I've visited the Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center in Jessup, Maryland a number of times to donate items but, I've never gone inside the family store. Today, I decided to check it out so, I could report to you my readers on what it has and what it's like.
The store and center is located at 10350 Guilford Road in Jessup, Maryland. It's open Monday through Saturday though I don't know its exact hours (I'll have to get those on another visit). Donations are accepted in the back of the building while there is parking in front of it for shoppers. For bargain hunters, the best day to visit the family store is on Wednesdays when all clothing is half off. I was able to get 2 pairs of Men's Dockers pants for $3.25 a pair! Mind you, you will have to hunt a good bit to find something that fits clothing wise and, in some cases, you'll have to try it on (they have rooms for that) as some clothing doesn't have tags telling what the size is. Also, there are NO refunds or returns. Once you buy it, that's IT!
Another plus for this store is for those looking for a good deal on furniture. I was surprised by the selection of sofas, dresser drawers and dining tables. You might find a nice bargain here.
Lastly, all books, CDs, DVDs (this selection didn't impress) and records were $1 each. I did see a few decent CDs for sale there though I didn't browse the books.
I found the staff at the store helpful and patient which was a plus (especially for someone who hadn't been in there before).
Overall, I thought it a pretty nice store. I do wish they would mark the sizes of the various clothes so, you wouldn't have to hunt all over them to find them if they have it on them. It has a great location in that it's just off the Maryland 32 and Route 1 intersection heading toward Jessup so, it's easy to get to.
Here's a link to the Salvation Army Family Stores which provides driving directions to the Jessup, Maryland store as well as directions to other stores in Maryland. Lastly, buying things from this store does help a good cause. The Salvation Army does a lot of good work and, they help a lot of people. Happy shopping all!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Kerrygold Ballyshannon Cheddar Review
The Irish Kerrygold brand is definitely doing their best to sell their Irish butter and cheeses in the United States (U.S.). Recently, while shopping at the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club store, I stumbled upon their Ballyshannon cheddar. As the cheese is made in Ireland and, I like Ireland a lot, I decided to buy a pre-cut block of their Ballyshannon and Dubliner (review coming later after I've tried it) cheeses.
As I stated, their Ballyshannon cheddar comes in pre-cut and wrapped blocks packed by the Irish Dairy Board Inc in Evanston, Illinois. Sam's Club sells the cheese for $5.97 (U.S.) a pound. My pre-cut block weighed 1.8 pounds. The cheddar is different from other cheddar cheeses I've seen in that it has an ivory color vice the normal yellow. Like other cheddar cheeses, the Ballyshannon is a firm cheese with a good flavor. The cheese has a good shelf life as the one I tried supposedly would've been good till the end of October. However, like other cheeses, it must be refrigerated at all times.
Store wise, there are a wide range of stores in the United States that carry Kerrygold products. I checked the www.kerrygoldusa.com webpage for locations near where I live that sell their products and, I found out, Giant, Weis, Safeway, Shoppers Food Warehouse also sell their products. While I didn't see it listed on their website, I know the Costco in Elkridge/Columbia sells their Dubliner and Blarney Castle (review coming later once I've tried it) cheeses. I can't tell you how their prices stack up compared to Sam's Club. I would think Costco would be comparable with the others being more expensive.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with the Ballyshannon cheddar. It reminded me of my tour of Ireland and my hope I can visit there again some day. I'm looking forward to trying the Dubliner and Blarney Castle cheeses I bought. Stay tuned for reviews on those. Bon appetit!
Update February 26, 2014: I visited Costco's Glen Burnie, Maryland store and, I found out you'll pay a premium for Kerrygold's Irish butter. Their butter sells for $4.66 a pound there which is over $2.50 more a pound than Costco's brand which sells for $2.12 a pound. Personally, I suspect Kerrygold's butter isn't worth the premium (butter is butter to me) though I haven't taste tested it yet.
As I stated, their Ballyshannon cheddar comes in pre-cut and wrapped blocks packed by the Irish Dairy Board Inc in Evanston, Illinois. Sam's Club sells the cheese for $5.97 (U.S.) a pound. My pre-cut block weighed 1.8 pounds. The cheddar is different from other cheddar cheeses I've seen in that it has an ivory color vice the normal yellow. Like other cheddar cheeses, the Ballyshannon is a firm cheese with a good flavor. The cheese has a good shelf life as the one I tried supposedly would've been good till the end of October. However, like other cheeses, it must be refrigerated at all times.
Store wise, there are a wide range of stores in the United States that carry Kerrygold products. I checked the www.kerrygoldusa.com webpage for locations near where I live that sell their products and, I found out, Giant, Weis, Safeway, Shoppers Food Warehouse also sell their products. While I didn't see it listed on their website, I know the Costco in Elkridge/Columbia sells their Dubliner and Blarney Castle (review coming later once I've tried it) cheeses. I can't tell you how their prices stack up compared to Sam's Club. I would think Costco would be comparable with the others being more expensive.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with the Ballyshannon cheddar. It reminded me of my tour of Ireland and my hope I can visit there again some day. I'm looking forward to trying the Dubliner and Blarney Castle cheeses I bought. Stay tuned for reviews on those. Bon appetit!
Update February 26, 2014: I visited Costco's Glen Burnie, Maryland store and, I found out you'll pay a premium for Kerrygold's Irish butter. Their butter sells for $4.66 a pound there which is over $2.50 more a pound than Costco's brand which sells for $2.12 a pound. Personally, I suspect Kerrygold's butter isn't worth the premium (butter is butter to me) though I haven't taste tested it yet.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Sogel Fresh Cooked Mussels Review
While shopping at the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club, I stumbled upon a product I hadn't seen before. It's Sogel's Fresh Cooked Mussels. As I like mussels, I decided to try them.
The mussels come precooked in 2 one pound bags. You can heat them up 2 ways: 1) you can boil 1 of the bags for 4 to 5 minutes in rapidly boiling water and let cool for 1 minute or 2) you can microwave on high 1 of the bags for 3 to 4 minutes and let cool for 1 minute. If you microwave the mussels, you must cut 3 small punctures in the bag to let steam escape.
The mussels come in a garlic butter sauce which is pretty good. They must be refrigerated at all times between 34 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 3.3 Celsius). The mussels are grown on ropes on Prince Edwards Island, Canada. Cost wise, the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club I bought them at sold a box (2 bags) for $9.98 U.S.
Overall, I was very pleased with this product. I really like mussels and, this was a very easy way (I microwaved the ones I tried) to have some. Price wise, I think they're very reasonably priced though I'm not an expert on what imported mussels are selling for. If you like mussels and would like a very easy way to have some, I heartily recommend you try this product. Bon Appetit!
The mussels come precooked in 2 one pound bags. You can heat them up 2 ways: 1) you can boil 1 of the bags for 4 to 5 minutes in rapidly boiling water and let cool for 1 minute or 2) you can microwave on high 1 of the bags for 3 to 4 minutes and let cool for 1 minute. If you microwave the mussels, you must cut 3 small punctures in the bag to let steam escape.
The mussels come in a garlic butter sauce which is pretty good. They must be refrigerated at all times between 34 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 3.3 Celsius). The mussels are grown on ropes on Prince Edwards Island, Canada. Cost wise, the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club I bought them at sold a box (2 bags) for $9.98 U.S.
Overall, I was very pleased with this product. I really like mussels and, this was a very easy way (I microwaved the ones I tried) to have some. Price wise, I think they're very reasonably priced though I'm not an expert on what imported mussels are selling for. If you like mussels and would like a very easy way to have some, I heartily recommend you try this product. Bon Appetit!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
8700 Washington Boulevard Savage Maryland McDonald's Wi-Fi Review
I had a McDonald's coupon which would get me 2 of their large sandwiches for the price of 1. Because of that, I decided to stop by the McDonald's which is close to the Extended Stay America I'm staying at. While waiting for my order to be filled, I tried out their Wi-Fi.
I picked up 2 signals which may be the problem at this McDonald's. Both signals came in very strong. One was for ATT and the other was for Wayland Portal which I'd never seen before. McDonald's standard Wi-Fi provider is ATT. For whatever reasons, every time the webpage came up where I would press on the I accept button (accepting the terms of use), nothing would happen. After trying for something like 10 minutes, I gave up.
Because of my failure to connect, I have to give this McDonald's a thumbs down Wi-Fi wise. I plan
to go back at a later time and, I'll test their Wi-Fi again. We'll see if it works that time. Stay tuned.
Update February 19, 2014: I was off today so, I decided today was a good day to test this McDonald's Wi-Fi again. Plus, I had coupons where I could get 2 Big Macs or 2 Filet-o-Fish sandwiches for $4. I think I saved $4 with each coupon. This McDonald's will let you use up to 2 coupons per visit which is nice.
Concerning their Wi-Fi, this time it worked very well. One neat thing about Nook e-reader is when you visit a place you've been to before, it'll automatically connect to that place's Wi-Fi signal. This time, there wasn't any conflict between the ATT and Wayland signals and, it promptly connected to the ATT signal which was very strong. I did have a minor glitch in that I was able to post to Facebook BEFORE the standard agree to terms of use window came up. Because I hadn't accepted the terms, Facebook wouldn't let me put where my location was with my post which was weird. Once I accepted the terms of use, it would.
Overall, I was very pleased with this McDonald's Wi-Fi and, I give it a big thumbs up. If you're in this area, this is a place worth stopping at if you need Internet access. Happy surfing all!
Correction: I discovered that I put the wrong town name on my first post for this review. Apparently, this McDonald's is considered to be in Savage (according to the McDonald's website any way) even though the Extended Stay which is less than a block away is in Jessup. I confess I don't understand how they determine which town places like these are in which are on the boundaries of the town.
I picked up 2 signals which may be the problem at this McDonald's. Both signals came in very strong. One was for ATT and the other was for Wayland Portal which I'd never seen before. McDonald's standard Wi-Fi provider is ATT. For whatever reasons, every time the webpage came up where I would press on the I accept button (accepting the terms of use), nothing would happen. After trying for something like 10 minutes, I gave up.
Because of my failure to connect, I have to give this McDonald's a thumbs down Wi-Fi wise. I plan
to go back at a later time and, I'll test their Wi-Fi again. We'll see if it works that time. Stay tuned.
Update February 19, 2014: I was off today so, I decided today was a good day to test this McDonald's Wi-Fi again. Plus, I had coupons where I could get 2 Big Macs or 2 Filet-o-Fish sandwiches for $4. I think I saved $4 with each coupon. This McDonald's will let you use up to 2 coupons per visit which is nice.
Concerning their Wi-Fi, this time it worked very well. One neat thing about Nook e-reader is when you visit a place you've been to before, it'll automatically connect to that place's Wi-Fi signal. This time, there wasn't any conflict between the ATT and Wayland signals and, it promptly connected to the ATT signal which was very strong. I did have a minor glitch in that I was able to post to Facebook BEFORE the standard agree to terms of use window came up. Because I hadn't accepted the terms, Facebook wouldn't let me put where my location was with my post which was weird. Once I accepted the terms of use, it would.
Overall, I was very pleased with this McDonald's Wi-Fi and, I give it a big thumbs up. If you're in this area, this is a place worth stopping at if you need Internet access. Happy surfing all!
Correction: I discovered that I put the wrong town name on my first post for this review. Apparently, this McDonald's is considered to be in Savage (according to the McDonald's website any way) even though the Extended Stay which is less than a block away is in Jessup. I confess I don't understand how they determine which town places like these are in which are on the boundaries of the town.
McDonald's Shamrock Shake Review
It's that time of year again when McDonald's comes out with their shamrock shake. It's a green mint flavored shake they sell till St. Patrick's Day (Ireland's Patron Saint) here in the United States (U.S.). I thought I'd reviewed the shake before but, I couldn't find the review on my blog. So, I'm reviewing it again.
The shake is green, mint flavored and topped with a maraschino cherry. I bought a large shake at the McDonald's located on 8700 Washington Boulevard in Jessup, Maryland. Price wise, it cost me $3.19 before tax. I found the shake good. I like things with the flavor of mint and, the shake has a nice mint flavor. Plus, I like that it reminds me of Ireland which I enjoyed visiting and would like to visit again some time.
Overall, if you like mint milk shakes, I think you'd like this one. I know I did. I plan to have another when I visit McDonald's again. Do remember, you can only get these seasonal milk shakes till St. Patrick's Day. After that, you'll have to wait another year to get one. Cheers all!
The shake is green, mint flavored and topped with a maraschino cherry. I bought a large shake at the McDonald's located on 8700 Washington Boulevard in Jessup, Maryland. Price wise, it cost me $3.19 before tax. I found the shake good. I like things with the flavor of mint and, the shake has a nice mint flavor. Plus, I like that it reminds me of Ireland which I enjoyed visiting and would like to visit again some time.
Overall, if you like mint milk shakes, I think you'd like this one. I know I did. I plan to have another when I visit McDonald's again. Do remember, you can only get these seasonal milk shakes till St. Patrick's Day. After that, you'll have to wait another year to get one. Cheers all!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel Review
I'm a big fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books. I read all 5 of the first series and all 4 of the Heroes of Olympus. And, like other fans, I'm impatiently waiting for the final book - Blood of Olympus, to come out next fall. I bought The Lightning Thief graphic novel purely because of the shipping deal Amazon has. If you spend $35 or more, you get free shipping. If you don't, you can get clobbered. The main item I wanted from Amazon was a travel clock which cost a little over $10 and, the shipping would've been half the price of the clock. As I didn't care for that, I looked for $25 worth of other items so, I could get the free shipping. As I like Riordan's books, one of the items I decided to get was The Lightning Thief graphic novel.
The graphic novel was released on October 12, 2010. So, it's a bit late to review the thing. Still, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth. The novel has 128 pages and cuts out a lot of bits (the meeting with Medusa and the Tunnel of Love episodes come to mind) to keep it that short. That's something I didn't like about it. In one case, they even changed the story. Close to the end, Percy has gotten Zeus's master lightning bolt back BUT, he's stuck in California and, the big meeting between Zeus and his father Poseidon is going to be taking place above Manhattan. He has to get there pronto. In the novel, he raised the airfare by playing on people's sympathies while in the graphic novel, he apparently get's one of Hades minions to spring the money to fly him back.
The artwork in the graphic novel is good. The story does move along in the graphic novel like it does in the novel. I liked seeing what the characters looked like. I found the bit where Luke tries to figure out who Percy's father might be funny. Price wise, I paid $7.67 for my copy which I thought very reasonable. However, I still wasn't wiped out with the story in the graphic novel. I like the full length book version a LOT more than the graphic novel.
Overall, I found myself disappointed with the graphic novel. I wish it were longer so they didn't cut out as many bits. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. Stick to the book version, it's a LOT better than the graphic novel. Happy reading all!
The graphic novel was released on October 12, 2010. So, it's a bit late to review the thing. Still, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth. The novel has 128 pages and cuts out a lot of bits (the meeting with Medusa and the Tunnel of Love episodes come to mind) to keep it that short. That's something I didn't like about it. In one case, they even changed the story. Close to the end, Percy has gotten Zeus's master lightning bolt back BUT, he's stuck in California and, the big meeting between Zeus and his father Poseidon is going to be taking place above Manhattan. He has to get there pronto. In the novel, he raised the airfare by playing on people's sympathies while in the graphic novel, he apparently get's one of Hades minions to spring the money to fly him back.
The artwork in the graphic novel is good. The story does move along in the graphic novel like it does in the novel. I liked seeing what the characters looked like. I found the bit where Luke tries to figure out who Percy's father might be funny. Price wise, I paid $7.67 for my copy which I thought very reasonable. However, I still wasn't wiped out with the story in the graphic novel. I like the full length book version a LOT more than the graphic novel.
Overall, I found myself disappointed with the graphic novel. I wish it were longer so they didn't cut out as many bits. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. Stick to the book version, it's a LOT better than the graphic novel. Happy reading all!
Sunday, February 02, 2014
The Mall in Columbia Wi-Fi Review
The Mall in Columbia as it's titled (it's located in Columbia, Maryland) brags about offering free Wi-Fi. I decided to test it and find out if there are any strings attached with their Wi-Fi. I found out really fast there is. The first is you have to join The Club. The Club is where they send promotions and events by email. You can also receive them by text message though this part is optional. The email thing isn't. Second, once you've sign up for The Club, you click on freewifi-TheClub signal. Then, you call up a brower window where you'll use your email address to log in to their free Wi-Fi. According to my Nook e-reader, their Wi-Fi signal rated as good though I think it's more ok. When I first tested the mall's Wi-Fi, the signal actually dropped out and, I had to disconnect and re-connect to it to get it to work again. I'm definitely not impressed with their free Wi-Fi.
However, there is an alternative. The Mall in Columbia has a Starbucks located in the C section of the mall next to the entrance (close to Sears) on the upper level. Starbucks doesn't require you join anything. All you have to do with them is agree to their terms of use. Like at other Starbucks, ATT provides their Wi-Fi connectivity. Signal strength wise, it was good. Sadly, their signal doesn't carry very far so, you must be in the Starbucks or right next to it to use it.
Between using the mall's Wi-Fi and Starbucks, I found I preferred Starbucks Wi-Fi as it was more reliable and has fewer hassles. Also, I suspect you won't have to deal with as many people using the bandwidth. Happy surfing all!
However, there is an alternative. The Mall in Columbia has a Starbucks located in the C section of the mall next to the entrance (close to Sears) on the upper level. Starbucks doesn't require you join anything. All you have to do with them is agree to their terms of use. Like at other Starbucks, ATT provides their Wi-Fi connectivity. Signal strength wise, it was good. Sadly, their signal doesn't carry very far so, you must be in the Starbucks or right next to it to use it.
Between using the mall's Wi-Fi and Starbucks, I found I preferred Starbucks Wi-Fi as it was more reliable and has fewer hassles. Also, I suspect you won't have to deal with as many people using the bandwidth. Happy surfing all!
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Twining's Rooibos Tea Review
Before I begin on my review, I feel I should mention that I like Twining's tea a lot. I first tried them while I was stationed in England with the United States Air Force. I got to visit at least twice their original store on 216 The Strand, London, England which was opened in 1706 and, I still have the Royal Spode tea cup/mug and saucer I bought from that store. They are a very British tea company and, they make great teas.
Twining's rooibos tea is a fine product in their product line. Their rooibos tea comes from the Cedarberg Mountains in South Africa. Rooibos tea is interesting in that for centuries, South Africans made a bush tea from the plant's leaves (Source: Wikipedia). Dutch settlers in South Africa used the bush tea as an alternative to the expensive black tea which had to come from ships in Europe. Since the 1930's, the tea has taken off. The tea doesn't contain any caffeine and, it's naturally high in antioxidants (Source: Wikipedia).
Twining's rooibos tea is red is like all rooibos teas. I feel it has a brash taste like their English breakfast tea but without the caffeine as I previously noted. Cost wise, Wegmans sells a 20 bag box of the tea for $2.99. You can get the tea for the same price on Twining's U.S. website store but, you'll have to pay shipping.
Overall, I was very pleased with this tea. Thanks for to it not having any caffeine, it's one I can drink in the afternoon without having to worry about it keeping me up. The potential health benefits (see the Wikipedia article) are an added plus. If you like herbal teas, this tea is worth trying out. It's a very good one. Happy drinking all!
Twining's rooibos tea is a fine product in their product line. Their rooibos tea comes from the Cedarberg Mountains in South Africa. Rooibos tea is interesting in that for centuries, South Africans made a bush tea from the plant's leaves (Source: Wikipedia). Dutch settlers in South Africa used the bush tea as an alternative to the expensive black tea which had to come from ships in Europe. Since the 1930's, the tea has taken off. The tea doesn't contain any caffeine and, it's naturally high in antioxidants (Source: Wikipedia).
Twining's rooibos tea is red is like all rooibos teas. I feel it has a brash taste like their English breakfast tea but without the caffeine as I previously noted. Cost wise, Wegmans sells a 20 bag box of the tea for $2.99. You can get the tea for the same price on Twining's U.S. website store but, you'll have to pay shipping.
Overall, I was very pleased with this tea. Thanks for to it not having any caffeine, it's one I can drink in the afternoon without having to worry about it keeping me up. The potential health benefits (see the Wikipedia article) are an added plus. If you like herbal teas, this tea is worth trying out. It's a very good one. Happy drinking all!
Laurel Sam's Club Wi-Fi Review
I don't know if all Sam's Clubs offer free Wi-Fi. I checked their website and, they don't say anything about the service. I do know that their club in Laurel, Maryland offers free Wi-Fi. This past Wednesday, I finally got to test it out using my Nook e-reader. ATT provides their Wi-Fi connectivity. You click on the ATT signal and, it gets you an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Then, you have to call up a webpage that shows the address of the Sam's Club and, you have to check that you agree to their terms for using their free Wi-Fi. Once you do that, it connects you.
I found the signal at this Sam's Club to be excellent. I had no problems surfing the web or posting on my Facebook page. I consider this service a big plus over Costco which definitely doesn't offer free Wi-Fi at their stores. I plan to visit other Sam's Clubs in Maryland to see if they offer free Wi-Fi as well. Stay tuned for more updates on that.
I found the signal at this Sam's Club to be excellent. I had no problems surfing the web or posting on my Facebook page. I consider this service a big plus over Costco which definitely doesn't offer free Wi-Fi at their stores. I plan to visit other Sam's Clubs in Maryland to see if they offer free Wi-Fi as well. Stay tuned for more updates on that.
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