Skip to main content

Amerisleep AS3 Reviews

  My Amerisleep AS3 Unboxing Video (Surprise, my voice is ridiculous!) If I can (just barely) do it, you can totally tackle a bed-in-a-box by yourself. Updated 10/15/22 Amerisleep's AS5 was recently featured as the 'Best Soft Mattress in a Box' by Good Housekeeping , with the panel of reviewers noting: Pressure relief for side sleepers Taller than other boxed mattresses Good customer service    Amerisleep Mattress Reviews  We've been happy Amerisleep customers since purchasing our first AS3 mattress more than 9 years ago. Now we also have an AS2 and an AS4 (the AS3 is still our favorite). Born with chronic insomnia  (even as a baby - my family insists I was a nightmare), the struggle to improve my sleep is my life. My husband, the overly-analytical mechanical engineer, was initially skeptical of a mail-order mattress, but he was quickly won over. 2012: Wine glass test, sans wine. I was fairly confident our brand-new mattress would pass with f

Our Garden in the NM Mountains

We've come a long way from the barren, post-construction wasteland of dirt we had a few years ago. Actually, it was even worse than it sounds. Dirt had to be hauled in and it was full of thorny weeds that spread everywhere.

We've (okay, just my husband and his tractor) worked hard and our yard looks better than it ever has. Sexy Nerd is a landscaping pro! You know, in addition to being a beer brewer, Corvette restorer, woodworker, grill master, mechanical engineer, and installer of tile, wallpaper murals, and little cuts of wood that I insist he glue to our ceiling (photo below). I think I'll keep him around.

Sandia Park, NM

Our Sandia Park, NM garden improves every year. I can't wait to see what everything looks like in 2023! Surprisingly, our plants have only had a minor impact on our water usage. Through supplementation with rain barrels, choosing native and drought-tolerant plants, and by locating plants so that they are out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, our water bill actually has not increased from our pre-garden days.

Speaking of (writing of?) rain barrels, they're not quite as easy to maintain as we'd expected. A few kept developing small leaks and we weren't sure why...until we caught Olive and Bernadette nibbling on them. Unfortunately, dogs aren't the only ones who enjoy our rain barrels - one by our greenhouse keeps getting knocked over by a bear! Yogi wants a sip of water and I'm happy to provide it, but does he have to dump the entire 55 gallons of water down the hill, creating a flooded, muddy mess? He's smarter than the average bear and I'd prefer he simply swipe my pic-a-nic basket.

Come on in and take a virtual tour of our Sandia Park, NM garden:
Crow spitter
These are the only ravens I encourage. Sometimes I have to run outside, arms flailing, because several are circling over Biscuit! She just stands there in the sun, looking up and smiling at them.

New Mexico Blogger
Notice how you can see our backyard from our front yard? This drove our builder nuts. We were trying to stay within our budget but kept insisting on an elaborate floorplan with this impractical foyer as the centerpiece. He kept drawing us pictures of simple, square floorplans that we could afford and we would smile and nod, then stretch his sketch out in wild directions. John at Panorama Homes is a good sport.

Flowering cactus
We found flowering cactus on our property and relocated them to our front yard.

Cactus with yellow flowers
One of Sexy Nerd's nicknames is Cactus Derek. It suits him, as he thinks nothing of scooping up a small claret cup (with his bare hands!) while we're walking our 13 acres and slipping it into his pocket to plant in a more visible spot. He has also had success splitting his favorite cactus into additional plants.

Ketchup & Mustard rose
My favorite plant in our front yard is this Ketchup & Mustard floribunda rose. I enjoy the red and yellow flowers, though I think the thing I like best about it is the funny name.

Sun protection
I'd like to be able to tell you I was dolled up while photographing our yard for this blog post, like in the earlier photo with our yellow front doors. Sometimes though, it's sunny and you can't be bothered to apply sunscreen, so you just cover up with an enormous, fluffy purple scarf in the middle of June and hope your neighbors don't think you're crazy.

I mean, I am crazy, but they don't need to know that.

Porch decor
Here are those little cuts of wood Sexy Nerd glued to our ceiling. I should have moved the plastic watering can out of this shot, but I'm lazy. It's entirely possible I was overheating beneath my fluffy purple scarf.

Ceiling ideas
Here's a better photo of our foyer ceiling. So much for this being a gardening post! I think I'll put that light on a dimmer. Can you still see it when you look away from your screen? I need to add a warning to this blog post: Caution, May Burn Your Retinas.

Also, I just noticed the green dots at the top of the photo and don't know what they are. It seems we have a ghost.

Brick fire pit
Our backyard has the same yellow doors as our front yard. I mentioned previously that our garden is very waterwise, but forgot all about our lush, green lawn. That thing requires a TON of water. Living in the desert, it's shameful, really.

Artificial grass that looks real
Just kidding - it's fake grass.

Dog sisters
In addition to saving water, this is much easier to maintain when you have 3 dogs. Olive and Bernadette approve. (Biscuit disapproves, but she's a grouchy ol' chihuahua who hates everything.)

Sunny Knockout roses
Our "lawn" is lined with Sunny Knockout roses. They started as $6 sticks and have doubled in size each year. We had similar roses in the backyard of our old house and they grew to be 7 feet tall without any care at all. I hope these do the same.

Roses with a strong scent
We also have Cherry Parfait roses, which smell amazing. When choosing plants for our backyard, my requirement was that everything needed to have a strong, pleasant scent. It sounds romantic, stepping onto the back patio and smelling the roses before you even see them, but my motivation was about as unromantic as possible. It was to mask the dog stink. Thankfully, my plan worked.

Cherry Parfait roses
These rose bushes started as twigs 2 years ago and are now approaching the bottom of Sexy Nerd's office window. They're not the only things in our yard that have grown...

Dog then and now
Olive has gone from a purse puppy to a chonker! (Not garden-related, but I'm too proud of a dog mama to exclude her.)

Cute photos
She's in the garden, so this photo counts. Actually, she's a bit of a garden pest. Olive has discovered that Sunny Knockout roses and Cherry Parfait roses are tasty.

Arabesque tile
It's not great for our yard, but it's preferred to her trying to get into our outdoor kitchen. Here she is hoping to lick the inside of the pizza oven.

Let's see...dogs and bears so far. You know what's another garden pest out here in the East Mountains? It's probably not one you'd guess:
Landscaping and pets
Our landscaping has created a paradise for lizards and toads, which keeps these girls entertained. The lizards are too fast for them to catch and they don't bother the toads, which resemble big, jumping balls of mud. Actually, Bernadette sometimes gets excited and gives the toads kisses. I suppose if I was a toad and a dog ran up and licked me, it would bother me.

NM wildlife
Deer also enjoy our yard, despite there being tags on the plants that say 'Deer Resistant.' Deer can't read.

Purple salvia and chipmunks
There's usually a cute bunny, squirrel, or chipmunk to watch as we enjoy our coffee each morning. They're super considerate and only eat the weeds! Well, sometimes they'll finish with a flower for dessert, but they're too adorable to get mad at.
 
We watched a mouse nibbling outside our window once. It was just a teensie thing surrounded by a mass of colorful sedum and it was the cutest sight ever, almost like a cartoon. "What harm can that little mouse cause?" we asked, beaming at his big, pink ears and long, fuzzy tail. He looked so happy. The sedum died shortly after. Despite the plant spreading several feet out, our darling visitor had chewed right through the stem that connected the huge sedum to its roots.
Growing sage in New Mexico
We stuck a dry stick of sage outside our kitchen window. It spread and jumped to 6 feet tall in what seemed like days.
 
Best sunrise photo
Fortunately, the sage doesn't block our view of the sunrise.

How to attract hummingbirds
Our garden attracts many bees and hummingbirds. Sometimes they think our yellow doors are gigantic flowers and end up on the wrong side, like this fellow. Here are some excerpts from his adventure:

"Oh no! A hummingbird has flown into the house and now cannot find his way back outside. He's at the tall, non-opening windows above the kitchen cabinets and is chirping frantically and breaking my heart. How can I help him?"

"I've opened the 4 yellow doors wide and am trying to chase him back outside with a broom, which is difficult because he's way the heck up in the air and the broom isn't long enough to get near him. This is probably for the best because accidentally smacking him with a broom is the opposite of helping. He flies from chandelier to chandelier and when he's finally almost outside, he flies all the way back into the kitchen while I curse at him. We've done this several times."

"While trying to coax this hummingbird back outside, another flew in the house. Luckily it had enough common sense to fly back outside, unlike this stubborn ding dong."

"He couldn't find his way out, but when he was tired he started flying up for a few moments and then back down to rest. I had a box with a towel waiting for him on one of his landings and moved him outside. Olive is the nicest dog in the world - she went up to him on the living room window sill (I'd thought he was still at the high kitchen windows!) and gave him a sniff, then walked away."

Backyard bouquet
Landscaping experts recommend limiting your plant choices to a main color and an accent color and sticking to it. I prefer to buy whatever I think is pretty because I love color - the more, the merrier! They all combine to create a harmonious bouquet.

East Mountains
Our plan is to keep the rest of our property natural. Pinons and junipers are beautiful without help.

Well, maybe not the pollen-spewing junipers. Ah-choo!

Double rainbow

Enjoy this post? Here are more articles about our home in the beautiful New Mexico mountains: kittydeschanel.com/2019/07/decorating-ideas-blog.html

Popular posts from this blog

Cake Mix Pancakes

This reader-favorite recipe is *almost* as popular as my Cake Mix Cookie Bars recipe .  When making Cake Mix pancakes , the scrumptious possibilities are endless. Red Velvet cake mix pancakes. Chocolate cake mix pancakes. Butter Pecan cake mix pancakes. Funfetti cake mix pancakes. (Yes, Funfetti cake mix pancakes!) With this 2-ingredient recipe, you can turn your favorite cake mix into your favorite pancakes. Pancake making at its finest. Cake Mix Pancakes Personally, I think my funny napkin is the icing on the (pan)cake. It's Sunday morning and you're planning to do all the things today - scrub those grody baseboards, polish your quartz countertop that was supposed to be low maintenance but actually isn't at all, sort through the disaster that is the freezer.  While on your superhuman kick, you think I'm going to make my family pancakes for breakfast. Not just any pancakes - the best pancakes ever. I may even serve them as breakfast in bed! You pu

10 Canned Cinnamon Roll Hacks

You're in for a treat. Today I'm sharing my best canned cinnamon roll hacks and improvements for turning store-bought cinnamon rolls, like the Pillsbury Grands ones or even the store brand, into something special.  Dry cinnamon rolls? No thank you. They need to be OOEY and GOOEY. That's just Cinnamon Roll 101. All of these ideas keep Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls soft, company-worthy, and delicious. These are also great for taking homemade cinnamon rolls up a notch, but what a pain that is. With these better-than-homemade canned cinnamon roll hacks, you'll never bother to bake them from scratch again. Test out some of these ideas tomorrow. Won't it be nice to dig into a mouthwatering cinnamon roll for breakfast? You can't get a better start to your day than that. Canned Cinnamon Roll Hacks Actually, make that 11 easy ways to improve store-bought cinnamon rolls: you can top them with homemade coffee whipped cream . Yum! Nope, make that 12 canned cinnam

Chemical Peel Before & After

This article has been updated! My new chemical peel post, which includes pricing, Jessner peel before and after photos, product recommendations, and a helpful timeline for scheduling your treatments, is at the bottom. My original Jessner peel post (one of the most popular on my site of all time) is at the beginning. Original Chemical Peel Article Considering a chemical peel? I recently underwent my first Jessner peel and thought I'd share my results, post a Jessner peel review, and answer some frequently asked chemical peel questions. (I'm guessing that "Does a chemical peel hurt?" is a biggie!) I'd been planning to order an over-the-counter peel when we were in Iceland , but my computer led me a different direction. I decided to do this on a whim after Groupon greeted me one morning with a great $40 chemical peel deal. Now, I can read your mind. You just gasped in horror and thought  You trusted your face to a  discount  chemical peel?!  You're wondering w

Sharing Funny Memes

Funny Memes Post 2 of 3:  kittydeschanel.com/2021/05/funny-dog-memes.html Funny Memes Post 3 of 3:  https://www.kittydeschanel.com/2021/12/christmas-memes.html You know those people who have nothing better to do than browse through memes for hours at a time, many of which are in poor taste? Yeah, I'm one of them. Oh, except I actually do have so much to do and absolutely should not be scrolling through memes. Just try and stop me. Covering everything from working to cake, here are my Top  Funny Memes from the last week: More Funny Memes to Make You Smile: The last one was created by yours truly. Kitty Deschanel - now a source for funny dog memes AND original memes! Funny Memes Post 2 of 3:  kittydeschanel.com/2021/05/funny-dog-memes.html Funny Memes Post 3 of 3:  kittydeschanel.com/2021/12/christmas-memes.html

Hello Fresh Complaints

Hello, my bloggy friends. I have a HelloFresh complaint and believe they are pulling a scam. Yours truly came *this close* to falling for it.  Maybe scam is too harsh of a word. Sneaky? You can decide for yourself. The fact that there are so many Hello Fresh complaints online does seem suspicious. Update:  Google is totally filling my site with Hello Fresh ads now, ugh. Also, since posting this  Hello Fresh complaints  article yesterday, I've already received this message from a reader: "I did order from Hello Fresh previously and was not charged what I was originally told (or thought I was told). Also, the food from them was anything but fresh and they refused to do a refund, only doing credit - even for the overcharges! So basically I ended up being out of money thanks to them." My main complaint about Hello Fresh has to do with their promotional rate, which seems like it is set up to be intentionally misleading (more on this below). Despite so many people complainin

Window Seat Idea - Dream Home Inspiration of the Day

See it? Waaay at the back of the photo?  I like how the window seat extends past the window all the way to the wall. How about you? If that's not your style, how about one of these lovely window seats? I'll seat you, my pretty, and your little dog too. How perfect would this be in a home office? I'd swap out that wimpy rug with a larger one.

Christmas Memes and More

Inspired by the popularity of my other memes posts, Funny Memes and Dog Memes , I have a new collection of memes for you to enjoy. I waste my life on the internet so you don't have to. Bookmark this post because I'll be adding to it as I find new memes for Xmas. Christmas Memes and More Fair warning that some of these are in poor taste. Isn't that usually the funniest meme?

My Instant Pot Explosion!

Like many new Instant Pot owners, I've wondered, How many Instant Pots have exploded?  (Eeek!) I'm happy to report that my research on Snopes and other sites has shown that these do not explode, at least not when used properly. There is a lawsuit between a woman in Texas and the Instant Pot manufacturer, but she admits she had thrown a towel over the steam vent. Do NOT do this.  Still concerned? Consider that on Prime Day of 2018, Amazon sold more than 300,000 Instant Pots. That's more than a quarter of a million sales in only 1 day! If these things were not safe, you would see news stories every day about someone being injured. Still, things can go wrong. We love our Instant Pot, the digital pressure cooker that seems to suddenly be in every home. You can't mess up - just throw in random ingredients and you'll get something yummy every time. It's foolproof. At least, that's how I used to feel about our Instant Pot, until the explosion... Inst