Karen

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer Review & Giveaway

This post and giveaway are sponsored by Exergen

It seems like everyone I know has been sick since the beginning of the year. My little granddaughter had the flu last week so she missed out on all the Easter egg hunts. My daughter had a nagging cough for several weeks, and it turns out she had pneumonia. And my husband, Fabgrandpa, had surgery on April 2 for an ulcerated plaque in his carotid artery.

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer TAT-2000C

One thing we didn’t have to worry about throughout all this sickness is whether or not someone had a temperature. With the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer, all it takes is a gentle swipe of the forehead to get an accurate temperature. If the little ones are sleeping, they don’t need to be awakened to take their temperature.

Easy to use professional technology for parents

Exergen sent me one of the TAT 2000C Home Model Temporal Artery Scanners. It is fast, accurate, and non-invasive, and makes it so easy to take someone’s temp. Even if Fabgrandpa is playing his PC game and killing the bad guys, I can just step over, scan his forehead, and get an accurate reading, all while he never misses a step in the game.

GET A REBATE: Get the details of a special $20 rebate being offered by Exergen until December 31, 2015.

BUY IT: You can purchase an Exergen Temporal Artery Scanner in most major retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Costco, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Kroger and BJ’s for about $35. It is also available on Amazon.com with free shipping if you are a Prime member.

WIN IT: One lucky Fabgrandma reader will win an Exergen Temporal Artery Scanner. Just use the Giveaway Tools entry form to enter.

Entry -Form

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Easy Asparagus and Zuchinni Bake Gluten Free Recipe

Karen · 10 Comments

I love spring time. Spring brings us fresh asparagus, one of my favorite vegetables. I love it any way it is cooked. This time I added some garlic and zuchinni, and feasted on a meal most delicious.

This dish is so easy to make. Just wash and trim the asparagus, slice the zuchinni, peel and chop some garlic, and you are almost there.

Here is the so simple recipe:

Asparagus & Zuchinni Bake

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

2 medium zuchinni

1/2 to 1 whole head of garlic, depending on how much garlic you like.

sea salt

black pepper

olive oil spray

Wash and trim the asparagus and place in one end of a 13″ X 9″ casserole dish. Slice the zuchinni and place in the other end of the casserole dish. Peel and chop the garlic. Sprinkle over the asparagus and zuchinni. Spray the vegetables lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Bake in preheated 400° oven uncovered for 20 minutes.

I served this up with some gluten free macaroni and cheese, and rib eye steak.

Asparagus & Zuchinni Bake served up with macaroni and cheese, and rib eye steak.

What is your favorite way to serve asparagus?

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Don’t Ignore The Symptoms When You Are Just A Little “Off”

Karen · 5 Comments

The first appointment with the neurologist, Dr. M, was on January 8, 2015. He had us bring in a CD of the MRI that Dr. G, the ENT, had done. He spent some time listening to Fabgrandpa’s symptoms, looking at the records from the recent visits to the primary care and ear/nose/throat doctors. Then he looked at the MRI and said it looks like Fabgrandpa had had a TIA some time in the past.

Dr. M decided to do several tests, most of which were done in his office. I am not sure what all of the tests were for, but one was to check for nerve damage in Fabgrandpa’s legs and feet. One was to test balance. One was done at the hospital, a CTA. Computed Tomography Angiography is used to diagnose and evaluate many diseases of blood vessels and related conditions.

After all the testing was done, Dr. M was on vacation for three weeks, while we sat and worried about Fabgrandpa having another stroke. Finally, we had our last visit with the neurologist on March 19, 2015. At that visit, we still did not have an answer for why Fabgrandpa was feeling off balance. However, Dr. M said that the CTA showed a blockage in the left Carotid Artery. Normally, they don’t worry about a blockage until it is about 90% blocked. But, this blockage also came with an ulcer in the plaque that was blocking the artery.

An ulcerated plaque is where some of the plaque has broken off, and gone with the blood flow through the artery to the brain. The place where the plaque broke off left a hole, or ulcer, in the plaque. The danger in that ulcerated plaque is that blood could settle in the hole, and form a clot, then come out of the ulcer and go to the brain, causing a massive stroke. He said he was referring us to Dr. Whitney, a vascular surgeon.

Our appointment with Dr. Whitney was on March 25, 2015. Dr. Whitney had already looked over Fabgrandpa’s medical records from all the other doctors we had seen. He was very blunt but to the point. Fabgrandpa needed surgery to remove the ulcer and clean out the carotid artery. We talked about the risks involved, what would happen during surgery, and how long he would be in the hospital. Then, Dr. Whitney scheduled surgery for April 2, 2015.

We went home from that visit with Dr. Whitney stunned. We had no idea that the surgery was that urgent. We also discussed how we have been going to doctors since September 3, 2014, looking for the cause for feeling off balance and stumbling when walking, and the doctors accidently found this other thing that could be life threatening. THAT is scarey.

So, I will repeat what I have said before: Don’t Ignore The Symptoms When You Are Just A Little “Off”. Your doctor may not find the cause for your symptom immediately, but they may just accidently find something that will save your life.

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Schar Gluten Free Pizza Crusts

Karen · 15 Comments

I received product from Schar

I haven’t tried many products from Schär, but the ones I have tried tasted really good. When they asked me to try some of their Gluten Free Pizza Crusts, I said ok.

The Schär Pizza Crusts come packaged in vacuumed packed plastic, with two in a box. They are big enough for two people to eat for lunch. They are ready to add toppings and pop into the oven when you take them out of the package.

shar gluten free pizza crust — Schar Pizza Crust before baking.

Both Fabgrandpa and I enjoyed these pizza crusts. He is not easy to please with gluten free foods, since he is not a gluten free person. However, when he does like something he lets me know. These crusts had a yeasty, real pizza crust taste. They were soft before cooking, and still a soft and chewy after. They didn’t get too hard to eat, which can happen with other gluten free pizza crusts. They also help up to the toppings I used, which made me very happy.

shar gluten free pizza crusts — My Schar Pizza “Supreme”

A lot of the time when I make a pizza at home, I stop off at my local grocery store, and go to the Olive Bar they have near the deli. I get a 8 oz cup of a mixture of selections off that bar. I usually get two or three different kinds of olives, some marinated cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls, some roasted garlic, and whatever else looks good to me that day. That is what I did for making this pizza.

Because this pizza uses some ready to use ingredients from the grocery store, it is a snap to prepare, and tastes really good. You can change it up every time you make it, just by varying the items you get from the Olive Bar.

Karen’s Home Made Gluten Free Pizza Supreme

1 package Schär Gluten Free Pizza Crusts

1/3 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce

1 (8 oz) container of assorted items from Olive Bar from your deli

2 sweet Italian sausage links

1/2 red bell pepper

1 small onion

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Take the pizza crusts out of the package, and place on a aluminum foil lined baking sheet or pizza pan. Spread half of the spaghetti sauce over each crust. Cut up the olives, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella balls and spread half on each crust.

Remove the skins from the Italian sausages, dice them up, and cook in a skillet until browned. Drain grease, and spread half of cooked sausage over each crust. Julienne slice the red bell pepper and onion. Place half on each crust. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated mozzarella on each pizza. Bake in a pre-heated 400° oven for 12-15 minutes.

schar gluten free pizza crusts — Home made pizza supreme

Shar Gluten Free Pizza Crust Ingredients:

Water, corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, corn syrup, yeast, guar gum, mono- and diglycerides, cream of tartar, baking soda, glucose, milk protein, salt, tartaric acid, citric acid, natural flavor
Serving Size: 1/3 crust (50 g)
Servings per container: 5 servings
Calories: 130
Calories from fat: 0
Protein: 2 g
Total carbs: 29 g (10% DV)
Dietary fiber: 2 g (8% DV)
Sugars: <1g
Total fat: 0.5 g (1% DV)
Saturated fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0
Sodium: 250 mg (10% DV)

Visit the Shar website for more information, and to join the Schar Club where you’ll have access to giveaways, coupons, recipes, expert advice, member chat, and access to trusted gluten-free info.

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Spring Cleaning? Get Organized With WoodTrac Closets #WoodTracSpring15 : My Newly Organized Closets and a Giveaway

Karen · 58 Comments

I can not tell you how much I love my closets after the installation of WoodTrac by Sauder Half Hanging Organizers. These beautiful units have really transformed my overstuffed, and under used closet spaces. I’ll start with showing you the closet in my bedroom. In the “before” photos, you can see all the wasted space in that closet due to lack of shelving and closet rods. Take a look at that closet now after installing the WoodTrac

Organizers:

Bedroom Closet BEFORE:

before woodtrac — Before installation of the organizers

Bedroom Closet AFTER:

There is so much more room for hanging clothing, and for placing shoes on the floor. I can even put our suitcases on the shelf at the top. No more storing them on the back porch. I am super excited to have such a nice looking closet space.

The white color of the organizers looks so clean! Although these pieces also come in Espresso and Cherry, I love the way white makes the closet look so much bigger, and brightens it up so I can see better in there.

Next, what a difference the Hanging Half Organizers have made in my sewing/craft room/office. It is just so much neater, and I can find things so much easier. I open the closet doors and can see at a glance where my things are. I never thought that would happen!

Sewing Room Closet BEFORE:

Woodtrac by Sauder Half Hanging Organizers — Sewing Room Closet Before Installation

Sewing Room Closet AFTER:

woodtrac by sauder hanging half organizer — My sewing supplies are so neat now!

And last, the laundry room. We had a couple of organizers left over, so we decided to install them above our washer and dryer in the laundry area on the back porch. There was NO storage at all there, so this is like heaven, having shelves to put things on and a clothing rod to hang things up as soon as they come out of the dryer!

Laundry Area Before:

woodtrac by sauder for the laundry room — The laundry area before: No storage area at all!

Laundry Area After:

Woodtrac by sauder half hanging organizers in laundry area — The Woodtrac Half Hanging Organizers in the laundry area

To buy these organizers, go to WoodTrac’s website and find a dealer near you.

Now, the best part, is that I can give some of these WoodTrac By Sauder Hanging Half Organizers away! Two (2) Fabgrandma readers will each receive two WoodTrac By Sauder Hanging Half Organizers, one 36″ unit and one 30″ unit. These two units will fit well in a normal size double door reach in closet, or in a small one door reach incloset. They can also be hung in work areas, such as over the laundry machines, or by the back door for hanging coats and things like that

Use the Giveaway Tools form to enter the giveaway. Good Luck!

Entry -Form

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Welcome To The Easter Egg Hunt

Karen · Leave a Comment

I wanted to do something fun for Easter, and what is more fun than an Easter Egg Hunt? Here are the rules for the hunt:

Follow the clues to find all of the 12 eggs hidden on my blog.

When you find an egg, click on it to “pick it up”

When you have found all 12 eggs, you will be forwarded to a Giveaway Tools entry form to enter to win either a $25 Amazon Gift Code or $25 USD via Paypal. The giveaway is open to everyone who finds the 12 eggs.

Here is the first egg: [egg id=”0″]

To find the next egg, click here.

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Save 60% On Web Hosting Today Only at Hostgator!

Karen · 1 Comment

There is an affiliate link on this page. If you make a purchase, I will receive a commission, but it will not affect the price you pay.

If you want to start a blog or a website, now is the time to get your hosting set up! HostGator is running a one day only FLASH SALE for 3 hours today! You can save 60% on new web hosting! Set your alarm so you can get it while it’s hot!

Sale Details: 60% Off All New Hosting Packages
Coupon Code: MAR26
Sale Begins: Thursday, March 26th at 11:00pm CST
Sale Ends: Thursday, March 26th at 1:59pm CST

Follow this link to get your hosting started today!

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Crepe Erase First Impression

Karen · 24 Comments

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Crepe Erase. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I am a sixty-something year old grandma. I like to think that I take good care of my skin, and try to make myself look presentable most of the time. But when it comes to certain parts of me, getting older also means getting more lines and more sagging places of my skin. So, when I was asked to try Crepe Erase for two weeks, I thought, Why not? Crepe Erase is a revolutionary 2-step system formulated with TRUFirm to visibly smooth, firm and lift dry, aging skin.

My first impression of Crepe Erase, when I opened the tube of Exfoliating Body Polish was that it smelled good. If I get a new product and it doesn’t smell very good, there is not much chance that I will continue to use it. So, for me, the smell is a big part of the overall product. The Exfoliating Body Polish has granules in it that help slough away dry skin, and invigorate your senses when you use it.

When I opened the jar of Intensive Body Repair Treatment, it reminded me of a cold cream that my mother used when I was a little girl back in the late 1950’s. I always thought she was so beautiful when she used that cold cream, and wanted to be just like her when I grew up. It is thick, and creamy, and feels good on my skin.

I would say that overall, my first impression of Crepe Erase Introductory System was positive. It appealed to my sense of smell, sight, and touch , and brought me a pleasant memory of my mother.

I am looking forward to using the Crepe Erase products, the new way to transform aging skin on the neck, chest, arms and legs. I have the crepey looking skin in several places, but I will be focusing on my neck, chin, and around the laugh lines of my face, because those are the most visible places.

I’ll be sharing how the Crepe Erase products have worked for me. I hope that they work as advertised to help me look a bit younger, to have a soft feel to my skin, and make the transformation of my old, crepey looking neck and arms to a younger look.

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