Happy Random Tuesday

 Hey all!  What a week!  I'm going on day 8 of being sick.  I went to the urgent care clinic last weekend.  They tested me for everything it could possibly be, all negative, and was diagnosed with pharyngitis (a fancy word for a sore throat) and bronchitis.  I have laryngitis as well.  I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever get my normal voice back.  All this hoarseness and whispering is getting a little weird!  

The worst part is the severity of coughing which prevents me from sleeping.  I seriously lost a couple of days due to brain fog from the upper respiratory situation and the inability to sleep.  I even tried sleeping almost upright, but I couldn't.  I have never coughed so much or so hard.  It makes my chest burn. So, I'm off to the doctor again today to figure out how to get completely well.

Needless to say, I haven't gotten out my Christmas decorations or put my tree up yet. 😿 I can hopefully do that this coming weekend.  I love a festive home during the holidays!  But I have started my shopping.  I even bought something for myself.  Do you ever do that?

I can't understand how people get along without Amazon Prime these days.  It basically pays for itself with video, music, audible, Kindle books, free shipping... I just love it!  They even have a discounted deal for people with lower income who can't afford the yearly membership. 

But I also shopped a few places other than Amazon, which makes me wonder why people aren't signed up for Rakuten.  I've had it since March of 2020 when Covid hit. It's so easy to use.  You just allow the app to recognize when you visit an online store that has cash back.  They ask if you want to activate cash back, and that is it. One click. Seriously! And for shopping the same stores I've always shopped (like Kohls, Petsmart, Chewy, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michaels) I get cash back.  It's a win in my book!

But I digress.  My point is that I am not decorated for Christmas yet due to my illness, but at least I was able to do some shopping.  I'm also making projects for gift-giving this year. Do you enjoy receiving hand-made gifts?  I hope my family will!

And moving right along...

 

How else do our phones and computers know which ads to show us?

Seems logical... right?

Thank goodness this doesn't happen to me!

And last, but not least...

Have a great week!  Don't forget to visit Comedy Plus and Stacy Uncorked.

Cyber Monday Amazon Deals

Here are some great deals for Cyber Monday at Amazon if you're still looking for some Christmas gifts, or even if you want to get something for yourself! I did!

 Great price on Calphalon Cookware!  

  All Home Products from Amazon Basics are on sale!

Look at this Vitamix 200 blender!

https://amzn.to/3i84iHg Amazon Fire Tablets on sale up to 50% off! I need a new one!

Sony OLED and Premium TVs on sale

All Shark Vaccuums and Mops on sale up to 46% off.

Amazon is also promoting small business such as the ones who make this!  

I might get this for one of our daughters. It looks fun! 

 I would have loved this light up pad when I was a little girl!

And who doesn't love their beloved Legos?  

 So go shopping! And if you click over on a link from my page, I may receive a small commission (maybe not), but it won't cost you an extra penny.

Sunday Synopsis - The New John Grisham Novel

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently finished John Grisham's latest novel, and while he is one of my favorite authors, and this book was good, it wasn't even close to being my favorite book by him.

In the book blurb, it implies that Hugh and Lance, once best friends, school mates, and junior league All-Star baseball players, are the "Boys" from the title. But when you begin reading, there is so much family history (where the families immigrated from 3 generations back) and so much emphasis placed on their fathers, that you may question if their fathers are the "Boys." The extreme amount of background information really bogged me down. I am used to being punted into the plot and this was an extremely gradual approach to plot. I enjoyed most of Hugh and Lance's combined backstory as it was necessary for the plot to come full circle. I thoroughly enjoyed the courtroom drama, but not so much the politician-trying-to-get-elected parts.

This novel is set on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where there are beaches, resorts, and fresh seafood. Where neighbors know neighbors, and they go to school and church together. It also delves into the "seedier" side of town in places that thrive on illegal liquor, kickbacks, prostitution, drugs, and other vices. This area was controlled by the Dixie Mafia. Needless to say, the "Boys" end up on opposite sides in a big way. It's a good versus evil theme, and a very long 453 pages.

View all my reviews

Amazon Promo Codes!

 

Save 55% on select product(s) with promo code 55TSZ8UA on Amazon.com

Such as this Fansbe White Noise machine.

I can't sleep without my white noise anymore.  Our daughter even uses white noise to soothe both her toddler and her baby, and it works!  It's pretty amazing!

Save 60% on select product(s) with promo code 60M7XAWM on Amazon.com

Such as these Fitheaven Shower Steamers

I love making my shower feel like a spa with the fragrance and benefits of essential oils. These are wrapped and ready for gift-giving!  The promo code works on other Fitheaven products as well.

Save 50% on select product(s) with promo code 502VS72C on Amazon.com

such as this TENS unit.

The Nursal Tens unit is great for stimulating muscles and easing pain in your back and shoulders.  My chiropractor uses  a Tens unit on me before adjustments, and it makes them last longer.

Lately, I've been using the "Try Before you Buy" feature at Amazon.  I can try on the clothes I've ordered in my home, and if I like it, I keep it, and if not, I just take it back to the Amazon windo at Kohls or the UPS store that is close to my house, and it doesn't cost me a penny.  I highly recommend it!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

 I realize it's till two days from Thanksgiving, but that means it's only 3 days until Black Friday and 6 days until Cyber Monday (which I prefer).  There once was a time when I went shopping on Black Friday, but I will be looking for online Black Friday deals from now on.

One of my favorite places to shop (probably like everyone else) is Amazon!  Prime members get early access to deals, fast shipping, free music, movies, podcasts, and more. If you've never checked it out, now's the time!

One of my favorite gifts two years ago was a Ring doorbell.  I highly recommend them, even if you don't want to pay for any type of alarm services (I don't).  And it's on a super sale right now!

 

 I love my Firestick. I actually have two of them, one upstairs and one downstairs. It gives you instant access to Prime, definitely, but also to other streaming services. It even has a voice command. And it's 50 % off right now!

 

Need a new wireless mouse?  33% off from Logitech.  How about a new wireless ergonomic keyboard?  Or a keyboard/mouse bundle?

This is the actual mouse I have and it's only 9.99 right now!

Perhaps you're needing a Roomba, or a replacement for an old roomba-type machine.  Again, big sale!

 

 This Keurig is currently half off!

   

 We have this exact vacuum sealer, and my husband uses it all the time.

   

 We also use our rice cooker at least twice a week, sometimes more.

   

 And one last thing... I don't think I could survive without my Kindle. I love to read, and Prime members get first picks every month (translation... free book!

 

I hope you find what you are looking for this holiday season at a great price. That's my goal.

  Affiliate links means if you purchase an item through this blog post, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is not a sponsored post.

Sunday Synopsis - Strawberries and Suffering by Katherine Hayton

 

Strawberries and Suffering by Katherine Hayton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very cute story. This is book 2 of Katherine Hayton's Sweet Bakes Mysteries. This is set in Hamner Springs, which I picture as a quaint English township. Crystal and Holly are headed to a wedding with cupcakes from their bakery. Holly, who is less familiar with the area, takes a wrong turn, so she is late getting to the reception location and concerned about getting the cupcakes ready, while Crystal is stranded at the church. A storm is brewing outside and the flooding threatens to put lives in jeopardy.

The storm knocks out the phones and many of the roads are closed to all but 4 wheel drive vehicles. All of a sudden, the butler of the manor house dies. They think, at first, that it is a heart attack, but soon enough, the fingers start to point at Holly and Crystal's cupcakes. Holly has to find a way to prove that the cupcakes are not the culprits while she juggles the flirting of an eligible bachelor and the admiration of his niece.

As stranded wedding guests and a spiteful bride-to-be show up, the plot, like batter, thickens. Although the series continues, you don't have to read the first one to understant most of the story (there is a little background), and if you stop at the end of this book, you will be content because there are no cliffhangers! There was one part (involving a sky light) that I couldn't make all the pieces fit, but in the end, it wasn't as important as I thought. And even though Holly now has a love interest, Katherine Haytan's books are fairly wholesome. Nothing uncomfortable here. Read it! It won't take long, and it's a fun read.

View all my reviews

Sewing boxed corners

 

There is more than one way to "box" the corners of a homemade tote bag, but only one of them would work for the  way I wanted to make reusable grocery bags for my daughter.  The reason is that I wanted to start with one long piece of fabric instead of two separate pieces, so I would not have a bottom seam to work with.

After sewing the main piece of the bag, line up your seams until your bag comes to a point at the bottom kind of like the opposite of the way your would actually carry it.. The trick to making sure your corners are even is to make sure the side seams are exactly even.  You can also measure the marks you make on each side to double check that they are even.

Measure half of what you want your box to be.  For example, I wanted my box to be 5 inches across the bottom, so I measured up 2.5 inches from the corner tip, and marked it.  Using a ruler, I made a straight line.  (Same thing on the other side.)  Sew across the line, trim the excess, and check out your handiwork.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I am going to iron on a design on the front and back of each bag, so I will show it again when it is completely finished.

For more crafty goodness, visit Crafty Creators, Friendship Friday, and Happiness is Homemade.
 

Fun Photos

 Helen's Garden in League City, Texas, is one of my favorite local gardens to visit.  It's small enough that you can see everything in a few minutes, and it's serene, a good place to take a book and read if it's not too cold or too hot out. (Who am I kidding?  There are VERY few not-too-hot and not-too-cold days here in Texas!)  These are my favorite views.

For more fun photos visit Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Happy Random Tuesday

Hello!  Happy to "see" you here!  I've been busy as usual.  I uploaded a gift card holder in a different fabric to my Etsy shop.  How do you feel about these peppermints?

I've been doing a lot of crafting, but I also managed to work in a whole day of fun with my kids!  I say "kids," but they're not really kids.  They're grown. My son and I graduated from SHSU and my daughter from ACU.  They played each other on Saturday, so we went to the game.  We got there early to check out the tailgating first.  We stayed till partway through the third quarter. 

My son gave my daughter a tour of part of the campus.  We even stopped at the rec center and played ping pong for about half an hour.

  Then we went to one of his favorite restaurants and had yummy, greasy burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

  It was a great day!  It's been a while since I was with the two of them at the
same time.  She lives over 4 hours away. 😥

Moving right along...

Valid point!

Get it? I thik it's hilariously clever!

And last, but not least, because I'm sooo tired!

Have a great week, and link up at Tuesday's Random Thoughts and Happy Tuesday.https://comedy-plus.com/

Crafty Sewing Time-Pocket Wall Hanging

A few days ago, I was looking through Amazon trying to find something I could hang on the wall of my craft room that had pockets.  I had been using my daughter's old hanging jewelry organizer. It was working okay, but I decided to reorganize my supplies to be more efficient, and it was simply taking too much room.  As I searched Amazon and Google shopping, I realized I could make something!  So, I did.  These are the fabrics I used.

Pink print at the top as pockets, pink roses for the main front, and solid pink for the slip pocket and back.

I didn't create a pattern.  I just knew I wanted to start with 12x14 fabric, one for the front, and one for the back.  I knew I needed interfacing, so I ironed it on the wrong side of the front fabric.  I wanted four pockets, and I wanted them shaped like the bottom half of a stop sign, like this...

This would give them some shape and more room because instead of sewing it down in that shape, I scooted the sides in until they were almost vertical, pinned, and sewed.  I decided I wanted a slip pocket at the bottom.  I just ironed some interfacing in between two 12 inch wide pieces of fabric then sewed some leftover bias tape along the top edge of the pocket.

I decided to make ribbon tags to hold the woodent dowel, and I used the ribbon as a hanger as well.  When the four pockets were finished and the ribbon tags pinned.  I put the two main pieces with right sides together and sewed all the way around the rectangle except for a small space to use for turning.

After sewing and turning, I pressed my wall hanger.  Then I topstitched about 1/8 inch all around making sure to catch the open seam I had used to trim it. I love how it turned out!  All I had to do was put the dowel through the tabs then take one long piece of ribbon and tie it to both ends.  It's ready for hanging!

The exact materials are listed below.  They are affiliate links meaning if you choose to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.  This is NOT a sponsored post.

Materials:

front fabric 12x14

back fabric 12x12

4 smaller pockets with 3 inch bottom (came from the same bundle as front fabric)

slip pocket fabric (same as back) 12x4.5

Bias Tape (optional.  I already had some that matched)

Interfacing

Grossgrain ribbon

Wooden Dowel 12x3/8 inch

Thread that matches

Sewing Machine

Fiskars Fabric Scissors

Press Perfect Hot Ruler (This might be my favorite sewing supply.)

Pins or Clips

Iron and Irony Pad or Board

For other crafty posts, link up with Crafty Creators or Happiness is Homemade.