Friday, October 29, 2021

Lea's Favorites




Every so often I like to share some of my favorites with you.  I always enjoy knowing about other folks favorite items, as they just might become one of my favorites too.  So, here's a few of mine, in no particular order.





Oh, my goodness! I LOVE the sweet and salty combination of these.  And, just one of these generally gives me the satisfaction I want and a bag will last me a while.  Now, don't get me wrong, I truly could eat the entire bag as they aren't that big.  But, I exercise self control. ~chuckle~  Sometimes I have a hard time finding these.  I recently found this really big bag at Sam's and grabbed it like it was gold.  Every so often I find the small bags at Wal-Mart but not often. If you can't find it at your local grocery store, you can order it here.


I have recently started using this gel eyeliner by Bobbi Brown.  I've used pencil eyeliner for years and years but I really like this gel.  I use an angled eyeliner brush to apply it and it glides on very smoothly.  And, it seems that the "tails" on eyeliner are making a comeback and while I'm sure not going to wear thick ones, I'm sort of enjoying a "thin tail."  Many moons ago I was an expert at thick eyeliner with thick tails. ~big smile~  This color is called Dipdown - a black brown and can be ordered here.
These a new favorite of mine.  I do not own a pet but these pet Swiffer cloths that fit on the Swiffer mop are the BEST.  I've been using a regular dust mop under our beds, in the corners and behind furniture, etc.  But, these are sooooo much easier to use and they grab dust and lint so well.  I just saw them one day while I was looking for Swiffer Duster refills and decided to give them a try.  I've always just used the regular Swiffer dry pads on my mop but these are a notch above for sure.  There are just places that these are better than a vacuum. ~in my opinion~ I get mine at Wal-Mart or you can order them from Wal-Mart here.




These are the Taj Mahal of lounging pajamas! They are  Cool Nights by Soma.  I do not sleep in pajamas and never have, can't stand anything on my legs.  I prefer a sleep shirt.  Anyway, these are my "go to" after dinner when we're doing nothing but staying home.  Fabulous fabric, washes beautifully and you can order them here.






I make labels pretty much everyday of my life.  I ran across this little jewel a few weeks ago and just had to have one.  It's the Niimbot Label Maker.  It is a thermal, not ink, label printer.  You bluetooth it to your smart phone and operate it totally from your phone.  It took me longer than a few seconds to figure it out but it really isn't difficult at all.  I did go to You Tube and watch an instructional video on how it works and that served me much better than the directions that came with it.  I have already made a whole bunch of labels with it and it comes in the coolest colors. You can order here.


That's all for now, so go and have yourself a wonderful Halloween weekend!







Wednesday, October 27, 2021

A Halloween Hodgepodge




Joyce has given us a fun Halloween Hodgepodge today................

1. Is Halloween a big deal in your neighborhood? Was it something you celebrated as a child? With your own children? Do you like candy corn? 

Our porch 

Well, there are only 10 homes here on "the hill."  And,  there are only a couple with trick or treating age children.  So, while we do hand out candy, we are "off the beaten path" and just do not have many trick or treaters.  So, don't guess it's really that big of deal.

I have very vague memories of Halloween as a child.  I'm quite sure I went trick or treating but perhaps it just wasn't that big of deal "way back when."  I sure don't have any memories of costumes.

We did have a good time at Halloween with our kiddos.  They always had costumes and we had such a great neighborhood that handed out great goodies.  It was always a fun, fun time.
Bridget as the cutest clown ever when she was about 4 years old.

As to candy corn............I.CANNOT.stand.it!!!! I've never liked it.

2. Are you a scaredy cat? About what? 


When it comes to lizards and frogs, I can scream like someone is after me.  No joke!  I cannot stand them and they love our porches so I seem to have issues with them quite frequently. And, the few times that one has gotten inside our house.  Well, let's just say that I can "raise the roof" until they are gotten rid of.

3. Last time you were somewhere that should have been busy but felt like a 'ghost town'? 

The first place I thought of was my nail salon.  I was there yesterday and over the years it has generally been so busy that you couldn't stir the ladies with a stick.  But, the past couple of months, not so much.  There was only one other lady there with me yesterday.  I have a feeling it's a sign of the economic times and that the government stimulus has ended. In case you are interested, I went with a coppery orange color for my nails. ~smile~ 

4. Do you like chili and if so how do you like it? Beans or no beans? Meat or no meat? Beef or chicken? Spice or no spice? Favorite toppings? 


I love chili!  And, we eat it a lot in the fall and winter months.  If I'm eating it on a hot dog, then no beans, but otherwise, I want beans.  I've never heard of "no meat" chili, mine is always very meaty with either chicken or beef.  We like both and fairly spicey.  I love shredded cheddar on top of mine. 

5. Would you describe yourself as a night owl? What time of night qualifies? What are you doing while everyone else is asleep? Do you then 'sleep in'? Define 'sleeping in'. 


Oh, I'm definitely NOT a night owl! I'm pretty much asleep shortly after 10:00PM every night, but I am up around 5:15AM every morning.  I have always enjoyed the early morning hours far more than the late night hours.  Ever so often on a Saturday I will sleep in until 7:00 but I'm so conditioned to getting up early that it's a stretch for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 


My Christmas shopping is well under way.  Compared to many, my shopping isn't huge anyway, but I have way more than half done and what I have bought is wrapped.  I like to wrap as I buy because I dislike wrapping so much and I do much better when I don't let it pile up and have so many packages to wrap at one time.  I feel a bit bad saying this, but most all of my Christmas shopping is done on the internet.  Our daughter and DIL just send me the links to what the kids want, I click on it and BAM! it's done.  

And, until next time,  I hope we can rest in this.............


Wednesday, October 20, 2021

The Wednesday Hodgepodge






This is Joyce's 438th Hodgepodge and if I have multiplied correctly, that means she has come up with 2628 questions for us to answer since she started the HP (and I can't remember the year she started it).  Hats off to Joyce!

1. Do you (or did you used to) watch talk shows? Which are or were your favorite? 

I have wracked my brain trying to remember if I have ever watched a talk show and unless, The Faulkner Focus and Outnumbered count as talk shows, then I have not and still do not watch talk shows.  Daytime TV is not really my gig.  I generally prefer some kind of good music playing over the noise of a TV.

2. Would you describe yourself as resilient? If so what do you think makes you that way? If you answered no explain why? 

I would describe myself as resilient.  Until I married, I moved many times. I attended 7 different schools from 1st thru 12th grade.  That always meant adjustments, making new friends and the whole deal.  I always handled it well and never missed a beat. I call that being resilient.

As an adult I have faced some difficult situations.........We found out our son was a Juvenile Diabetic when he was 7 years old.  I knew I had no choice but to make the very best of it and to teach him to do the same.  We are sooooo thankful for all the strides that have been made in the treatment of diabetes these past 38 years.

And, of course, I consider myself a "certified" overseer of care for the elderly.  I have been overseeing the care of a family member for the past 30 years, both of my paternal Grandparents, my mother in law and now my Daddy.  Resilience, as far as I'm concerned, is a MUST to survive overseeing the care of someone.

3. What parts of life have surprised you the most? Explain. 

Hummm......lots of life has surprised me. ~chuckle~ I guess I'll pick one and go with it. Aging has surprised me.  I have a very hard time believing that I am now 69 years old, will be 70 next summer.  I well remember being in my 30's and thinking anyone my age was "elderly."  It seems that I got here in the "blink of an eye."  I am so thankful for my good health, and rarely an ache or pain.  I do NOT take that for granted and realize it could change in a few minutes or days.  I look at my days so differently as I have certainly lived the majority of my life. It's more important than ever that I make every day count and be a difference maker.  The surprise has been how quickly these 69 years have passed.  Wheeeeeee!!!!!!

4. Why do you live where you live? 

Two simple words - my husband.  He started an insurance agency 47 years ago and came back to his hometown to do so.  He was starting a scratch agency with State Farm and it only made sense to do that where he had grown up his entire life and was well known.  The rest is history, it's been a fantastic ride with some of the dearest folks on the earth.

5. A memory from this week that made you smile? 


We were in Oklahoma last week with Bridget and family and Clancy had just had his 13th birthday.  I've spent so much time thinking about these past 13 years and how quickly they have flown by.  Above, he is about 5 days old and I'm a brand new CiCi without a clue of how much love my heart could hold for him and the other Grans to come. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am doing the Bible study, Elijah by Priscilla Shirer with a group of women at our church. I've been in church ALL of my 69 years and my Daddy is a retired minister.  But, I have gleaned sooooo much from this study and my eyes have been opened to so many truths that I desperately needed reminding of for sure.  Oh, that I will one day have the FAITH and FIRE of Elijah!  If you or a group you are a part of are looking for a Bible study then I highly recommend this one.  I'm a big fan of Priscilla's and she definitely hit a "homerun" with this study. 


I'm going to keep telling myself this over and over................



Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Prime Purchases



And, here it is October and time for more Prime Purchases.  I use the word "prime" loosely because, in recent months, the shipping of most Amazon items has not been very fast.  I had really gotten spoiled to prime delivery and now it's often a week before items are delivered.  I'm wondering how long it might take if I were not a prime member.  There might be no difference in any member and I probably need to check on that before it comes time for me to pay my annual "prime" membership fee.  

But, enough of that and on to my recent purchases.  And, while you are reading, remember Christmas is less than 3 months away.  I have started a little Christmas shopping myself.


BAGGALLINI  TOTE


I have been a huge fan of Baggallini bags for several years.  This particular one is called a "tote" but I use it as a purse.  I like to carry a whole lot of stuff with me and I want plenty of room to get it all in a bag and have room left over.  The wonderful thing about these bags is that they are made of tough nylon and are sooooo lightweight. And, they have awesome outside and inside pockets.  They have a place for any and everything you can imagine.  I definitely like leather purses but I do not like their weight.  Baggallini will always win out over leather.  I have this particular bag in 4 different colors.  It has the optional shoulder strap but I prefer the shorter arm straps.

AMAZON


CHEESE  BOARD  AND  SPREADER


These are the nicest cheese boards and a nice size.  I plan to use a few of these to put some of my fudge on and give as Christmas gifts this year.  I love to put my fudge on something that the recepient can use once the fudge is gone.  These would make a lovely gift by themselves.  And, we all know that cheese boards are very popular anyway.  The monogram adds a nice extra touch.

AMAZON


NORDIC  WARE  HARVEST BOUNTY LOAF  PAN



I enjoy baking Pumpkin Bread and Harvest Bread in the fall of the year.  And, to have a pretty decorative loaf pan to bake it in makes it all the better.  The secret to using the decorative baking pans is to make sure you spray them, every nook and cranny, with Baker's Secret, to keep the bread or cake from sticking.  Most of my bread recipes make two loaves and I only ordered one of these because they aren't cheap and I will only use them a brief portion of the year.  So, I make one loaf in this one and one loaf in a regular loaf pan.  

AMAZON


MICROWAVE  SPLATTER  COVER


Okay folks, if you DO NOT have this item, you need it!!!!  We were at some friends house a few weeks ago and I went to use their microwave to warm up my cup of coffee.  When I opened her microwave I saw this "gadget" hanging from the top of the inside of her microwave.  My curiosity got the best of me.  I had to ask what it was.  I actually thought it was a part of their microwave ~no joke~.  But, it's actually a splatter cover that magnitizes to the top of a microwave.  Talk about convenient!  I had ordered it before we backed out of their driveway.  I'm thinking that both of our children will likely get one of these for Christmas.  It's only $11.99!

AMAZON


WOOD  CARVING  TOOLS  KIT


I wasn't going to include this but decided that someone might need to know about it.  Our oldest Grandson has taken a real interest in wood working and expressed interested in learning to carve.  He had a birthday just a few days ago and we gave him this carving set with a pair of cut resistant gloves.

AMAZON


GOD'S  PURPOSE  FOR  YOUR  LIFE


If you are looking for a new devotional book, you might like this one.  Charles Stanley has always been a favorite of mine and this devotional book gives great encouragement to the start of my day. 

AMAZON


TOE  NAIL  CLIPPERS



I do not cut my own toenails but my Hubby does and he thinks these are quite dandy  They allow you to cut your toenails with your hand to the side of your foot instead of at the top of your foot. (did you follow that?)  Anyway, they are very good quality, heavy duty and work great.  Again, these might be a great Christmas gift for someone you know. 

AMAZON


ELECTRIC  EGG  BOILER


I do believe I have featured this in a previous Prime post but it deserves being mentioned again.  I just ordered my 3rd one of these.  Hubby eats 2 boiled eggs almost every morning and this little gadget boils them to perfection and all I have to do is pierce the top of the egg, place it in the cooker and forget about it.  Easy peasy and their boiled to perfection.  I do not like to have to think about boiling eggs on the stove top.

AMAZON


BLUELIGHT  BLOCKING  READING  GLASSES

I have heard of blue light blocking glasses for a long time but I have never owned any until just the last couple of weeks.  Now, I will never be without them.  I got the readers because they work better for my needs and they make seeing the computer, Ipad, or smart phone screen sooooo much better.  They come 5 to a package and you can pick the strength of the reader and the color package you desire. Very affordable.

AMAZON


PRELIT  BATTERY  OPERATED  CHRISTMAS  WREATH




I ordered two of these to use on our porch windows during the holidays. These are the 30" and I LOVE, LOVE that they have battery operated lights on a timer.  They stay on 6 hours, and come on at the same time every day.  I'm having my florist gal do some pretty red bows on them and they will be ready to use when the time comes. They are very lush and have plenty of lights.

AMAZON


THYMES  ROOM  FRAGRANCE

This is my very favorite room fragrance of ALL times. It comes in 4-5 scents but my favorites are the Goldleaf and Lavender.  AND, one spray is all that is needed, especially if used in a bathroom. It is highly concentrated and more than one spray is overwhelming.  Sort of like, too much a good thing isn't good.  Just sayin'...........  One container of this room spray, used properly, will last 2-3 years.


INSULATED  FOOD  CARRIER



This is the sort of item that you really do not use all that much, but just about everyone needs one.  This is likely the 3rd one I have purchased in my life and likely could be the last.  I mean, they last forever and if you need a new one then I do highly recommend this one.  It is for a 9x13 casserole dish and you just might could get a 10x15 in there with a little work.  And, they would make a great gift if you know someone who doesn't have one.

AMAZON


ROUND  BLOW  OUT  BRUSH


I have never really used a round brush when blow drying my hair but I am in the process of learning how to use one.  This one is a medium size and I'm slowly getting the hang of it.  I watched some YouTube videos that were most helpful in showing me how to use it.  This one has nylon bristles that, for me, are much easier to use than those with regular boar bristles that seem to always get tangled in my hair.  Anyway, if you are in the market for a round blow out brush then you might really like this one.

AMAZON


TOE  TOPPERS



Ladies, if you have never owned any of these little jewels before then you might want to get you some.  I found these 4-5 years ago and just now have needed to replenish my stock.  If I have on closed toe shoes then I want my toes covered but I don't like to wear socks of any kind.  These are often referred to as "toe huggers."  They are non-slip so you don't have to worry about them coming off.  And, they would make a great stocking stuffer. ~just saying~  They come in all kinds of colors too.

AMAZON

And, there you have it for another month.  Hope you found something you can't live without.

I thought this was cute................