9. February 2009 by Tara.

You might not think of desk calendars when you think of going green, but green desk calendars do exist, and I was asked to review one of them found here:

 http://www.greenofficestore.com/details.asp?id=AAGSK117000

What makes this product green? Well, the website states that it is made from recycled materials, 30% post-consumer waste and 30% pre- and post-consumer waste.

This is not any more special than a desk calendar you’d purchase at your local office supply store, but the fact that it’s green and is priced very reasonably makes me lean toward using this product over a similar choice that might not be made from recycled material. The description is accurate…it is a nice-sized calendar for your desk.

I would have preferred to have the weekend days set apart somehow so I wouldn’t think Saturday was Friday. I ended up using a highlighter and making marks on Sat and Sun so I’d keep the weekdays separate. I do appreciate the “look ahead” lines on the right so you can fill in activities for the upcoming month. The boxes are large enough to write several activities in per day and there are lined boxes underneath the current month for notes.

The papers for each month are not bound at the top–they are looseleaf–so no extra glue or cardboard was used there. When I first opened the box, one of the vinyl corners fell off from lack of glue, so I had to reattach that myself.

Another big plus in my book is that the calendar was made in the USA! There aren’t many items that can proudly display that fact anymore, so it’s nice to see in this case.

I am not compensated for my reviews, nor is the link I provide an affiliate link, so I do not receive any monetary compensation for the sale of any products. I am given the product free of charge in exchange for my use and review posted on my blog. Green Office Store is a great company so I’m happy to provide this service for them.

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12. September 2008 by Tara.

Last month I received a sample “green” product from www.GreenOfficeStore.com and promised to review it, which I am glad to do since this was a quality product that I would consider purchasing myself.

Here’s what I reviewed:

http://www.greenofficestore.com/details.asp?id=STOG2430W70

These are biodegradable, 13-gallon EcoDegradable kitchen trash bags made by Stout, the same color and size that I usually purchase from my local grocery store. I get the store’s generic brand because I don’t believe the fancy trash bags are all they’re cracked up to be and I hate the thought of literally throwing my money away!

I would have to say, after testing all four of the bags I received, that the bullet points on their web page are all true. They performed as well as any other garbage bags, they were the same as (or maybe better than) any other standard white kitchen bag, nothing leaked or punctured through, and they seemed to be sturdy enough to hold up to my moderate load of kitchen waste, post-recycling.

As for the price, it’s very reasonable considering that using these bags will be helping the environment if your trash goes to a landfill. They claim to be bags that will biodegrade in approximately 36 months depending on the available oxygen and microbial activity present. They are made of totally recycled content, 100% recycled resins (30% post-consumer).

All in all, I was quite pleased with this product and for anyone who is endeavoring to live a green lifestyle, this would be a very wise purchase.

I am not compensated for my reviews, nor is the link I provide an affiliate link, so I do not receive any monetary compensation for the sale of any products. I am given the product free of charge in exchange for my use and review posted on my blog. Green Office Store is a great company so I’m happy to provide this service for them.

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6. February 2008 by Tara.

Penzey’s Spices
2901 28th St. SE 
(616) 954-7077

www.penzeys.com

Tara:  Beep, beep, beep-beep, beep, beep, beep.
Penzey’s:  Penzey’s Spices, how may I help you?
Tara:  How late are you open tonight?
Penzey’s:  Until 5:30.
Tara:  Oh no! It’s 5:20! Waaaahhhhh! I can’t make it on time!
Penzey’s:  Are you having a spice emergency?
Tara:  Yes, I am!
Penzey’s:  Do you have a checking account?
Tara:  Yes.
Penzey’s:  Okay; what do you need? I will leave your spices in our mailbox. When you come to pick them up, just leave your check in their place in the mailbox.
Tara:  Really? You would do that for me? That’s great!!
Penzey’s:  It’s no trouble. What can I get for you?
Tara:  I need a small jar of ground cloves and a bag of whole Madagascar cloves.
Penzey’s:  Okay, they’ll be ready for you!
Tara:  Thank you so much! I really appreciate this. I’ll be there as soon as I can tonight.

Yes, this is a true story. Although not word for word, this is essentially how the conversation went down that fateful Friday evening. I was having friends over the next day to make orange-clove pomanders and needed more cloves! (Don’t mock me…it was a real spice emergency!!)

I can’t guarantee that the friendly folks at Penzey’s would do this for everyone, but I was amazed and so happy that they did it for me. The lady at Penzey’s didn’t ask for my name or for collateral…I could easily have taken the spices and run! But I would never do that, being an honest person, and was so impressed that in this day and age, where trust is at a minimum, someone would put her blind trust in me as a customer.

I was thrilled with Penzey’s before, since they carry just about every spice known to man, and then some, at very reasonable prices, but after that experience, that lady who answered their phone has earned Penzey’s a customer for life.

If you’re in Grand Rapids, visit Penzey’s at the above address. Anywhere else, visit their website to see if there’s a location near you…or you can order from their website or mail-order catalog. If you come and visit me, I’ll take you there myself so you can see for yourself how amazing this place is, and how great their customer service can be.

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19. October 2007 by Tara.

Pop’s Restaurant
1339 Walker Village Dr NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49544
 

I remember when I was a kid, my parents would sometimes take us out for breakfast at what they called the “greasy spoon,” which was a little family-owned restaurant within walking distance of our house. Since then, that has been our term for the type of place where you can usually get breakfast all day, the meals are greasy and wonderful, and the atmosphere is laid back. The waitresses have worked there forever and love it for some reason, and they always recognize you when you come in.

We’ve got a great greasy spoon here in town called Pop’s, which is in an older strip mall by where they closed down a thriving D&W store and haven’t put anything back in there yet. So I think Pop’s might be hurting for business since last week, they had a coupon in our mailer for 20% off the total check. Of course, Jeff and I went in since we usually end up going there once every couple months anyway, and they serve breakfast all day, which is what Jeff wanted. It was dinner time and I needed something salty and greasy!

Jeff got their signature Jumbo Breakfast with 3 eggs instead of 2, scrambled, with bacon, toast and American fries with onions. It’s a heart attack on a plate, but so good! I ordered the 8 ounce boneless chicken breast dinner, and had my chicken batter fried. My 2 sides were a house salad and mashed potatoes with gravy. Another heaping plate full of comfort food in all its greasy goodness.

They offer a wide variety of meals, from breakfast including steak & eggs, lighter lunch foods like sandwiches (a great rueben), along with Mexican dishes like a fantastic wet burrito, and comforting dinners like meatloaf and fried chicken. To end your dinner, as if you could eat any more after their generous portions, they always have pie or cake and other yummy desserts to go with your after-dinner coffee. Check the board by the door when you come in or the ones up by the kitchen for daily and weekly specials.

My next visit is going to include their new appetizer sampler–fried mushrooms, chicken strips, fried green beans and more! I usually have the sweet potato fries with my dinner, but this last time the mashed potatoes sounded better, and they did not disappoint!

The only downside is that they still have a smoking section along the south wall, with no barrier in between them and the non-smokers, so we usually leave there smelling like smoke, but if you end up going when they’re not so busy, there’s a good chance there won’t be any smoking patrons there, so it’s not as bad.

My friend had moved from Michigan to Tennessee and missed the variety of restaurants we have here in Grand Rapids, so I took her to Pop’s when she visited, since she had never been there before. She ordered the mini meat and bean wet burrito and couldn’t get over how great it was. So next time you’re in town, Pop’s is a great place to check out for some local flavor. If you come and visit me, I’ll take you there myself! My treat.

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