Fall Updates On Uppercase Living

September 19, 2009
Wow. There is a lot going on with Uppercase Living nowadays. First, they have recently added a selection of Christmas craft kits that are available from now through Dec. 7th, in the $30-$45 price range. Cute cute stuff, very reasonably priced. The kits are all inclusive. You don't even need to paint the boards, (unless you want to paint over them). All you have to do is put the elements together, and you have a gorgeous new holiday piece to display this year, or give as a special gift.
They have also added a new feature called photo prints, that will give you the ability to turn your favorite pictures into giant wall art, by uploading the pics to my website. I love the idea of posting favorite shots of my grandkids in the game room, using the contour cut feature, which totally cuts around and removes the background from your image, leaving you with what looks like a giant photo printed paper doll. You could also do a favorite pet,(how bout a horse?), sports shots, flowers...how bout a giant Christmas tree if you don't have room for a real one? The possibilities are endless.
Photo pics also offers a full cut version to achieve a mural like look. Photo pics can be applied directly to the wall. And they are removable, and re-useable!!
Last bit of news from Uppercase Living is that they offering some bonus's for hostesses this month, to give them more credit than we normally allow until October 15th when you host a catalog show, craft project night, or demo class in your home. Call me or leave a comment here if you'd like more info on these special offers.

Clear Acrylic Blocks

I am loving the new acrylic boxes that Uppercase Living has just added to their product line! These are so easy to work with. The project shown started with a simple $11 embellishment placed on a $12 acrylic block. The project can be done in under 30 minutes! I filled the block with some crystal beads I found in the floral section at Michaels, and added a clip on light and a bow. I'm guessing the entire piece was done for around $32. If you would like to have a glass block project night in your home, let me know. I will bring out the bows and the supplies, you supply the refreshments. Your guests will be able to choose one of several designs to work on. If you have 6 pre-paid guests coming to your project night, your project will be free!
Acyrlic Blocks are not the only craft project night parties I do. There are several to choose from. Call me at 541-548-7801 if you'd like to book a craft project night in Central Oregon. Or visit my website at http://letterladydarla.uppercaseliving.net/

Uppercase Living

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Uppercase Living

I'm thrilled that Uppercase Living has finally granted us permission to post some of our photos online. In the past I had posted some of my own handcrafted items, only to discover that...ooops, as an independent demonstrator for Uppercase Living I was not allowed to post ANY pictures of Uppercase Living products online, whether they were my own photographs or not. That's the reason I removed all my handcrafted items from this site.

Now that we have been granted permission to post our own photos on blogs, I'll be able to post more handcrafted items here . Yay! So stay tuned...my Fall Into Winter Showcase is coming.

Darla Elliott

independent demonstrator

The View From Here

Well, here we are almost into August, and I'm feeling a bit reflective today. Our Summer was quite eventful between our travels to Reno, LaJolla, Carlsbad New Mexico, Durango Colorado, and fabulous Santa Fe. Between travels, Dan's dear mother fell quite ill and had to hospitalized for quite some time, followed by the need for constant in home care. She is on the mend now. But it has made for quite an interesting Summer, full of many wonderful memories, and some high anxiety moments. As much as I have wanted to host more tea parties and craft shows, it hasn't been possible. I am very much looking forward to the Fall when hopefully things will quiet down at least somewhat.

We do, however, have a missionary family with 5 kids who will be living with us during the month of September. Things are never quiet around the Elliott household for very long. As a result I started a Shutterfly site called "Where's The Next Party?" You know, I thought that when my 8 kids were all grown and gone things would settle down a bit. Not so. There have been 7 graduations to attend since my kids left high school!! We've had 3 weddings in the last 5 years, and another one is just around the corner. We've had 6 grandbabies born in the last 5 years as well. So now instead of celebrating just 10 family birthdays a year, we have 16 to celebrate...before counting our parents, siblings, and friends. And there are holidays, and friends weddings and special events too. People often ask me what do I do with all my free time now that the kids are gone. I haven't had time to figure that out yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

With so many parties going on, my Shutterfly site really did make sense to me, since anyone who hosts parties as often as I do, should really make a business of it, and make it as fun as possible. I will be posting a lot of party information there, now that we have finished our travels for the Summer. We are working on a wedding next week out at the family farm. I will also be available again to host tea parties in Central Oregon. And yes, I am working on a series of craft workshops for Uppercase Living fans. I can work with about 8 women at a time. And we have some fabulous ideas coming up for Fall! Price for the workshops start at around $25 and up, and include all your supplies plus some fabulous refreshments as well.

If you live in the Central Oregon area and would like to attend one of my Uppercase Living craft classes, please contact me through my website contact form at http://letterladydarla.uppercaseliving.net/

If you are living in Central Oregon and would like me to help you host a tea party for your next special event you may leave me a comment on my website at http://www.sconeyisland.net/ or you may leave a comment in the guestbook at http://wheresthenextparty.shutterfly.com/

I love living in Central Oregon. It's a great place to come back home to. And as much as I love sitting at my desk blogging and sharing my ideas with my friends, I really, REALLY enjoy just getting up and taking a walk outside every once in a while so I can catch my breath. With views like this, how can you blame me?

Hope you're all enjoying your summer as much as I am.

Blessings to all,

Letter Lady Darla

Brickhouse Restaurant

There was a time when residents of Redmond had to travel to Bend to find fine dining choices. But no longer is that true with the additions of Coyote Ranch, Canyons, and now the Brickhouse Restaurant. The Brickhouse offers a full range of appetizers including several raw and cooked seafood choices. There are also fresh salads and vegetable dishes to round out your meal. Entrees include a variety of steaks with your choice of toppings including a peppercorn demi glace, roasted garlic demi- glace, Rogue River blue cheese encrusted, or smothered in onions and mushrooms. They also offer several seafood, chicken, and pasta dishes, served with fresh vegetables, potatoes, and warm bread.

My steak was sheer perfection, along with the tender broccoli cuts and the garlic potatoes. Also loved the environment there which is typical Central Oregon casual chic, with chunky oversized booths, and a low activity buzz in the background, which creates an active and exciting ambiance without being overly disruptive to conversations taking place at your own table.

The service is detailed and personable. For dessert they offer a selection of fruit cobblers in season, Burnt Cream, Vanilla Bean ice cream, or Chocolate Lava Cake. Being a chocoholic, I chose the Lava Cake. I would not label it as extraordinary. I've had better, but it wasn't shabby by any means.

The Brickhouse is located at 412 SW Sixth Street in Redmond. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on the weekend.

Hotel Horror Stories

Tis the season to be traveling to unknown destinations. But here's a word to the wise: Make sure you check the reviews on your lodging arrangements BEFORE you pay to stay. My husband and I recently returned from a fabulous roadtrip. Every detail of our trip was perfect. And for the most part, all the lodging arrangements were made well in advance, and with much research I might add. However, there was one night that I did not make adequate arrangements for. I share my own horror story in the hopes of sparing someone else the same fate. (Is it just me, or do you hear a little psycho music playing right now?).

The place- Carlsbad, New Mexico. Carlsbad seems to have a shortage of fancy hotels rooms. Please take it from me, if you can get a room at Super 8, grab it!!! It is probably the best room in town. My husband and I were touring all throughout New Mexico and Colorado, and stayed in some wonderful places. I hesitated to get a room in Carlsbad because we were unsure if Dans brother and nephew were going to be able to drive down with us or not. Carlsbad books up fast, especially if they happen to have a softball tournament or some other activity in town during your stay. I finally went ahead and booked a room for us when it became apparent that the whole town was filling up quickly, and few rooms remained. (Did I just hear that music again?)

It was 2 weeks before our stay. I couldn't afford to wait any longer. So I booked a King size, non smoking room at the Executive Suites & Hotel. The website took my credit card info. However it did not give me a thankyou, or a confirmation of any kind. I called the hotel to make sure that my room had been booked. A man answered the phone in broken English. I asked if he had received my online reservation. He told me he would call me back after he finished his dinner. Say what?! I told him he did not need to call me back if they would just send me an e-mail confirmation of my order. They don't do that, he informed me. Well could he call me back with a confirmation number then? He rattled off a number for me, which I carefully wrote down. He assured me he had my reservation, and we were all squared away. Something didn't feel right to me. It was probably just me being overly suspicious. I mean with a name like Executive Suites and Hotel, how bad could it be? They even served a complimentary breakfast.

Two weeks later we were scrambling to find a room for Dans relatives who had not booked anything until the night before we arrived. I was finally able to secure a room for them at, (you guessed it), Super8, for a hundred bucks!! Well, I was pretty sure no Super8 could ever be worth a hundred bucks a night. But that was before I stayed at the Executive Suites and Hotel.

The next day we toured Carlsbad Caverns as planned. The caverns are totally awesome, as was the bat departure from the cave that came at dusk. At the end of the day, we drove our guests to the local Super8 and dropped them off, feeling a little sad for them. And then we drove on down the road to The Executive Suites and Hotel. (There it was again...the music! You did hear it didn't you?)

Dan went inside to get the key, while I waited in the car. Alas, they had no record of me, or my reservation. And they were completely out of rooms. So was everyone in town. The man with the broken English would try and call around to find us another room. Dan showed him the confirmation number I had been given. The man had no idea where I would have gotten a confirmation number from, since they don't give confirmations numbers. Meanwhile, I waited in the car, unaware there was an issue. Afterall, I had paid for this room online.

The man with the broken English noticed that he did happen to have one room left afterall, thanks to an earlier cancellation. He would put us in that room. Good thing, because the whole town was booked solid due to the big Softball Tournament that weekend. Dan returned to the car with a key to a room that had 2 queen beds. He reported to me the trouble he had inside, and that the lobby was very dirty. Uh oh. Now the music is playing really loud. But what choice did we have? We were dirty from hiking in a damp dirty cave all day. I really just wanted a clean place to sleep, and a nice hot shower. I could skip the free breakfast in the morning.

So off we went to check the room. This was very scary. The door creaked open. Two queen size beds appeared to be sloppily made. The lampshades hung cockeyed off the table lamps. A loan q-tip had been left on the dresser. Nice touch I thought. I pulled the blankets off the bed to make sure the sheets were clean, and there weren't any bugs. The sheets appeared to be clean. But they were the only thing that was. The floor was in desperate need of vacuuming, (See photo).

In the vanity area we noticed a coffee pot and a packet of coffee. However, there were no coffee cups, or even water glasses. An icetub which read "Holiday Inn" sat on a nearby dresser. Under the vanity the walls were moldy and the previous tenants had left a tupperware lid and a zip lock full of more q-tips....clean ones.

Regretably I had to use the restroom. Carefully, cautiously, I pushed the door open. I pushed and pushed. But the door did not want to budge. Looking up I noticed the source of the doors stubborn behavior. The door and the ceiling were trying to occupy the same air space, and the ceiling was winning. I pushed the door with all my might, till it finally gave way revealing a dirty little bathroom that hadn't been cleaned in generations. I carefully wiped the toilet seat with 2 squares of toilet tissue, trying to preserve as much tissue as possible, since there was only enough for about 2 trips to the toilet each. With the seat being semi clean, I went ahead and sat down, only to discover the seat was not secured in place. Screws were missing on both sides. Using the toilet would be a balancing act.

Once that business was taken care of, I fearfully approached the bathtub and peered inside. There it was, grime, months of it. It never dawned on me that a hotel this filthy could actually stay in business. But here it is. I have living proof.

And while I feel I must apologize to my readers for the this rather graphic, and utterly gross posting, I feel that my posting this information is for the greater good...to spare others like myself from having to fall victim to the same fate. So travelers, be warned! Read up on the reviews before you stay anywhere. And for the record the Super8 that our relatives stayed in looked like a stinking palace next to our little dive. And for A hundred bucks, that wasn't such a bad deal after all. It even came with breakfast. Dan and I skipped breakfast at the Executive Suites and Hotel, and stopped in to pay Micky-D a visit. Lesson learned. Amen.

A New Hobby....Shutterfly!

I have recently discovered a new hobby. Shutterfly. What is Shutterfly, you ask. Well, where do I begin? First of all I want to tell you that this is an independent opinion, and I am not being paid to gush over the site, although in the near future I may opt to join their affiliate team. For now, I am just a casual user of their many features.

I started Shutterfly as a photo storage site. After researching the other photos sites out there, I chose Shutterfly because it offers free unlimited photo storage, and they never delete your photos. Other photo storage sites will limit the amount of free storage available to you, or they will require you to make purchases within so many months, or they will delete your photos if you are inactive for a certain amount of time. Photo storage sites are valuable as a place to keep your photos without having to use up all your computer space, or at least to have a back up copies, in the event your computer should crash. So really everyone needs a photo storage site to be on the safe side. I didn't want the threat of having my account and all my photos being deleted if I went inactive for a few months, or forgot to make a purchase in the allotted time frame. So Shutterfly was the site I happily began storing photos on. Shutterfly does support the site through the sale of photo prints, calenders, posters, photo mugs, and other products. But you are not obligated to make purchases to use the site. More than likely, you will eventually want to make a purchase there.

My first purchase was a photo album I put together for my mother depicting her recent visit to Oregon with 2 of my sisters. I gave it to her for Mothers Day. She went absolutely nuts! Said it was the best present she ever got. I really do not have the time, money, or storage space to put together some of those really cute scrapbooks my girlfriends are always showing me. Shutterfly offers a digital version of scrap booking that is absolutely a blast to put together! You get to choose different themes, colors, layouts, etc. Add some text to your pics, and order these beautifully bound keepsakes for under $30!! That little photo album will be the first of many I plan to order, as my sisters all want a copy for Christmas. I'm going to do another one for our family reunion this summer, and another one for my mother in law, who has got to that age where she has told us all to quit buying her "junk" for Christmas. I may even work on a Family recipe book!

Shutterfly gives you these gorgeous beautifully bound published books, that you have complete control over the design and the content, and at such a reasonable cost. And you won't have to wait forever to have it delivered either. I ordered my Mothers Day gift one week before Mothers Day, and Mom got it on time without me having to put in a rush order! Very impressive don't you think?

Last night I put together a Shutterfly Share site, which is basically a little website to post your favorite photos on. Man, was I impressed! The share sites offer an unbelievable amount of features, and again all of this is free. I was able to add a calender, photo albums, widgets, links, guestbook, video. And that's only the tip of iceberg in terms of features that are available, so you can customize and have total control of your little website. Use it for showing off wedding photos, or featuring your grandbabies, or blogging your summer traveling adventures. You're not limited to just one website.

My share site is titled "Where's The Next Party?" and will feature the many parties my friends, relatives and myself are involved in, along with recipes, party games, theme ideas and more. We will post pics from previous parties, plans for future parties, and calenders for each member to post their own personal party information on. I hope to have around half dozen contributors to keep the content fresh and fun.

Take a sneak peek at my share site and let me know what you think. Become one of my contributors or set up a Shutterfly site of your own. My site is located at http://wheresthenextparty.shutterfly.com/ . If you know how to decorate cakes or have any fun party pics you want me to post, e-mail them to wheresthenextparty@sfly.com .

You can use Shutterfly in so many ways. My husband coaches high school football, and I think it would be fun to get a Share site featuring his team, and allowing all the parents to post their favorite photos of all the kids that play. As I mentioned, I am going to start a family reunion site later this summer when my family gets together at the beach. If you are considering starting a blog, website, or photo storage, I would strongly recommend you give Shutterfly a lookie.

Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.

The Magic Bullet

The Magic Bullet sounds like nothing short of a miracle when you watch the infomercial. I waited 2 years before finally scooping up mine at the rock bottom price of $19.99. No kidding! I still see them selling all over the place for $59.99. Walmart must have been trying to reduce some of it's stock that day, cause I haven't seen them for that price since.

Theoretically, it's supposed to chop, dice, blend, yadda, yadda. And you cook in it, store in it, and it comes with a "sprinkle" top for sprinkling on cheese after grating it. I'll be honest with you, for all the hype, I haven't used mine much at all. The Magic Bullet has one speed. Fast! And that means it's super easy to over process foods if you blink. My salsa came out like liquid, not super chunky.

On the other hand, it doesn't really do a very good job grating cheese, like I had hoped it would. Grating cheese is just one of those tricky things that works best the old fashioned way.

What I have used my Magic Bullet for is making Smoothies, especially this time of year. I love the little individual mugs, so you can whip up one at a time in different flavors, and then just drink right out of the same container you blended the drink in. Anybody who knows me very well, knows I am all about shortcuts, so this is one shortcut I love, especially in the Summertime, when I could drink a smoothie everyday!

Here is the recipe for one of my favorite tea smoothies which is healthy and refreshing in the summertime.

Peach Mango Tea Smoothie

1 cup of Mango ice cream, 1/2 cup of Peach flavored ice tea (from Culinary Teas), 1/2 container peach yogurt. blend all ingredients together in the Magic Bullet until smooth, thick and creamy. Enjoy!

(For more Tea Smoothie recipes, please visit my website at www.sconeyisland.net )

The Amazing Aqua Globe- The Sequel

Well here's what happens when you don't follow your own advice. After writing my last post about the Amazing Aqua Globe, I decided to keep my Aqua Globes in place just because they are pretty, although not functional. I did not heed my own advice about not leaving them alone in the house with my young tender plants. And as they say "a picture is worth a thousand words". As you can see, sure enough Aqua Globes are seriously a threat to your young tender plants. When I returned home from 2 hours at church this last Sunday, I found my poor little spider plant, sprawled out in the entry way. She had been assaulted by the Aqua Globe while I was away. I feel so guilty for not taking my own advice! Not only was the Aqua Globe completely destroyed, but so was the pot my plant had been growing in. And trying to gently scoop up my little baby and the fallen soil was quite a task amidst the broken shards of glass. I won't be getting my money back on this little piece. That's just the price I'll have to pay for my carelessness.

The Amazing Aqua Globe!

Well my husband and I have made some traveling plans for this summer, so I thought it would be a good idea to invest in some Aqua Globes to keep my plants moist and healthy while I am away. Now before I go any further, I need to let you know that this is NOT a paid advertisement or review. I am a AS SEEN ON TV junkie that's for sure. But this is an honest, independent opinion. And no one has ever paid me for being honest. But here goes anyway:

So you've seen these little guys on TV and in the store, right? Well, they looked like they would be the perfect thing for tending my babies while we are gone. So I bought them at my local Home Depot, brought them home, opened the box, and even read the instructions.

First, you fill the little vial. This is actually rather hard to do because it is so tiny, it's hard to get a stream of water into the thing. Next you poke a hole in the dirt with a stick in the spot you want your Aqua Globe to be inserted. Once you make your pilot hole in the dirt you are ready to insert your globe.

The globe was a bit on the wobbly side, and felt as though it might tip over. But alas, I was able to get to stand up sturdily without holding onto it. Now, the test. Will it actually deliver the water on demand as needed?

Two days later I noticed that the water level in the Aqua Globe hadn't decreased by even the slightest. I checked the soil. The dirt was bone dry, and my plant was very thirsty! So here's my conclusion on the Aqua Globe. They may be pretty, but do not trust them to be left alone with your plants!!! They will kill them. Tomorrow I am marching right back into my friendly Home Depot and getting my $$$ back.

BTW- The staff at our Redmond Home Depot are the most helpful and friendly group of employees I've ever seen! They make doing business locally a real pleasure.

Working Wonders Children's Museum

Every grandma knows it's a good idea to have some magical tricks up her sleeve for entertaining grand kids on a rainy day. I discovered the Working Wonders Children's Museum on such a day. The museum was so much more fun for my little ones than I had expected, and we spent 3 hours of good quality play time before I finally had to drag them out so that I could grab a bite to eat. They would have stayed and played the rest of the day I think! This is not your typical museum, by any means. It is a total "learn through hands on play" experience that kids under 10 will thoroughly enjoy.

We started our visit at the Wonder Mart grocery store, where my little 4 year old grandson quickly grabbed a pint size shopping cart and began filling it with plastic bagels as though his very life depended on it. I was finally able to get him to walk around the other side of the aisle to discover more life like looking groceries, including milk, eggs, cottage cheese, produce, etc. My granddaughter was more interested in measuring rice through funnels at a large play table. Upon checkout, we discovered a short little store clerk missing two front teeth. She smiled broadly and gave my grandson some play money so he could "pay" for his purchases.

Our next stop was the weather station, where my grandson donned a suitcoat and tie, grabbed the microphone and announced to everyone in the museum, in a very loud voice, that there would be "more rain tomorrow, everybody. More rain tomorrow! Everybody better wear their coats and hats, cause there's more rain tomorrow!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, while my granddaughter found the appropriate forecast illustrations to post on the nearby velcro board.

Next, my granddaughter wanted to try her hand at the climbing wall, while little man geared up for a kayak ride down the nearby "Crooked River". Afterwards they both settled into the nearby "campground"and pretended to make some camp food for lunch.

Both of my grandchildren love playing dressup, so it was no surprise that they spent about an hour just trying on various costumes and acting out on the pretend stage while grandma sat on a nearby bench and applauded each performance.

My grandson's favorite exhibit was the Pizza Parlor where the kids busied themselves making faux pizza with little cutout pepperoni's, pineapples, onions, etc. Afterwards they are "baked" in a brick oven, then stored in real pizza boxes until customers appear at the ordering window and order their pizza. My grandson is looking forward to a future with Domino's someday.

My granddaughter however loved the Animal hospital most of all. There she was able to care for a variety of stuffed animal friends and nurse them back to health with the aid of a multitude of very professional looking equipment, including x-ray machines, an ivac, blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes, etc. Without question she has determined that when she grows up she wants to be an animal doctor.
Working Wonders also has a construction zone where giant foam "lincoln logs" await tiny builders to construct their own buildings. There's also a passport section that beckons little travelers to be a tourist to a south of the border destination, where they can enjoy spanish music, make homemade tortillas, shop in the market, and play house in an authentic looking casa. There is also a fabulous craft room where budding artists could spend hours working with several mixed media applications. Both my little darlings enjoyed the professors lab where they got to get their little hands completely gooped up with shaving cream. Now that's what I call good clean fun!
The Working Wonders Children's Museum is located in the Old Mill Shopping District on Powerhouse Rd. in Bend. Admission is $6 per person, but a punch card is available for multiple visits, and will significantly reduce the cost of admission if you plan to visit more than once. They do offer birthday party packages with a private party room and a personal assistant to help manage a larger group. They also feature special activity days and nights. You can check their website for more information at http://www.workingwonders.org/ .

Redmond's Free Medical Clinic

What a fantastic addition to Redmond is the new City Care Clinic located at 818 SW. Forest, along the back side of "The Center" of City Center Church, who donated the space that houses the facility. The clinic is the vision of Dr. Randy Visser, who has been joined by a staff of other doctors including Dr. Valenti, Dr. Sternfeld, Dr. McMillan, and Dr. Hughes. The clinic provides free health care services to the uninsured in our community, as well as providing access to some greatly discounted pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, they hope to add free dental services in the very near future. The clinic is open on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday of every month, from 1-4pm, and on the 4th Tuesday of the month, from 1-4pm. You must pre-register first before you can be seen by one of the physicians, and the clinic does not provide walk-in or emergency services. In order to pre-register, you may download the paperwork on their website, fill it in and bring it with you at the time of your first appointment.

The re-model effort was completed by a crew of volunteers, and the clinic is staffed every week with more smiling volunteers. This truly has been a community effort, that continues to flourish under the guidance and direction of Dr. Visser and Rev. Ginny McPherson.

If you would like more information about Redmond's new City Care Clinic, you may visit their website at http://thecitycareclinic.org , or call 541-316-2582. Donations are needed for supplies, and the ongoing maintainance of the facility. If you would like to donate please contact Pastor Ginny McPherson at 541-548-7128.

Product Review: Flavorwave Oven vs. Rocketgrill

As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to critique products for an audience. So I thought I'd throw in a few of these just for fun. After all, I am the infomercial queen!!! I have had to put up with much teasing from my 8 kids as a result of having to have the latest kitchen gadget, or piece of exercise equipment telecast on late night television. Somewhere out there, this crazy obsession of mine just might help someone else, if I can put my "giftedness" to good use. After all, believe me, I have had to throw away countless pieces of junk as a result of what looked to be miraculous on television. So consider this the first in a series of articles to come. This post will examine the pros and cons of the Flavorwave Oven vs. The RocketGrill by Sunbeam.
I first purchased my Flavorwave Oven about 7 or 8 years ago, when they first came out. I was fascinated with this idea of being able to cook frozen meat and have it come out tender, juicy, and browned. Sure enough, the Flavorwave Oven does an excellent job of this. Steaks come out perfectly cooked, nice and brown on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside. Chicken is a snap as well. Just put a few pieces of frozen chicken in the Flavorwave and brush with a good mesquite sauce or barbecue rub, set the timer for 20 minutes, and come back later to a perfect entree! (It's almost that easy. You do have to turn your meat half way through the cooking time). It's also quite easy to clean. The unit comes apart, and the dome, rack, and pan inside, are all dishwasher safe. What could be easier? The price of the Flavorwave Oven still runs right around $100, the same as it was several years ago when they first came out. I would have to say, for me, it has been worth every penny! Mine is still going strong after 7 years, and if and when it breaks, you can bet I will most certainly replace it without a moment's hesitation.

The only concern I have about purchasing a new Flavorwave Oven is that I am not sure if the original manufacturer is still building the units. If a reader has the answer to this, I would appreciate knowing. My Flavorwave Oven says "Hearthware" on the dome. I notice that they are currently being produced by Thane.

The Rocketgrill by Sunbeam is another newfangled type of cooking that combines the use of grill plates with parchment bags. I picked up my Rocketgrill from QVC for less than 30 bucks! That's quite a bit cheaper than the Flavorwave. But keep in mind that the parchment bags sell separately for around 50 cents each. I was lucky to find boxes of them on clearance, from my local Fred Meyer store, so I really stocked up. The Rocketgrill works similar to a George Foreman type grill, cooking your food between two hot grilling plates. The Rocketgrill plates sit vertically within in a big white shell. Again, the idea is that you can cook frozen meats within the bags, and have them come out better than other cooking methods, particularly a microwave. You can also cook veggies in the bags, hotdogs, sandwiches etc.

The problem I have with my Rocketgrill is that you cannot access the hot cooking plates, because they are encapsulated within the white shell. The plates are supposed to open wide enough to remove the food within 15 seconds of the timer sounding. My Rocketgrill seems to take much longer, sometimes up to 4 minutes, with no way to remove the food. Or there have also been times when the grill plates would not close after inserting the food and turning the unit on. It is entirely possible that I have a defective unit, but needless to say, the experience has been somewhat frustrating. And the Sunbeam Rocketgrill will never take the place of my Flavorwave!

The second problem I have with the Rocketgrill is that it does not lend itself well to meats that need to be brushed with sauce. Because of the vertical design, all the sauce will drip to the bottom of the bag, and not stay on the meat. The vegetables I cooked seemed rather dry and I couldn't get them done enough. Again, no ability to brush olive oil or seasonings on food during the cooking process. And because those darn plates won't open on demand, you may have to wait several minutes to access your food to check on it.

The Rocketgrill seemed like a great idea to me at the time. I love the idea of having absolutely no cleanup, because the cooking takes place inside the parchment bag, which gets thrown away at the end of the cooking session. And, of course I love the price point of under 30 dollars. However, at the end of the day, I would have to give this great idea a thumbs down until they can come up with a better design.

That's my humble opinion. I'd love to hear from other readers too. What do YOU think?

One Street Down Cafe

There is a darling little cafe that just opened up in Redmond about 6 months ago. One Street Down is located one street down, (ironically), from Redmond's busy downtown district. Owners Neal and Kristy Cross converted an old rundown house into a very chic little place to meet up with friends for lunch, or sip a cappuccino while you finish some business on your laptop. (Yes, this is a wi-fi hotspot). Not only have they succeeded in converting this old run down house into a cozy little cafe, but the service is so down home and friendly, you'll want to come back again and again.











Add to that, the food is top notch with homemade
soups, fresh salads, and yummy sandwiches,
including a traditional Thanksgiving type sandwich
with turkey breast and cranberry filling. And
don't forget to order the fabulous Rosemary
Potatoes on the side! The Cafe is quickly becoming
one of Redmond's favorite little stops for lunch.

The One Street Down Cafe is located on 7th Street, just a few doors north of Black Butte Ave. They are currently open for breakfast and lunch. They also offer specialty coffee drinks and baked treats.

Tax Day Tea Party

April 15th is swiftly approaching. I am one of many voices across the nation who believe this whole tax issue has gone way too far. That's why I am planning to attend the Tax Day Tea Party in Bend, Oregon between 3 and 6pm. We must put an end to the government grab that is taking place in our country right now. Complacency is the enemy of success, victory, and purposeful living. How can I stand by idle, while my country is being sold out to the highest bidder? I do not want to be owned by China. I do not want to bankrupt our country before my grandchildren graduate from high school. I have never claimed to know much about our countries system of taxation. But I do know this....the increasing number of spending bills in the guise of bailing out our weak economy is not helping, but very much hurting the future of America. I am ready to learn more. I am ready to fight for the things I believe in. Join me on April 15th at Troy Park in Bend, Oregon, (next to McMennimans on Bond Street). There are other tea parties taking place all over the country at the same time. It's time to rise up and say "Enough is enough!" The powers that be are acting swiftly to change this country as we know it. Please take the time to learn more, and let your voice be heard. For more information on our local event, call Lucy Brackett at 541-390-4486. For more information about other Tax Day Tea Parties being held across the country, visit http://taxdayteaparty.com .

The Rock & Worship Roadshow

Wow! I'm so excited about this. Rarely do we get the chance to see five great bands all on one stage at the same time. So, I am planning to take a drive over to Portland on March 22nd to see the Rock And Worship Roadshow featuring Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, Hawk Nelson, and Addison Road! Wow, what a lineup!

Even better news, the tickets are only ten bucks! Holy smokes. Not even sure how they can afford to do this. But it's gonna be an outstanding time. Tickets will be sold at the door, and are not available via pre-sales. The concert will be held at the Portland Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, March 22nd at 7pm. Plan to be in line a while for this one. For more information you can call (503) 235-8771.

Also, for your information, it sounds as if Christian radio station KNLR is putting together car pooling for radio fans, and may even plan to eat together somewhere after the show with the disc jockeys. That could be fun if you are a big Kyle Liedtke fan like I am. Call KNLR directly to get the details at 541-389-8873.

All in all it sounds like a great night of fellowship and music that you really shouldn't miss if you can manage to drive over the mountain on Sunday afternoon.

For the record, I do not get paid for blogging about products, bands, and local businesses that I am fond of. I blog out of my heart, about things I love, and not as a means of income. Although, I'd be willing to change that if the right offer ever presented itself. Wink, wink.
The one exception would be that I am a representative of Uppercase Living products, which I use to handcraft a variety of items on a regular basis. I have been a craft designer for years, so their products fit right into my lifestyle. My blog here is about many things that affect my lifestyle. Faith, politics, product reviews, music, movies, culture, and of course, CRAFTS! So hang with me. Come back again. I love having fun and spreading the word about my favorite happy places, happy people, and fun things to do.

So do try and check out this concert! It's gonna be a fun one. I guarentee!

Uppercase Living Buy 1, Get 1 at 50% Off!

Wow! How cool is this? Uppercase Living has never had an offer like this before. For a limited time you can order one item at the regular price, and get a second item of equal or lesser value, for 50% off the retail price! There is no limit to how many times you can use this offer between now and April 5th. This is the perfect time to try a new craft idea, or order a special personalized wedding gift, or select a favorite scripture verse, quotation, or nursery rhyme to apply directly to your interior walls.

You can also use Uppercase Living products on your car or business office window. These expressions are easy to apply, removable when you need to change the look, and best of all it mimics the look of a handpainted design when applied to interior walls. I teach Uppercase Living classes and am happy to answer any questions you might have about this product line. To order products directly online, just click on this link http://letterladydarla.uppercaseliving.net/ . There is a custom design tool on the website if you'd like to create your own design. Or just choose one of the many professionally designed embellishments. Don't forget the special offer goes away on April 5th, so start planning your design now!

Happy shopping!

Update- Please Read

Greetings friends. Just want my readers here to know that some of my posts are linked in from another source. It's very easy to read the story and see the photos by simply clicking on the words right below the title. Simply double click and the story will appear. Most of the time I will post here directly on Blogger, and you will see the post in it's entirety. But occassionally, I will link it in from another column. Don't miss these little gems of information and entertainment. Again, simply double click on the word directly below the title, and you'll be able to see the post in it's entirety.

Blessings!