Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Miss Emmy says "Meh"

Well, we ordered these.  Yes we did.


They look sooo purrty, and my human thought she would have a whole set to use in her trailer.

So, we did get these at a discount if we would do an honest review, and here it is.

"Meh."

I mean, they are pretty.  My human says they do not hurt her hand, because the handles are comfortable.

And, although they won't hang from a hook, they do stand on their bottoms very purrtly, and that's a plus.

But they are bulky, and will take up a lot of room, so they won't work in a small trailer or in a kitchen that doesn't have a lot of drawer space.

And although they are advertised as "premium" and "stainless steel," there is not a lot of stainless steel.  There is some stainless steel enclosed in plastic, so the tools are only as durable as is the plastic.  So we can't say how these will do in the long run.

On the bright side, I can see how these might make a suitable bridal shower gift for that friend who always loves pretty things but very seldom uses them.  For that person, these would be perfect, and you can order them here.  #VintageKitchenGadgetSet

Miss Emmy keeps it real.

ta!

Very Purr-ty Window Film with Purrpose

OK. I love lying in the sun.

 I really, really do. I also love lying in the sun and grooming until I get a nice, thick hairball to hack onto the carpet. I know. Not many have this talent, but I have it down to a science.

But what I don't like is getting sun in my eyes when I'm trying to sleep. And my cozy little royal bed stays on the dresser, in front of the window, where I can groom and sun myself (and hack) when I'm not dispensing advice from under the bed. So there are times during the day when there is TOO MUCH sun, and it is TOO BRIGHT.

My human devised a lovely solution.
She bought this purrrty window film, but she didn't want to apply it directly to the window, because of my need to groom and hack for most of the day. You know, in the sun.

 So we decided we needed a portable purrty thing that we could put up to block the sun when it began to annoy me. Also, when it reflected in a mirror and threatened to blind my human, but that's not important. This is all about ME, after all.

Anyway, my human applied the film to the glass inside a picture frame. She used cotton cord behind the glass and under the clamps, since of course putting the cardboard backing back in would not make any sense at all, even for a mere human. So we can place this in the window to block that nasty sun and move it to other windows if we need to.

The result is just beyootiful. Miss Emmy likes it very much. We think you can use this purrty film on your window, or in a picture frame, or even on glass candle holders for something very stunning.

My human received this purrty film at a discount in exchange for her unbiased review. I AM biased of course, but that's who I am. She's reasonably honest, silly thing. Oh, and if you want some too, you can order it here, in many different and purrty colors.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  You know, like window film.

Oh, and #windowfilm.

Sincerely,

Miss Emmy Dickins
writing without prejudice from under the bed

Monday, May 23, 2016

Very Purrposeful Oven Mitts

Miss Emmy thinks these mitts are freakin' awesome.



Granted, they are WAY too big to fit on her dainty little paws, (and there are only two of these mitts and as we all know, Miss Emmy has FOUR paws), but even so, these mitts are really neat.

If only I knew how to start a fire, I could really have some fun with these.

Provided they covered all of my fur, that is.

Anyway, my human has tried these out and SHE loves them.  

  • They are better than typical oven mitts for taking heavy, hot things out of the oven.
  • They have a good grip.
  • There is no wrong glove for either hand.  Both mitts fit either hand.
  • They are very heat resistant.  
  • They can be machine washed in cold water.
  • They have a nice cotton liner that is comfortable.
My human wants to keep a pair of these in her trailer (so she ordered two pair).  She is a campfire-building aficionado, and plans to use these gloves when adding wood to her fire, or shifting already burning logs.  She will report back to me (and I will report back to you) how well they perform this task.

If you'd like to get your own pair, you can order them here.  If you don't want to order two pair (like we did), you can keep one glove at home and take one camping (if you are wilderness people like we -- ahem -- some people in our family are).  Of course, since we are brilliant lifestyle consultants, we received one set of these at a discount in exchange for a sensible and thoughtful review.  Just so you know, you know.  #culinarycouture

Keep it real, peeps.  These gloves are hot.

Sincerely,
Miss Emmy Dickins


Saturday, May 14, 2016

Purr-loin these Hammock straps!

This post is about hammock straps.  Honest.


My human is the most bendy, most wimpy non-feline you have ever seen.  While I spend NO time doing exercise and can bend in any direction I wish, and can scratch down a sheet of wall paper in a flash, she works constantly at fitness, and her greatest accomplishment is "Downward Dog" (shudder)!

She has this contraption called a yoga trapeze, and she does all kinds of non-sensible things with it, like hang upside down and do back bends.



Honestly.

The very thought makes me wish I had a hairball up with which to hack.

But anyway, this thing seems to entertain her, and I've heard her lament that she has no way to use it when she travels in her trailer.

Then she got the bright idea to try these "hammock straps."  She is very convinced they will help her attach her trapeze to nearby trees so she can hang upside down while listening to birds chirp, or some such nonsense.  (I mean, who would prefer *listening* to birds chirp when you could be chomping on their tiny, delicious little bones?)

She likes that these straps are long and strong, and they have many loops along their length so she can simply attach her hammock with carabiners (included) without having to worry about tying or untying knots.

She has even suggested that these can be used as yoga straps for stretching.  Wrap one around your paw -- I mean foot -- loop your paw -- I mean your forearm -- through an appropriate loop on either side of the strap and stretch that leg out.  (Do this if you're non-feline and therefore are incapable of tying yourself into a knot for your own grooming entertainment.)

My human has bundled these straps back into their handy little bag with their two very strong carabiner slips, and has it tucked into her trailer to try out on her very next trip.  My conscience (and the FCC) requires that I mention that my human received these straps at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review (#FNOVA).  I have to admit being biased about everything, so will probably get into trouble somehow.  However, the straps are good.

So there.

Stay bendy, people.

Sincerely,

Miss Emmy Dickins
writing without prejudice from under the bed

Avoid Purr-plexity of Disposable K-cups

Let us all just face this right now:  my human is a coffee addict and that's all there is to it.  She once confessed that she sometimes dreams about sucking on coffee beans.

I know.

But let's move on.

She has expressed a desire for a Keurig-type coffee maker to use in her trailer when she travels.  The idea is that she can make one very good cup of coffee, brewed directly into her stainless thermal flask, and can then sip on that said beverage without having the mess of a pot to deal with or a filter to throw away.

But the drawback is the expense and environmental consequences of those plastic K-cups.  Ever notice how even the most squeaky of enviro-types manages to fly *their* private jets while critiquing others about their carbon footprint?

Well.

None of THAT for MY human.  It's either figure out the sensible way to do it, or not do it at all.

To that end, to meet her coffee bean sucking... I mean, coffee drinking goals while traveling, she has ordered the "Caffe Verde Reusable/Refillable K-cup Filter Starter Kit" offered by The Friendly Barista.

The nice thing about this starter kit is that it includes a "carafe" filter as well, sized for 4-6 cups of coffee.

The filters are stainless steel for longevity, and top-rack dishwasher safe.  Ah, so.  No more paper filters to throw away.

Environment, you're welcome.

My human is still shopping for the perfect coffee-maker.  She does not want a huge system for her travel trailer, and has been tempted to try the more compact knock-offs advertised at discount stores.  While she explores reviews and feedback on these machines, she would appreciate any comments or insights those who have experienced the smaller coffee makers might provide.

We will report back once we've been able to make use of these charming little items, which we received at a discount in return for our thoughtful review.

In the meantime, stay out of those personal jets and take up bicycling.

Easy for me to say, writing from under the bed.  But that's just what I do, so get over it.

Sincerely,
Miss Emmy Dickins
Premier Lifestyle Consultant

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Purrfectly Cute Little Cocktail Shaker

Well, it has been a while since Miss Emmy has had anything to say.  However, lately she realizes she has been falling behind on her very important job as lifestyle consultant, so she once again began to advise her human on how to improve her life.

Of course, I continue to maintain my counseling sessions from underneath the bed, but I do believe I've advised her well in this circumstance.

I suggested she obtain the Premium Cocktail Shaker Set by Shikshook, and it seems this has been a great boon to the household.  The package was received with great excitement and everyone (except me, of course) gathered around to see what was inside.  This is what was included:


This is a very pretty cocktail shaker.  The stainless steel is very polished, it has two pourer outer thingies for liquor bottles, and two measure thingies as well.

It also comes with a pretty black velvet bag for storing:


And a sweet thank you note from the sending people:


These nice Shikshook people also gave us access to 100 recipes for cocktails (I wanted to try all of them right away, but my human thought 100 cocktails might be too much all in one session).

Although I want to keep this pretty thing under the bed with me, my human says she wants to keep it in its velvet bag and take it with her when she travels in her little trailer.  (I know nothing about this trailer, since I don't approve of travel as a lifestyle, so I cannot remark on this dubious decision, except to say that the Shikshook shiny bits would have been fun to keep with me here in the dark.)

I'm experiencing a bit of a snark, because I haven't had even one cocktail.  That said, I can't complain.  These nice people sent this pretty shaker to us for free so we could examine it carefully and decide if we liked it or not.  Although I don't get to keep it with me under the bed, I decided it's pretty neat and I approve of it purrfectly.  

Posted with great sincerity by your premier lifestyle consultant (writing from under the bed).

Stay real, peeps.

Miss Emmy Dickins