Cutest Tire Swing in the World

I know this one isn’t quite a review as I didn’t purchase one myself but as the Hubs and I checked out Seaport Village in San Diego I came upon this:


This is a fantastic and creative way to reuse a tire. Come on, look at it and is that not the cutest tire swing you’ve ever seen?! And that’s not all. When I took a look inside the store (which mostly sold hammocks) I saw this:


It's a parrot made out of a tire and spray painted. You could possibly fill them with seed and make a bird feeder out of them or water to make a bird bath or make them planters. Or just hang them in your yard because they are the cutest. I have an old tire in my back yard that we found on our property. I’m going to see if the Hubs can make a parrot for me. While searching for cutout plans I found this great site that sells these awesome green swings. Check them out at www.tireswingsandgardenthings.com.

The Acer Aspire One 751h-1211 Netbook

I purchased this lovely Netbook about two weeks ago and I am just loving it. A Netbook is a mini version of a laptop only it has no internal CD drive or the processing speed of a normal laptop. In trade you get a more compact and lighter pc. I liked this laptop that I purchased from Buy.com for $366. Not only was it cheaper than a full sized laptop but it comes in all different kinds of colors. I chose the red and it is very chic. The only problems I’ve had so far is that it comes with Vista. Anyone who has Vista knows what I’m talking about. Windows Vista is extremely slow and really not designed for slower processors which the Netbooks are based on. This netbook came with 250GB hard drive capacity which in my research so far is the highest I could get in my price range without spending more than $500. It also has 2GB standard memory unlike the others I found that only had 1GB. The 11.6” screen is also larger than those I could get in the same price range. The only reason this one was a bit more than those you see on sale at Amazon for $299 is because it comes with a 6 cell Li-ion Battery which lasts over 7 hours. The whole point of Netbooks is to have “mobile” computing so when purchasing remember to always check the cell. 3 cells will only last about 3-4 hrs. Since purchasing I’ve learned Acer is going to be introducing a 9 cell which I’ll be upgrading when it comes out. Along with the Windows 7 when that comes out also. Don’t expect your netbook to totally replace your laptop. Like I said your trading some processing power for the light mobility netbooks provide so the processor is going to go slower than a regular laptop. If you have some light computing to do and want to stay connected on the move this is a good choice in netbooks.

The Break Fast Dog Bowl

What to say about this dog bowl…well, the reason I purchased this bowl was because my Black Lab Buddy has an eating disorder that causes him to gulp down his food within seconds of it landing in his bowl. This to my dismay may cause “The Bloat” that can kill your pup. So I searched and searched online and found the Break-Fast Dog Bowl. This bowl is way over priced for what you get. For $35 I could buy a gourmet dining set for the dog. But, I went with puppy mother instinct and on behalf of the reviews purchased the steel version of this bowl. The reasoning is because the other cheaper, plastic versions looked too much like a dog toy and I could just see my dummy dog trying to play with it or worse easily flip it over to get the food out. The bowl essentially does what it claims; it slows down the eating of the food, what they don’t tell you is that it slides around which I’m told was in design to further slow food consumption. I find it down right irritating to find that bowl pushed every which way. I once found it pushed under my couch. So my Hubs purchased an oversized O ring and slipped it around the bottom to stop the sliding. The other thing I don’t like about this bowl is the mess. The dog literally slobbers all over it trying to get the food and I find I’m washing this thing almost daily. It does slow down his eating time and unfortunately there are not that many options to choose from besides this bowl. I found some industrial farm kind of feeding bowls but nothing in common dog size except this one. So I guess I’m stuck with it until the pet industry comes out with something a little more advanced and hopefully more aesthetically eye appealing.

My Cutlery Experience

Oooohhh, aaaahhhh, so shiny

My Ginsu Knife Set arrived yesterday and I was super excided to open it up and try them out. Luckily I took out some Cornish game hens early to defrost and was going to whip up a proper meal. (Plus they were the only thing left in the freezer. I really have to go shopping soon.) It was a little bit of a learning curve using these knives as unlike the traditional knives I use these have a kind of scalloped edge almost like a bread knife edge and I was used to flat straight edges. I thought this might make for a more jagged cut but I was completely wrong. These knives cut through everything I needed to season my dinner in no time flat.

And of course you knew I had to try this:

It didn’t affect the cutting edge at all.

But what surpassed all my expectations is when I had to cut the game hens in half (usually a great chore with my old knives). I was so surprised at how easy these knives cut through bone and cartilage without even slowing them down. Seriously it was like cutting butter. I’m so going to enjoy using this set on all my culinary adventures. Thanks again to the folks at Living Rooms Direct letting me have the opportunity to review them.

Pattypan Reusable Lunch/Snack Bag

The Pattypan Shop is Awesome

And so is Etsy for introducing me to them. Etsy.com is a place where you can find homemade items and I’ve patronized a couple of shops there and they are awesome to work with. I was on the search for a lunch box. Not your typical lunch box but a reusable, waterproof, and snazzy lunch box. I also need one kind of slim and ended up getting a lunch bag instead but check out this lunch bag.

Is it not the cutest thing ever?! It’s lined with waterproof material so if my lunch kinda leaks a little it won’t get all over everything in my TH bag which is the reason why I picked this lunch bag. Also they have these little snack packs that have Velcro enclosures (I got one of these too) that matched my bag and are just too adorable. And if my lunch leaks in my lunch bag I can just throw it in the wash. And the best part is that this is a green item I can use over and over again.

Rachael Ray Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Rachael Ray Stainless Pots and Pans
I purchased these pots and pans for my Hubs for Christmas. Before you get all, “what you bought cookware for your husband?!” I just want to point out that the Hubs has been stretching his culinary wings lately but our sad $20 for a box of cookware bought 4 years ago just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Boy, did I get a shocker shopping around for cookware. Some sets I looked at were starting at $500 a set. I know the Hubs wanted to steer clear of the Teflon (that’s what we had then) because he wanted to be able to bake in the pans also, like those cooks do on Food Network. Finding a set that was A) Teflonless B) able to be put straight in the oven C) Wasn’t too girlie/old looking*, took some research.

Yeah, you could say that Rachael Ray’s set with the orange handles is a little girly but it was the cheapest and all the reviews said it was a good set for the price.

So we had the set for a while and I decided to make soup in the stock pot and found that the handle rivets leaked. Curious, I took out all the pots and pans and filled them with water. Two pans and the stockpot leaked where the handle rivets were. Since these were covered under a warranty I tried to find the warranty info. which we so cleverly threw out with all the Christmas wrapping paper. Finding any information online was like wading through murky water. Finally the Hubs happened to find a flyer that came with the set and in small print it had the name of the distributor. So contacting them we finally got someone to help us. They said they would send replacements but when the replacements arrived they accidently sent us the Teflon coated pans instead of the stainless steel. Eventually they got it right and we got non-leaking pans and a pot.

The warranty company was very accommodating and we had no problems getting replacements (the right ones eventually) and I have to say that for the price these pots and pans do a great job. They are easy to clean and heat up nicely and evenly. A great value for the price.


*Seriously, have you seen these Paula Dean ones? They have “Grandma lives here” written all over them.

Cutting it Up Opportunity

Just in time for my new kitchen renovation I’m getting a wonderful opportunity to review this lovely product:




The Ginsu Cutlery. I’m super excited to try to cut cans then try to cut tomatoes. Will they live up to their reputation? I dunno. But look how sparkly they are. This wonderful opportunity is provided by Living Rooms Direct, an online source for living room furniture and accessories. You gotta check out their site. I spent days looking through their inventory. See, Living Rooms Direct is connected to CNS Stores which have about a billion different stores that have a trillion different products from card tables to backpacks and anything else you can think of. Talk about your one stop shop. I'm totally bookmarking thier page.

Sephora Gift Card Winner

And the winner is:

Amanda.

Please send me your address at toesfootnotes[at]gmail[dot]com so I can send your gift card.

Thanks a bunch for the response. I hope to have more in the future so stay tuned here at ToesFootNotes!

Hoover FloorMate

Hoover FloorMate. What a concept! A vacuum and mop in one. I’ve owned my FloorMate for 2 years now and I just love this thing. I have two dogs that track red clay mud in and out of the house constantly. And talk about the hair. Dog hair everywhere and the genius that built this house put white linoleum in the kitchen. The FloorMate allows me to vacuum and mop at the same time. I just vacuum up all the dirt and hair then push the little button and start spraying away. The little scrubbers on the front get that red clay dingy dirt up in one to two passes. No more bending to scrub the floors. Or soapy water mess with mopping. This thing also cleans up spills in no time flat. The FloorMate works not only in my kitchen but all through the livingroom and hallway that has wood laminate flooring and I don’t have to worry about the flooring buckling due to using too much water because the FloorMate sucks it up as it cleans and dries your floors very quickly. I highly recommend this for anyone who has a busy life and high traffic areas and wants to clean them quickly.

$25 Sephora Gift Card Giveaway

So what do you get somebody that you’re kind of pissed at but then still like as a friend but she’s kind of stuck up and that kind of pisses you off for her birthday. A Sephora gift card. But since I’m a procrastinator and couldn’t get my timing correct I ended up getting her something else instead and now I’m stuck with this gift card that, of course, came the day after her bday. So what a better way to promo my new site but to give it away. Here’s the deal:

To enter leave a comment here stating a product you really like (can be anything), make sure to use a valid email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.

Tweet this giveaway and get an extra entry. Make sure to leave a comment below or add @toesfootnotes to your tweet to let me know.

Or post this giveaway on your blog. Make sure to leave a comment below that you posted.

That’s it. Pretty simple right?

Winner will be picked by random number generator.

You have until 12 midnight PST on Tuesday 8/4/09 to enter because Wednesdays suck and what a nice pick me up but to be notified you won something on Wednesday.

Prize: $25.00 gift card to Sephora in a stylish gift/mirror box.

Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory

Is this not the cutest thing ever? My vacation all wrapped up in a pretty bow. This wonderful production was made with some easy peasy clicks of the mouse. It took less than 10 minutes to add my pictures, pick a template, add text and publish. This wonderful product was made with Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory, a great product that not only makes slideshows in a few simple clicks, it also makes great galleries for your website. Not only does it do all that but you can make your wonderful productions into screensavers for your computer. What more could a geek like me ask for? This program was also pretty cheap at only $49.95. This program is so easy to use. I hate programs that have such a high learning curve that an hour later you’re still trying to figure out how to add sound or an effect. This program made it so simple to plop in photos, add sound or pick from the many transition effects or templates already loaded. Not only is this great for personal photo albums but would make a great business gallery. It even has 3D gallery effects. Sit back and enjoy my vacation montage.

Febreze Takes My Smell Away

I bought this stuff the other day hoping it would alleviate the stench that two grown dogs in 100+ degree weather brings to your home. I don’t really like original Febreze smell, I preferred the spray that Downy came out with for fabrics. It had a nice soft Downy smell to it and made everything smell like it just came out of the dryer. Unfortunately, I could not find Downy’s fabric freshener at the store any longer so decided to give Febreze one more go. I purchased the three pack of the home décor selection. These sprays were different from the bulky blue bottle I’ve used in the past and I was so surprised at the new smells they had come up with. My favorite is the Lavender & Vanilla scent but all of them are wonderful and not too overpowering. They got the job done and instead of smelling sweaty dog when I come through the door, I now smell a fresh field of Lavender & Vanilla. I use this all the time now. It’s a great product. Way to go Febreze!

Welcome

This is my new little space on the web that I thought I’d share. It’s hopefully going to be a product review/giveaway kind of place where I display how much of a sellout good reviewer I can be. Anything that may catch my eye will go here. Enjoy!

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 22 July 2009


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About Me

Hi I’m Toe, a 30 something woman living in California. I’m happily married to the Hubs and have two fur kids, Buddy and Shasta. I’m an avid consumer of products and love to review things. I’m truthful about all the products in all my reviews. I think an honest opinion speaks louder than just a picture of a product.

I’m a big outdoor enthusiast and love hiking, biking and fishing. I also Geocache which takes me to places I’ve never been before. I love to read and write and aspire to become a published writer one day. I’m a enthusiast of green products and green practices.

If you have an item or store you would like me to review please contact me at toesfootnotes@gmail.com.