All I Want for Christmas is ... - A Product Review

Santa, I've been good, honestly and all I want for Christmas is a little help for my coffee!

Anyone who knows me will agree that they most often will see me with a cup of coffee in my hand!  It doesn't matter what time of day or night, that coffee mug is in my hand!  If I'm smiling then you know the cup is full, if not, then you better: 1) Put a pot of coffee on or 2) Refill my empty one!

 

 It's just lately that I stop drinking coffee after 8 in the evening.  But until that time, I'm a coffee-holic! And I'm not ashamed to admit it!

I have not yet met a cup of coffee that I didn't like!  Even a bad cup of coffee is better than none at all.  

On the weekend though, my coffee experience just lifted up a notch or two.  We were at my son's home for a lovely dinner (Thank You, Jon & Amy),  After dinner my lovely daughter in law offered coffee to finish off the meal!  (She knows me too well.) 

What she didn't tell me is that she was making a special coffee that she was sure I would enjoy!  I sat back and just told her to bring it on!

Well let's just say that I was treated to a lovely cappuccino coffee made with a beautifully frothed bed of egg nog on top!  The foam was firm and so pretty and tasty too!

We save our cappuccinos for Sunday afternoons as a treat, so this was indeed a nice treat!  What I didn't realize is that it was egg nog that was frothed on top until my little taste buds got involved

" Oh my this is so good"  I exclaimed and my daughter in law was just beaming!

Needless to say, I needed to know how she got that beautiful froth on top!  It looked like a cappuccino that comes from some little Italian Cafe!  My froths are never so perfect!  

Into the kitchen I go, to find out the secret!  And there on the counter was this neat little jug filled with frothy and sweet perfectly frothed egg nog, just waiting to be refilled in my cup!

Santa, I need one of those frothers!  I've been a good girl and this would just make my coffee Sundays so much better than they are now!  Please, please, please!

This is the one I want! Made by the same people that bring you the Instant Pot, this little milk frother/steamer makes enough foam for several cups of coffee and it's ready in minutes!  That's not all this little kitchen helper does either!  If you are not a coffee lover like I am, you can also make hot chocolate, cold frothed milk and just warm milk if that's something you like. You don't even need to use milk if you are lactose intolerant, you can use soy milks, oat milk and more. 

If you are a coffee lover like me, then one of these neat little Instant Frother/Steamers would be perfect for you too!  We will be one of the best Barrista's going!  

Now I have to wait patiently and see if I did indeed make it to Sants's "nice" list or not!  I hope his list is not this one! 

 

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Reviewing Reusable Christmas Gift Bags

 

 

How is your Christmas gift wrapping going? Do you find it a chore that has to be done or a happy festive part of the fun?  We have just started to wrap all our gifts and these days it is an easy joyful process. A few years ago we bought one pack of reusable Christmas gift bags and now, for many reasons, we love them! Since then we have bought a pack each year and now have plenty to meet all our Christmas wrapping needs for years to come!

Prior to purchasing the Christmas gift bags we had always bought rolls of wrapping paper, tape and needed scissors to hand and a lot of space. I was always Ok at gift wrapping presents so they looked pretty but my husband does not like doing it. My dad had a go but usually needed damage control after he had finished and my Mum struggled the last few years of her life with wrapping presents as she had bad arthritis in her hands. We all got a bit frustrated with all the sticky tape and scissors and endless rolls of paper all around. 

We are also concerned about waste and the environment and although we have always tried to save wrapping paper to reuse where possible that was often difficult because it had been ripped or torn during gift opening time! So still a lot of it went into the bin. Although some could be recycled, a lot could not. 

So when we saw these types of reusable gift bags we thought they would solve several problems.

1. Despite the initial issues of production of wrapping bags and materials, because they can be reused many times they are more environmentally friendly than buying paper and throwing it away after just one use. If we are going to use wrapping for our gifts make and buy it once, using it many times is better for the environment.

2. These gift bags make wrapping gifts so much easier and quicker!  Even awkward-shaped gifts are so easy to wrap using these bags. I find them very time-saving. It takes me significantly less time now to wrap presents with these bags than it used to with wrapping paper.  It is simply a case of opening the bag putting the gift inside and tieing up the top with the drawstring or a ribbon, add a tag and you are done!  

3. If you have any issues with your hands such as arthritis or you just find trying to wrap gifts difficult these wrapping bags, especially those with drawstrings, are wonderful and relieve a lot of pressure and stress.  

4. Christmas gift bags look beautiful and can be made up with ties, ribbons and bows to look gorgeous and very well presented even if you are not good at wrapping procedures. Some sets have integrated drawstrings which can be very useful or if not you can easily tie them up with a beautiful ribbon. They look wonderful and festive under the tree. The big ones look impressive sat under the Christmas tree. Small or light presents could even be hung on the tree or placed in a Christmas stocking. 

5. They come in a wide variety of colours, pretty, festive and fun designs to suit every member of your family and friends. Some even come with tags and ribbons included. 

6. The Christmas gift bags come in different sizes to meet your needs. You can get them for really large gifts in jumbo sizes or small and precious gifts and everything in between. 

You can either put the gift straight into the bag or if you want to disguise it more put it inside a box or other container first.  

7. Once you buy the gift bags you can use them again and again. The initial outlay may be a little more but it means that you do not have to keep remembering to buy more wrapping paper every year and if you are careful to gather them up within your family you can reuse them every year thus saving time and money. 

There is such a huge variety of Christmas gift bags you can  choose which sets suit your needs.

 

We have now had our original set for 4 years and it is as good as the first year. 

It is important after opening the present to carefully gather up and fold the bags and then put them away safely but it is a small task. The gift bags are very easy to store. They generally lie flat and we store them along with the other Christmas decorations.

They are more environmentally friendly as long as you do reuse them. When you are giving gifts within your family or household it is easy to gather them up to use again.

If giving gifts outside your household you can mention that the bag is reusable and hopefully they will save it and use it again.

Gifts are very easy to wrap using Christmas Gift bags. It makes Christmas gift-wrapping time much easier and quicker. Although I do enjoy the process of wrapping gifts as it is more fun and less work this way, I will not go back to using rolls of wrapping paper again and will simply use our reusable Christmas gift bags. 

Wishing everyone who celebrates, a Very Happy and Peaceful Christmas! 

Holiday Gift Guide: Thoughtful, Affordable Gift Ideas They Will Love

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Favorite Gadgets of 2022 Reviewed

It's end of the year gadget review time! Yes the end of the year is always a great time for the gadget fans to review the great finds of the year and also a great time to perhaps give a few of those gadget winners as Christmas gifts. I love a good gadget, but I love even more a gadget which has been tested and has made it into the winner category.

Favorite Gadgets And Reviews 2022

5 cup Coffee Mini Brew by Wednesday Elf

Another perfectly sized gadget which is just my size! Actually I am not a fan of coffee, but cannot exclude the coffee drinkers in a home. This mini brew is not only mini sized per cup I love it requires a small footprint for the counter top.

Coleman Camp Oven Review by Renaissance Woman

As gadgets go this may be one of the most flexible and valuable! If you live in an area where the power grid can be sketchy, this is an item of interest. A mini oven whose first intent was a portable oven for camping by as the reviewer discovered became invaluable at home during a power outage. What a fabulous gift for a camping friend!

Portable DVD Player by Sylvestermouse

Yes! What a great idea and stocking stuffer for those with DVD's- yes, raise your hand if your house still owns DVD's but no longer has a DVD player! This portable gadget is great for travel and an easy and convenient way to watch your favorite DVD's.

Flex Seal Reviewed by Sam

Liquid rubber in a can with so many darn uses! Who knew. I used this to repair a pesky little hole in a gutter that was being a problem child. I used the spray version of the flex seal to spray the area I knew the hole existed. Voila! Problem solved. 

Badminton Set by Olivia Morris

Whoa! The fun fun memories reading this review brought back of badminton in the yard. The sets have come along way and now portable badminton sets are available. What a great holiday gift this would be (hint hint!) 

Silcone Mini Molds by the Savvy Age

Definitely a winner for in the baking category! A very good price point for a large set of molds perfect to make mini desserts, mini appetizers and even mini meatloafs. 

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Why I Feel Bad Today - A Workbook for Teens and Adults

I recently published the opposing workbook, called "Why I Feel Good Today." 

This workbook, "Why I Feel Bad Today," is designed to help teens or adults isolate their daily experiences and triggers contributing to a less-than-positive day.

Why Do We Need Workbooks

The stresses of this interconnected world can be overwhelming, and a workbook to write down and track our moods, triggers, and good and bad experiences help us to sort out life's continuing fog.

Now more than ever, people can feel submerged in an endless vortex of one problem after another.

This prompt workbook was written with love and is meant to be a fun self-care tool to aid in sorting out the good, the bad, and the ugly.

With This Workbook, You'll Track What Made You Feel Bad During a Particular Month

The workbook is not meant to be a negative book!

On the contrary, this workbook is designed to help you figure out repeating trends that make you feel bad, so you know more clearly where to make changes. 

Even making a small change daily can make a difference in our lives. 

However, how can we change toward a happier life unless we actively track our negative triggers.

What This Workbook Includes:

13 Color Coded Months with Four Monthly Prompt Pages:

• Each month is color coded
• Each month includes a positive quote
• You'll have a spot to record daily quick notes
• There's a place to track specifics about the month, with prompt questions
• Each month has a place to expand on what has affected your life
• The monthly summary page includes four prompt questions to help you better analyze your month
• Included is a 365-day chart to color in your mood daily. When the year is up, look at which mood color is most prominent to determine, with just a glance, what your overall mood was for that year.

Track your months when you want; you don't have to track the months in order. If you'd rather only track the months you feel are your worst, you can also do that.

Here's the "Why I Feel Bad Today" Workbook 

Available on Amazon

You can preview the book's interior via StumpedRiddles here or, of course, on Amazon here.

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ICED by Felix Francis – Book Review

ICED is the latest horseracing mystery by Felix Francis, son of the British crime writer Dick Francis.

Synopsis

Miles Pussett grew up wanting more than anything to be a championship steeplechase jockey like his father. He loved riding horses and dreamed of following in his father's footsteps.

When his dad is killed in an automobile accident when Miles is 12, he devotes himself to learning to ride like his famous father. He is given his first opportunity while still in his teens to compete in a point-to-point event, his first horse race, albeit as an amateur. When his mother dies, he becomes a jockey for a training stable.

Although Miles tries his best, he endures many setbacks as he pursues his dream. He is treated badly by fellow jockeys as they all think he is only given rides in horse races because of who is father was. Therefore he has no friends. He wins a few races, but 'being the best' eludes him as there are more losses than wins and his confidence level gets lower and lower.

Miles ends up drinking as a way to 'forget' his failures and eventually he hits rock-bottom. With the help of the trainer's wife, who sees the problem and wants to help Miles, he ends up seeing a psychiatrist. Turns out that Miles has been suffering from PTSD going back to his childhood. He always thought that PTSD was only a veteran's condition. Not so. Anyone can suffer from it given enough trauma that has gone unrecognized. 

Until the psychiatrist explains it to him, Miles had no idea that his dad's death had affected him so strongly (because 12-year-old Miles was in the car with his dad the day of the accident). And his mother's death when he was only 17 was due to suicide and Miles blamed himself. All this trauma before he ever grew up with no one helping him understand it led to his PTSD. 

Now it is 7 years later and Miles has left the horse racing world and is doing fine. Instead, he enjoys riding headfirst down the Cresta Run, a three-quarter-mile Swiss ice chute, reaching speeds of up to eighty miles per hour. 

While at St. Moritz for the Cresta Run, Miles discovers it is the same weekend as the White Turf – an event featuring high-class horseracing taking place on a frozen lake.  Against his better judgment, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. But then he discovers something suspicious going on at the races.

Miles begins to search for answers, because the 'something suspicious' many have a profound impact on his future. But someone is adamant about stopping him – and they will go to any lengths to do it.

Summary

The horseracing mystery involved in ICED is, as always, an interesting read for fans of the Dick Frances and Felix Francis stories. But it is also a look into how Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) can affect not only those who have fought in wars, but anyone who has had to endure a series of traumas in their life.  

Available on Amazon

Related Links:

• Crisis by Felix Francis
• Straight - a Horseracing Mystery by Dick Francis

*Iced, a horseracing mystery by Felix Francis reviewed by Wednesday Elf

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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