Pros: Contains a lot of healthy ingredients. Nice fragrance that is not too "loud."
Cons: Requires approximately 28 sprays per day to almost detangle; contains fewer ounces than the competitor's product I usually use.

I ran out of my go-to leave-in, which is Joico Daily Care Leave-In Detangler. I've bought Kenra Daily Provision leave-in conditioner before, and wasn't happy, but since there were no other options after about 30 minutes of looking, I purchased it again to get me by until I could order the Joico online (unfortunately, Ulta rarely has it on the shelf anymore). 

Findings: Yes, this product does work, barely. Its label claims the following: "hydrates, detangles and adds shine..." Well, if you use enough of it, it will detangle about 75% of the way, but then you have to either really carefully comb your hair using a detangling brush, or add more product to achieve the required detangling effect. Will I continue to use this? Yes, until I can replace it with Joico. Will I use it after that? Only for a backup. Would I buy this again? Hope not. 2 stars.

Pros: Consistent quality and purity
Cons: Softgels can be hard to swallow for some

Fish Oil offers lots of potential, sometimes unproven health benefits (heart, brain health/mood, lower blood pressure), and Nature Made is a trusted company that's been around since 1971. Nature Made Fish Oil 1000 mg/300 mg Omega-3 has been one of my go-tos for many years, ever since I departed from another superior company, GNLD. Nature Made Fish Oil seems to be an excellent product with good, consistent quality. Because I have found the size of these softgels to be harder and harder to swallow recently, I've decided to try one of the company's smaller-sized offerings, Nature Made Fish Oil Pearls, which are more concentrated. I called Nature Made and explained the situation. They suggested the pearls and treated me beautifully! Their excellent customer service means they're a keeper in my book! Do I believe this product actually benefits me by helping my heart and mood? Yes. 4 stars.

Pros: Pink, full-size eraser like a traditional pencil. Eraser works well; better than many white erasers. Same basic proportions as a regular pencil, and won't roll off your desk. Excellent lead writing quality, ideal lead hardness, writes with a clean line, virtually never breaks. Easy to use, usually available in major office supply stores. Color makes it easy to find. 
Cons: Clip breaks off easily, as it's just cheap plastic.

Paper Mate SharpWriter mechanical pencils are not quite the best thing since sliced bread, but they're close! I buy these in 12-packs, usually, and use them for months before buying more. They're very basic; not offering bells and whistles such as a special grip or anything. But they fulfill their intended purpose and more, at an affordable price! 5 stars. 

Pros: Strong, absorbent, convenient size
Cons: Can be expensive, rough texture

Brawny Giant pick-a-size paper towels are truly excellent! I used to trade off between these and Target's Up & Up paper towels, but Target's paper towel quality changed recently. Their two-ply paper towels became much thinner, like a one-ply – a big disappointment. So now I purchase Brawny exclusively. The pick-a-size option is very convenient, and helps you feel like you're stretching your money a bit, since you can often use a small towel size. I go through a ton of paper towels, so it's important that they be a brand that consistently performs well. These really deliver! 4 stars.

After purchasing a preowned car, we learned that it had been inhabited by a smoker. I've aired the vehicle out and purchased an industrial-strength scent "bomb," but so far, the weather has been too hot to use it. In the meantime, I've bought a few Febreeze Car Smoke Odor Eliminators. Why? They don't last long, unfortunately – maybe 2-1/2 weeks each. Procter & Gamble doesn't put very much liquid product in the device, and it evaporates quickly in hot weather. The contraption works reasonably well, but does not eliminate the smoke smell. Rather, it fools your brain into thinking that you don't smell the smoke. It masks most of the odor. It's a decent temporary fix, but the product seems to me to be mislabeled or deceptive, since does not address, reduce or fix the problem. No, I have not tried other scents, because I figured this would be the strongest. I'll let you know if I do. 2 stars.

Watch out, Simply Balanced Dark Chocolate Almond Butter is super creamy! At first glance, it appears dreamy, but in reality, it's drippy – it'll leak from the edges of your sandwich, English muffin or celery stick. The taste is rich and consistency is thin but luxurious. What else could an almond butter lover want? Well, the taste of dark chocolate, for starters! Although the label calls it dark chocolate almond butter, and the color is a bit darker than its regular almond butter friends on the shelf, this product *barely hints* at a chocolate taste. You have to imagine the taste of chocolate if you want it. Or, you have to go and get some dark chocolate to satisfy your craving. This almond butter is an unfortunate waste of money for a dark chocolate aficionado. It's highly edible, if you're looking for standard almond butter. I'm sure it would be superior in certain types of cookies and other recipes. It's just basically false advertising. A letdown. 2 stars.

Sort of a cross between animal crackers and Teddy Grahams, Hello Panda Cookies Filled with Chocolate Creme are cool and different! (And a bit unusual and strange.) The filling is a bit like chocolate frosting and the cookie is slightly crispy. I found them in my local grocery store in the specialty foods aisle.

I shared a 2.1 oz. box with my family, and we all enjoyed a small handful of them. I wouldn't say they're earth-shatteringly amazing, but they do hit the spot when you're looking for a somewhat sugary snack. Why not try them and let us know what you think? What a fun little dessert or snack! They'd make a fun little cheap gift. Made in America. 4 stars.

Have we discovered the perfect apple or what? Ambrosia apples are amazing: attractive, crisp, sweet – and when cut, they take a long time to oxidize! (turn brown) Imagine that! I've enjoyed these for years, but just for fun, the other day I bought some other apples to taste test, and they did not measure up. This one is still the clear winner, hands down. 5 stars.

What is your experience with Ambrosias?

It started out as a simple dinner based on Buitoni Three-Cheese Tortellini mixed with Buitoni Pesto with Basil, plus salt, pepper, Stella Shredded Parmesan Cheese, along with garlic bread.

The family didn't care for the tortellini with pesto. I thought it was fine, maybe a 7. They rated it at about a 2. So we wrapped up the leftovers.

On night #2, to each person's reheated bowl I added Signature Cafe Tuscan Tomato & Basil Bisque from Safeway, along with leftover pinto beans, sliced string cheese and parmesan cheese, served with fresh Naan. 

The consensus? The new concoction was a lot better, but people were still not completely satisfied. My take on it is that night #1 was fine, and night #2 was much better! I loved the rich, buttery tomato soup as a sauce for the tortellini.

The bisque deserves a starring role in a future dinner, as a soup or pasta sauce. 

The tortellini will revert to its original spot in my food lineup, which is in cold pasta salad or chicken tortellini soup with mushrooms and spinach.

My older child, who did not try either tortellini dinner, loves pesto as a substitute for mayo on sandwiches. I'll need to try that.

I considered the bisque an 8.5. It was a fairly expensive lesson, but that's OK. Will I buy these items again? Yes on the tortellini, yes on the bisque.

- Buitoni Three-Cheese Tortellini, 3.5 stars
- Buitoni Pesto with Basil, 3.5 stars
- Signature Cafe Tuscan Tomato & Basil Bisque, 4.5 stars

We have a high-maintenance dog and light-colored carpet. Yes, we do take her out quite often, but unfortunately, frequent indiscretions abound. That's where the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe 50150 comes in. Any carpet cleaner requires a bit of a time investment, depending on how much area must be cleaned. Like its competitors, this model does, too. As a fairly compact machine, it requires fairly frequent water changes and hot water additions, but it does a very good job for a decent price! Speaking of hot water, I fill the reservoir with hot tap water as users on Amazon suggested. The machine came with Hoover brand carpet cleaner, and we often buy refills of the Pets Plus version. The solution works fine and I'd rather not gamble on another brand, since this liquid cleaner is supposed to go with this machine and is backed by Hoover. When this Hoover carpet cleaner breaks, if we can't get it fixed for a decent price, we'll buy another one, or the next generation model. So yes, we'd buy it again! 4 stars.