Sabi Pill Cutter Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

 When I received the Sabi Chop Cut-and-Take Pill Splitter I wondered how well it would work.  It is a plastic circular contraption about two inches in diameter.  I wondered how well plastic could chop a pill.   The instructions read to place it on a flat surface and use your palm to press down on the top.  Sounds simple enough.

Well, when I applied to review this my mother was alive and was taking a number of medications.  I thought this would be useful to have around.  Although I am strong enough to use this, she would not have been.  So if you are thinking of buying this for someone who is weak due to illness, you may be the one who has to use this for them and chop their pills for them

Additionally, it works very will with the type of pill it is intended for -- a long, oblong pill.   You have to very carefully place it in the cutter or you won't get a 50% cut on it, but it works very well for these.

If you are planning on using a round, small, or other shaped pill, you will not want to use this cutter as all it creates is a mess.  (Again this is not the type of pill it is intended for use cutting.)   However, I know for myself, do I really need an extra pill cutter around?  This isn't a common sized pill for myself (and like I said, my mother passed between the time I applied to review this and the time the item arrived for review.)  Even with her pills, I'm not sure I would recommend this as it only cuts one type of pill and has to be pressed so firmly with the palm of the hand.  But if you have difficulty cutting long large oblong pills, this is the pill cutter for you.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

100 oz of Diet Pepsi and Six other Quick Takes

1.  

My current guilty pleasure is 100 ounces of Diet Pepsi.   Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) my closest Sheetz Store doesn't have the Fizz City where I can add vanilla or lemon to my Diet Pepsi, but I take a few of the True Lemon packets and fill it up.  First time I took this to RCIA, I asked the lady beside me if she could see the priest around the mug.  The smaller mug is only 52 ounces.  To fill up the larger one, it costs between 94 cents and $1.16 depending on where you go.  My boyfriend bought me this mug at Christmas for $9.99 (first fill free) in Alabama.  They aren't sold in my area and people are always commenting on my huge mug when I fill it up.

 2.

I was in Wal-Mart looking at a shirt that said "Lucky" on Saturday.  Not only is that the name of my guinea pig, but I enjoy entering contests and giveaways and have won several times.  It seemed like a good  "uniform" for next time I go to the national sweepstakes convention.  As I was looking at it, a lady came up to my boyfriend and me and offered to give us the shirt we were looking at.  It was only $5, and she didn't want to bother returning it!  How cool is that?

3.
I am gathering supplies to start on a cross stitch project of Micah 6:8.  It only says "Do Justice.  Love Mercy.  Walk Humbly."  But it's beautiful.  I figured I needed something to keep me busy after losing my mother.  Things have been crazy.  I wonder if life will ever get back to normal, and I learned there were a lot of lies told about me to my mother.  I wish I could talk to my mother one more time.  

4. 

Twice this week my boyfriend have eaten dinner at the Catholic Church 10 miles away.  The churches in that town rotate a free meal for anyone who wants to come every week.  It ensures that everyone in the community has a hot meal once a week.  There is a donation basket if you want to help with expenses and aren't needy, so it's a social time.  Tonight we went and had their annual Lenten Fish dinner.  For $8 we got a huge piece of fish on a sub roll, fries, stewed tomatoes, cole slaw, punch, and dessert.  Well worth the $8.  Plus it is even served to you -- no cafeteria style line, very much like a restaurant.  And I saw my high school youth group choir leader there.  

5. 

We had to buy a new stove/oven.  The glass cooktop on ours broke.  My mother won it in a contest a few years back.  It had been overheating since it broke and I didn't feel it was safe.  The delivery man was a distant cousin.  I pulled out the copies of photos I made for my mother's funeral and in one of them was my mom with his dad when they were about 10 years old.  I gave it to him as a tip since it was a copy and I had the original.

6.   

My boyfriend has taken to calling one of my fingernails "your gouger".   I tell him it's a useful tool.  He is threatening me with fingernail clippers.  I told him it's only a matter of time until it tears.

7. 
Life has been extremely hard for my boyfriend and me since my mom passed.  Please keep us in prayer.  And since life has been hard, I don't have a lot to write about at the moment, so I'll leave you with asking you to stop by my blog giveaway where I'm giving away to two winners -- each winner receives 2 coupons for Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap.  (USA only).  Just click HERE.

For More Quick Take Fridays, please visit http://www.conversiondiary.com 
 

Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap Review and Giveaway Ends 3/15

What cleans your hands, is pretty, and smells nice?  It's not a trick question -- it's Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap.  This is a premium soap with refreshing moisture, and it also has micro-scrubber.   I remember when my Dad would come home from work he would need to scrub his hands, and back then he often had to use powdered soap.  I wish Dial would have made this soap back then for him to wash away his work day -- and even though it's scented, it's not a girly scent so it's a great family soap. Plus it moisturizes!   In fact, when my boyfriend smelled the Yellow Raspberry scent, he commented, "That smells great!"

Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap comes in three varieties.  I was able to try "Water Blossom" and "Yellow Raspberry with Black Sugar".  I can't wait to try "Coconut Lime Verbena".

Dial  is a quality product and I remember my mother telling me that was the only soap I was to buy when I started grocery shopping for the family.  I'm excited to see a new product to their line.

For the giveaway:  Giveaway ends March 15.  There will be two winners of two coupons each one good for a free deep cleansing hand soap from Dial.  These coupons expire on March 31, so be prepared to use them immediately upon receiving them!  (And winners must respond to the winning e-mail within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Love To Read -- Even on the Go!

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 

I have always been a reader.  When I was growing up, the summer reading program at our local library was the place where all the cool kids hung out -- at least I thought so because that's where I was!  One year, the day of the party, another girl and I were tied at most books read.  Instead of eating cookies, drinking punch, and watching a movie, we frantically read to beat the other to make the most books read!  (She ended up beating me by one book!)

The Dartboard of Grief and Suffering

I read this concept online at one point in time.  I don't remember where it's from.  It's so accurate I thought it was worth making a post about it.  If anyone remembers the source, please let me know.

The concept is that the person suffering is the center.  They can complain to anyone outside their circle of the bullseye.  The next circle are those closest to that person.  They can complain to everyone but the person in the center circle.  It gets larger as the social network of people increase.  For instance, someone in their church should not complain to an immediate family member that the suffering of the person in the center is so much they can't stand it.  That person can complain to those outside their circle, but no one closer to the suffering.

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

I used this idea when my mother was in the hospital in August.  I was terrified.  I felt justified in anyone I let know how scared I was, etc.  I never breathed a word to my mother how terrified I was because of her health.  I was positive and upbeat around her.  It sounds like common sense, but it is not.   Because other people complained to her about her suffering and how it bothered them, she thought I didn't care.  

The night my mother died, there were various "circles" of the bullseye in our living room.  The paramedics comforted me through tears.  I saw their own pain of losing a friend and co-worker.  I have no doubt they cried once they left the house, but were strong for me.

When I arrived home (I was at church), a friend drove me home.  He never met my mother, and he was a rock for everyone.  My boyfriend wanted to protect me from what happened.  There were others there to comfort my boyfriend, but I was in a circle closer to my mother than my boyfriend, although he was in a ring just outside me.  In the last few months my mother became close with my boyfriend.

I am not saying you need to treat the suffering and grieving with kid gloves, but please do remember the circles.  Be strong for those in the inner circles.  Be someone they can turn to instead of you turning to them in your pain and grief.

Everyone handles grief and suffering differently.  Just because someone appears stoic and like it doesn't bother them, that doesn't mean they aren't silently shedding tears when no one is around.  It doesn't mean there isn't pure panic at times in the middle of the night.  Just because they appear to be doing okay, don't assume that is really the case.

Ask what you can do.  Be willing to help.  Maybe even offer to do things.  Someone called the day after my mother died and offered to clean our house.  I didn't get the message until later, but many times offering something you can do is more appreciated than you can imagine. 

Seven things I've learned about Grief (thus far)

1.   On February 18, 2014, my life as I knew it ended.  No, I won't get over it.  Life will never go back to "normal".  I'm finding a new normal and trying to live in that.

2.  The last hours of my mother's life play over and over again in my mind.  She took a nap.  But what ifs run though my head.  I wish I knew details, and the few details I do know, I wish I didn't.

3.  Meat and Cheese trays.   Enough said.

4.  Grief is beginning to look like a sandwich.  (See #3.)

5.  Writing thank yous feels like an excruciating chore. (See #3)  I'm asking my boyfriend to do as many of those as possible.  

6.  Everyone grieves differently.  Don't judge.

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

7.  Weird emotions at weird times.  The poor home health lady who called to check up on Mom and I found it so funny and started laughing.  The absolute terror I felt one night as I got up to go to the bathroom.

Bonus:

8.  The people you expected to be there for you might not be, and the people who are there for you mean more than you can ever express.

You can find more 7 Quick Takes Friday at http://www.conversiondiary.com/

Goodbye, Mom

I'll be back to blogging soon, but my mother passed away on Tuesday.  While she had been very ill for some time, it was sudden in the fact it wasn't expected to happen that day.  My boyfriend talked to her an hour before she passed.

Obviously I have things more important to tend to at the moment than blogging.

Trust on Facebook Status Updates: Or Why I don't play Status Games

I've been seeing more and more games going around on Facebook where someone will say something with the hopes people will "like" or comment on their status and they will be sucked in to the game where they will also "be required" to post a similar status on their page.

What does this do?  In my opinion, it devalues the honesty of everyone who participates.  If we, as Christians, are called to not lie, what does it say when we post something for the world to see that is not true.  (I avoid Facebook on April Fool's Day.  I don't know how many times I've seen engagment announcements, pregnancy announcements and the like with "April Fools!" tacked to the end.  To their credit, they DO have a disclaimer on them.)

I'm mainly talking about the status updates saying people are moving, won money on a scratch-off, or the one going around recently where you could choose from a number of statements ranging from that you forgot to wear underwear today, you voted for Obama in the last presidential election, the number of relationships you have been in with a very high number attached, and several others.

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

I had a non-Christian friend post on Facebook she was no longer going to play these games because she did it once, and she felt that it made people not trust what she was saying.  She said if she posted something she wanted everyone to know it was the truth and not second guess it.

I love her thinking.  Shouldn't we as Christians take the same attitude?  I know I want to be known as someone that if I say something, it's honest.  I don't want people to read my Facebook status and think, "Oh, that might be a game."

Besides, there's so many more interesting things in the world to post than something that isn't true.  Some of my best Facebook status updates sound like that have to be made up, but they are true.  I once had a grasshopper knock down a panel to a light.  I was in the hospital and my roommate was rambling about homeschooling and said Chuck Norris had a great homes school program.  They sound made up, but they weren't.

Next time you're tempted to participate in one of these status games, why not find something really interesting (and true) to post instead?   It's unique AND honest!  Plus, everyone will learn something cool about you!  What could be better than that?

What I've been Reading This week 2/16/2014

Books I've been reading:
 When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over

and

The Question That Never Goes Away

and  I finished:

Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom


Blogs / Articles:

I thought this was a great article:  Why Christians should let non-Christians off the Moral Hook

5 Things that Turn off a Pedophile

Video of the week:

"Jesus Make it Warm:

Seven Quick Takes Friday: Boyfriend Edition

I told my boyfriend that in addition to this being Valentine's Day, he has the added pressure of makint this day special because it's the one year anniversary us sending our first message online.

Our first photo in June 2013 at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

1.

Today is Valentine's Day.  One year ago yesterday I went to an Ash Wednesday service and started seriously considering becoming Catholic.  You can read about that here.  (I posted it after giving the service some thought.)  I figured that I would have to wait until I made up my mind before meeting someone.  The very next day I messaged my boyfriend on a dating site and told him I saw he was a Christian.  

2.

He told me he grew up Catholic but was currently attending an Anglican church.  We started chatting, neither of us thinking it would lead to anything.  We lived 3 1/2 hours apart.  There's a bit of an age difference.  But we kept chatting because there was nothing better to do.  We realized we were starting to care about each other.

3.

By the time I went to Fat Camp  Faith and Fitness Week, I was referring to him as my "kinda-sorta-boyfriend".  Kinda-Sorta because we still hadn't met.  His car had been totaled right before we met online by someone texting and driving and he hadn't found a replacement for us to be able to meet up.  I had a rough week at the weight loss camp, and everyone thought it was so neat how I'd pick up my phone after a workout and there would sometimes be a text waiting on me saying how proud he was of me.  One woman said she wished her husband was that sweet.  I knew I had a winner.

4.

He came to visit and I met him June 19, 2013.  We met at a Burger King parking lot.  Actually getting a hug was so wonderful.   I will never forget the nerves from that night.  I'd already decided I loved this man.  You only meet a man you love like this once in your life, and this was the night I was going to actually be with him in person, so I was full of jitters.  Over the next few days we visited some tourist attractions in my area, ate at Annie's Country Kitchen Restaurant and started forming our inside jokes.  (If you ever meet us, and we say something about a cheese factory, that means you are rambling with your story.)  We decided at that time we were dating but didn't want to make it "Facebook official" until I met his family.

5.

In July, he visited for my birthday, and again in August.  On August 26, I called him and could barely say, "I need you" as my mother was in the hospital and given a 10% chance of living.  I was told I would need to make the decision to take her off life support in 48 hours.  We talked about how and when for him to come for what seemed inevitable, and he came in on August 28.  As he pulled into the driveway, I received the call from the hospital and the doctor said, "There's nothing more we can do."  My heart dropped.  Thankfully the doctor continued, "We're transfering her to Pittsburgh."  I ran out the door, left a house key at the business next door so someone could take care of my guinea pig, and told him we were leaving in 15 minutes for Pittsburgh and didn't know when we'd be back.  We spent the next 8 days in a hotel in the Pittsburgh area.  I don't know how I would have made it through that time without him.  I'd look at my mother and think I was losing the most precious person on earth.  My life was turned upside down in a moment (my mother was doing well 48 hours prior to her being given 10% chance of living.)  He was a trooper.  He held me as I cried, found St. Ferdinand's near our hotel for us to attend to try to make life as normal as possible for me, and tried to hold me together.  My mother thankfully got better, and it was during this time I realized that this was no ordinary man, this man was someone very special since we had only met in person 2 months before.

6.

I didn't know when I would be able to visit him and his family in Virginia, but because my mother needed to be in a rehab facility, I was able to get away sooner than I had expected.  My priority, of course, was to be around for my mother, but since I didn't need to take her to dialysis three times a week for a while, I was able to get away.  He had planned on coming in one weekend, but said he had a wedding to go to.  I asked him if he wanted a date and that weekend was the first I met his family.  I met his extended family at Christmas as my mother encouraged me to go to Alabama.  Thankfully they liked me, and I had a fantastic time with them.  We even had a The Settlers of Catan marathon until three in the morning so we could finish our game before his cousin had to leave to where he is stationed in the Navy.  (And yes, we made our relationship "Facebook Official" in September.)

7.

I couldn't be happier.  He moved to this area at the end of November.  This is the first Valentine's Day of my life I'm not alone.  (I'm 40, and that's been a long time of waiting for the right man!)  He goes to RCIA with me every week, he loves to cook, clean, and I am so impressed with how much he cares for my mother.  I am not quite strong enough physically to help her without straining a muscle now and then, and him moving to this area was such a help because he has been able to do so much for my mother.  He is usually the one who takes her to dialysis and he shovels for us and it's not a worry about how we are going to get the driveway clear to get her to dialysis.   He's learning to list on eBay -- you can check out our items here. (You can also follow us so some of our items will show regularly on your eBay homepage!)   He has gotten into the shopping part of eBay with me, and we were planning on going to some second hand stores today, but the weather is too bad and I'm not feeling the best.  What a wonderful Valentine date, though!  He's extremely supportive of my eBay selling, entering contests, and blogging.  I met someone online before him who even though I had made more than this man, I was told that I needed a "real job".  I am thankful I am appreciated for who I am, what I do, and I appreciate the same about him!  It is hard to fathom that I only met him a year ago.  It's such a neat thing to be part of a couple on Valentine's Day.  I heard so many times over the years to quit looking and love will come to you when you least expect it, but I don't agree with that.  If you are single, hang in there.  I was 39 before I met my boyfriend.  This Valentine's Day feels so different -- I'm just very thankful there's my boyfriend!  :)

For More Quick Takes Friday, visit www.ConversionDiary.com