June 22, 2018

Bifocal readers? Yes, from Readers.com!

June 22, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

I can no longer deny that readers are an absolute must for me. Stretching my arm as far as can be in hopes I might see print large or small hasn't made a difference for quite some time, so readers strewn about my house are a given.

Another given of late has been that those readers go off and on, off and on, up and down depending on what I'm doing. I put them on to check my phone, take them off to see the television across the room. Put them on to read a restaurant menu, prop them atop my head to…

June 08, 2018

Delightful display: Custom canvas print from Canvas Factory (review and giveaway)

June 08, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

I'm one of those grandmas who displays lots and lots of photos of my loved ones. All around my house. For this post, I began counting the number of pictures I have placed here and there. And stopped thirty six. With the remainder of the main level plus the family room to go, I've chosen to just guesstimate here. I'm guessing there are fifty or so scattered about. On walls, bookcases, mantels, and more.

I delight in seeing my sweeties, old and young, in pictures. But with that many pictures to adore—and dust—I clearly don't need anymore.

Yet an offer to review—and give away! (more on that below)—a custom canvas print from Canvas Factory…

December 06, 2017

Happy eyes for grandmothers and others: The new Signature Collection from Readers.com

December 06, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Enter nearly any room in my house and you'll likely see a pair of reading glasses somewhere. Kitchen? Check. Bedroom? Check. In the study where I work? Of course. In the bathroom where even my magnifying mirror needs a bit of a boost? Yep.

I have lots of reading glasses because I need them for lots of reasons. I go through them so often — scratching, losing, or tiring of the style — that I buy only inexpensive ones, typically those that come in batches of four or more for a relatively low price.

So when Readers.com invited me to try out their new Signature Collection of handmade yet a smidgen higher priced readers free for review, it didn't take much

November 22, 2016

Tender, tasty, quick, and easy meals courtesy Cosori Electric Pressure Cooker (review)

November 22, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Pressure cookers have intrigued me for nearly 50 years. They've also scared me that long, thanks to the monstrous meal-making machine that spouted steam and terror in my mom's kitchen as well as my grandma's decades ago.

I've always wanted to learn how to make meals with a pressure cooker. It just seemed that's what grandmas are supposed to do. Or at least try. But the idea the pressurized pan might go kabang has prevented me from giving such culinary craftiness a try.

Until now. Until I learned there's an electric — safe and kabang-proof — pressure cooker. Until I was offered the opportunity to review for free the safe, sturdy, and stylish Electric Pressure Cooker by Cosori.

cosori electric pressure cooker

When I first unpacked and prepared my pressure cooker for cooking, my husband asked, "Are you sure that thing's not gonna explode?" Which confirmed that he, too, recalled pressure-cooker fears...

October 14, 2016

ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale: The key to perfect portion control

October 14, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Portion control is key to a better bottom line, whether we're talking one's budget or body. Buying in bulk and portioning out pieces and servings saves money. Portioning out the correct serving sizes when gobbling goodies at snack time saves calories.

It takes a precise kitchen scale for perfect portioning, though, as eye balling just doesn't cut it. The ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale — a handy dandy tool I recently received free for review — portions precisely, perfectly. Every time.

etekcity digital kitchen scale

The sleek Digital Kitchen Scale has an 11-pound capacity and measures ingredients by grams, milliliters, pounds and ounces. It also has...

January 14, 2016

Homestar Original Home Planetarium: Sega Toys moves stars from the sky to your ceiling

January 14, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

When my daughters were young, my husband and I used to take them camping to a family spot far from the city, far from city lights. One of our favorite activities while out in the wilderness was to stare up at the night sky and look for constellations and shooting stars.

homestar original

The Homestar Original Home Planetarium (which I received free for review) provides the same experience. For the most part. We can't build a campfire indoors, and we thankfully don't hear packs of coyotes off in the not-too-far distance. We do, though, see 60,000 twinkling stars — some of them shooting, even — plus constellations galore, right on...

September 30, 2015

ASUS MeMO Pad 7 LTE tablet: A super tool for Intel's Family Skill Swap and more

September 30, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Chances are your grandchildren know a whole lot more than you. At least about some high-tech gadgets and games and such.

You know a whole lot more than them, though, on other skills. Things like handicrafts and cooking crafts, playing musical instruments and more.

Considering the wealth of knowledge on their part and yours—albeit in different areas—how cool might it be to swap some of that knowledge, share those skills? Intel encourages grandparents to do exactly that by inviting a favorite youngster to swap skills between the generations.

Intel created an invitation for such swapping, something they call a Family Skill Swap. It looks like this: