timers with more than one delay setting.



3. Back-up your photos in the field. I use a Photosafe II, because I simply insert the memory chip and hit copy. If you want two copies to be on the safe side, you can insert your regular memory chip, then a compact disk and copy from the memory chip to the compact disk!




4. I utilize the scene modes, such as Sunset, Landscape, etc, to make my pictures even better.

5. Use the rule of thirds for composing your shots. Instead of putting your subject in the center, divide your screen into a tic-tac-toe grid, and place your subject at one of the places your lines intersect.

6. Use the built-in frame-assist to line up horizons, buildings, etc. Or, you can use the lcd edges as a guide.

7. Protect yourself by registering your pictures at copyright.gov.

Airline Hassles

Everyone hates to fly these days. In fact, we'd rather drive 550 miles one way than take an airplane. But sometimes we have to fly.

Last August, we were flying into Vancouver for our Alaska cruise, and had to change planes in DFW. Our connecting flight was canceled due to mechanical problems, and suddenly American Airlines had to find alternate flights for a planeload of people.

The American Airlines ticket counter employee booked us on United Airlines. It was in another terminal, so we had to catch the tram to the other terminal. Once we arrived, the guy at the United Ticket counter refused to let us board until our luggage arrived at their gate! We informed him we had a cruise to catch, but it made no difference.

The plane took off without us, so we called American Airlines and they sent us back to the American Airlines terminal. Finally, we arrived at the gate in question and we got a manager this time. He put us on standby on the last flight to Vancouver. We ended up being the last two people on the plane!

We arrived in Vancouver, but our luggage didn't. We were so late, the Pan Pacific had sold the last waterfront room, so we ended up with a Mini-Suite! That Mini-suite was fancier than the one we got at the Hilton back in 1996 when our ship was eight hours late getting into port, and Royal Caribbean had to put us up for the night. The next morning, we had french toast worthy of Alton Brown! Yum, Yum. And coffee in the dining room was $4.50 per person. Ouch!

Flying back from Anchorage, Alaska, we were delayed again, due to damage on the wing. We waited for an hour for American Airlines to contact an engineer in Tulsa. Of course with the time difference, he was off work by then. Finally, we got the go ahead to fix the wing, and they fixed it by applying duct tape (I kid you not). Then we waited another hour for the paperwork (including serial numbers) to be completed. Due to delay regulations, we got more food before the flight than during the flight. We ended up being only a few minutes late for our connecting flight in DFW, but they refused to hold the plane for us. We were told at the desk that it's a huge no-no to have customers arrive without their luggage. But I suspect not as big a no-no as having to put them up in a hotel for the night.

In the October 7, 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal, "A Big Jump in Gripes About Airline Service" mentions all the hassles, and how people that complain get better service than people that don't. They no longer take complaints via e-mail. Probably because many people can now send emails via their cell phones. These days, you can go airconsumer.ost.dot.gov and fill out a form.

Payments for August and September (Month to Date)

Also Speedearner & MidnightClicking

Waiting Payments

Both Deep-C-Links and LadyoftheLinks have announced upcoming closure.

Deep-c-Links: 66 Request Ahead of You, 154 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed Balance) Number ahead of me decreasing, but no change in beenpaid page. Ads are slow to process, and none of my ads from my PTP rotator upgrade have been processed in nearly 2 months. All this, and still requires 125 clicks a month.

E-Qoo2: 31 Request Ahead of You, 151 Days Old, 1 click required every 15 days.

LadyOfTheLinks: 5 Requests Ahead of You, 154 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed) Ads are slow to process, and none of my ads from my PTP rotator upgrade have been processed in nearly 2 months. Still require 50 clicks a month.

PreciousPomsPTR: 4 Requests Ahead of You, 74 Days Old, 50 clicks required monthly

RoseBizs: 8 Requests Ahead of You, 190 Days Old, Been Paid Page Removed (owes me $7.74, but changed the amount of my payment to $1.01 after a post at GlobalFriendsOnline)

Lose For Good Campaign

Weight Watchers is teaming up with http://www.facebook.com/ShareOurStrength and http://www.facebook.com/actionagainsthunger to fight world hunger. Learn more about it at www.weightwatchers.com/loseforgood.

Save 35% off Commbs Maple Syrup in September

Get 35% off Commbs fmaple syrup!

We use only Maple Syrup on the Breakfast table, so I always have my eyes out for a good buy.

Order Commb’s Maple Syrup at 20% discount in September, then save an additional 15% with the Subscribe and Save Option!

Digital Photography Tips.

I've inherited my father's interest in taking photographs, and have inherited his collection of slides taken over a period of six decades.

While my shots are no where near the quality of a professional photographer, I've learned a few tips over the years.

1. Make sure your camera has a thread for a tripod mount. While I seldom take my tripod on trips anymore, I've purchased some The Blue Pod - Camera Platform over the years, and use these as often as I can. I have a small with a center screw for my point-and-shoot, and a larger one for my Ultra-Zoom and Compact SLR. I'm probably going to order one with an off-center screw for the SLR. By simply mounting the camera on one of these, I've gotten much clearer photos.

2. Utilize the self-timer button on your camera. Just the act of pressing the shutter release can move your camera. The last two cameras I've purchased have a two second delay, as well as the twelve second delay.

3. All images look sharp in the two-inch LCD screen on the back of the camera. Be sure to use the image magnifier to check the sharpness of your photos. When purchasing a new digital camera, make sure that your camera's LCD will work in bright sunlight. Check it out in both portrait and landscape mode. I tried a camera which looked great in the normal position, but would go blank when turned 90°.

4. Backup your photos as soon as possible. I always take a remote backup on our travels, so I have a second backup of my photos! While there are some that actually come with a screen for viewing, I've taken my Digital Foci Photo Safe II PST-251 500 GB Digital Picture Storage (Blue/White). It also acts as a hard drive back-up for your computer on those days when you need to restore factory settings.

Depression Era Saving Taken Too Far

I've been shredding my mother-in-law's decade and older documents, and have come across all sorts of things she had used to save a penny or two. Mainly, she's taken used envelopes and recycled them to store other documents, by adding her own handwritten note of their contents. Some of these envelopes two or three handwritten notes as to their contents. Not too bad, and definitely a money saving technique. I've always been a little in awe of how much my mother-in-law's been able to save over the years, and recycling old envelopes is definitely good for the environment. But today, I came across a stack of old Christmas cards secured not with a rubber band, but with that colorful slightly tacky tape they use to anchor gauze to the track wound when making blood draws. Yuck!

Deep-c-Links: 66 Request Ahead of You, 117 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed Balance) No payments and slow ad processing, but still require 125 clicks per month.

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E-Qoo2: 32 Requests Ahead of You, 114 Days Old, 1 click required every 15 days.


LadyOfTheLinks: 5 Requests Ahead of You, 117 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed) No payments and slow ad processing, but still require 50 clicks a month.

OrangeBizs: 258 Requests Ahead of You, 61 Days Old (Last Payment On Been Paid Page April 26), request ahead of me decreasing, but no change on beenpaid page.

PreciousPomsPTR: 25 Requests Ahead of You, 37 Days Old, 50 clicks required monthly

RoseBizs: 8 Requests Ahead of You, 153 Days Old, Been Paid Page Removed (owes me $7.74, but changed the amount of my payment to $1.01 after a post at GlobalFriendsOnline)

Payments Waiting

Aquamails: 28 Days Old, click quota of 100

Cash for Action: 32 Days Old

Deep-c-Links: 66 Request Ahead of You, 111 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed Balance) No payments and slow ad processing, but still require 125 clicks per month.

EmailsForAds - 98 Days Old, No Been Paid Page, Requested Again 6/24/10 (No Payment Plug In)

E-Qoo2: 32 Requests Ahead of You, 108 Days Old, 1 click required every 15 days.

JJClix: 24 Requests Ahead of You, 0 Days Old

LadyOfTheLinks: 5 Requests Ahead of You, 111 Days Old (Second Request Due to Exceeding Maximum Allowed) No payments and slow ad processing, but still require 50 clicks a month.

OrangeBizs: 258 Requests Ahead of You, 55 Days Old (Last Payment On Been Paid Page April 26), request ahead of me decreasing, but no change on beenpaid page.

PreciousPomsPTR: 34 Requests Ahead of You, 31 Days Old, 50 clicks required monthly

RoseBizs: 8 Requests Ahead of You, 147 Days Old, Been Paid Page Removed (owes me $7.74, but changed the amount of my payment to $1.01 after a post at GlobalFriendsOnline)