Life on the Road

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I had the opportunity to review the Glade Fragrance Mist and Glade Oil Diffuser.

The Oil Diffuser seemed to be “not my cup of tea” – although it does look nice sitting on the piano with Cap…

It was too strong when I first opened it, and I had to keep moving it further and further from the couch to keep from getting a headache – but that may just be me, with my headache propensity.

By the next day, that overwhelming scent was gone. Now, in fact, I don’t smell ANYTHING in the Living Room – only if I walk over and sniff the diffuser (which still has plenty of oil in it, and smells quite strong if you DO sniff it). Ah, well.

The Fragrance Mist, on the other hand, we enjoyed. It gives a nice burst of scent, which does a good job of neutralizing (rather than covering up) other odors. It doesn’t last too long, but you wouldn’t really expect it to.

See for yourself!

Right now, you can get coupons for $2 off the Fragrance Mist and $4 off the Oil Diffuser!

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I received the products listed in my post free for the purpose of reviewing them. This review has not been approved or edited by anyone.
I was “disclosing” before it was cool. See my Review Policy for the full scoop.

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After doing several past costume reviews for the kids, I figured it was about time for me to do one myself!

I chose this “Plus Greek Goddess White & Blue Costume” from Plus Size Costume Super Center.

It was pretty difficult finding something to review, actually. While they have a large inventory of costumes, most of them seem to be of the “sexy” variety – which I find both unflattering on a woman my size, and of course immodest.

So I thought this looked like something moderately sensible, and from the photo and description I thought that with a few simple alterations I could make it something fun.

The reality was somewhat disappointing, leading to the fact that there is no photo of me in said costume gracing this review.

The fabric was very thin, so the costume could not be worn without a slip. It is also not structured on top, so could not be worn without supportive garments there – and from the design that would be tricky to accomplish.

The “drapes” were smaller than they seemed to be described, so my plan of tacking them in a couple of places to make a sort of draped sleeve effect was not workable. The blue dyed portion was also substantially smaller than the photo shows, which none of us thought was an improvement.

Although this costume may end up being reconstituted into something totally different one day, for today, I’m just calling it a total loss.

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I received the costume listed in my post free from Wholesale Costume Club; I was not compensated in any other way for this review.
This review has not been approved or edited by anyone.
I was “disclosing” before it was cool. See my Review Policy for the full scoop.

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My kids really enjoy dressing up, so I was happy to have another opportunity to review a costume from WholesaleCostumeClub.com.

Jewel has had some challenges when they decide to play pirates, since we only have accessories, and none of her clothes seem to lend themselves to that.

Then came the “Girls’ Deluxe Caribbean Pirate Costume”

In addition to a fun dress that’s part “pirate” and part “princess dressy”, it includes the fun accessories – armbands with pink laces, and a sparkly pink bandanna (the sword and boots are hers).

Now they can dress up for adventure on the high seas together… In style!

It’s a great time of year to pick up a costume just for fun. Head over and check out all the fun options; you can also follow Wholesale Costume Club on Twitter, to keep up with all their deals.

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I received the costume listed in my post free from Wholesale Costume Club; I was not compensated in any other way for this review.
This review has not been approved or edited by anyone.
I was “disclosing” before it was cool. See my Review Policy for the full scoop.

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It’s been quite a while since I had any news to report about Goldster, although the comments have continued to pour in on my two previous posts:

Goldster, You’re Fired
Goldster Follow Up

I have had a couple of back-and-forth emails with the BBB, as well as the Attorney General’s office there, about my complaint, but nothing that really warranted a blog post.

Today’s Inbox surprise, though, was of a different caliber entirely.

It was from the BBB, but contained a “response from the owner of the business”. The letter read, in part:

Dear Valued Customer,

We are aware of a payment issue regarding the jewelry that you mailed to us. We also wanted to assure you that although you may have experienced a lengthy delay, we would like you to know that we are taking quick action to resolve your issue. Attached is an official claim form, that we kindly ask that you fill out and send back to us with as much detailed information as possible. The more documentation and details you can provide, the quicker the claim process will go. Please complete and return the form if 1) you have not yet received payment, or 2) if you have returned your original payment, and have not received a new check. *Please note that returning the claims form and documentation via the email option will result in a faster resolution time. Thank you.

**Please note this is a standard notice sent to all customers, please disregard if you have already completed and returned a claims form.
Please disregard this email and claims form if you have already redeemed payment for your gold, or a refund check.

It goes on to make reference to the notion that they’re cleaning house “as they wrap up their operation,” and asserts that you may make a claim whether or not you have any concrete documentation of your gold’s value.

I did, in the end, get my gold back, as described in my previous post, so this doesn’t apply to me.

But I hope all the many unhappy commenters will make sure to contact the BBB (email nbrewerton @ bbbwestflorida.org) or Goldster if they haven’t gotten this already, and apply for just compensation.

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As you have probably noticed, we’re talking a lot about a more whole food, traditional diet, both here and over at As For My House.

One of the foundational books on getting back to this way of eating is the cookbook (but so much more!) Nourishing Traditions.

What better way to check it out than to WIN IT! And better still, you can win one copy for yourself, plus a second copy to give away as a Christmas present.

Just head over to the wonderful blog Butter Believer, and enter the drawing – ends on Dec. 17th.

Good luck!

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Who would have thought it possible!

After a really bad experience earlier this year, it was with trepidation that we set out to buy another vehicle. But it was largely because of that experience that we needed to — it’s no fun driving a truck that doesn’t work wonderfully, isn’t what you wanted it to be, and reminds you of the ongoing stress and strain.

In the process, we discovered that we could get a Suburban with third row seating for about the same price as we’d pay for a Tahoe (since we’re in both cases looking for a 1999 with barn doors on the back). Yay!! Since our family exactly fills the Tahoe, it’s been a source of frustration when Grandma comes to visit, or we want to bring a friend home from church, etc.

Having done a great deal of research and shopping just six months ago, that part of it was much easier. Wolf quickly found a few vehicles not too far away that looked potentially like good buys.

It was our intention to trade in the Tahoe, plus some cash as needed, to get the truck we wanted.

Various combinations of “we” had gone and looked at a couple of trucks, but it just seemed like they wanted too much money for them relative to the condition they were in. There seemed to be a great deal in Tampa – but who can go to Tampa on the CHANCE of making a deal?

Then Wolf found another one on a dealer lot close by – at Jason Pilger Hyundai in Gautier.

He went to look at it after work, and called me to say he was ready to make a deal!

WHAT?

He’s really not that kind of guy. And besides, I had the Tahoe all the way across town at Jewel’s ballet lesson, and he had driven there in his little Bronco. How was he going to manage the trade-in?

Well, it turns out that Charles and Todd, although they were selling pre-owned vehicles, were not “Used Car Salesmen”. If you know what I mean.

The Suburban had some definite issues – a few cosmetic, a few mechanical, and a few “functional” (broken door handles and the like), plus bald tires. After riding with Wolf on the test drive, Charles was in agreement that the price they were asking was too high.

It was Charles’ suggestion that we keep our Tahoe to sell private party (hopefully for a higher price than they could give us), and he made a deal on the price that fit our budget, with the help of the finance manager, Todd. They were even willing to re-do the paperwork when we came back in the evening to pick up Wolf’s Bronco (he’d driven the Suburban home), to title it in my name.

So, Clyde is my new buddy.

Clyde? Well, see, my previous white Tahoe was called “Horse” (my shining white steed). So this is like a BIG horse… Something like a Clydesdale… See? Okay, never mind.

The point here is that there are still some helpful, honest folks out there selling cars.

If you’re looking for a used vehicle, or want a new Hyundai, we can’t recommend Jason Pilger Hyundai highly enough!

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You probably know that Wolf is absolutely Captain America crazy – you know, from back in “the old days.”

Luckily there’s the new movie out, since the craze has now spread to the youngest male of the household.

I was blessed to be offered the opportunity to review a costume from Costume Super Center, which has a great selection of boys Halloween costumes, including the all-important Captain America costumes (which, naturally, also come in grown-up boy sizes).

In addition to the “classic” comic book Cap costume, still in production after all this time, is the one R.T. chose – the Classic Captain America Movie Costume.

I also had the, ahem, opportunity to put the Costume SuperCenter exchange process to the test.

Naturally, it was disappointing when R.T. pulled the costume on and discovered that it wasn’t sewn properly all the way across the front. Luckily, it was a relatively painless fix.

First, you order the replacement online (making sure (a) you get it quickly, and (b) they have the order number to associate for the credit on your return). I wasn’t crazy about spending the money upfront, but it does make sense.

Next, you fill out some information online (including both original and replacement order numbers), and print out a pre-paid UPS shipping label. You could ship it back right then and let them cross in the mail; since I had thrown out the packaging, I waited until the new one arrived, then sent the defective one back in that.

So, R.T. has the costume he wanted, and all is well with that end of the deal. I have shipped back the defective one, and although I have not yet received my credit for the replacement order, I am not worried about that — trust me, you’ll know if there’s a problem!

Hey, it’s a cheap kids’ costume. Stuff happens. I don’t blame Costume Supercenter for that – and in fact, their process for handling it was very smooth. Definitely someplace I’d feel confident shopping again.

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I received the costume listed in my post free from Costume Supercenter; I was not compensated in any other way for this review.
This review has not been approved or edited by anyone.
I was “disclosing” before it was cool. See my Review Policy for the full scoop.

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[By Nick]

MacArthur’s intention clearly was to be a good book. All of you know as well as I do which road is paved with such good intentions.

It tries too hard, and ends up falling flat.

On the very first page, one finds an amateurish writing mistake; a sentence begins with the word ‘and’. That, in and of itself, is not a big deal, but it proves to be just a taste of things to come. It was a constant struggle to focus on the information presented in the book when grammar and punctuation errors pull me up out of the action every other page or so.

The punctuation and grammar errors in the book were far from the only thing that distracted me from the information it contained. Halfway through the second chapter, I became convinced that MacArthur was self-edited. Several sentences made almost no sense, requiring several readings of the paragraph that contained them.

Also, and I’m not quite sure of this, due to the unclear nature of the writing, but I believe there was an error in the first chapter, regarding General Douglas MacArthur’s father, or grandfather, again, I’m not sure. Whether or not the mistake really exists, that there can be any question about it indicates that the book is poorly written.

One final point: when I could overlook the errors and actually focus on the book, I was bored by it. I think I would have preferred to read a list of bullet points. Persons and events pop in and out of the story with little warning or introduction in some places, and nearly irrelevant persons and events receive a great deal of narration and detail that detracts from the story.

Such an impressive figure deserves to be treated better than this.

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I received this product free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program; I was not compensated in any other way for this review. This review has not been approved or edited by anyone.
I was “disclosing” before it was cool. See my Review Policy for the full scoop.

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Quick, get ye over to the Franklin Springs website!

Through July 24, receive $5.00 off all individual titles when you use this coupon code:

FIVE-OFF-INDIVIDUAL-TITLES

Fill those missing spots in your collection! Here’s links to my reviews of just of few of the great programs from which you can choose:

Homestead Blessings titles – here’s a link to the the Search for those posts on As For My House, and here at Life on the Road.

Gather the Family (Family Worship)

Unplanned

A Journey Home

Family Heritage of Hunting

Of course there are lots more, but you get the idea, right?

Don’t miss the discount, it’s only available until July 24th!

(This is not a compensated or sponsored post)

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We have a Winner in our EyeBuyDirect Glasses Giveaway!

Random.org spit out #4, which was Ann.

Ann has already been contacted by email, and she has 48 hours to respond and claim her prize. (So, really, the rest of you can keep your fingers crossed until then! LOL!)

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!