Review of a Beach Dish Towel by Primitives by Kathy

Beach Dish Towel by Primitives by Kathy Review

I have lived on the Georgia coast for nearly 20 years and during that time my 'kids' and grandkids have frequently been to visit. My daughter, especially, loves the beach and the ocean and often wishes she could see it every day.  Since that is not possible for someone living in the Midwest, I thought this beach towel would make the perfect gift for her as a little reminder of her favorite 'beach days'. 

As soon as I saw this dish towel, I knew it was perfect for Kimberly.  The saying reflects words I have heard her wistfully say on days when she wishes the most for another beach day. 

I cannot adult today. If anyone needs me

I'll be at the beach building Sand Castles. 

Primitives by Kathy offers a number of different dish towels with beach themes, but this one is  my favorite.  It shows a sandcastle on a blue background with wavy lines top and bottom and the words are SO Kimberly! 

Primitives by Kathy

Kathy, and her  mother, had a paint studio and retail store in Lancaster, PA for over 10 years.  They always searched for unique and creative items for their shop. Then one day in 1997 Kathy decided to create a handmade “primitive candle box”.  That one product began what was to become a very successful business. 

In the next 20 years, Primitives by Kathy grew from 1 product to over 8,000 and today the company has a team of over 150 talented industry experts and is ranked in the top 25 of the fastest-growing women owned businesses in the world. 

Primitives by Kathy is now primarily a wholesale company for stores. I found this particular dish towel in the gift department of my local Ace Hardware, which carries a number of unique and creative handmade products such as this one. Being a proponent of handmade items myself, I greatly admire products such as these that Kathy offers.  

Visit her website Primitives by Kathy to learn more about her company and see her wide range of interesting and useful home décor items. 

In addition to selling wholesale, many of Kathy's products are now available on Amazon and range from decorative signs and boxes to coasters and dish towels to a large variety of home and kitchen décor items. Or check your local gift stores, as I did, to find these interesting items. 

Another Favorite Beach Theme Dish Towel

Available on Amazon

Besides the dishtowel I got my daughter, one of my other favorites is a dish towel with the saying “We're at the Beach ~ Kitchen Closed”.  Here on the Georgia Coast, we have a LOT of 'beach days'. 

Dish Towels as a Decor Item

I love finding the perfect gift for a relative or friend, and I am also thrilled to find a unique item such as this dish towel I purchased for my daughter.  I can just picture how special her memories of the beach will be every time she sees this beach-themed dish towel hanging in her kitchen. 

So leave the ordinary behind when you are searching for an accent item for your home décor or for a creative and clever gift item. 








(c) Wednesday Elf

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Sock Daddy Sock Review

My sister-in-law has a rescue Boston Terrier pup ~ Abbi.  Abbi is the light of her life (after my brother, of course) and she loves to collect Boston Terrier related items to show her proud preference for this sweet dog.

While out shopping one day recently, I found the perfect gift for my sister-in-law for her birthday.  On a rack of special socks with images of dogs and cats, there was one with Boston Terrier faces and paw prints all over it.  I definitely had to get it for her. 

Sock Daddy Socks

See on Amazon

The Sock Daddy Socks are made with soft combed cotton – 200 needle count – and are machine washable.  The pair of socks I purchased has 20 to 24 Boston Terrier faces woven on each pair of these socks, interspersed with paw prints. 

These socks are available in a wide variety of colors and a large selection of dog and cat breed designs.

Animal Shelter Support

Part of the proceeds of these socks support animal shelters to find new homes for pets in need!  The label states “Help us find a home for the shelter pets!”.  

My Fur-baby nieces and nephews. 

This is another reason these socks are the perfect gift, since my sister-in-law has been involved in supporting animal rescue efforts for many years and has taken in a multitude of rescue cats and dogs over the years. At one point she had Abbi, the Boston Terrier and four cats.  Today her rescued group involves Abbi and two cats, but she continues to find homes for other animals in need. 

E&S Pets Company

The Sock Daddy socks are imported by E&S Pets, a wholesale company located in Holbrook, New York.  They specialize in pet-related products in many categories. Amazon carries a large inventory of these socks in a variety of designs of breeds of both cats and dogs. Plus they are available in a number of stores. 

The Perfect Gift for Pet Lovers

Boston Terrier Sock Daddy Socks

I am so excited that I found just the perfect gift for my sister-in-law for her birthday.  I'm sure she will enjoy showing off her love for Abbi with these look-alike Boston Terrier socks! 






(c) Sock Daddy Socks by Wednesday Elf

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Best Bento Box for Adults

Featured bento box available on Amazon

I'd like to review bento boxes to try and find the best bento box for adults, but first do you know what a bento box is?

Bento boxes are used in Japanese culture and are basically a single portion meal that people take for their lunch - these can be brought as a takeaway, but are traditionally made at home.

A few years ago when my child was in primary school bento boxes were hailed as the best thing for children's lunches.  This wasn't the basic bento box though, but rather the Kyaraben (character bento), which was basically a way of making your child's lunch box look like a work of art!

The idea behind the bento box is to ensure that you have a well balanced lunch that looks appealing, tastes good and is nutritious - why aren't we all preparing bento boxes?

I've used a few tupperware style containers with different sections in them to take to work in the past, but some of them aren't leakproof and others are just too big so let's have a look at some of the choices on the market today.

Bento Lunch Boxes for Adults

These two options both appear to have conquered one of the biggest problems when looking for bento boxes - they are leakproof!

The first option is actually a set of two bento boxes which means that if you're single you can have a spare which is very handy if like me you routinely leave your container at work!  If you're half of a couple then you can have a lunch box each - simple!

 PlusPoint Leakproof Bento Lunch Box Set -2 in 1
Not only are these lunch boxes leakproof as a whole, but apparently they are also leakproof between containers according to verified purchasers on Amazon.

This is a pet peeve of mine as I absolutely hate getting divided containers and packing your lunch nicely only to get to your destination and finding that everything has mixed together between compartments!

These boxes are also freezer friendly which I love as I do like to cook in bulk so I would love to have a few of these so that I can take something different every day of the week!

The next option has 4 compartments to it instead of 3, but is also the all important leakproof!

 YUMBOX TAPAS Larger Size (Antibes Blue) 4 compartment Leakproof Bento lunch box
This container is designed for lunches that are eaten cold or at room temperature I should note as the container is not designed to be microwaved. This isn't a problem with some people, but is definitely something to think about when choosing your lunch box.


Yum Box certainly seems to attract return customers which means they must be doing something right so as a bento box for an adult this one has to be a contender.

The Stainless Steel Bento Box

When I think of a stainless steel bento box it makes me think of the classic aluminium style bento box that was popular in Japan in Taisho period (1912-1926).

These are definitely not them though!

 This portable, insulated & leakproof stainless steel bento box is available in this gorgeous green as well as blue and pink and in my mind is simply gorgeous. The colors are very retro chic and I'd love any of them to take to work with me! This stainless steel insulated vacuum bento box is more my husbands style that my 'retro' favorite! It is much more conservative in looks. It also comes with a cool bag which helps to keep the heat in while also providing straps to help carry it. This Seed & Sprout Stacker Stainless Steel Bento Container markets itself as a plastic free, zero waste, eco-friendly, BPA-free, portion control lunchbox and I do love the look of it. Unfortunately this isn't leakproof which means that it's not for me!

Best Bento Lunch Box

So which of these boxes do you think is the best bento box for an adult?  It's hard to say as all adults are different in what they like to eat so obviously different boxes would be better for different people. I'd love you to tell me below which you think is the best bento box and I'll let people draw their own conclusions from what I've told them here.

Do you use a bento box? https://t.co/wtWFRT1lO5 - don't have boring lunches anymore! #ad #BentoBox #lunch pic.twitter.com/CpdsxOkqh5

— lou16 (@lou16) July 15, 2017

Personally I absolutely love the look of the green (I also love the blue and pink options not pictured by the way), stainless steel bento box, but it's not the one that would suit me the best.

For me the best bento box would be the one that comes in a two pack and I think I need to buy a few of them because being able to fill the largest compartment and then freeze it is perfect for me.  I can pull it out of the freezer the night before and then in the morning add some salad and fruit or yogurt to the box and I'm good to go!

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Manatea Tea Infuser and Mug Gift Set

Today I'm going to review a great infuser and mug gift set I was given.   I'm not sure why everyone keeps giving me tea related gifts, I don't drink that much tea do I?!

The Manatea Tea Infuser and Mug Gift Set is really cute - I love the casual look of the mug and the 'go with the flow' inscription is very appropriate for me.   Don't even get me started on how cute the manatea infuser is!

The tea infuser is made from food grade silicone which means it's soft and pliable - very easy to handle.

You can see how cute it is below, a real conversation piece.   You can see in the first image that the 'infuser' part of the tea infuser is basically the manatea's body.

 Fred & Friends TEA FOR TWO Infuser and Mug Gift Set, Manatea

I do love cute tea infusers as they are a great way to brighten up my day - my rubber ducky tea infuser always brings a smile to my face.   I think this manatea is going to make me smile when I look at it too!

Now, what about the practical aspect of the infuser?

As I said the silicone is very easy to handle and the tea infuser comes apart and fits together again very easily.

There have been some criticisms of this tea infuser so I'm going to address them here.

You can't fill the infuser very easily because of it's size.  Now I don't know what size teaspoon this reviewer had because I found it very easy to fill - I only added one teaspoon of tea because that's all I use for one mug, but it would have taken two very easily.

I've added a photo here so that you can see how easily my (normal sized!) teaspoon can fit into the infuser.

You can't drink the tea while the infuser is on the mug.  Well I have to disagree with this reviewer as well - to a degree anyways.   I wear glasses and thought there could be a problem, however I found drinking most my tea from this mug with the infuser attached was fine.   When it got to the bottom part of the mug (from where the non-infuser part of the tail part was) the manatea did touch my nose, but I didn't think it was anything to worry about.

I also would like to note that I didn't get any tea leaves left in my mug after drinking although I should add that I haven't drunk any really fine leafed teas.

I would thoroughly recommend this and I don't think you can ever have too many tea infusers!


Want to check out more gift ideas for tea drinkers?

Rubber Ducky Tea Infuser
If you're after a bit of fun with your cup of tea then you will love to read my rubber ducky tea infuser review. I absolutely love this fun tea infuser, because let's face it what's not to love about a rubber ducky?

Peppermint Tea
As I review Twinings Peppermint Tea Bags let me also answer the question 'why drink peppermint tea?' - you might be surprised at the range of benefits this delicious beverage has.

Review of Lifestyle Awareness Teas
Last time I shopped for tea, I noticed a new brand on the shelf: Lifestyle Awareness Teas. I noticed they were organic and that they appeared to support specific aspects of health.

Tea Christmas Ornaments
As someone who loves their cuppa I think the idea of tea Christmas ornaments on my Christmas tree is an absolutely fantastic idea. Whichever tea you prefer there is just something about a tea inspired Christmas tree that I think is perfect.

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I Love My Garden Kneeler

Don't Wait Like I Did to Get Yourself a Garden Kneeler

I love gardening. I like taking a neglected flower bed and bringing it to life with color. That's why I decided to redo the flower beds at the house I inherited from my mother. This Garden Kneeler has made it possible for me to work on this transformation more safely and with less pain than I was able to before I bought it.

Let's face it. If you are going to pull weeds and plant flowers, you will be either bending over or kneeling. Kneeling is more efficient. It never used to be a problem for me, but I'm seventy now. When I kneel, it hurts my knees. 

I'm resting my arm on the kneeler as I work on this bull thistle plant that had babies in my herb garden.

The Step 2 Garden Kneeler, however, has a foam pad that keeps my knees from hard surfaces like the ground and the concrete sidewalk.

I was planting and weeding in this bed and wanted you to see the kneeler without me inside it. I need to get that bucket with the caddy.

Another problem one has at my age is getting back up from that kneeling position. The body just doesn't want to move up. It needs some help. The handles on this kneeler are sturdy enough to support me when I start to rise. This makes a lot of difference in how much I enjoy my gardening.

Before I bought the Step 2 Garden Kneeler, I tried two other brands available in a local store. One was a folding kneeler, but it wasn't very sturdy. I have a neck problem that makes falls especially dangerous for me, so I didn't want to take chances on something flimsy just to save a few dollars. Another brand I tried just wasn't roomy enough to get in and out of comfortably.

The Step 2 Garden Kneeler has made me look forward to my work in the garden again. It's light enough to easily move where I need it. Although it had a handy hole in the top that acts as a handle when it's standing up, I normally transport it upside down as the kneeler. It makes cleanup easier, since I can fit a wastebasket for weeds and a small box with gardening utensils on the pad, pick up the kneeler by the handles, and carry it all to the garage. That saves me some extra trips.

Taking a rest on my overturned kneeler in bench mode in front of the rosemary, black sage, and butterfly bush

One great feature I didn't mention yet is that if you are tired and need to get off your knees and rest for a bit, you can turn the kneeler over and use it as a bench. It was sturdy enough to hold my husband, who weighs close to 260 pounds.

I really love this kneeler. I don't know how I managed without it all these years. It would have made my life more comfortable even when I was younger. After all, no one enjoys having one's knees on a hard surface.

I tried to get along with just a cheap green pad before, but it was of poor quality in comparison to this one, and it wasn't as thick. The pad on this kneeler rests on a thick hard surface that won't let you feel the rocks and thorns you can feel through the stand-alone foam pads. And I still had to get up and down to and from ground level with no help. This product solves all the mobility problems and saves my knees. I highly recommend this Garden Kneeler to anyone who spends much time working on the ground.

OK. I'll Admit it. I'm Showing Off

This is my garden kneeler in bench form so you can see the details without me covering them up. But the real reason I'm displaying it is to show off. It's sitting in front of a flower bed I completely transformed, as I did the other flower beds in the front yard of this home in Paso Robles. This used to be a bunch of nothing with some scattered gazanias, mostly close to the house, between two juniper bushes.

I left the gazanias at the very back, where they continue to spread. I planted one calendula and all the others in this bed are its babies. If you have a good eye, you can see the opal basil next to the pot of catmint in bloom. Behind the catmint is some African Blue Basil in bloom with a tall borage in bloom behind it. I also added some petunias, mums, and pansies for seasonal color. There is a large hyssop behind the carnations that has finished blooming, leaving only its rust-colored spikes. What you can't see are the chocolate cosmos and the monarda which are hidden by the borage.

My garden kneeler has made it possible to do this job faster and in more comfort than I ever could have managed without it. I use it most while pulling the weeds and planting, but at least I can sit and rest when I'm tired without leaving the yard.

Get Your Garden Kneeler Now to Save Your Knees

 The Step2 Company Garden Kneeler

While You're Already Shopping, Why Not Add These?

The kneeler makes gardening more comfortable, but nothing is more frustrating than having to get up and go back to the shed or garage to get a tool you forgot to bring with you. The bucket caddy, which attaches to a five-gallon bucket (not included) will help you organize all that stuff and you can sit it beside your kneeler within reach. As you can see in one of my photos above, I need one.

Since I write a lot about gardening, I also like to keep my digital camera with me to photograph interesting things I find as I work. I'm sure one of the pockets would accommodate that, and my cell phone would fit in another.

This is on my wish list, since I'm currently just throwing my tools in a small cardboard box and using a small plastic waste basket to throw the weeds in as I work. I would prefer to keep my tools in a more organized fashion. This caddy even has a special place for seed packets, which don't fare very well tossed in the box with my tools.

The garden cart I have is slightly different than the one pictured here. This is the closest I could find to it. Mine is green and does not have telescoping handles as this one does. What they have in common is their shape and their maneuverability. Mine is light and easy to move, even when full of dirt or compost. I can stick packages of fertilizers on top of the dirt I'm moving so they get to the garden with me. The bucket caddy could also ride along on top.

Together, all these items will supplement your kneeler to make your gardening life easier. If you are in need of hand tools for your gardening activities, you might want to look at the Japanese Sickle my friend reviewed elsewhere on this site.

 Fiskars Garden Bucket Caddy, Bucket Not Included (9424) Suncast LC1250D 15.5-Gallon Capacity Poly Rolling Lawn Cart

If You Want to Take Your Phone or iPod To the Garden, Be Sure to Protect It.

 ipod Touch Case: Star Sunflower Common Periwinkle, Vinca Minor, on Roadside iPhone 5 Covers iPhone 4 Skin: Pink and White Floral iPhone 5C Case

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Review of The Vegimals, Members of the Fisher-Price Octonauts

Fisher-Price Octonauts Figure Set - The Vegimals

My grandson, David, was approaching his sixth birthday.  While checking with his parents as to what toys might be on his birthday wish list, I was told about a recent favorite of the kindergarten set – the Octonauts!

The Octonauts

Being a grandmother with my children all grown and my five grandsons living far away, I'm out of the habit of knowing what toys are popular with today's children. Therefore, I needed to do some research into this latest craze... and thus this review for other grandparents and parents who might not be aware of these adorable toys.

It seems the Octonauts are an underwater exploring crew of eight little anthropomorphic animals who live under the sea in their Octopod and have undersea adventures using a fleet of aquatic vehicles.

Animated Series

Octonauts Wall Hanging available on Amazon

The Octonauts began in 2010 as a British TV series on BBC based on American-Canadian children's books written by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy.  It's an animated series which appeals to children ages 4-12. 

The Octonauts encounter real marine animals in their natural habitats while having adventures. It's rather a bit like a combination of 'Star Trek and the Thunderbirds meet Jacques Cousteau!'

Octonauts Characters

Octo-Crew of 8 Octonauts

The eight main Octonaut characters include the Captain, Barnacles the Polar Bear, along with Kwazii the Cat, Peso the Penguin, Inkling the Octopus, Shellington the Sea Otter, Tweak the Rabbit, Dashi the Dog, and Tunip the Vegimal.

The Vegimals

 

The Vegimals Set I Got David for his Birthday

Which brings us to the set I purchased and mailed to David for his birthday – The Vegimals!  David has already begun collecting all the main Octonauts characters, so I have added to his collection with this set of five characters which are really cute.  They are soft and squishy and measure about 1.5 inches tall.

Vegimals are part animal and part vegetable and are a special breed of underwater critters who love making tasty kelp cakes and helping out around the Octopod! They include Barrot the carrot, Grouber the ginger, Tominnow the tomato, Codish the radish, and Tunip the Turnip. Tunip is also the Ship's Cook and Gardener and a regular member of the regular 8-character team.

Toys by Fisher-Price 

The Octonauts and Vegimals figures, along with their Octopod and vehicle playsets, are products of Fisher-Price, which is a name I've trusted in toys for children for nearly 50 years.

Gup Speeder Gup-O with Kwazii the Cat

By the way, along with the Vegimals set, my birthday package included a Mini Gup (vehicle) with Kwazii the Cat, which I learned is David's favorite Octonaut. There are a whole line of these vehicles and playsets, which make nice additions to your child's collection as time goes on.

This birthday request became my first-ever introduction to the Octonauts and their friendly Vegimals and I find them adorable.  I have to say I am delighted to make their acquaintance and I see a whole bunch of birthday and Christmas Octonauts in my grandsons' future! 

David, Age 6

Happy Octonauts Birthday, David!

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