The Shark Review - This Vacuum Sucks

So, the time came for us to purchase a new vacuum. Our vacuum that we bought on the day after Thanksgiving last year for $35 at Walmart is complete and utter crap. Do Not Buy the Eureka Maxima unless you enjoy rolling a vacuum back and forth for no apparent reason.

Anyway, when I looked at Target to see what they offered, I decided to look up online reviews and see which one is best. What a waste of time. IT is a complete crap shoot choosing a vacuum. All of the good reviews are 1) written after using the item for 5 minutes or 2) written by people who are paid by the company to do so. They sound like infomercials, for real - normal people don't talk like that. A good portion of the reviews aren't even about the product but the store they purchased it from. Yeah.

So, I posted my woes on facebook and received a huge response. Friends were telling me what they had, how happy they were with it, and what surfaces they worked best on. After 3 days of combining online reviews with vacuum rating site (which also sound like they are tipped by the companies) and with my facebook friends opinions, I reached a decision: The Shark Navigator.
I know, I know. I'm cliché for buying something with an infomercial that keeps telling you, "It's amazing" à la Billy Mays, but I could not ignore the evidence in its favor, no matter how dumb the commercial is. I figured I could buy it and give it a try. If it sucks - or doesn't rather - I can return it.

Before I tell you the results of this new machine, I first must let you know the testing conditions:

1) Understand first that my apartment is completely tiled. The only carpet we have is an area rug, and the rug in question has changed several times over the last few months. The rug you see pictured here is just as new as the vacuum cleaner; well, new to us, that is. My dearest Angela is moving to NY next Friday and decided not to take this with her, so she gave it to me :) I just picked it up today and it's so much nicer than any of the other rugs I've had in this space. This one is wool and it is actually plushy, a new concept in this house. Also note: wool carpets shed. Angela informed me when I picked it up that it takes several years before they settle enough to not shed anymore. Anyway, the vacuum needs to be able to work well on tile as well as on carpet of various heights.

2) Also understand the nature of my "only sheds twice a year" dog who actually sheds constantly. He's 14 months old and I'm willing to bet that if I had saved all the hair I have swept and vacuumed up around my house in that time, I could have molded it into at least two Gordo sized corgi replicas. Even when I sweep and vacuum what I think is absolutely everywhere I still get tumbleweeds of hair rolling around. I have no clue where they come from, but they are a constant in my life. I love my Gordo, so I accept the tumbleweeds. So, the vacuum needs to be good at collecting hair, even when I can't see it; and it needs to pull hair off of plushy fabrics. I'm tired of lint rolling my carpet and couches when people are coming over. (Yes, that is what I have had to do.)

So, for this experiment, we will be using my living room with the new/used carpet that has been freshly shampooed:
The carpet needed a vacuuming, Angela even told me that when I picked it up, but just to look at it, it really wasn't that bad. After vacuuming the bare tile floor under where the carpet would go as well as giving the rug a good once over, this is what the tank looked like:

Yeah, it was really full. I unintentionally let it fill about 1/3 over the "max fill" line. This was a good sign. Apparently it can suck out a lot of crap when it doesn't look that bad to the naked eye. Score one for the Shark.

The Navigator also has some very handy features. There are two positions for the on switch: click it once for the bare floor or cleaning attachments, click it twice for carpets. The second click activates the roller brush. This is nice because you won't burn your carpet if the vacuum sits on it while you are using the hose to clean something else. Another perk is the button to remove the tank. This button is right next to the on switch and just makes the whole tank pop out = no clipping anything or lifting a thin plastic door that breaks easily. It came with a variety of attachments, including a dusting brush, a pet hair brush, and a crevice tube. Even emptying the canister was easy and you don't get dirty! You just hold the tank over a trash can and push a release button to make the bottom hatch drop out. I did kind of give it a shake and then I had to take a paper towel and grab some hair that was stuck to the top filter, but it wasn't a big deal.

So, remember, I only vacuumed a 5x7 area of tile and the area rug, and this is what came out of the tank: I felt like a very dirty person, but simultaneously felt the hope of being not so dirty anymore.

In conclusion: This vacuum sucks so far, which in a vacuum is a good thing. I like it. It's small and light with neat features that are easy to use. It sucked well on the tile, not blowing the dirt around but actually sucking it up, and dug deep down in the carpet to remove more dirt than I thought was there. The dusting brush (a personal favorite in any vacuum) worked nicely, and I went on to clean my storage ottomans and lamp shade to great satisfaction. Also, it's not very loud, despite what some of the reviews I found said.Happy as I am with it thus far, I still want to see how it lasts with regular use over several months. So, if you are curious, check back in a while and I will let you know how it holds up. Hopefully this posting helps all you potential vacuum buyers make your decision better than the online info I found on the subject did me. And for those friends of mine who follow my blog and just read through this whole thing only to realize it's not really about our little family much at all, I apologize and promise the next posting will be. :)

One Quarter Down

Well, I am officially a quarter of a century old. We had a fun weekend in spite of other unfortunate events. Justin's grandpa Charlie passed away early in the morning of June 18th, the Friday before my birthday. It was a sad affair, but at the same time, he was miserable for the last several years of his life with pain and frustration from strokes, so we know he is much happier where he is.

So, in an effort to still help me have a fun birthday, we called up some friends and went to the Hard Rock Café for dinner on Saturday night.





They made me stand up in the middle of the Restaurant and everything. It was a lot of fun.
And since we could't just end the night there (I mean we had driven all the way to City Walk), we topped it all off with a night of karaoke at Rising Star, a karaoke club with a full band and back-up singers. You stand on the stage with lights and everything. Most of us submitted our names with random songs. I have to say I was a little disappointed that they didn't call Justin and Shannon's boyfriend Michael up to sing "Hot in Here" like they had requested, but luckily Shannon and I graced our audience with "Wanna Be" by the Spice Girls.

Also, Aimee sang "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crows, which she did very well and very reluctantly I might add :)



We had a blast watching the other patrons sing as well. Our show included a very drunk bachelorette party, a very effeminate male Lady Gaga impersonator, and two female Columbian tourists who spoke almost no English. We will definitely go again, and maybe next time they will let Justin sing his song :)

On Monday, June 21st (my actual birthday), Justin and I had a low key day around town - we couldn't go very far because his grandpa's viewing was that night. So, I requested a photo shoot. We haven't had the chance to go out to a neat place and just shoot off film with our weird cameras in a long time, so I suggested a nearby abandoned sunflower field.




Monday night, after the viewing, Justin took me out to P.F.Changs for a b-day dinner, which was scrumptious.

Also, Justin was very thoughtful and got me a few of the random things I Have been wanting: The Sims 3 Ambitions (I love it, it's my thing, let it go), Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water (to make Moroccan food with), and the Hungry Girl 1=2=3 cookbook :)

So, even though the weekend had a much more important thing to take care of, I still had a great birthday. Here's to the next 25!

A Much Needed Sprucing

The wall behind our TV has been blank for too long. We have things on most every other wall of the house. So, I've been acquiring pieces to make a little feature wall for a little while and I finally got the shelves to put them on.

I decided I could wait no longer so I put it together tonight. Here is the result.
I'm very particular with hanging things. This took me about 1 hour and a half with a pencil, a level, a long ruler, a tape measure, a drill, some anchors and some screws. Who knew it would be such an event.
Just a few of our favorite pictures in the middle.
This was the cake topper from our wedding and I've always wanted to put it on display.
And this hour glass matched the curtains perfectly... plus hour glasses are cool :)

The pictures off to the sides are both of lines of trees in fog. Also, there is a neat little tree frame with hanging picture frames. I will put a picture of it up here when I get all the little pictures in it. For now, we just pretend the people who came with the frame are related to us.

It took some time and devotion, but I'm really glad I did this. It really makes the room feel more homey :)

Our Baby's First Birthday

*sniff* My baby has grown up. Today is his first birthday!

Earlier in the day, Justin took Gordo to Arby's for a roast beef sandwich, one of his favorites.
He started off the evening with a bacon wrapped steak. Which he ate in about 60 seconds.

Then I insisted he wear a hat, much to his dismay. Sadly, his idea of the proper way a hat should be worn and mine were very different.
He was more comfortable this way.

So, I had to get at least one shot of him in his hat, even if it was against his will. He loved it.
So, I rewarded him with a fancy doggy cookie.
Which he very much enjoyed.

I can't believe my baby is a year old! I remember so well when we went and picked him out, hobbling around on the farm with his little puppy legs and his raccoon like eyes :) Now he's all grown up. *sniff*

But we still love him. I don't know what I would do without my Gordo!

The Magical Bavarian Cheesecake

So, I must admit, my favorite thing I tried at Epcot last week was the Bavarian Cheesecake at the Biergarten Restaurant. It was absolutely delicious. I had never had it before, and it is quite different from a regular cheesecake. It has a layer of vanilla sponge cake on the top and the bottom with the cheese mixture as the filling. And you don't bake the cheese part!

This new found love is what made me search the web where I hit the mother load with All Ears Net.

I promised my mom that I would make one as a late birthday gift for her (her b-day was Friday and it was just too hectic for everyone). Finally I had the time yesterday and I gave it a try. The result was a magical confection.

My Grammy has been in the hospital for almost two weeks now from a bad cold that turned for the worse. She started having small heart attacks to boot, so we were all very worried. A few months ago she was in the hospital and I made her Challah, or as she calls it now "healing Jewish bread" and it miraculously made her better. SO what better way to improve your health than with another Megan made baked good?

I went down to the hospital today amidst the drama of what recuperative facility she would be accepted into. There is a really nice one in Merritt Island that we wanted her to go to and we were really worried about most of the other ones in the area (not the most well kept places). So, I showed up to give my Mommy her b-day cake and of course gave some to Grammy. Grammy ate two pieces, which was a big deal since one of the things that aggravated her condition was her loss of appetite. So, once she professed how good the cake was, she told us to take the nurse and the case worker in charge of admission into the nursing facility. The cake must have been really good because after professing the nursing home we wanted was completely full 5 minutes before, she came back after eating the cake to tell us she got in! So from now on, I must make her a baked good every time she gets sick :)

I've copied the recipe to the blog so you can read it here or go directly to the source here.

Bavarian Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS

6 ounces Cream Cheese
6 ounces Baker's Cheese
2 Egg Yolks
4 ounces Granulated Sugar
8 ounces Sour Cream
1 ounce Lemon Juice
12 ounces Heavy Cream
1/2 ounce Gelatin
2 ounces Water
Vanilla Sponge Cake -- recipe follows

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup Sugar (granulated)
4 Egg yolks
1 teaspoon. Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Flour (all-purpose)
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 Egg Whites

METHOD
1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a mixer, add the egg yolks and sugar beat until light and creamy. Add the vanilla extract.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Beat until smooth.

5. Whip the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold this into the cake batter.

6. Place into two separate greased and lined 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes.

ASSEMBLING CAKE

METHOD
1. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks. Set aside.

2. Mix together in a mixing bowl the cream cheese, baker's cheese, egg yolks, and granulated sugar until smooth. Then add the sour cream and mix until smooth.

3. Gently add the whipped mixture to the cheese mixture being careful not to over whip.

4. Dissolve the gelatin in the water over a double boiler until the mixture is clear. Be careful not to whip the gelatin so it does not get air bubbles in it.

5. Add the gelatin mixture into the cheese mixture and fold quickly. When adding the gelatin mixture to the cheese mixture set the mixer on medium speed, and add it from the edge of the bowl, being careful not to get the gelatin on the whip or the side of the bowl so as to prevent lumping.

6. Using a springform pan, place one of the vanilla sponge cakes smooth side down. Immediately pour the cheese mixture on the cake, and smooth out surface. Then place the other cake on top with the smooth side out. Let set overnight.

7. Remove the cake from the springform pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar. This cake can be served with any of your favorite fresh fruit sauce(s).

Notes to the chef - the gelatin really does set up fast once it hits the cream mixture, so do like the recipe says and add it quickly.

Also, as we live in America, most of you (like myself) have probably never heard of Baker's cheese until you read this recipe. Also, once you search in every normal supermarket to find it and come back empty handed, do not fret. I used low fat Ricotta cheese and it substituted wonderfully. I tasted just as good as the cake I had in Epcot.

I'm sure now that I have this website at my disposal, I will be making more posts about exotic foods. I'm dying to try some Norwegian recipes :)

The Last Days of Disney

Well, we used two of our Disney days for our anniversary, and we needed to use the other two. So, we managed to coordinate our days off so we could go :)

We Went to Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.

I had never ridden the Astro Orbiter before, so we decided that it must happen on this trip :)
Woo Hoo :) Sadly, Justin and I are too tall for both of us to ride it together, so Justin let me go by myself. I'nt he sweet?
We also had lots of fun at the Haunted Mansion, easily one of our favorite Disney rides.
Check out the ears! I swear they make ears themed for everything now, but these were super cool :)
Also a lovely license plate :)
There actually weren't any kids swarmed all over the sword in the stone, so we had to give it a yank.
Then we went onto Epcot, where we sampled the exotic fashion of Canada.

We also rode Spaceship Earth (the ride in the big ball). Justin and I made sure to pose nicely for our picture. So, here is a picture of us in the future.
We also decided to splurge a bit and we had dinner in the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany one day and Les Chefs de France in (you guessed it) France the other. I was so inspired by the new and different foods that I went online to find some recipes and came across this fantastic site: All Ears Net.com
This website not only tells you the menu and pricing for each restaurant in the park, it also has pretty much every recipe you could want from all the parks and even some of the resorts and events like the Food and Wine Festival.

We had a lot of fun with our Florida Resident 4 day passes, and now we have filled the Disney canteen for quite a while. :)

My Favorite Family Guy Clip

I tried to find this clip online after I first watched it, but it was nowhere to be found! So, when the episode came on tonight, I couldn't help but record it. Kevin, I hope you have seen this. I know you will appreciate it :)