In Full Swing Thrift (Was Full Circle Thrift)

In Full Swing used to be Full Circle Thrift and was located in New Britain. I reviewed Full Circle many years ago, and since then, it's been through many changes, most of them bad and finally, this new move and new store name is just the worst.
The new location has horrible parking.
I went in on a Thursday, which is normally "Ladies Day - 50% off" - only to be told they did away with Ladies Day Thursday. Again. They had tried that years before, lost many customers, and so they brought it back (and brought back the customers).
The new store has a typical thrift store smell (lacking at old location - maybe because it HAD been next to a pizza store!) but...this is the worst...I was shopping with my daughter and she almost stepped on a huge cockroach! We left immediately.
I'm super sad that this shop suffers from "what the boss thinks best" and refuses to listen to what the customers (and employees!) think is best. It's especially sad because donations go to help a womans abuse organization and now, the donations will suffer because of a lack of management.
Recommendation: Bug Exterminator! Pronto!!! Bring back the pricing charts (all sweaters 8.00, all blouses 6.00, etc). Bring back the daily specials. Too bad you can't move again because I'd also say find a better location that has better parking.
I'm happy I stocked up on clothes prior to the move - I get so many compliments and was always eager to send customers their way - very bummed I can no longer do that.
Life is short - enjoy what you have today for it may suffer from management who knows better than their customers!

Erotic Chocolate Lave Cake - Carmel Kitchen Warrington

Erotic Lava Cake at Carmel 

Carmel Kitchen - 1613 N Main St, Warrington, PA 18976

Phone:(215) 279-9607

Love this place. Great Angus burger. Love the bun. It's a giant flat roll that is crispy yet also soft. The fries are great. Zesty and crisp. The chickpea fries...eh. I loved the sauces, but, even though the fries had a zing (in the after taste), I wish it had been REALLY fried. John had lobster bisque which he said was great. Also, LOVED the custom cocktails. Honey (in Doylestown) always has really cool cocktails which I've never found elsewhere...until now. Do NOT LEAVE without ordering the molten chocolate lava cake. It. Is. Erotic. We also had the creme brulee which was really good and the portion was larger than most places serve. We sat at the bar, Andy was our bartender and she was attentive without being annoying. I LOVE the "ipad" like menu where you can read about the food AND THEN ORDER and it also shows how much your bill is going to be. I think that's ingenious.  Great decor. The only thing I didn't like was the music playing. Cheesy 90's music.
Great addition to the area!

Dr. Rachel Notte

This is for Dr. Rachel Notte -
She is awesome. She LISTENS. Her office is clean and exam rooms are clean and cozy. Her staff is AWESOME. It's rare to find a front office staff and a nursing staff, and a doctor, who are all caring and sweet and patient. Dr. Notte is thorough. One doctor once mentioned that her husband (Dr. Chris Notte) had fairy dust in his hair, and I think it's possible that Dr. Rachel Notte also has been sprinkled by fairy dust! I'm grateful there are doctors like Dr. Notte and wish there were more of them!

Bi County Medical Associates: Notte Rachel K DO
225 Newtown Rd Warminster, PA 18974
(215) 441-6650

Dr. Dinesen - Ob/Gyn

Dr. Jennifer White from the Doylestown ER advised me to see Dr. Dinesen (she highly recommended and trusted him) about a cyst I had on my ovary that had set up camp and was refusing to leave.
Great things: He got me in immediately (I had to wait over a month for Ianieri). The waiting room was nice. What I LOVED: the exam room was clean and nice. Dr. Dinesen came in and talked to me while I was still dressed. I told him that I felt I really did have a cyst on my left ovary but it didn't show up on an ultrasound (but it did show up on CAT scan) and he said "Ultrasounds do lie. They lie often." He answered all my questions and when I brought up I might just as well get all my lady parts out since that ovary gave me nothing but trouble and those parts weren't functioning anyway, and my mom had uterine/ovarian cancer,  he agreed and asked that I get cardiac clearance first since I'd had a problem under surgery before. He gave me a NICE pink cloth gown to put on after I got undressed so he could examine me. I was impressed, most ob/gyn give you these horrible paper gowns and are about as comfortable as wearing sand paper.
I liked him a-lot, he was no nonsense yet friendly, and took time to make his patients feel comfortable. Now, the only thing that made me hesitant, was the fact that he was sort of bragging how busy his practice is and how he pays his front office more than what other doctors usually pay - how he spends more (on the gowns/sheets) to make patients feel comfortable. I've been in sales, I've studied marketing and business - so those were things I'd noticed immediately. I felt like he was trying to  sell me on his practice - which made me start to question why he felt he had to sell me on it. I believe people should be proud of their accomplishments, and perhaps that was all Dinesen was doing - but it came off just a wee bit like bragging.
I had been told by one ob/gyn to keep my lady parts in, Dr. D said "take 'em out" and so I decided to see a third doctor, who I went with simply because I was a bit exhausted by making the rounds of doctors by that time (and my sister in law used her and loved her) HOWEVER,  looking back now, even though I'd ultimately choose Dr. Ianieri, I would have chosen Dr. Dinesen. Looking back, I think what I perceived as "boasting" was simply pride. And if Dr. D cares enough to provide nice gowns, a beautiful office, and nice staff - I'm sure he very much cares about the experience and care of his patients.

Sundae World - Lansdale

Sundae World is a sister store to the Sundae School in Hilltown.  I always seem to get lost trying to find my way to Sundae School (women drivers!) so this new location is AWESOME for me (not for my hips though!) because it's closer and super easy to find.
They have CMP's here (as far as I can tell, it's same menu as Sundae School) which is old school up North (think Jim Thorpe area) favorite sundae (chocolate ice cream, marshmallow, peanuts). They have such a super large selection (over 60 flavors I think - it seems to change but it's always amazing). My favorite so far is the Key Lime Pie and Southern Pecan pie. My daughter loves the Dirt Sundae. One suggestion...only some sundaes come in "small" sizes. Perhaps they all do, and you simply have to ask (I will on future visit!) - but it would be great for people like me who love ice cream but try to eat healthy to have small size choices.
Parking is great - of course it doesn't have the unique character that the Sundae School has - but the employees are super friendly and it's super clean and it's just as fantastically delicious! And on Sundays - dogs get free ice cream!

Sundae World -1801 N Broad St
Lansdale, PA 19446
215) 872-8047

website: http://sundaeworld.com/

Doylestown Gynecology (Ultrasounds Lie!!)

Having been plagued by a cyst on my left ovary (even though I only get my period twice a year) - on the advice of my GI guy, went to this group. The office staff was great. Waiting room was clean and cozy.  Great parking. the first practitioner I saw was Shannon Frederick (PAC). Horrible bedside manner. Totally talked down to me. I'd had an ultrasound that said my ovaries were clear but the pain I was having totally felt like prior times I'd had ovarian cysts. And now my mom had uterine/ovarian cancer so I wasn't going to take any cysts lightly. Though I was having considerable pain, bloating, etc, Frederick snapped, "Ultrasounds DON'T LIE!" Okay. I ended up in the ER 8 days later with sever pain in my lower left side and Dr. Jennifer White did a CAT scan and guess what showed up? The cyst that I'd had back in September. Same size, same shape, same place. Could it have grown that fast since the ultrasound "missed" it 8 days before? Dr. White recommended I try her OB/GYN and he assured me "ultrasounds DO lie and they can lie quite often." I was so relieved (to know I wasn't crazy as Frederick had made me feel). I got a call from Doylestown Gynecology asking me why I was having my records transferred to the new OB/GYN and I explained how curt and cold Fredreick had been and they said, "Give us another chance."
So, I was quite touched that they actually wanted to win my business back and so I went to see Dr. Gerstein. She was extremely nice. Really took time to talk to me...but, honestly, she didn't seem to take my symptoms seriously and tried to talk me out of hysterectomy (which I was considering and which Dr. Dinesen had agreed given my family history and my current problems and ongoing cyst, it might be a good thing). So I decided to get a third opinion and in between that time of waiting to see the new doctor - the cyst is now complex and hemorrhagic. So, I can't recommend this practice who kept assuring me there was nothing to worry about and didn't take my concerns at all seriously (and also tried to point out Dr. Dinesen delivers babies and they do NOT, implying that my best bet is their practice because he is so busy). Also, people, remember you are your own best advocate and know your body best!

East Coast Comfort - Heating and Air Conditioning

John and I interviewed 3 companies to install a new water heater. The first two were Silas and Horizon. Their prices were thousands higher than East Coast and after a trip to Philly - I realized why. On the train, there was an advertisement for Silas. And the very next day, a plane flew overheard with a banner for Horizon. Both Horizon and Silas sent out sales reps who drove really nice company vehicles and spent almost an hour giving us a typical sales speech. East Coast Comfort doesn't have sales reps. They send out employees who actually do installations so they know what they are talking about. There is no shiny colorful truck - just a work truck. We ended up going with East Coast Comfort not only because they came in at the lowest (and I mean thousands lower and even put in the same equipment that both corporate companies quoted us) but because it's a small company that doesn't have bells and whistles - they have knowledge, experience, and instead of spending money on advertisements, they rely on word of mouth (a friend recommended which is how we came to call them in the first place). On installation day (new heater) - they discovered a pipe which had been broken which our previous "contracted" oil/heating company never noticed and this was after years of "yearly" inspections.  Tony and the other employees were professional yet friendly and I so admire their work ethic and their integrity. On a side note, I offered them something to drink and though they refused, Tony said people rarely ask them that anymore. I was amazed and saddened: don't people have manners any longer? In a country that is screaming about treating people "equally" and "fairly" - it's just absurd that homeowners don't even think to offer contractors a can of soda or glass of ice tea. Yes, you are paying them, but it doesn't mean you're "above" them. Growing up (in the mid-west) anyone who came into our house was treated like a guest. Maybe it's just a mid-west thing, I don't know, but come on people - contractors may be "blue collar" but man, that is an AWESOME thing to be; you called them because they know more than you and are willing to learn something you weren't. At least offer them something to drink!!
End Rant.
Okay. And with that, I highly highly recommend and when you read the reviews for the 'corporate' companies - don't forget that not only do they pay for ads on trains and planes - but they also pay people to write positive reviews for their company and negative reviews for other companies.

East Coast Comfort website 

(215) 364-5015    (866) 830-1915

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The Happy Mixer Bakery - Chalfont

Happy Mixer Peanut Butter Delight

As fabulous as Wegman’s bakery is (the cutest decorated cupcakes & sugar cookies you’ve ever seen at the Montgomeryville Store!) – they do not make gluten free cakes.

However. There is a relatively new bakery in Chalfont that does. It's called the Happy Mixer.   I'm in loveee and I don't care who knows it (movie quote)! 

I don’t need to eat Gluten free. But I’m always up for sweets. So yesterday, I popped in (because it’s right next to the Wine and Spirit’s Store, HELLO!!)

It’s a very small bakery. But good things come in small packages (seriously, don’t believe the hype about the bigger the better!). I tried the peanut butter delight. OMG. It tastes just like a Tastykake Candycake. It was sooo good, I told the cashier in the wine store about it (he knew and agreed).

I also tried the crème filled cake donut. OMG. It tasted just like a powered donut with rich cream filling. So good! The kiffles (strawberry, raspberry, apricot) were just ok for me. I do like the kiffles at Wegman’s a bit better.

Now, remember, I am not ‘gluten’ free – but for me, the doughnut and peanut butter delights were superior or just as good as ANY I’ve had.

I’m excited to go back and try everything else!

Don’t let the “Gluten Free” stop you from considering a visit to this “sweet” bakery!

Love it!!! 

ps- I have no idea if sugar is quicker than liquor. It rhymed and we all know I love a good rhyme. Because I'm super fine. 

The Happy Mixer - Gluten Free Bakery

New Britain Village Square

4275 County Line Road, Chalfont, Pa 18914

phone 267-663-7209