The single serve brewing system is cropping up in offices and homes. Have you noticed? I went to a meeting the other day and the person I was meeting with had one of these Keurig mini brewers in his office. It wasn't the first time I've seen it, I've also seen this brewer in private homes and the owners all are raving about it.

If only I had the counter space in my office, I would want one of these. Considering how difficult it is to get a good, reliable cup of coffee from our coffee station, this would be so worth it.

The Keurig B30 Mini Brewerscan make a fresh cup of gourmet coffee or tea in less than three minutes. The unit uses Keurig's patented K-Cups, which offer over 70 varieties of pre-measured gourmet coffee and tea from a variety of premium brands. Operation is simple, just open the lid, insert a K-Cup, close the lid, and push a button.

When you buy your mini brewer, a variety pack of 10 K-Cups comes included.

Product Features
Color: White or Black
* Single-serve brewing system for gourmet coffee or tea
* Uses patented K-Cups; no messy grinding or clean up
* Brews an 8-ounce cup at a time; ready in less than 3 minutes
* 1-touch technology; variety pack of 10 K-Cups included
* Measures 11-1/2 by 10 by 13-1/4 inches; 1-year limited warranty


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Ever since I've been keeping my own house, I've always had a white stove. But then, I've never had to buy my own stove before either. The stoves I've had either came with the place or someone else bought it for me.

Well the last stove that my mother in law bought for us, a white electric stove, finally wore out after almost ten years of use. So I finally had a chance to pick and choose my own stove!

The first thing I did was to switch from electric to gas. I was so tired of cooking on the barely warm electric range. I wanted my fire! That's why when it came time to pick a range, I chose one that had at least one eye with a high BTU (British Thermal Unit) output. That means the fire that comes out of it is a lot hotter than normal. Yep, I learned that fire is not fire after all, there are different kinds of fire. There's the warm one, the hot one and the scorching one. I wanted one with a scorching eye since I like to stirfry and there's nothing more frustrating than attempting to stirfry and ending up with a stew.

After deciding on the functions and brands, we then needed to decide on the color. I was going to stick with the standard white since that's what I'm used to and the rest of the appliances in my kitchen are still white. My husband though wanted to switch to this black and stainless steel model as he says he would eventually like to replace the rest of the appliances with the stainless steel models. Stainless steel, I had no problems with; but the black just seemed so severe especialy since my whole kitchen was white.

That was a few months ago and I am now seeing the advantages of the black surface and also getting used to the look of it. Now I think I'm liking it. I'm liking the black finish especially since it seems to be easier to clean and maintain. I noticed I don't spend as much time scrubbing until it's pristine. Sure, things still get burned and stuck on it and I still have to scrub those off; but on the black surface, you don't get that yellowed, dirty hue you get on the white finish so you don't spend a whole lot of time scrubbing to get it sparkling clean. As much as I hate to clean, you know I have to like that!



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The KitchenAid stand mixer is still in my wish list but a hand mixer still has its place in the kitchen, I think. Sometimes you just have a small mixing job and you don't need to pull out the big hunkin' machine to get a small job done. I like being able to whip out a hand mixer without any fuss.

Last night though, as I was whipping up some sweet potato pie, I pulled out my heirloom hand mixer and all I got was a low drone. No spin, just a dying whimper. So, to add to my growing list of appliances, great and small, that needs to be replaced, I add this KitchenAid Professional Hand Mixer.

Product Features:
* Nine digital speeds, 7-1/2 inches long by 6-1/2 inches high
* Pro whisk attachment increases air for fluffier mixtures
* Comfort-designed handle; heel rest won't tip when set on end
* Powerful lightweight motor designed for quiet, lifelong operation
* Wipes off for easy cleaning

It also has gotten great reviews from other buyers so I'm pretty confident about this choice. I think I'm going to try and hold out for it to go on sale though. At $59.99, it is still pretty expensive for me. The holiday sales are going to be coming on soon and I think I'll get a better deal then.


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At the risk of pushing my luck with this karma thing I mentioned in the previous post, let me just say this again, "I want a toaster oven!" It's been twelve years since we moved from California to North Carolina. Prior to that, we kept house in CA for five years. That makes most of the appliances we brought to NC with us at least 17 years old. It's no wonder they're all starting to break down and are now in need of replacements.

One of the more recent appliance to die is our toaster oven. We received it as a wedding present and have made good use of it during it's seventeen years life with us. We used that thing almost everyday. It was perfect for cooking things that you don't want to have to fire up the big oven for. We sure are going to miss it. It just popped and fizzled out one day and that was all there was to it.

So now we are looking to replace it. But after not having to buy one for the last 17 years, we are a bit overwhelmed at the selection available for good toasters to buy. We are leaning towards the convection types, but then we have to decide which brand and at what price range would be reasonable and affordable. Thank goodness for the internet, there are now places online that review appliances, big and small. Before you go out and buy something that you will hopefully keep for a long time, make sure you do your research first. There's even a site dedicated just for toaster ovens. I'm going to check out what they have to say first.

The answer seems obvious. If you don't want to spend energy cleaning, then sit on the couch with a bowl of bonbons and watch TV. Well, at least that's what I would do.

Apparently, there's other ways to save energy. Not YOUR energy, mind you, but electricity. There's still the best solution of saving energy which is to not turn it on in the first place, but we've already said that solution is out. Especially if you just have to have some cleaning done. Well, there's always the good ol' elbow grease method. Don't use any tools to help you clean, do it the old fashioned way. Bring out the mop and bucket, soap and ammonia, get on your knees and start scrubbing. That doesn't work for you either, eh? Me neither.

So, I guess we are left with the Dirt Devil. No, you don't have to sell your soul, just use their appliances. The Dirt Devil vacuum cleaners, the new AccuCharge Stick Vac and Hand Vac use seventy percent less energy because they charge faster and thus use less power. This energy efficiency earns the AccuCharge vac the Energy Star label which is only awarded to appliances that conform to the conservation measures set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

My husband loves antiques and anything old and I guess it's rubbed off on me some. My mother in law had an old stove that held great sentimental value for her because her first husband, my husband's father bought it for her. After she died, this stove was still in her house, left to the family to do what they will.

Unfortunately, all my husband's sisters didn't want it in their houses as they all have their preferred stove to go with their modern kitchens. It just didn't go with any of their decor. My husband and I would have loved to have it in our house, but we couldn't afford to restore it and so it sat in storage for the last couple of years.

But now, after paying storage fees for two years, the family has decided to let go some of these material things no matter how sentimental the value is. It just is no longer cost effective to keep hanging on to them. My husband took some things from storage and took them to local antique stores but of course they won't give you what the items are really worth. We've also posted some items on eBay, but as you know if you are an eBay user, the service to list items for sale is no longer free. You now have to pay a fee but still have to manage transactions and shipping. It's just something that none of us, with our day jobs and busy lives, have time to do.

If you are in the same situation as us, it may be worth checking to see if there is a iSold It near you. If you have a valuable item to sell but don't want the hassle of listing it yourself, consult with iSold It and they will appraise your item for you to get the highest price possible and they will do all the hard work. They will list it, handle the transactions and when your item is sold, you get a check! Easy and hassle free.

I just bought a new stove for my kitchen but everytime I look at kitchen appliances I can't help but wonder if I got just the right piece. Appliance Warehouse Direct, a major supplier of home appliance canada, carries many brand name appliances at discount prices. They carry top brand names such as GE, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Maytag, JennAir, Bosch, Viking and many more. Buying from Warehouse Direct is 100% risk free; if for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase they will gladly refund your money or exchange your purchased item for another one in their inventory.

This toronto appliances warehouse carries cooking products, refrigerators, laundry appliances, dishwashers, food disposals and air conditioners including many accessories to compliment your home. You can always find the lowest prices at Warehouse Direct. If for any reason you find the same brand and model elsewhere for a lower price, they will match the price. Even after you have bought and paid for your appliance, if you find a cheaper price within 48-hours after your purchase, you can still avail of their lowest price guarantee.

Warehouse Direct strives to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one. They have excellent customer service that starts with their sales representative to the technicians and delivery personnel who will deliver and install your appliances for you in the same day so your inconvenience is kept at a minimum. That was my biggest complaint when I bought my stove; that I had to wait so long between the delivery time and the installation time.