Wooden Puzzle Compartment Boxes by Kalotart on Etsy Reviewed

The Biggest Hit in Our Home on Christmas!

Each year, I try to find a unique surprise gift for our children for Christmas.  They make a wish-list for me which helps tremendously in gift selection, but I still enjoy giving that unexpected gift that will hopefully light their eyes with excitement.  The surprise gift choice I made this year may very well be the best I have ever selected.  I gave each of them a Wooden Puzzle Compartment Box made by Kalotart on Esty.

I admit, the challenge to find a worthy surprise gift gets harder every year now that our children are both grown, especially since our daughter is married.  That means instead of two, I try to find something all 3 kids will enjoy.  

How I Found the Wooden Puzzle Compartment Boxes by Kalotart on Esty

I shop year round for Christmas.  You see, my Christmas gift to myself and to my husband is that Christmas is paid for before Dec. 25th each year.  Neither of us like debt and we wouldn't be able to enjoy Christmas at all if we felt the heavy burden of debt waiting for us on Dec. 26th.  Therefore, when I made the surprise gift selection for our children back in July, it was not unusual.  But, it was hard for me to wait until Christmas to give it to them.

One of my favorite online sites is Etsy.  I started my search for a unique gift there and found the Wooden Puzzle Boxes by Kalotart.  When I read about László 'Kossuth' Antal, maker of the boxes, my decision was made!   There is something very special about knowing he makes the boxes based on a design by his great-great-grandfather.   A family tradition of beautiful craftsmanship!

However, even I must admit, I didn't realize how fabulous my choice was until Christmas morning.

Giving the Gift of Wooden Puzzle Boxes by Kalotart

Our daughter spent this Christmas with her inlaws, so we Skyped each other and opened our gifts together.  I had shipped her box to them in advance with instructions to not open it until we were connected on Skype.  I handed our son his package to open once we were all seated and ready to rip of the wrapping paper.  The boxes were an instant hit because of their visual outward beauty.  Anyone would appreciate the lovely colors and designs.  

I selected a white box for our daughter & son-in-law, and a green box for our son.  I laughed because they each thought their box was the prettiest.  First score for Mom!  I chose the right color for each child.  

I wrote a note on the top of each box that told them they had to discover how to open the puzzle box in order to discover the surprise inside.  They immediately started investigating their boxes.  I offered hints, but they all replied with an emphatic "no!"  I honestly had no idea that our son-in-law loved puzzles too, but he was as invested in discovering the secret way to open the box as either my daughter or my son.

They tilted, turned, inspected, shook, and pushed sections of the box until they each found a solution, but it did take a while and was exactly the level of challenge they all enjoy.    

My parents were here for the Skype / Gift Opening session.  It was truly as much fun for us to watch "the solving game" as it used to be to see their reactions years ago to their gifts from "Santa".

Oh, one more thing!  In case you are wondering who got the third box shown in the intro picture, it was a gift for my parents which they received later on Christmas day.  

How to Purchase Your Own Wooden Puzzle Compartment Boxes by Kalotart on Etsy

The boxes are offered individually or at a reduced price in purchased in lots of 2 or more.  There are several different designs and sizes that are available in a variety of colors.  

The workmanship is beyond outstanding.  These boxes are beautifully carved and tightly assembled with exceptional fittings.  You would never know just looking at the box that it is also a fabulous puzzle with secret compartments inside.

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Wooden Puzzle Compartment Boxes by Kalotart on Etsy 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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Review of Cape St. George Lighthouse

Cape St. George Lighthouse

On the beautiful island of St. George, just off the Florida panhandle stands a historic lighthouse.  Cape St. George has been rebuilt 3 times since it was originally built in 1833.  Powerful storms, hurricanes and even the civil war interrupted the light being used to guide ships into the cotton port of Apalachicola. The current lighthouse was completed in December of 2008.  

Visiting Cape St. George

The current lighthouse is reached by traveling a 4.2 mile bridge over to St. George Island.  As you approach the island you can't miss the lighthouse that stands in the center of the island.  On the day that we visited it started raining as we approached the island so we decided to stop for lunch at the Blue Parrot before taking photos of the lighthouse.  We were rewarded for our patience by the lighthouse taking on a beautiful glow after the rain shower and a rainbow appearing near the bottom third of the lighthouse.

Different Perspectives of the Lighthouse

As I have stated in this blog before, I love walking around the area of the lighthouses I photograph to find different perspectives.  The newly washed area from the rain gave me some great material on this visit.  Here are a few of my photographs.

Sea after the Storm

Sea after Storm Throw Pillow
by mbgphoto

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Amazing Things to Do Between Christmas and New Years Day

One of my Favorite times of year is Christmas, but once it's over you can feel let down.  So let's Review Ways to keep that after Christmas Depression at bay!

If your family is anything like mine, the days leading up to Christmas have been full of all kinds of trips, errands to run, parties to attend and a host of other fun and time consuming activities.  Depending on the ages of your children or grandchildren, there will also be more than one Christmas recital to attend as well.

This is not a complaint, but, it is a reality.  We get so wound up with places to go and people to see, that when it stops, we feel lost!  Some of us will only feel that way after the New Year because we are still in the middle of all the partying still.  Others, who do not go "all out" for New Years will feel that way sooner.

The bottom line is, it doesn't have to be this way at all!

Part of your planning for the holidays should include that time between the holidays, so that holiday let down is minimized or completely obliterated.  No one really wants to be depressed at the best time of the year. 

So let's make those plans now!  If the plan is in place,  you will actually follow through.  

So let's get down to some concrete ways to stave off any negative feelings.

First of all, if you have family visiting, make arrangements to go somewhere on an outing.

• visit the downtown area and look over the lights and Christmas Displays
• Go sledding or skating, if your body allows that kind of seasonal fun.
• Make Snow Angels (with the above caveat)
• Go to a park with a handful of bird seed, for those birds who don't have a feeder close by
• Pick up some small gift cards for a coffee shop and give them to "Street People" to enjoy
• Visit a local church and see their Nativity Displays
• take lots of pictures while out and about
• when you come home, make some Hot Chocolate and watch a favorite movie
• Be Thankful for the Blessing of Family and Friends.

Between Christmas and New Years is a great time to make some plans for the next year too!  Many a lively conversation could be had over those plans.  Will you make resolutions for 2018?  Will you decide to travel more or less?  How about making a resolution to get together with friends more often?  It is a great idea to look forward, but also take some time to look back and be thankful for all the good things that happened in the year just past.  

When the hustle and bustle has come to a standstill, it's no longer a dreaded fear, rather it's a time to take stock.  Look ahead at what might be coming your way, and look back to see where you have been.  If things weren't the greatest, find ways to make this year to come, better.  If the year past was wonderful all around then celebrate this wholeheartedly, and pray that the year to come will be as blessed as the one just past.  Gratitude for everything is a great way to live.  You don't become nearly as disappointed and you really don't let yourself become engrossed in the things you have no control over either.  

Start taking note of things you are thankful for and try to do something new in the coming year.

If you need help thinking of all the things to be grateful for, there are several different types of journals that can give you some coaching either in pictures or scriptures.  One of my favorites is the one:

If you don't have a gratitude journal, a blank book works well too. Sometimes though in our busy lives, we need a hint of encouragement and for that a true gratitude journal is a bonus. Each page will give you a little inspiration to get you started with the right attitude. If you are not a particularly spiritual person, there are journals that remind you of gratitude without scriptural readings. Whichever one is to your liking, will be a good choice and they are inexpensive.  Maybe Santa brought you one, but if not that's okay too.  You can always get your own when you feel the need for it.  It will be an investment in yourself, for your mental and physical and spiritual well being.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and all your family a most Beautiful, Blessed and Wonderful New Year!

pictures courtesy of Pixabay.com

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Social Media For Writers Reviewed

Authors Need To Market Their Work

Writer Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

One of the gifts that I just received for Christmas was the book Social Media For Writers. My daughter thought it might be helpful for me to brush up on the skills needed to be successful with the use of Social Media in regards to my marketing strategy in order to sell my books. 

If you are a regular reader of Review This, you are probably aware that I published my first Cozy Mystery novel in October of 2017. Then in November I published my second book in the series. It isn't like in the past when if you were lucky enough to find a publisher for your books who offered you a contract. Back then if you were a writer with a large publishing firm, they did a lot of the marketing for you. A lot of us have gone the self-publishing route which means that all of the marketing is up to us, the author. Even if we had a big name publisher we would need to market our own work. Most publishing companies of today only spend their advertising money on well known authors (who kind of don't need it but that is another topic all together!). 

Those of you who know me probably think that I probably already understand how to use social media because this isn't my first rodeo with a writing gig. I might have published my first fictional work but I've been around the block several times when it comes to promoting my online writing ventures. I do understand the basics of social media and use it regularly but I will admit not to its fullest potential. The game is different for authors in particular and let's face it...the way to use these social networks changes on a regular basis. How many times have you reached a point where you feel that you have figured it all out, to have one or two of the popular sites change the playing field? I'm guessing a lot!

So, I really appreciate my daughter gifting me this book! I'm reminding myself of the basics while being able to come up with a strategy for my writing and promotions.

Authors And Social Media

What I like about this book by Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine is that it is written in an easy to understand format. As I said, I'm not new to social media but even if I were the content would be easy to understand. They do a really good job of explaining how each option works and best practices for a writer to use on each platform. They cover blogging, podcasting, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Do they recommend that you try to use all of them? Actually, no. They understand that if one were to try to have a solid presence on all of them; there would be no time for the actual writing of the books. They suggest that you pick the three that you are most comfortable with and go from there.

As I am studying this book, I feel confident with their advice. They are both authors in their own right and I can tell by the content that they actually use social media to promote not just this book but a series of books that they have co-authored together. I don't know about you but for me that is huge. I'm sure that you have experienced the same as I have over the years with getting advice from a so called expert who has less experience than you do when the dust all settles.

I really like that the authors break down the formats and give realistic time frames for using them. Having experience with most of these social media networks, I can tell that they are giving good information on the time that can be invested in working with the different options. They are even honest about having invested a lot of time on a few of them and figuring out that for their needs and their time constraints, it wasn't worth it. That doesn't mean that you will come to the same conclusion because we all have different styles and comfort levels. I do appreciate their honesty in the results for themselves!

Now, I realize that not all of you are planning to write a novel or a work of non-fiction; that being said I do know that many of you have a strong online presence either contributing here on Review This or your own sites. Perhaps you contribute on another multi-user site. My point is that much of the information will be beneficial for your online work as well.

I know in the past, I have tried to have a presence on all of the social media sites. It doesn't take long to get burnt out trying to keep up. Reading a book like Social Media For Writers is helpful in reminding us of what it is we want to accomplish and the audience we are trying to reach. This book gives some realistic advice on coming up with a strategy that is not overwhelming and that with the proper effort put forth should offer a successful result. It is not going to happen overnight but with dedication and a good plan, it can happen.

I am finding this book very helpful and I think that many of you will, also. I know I am changing my strategy after having read it. I am going to concentrate on three platforms and not worry about all of the others. How about you? If you were going to limit your marketing to three platforms, which would you be willing to invest your time in?

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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Christmas Wishes

To our readers,

We wish you peace during this holiday season.

We wish you safe travels. 

We wish you warm homes -

And hearts filled with warm experiences.

We wish you contentedness - 

And joyous times with belly laughs.

We wish you good health.

And we wish you the best gift of all - love.


Merry Christmas,

From Dawn Rae 

and the Contributors of Review This!

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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