Review of the World's Softest Socks, Classic Collection

It's the Season for the World's Softest Socks

Even though I live on the California Central  Coast, it's cold this winter. That's why I've been stocking up on products to keep myself warm. One of my recent purchases I'm very happy with is an order of The World's Softest Socks from the Classic Collection of socks. I'm wearing one in this photo. I wish I'd gotten a better picture, but it's hard to take a picture of the side of a sock when you  have it on your foot. Neither the top of the sock or my calf is as fat as it looks. I love these socks. That's why I just went back to Footsmart's sock selection and bought more along with some other sock types since they were on sale.  There usually is a promotion or sale going on. You can see a link to it at the top of the page when you get to the site. 

World's Softest Gray Sock on my Foot
© B. Radisavljevic

Why I Love the World's Softest Socks

My feet have been giving me problems for years. In 2014 I had a partial toe joint replacement. Finding shoes to fit properly was a problem. Finding socks that don't have rough seams that hurt my feet was also a problem. I spent a lot of time looking for socks online that were warm and that would not rub against my feet in a way that hurt. My search led me to Footsmart.com where I  discovered the World's Softest Socks  Classic Collection.  I  also discovered some other items, such as the Angora sport knee warmers I reviewed earlier and some IMAK Arthritis gloves which I will review another time.

The World's Softest Socks are wonderfully soft and warm. They do not have bulky seams that cut into my toes. The tops stay up all day without slipping or binding. They are thick enough to wear with my slippers and boots. Did I mention they were really, really soft? Since I got them I haven't wanted to wear any others. I bought two pair -- the gray pair I'm wearing now and the navy blue pair you see above. I have already washed those. Since I bought these and my knee warmers, the two almost meet on my legs and I haven't needed to wear my silk long underwear over them to keep my legs warm except on the very coldest days.

I machine-washed these socks on a gentle cycle inside out in cold water. The manufacturer recommends fabric softener, but I didn't use it. I made the mistake of using Ivory Snow powder that was on hand instead of a liquid detergent like Woolite, and it never dissolved. That meant I rewashed everything in that load in plain water to try to rinse all the powder out. I air-dried my socks inside, but they can be tumble dried on low heat. The photo above was taken after I had washed and dried the socks.

I wear a shoe size of 8.5 and 9, depending on the brand. I ordered size Medium socks for women's shoe size 5.5 - 9.5 or men's size 5-8. My socks fit perfectly. They run pretty true to size. You don't need to order a larger size than you normally wear. The World's Softest Crew Socks in the Classic Collection come in a variety of colors, so I chose what would go best with my clothes. My socks do have the cloud symbols on the toes. Many reviewers on Amazon said the clouds were not on the socks they ordered there, though they are supposed to be the same socks. The reviewers felt the socks without the clouds were not as good quality as previous socks they had ordered that had the clouds. Maybe Amazon is substituting socks from a different manufacturer. I've had my socks less than a month, so they have been ordered recently, since people bought the inferior quality socks on Amazon thinking they would get what I got.

Where to Get These Socks

Amazon carries these socks, but they are not necessarily a better deal there and I didn't see that they were eligible for the free prime shipping. Here is Amazon's page for these socks and the Amazon reviews, if you prefer ordering from Amazon. I ordered mine from  Footsmart because they offered free shipping if my order totaled $75. It was very easy to find $75 worth of things I wanted. I was satisfied with all I bought there except for one item -- the Chooze Canvas slippers. They  just never felt right on my feet. It's possible I ordered the wrong size, but I don't recommend them. The soles felt bumpy. I've had better luck   with Daniel Green and Acorn slippers, both of which Footsmart also carries. Footsmart has everything that can make your feet feel better, including orthotics and remedies for bunions, hammertoes, and other common foot ailments. 

Although there is overlap between what Amazon and Footsmart carry for feet, Footsmart has many exclusive products. Although some people complained they had trouble making returns at Footsmart, my receipt came with a prepaid return label on the back for exchanges. If returns are made within 60 days with receipt, Footsmart will refund your purchase price if you made your purchase with a credit card or PayPal (but not PayPal credit.) If you are not exchanging, they will deduct the price of return shipping from your refund. I was happy with my purchases and did not want to return anything.

Even knowing that Amazon carries the World's Softest Socks, I'd still order them at Footsmart again, especially after reading that Amazon may be sending a product with the same name but lower quality. As far as I can see, the price is the same and it's easy to buy enough to get free shipping at Footsmart. I highly recommend Footsmart for products to keep your feet healthy and comfortable.  

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Reviewing the Shopkins Mini Toys

Move over Barbie there some stiff competition

When asking one of my grandchildren what she would like for Christmas last season, I figured she would have a specific doll that she wanted to add to her ever growing pile of dolls but she surprised me. She said, "I would really like some Shopkins, Grandma." I will admit that I was at a loss because I had no idea what she was referring to.

"Are they like a Barbie or a Monster High doll?" I asked.

"Oh no, they aren't anything like that," she answered. "They are just cute little toys that my friends and I like to play with."

After doing some research so that I would know what I was looking for, turns out these miniature toys are more popular right now than the fashion dolls that have been on top of every little girl's wishlist for decades.

Shopkins Season 4 Toy Figure (12 Pack)

Above is an example of just one of the choices for little girls to add to their collection of Shopkins. I have to admit that they are really pretty cute and so little that they don't take up much space. Well, not much space until the collection grows, anyway.

An Australian based company came up with the idea of these mini toys back in 2014 and they have a real hit on their hands. They specifically marketed young girls for a collectible toy because they could see that there was hardly anything to compete with. Most of the toys are very inexpensive and come in small sets. As I did my shopping I noticed that I could purchase 3 or 4 sets for less than the price of a Barbie doll.

I looked over all of the sets available at the time and finally decided to get one that had the little toys encased in a vending machine that acts as a storage container, too. I also purchased a few small little sets. I just wasn't sure which ones she already had. When we were opening gifts on Christmas morning she opened one that was identical to the vending machine one that I got for her. I was so disappointed. So, when she opened the one that I gave her I told her that I would take her with me and we could return it. "Oh, no! We don't have to return it, Grandma! I can use these to trade for things that I don't have!"

Here is what I love about these little toys: they are encouraging almost an "old school style" of play. Girls are using their imaginations to play with items that resemble products in a grocery store. They are talking about which ones they have and actually trading each other for items that they don't have. There are even harder to find toys that the girls understand are worth more in a trade. They are learning about value (I know in an odd way but still) and having fun while they do it. Remember the Pokemon cards? Kind of the same thing except these are geared to girls and they can actually set them up and play with them.

Collectible toys are nothing new. I remember when my girls were little back in the 1980's it seemed like every week there was some new toy that came out with characters to collect. Remember, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony? Goodness, our house was full of them! Here is the thing about Shopkins, though. The toys are much smaller and actually less expensive when you consider that you are getting more than one toy in every package and most packages are less than the price of one doll.

If you are looking for something to give a young girl from the age of 5 to 12, I don't think you could go wrong with a set of Shopkins.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning Book Review

In the book Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, the war in Europe is winding down and Anne Shirley is a middle-aged writer returning to the island for a visit. Without thinking about it, she agrees to create a play to be performed during the White Sand Hotel's summer season. However, she admits that the play is just one way to try NOT to think about the recent issues - like her missing son - in her life. She discovers a secret at Green Gables which proves to be a distraction of another sort and she must look at suppressed memories and troubled years at the same time as she tries to write the play. She learns about her parents, her quest for kindred spirits and about her imagination.

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is the unauthorized prequel to the book and movie, Anne of Green Gables. The book was adapted from Kevin Sullivan's televised screenplay which aired in October, 2008. Only recently did I discover that this book was available. I had heard and seen the television movie. The book seems to have been rather low-key and I am guessing you may have missed it, like I did.

Click here to order your copy of Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning from Amazon.

Why Should You Read This Book?

Kevin Sullivan takes us where L.M. Montgomery did not...to the time in Anne Shirley's life before she was sent to Prince Edward Island. If you are a fan of this famous fictional character, you must be curious about Anne's life before she arrived on the Island.  You will also want to check out the authorized prequel, Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson.

Hannah Endicott-Douglas as Anne Shirley in A New Beginning.

Who Is Kevin Sullivan?

Kevin Sullivan is the writer, director and film producer of this story, Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning. He is, however, very well known for his very popular, family-friendly period movies and televison shows, like the original Anne of Green Gables movie series, The Piano Man's Daughter, Road To Avonlea and Wind At My Back. He has won hundreds of awards, which include three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, a Prix Jeunesse and four Cable Ace Awards. He is also an author and his writings include Beyond Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Official Movie Adaptation.

If you are interested in reading Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning you can find it on Amazon here. When you've finished reading the book, you might want to watch the movie, which was originally broadcast in Canada in October, 2008. You can find it on DVD right here. They're nicely priced now so gifting them would make a lovely and affordable gift idea.

Happy Reading!
Brenda

More Anne Reading:

Discover the Anne of Green Gables items in my eBay store.

Before Green Gables Book Review Discover author Budge Wilson's version of what Anne Shirley's life might have been like before she arrived at Green Gables in Prince Edward Island.

Controversial Anne of Green Gables Book Cover What do you think of this Anne of Green Gables cover? Not quite how you pictured the red haired, freckle faced child? Learn more about the controversial cover.

Author's Note: This page originally published elsewhere in 2009.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Three Affordable Ways to Visually Increase the Size of a Room

With real estate at a premium in many locations and rent equally expensive, numerous apartments and homes have smaller rooms or at least one room that could be a better size. 

Don't despair; here are three affordable ways to visually increase the size of a room:

Use a Faux Window Decal

Three-dimensional wall decals come in various funky design choices, including faux windows with scenery.

Put up a fake window without the hassle of having to use wood by using vinyl wall decals instead. There is an endless choice of 'views'; choose from snow, mountains, beaches, and Halloween horror scenery! The 3D effect creates automatic depth.

Use Draperies with 3D Designs

Drapes with scenery are another option. Again, much like 3D Faux Windows, these drapes come in many landscape choices. 

Go ahead and use them in a room with no windows. Just put the drapes up and keep them closed, and they'll serve a double purpose; they create the illusion that a window is behind them, and by keeping them constantly closed, they also provide faux depth with their three-dimensional designs.

Use Mirrors

This isn't a new trick, but it's always effective. Feature a large mirror on the wall above a piece of furniture. In fact, you could also install a wall-to-wall mirror. 

If you're not interested in a large mirror, try mirrored accessories, such as a wall clock. Anything on the wall with a mirror built into it will help create depth.

Choose from these three simple suggestions, and your room will seem more significant to anyone who enters. You've tricked the eye by creating depth.

by Funkthishouse.com

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Pie Day Review - January 23

National Pie Day ~ January 23

Apple Pie Image Source: Wikimedia

In my opinion, every day should be Pie Day, but let's review a few pie facts in honor of National Pie Day held each January 23rd.

Pie Day was begun in the 1970s in Colorado when Charlie Papazian declared his birthday to be National Pie Day.  Today 'Pie Day' is sponsored by the American Pie Council, which is an organization set up to preserve America's pie heritage and promote “America's love affair with pies”.

There are fruit pies and custard pies and cream pies, with apple pie leading the way.

A Few Pie Facts

Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour & Butter

You could go to Pie School to learn about pies, or you could learn a great deal by reading this Pie Post!

• Nearly one out of five Americans prefer apple pie. Next favorite is pumpkin pie, followed by pecan, banana cream, and cherry pie.
• Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623.
• When invited to a family or friend's house for a holiday dinner and asked what dessert we could bring, pie was the winner at 29%, followed by cake (17%) and cookies (15%). Surprisingly, ice cream wasn't in the top three spots.

SPECIAL PIE DAYS

In our own glad and fortunate country the seasons are known by their respective dominant pies—for each there is an appropriate pie, with apple pie for all the year round.... The perfect days of June welcome the lip-painting berry pies.... Then, as nature paints the forests with her magic brush, comes in the golden glory of the year, the royal pumpkin pie!

             ~New York Times, 1902 May 3rd

Besides National Pie Day celebrating all pies, we have individual days to recognize specific kinds of pies.

*There's Cherry Pie Day on February 20, naturally associated with President's Day due to the George Washington story of cutting down the cherry tree.  

Cherry Pie was my hubby's favorite and instead of a birthday cake for his birthday on February 23rd, we always had Cherry Pie!

*Apple Pie has it's own special day (Apple Pie Day) held on May 13.

Did you know that the first apple pie recipe was printed in England in 1381? 

*March 2 is National Banana Cream Pie Day

*May 8 is National Coconut Cream Pie Day.

Source: Creative Commons Photo by Whitney Wright

My mother was not much of a cook (our dad did most of the cooking in our family), but she was a wonderful pie maker and coconut cream pie was my dad's favorite, so we had it often. Yum! 

*On July 12 we have National Pecan Pie Day, a true Southern favorite.

*National Lemon Meringue Day is held on August 15 and Peach Pie Day is August 24.

*September brings us National Strawberry Cream Pie Day on the 28th of the month.

*October 23rd is National Boston Cream Pie Day.

*November has two special 'pie' days: Bavarian Cream Pie Day  on the 27th and Lemon Cream Pie Day on the 29th.

National Pumpkin Pie Day

We tend to associate Thanksgiving with Pumpkin Pie, but the actual designated National special day for it is actually Christmas Day (December 25).   But pumpkin pie is also associated with Halloween as pumpkin is the symbol of Harvest Time.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Sylvestermouse Cynthia has a yummy recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.  It can be found on her Cooking for the Holidays site.

Chocolate pie doesn't appear to have a designated day, but being MY favorite of all pies, it definitely SHOULD.  Any day is special to me when I can have chocolate pie! There IS a National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day on August 20.

There are also meat pies, especially popular in England and perhaps the forerunner of the original pie, and vegetable pies such as Sweet Potato Pie and Rhubarb Pie and Tomato Pie, but our focus today has been on favorite 'dessert' pies.

Pie Town, New Mexico

Daily Pie Cafe, NM

If you REALLY love pies, there is a special place for pie lovers.  It's called Pie Town, New Mexico, a small community that got its name from an early bakery for making dried-apple pies established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s.   Located just north of the Gila National Forest, Pie Town has a population of 186 people.  A "Pie Festival" is held on the second Saturday of September which includes a pie-baking contest, games and races, music, food, and arts and crafts.

Photographer Russell Lee (working for the Farm Security Administration) photographed Pie Town and its people in 1940. In 2005, Lee's photos, and the local restaurant the Daily Pie Cafe were the subject of an article in Smithsonian magazine^. CBS News Sunday Morning aired a story about the town in 2015.

Delicious Homemade Pie Recipes

Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Whichever pie is your favorite, you can find a whole lot of pie recipes (300)  in Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie.

Rated near the top at #29 in pie cookbooks, this recipe book with the short title (PIE) is filled with 300 pie recipes for everything from fruit pies, berry pies, nut pies, custard pies, turnovers, and ice cream pies to the perfect pie crusts.  Author Richard Haedrich is a cooking teacher and cookbook author who compiled this Pie cookbook because of his lifelong passion--the making and baking of all manner of pies.


Besides January 23rd, we have December 1st also designated National Pie Day. With two national days and a host of days associated with individual kinds of pies, we will never be without an excuse to indulge this favorite dessert.

Come tell me YOUR favorite kind of PIE, this most traditional of American desserts.  If I've left out any, let me know. 

Quick Links:

Cooking for the Holidays
PIE Cookbook on Amazon


*National Pie Day article written by Wednesday Elf (c) on 1/23/2016.  

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON: