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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

The Best Lego Gift Ideas That Aren't Building Sets

A gift guide with Lego ideas that are not necessarily Lego sets.

A GIFT GUIDE FULL OF FUN 'N FABULOUS LEGO MERCHANDISE

My children clamored for Lego sets when they were growing up and, somewhere along the line, they turned me into a Lego enthusiast. Each year at Christmas my sons picked a special set that they dreamed of owning and, of course, hoped that Santa Claus would leave under the Christmas tree. They generally picked reasonable sets and discovered them under the Christmas tree in the morning.

Now that my children are grown up, Lego still appeals to them and Santa still likes to leave them a small Lego set at Christmastime. However, Lego gifts can even make an appearance on Valentine's Day, at Easter time or on a birthday and sometimes those gifts are Lego themed but not necessarily Lego sets. The popularity of Lego has ensured that there is plenty of merchandise to choose from so that gift giving is not limited to building sets though of course no Lego fan would ever say no to another Lego kit.

I have gathered on this page some of the best Lego-themed gift ideas that I could find in 2022. It was while looking for just such a gift that I decided to create this page. The "best" is used very loosely and is based solely on what appealed to me, partly by my sense of what my Lego lovers would love to own and partly by what appeals the most to me. I hope you find this list useful.

A BOOK - FANTASTIC: A LEGO ADVENTURE IN THE REAL WORLD

Factastic A LEGO Adventure in the Real World by Penelope Arlon.

Within the pages of Penelope Arlon's Factastic: A LEGO Adventure in the Real World the reader will find real photographs with Lego figures and interesting facts and statistics about an eclectic variety of subjects including flying to Pluto, the invention of my favorite snack (the humble potato chip), the playing of the first video game and more. It is a fun, non-fiction Lego-themed book by Scholastic recommended for ages seven to eleven but, of course, of interest to anyone who loves the Lego brick.

Find your copy of Factastic here on Amazon.

A CALENDAR - LEGO BRICK CALENDAR SET 40172

LEGO's Brick Calendar set 40172. Perfect for any adult or older child who loves building with Lego bricks.

I am not in the least surprised that there is such a thing as a Lego calendar. This Lego Brick Calendar seems like a natural choice for someone who loves to play with Lego or who remembers fondly playing with Lego in his or her youth. The calendar is set 40172 and comes with everything you need to build the four blocks as well as a mini-figure and the display rack. It is a perfect gift for the year 2022 that will be equally useful for years to come. Personally, I would trade out the mini-figure for one that suits my interests more but that is no problem if your gift recipient owns a collection of Lego.

Find Lego's Calendar Set 40172 here, on Amazon.

A STORAGE UNIT - LEGO ICONIC RACK SYSTEM SET 5005875

This Transparent Blue LEGO Iconic Rack System (5005875) is not particularly big but it is perfectly designed for young builders having three drawers for him or her to sort and organize Lego bricks. The drawers are semi-transparent drawers and have baseplates to build on. The unit measures 14 inches tall by 12 inches wide by 13 inches deep.

I am not sure if this storage unit will save you from the pain of stepping on the Lego bricks of younger Lego fans but it will help them sort and organize their bricks and even the youngest will now have a home to put all of their Lego bricks away when they care to or when they are instructed to. Available in red as shown, in blue or in gray.

Click here to find this Transparent Lego Rack System on Amazon.

The Lego Movie set includes both the first and the second movie.

A gift for any Lego fan, whether they travel or not. Affix them to your luggage, your backpack, your purse. Any bag will do!

Love Lego? Don't miss these wonderful head block t-shirts. Pick your color, face style and size!

A MOVIE - LEGO'S EXTRA AWESOME 2-FILM COLLECTION

The Lego Movies were a huge hit with fans and the critics. This Extra Awesome set is one that your gift recipient should own. Whether or not he or she has already seen the movies, they'll likely watch them over and over again. Click here to find The Lego Movie 2-Film Collection on Amazon. It is an extremely affordable gift idea.

A LUGGAGE TAG - BANANAS, HOT DOGS AND MORE, OH MY!

These Lego tags are fun, declaring, as they will, your recipient's love of Lego to one and all and I don't think you have to be a traveler to appreciate them. They could also be affixed to a backpack, purse or other bag, not just your suitcase. I have shared a couple of mini-figure food-themed tags but Lego has also produced tags in themes that include Star Wars, Batman, Ninjago and Batman. Find them all on Amazon by clicking right here.

A T-SHIRT - CUSTOMIZABLE LEGO BRICK HEAD BY TEEZ 2 GO

I cannot think of a more practical or affordable gift idea for a Lego lover than a t-shirt like the ones shown above from Teez 2 Go on Etsy. They are available in a host of colors, designs and sizes for men, women and children so that you can pick the one that you think is perfect for your Lego enthusiast. You will find these t-shirts on Etsy by clicking right here. If the whole family loves Lego, why not dress them all in one of these? That would create a fabulous photo opportunity.

A LIMITED EDITION POSTER - TOM WHALEN'S THE LEGO MOVIE POSTER

Tom Whalen's The Lego Movie art poster makes a unique gift idea for a Lego fan.

Tom Whalen's Lego Movie art poster makes a unique gift for your Lego fan that can take pride of place on his or her bedroom wall. Heck, don't limit it to the bedroom. It would be fabulous on a family room or play room wall or absolutely any wall at all.

Whale is a deviant artist who has produced many movie-themed prints, including this limited edition The Lego Movie one, which was issued in a limited numbered run of 475. You can source it now on eBay from the original buyers who are now wanting to sell their copy of the fun print. Find it on eBay by clicking right here.

A MINI-FIGURE - PERSONALIZED & BUILT IN YOUR LIKENESS

Personalized Lego mini-figures created by Brick Creative. Customizable with your choice of colors, figures, text, etc.

Finally, here is a truly unique Lego-themed gift idea. Brick Creative on Etsy creates personalized minifigures of you and/or your loved ones. They do them in many themes including but not limited to Christmas, Halloween, birthday, anniversary and thank you. You can select the number of figures, theme, etc. that suit you. See for yourself all of the choices in Brick Creative's store on Etsy by clicking right here.

So there you have it, a page full of interesting and less usual Lego-themed gift ideas. Which items were your favorites?

See you

at the Lego store!

Brenda

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Christmas Wreath Storage Containers

christmas wreath storage container with stored wreath inside showing slightly

Christmas Wreath Storage Containers Reviewed

Halloween is over and that means the Holidays are now in full swing. It's time to think about getting all of those Thanksgiving and then, Christmas decorations out of storage.

Soon Fran and I will have our basement floor lined with the dozen or so totes where we store all of our decorations.

Call us old-fashioned, but we really don't decorate for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over.

It seems that the retail stores begin earlier every year. Our Wal-Mart store had Christmas decorations out before Halloween.

We decorate all of our windows and doors with wreaths. We have several different sizes of wreaths, from 24-inches to 36-inches. Our Christmas wreaths are one item that doesn't seem to store very well in totes.

Every year when the Holidays are over and it's time to pack it all up, I found myself battling to store the wreaths in plastic bags.

A couple of years ago I finally broke down and bought these handy Christmas wreath storage containers. Now it is so easy to get them out and store them every year. No more fighting pulling them out, and putting them back in plastic bags.

These wreath storage containers are made with tear-resistant plastic, and feature heavy-duty sturdy handles, with dual zippers and a card slot.

They are large enough to also fit garland and string lights on top of the wreaths for easy storage. These containers come in different sizes to easily store and protect all of your seasonal wreaths.

Zober 2-Pack Christmas Wreath Storage Bag 36Buy Now

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Saturday, November 5, 2022

Get Started with Your Christmas Crafting Today

A DIY Craft Review

Crafters Rejoice! It's holiday crafting time again. Let's review some crafty ideas.

Now that the Fall season has officially begun, thoughts of the upcoming holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas begin to sift into our minds. For crafters, this means that NOW is the time to begin planning for and starting on those Christmas crafts. Whether you want to create clever Christmas décor, or plan on crafting holiday gifts for loved ones, it is never too early to begin.

Follow along for some kits and pattern ideas for your holiday crafting.

Kit Ideas for Christmas Décor

Create your own Christmas stockings with this Santa with Toys stocking kit from Design Works. This felt applique kit comes complete with all supplies (except stuffing), plus pattern and directions. It can be found in the eBay store of House of Sylvestermouse.

More stocking kits with Santa or a Snowman can be found here:

Creative Patterns & Kits for Christmas Gifts

Christmas Bird Feeder

A clever and unique gift for kids whose families enjoy bird feeders is this Christmas Bird Feeder DIY Kit, a fun and educational Christmas gift/project that will get your little ones to explore and care for nature. This seasonal kit is easy enough for toddlers and school-aged children to follow along.

This kit includes:

Wild Bird Seeds
Christmas Plastic Cookie Cutters (3)
Unflavored Gelatin (2)
Pre-Cut Twine (3)
Easy-to-Follow Instructions

This kit is gift-ready for Christmas. *Adult supervision recommended.

Macramé Christmas Tree DIY Kit

This is a complete DIY Macramé Christmas Tree Craft Kit, which helps you make a lovely Macramé Christmas Tree totally on your own with easy-to-follow step-by-step instruction. It also could be a perfect idea for Nursery wall décor and living room décor.

This DIY craft kit will be a lovely gift idea for the Macramé Beginner.

*These kits include complete materials for you to make a macramé wall hanging by yourself: Friendly Cotton Cords, Wooden Ring and Beads, Basic Knot Sheet, Link to Tutorial video. Finished size is about 12.5” H x 8” W.

Clever Christmas Craft Kit for Kids

Holiday Snow Globes

A craft kit for kids to create Snow Globes

These Kid-friendly Snow Globes are easy art projects for kids ages 6 years and up. It's a holiday craft kit that comes complete with all supplies needed to create 3 winter wonderland snow globes in Christmas themes. Kids can create these handmade holiday crafts for their own Christmas décor or to give as a gift. From Creativity for Kids, a company which offers fun and creative experiences today to nurture children’s confidence for life.

*Christmas Crafting Review written by Wednesday Elf

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Thursday, October 27, 2022

Discover St. Charles in the Fall

One of my favorite places to visit, is a town that is only a few miles away from me. It is historic St. Charles Mo. It has a very vibrant Main Street that attracts visitors all year long. I have written about this area several times in the past and I will include those links later in this article. Today I want to review with you some of the photographs I took on a beautiful fall day in October 2022. First of all, here is a photo I took telling a little bit about the history of the area.

Main Street in the Fall

Main street is a wonderful area with cobblestone streets and sidewalks and lots of delightful little shops and restaurants. In the fall the shopkeepers do a wonderful job of decorating for the season. We saw lots of pumpkin displays, colorful leaves and some very imaginative displays. Here are a couple of the photos I took on Main Street.

Halloween Decorations and Activities

Halloween is a fun time on Main Street. There are a variety of activities for all ages and the shopkeepers have some wonderful displays for the holiday.

haunted history trail sign in St Charles, MO

You can click on the QR code in the above photo to find out about the Legends & Lanterns tours that take place on Main Street.

hay-stuffed skeleton scarecrows sitting on haybales

These fun characters are motion activated and you can hear them talk and sing when you pass by. Below you see some of the decorations around the gazebo, which is a gathering place in the middle of Main Street.

The Riverfront Area

A block down from Main Street is the Missouri river. This area has a wonderful park that provides some great trails and walks along the river. There is an old train station, and you can see some train cars on the tracks.

There is a lot of history that took place in this area including a departure spot for Lewis & Clark.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Halloween Tree Review

I previously reviewed the Halloween felt ornaments that we made for our Halloween tree this year. When several people said they had never heard of a Halloween tree, I knew I needed to show you our tree.

Last year, we decorated a 5 foot skinny tree for Halloween with a variety of store bought Halloween ornaments. However, this year I wanted a smaller tree for our handmade ornaments. My husband selected one that could sit on our kitchen table or counter. That allows us to enjoy it all day long since it is not relegated to a corner in the den.

I love this little Halloween tree! It is the perfect size to accommodate our new handmade ornaments, plus it has orange lights that are battery operated. It is the perfect Halloween centerpiece and a great touch of Halloween decor in the room where we spend the most time.

Pre-lite Spooky Birch Halloween Tree

FUNPENY Lighted Black Birch Spooky TreeCheck PriceThe spooky birch Halloween tree makes the perfect centerpiece for our kitchen table. It is 2 feet tall, painted black and embellished with glitter that does not fall off or stick to your fingers.

Our tree has 18 battery operated orange lights. The switch is on the side and easy to turn on without having to move or lift the tree.

The tree also comes with spiders and web material, but we opted to not use those decorations because we wanted the tree to display our handmade felt ornaments.

There are a few options available on this little, inexpensive tree. You can choose orange lights, purple lights, or a combination of the two. 3 AA batteries are required to light the tree and they are not included with the purchase of the tree.

black birch tree perfect for Halloween decor

More Halloween Fun!

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Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Reviewing Baking Irish Soda Bread With A Twist.

Soda bread is bread but made without yeast and there is no need to wait for it to rise or have resting periods. So it is a very quick and easy delicious bread to make.

You can find the basic recipe in many places online but I wanted to tell you about the things I do to make it a little extra special.

I first made Irish Soda bread with my Mum and have continued t make it throughout my life. It is a bread I really like and it is easy and fun to make.

What You Need To Bake Soda Bread

Weighing scales

A large mixing bowl

A normal eating knife

A teaspoon

A clean clear surface

A measuring jug

Basic Ingredients To Bake Soda Bread

Wholemeal strong flour 500g

2 teaspoons of sea salt or ordinary salt if you don't have sea salt

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

400ml of milk. Whole milk is recommended but I have found you can use whole milk or semi-skimmed and I also use Almond milk.

1 lemon or about 4-5 teaspoons of lemon juice if you don't have a lemon to squeeze

2 teaspoons of honey - I have found you can omit this if you don't like or cannot have honey.

Baking Method

Pre Heat oven to gas mark 6 or 200C/180C fan
Mix together in a large bowl the flour, bicarb of soda and salt.
This is also the time to add any other optional dry ingredients
Mix the milk and lemon juice together in a jug then wait one minute and it turns into buttermilk. Add the honey at this stage if you wish.
Pour the milk mixture into the bowl and stir gently ideally using a knife, not your hands, so the dry ingredients and the milk mixture come together in a sticky dough.
Handle the dough as little as possible. This bread is much better the less we handle it.
Take the dough which will feel quite sticky and place it onto a floured surface. I use the same wholemeal flour. Quickly shape it into a round or oval shape covering all sides with the flour.
The dough should then be placed on a floured baking tray and make a cross on the top with the knife. Then put it straight into the pre heated oven. You do not need to allow any time for rising with this bread recipe, in fact the sooner you get it in the oven at this point the better.
It will need about 40 minutes in the oven. However, we have found in a fan oven it needs a little less. So I generally check it halfway through.
After baking leave it to cool on a wire rack. Or eat it warm.

Additional Ingredients To Make Soda Bread Special

I have experimented with quite a few ingredients and these are my favourites. All of these should be added to the dry flour mix before adding the milk.

If you add a lot more dry ingredients you will need to increase the amount of milk mix accordingly, so that it is not too dry.

Rosemary- we have lots of rosemary in the garden so I just cut some fresh green tender growth beforehand and wash it then chop it very finely and add it to the mix. It smells amazing and is lovely in this recipe.

I am thinking you could add any herbs you like to this recipe. I have wondered what it would be like with lavender or chives.

Cinnamon- We both love cinnamon and so add it to this recipe. It smells and tastes gorgeous and an added bonus is the whole house is beautifully scented of cinnamon!

I would also like to try ginger when I am making more of a bread-cake mix.

Oats. We just use normal breakfast porridge oats and add about a cupful to the recipe. If you do this you will find you need to increase the amount of milk accordingly or it will be too dry.

Adding oats gives the bread more body and makes it more into a very tasty and filling healthy cake.

Fruit. I have tried a lot of different fruits and I think the most successful are dried good quality raisins and cherries either fresh or frozen -ones defrosted beforehand. You could add whatever are your favorite fruits.

If you are making more of a soda bread - cake you can also sprinkle with icing sugar or decorate the top to your individual taste after baking. This makes it unique and individual for occasions like Halloween or Christmas bread.

Now you can add all these additional ingredients but it is probably best to exercise some restraint and add one or two extra and see how you like it.

You can eat it with butter, margarine, cream or jam or it tastes just lovely on its own. We often have the simple bread recipe mix with no extra ingredients with a stew or with chilli. When we add the extra ingredients we like to eat it warm on its own.

I prefer this soda bread mix warm but If it does cool completely and we want it warm we find it is perfectly fine to warm up again with 5 minutes in the oven without burning or losing its quality.

I like making this bread as it is very quick, easy and satisfying to make. You can adapt the recipe to suit you, and it can be vegetarian and diabetic-friendly.

I am honestly not sure how long it should last as a loaf is always gone in a maximum of two days here! I imagine perhaps three or four days stored properly would be about right.

This soda bread is wonderful as a supper snack, with the main meal and also, especially if you add oats as breakfast.

I like baking but I do not get much time these days so this quick recipe is great for me. I am sure the true chefs and avid bakers amongst you can make this even more delicious!

The whole task takes about an hour and most of that is the oven doing the cooking so maybe 15-20 minutes or less of preparation time so is easy bread making.

We find it is especially lovely to eat home made soda bread warm on an autumn or winter's day and often it does not last long enough to completely cool on the rack!

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Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kits

Pumpkin Carving Kits Reviewed

The fall season is certainly upon us, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and beginning to fall from the trees.

Halloween is right around the corner. I always considered Halloween the kickoff to the Holiday season. Driving around you can see all of the fun and scary outdoor decorations in many of the yards.

After the decorations are up and it gets closer to Halloween night it's time to carve the pumpkins. We always pick a night right before Halloween and have a pumpkin carving party. I call it a party because our daughter and grandsons come over to carve our pumpkins. And if we are lucky our son and daughter-in-law will make the two-hour trip to be here with our granddaughters to join in the fun.

Our Pumpkin Carving Kit

For making pumpkin carving fun and easy I bought this kit a few years ago and the whole family loves the tools in this kit.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kit Features:

High-quality stainless steel tools
Double-sided stainless steel detail tools
Sharp pumpkin shovel tools with scraper
Sturdy saws for accurate cutting

To be honest with you, I don't even know what all of these tools can do but my daughter and grandchildren sure do. This set certainly makes carving fun and easy. Well, I'm not sure that any of it is easy but it sure is fun.

We always have a fun night carving our pumpkins and admiring everyone's hard work in the end. The pumpkins in the intro photo are last year's creations, and that is only half of them, they carved six pumpkins in total. Then, on Halloween night I line our walkway to the porch with their pumpkin creations.

For more Halloween fun my friend Olivia Morris reviews: Decorations for the Home

For Crafting decorations my friend Cynthia Sylvestermouse reviews: This easy Craft Kit

Don't forget about those delicious pumpkin seeds read my: Air Fryer Pumpkin Seed Recipes

15-Piece Pumpkin Carving Kits for Halloween, 5 Professional Stainless Steel Pumpkin Sculpting Tools, 10 Detail Sculpting Tools for Halloween Jack Pumpkin Lanterns NESSTU Pumpkin Carving Kit, 28PCS Halloween Pumpkin Carving Tools Professional Pumpkin Carving Set Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Jack-O-Lanterns Pumpkin Carving Knife Pumpkin Carving Kit Tools Halloween, CHRYZTAL 13PCS Professional Heavy Duty Carving Set, Stainless Steel Double-side Sculpting Tool Carving Knife for Halloween Decoration Jack-O-Lanterns