The Birthday Mystery Reviewed

Cooking For A Birthday Can Be Deadly

Mystery at a birthday party

Last night, I finished reading The Birthday Mystery by Faith Martin. I would like to offer my review to you this morning.

This book is the first in a newer series by the author known for her DI Hillary Greene series that spans back some thirty years or so. Ms. Martin does not disappoint with her new concept for a good old fashioned whodunit. 

Our sleuth in The Birthday Mystery is Jenny Starling. Jenny travels around the British countryside cooking for different clients. She has been hired to cook the dinner and birthday cakes for a party being given for Justin and Alicia, an upper-class set of twins who will turn 21 in a few days. As she arrives at the home of the twin's parents, something is already amiss. A body has been found in the pond on the residence. Jenny really does not want to get involved and plans to start preparing the plans for the meal and cakes. 

As reluctant as she is, Jenny can't help but overhear conversations that make her curious as to what is really going on in this home. The resident staff do not take well to her being there and give her a hard time whenever they can. She feels there is something off with the family dynamics but can't quite put her finger on it. Justin the birthday boy is a bit pompous and yet she can't help but like him in an odd sort of way. Alicia is beautiful but spoiled and demanding. 

I found this to be a fun reading experience with plenty of twists to the plot. The concept of a traveling cook was interesting and Jenny's sleuthing skills were impressive. The characters were well thought out and the mystery flowed along nicely. It reminded me a bit of the style of Agatha Christie and her Miss Marple which was enjoyable. 

I highly recommend The Birthday Mystery to those of you who enjoy a good old fashioned murder mystery that is not predictable at to "whodunit". To find out who dies at the birthday celebration and more importantly who caused the death, you will have to read the book. I do not think you will be disappointed. 

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Kanopy Review: The Free Streaming Service

Free! Yes. Free. Kanopy is the free streaming service you may be unaware exists and unaware you can be a member with your library card! Movies on demand with the click of a mouse at no charge to you. No contracts or subscriptions are required.

What Is Kanopy?

Be Entertained. Be Enriched. is the tagline of Kanopy.

Kanopy is a movie lovers' dream! Particularly if you are a fan of documentaries, Indie Films and non fiction entertainment then you will not be disappointed. It is akin to being transported to your local library, but through the ease of your computer.

Who can Access Kanopy?

Kanopy is free to members of participating public libraries and universities.  Check the digital services section of your library website or university; chances are Kanopy is available.

How Does Kanopy Work?

The Kanopy membership is linked to your library card account number. Create an account on Kanopy and the activation of the account is triggered when the library card number is entered and then automatically verified. An account can be created, verified and activated in less than five minutes.

A member receives 10 credits per month and one movie equals one credit. The checkout process is one familiar to library card holders when checking out a DVD or CD. The movie must be viewed within 3 days of checkout except with canopy the checkout is online access to the movie.

How Do I View The Movie?

Very easily! Kanopy is available on the majority of platforms including: Apple OS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Fire stick, Fire tablet and desktop.Simply download the app or access Kanopy in the menu section of Roku or Fire TV.

My first two "checkouts" were the documentaries "Above The Fold" a profile of legendary journalist Robert Scheer and "Celebration of the 89th Anniversary of The Martha Graham Dance Company."

What Does Kanopy Offer?

The major categories of Kanopy are:

• Movies
• Documentaries
• The Arts
• Business
• Health
• Education
• Media & Communication
• Global Studies
• Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Instructional Films & Lessons

The title selection is huge with over 30,000 titles including the Criterion Collection which features classic cinema at its' best.

Kanopy Kids

Looking for the littles?  Kanopy has a collection curated specifically for children at Kanopy For Kids. One of the main differences between the content on Kanopy For Kids and Kanopy is a parental control dashboard and unlimited viewing (because we know the littles love to watch and rewatch and rewatch their favorites!)

Again the variety of content is impressive with organized categories easily navigated:

• Movies
• Story Time
• TV Series
• Funny Stuff
• Adventure
• Quick Flicks
• Explore Science & Math
• Learning Languages
• Animals
• Tales From History ... to name a few.

Is Kanopy Really Free?

Kanopy is free with free* receiving an asterisk. The library or university pays a fee to Kanopy for access to the service. Just as your library card is "free" to obtain, but ultimately paid for by your municipality. Check with your local library or the library website to find out if Kanopy is available. Students and educators at .edu can also access Kanopy with their library card.

Cutting The Cable Cord?

Kanopy is an alternative to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime. As I am currently in the process of cutting the cord with cable television I am thrilled to find Kanopy and even more ecstatic with the easy access to Indie films, documentaries and classic cinema which are genres I already favor.

More on my journey to cutting the cord ... it is a work in progress!

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Father's Day Gifts Reviewed on Review This Reviews

Treasures from the Archives of Review This Reviews!

Warm weather beckons us to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities which makes June the perfect month to celebrate Father's Day.  When I think of  baseball, camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, four-wheelin, motorcycles, bicycles, or even washing cars, I think of my dad.  As a child and young adult, all of those summer activities included my father.  In fact, as an adult with adult children of my own, my dad is still a part of all of those family activities and more.

The Review This Reviews contributors recognize that not all fathers are the same or enjoy the same activities listed above.  Some dads prefer video games, radio controlled devices, woodworking, or other hobbies.  Many play golf like my father-in-law.  One thing every man I know enjoys, is eating!  Some may enjoy cooking as well, but they all love food.

Because we have over a dozen contributors on Review This Reviews, we have dozens of hobbies, entertainment, and activities that our own fathers, husbands, brothers or sons enjoy to use as a reference for reviews of excellent gifts for men. 

So many wonderful memories in our lives include our fathers.  Let's be sure to remember our dads on Father's Day with a phone call, visit, a card, perhaps dinner, and even a specially selected gift.  Either of those things would be considered a "gift" to your dad because it will be you taking time to express your appreciation and love.    

A Review This Reviews Pinterest Board - Father's Day Gifts Reviewed 

 There are dozens of Father's Day Gifts Reviewed 

by our Contributors!

The board below features the 30 most recent reviews. 

 Click through to Pinterest to see all of the
Gifts for Father's
that have been reviewed by Review This Reviews Contributors!  

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Boys Minecraft 3-piece Pajama Set Review

April brought my grandson David's 10th birthday. While pondering what to get him for a gift, I remembered that he is a fan of Minecraft. 

Shopping for his birthday gift, and not knowing what Minecraft items he already has (since we live 6 hours apart), I spotted this set of pajamas with the Minecraft design. Perfect! Growing kids can always use pajamas and other articles of clothing. 

Minecraft Pajama Set

Minecraft Pajamas for Kids at Target

The set I purchased at Target is a 3-piece set consisting of a graphic sleeping tee with the Minecraft design, sleeping shorts for warm weather and sleeping pants for cool nights. The pajamas are made from 100% cotton and both bottoms have a full elastic waistband.

The set comes in gray and green with a short-sleeve top. The top has a big graphic of Minecraft and the long pants have Minecraft designs all over it. The short pants are green and the top and long pants are gray. 

What is Minecraft?

Source: Pixabay

Minecraft is a video game about placing blocks and going on adventures. It's an open-ended game that allows players to decide what they want to do by themselves. Or they can play with other players online.  

There are two modes. The creative mode gives players limitless resources they can use to build whatever they can imagine. The Survival Mode lets the players explore the world and mine its resources to feed, house and defend themselves.

There is no one way to play Minecraft. It is a game that lets the players use their imaginations. It pleases me as a grandmother to know this is a game that encourages a child's imagination. In addition to the games, Minecraft also now includes groups of toys, books, clothing, and other related products.

The Birthday Boy

David adores Minecraft as he is a very imaginative and creative child. Therefore, he was delighted with his Minecraft design pajamas 'grandma' gave him for his tenth birthday. 

*Note: Turned out that David's mom was even more delighted with my gift choice as, unknown to me, new pajamas for him were very much needed. (That 'growing kid' thing :>)

Now David can think about his Minecraft toys while he's drifting off to sleep in his Minecraft pajamas.

(c) Wednesday Elf

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(c) Product Review by Wednesday Elf  (written on 5/25/2019)

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Mailbox Ball Flag Automatic Visual Mail Signal Reviewed

How to know when your mail has arrived!  When the ball is up, you've got mail.

I love our mailbox ball that lets me know at a glance whether our mail has arrived or not.  Our postman comes at different times each day.  Before we installed the mailbox ball signal, I had no way of knowing when there was mail in the box.  I always hated walking to the mailbox just to find it empty.  That meant a second trip to the mailbox would be required and no guarantee the mail would be there then either.  It was especially annoying if I was watching for a particular delivery.  I would end up walking to the box several times in one day to check the mail.

The Mailbox Ball Signal is a very simple, yet ingenious, design.  As the mailbox door is opened, it hits the ball and the ball pops up.  After I retrieve the mail for the day, I place the ball back down into it's holder slot.  

We have had the mailbox ball for many years now and I don't believe I have ever had a false signal, therefore, based on our experience, wind or weather will not make it flip up.  Only the mailbox door opening will actually displace the ball from the holder. 

 Miles Kimball AVM-01 Automatic Visual Mail SignalCheck Price

Mailbox Ball Mail Signal Installation and Information

 Miles Kimball AVM-01 Automatic Visual Mail SignalCheck Price Installing the mailbox ball is easy.  You simply bolt it onto the existing mailbox door handle, using the hardware included in the package.

You can also see in the image on the right how the ball is set into the holding slot.

The ball is a bright yellow and is easily visible from our front windows.  Now, I can comfortably check whether the mail has arrived from inside my home.  No more wasted trips to the mailbox.


One Important Note:  You do need a standard mailbox that has the dual latches, one on the top of the mailbox and one on the door.  You can easily see the latch on the mailbox in the color image above. 

If the Miles Kimball mailbox ball flag is not available, this may be a good alternative.

 Mail Alert - Mail Arrival Indicator Device - Mailbox AlertCheck Price

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Mailbox Ball Flag Automatic Visual Mail Signal Reviewed by:

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Creative Photography- Combining Techniques

In this post I will review two techniques I have talked about in previous posts and give tips on how to combine them to create some fun and creative photographs.

Lensball

A lensball is a fun way to break away from the normal photos and get a bit creative. Here is a photo I took of a friend photographing the St. Louis Arch,  I took his photo through a lens ball that was sitting on a tripod next to him.

On this post Crystal Photography Ball , I show you basic techniques on using a lensball.  These basic techniques are the first steps in creating the combined technique you see in the introductory photo.

Textured Backgrounds

Whenever you want the background to be different from your photo it is quite simple to change backgrounds in Photoshop.  Some backgrounds I make myself and others I get online.  Whichever method you choose, the tips in this post will help you to change your background. Photoshop Texturing Techniques

The photo above is a shot of an African daisy put on a textured background.

Combining Techniques

Now for the fun and creative part. When you take photos with a lensball first of all the photo is upside down and second the background just never seems to look right. At least mine usually doesn't.  I was contemplating this problem when I thought about my textured background technique I love to use and decided I could apply it to my lensball photos.  Here is a photo I created using these combined techniques and then the steps I followed to create the photo.

• First I took a photo of my new Dipladenia plant and edited it in Lightroom.  I saved the photo on my desktop.
• Next I took a photo of the same plant using my crystal photo ball.  I put the photo ball stand on a table right next to the plant and focused my camera on the plant image inside the ball.  I brought the photo into Lightroom and inverted the photo so the image in the ball is right side up.
• Next I opened the first photo in Photoshop.
• With the first photo open I clicked on File and Place Embedded in Photoshop.
• This brought the ball photo into photoshop covering the original photo.  I then used the Lasso tool to outline the ball and I clicked on Create and Mask in the top bar.
• Now I used the slider to get the effect that I wanted.  I used the transparency and the feather sliders.  I next clicked done.
• Now I click on the little square mask symbol at the bottom of the layers column and again moved the sliders to get the desired effect.
• Finally I used Save As and named my file and saved it as a JPeg file.

I do this procedure as second nature now, but it took me a lot of practice before I got any results that I was happy with.  I wish you much fun and success in your quest for Creative Photography.

Pink Daisy Card
by mbgphoto

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Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste: A Review

A Toothpaste for Sensitive Gums

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

It's hard to review a product as ordinary as toothpaste.  I'm not one of those cheery TV promoters that gets really bubbly about everyday household products. I use them and when I like a product, I keep using it.

I have difficult teeth with deep pockets in my gums that need special deep cleaning every three months. The process of brushing my teeth often leaves me with bleeding gums around my worst tooth.  In the past few months I have tried many different kinds of toothpastes.

A Search for the Right Toothpaste

I used to use The Dirt regularly for a long time. It's a toothpowder which I reviewed about a year ago here. I didn't get any new cavities during that year, but my gums started bleeding on and off near my problem tooth as the deep pocket got harder to clean. So after I ran out of my last order of The Dirt, I decided to try the sample packs of toothpaste my dentist was giving away.

First I tried Colgate Enamel Health Fresh Mint Flavor. I really enjoyed its cool flavor. Like The Dirt, it was supposed to strengthen my tooth enamel and polish my teeth. But also like The Dirt, it it did not address bleeding gums. Still I went looking for it on Amazon because I really liked the taste. When I got to Amazon I discovered Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste in the suggested products. I started comparing ingredients.

What's Different about Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste?

Colgate Enamel Health's active ingredient is sodium fluoride. The active ingredient in Dr. Gingiva is stannous fluoride. According to the Oral B web site information, of the two, only stannous fluoride protects against tartar buildup, gingivitis, erosion, and sensitivity. It also protects the teeth against plaque buildup by keeping plaque from sticking to the teeth. It keeps the bacteria that cause gingivitis from breeding in your mouth.

Another thing that made me want to try this was the addition of Chinese herbs that also addressed gum health. It's flavored with spearmint -- my very favorite mint, so I was pretty sure I would like using it. The customer reviews were almost all favorable, so I went ahead and ordered one package. I could have gotten a sale price by ordering four before June 15, 2019, but I wanted to be sure I liked it first.

My order came three days ago. Dr. Gingiva agrees with my mouth so far. I like the taste. My teeth feel very clean. So far my gums are not bleeding, but only time will tell if that lasts. They didn't bleed every day before -- only sometimes.

I do want to share two other things you should know. First, there is a warning that your teeth may take on a slight greenish tinge that a dentist would be able to remove. So far that hasn't bothered the reviewers.

The other thing you should know is that the reviewers are very motivated to give positive reviews. The company offers a reward of two free tubes of toothpaste, including tubes of their other brands -- Teagrance for bad breath and LMZ Herbal for toothache treatment. The customer chooses. So keep that in mind when you read the reviews. Of course, if one doesn't like the toothpaste, one probably wouldn't want more of it -- even if it's free. My offer came with my order. I did not receive any free toothpaste. I paid for the tube I'm reviewing here. Instructions for reviewing the product on Amazon came with my order.

Disclaimer: This product has not been proven to prevent or cure any disease. If you need oral health advice, be sure to consult your dentist or oral hygienist..

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Secrets In a Bottle Cozy Mystery Review

Delightfully Quirky Cozy Mystery

Great Dane A Cozy Pet In Secrets In A Bottle
image courtesy of pixabay.com

I had the pleasure of reading Secrets In A Bottle the other day and wanted to give it a review today. Written by independent author, Shelly West this Cozy Mystery is her debut novel and the first book in the Whodunit Antiques series. 

Abigail Lane lives in Boston with her Great Dane, Thor. She despises her job but can't afford to quit. One morning her mother calls with a cryptic message telling her that her Grandmother is in the hospital and Abigail needs to go deal with it. 

Cramming her large dog into her VW, Abigail drives to the seaside town of Wallace Point to meet the grandmother she has never known. Her mother has refused to tell her anything about her family over the years. Abigail hopes her grandmother will live long enough for her to finally meet her and hopefully find out why they have been kept apart for so many years. 

Arriving at the hospital, Abigail finds her grandmother in a coma. Many of the townspeople are surprised to learn that Mrs. Lane has a grandchild. Abigail is taken to her grandmother's antique shop Whodunit Antiques to stay and help run the business while her grandmother recovers. Apparently her grandmother had tripped over a dead body that seems to be missing now. As the story progresses Abigail also hears of the history of the quaint little town and a long feud between a whaling family and a family of pirates. 

Do you want to find out more? Well, then run on over and grab your copy of this engagingly fun cozy mystery! Ms. West has created a wonderful little town filled with interesting residents for you to get to know. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and look forward to reading the second book in the series, soon. I think you will enjoy this book especially if you are a fan of cozy mysteries like I am.

Secrets In A Bottle

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