When our central air died earlier this summer we decided to replace not only the air but also install a new gas furnace since both units were over 35 years old.  Our old furnace was a monster downstairs and after doing a little research and having several heating companies come out, we decided to go with the Amana Model AMV9070, 70,000 btu, 96%, 2 stage, variable speed gas furnace.The pric...

  Last year I put my husband through another of my "let's do this honey" projects.  My idea was to redo the small half bath off our kitchen as it hadn't been touched since we moved in 35 years ago.My vision was to basically gut the room and start over.  We needed a new toilet anyway and that's what got me to thinking about this in the first place.  New ...

Last fall we had to install a new water heater as our old one was acting up from a build up of calcium in the bottom.  My husband checked around and decided he wanted to go with the Bradford White Defender Energy Safety System 50 gallon gas fired hot water heater.  The hard part was hauling the old one from our basement as it weighed a ton from the buildup inside.  Putting t...

So we were at Costco again and they were giving away samples of this Super Collagen + C.   What can you tell from a sample of any vitamin or supplement?  They give you one day's supply and you're going to be able to figure out if it is beneficial to you?I went down the aisle and found the full size bottle and started reading the label:  Repairs Ligaments & Tendon...

I just love my new Bissell vacuum cleaner.  I wish we would have bought it sooner instead of trying to nurse our old Hoover along  for the family room downstairs.After checking on line recommendations and looking at many vacuums we decided on the Bissell 82H1 Cleanview Helix Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner.   We were able to test and run the vacuum at Sears when we stopped in...

I purchased my Proform treadmill to work out in the winter months when it's impossible to walk outside.  I chose this model for the comfort of the cushioned walking  platform and the fact that it folded up for easy storage when I need the space for other things.  It was a little hard getting it down to the basement but my husband and daughter were able to get it done wit...

  I hadn't used a deep fryer in years.  With the trend to healthier foods I think I threw mine out about 5 years ago.  It wasn't really a problem until recently when my husband asked if I would make him Scotch Eggs out of the blue.  It's something I used to make for Sunday breakfast all the time years ago and now he had a hankering for them!!I said sure, but hone...

OK, I jumped on the band wagon with making Halloween decorations using the fake carvable foam pumpkins.  I have seen these in craft stores for several years and never really got the urge to do anything with them.  My daughter and I saw an ad for several different characters in our local Michael's Craft Store ad, but we found many more available on line at their website.&...

We received this Yard Machine snow blower from my husband's brother as he had health problems and decided to hire a service to do his drive.  It was only used for a couple of winters and we've had it for the last 5 years. Living in Michigan we get lots of snow living close to the lakeshore.  We seem to get dumped on all the time and since our snow blower had died the year...

This roaster was an early bird special one Saturday before the holidays last year.  It came with a free Rival electric knife so the price couldnt be beat.  I needed a big roaster as it was our families turn for the big Christmas gathering.  I needed a roaster big enought to make swiss steak for 40 people.  This roaster worked perfect.  It came with a removable roas...

The first purchase when we bought our house was to put in central air conditioning.  Now some 30 years later we had to replace it with a much needed newer and more energy efficient unit.  Along with a new furnace (separate review) the Amana Model ASX16024 - 16 SEER, 2 Ton, 2 Stage Air Conditioner was our choice.We were able to get a better deal buying the furnace and air conditioner t...

About 5 years ago we were lookiing for a replacement window for our ancient single pane large picture window in our living room.  It was a large 2 piece unit on the top and two small windows on the bottom that you could push open to the outside. We were having problems with the window steaming up every time I cooked on the stove. It let the cold air in and the air conditioning out!Ent...

When I found out last year that we were replacing the carpeting at work I was excited for 2 reasons:  First, our old carpeting was just so ugly, it had been cleaned so many times I think it made it even more prone to dirt.  Second, we were going "green"!!!  After many samples were brought in for us to look at, we decided on the Shaw Ecoworx Performance Broadloom 24"...

I've been using the Sebamed pH 5.5 products for a month and am very pleased with the results.  I found this product at Costco where they were doing a promotion of many of the products contained in this pH 5.5 line from Sebamed.  I was immediately drawn to the hand and nail balm as I think this shows my age more than my face. It went on so smoothly, made my skin feel like...

This is our Halloween greeter, or as we lovingly call him, BIG FRANK.  This 6 foot tall airblown inflatable has greeted all the kids for Halloween for the last 5 years.  He swings a scary spider from one hand and a bat from the other.  These move with even the slightest breeze, yikes!! When not fully inflated Frank fits nicely into his 12" x 12" x 12" box for ...

This is my sewing machine, the Bernina Record 930 Electronic sewing machine.  I have had this since 1982 and it has served me without fail for all these years.  I just learned this Bernina sewing machine is the most highly sought after used Bernina machine by both the regular home and professional sewers.  It is an all metal machine and made in Switzerland.&nb...

On any given night you can find my husband and myself in our identical Lane recliners.  When we refurnished our family room we decided we each wanted our own recliner.  We've had these Lane recliners for about a year and a half and they look as new as the day we bought them.  We chose the Allure model for the ease of getting in and out of it.  We probably ...

A sure sign some of us are getting older are the dark circles and/or puffiness under our eyes.  I recently had cataract surgery and had worn glasses for many years.  Now all of a sudden I don't need them and I really noticed the dark circles and slight puffiness more than I did when having my glasses on.I had been seeing ads for the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller.&nb...

Collecting pins started a few years ago innocently enough by watching people pin trade at Disneyworld.  I couldn't believe what an enormous industry pin collecting is.  This year I got to the point where I needed a place to store my "little" pin collection other than in a drawer where no one ever saw them. My daughter who works at Disneyworld gave me this beautiful pin s...

For some years now I have been having trouble with my left ankle swelling to the point that on bad days it feels like my skin is going to split open by the end of the day.  I've asked my doctor what the cause could be and the answer is always "probably from a previous foot injury like a sprained ankle or something of that nature", watch your salt intake,  drink lots of w...