Umbrella: The Word, History, Origin, Parts and A Few of My Favorites

This page is a resource page for things related to a tool that I and many others consider essential, the umbrella. Here you will find a bit of information about the umbrella including a definition, the history, the origins of the word and even a great info graphic that shares the names of all of the parts for you. Finally, you will find a few of my favorite umbrellas with links to more reading about them.

THE WORD UMBRELLA DEFINED

An umbrella can be loosely defined as a canopy to help shield one against rain. They're a tool that is generally designed to be hand held and often are very fashionable. Umbrellas can also shield from the sun but are lesser used in that regard and I think of a parasol as something to be carried to protect from the sun.

HISTORY OF THE UMBRELLA

The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago as a device for protection against the sun. It was the Chinese who waterproofed them for rain protection but it wasn't until the 1900s that the umbrellas which we are familiar with today were invented.

ORIGIN OF THE WORD UMBRELLA

The word umbrella is derived from the Latin word umbra which comes from an ancient Greek word, ombros which means shade or shadow. 

OTHER WORDS FOR UMBRELLA

The word brolly is a slang word for umbrella that is often used in Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Other terms for umbrella include bumbershoot and 'bella with the second coined by pop music star Rihanna. 

PARTS OF AN UMBRELLA

Yes, all of the parts of an umbrella have a name. Here’s an info graphic for those who are curious about what the various parts are called.

NATIONAL UMBRELLA DAY AND MONTH

Did you know there was such a thing as National Umbrella Day? How about National Umbrella Month? If not, you can read more about National Umbrella Month here and about National Umbrella Day here.

FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS CELEBRITY UMBRELLAS

The umbrella shows up in an endless variety of fictional stories as well as in real life now and historically. Curious about some of the stories tied to celebrity umbrellas? Check out a page of famous celebrity umbrellas by clicking here. 

FAVORITE UMBRELLAS

I love a beautiful umbrella with a design that suits the user and I love almost any umbrella that is made by Totes. 

Though I love the patterned umbrellas, there are times when Totes Clear Bubble Umbrellas are the perfect solution. Walking in a crowd? This umbrella will let you see the way forward clearly. You can learn more about Totes clear bubble umbrellas here.

Alternatively, there is the Rainbrella Golf Umbrella. It is good for keeping you dry and it is good for more than just golf. Learn more about the Rainbrella Golf Umbrella here.

Do you have a favorite umbrella? Do you consider yours an important accessory?

See you

under your

umbrella!

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

Info Graphic Source: Wikipedia. 

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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Birthday Gift Ideas & Suggestions Reviewed on Review This Reviews!

Treasures from the Archives of Review This Reviews! 

Birthdays are something everybody has even though birthday celebrations vary drastically.  The type or size of gift also varies based on the needs or desires of the recipient as well as the pocketbook of the giver.

Some people prefer to have a quiet birthday dinner with their immediate family, while others enjoy huge birthday parties with a combination of friends and family.  

Regardless of the type of celebration, it is always nice to be remembered on your birthday.  However, choosing a gift is often a challenge.

Children almost always have a list of gifts they would like to receive, but sometimes we still need additional ideas.  Some givers like to give surprise gifts.

Adults are almost always harder to buy a gift for.  To begin with, you don't always know what an adult may want or need.  Often, they are not nearly as forthcoming with gift requests as children.  That is when we are on our own to find the perfect gift.

Birthday Gift Ideas from Our Contributors 

With over a dozen contributors, all with personal experience in selecting gifts for just about anyone, Review This Reviews offers some really unique and wonderful birthday gift idea suggestions.

Here is a sampling of what you will find reviewed by our contributors.  See our Birthday Gift Ideas Pinterest Board for More!

Birthday Gifts For Men:  

• Guy Harvey Saltwater Fishing Apparel
• High Pressure Car Cleaning Tool
• Trackimo - An Excellent Personal GPS Tracker
• Remote Control Helicopters are Great Gifts for Men
• The Man Mug
• Car Care Kit (Remove Scratches from Auto Paint)
• Smittybilt Tent for Jeeps
• Conair Home Haircut Kit

Birthday Gifts For Women:  

• Lava Stone Bracelet
• Reviewing an Essential Oil Set
• Birthstone Charm Necklace for Grandmother
• Handmade Crocheted Slippers
• Totes Clear Bubble Umbrella
• CYZ Women's Pajama Bottoms

Birthday Gifts For The Cook

• Copper Chef Black Diamond Nonstick Cookware
• The Dexter Russell 8-Inch Bread Knife
• Grill Mat
• Refrigerator Liners
• Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker

Birthday Gifts For Children & Teens:  

• Monopoly Unicorns vs Llamas Game Reviewed
• Books for Children
• Playskool Heroes Transformers Review
• Google Play Gift Cards: the Preferred Gifts
• Science Academy Lip Balm Lab Reviewed
• Gifts for Your Vegan Teenage Daughter

For Anyone:  

• Olloclip Phone Lens Kit (for iPhone photography)
• Adopting An Elephant
• Wooden Puzzle Compartment Boxes by Kalotart on Etsy
• OontZ Angle 3 Bluetooth Speaker
• MyPillow Pillows
• Puzzles for Puzzle Day or Any Day
• Thermos Stainless King Travel Tumblers & Travel Mugs
• Sony A6300 Mirrorless Camera
• GOOLOO Jump Starter Power Bank
• Wham-O Frisbee

You may also find some really wonderful gift ideas from our collection of Book Reviews, Movie Reviews, or Music Reviews.

A Review This Reviews Pinterest Board - Birthday Gifts Reviewed 

The board below features 30 of our most recent reviews.

Click through to Pinterest to see all of the Birthday Gift Recommendations for Your Consideration that have been Reviewed by Review This Reviews Contributors! 

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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Instacart Vs Shipt Reviewed

My how we have become attached to the Grocery Delivery services Instacart and Shipt in my area. These services have been invaluable for no contact grocery delivery during a time of grocery challenge!

I've used Shipt and Instacart frequently in the past months and have been pleased with both services. Shipt is an annual fee of $99 with delivery for free on orders with a $35 minimum. Instacart is $99 annually or a monthly fee of $9.99 with Instacart Express and delivery for free on orders with a $35 minimum.

The App Design

Both the Instacart app and Shipt app have definitely progressed in the last year. The product offering has increased along with a huge improvement in the accuracy of stock on the shelves. I slightly prefer the Instacart app as it it more intuitively friendly for me, but each app is easy to use and does not require any skills beyond beginner.

Both apps are also available on desktop for those not phone friendly or prefer a larger screen when ordering. The functionality of the desktop or the phone app is the same.

The Stores

The selection of stores for Instacart far exceeds Shipt. The stores will vary by your location. Instacart offers: Meijer, Target, CVS, 2 higher end Independent Grocery Stores, Gordon Food, Kroger, Costco, Aldi, Big Lots, Staples, Petco, B.J.'s Wholesale, Fresh Thyme, Better Health.

Shipt offers: Meijer, Target, Petco, CVS, Office Depot, Sur La Table, Fresh Thyme and Meijer Corner Market.

Shipt is owned by Target. Instacart is privately owned with rounds of fund raising.

Substitutions

Each app has evolved to offer the option of choosing a substitution from a similar product when the order is placed. This can save time for the shopper and yourself for if the stores are running low on stock, given the advance authorization the shopper can substitute in real time without having to text you mid shop.

I have found shoppers for each service to be very good at choosing substitutions or initiating contact via text to approve a substitution. Many shoppers will text an image of the proposed substitution to ensure the order is accurate.

The Surcharge

Once upon a time (as in last year) I paid the same price via the app as I did when shopping in store. This is no more. Each service does bump up the prices and it also varies per store. One store charged a 12 percent surcharge on each item which I found was not cost friendly! Be sure to read the fine print for each store on the app. For items you frequently purchase in store you will recognize the surcharge amount.

No Contact Delivery

Just a few short months ago I would meet the shopper on the driveway. Now and for the foreseeable future no contact delivery is preferred. There is an option in the app to specify exactly where the order should be delivered.

The shopper will text when on the way and text after delivery. I have been utilizing this all purpose cart for groceries and while this cart wasn't the intent when purchasing -  it has sure come in handy. I roll the cart out to the door and the shopper can easily unload the groceries.

This rolling and foldable utility cart has a multitude of uses around the home and I have been very pleased with the purchase. The cart is rugged and can be easily pulled across the lawn for gardening, weeding, planting.

Tipping

Each app gives the option to choose the amount of tip before or after the order is placed. This was not always the case when the apps offered tipping after delivery. There are pros and cons to this feature. In times of high demand a tip can be an incentive for your order to be chosen; however the option always exists post order to adjust the tip.

My Preference?

I actually do not have a preference; however, one of the perks of Shipt is the new Meijer Corner Market. This is  a new version of the traditional Meijer store. It is a much smaller Meijer specializing in groceries plus products from local merchants. This store has become a go to favorite.

Now that demand is less I have found the delivery time slots are available on each. Shipt does have an option to delivery early which I have found very handy and convenient. This is an option where the shopper is allowed to select and deliver the order early; so if a 10-11 a.m. delivery is selected then the shopper could deliver anywhere from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. You will be notified when the shopper is starting order and notified along the way as the shopper progresses throughout the order to actual delivery.

More Grocery Delivery App Reviews

Instacart Review by Bev Owens
Shipt Review by The Savvy Age
Grocery Delivery Services Reviewed by The Savvy Age

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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12 Step Summary of Preparation Tips for Creating a Niche Book Series

Preparation Tips for Creating a Book Series

In October of 2019, I decided it was time to tackle one item on my bucket list: To publish a book featuring a collection of my personally written poems.

I've written several articles on my experience as a newbie self-publisher. Here's my most recent article that talks about Glossy versus Matte Finish Book Covers.

In the beginning, self-publishing wasn't easy! In fact, it took perseverance, patience, and a bit of holy water followed by soap to wash my mouth out with!

Creating My Series of Riddle Books

Once the poetry book was under my belt, I decided to create a series of Riddle Books. I have this crazy knack for writing riddles, so I decided to use this quirky ability for books.

My driving force for writing riddle books is to create something light, fun, and distracting. It turns out 2020 needs a lot of that!

I started with one book, then decided to create a series under the same topic. I'll keep adding to this series until my mind runs out of ideas.

To date, I've written and self-published four riddle books. I've just completed the content for Riddle Book number five, Halloween Riddles, which is scheduled to be published in August 2020. I also have a sixth riddle book halfway completed but don't have a date planned for that release yet.

Although I'm not a guru-self-publisher, I'd like to share my own process for creating a series of books for a niche. Note that as of this date, I've self-published via Amazon's Self-Publishing platform; however, I plan to expand to other writing platforms in a few months. I'll write about that learning process later.

Note: These are summary tips. I didn't delve into the detail of each. The tips are meant to give you a mental picture of the entire thought process before you dive into the process. In other words, things to consider if you're truly serious about your endeavor.

My Personal Twelve-Step Summary Guide to Creating Your Own Niche Series of Self-Published Books:

1. Choose a topic for your series of books.
2. Write and self-publish your book in both eBook and Paperback format. 
3. Don't rush, take it one book at a time and don't limit yourself to a specific number of books.
4. Decide if the format for each book will be the same: For example number of chapters, introductions, closing pages, and structure.
5. Be willing to change your covers several times in the beginning if needed - I did this a lot.
6. Create a website that reflects your book's topic.
7. Design and decide upon a Logo for your series.
8. Create a business Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter page for your book's topic.
9. Create engaging posts about your book's topic on these social media business accounts.
10. Create a video that speaks about who you are and put that video on your website and your social media accounts.
11. Include your social media links and website links at the back of your ebooks and paperback books. Be sure to follow Amazon's rules on links in eBooks.
12. Create and set-up your Amazon Author page - be sure to link to your website's RSS feed to your Author Page so that the new posts on your websites are updated automatically to your author page. 

Here's a Four eBook Series of My Riddle Books

Amazon automatically created an eBook Series for me. In other words, I didn't have to create the amazon page that offered my eBooks as a series. They put two and two together and created the page. However, for a paperback series, I'll have to assemble that offer to the public myself. I'll let you know how that goes - I still have to learn how to do it!

My About Me Video

Here's the video I created for my Website and Social Media Websites. It's intentionally not 'guru-professional.' My goal was to introduce myself to my followers - to be real - to be who I am, nothing more. There are several video services you can use online, I used Animoto.

Again, these tips are meant as an overview to help you consider the big picture before you start writing your book series.

Happy Creating!

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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Reviewing The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

This riveting historical fiction novel is one that is hard to put down once you start reading and takes you on a journey through both the first World War as well as post World War II.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, photo by Lou16

A little while ago I read a review on this very site for a book called The Huntress by Kate Quinn which peeked my interest so when I was in a bookstore and saw The Alice Network by Kate Quinn author of The Huntress I just had to buy it.   The Alice Network was actually penned first and after reading it I am even more keen to read The Huntress!

The Alice Network was actually real as was the leader and Kate Quinn has done a marvelous job of interweaving actual historic events into a story that is hard to put down.

The Queen of Spies herself, courtesy of Wikipedia

The novel features two strong heroines - Eve Gardiner and Charlie St Clair.   Eve's story takes us through the world of women espionage during the first World War and introduces us to the real life Queen of Spies, Louise de Bettignies.   What I found great after finishing this story was the author notes at the end which mention which of the characters were actually based on historical figures and which weren't.   Something I thought very interesting was where Kate Quinn got the idea for Eve's story, along with her spy name.

Eve's chapters take us through the perils of life as a female spy during World War I in France.   The other heroine is Charlie St Clair who finds herself (an American college girl) pregnant and unwed at 19 during the aftermath of World War II.

When her mother takes Charlie to Europe to dispose of her 'little problem' they make a stop in England where Charlie leaves the hotel to search for Eve Gardiner who was a name on the bottom of a missing persons report for her French cousin who went missing during the war.

Together they head to Europe, along with Eve's Scottish helper and driver and start on their individual quests - Charlie to find her cousin Rose and Eve to hunt down her enemy who handed her over to the Germans during WWI.

As the book interweaves through the two story lines we learn more about both heroines along the way and find where they both have to make major decisions which could totally change the outcomes of their lives.   The book also exposes the double standards women faced during WWI and showed how little these double standards had changed by the 1940s. 

Obviously as with any historical fiction some liberties were taken, but I'd love to think that Louise de Bettignies did buy ridiculous hats when travelling and was able to inject some fun into her life of intrigue.   I like the idea of her having the personality that was displayed in the book as the life of a spy in France at that time was very bleak - as it was for most every day people in Europe at that time.

I would love to see this book turned into a movie as I'm sure my husband would enjoy it.  What can you expect from this book?   If you pick up this book expect suspense, intrigue, a little romance and so many twists and turns.

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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