I love to find great products at bargain prices, especially for the kitchen. Here is a set of Cuisinart Kitchen Knives that I really like and I think it's at a really great price:
As bloggers who are interested in home and food, we are frequent viewers of television channels such and HGTV and the Food Network. As we were watching a recent episode of Color Splash with David Bromstad on HGTV, we were trying to decide whether or not we really liked the show. While we think David has a lot of talent, there is something about the show that strikes a bit of a negative chord.
David is charming, but maybe a bit too charming. His charisma can be a bit hard to handle at times. On the other hand, some of the other cast members come across a bit dull. It’s kind of a strange mix. Most of the rooms they do on the show are quite nice with a good balance of color and style, obviously done on a budget. It’s also kind of a neat idea that the homeowners’ always receive an original piece of art done by David.
Obviously our opinions are a bit mixed on Color Splash. We will probably continue to watch, however, because David is a talented designer and we hope the show will begin to flow a bit better as it matures. Time will tell.
What is your opinion?
Sponsored Review
We came across a really interesting site this weekend called Architectural Classics. This site offers a huge range of both antique and reproduction lighting fixtures and door hardware. They have some absolutely beautiful items like this French Vintage Cast Brass Door Knob
And this lovely 2 Arm Rose Crystal Wall Light which is available in a variety of finishes. 
The site itself is easy to navigate and the photographs of the items are very well done. All can be enlarged to show quite a bit of detail for each fixture. The item descriptions offer useful measurement and color information. The site is organized into sections including Door Furniture Reproductions, Door Furniture Originals, Lighting Reproductions, Lighting Originals, and Miscellaneous Items. This makes it much easier to tell if you are getting a true antique or original fixture versus a reproduction. This is an important distinction as not all websites are great about letting you know when you are buying a reproduction item.
Plaudits:
Tweaks:
Overall Opinion:
Architectural Classics would be a great site to visit if you are looking to restore an old home or historic building or if you just want to add some period charm to any home. I really liked the selection of items available in both the antique and reproduction fixtures. An excellent resource to bookmark as you proceed with any period restoration.
Sponsored Reviews and Standard Reviews
In an effort to keep our readers informed about current items on the market, we have decided to do some specific product and website reviews. We will cover aspects such as ease of use, appearance, ease of maintenance, cost, and overall features. For websites we will include information on the site's privacy policy, security, and general use of the website. We will provide a summary of our findings and opinions and list out the pros and cons for each product. These pros and cons will be listed as “plaudits” and “tweaks” respectively. Why? Because it’s just more fun than saying “pros and cons!”
A sponsored review is one that someone asks us to write and for which we get paid. This is one of the ways that we are able to maintain this blog and to put dinner on the table. Like any other job, we need to get paid somehow. Sponsored reviews will be honest and will provide information both positive and negative on any site or product we review. Our opinions are still our opinions, whether we are getting paid to write the review or not.
Standard reviews are reviews that we write just because we have some information we want to share with you. If you don't see the words "Sponsored Review" at the top of the post, the review is not a paid review.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a note.
I took my sister to a hotel for an overnight getaway to celebrate her __th birthday (sorry, I still want my sister to like me) :-) We had an awesome time together taking in some theater and a nice dinner. The hotel we stayed at was very nice, but the best part was the bed. Stop laughing - yes, I am talking about a hotel bed. The pillows were the most comfortable pillows I have ever slept on.
When we got up in the morning, I had to know what kind of pillows they were, they were just too comfortable. Of course, since this was a nicer hotel, it had two pillow cases and a zippered pillow protector and the tag was at the non-zipper end of the pillow. I finally got it apart to find that the pillows were Pacific Coast Feather Company down and feather pillows.
These pilllows are wonderful. They come in 3 comfort levels: soft, medium, and firm, depending on your personal preference. I recommend the Double Down Around Pillows at Pacific Coast Feather for ultimate comfort. I also recommend getting the pillow covers to keep your pillow clean. The cover are washable and don't detract from the comfort of the pillow at all.
I have been looking for comfortable pillows for years and I am so happy I finally found some. I guess now that I'll be sleeping at night, I will have to start blogging during the day! LOL
If you check out the site through the links on this page, you will get ""Pacific Coast Feather Co - $3.99 Shipping"" on All Products for a Limited Time. Now there's a deal that will help you sleep at night.
Happy dreams!
Karen
Due to the untimely demise of nearly all of our kitchen appliances at the same time, we have recently purchased a new suite of appliances by KitchenAid. In an effort to keep our readers informed about current items on the market, we have decided to do some specific product reviews. We will cover aspects such as ease of use, appearance, ease of maintenance, cost, and overall features. We will provide a summary of our findings and opinions and list out the pros and cons for each product. These pros and cons will be listed as “plaudits” and “tweaks” respectively. Why? Because it’s just more fun than saying “pros and cons!”
On that note, here is our first review:
Product: KitchenAid Architect Series II KSCS23FSMS Stainless Steel Side-by-Side Counter-Depth Refrigerator 
Manufacturer Product Features:
· Through-the-door ice and water dispenser provides quick, easy access
· In-Door-Ice® bucket increases usable freezer space
· ExtendFresh™ Temperature management system helps ensure maximum taste and texture
· Refrigerator is ENERGY STAR® Qualified so it conserves energy without sacrificing performance
· Base-grille filtration system
· FreshSeal™ humidity-controlled crisper
· FreshChill™ -Chilled air from the freezer helps keep meat at appropriate temperatures
· Freezer Compartment Capacity - 9.1 Cubic foot
· Refrigerator Compartment Capacity - 14 Cubic foot
· Total Capacity - 23.1 Cubic foot
· 3 Freezer Baskets
· Wine Rack
· 4 Adjustable SpillClean™ Glass Shelves
· 4 Adjustable Door Bins
· Overhead Temperature Control
· Water Filter Indicator
· 1 year Limited Warranty
Ease of Use: Basically this is a very nice refrigerator. There are plenty of shelves and bins. Milk and juice bottles need to be kept on a main shelf of the refrigerator because there are too many bins on the door for them to fit height-wise. This is okay though because the beverages stay colder in the main compartment.
The Fresh Chill bin really keeps things cold when the lever is turned to maximum chill which is great for storing meats in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. You have to be careful with this feature however, as the lettuce we also put in this bin actually froze. We weren’t used to having a meat bin that actually kept things extra cold!
The drawers are a bit difficult to use. You have to pull them a bit to the left when you open them or they hit and mark-up the refrigerator door. A bit of an annoyance.
Ease of Maintenance:
Okay, here is where it gets interesting. We seriously hesitated about getting stainless appliances because of everything we heard about how hard it is to keep them clean. We were reassured many times by our appliance salesman that if we used a commercial stainless steel cleaner, maintenance of that polished stainless look would be no problem. Wrong!!
The finish itself is quite attractive but it DOES show every fingerprint and mark. We have been cleaning and polishing every day so far. Right now we are using a cleaner called “Zep” sprayed onto a cloth, not on the appliance as the can suggests. We clean the appliance and then rub it with a clean soft cloth. That has been the best and easiest method so far.
Other than the exterior, the interior is easy to clean and the replaceable water filter is easy to reach
Cost:
As with anything it pays to shop around. Prices range from $1,800 to $2,800.
Plaudits:
· This KitchenAid refrigerator is a beautiful appliance and really enhances the look of the kitchen.
· Very energy efficient
· Plenty of storage bins and shelves
· In the door ice maker takes up less room in the freezer
· Fresh Chill bin works great
· Easy to use water filtration system
Tweaks:
· Stainless steel finish is hard to keep clean
· Drawers don’t open fully without banging into refrigerator door
· It is expensive
Overall Opinion:
We like this refrigerator despite a few annoyances and would purchase it again. We would have to give some serious thought to the finish however.
