Reviewing Garbage Disposer Cleaner By Glisten

Keeping Your Garbage Disposal Unit Clean

I think it is safe to say that most of us run our garbage disposer more than once per day. I would also venture to say that most of us don't give much thought as to whether we are keeping it clean enough or not. I know it wasn't something that I had given much thought to until I had to replace my old disposer unit with a new one. 

I always figured that by running the garbage disposer it was keeping itself clean. Well, it sort of does but there is a build up that can occur over time that can get pretty nasty and run the chance of having a clogged drain if we aren't careful. There is also the chance of having rather unpleasant odors emanating from the disposer. I think we have all had that happen once or twice. Both of these situations can be avoided if we clean our disposal unit out about once per month or so. I now use Glisten Disposer Care to clean mine out.

Glisten Disposer Care

It is so very simple to use and only takes just a few minutes to do. After the blue foam recedes back down into the disposer, the kitchen smells so clean and refreshing with the scent of lemon!

This video gives you an idea of what I am talking about.

A few tips for using your garbage disposer

Did you know that you should use cold water when you turn your disposer on? It should be a strong stream of water and it should be cold instead of hot or warm. The cold water helps to solidify any grease that might be in there and makes it easier to grind. Using warm or hot water melts the grease and pushes it on down the drain where it might become solid and clog your drain later on. 

Placing potato peels down your disposer is not a good idea, either. The potatoes contain starch which can build up as a paste in your disposer and may prevent the blades from working properly. It is a good idea to grind small hard materials like eggshells, small chicken bones and small fruit pits once in a while. These materials create a bit of a scouring action that can help clean the walls of the disposer. 

It is never a good idea to put corn husks and silks, celery, onion skins or any other fibrous material in your disposer. The fibers can get entangled and actually jam the motor along with possibly clogging your drains. 

Maintaining  and cleaning your disposer may not have occurred to you but I think you can see that proper use and the occasional cleaning of it can most probably extend the life of your garbage disposal unit and prevent costly plumbing bills in the future. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Best Air Freshener for People with Sensitivities

Peppermint

I have had to think a lot about air fresheners.  At work I share a small office area with three other offices and a public bathroom.  The space is a confined area in an old building. The windows are painted closed and there is no bathroom vent.  So, you can imagine why I've been thinking a lot about air fresheners lately. I want to avoid as many chemicals as possible but remove as many odors as possible. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that two of us have chemical sensitivities. Even in light of all of this, I have found the perfect air freshening solution.

New-to-Me DIY Natural Air Freshener

I get severe migraines that are often triggered by chemicals and scents. My office mate has asthma that is easily triggered. We are finding that we are triggered by opposite things. For example, original Lysol, in small amounts, doesn't trigger my migraine but causes breathing problems for her.  She can tolerate one of the other scented sprays (I can't recall the brand) but it triggers a migraine for me. As I mentioned, due to the layout of our office area, we both are adamant that an air freshener is mandatory. We are just having trouble finding something that suits us both.

As I move toward more natural cleaning supplies in my home, it was automatic to do some research about natural air freshening solutions.  I am always one step behind the times, so you probably have already heard of using baking soda and essential oil as a natural room freshener, but this was new news to me.  And I'm thrilled.

I immediately got a small glass container at work and a glass jar at home.  I purchased peppermint essential oil and made my own room freshener in a matter of moments. So far, so good. No migraine and no asthma attack for my friend at work. 

This natural and effective solution is amazingly quick, easy, and inexpensive to make.

my simple baking soda and peppermint air freshener

The items needed:

• baking soda
• essential oil (scent of your choice)
• a jar
• decorating supplies (completely optional)

The how to:

Pour some baking soda into the jar.  I used a couple of tablespoons. Some folks fill the jar halfway.  

Sprinkle a few drops of essential oil onto the baking soda. Stir or shake.

If using a lid (mason jar, paper, or cloth lid) place the lid onto the jar.  I am using a lid only if I want to interrupt the air freshening. Otherwise, I do not place the lid on the jar.

Essential Oil Reviews

Years ago, I had a friend who taught me a very small bit about essential oils. She used peppermint oil on me when I had migraines (she is a masseuse). So I knew that I'd be okay with peppermint oil and that is what I purchased locally for my first attempt at making my baking soda and essential oil room freshener.  

In the meantime, I am studying about different brands of essential oils. Peppermint oil is not my first choice for a room freshener.  I will switch over to a floral or citrus oil.  

I have found a detailed review and essential oil comparison that has been very helpful in narrowing down the brands I'd like to purchase. Now, the only problem that remains for me is narrowing down which scents to purchase. There are so many wonderful scents to choose from. 

Essential Oils from Plant Guru

CAUTION: There are children who have been poisoned when they have ingested essential oils or have been over-exposed via direct contact with essential oils.  Please read about the dangers of essential oils and children and keep your essential oils out of the reach of children. 

Related Links:

Tidy Mom shows us how she uses spray paint and scrapbook paper to make pretty jars to hold her baking soda and essential oil air freshener.  Such an easy and good looking project - I wish I had thought of it. 

Homemade Gifts Made Easy explains a few ways to dry lavender.  If I am successful with growing lavender I will dry some in order to make a lavender, lavender essential oil, and baking soda air freshener. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Oster Griddle and Why I Love It - A Review

Oster Griddle via Amazon

The biggest reason we have a Griddle in the house is to make pancakes.

For decades home-made pancakes have been a staple in our home and when we're in-between grills, pancake breakfasts usually hit the skids.

Well, we've been in the 'in-between' stage for about a year or more, so just recently I decided a new Griddle was in order.

What's nice about a Griddle is the convenience for breakfast! My fourth son is now 16, still in high-school, and I make it a habit to prepare him a decent breakfast before school. That breakfast usually ranges between:

• Free-Range Eggs, Spinach & Kale fried in Coconut Oil and Sliced Oranges, or
• A Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Sliced Oranges or Bananas

What Do I Love about The Oster Griddle?

We've had a Griddle in our home for decades, and I do have a good amount of experience determing whether a grill passes the 'pancake' making test.

When I tried the Oster Griddle for the first time, I knew instantly, by how the pancakes browned, whether I had a winner ... and yes, according to my pancake making judgement, this grill is a winner.

Here are the points about the Oster Griddle that I appreciate:

• It's ceramic non-stick coating is fantastic for non-stick performance. For the first batch of pancakes, I always put a bit of butter on the grill (even with a non-stick griddle) just to be safe. But with this grill, although I haven't tried it, I believe the butter was unnecessary. However, for the other three batches of pancakes, I did not add any butter whatsoever and the pancakes didn't stick at all!
• The size of the grill is nice - I was able to make six good sized pancakes at a time.
• The surface is scratch resistant and less likely to peel or flake. I haven't had ours long enough to give it the scratch test, but based on the durability of the surface, I can believe it.
• The ceramic coating is free of PTFE & PFOA chemicals.
• Food cooks evenly
• It does cook faster and thus I imagine that will save energy over time
• It looks nice on my counter and it's a snap to clean

I plan to use it frequently for breakfasts and it's situated conveniently beside the Vitamax and Coffee Machine (the two other appliances that get the most use).

Using our Oster Griddle for Grilled Cheese
Photo by Funkthishouse.com

Enjoy My Pancake Recipe:

Well, it's not really mine, it was my Mom's and before Mom, Grandmothers :)

• 1 Cup of Flour

• 3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder

• 2 Tablespoons of Sugar (Optional)

• 3/4 Teaspoon of Salt (Optional)

• 1 Egg

• 1 Cup of Milk

• 2 Tablespoons of Melted Butter or Oil

• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Mix all of the ingredients together (manually). Don't over mix it of course. Let the Mixed Batter sit for five or ten minutes or even longer if needed. Then, using a ladle, scoop onto your grill ... greased with a little bit of butter if you like.

On the Oster Grill, the temperature between 265 and 300 degrees seemed to work fine for me.

The secret to good, fluffy pancakes is to only flip them once.

You'll know the first side is cooked when there are 'bubble-holes' peeking through the uncooked side. However, you can usually tell by the smell, or just take a little peek to be sure they're the color of golden brown that you like.

Flip them over, let the other side cook for a few minutes or less, and they're done.

Because we are so many in our family, and everyone has there own preference for the fixings they like inside their pancakes, I'll add the items to each pancake on the uncooked side one at a time, while the one side is cooking. Tip: When you add the food item to the uncooked side, gently spread some of the batter from that uncooked side over the food item - that way when you flip it over, you'll have batter cooking on the grill instead of the chocolate chips, blueberries or whatever you added hitting the grill directly (which could burn).

Popular flavor additions in our home are chocolate chips, fresh raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. This morning it was chocolate chip pancakes and blueberry pancakes.

So yes, I recommend this grill, we love it!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing a Set of Basic Classic Legos

The Lego Building Bricks

Source: Wikipedia

We all know the Lego toys, beginning from our own childhood experiences, and on to the toys we gave and are giving our children and grandchildren today. The Lego, described as a construction set toy, began as a wooden toy by a carpenter (Ole Kirk Christiansen) in Denmark in 1932. He eventually called his company LEGO, from the Danish phase leg godt, which means "play well". 

When plastic was introduced for toys, the Lego Group company began the basic interlocking brick design (based on the traditional stackable wooden blocks of the time) that we know today as the LEGO.

Lego pieces are universal in that each piece remains compatible in some way with existing pieces. Also, each Lego piece is manufactured so precisely that when two pieces are put together, they fit firmly, yet can be easily disassembled.

Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in the current time, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers. Six pieces of 2x4 bricks can be combined in 915,103,765 ways.~ Source: Wikipedia.

The Lego toys have evolved into a large variety of themes based on popular games, movies, books and more, such as Star Wars and Disney.  Themed sets can be found from individual vehicle sets with less than 75 pieces for under $10 to really large sets with over 900 pieces and prices over $100.

Grandson David's Birthday

(c) Wednesday Elf

Last week my grandson David celebrated his 7th birthday. David (like most kids, including all five of my grandsons) has been a Lego fan for several years and has collected several sets which he plays with almost daily. One of his favorites is a Star Wars set. 

When I asked his parents for a birthday gift suggestion, my son said that a Basic Lego set would be perfect because David, while enjoying his themed sets, has a vivid imagination and wanted to make his own designs out of Lego pieces (difficult to do when a themed set only goes together one way).

LEGO Classic Creative Supplement Set

The set of Legos I sent David for his birthday last week is this LEGO Classic Creative Supplement, which has 303 pieces in 20 different colors and includes a brick separator. It also features 2 sets of eyes for building all kinds of creatures and different shapes to use for animal arms and legs.  The set comes with an Idea book, and more ideas can be found online at LEGO.com/classic.  All models pictured can be built from this set simultaneously. 

(c) Grandson David, Age 7

As you can see by the first toy David made with his new set (a Dragon created within minutes of opening his gift), he LOVES his basic Lego set, an ideal supplement to all his other Lego collections.

Turned out to be the perfect birthday gift from Grandma.

Quick Links:

• LEGO Classic Creative Supplement on Amazon

For more Lego Reviews, check out

ReviewThisReviews: Legos

(c) Wednesday Elf - 5/14/2015

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Review of "The Huntsman: Winter's War" A Captivating Movie

In 2012, the movie "Snow White and the Huntsman" was released in theaters.  It seized the childhood fairy tale and brought it to an adult audience.   That movie focused on the evil queen, Ravenna, sending the huntsman to kill Snow White after the infamous mirror on the wall informed her there was "another destined to surpass" her beauty.

"The Huntsman: Winter's War" gives the background story of the huntsman in the fairytale.  He was raised to be a warrior in the kingdom ruled by the Ice Queen, Freya, who was Ravenna's sister. 

The movie started a little slow.  Plus, after 4 years, I found myself struggling to remember if we had ever been introduced to Freya before.  However, I did finally settle into watching the drama of the Ice Queen unfold before me and frankly didn't care whether we knew the queen from Snow White had a sister.  Once I was able to set that aside, I very much enjoyed the movie.

 

About The Huntsman: Winter's War 

Freya, the Ice Queen

Unlike her selfish sister, Ravenna, who had schemed and murdered in order to become queen and to take control of a kingdom, Freya was a sweet girl content with a more common life that included love and a family.  It is well known that Ravenna, the queen, is a sorceress.  We learn in this movie that her powers are not even conquered by death. 

Ravenna had often admonished Freya that she should seek her own supernatural powers, embrace them and become powerful like herself.  When Ravenna discovered she had a new rival, her diabolical actions cost Freya everything that was ever important to her, including the life of her only child.   Once Freya's daughter was murdered, she turns ice cold toward everything and everyone.   She is immediately overcome by anger and hatred.   Her entire body becomes a vessel for evil and wickedness.  She finds her supernatural power in being able to literally freeze anyone and watch their bodies shattered as broken ice.  This ability reflects her frozen heart and she feels nothing but disdain for anyone who loves.  She sees it as a great weakness that should be eliminated.  

Freya leaves her sister's kingdom to establish her own domain.  

 

The Huntsman:  Eric (Chris Hemsworth)

 

Freya conquers region after region in order to build a massive kingdom.  She spares the lives of the children and brings them to her castle to train them as warriors.  She also strives to eradicate love from their lives.

As you may have guessed by now, Eric is one of the children she "captures" to train as a warrior.  He and Sara, another child captured in the same raid, excelled as warriors.  They also fall in love with each other, a sin punishable by death in the Ice Queen's kingdom.

The Ice Queen forms an ice wall between the couple as their comrades carry out orders to attack and kill each of them.  After watching Sara's murder through the ice, Eric is rendered unconscious and thrown into a river by his "adopted" brother.  He survives, but ends up in the land of Snow White mourning the death of his beloved wife. 

My Opinion and Recommendation of The Huntsman:  Winter's War

 The Huntsman: Winter's WarTo be blunt, I liked this movie a lot better than it predecessor, "Snow White and the Huntsman".   

It is easy to accept Charlize Theron as the gorgeous queen whose beauty cannot be surpassed.  As always, her performance was exceptional!  How someone can be so beautiful, and yet be the face of evil at the same time, is quite fascinating.

Emily Blunt was Freya and did an outstanding job of playing the part of a fractured soul struggling to survive an unimaginable experience.   Her facial expressions throughout her reign as the Ice Queen revealed just enough to make you wonder if she struggled with her determination to extinguish any semblance of love. 

These two woman on the screen together are quite impressive.  They are both beautiful woman with regal carriage.  Their acting is superb, and their costumes in this movie are exquisite.  

To the naysayers of this movie who bemoan the fact that Kristen Stewart (Snow White) was not in this movie, I have to say I disagree.  She was not needed, nor was she missed.

As far as the huntsman and the love story in this movie, Eric and Sara were easy to like.  Their relationship and the evolution of romance shows that regardless of laws and hardships, people still care for each other.  The human desire for love and natural response to love cannot be exterminated.  

I also really liked the ending of the movie, but you will have to go see it yourself to know what happens.  Actually, you should go see it for yourself!  Don't let the negative press and reviews that are just plain wrong keep you from going to this movie.



The Huntsman: Winter's War Movie Review & Recommendation Written by:

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