Reviewing An Adult Coloring Book

Midnight Garden: Coloring For Adults

One of my Valentine gifts this year was a new Adult Coloring book, Midnight Garden. My sweet husband knows me so well! He knows that I love to color and that I love flowers and birds which this book is full of.

I have other coloring books for adults but what I really like about this one is that all of the backgrounds are in black so the colors that I choose to use really pop on each page.

I also love that each page is perforated so that they can be removed before coloring or after. The advantage to removing before coloring is that if I press hard with a colored pencil it won't leave an imprint on the page underneath. I tend to lightly color in spaces but for outlining and some areas I do want to make the color dark.

Coloring is an activity that I have enjoyed for over 6 decades. I can't remember just when I picked up that first crayon but I do know that it was love at first touch and have never really stopped coloring. Naturally, at a young age the coloring was in books for children. As I became old enough to babysit, I would usually encourage the children to color. Sure, I wanted them to enjoy it but it gave me an opportunity to color, too! When my daughters were born, well, you guessed it...they were encouraged to color so that Mommy could color with them. Grandma has coloring books for the grandchildren and of course she has to sit and color with them!

You can imagine my joy when the adult coloring books started to come on the market a few years ago! I don't mind coloring in those little juvenile books but to have images meant for adults to enjoy is just awesome. They certainly present more of a challenge in the art of coloring and are a great stress reliever in the process. Not that I need to be stressed to pick up a colored pencil, crayon or marker; I just love the process as a whole.

Currently, I prefer using colored pencils while coloring. I love the ability to shade that they offer. Sometimes you can do that with crayons and markers, also but the pencils just do a better job in my opinion. The image to the right is a page from the Midnight Garden book that I did with my colored pencils. I just love the way it turned out.

Adult coloring books have become very popular in the last few years. My last trip to the book store was a pleasant surprise with several options available. They have even started Adult coloring clubs in the store. There is enough interest that they have opened the store to the clubs two nights a week. Isn't that cool?

How about you? Do you love to color? When was the last time you picked up a crayon or colored pencil and let your creativity out? It can be very relaxing and almost therapeutic in many ways. There are a lot of times that I will sit down to color a page to allow myself to focus on something else entirely. I may be working on a writing piece and feel a little bit of a block in how I want to write a passage. If I sit down and color for a while, I can think through the blockage. It might not work for everyone but for me it is a way to meditate and come up with a better writing job. Most of the time, I just color for the joy of coloring, though. 

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.”

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Fantastic Gifts for Moms Who Love Candles

Butterfly Candle Warmer

Are you looking for a gift for mom? One of the best store-bought gifts I have received from my children was a candle warmer.When my son and daughter-in-law gave me a candle warmer for Christmas I fell in love with it. I never imagined that I'd like wickless candles as much as I do.  I have found that candle warmers provide more variety in fragrances, styles to match any decor, and are safer to use.

Candles versus Candle Warmers

I like candles. I really, really like candles. I was almost obsessive about my love of candles. I especially love Yankee Candle and WoodWick brands. I like their quality, scents, and length of burn. I always have candles stockpiled for both enjoyment and for more practical occasions such as power outages.

However, with open flame candles, I have always been worried about fire (a rational fear since many house fires are started by candles).  I also would become annoyed about the soot. Sometimes I got careless with trimming the wicks. When the wicks burn too high, soot dirties everything in the home; including the HVAC system. And some candle brands seem to create more soot even when I trim the wick. An astute person servicing your HVAC system will know if you burn candles regularly by the greasy, soot stain on your filter. Even so, I have always loved wicked candles and always will always have some stockpiled. But I have come to use my wickless candles on a daily basis.

The solution to the problems of fire risk and dirty soot is a wickless (or flameless) candle.  Candle warmers are cleaner, safer and smell just as wonderful as the wicked candles. This is my list of reasons I prefer my candle warmers:

• Cleaner - no flame means no soot.  No soot lining the inside of the jar. No soot in my house. No soot in the HVAC system.
• Safer - no open flame to catch fire. Also, no flickering flame that attracts my naughty cat.
• Attractive - shapes, sizes, and colors to match any room.  No unattractive labels. 
• Versatility - the candle warmers with a low, flat base are suitable for placing a candle jar on - in addition to being able to use the included dish for wax tarts.
• Personal gift - you can choose a design that is meaningful to your mom (Kokopelli brings back wonderful memories of a summer vacation with my children)

Owl Candle Warmer

There are two distinct advantages to using wicked candles. Flickering flames provides a certain ambiance.  Romantic evenings are definitely better by flickering candle light. Candles provide nice lighting for meditation. Dancing shadows in a semi-lit room is relaxing to some. Also, traditional candles do not require batteries or electricity. If the power is out, my candle warmer will not operate. And candle warmers need to be located at or near outlets.  For these two reasons, I continue to have plenty of candles on hand.

WoodWick Candle

While I still use and love wicked candles, I am using my candle warmers more regularly. I am very happy with the variety of wax brands and scents to choose from.  I feel safer that my cat isn't trying to chase the dancing flame of a candle. Candle warmers make great gifts for both mom and many others on your gift list.

My Kokopelli warmer - showing cooled wax in the dish

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Creative Storage Solutions for the Bathroom

Creative Toilet Paper Storage Idea

With the newer, more modern designs of Bathrooms, storage space for toiletries can be at a premium.

Even when, at first glance, there is quite a bit of storage in the washroom, once we start filling the cupboards, there never seems to be enough.

Creative storage solutions for the bathroom mean thinking outside of the box.

Toilet Paper Storage for a Small 2 Piece Washroom

In a small 2-piece washroom, there may be a cupboard space, or if there's a pedestal sink, no cupboard space. Hmmmm...What to do????

When storage is limited, I've come up with a creative

Inside View - Neat & Tidy

solution:

I had an old standing vase from way-back-when, that I decided to use in my main washroom to store toilet paper. 

We do have a cupboard in the washroom under the sink, but that's being used for other items. By having the toilet paper in the vase, the cupboard has room for many other items instead.

If you don't have an old vase to use, you can always pick one up at a flea-market or via online or local shopping. 

However, don't limit yourself to just a vase, any type of decorative storage container about 2 feet tall, that's quite narrow, will work.

Additional Storage Ideas for the Washroom

You can also acquire a bathroom floor storage cupboard system. As you'll see here, there are numerous designs, colors, and styles to choose from. Be sure to check them out.

Some come in extremely narrow designs (approximately 6" wide), so they can fit in that small space beside the toilet. 

Other style options are slightly larger and are being designed for corners. If your washroom has unused corner space, consider a corner storage cabinet. Most offer a small counter surface enabling you to put something decorative (or practical) on top of it.

When you're doing this year's spring cleaning, remember to think creatively when it comes to storage. In fact, if you're getting the itch to sell your home, try re-organizing a room before you jump through that very large hoop! It may even scratch that itch for change.

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.”

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Review of the VTech Turn and Learn Driver Toy

Little Boys and Car-Related Toys

Grandson Tyler with Driver Toy

I have five grandsons who all live over 1,000 miles from me.  Therefore, it is often difficult to know just what toys the boys already have and what they are wishing for.  At birthday and Christmas times I have to rely on the parents (my 'kids') for gift suggestions.

This past Christmas, I asked my youngest son for gift ideas for 6-year-old David and 20 month old Tyler.  David was easy – a Star Wars Lego set.  For toddler boy Tyler, the suggestion was any toy with buttons to push, knobs to turn and NOISES. 

While doing an online search with this criteria in mind, I came across what I thought might be the 'perfect' toy for Tyler.  It's similar to one I bought for my oldest grandson (now 19) when HE was Tyler's age and remembered what a big hit it was, since little boys appear to be 'car crazy' from birth.  I think it's part of their DNA!  

The toy I bought for Tyler was the VTech Turn and Learn Driver Toy

VTech Turn and Learn Driver, Yellow

The VTech Turn and Learn Driver Toy is a steering wheel toy with a cute little dog character that moves back and forth as the wheel is turned.  Across the top of the 'dashboard' are five colorful buttons which introduce different animals and vehicles when pushed.

This toy car has three play modes, so your little driver can learn in animal, driving or music mode. 

There is also a traffic light, a signal lever that makes fun sounds and music, and a gear shifter that pushes and pulls.  Oh, and of course a horn!  Lots of interactive play, making this a wonderful teaching toy.  This Turn and Learn Driver Toy, which also comes in several models and colors, has a fun car design that encourages imaginative play as part of early childhood education.

This toy is from Vtech Kids, a division of Vtech® considered a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children.  The company has been making quality educational toys for children for over 35 years.

Baby Tyler's opinion?  He thought having his own steering wheel was the greatest thing he'd seen.  I watched him open the box Christmas morning over Skype and he virtually ignored the rest of the gifts offered him to open.  All he wanted to do was turn the steering wheel back and forth and honk the horn and push all the buttons! He loved it.  And it was such fun for this grandma to watch his reaction to this toy and know I'd made the best gift choice possible.

The VTech Turn and Learn Driver Toy operates on 2 AA batteries and is recommended for babies and toddlers in the 6 months to 3 year old range.  Tyler, at 20 months, is the perfect age for this cute and colorful interactive toy. It also comes in a variety of colors. I chose the bright Yellow one with the red steering wheel.

Tyler, Age 20 months

 Hey Tyler!  Happy to see you like your new toy!

~Love, Grandma

Quick Links:

VTech Turn & Learn Driver Toy on Amazon

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A Review of "The Inn at Ocean's Edge" by Colleen Coble

Every once in a while I find a book that is so rare, the plot so unique, that I want to shout to the world, "you must read this book!"  That is the case with the book I literally just finished reading.  

I don't normally read mysteries, but this book appeared in my romantic fiction genre.  I didn't even realize I had selected a mystery until I was hooked.  As it turns out, this may well be the best book I have read in years.

Obviously, I could highly recommend "The Inn at Ocean's Edge" by Colleen Coble to anyone who enjoys a romance, a lot of mystery, and a plot that is not at all obvious to the reader.  I literally set on the edge of my seat, stayed up as long as my eyes would stay open, to read this book and find out what really happened to this family, these people, the little girl who was lost in the woods.

The Inn At Ocean's Edge

The plot of the book is so detailed, there is no way I can truly do it justice in a few short paragraphs, but I will try. 

 The Inn at Ocean's Edge (A Sunset Cove Novel)On her 4th birthday, Claire Dellamare was lost in the woods.  A year later, she was found, but she had no recollection of anything that had happened to her.  It was as if the whole year was completely lost to her.  As she was growing up, she was cherished by her parents who previously thought their daughter was gone to them forever.  Her life was cushioned by great wealth and she was respected for her business acumen within her father's company.  It seemed her life was perfect until she returned to "The Inn at Ocean's Edge".  

She didn't think she had ever been there, but she seemed to know things about the place she couldn't possibly know otherwise.  Not very deep into the pages of the book, we find out that this hotel was the setting for her 4th birthday party.  This was the place from which she disappeared.  She didn't even remember that she had disappeared.  She had no idea that her life was so shrouded in mystery, until the residents started talking.

Murders, illness, abduction, lies, and scary nightmares of an unknown man who she witnessed commit murder, all play a part of this most unusual plot.  Once the killer realizes she could actually identify him, he doesn't hesitate to stalk her.  Even with a murderer close on her heels, she is having occasional flashbacks, revelations about her father and his infidelity, as it all culminates to put her, and others, into even greater danger.  So many lies have been told.  So much of the past has been covered up.  She has no idea who she can actually trust.

As Claire searches for the truth, her life, past and present, becomes intertwined with Luke Rocco, whose mother disappeared the same day the little 4 year old went missing.  Unlike Claire, Luke's mother did not return to Folly Shoals, Maine.  He fears she actually never left, especially once bones are found on nearby property.  

A Sunset Cove Novel

Apparently "The Inn at Ocean's Edge" is the first of 3 books in the "Sunset Cove Series".  I don't think there is any way Colleen Coble can ever match this book again, but I will definitely be starting the second book in the series tonight.  I can hardly wait to see what she has in store for us in "Mermaid Moon", but most likely by the time you are reading this review, I will have finished that book as well.  

It is so very exciting to find a book series that I can barely finish one book before I am downloading the next in the series as fast as my little fingers can sail across the keyboard and push that little purchase button.

Now, I am off!  I only stopped long enough to tell you about this most excellent book.  I know you will want to read it too.

 The Inn at Ocean's Edge (A Sunset Cove Novel) Mermaid Moon (A Sunset Cove Novel) Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (A Sunset Cove Novel)

"The Inn at Ocean's Edge" Book Review Written by:

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.”

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