GeoSmart Educational Set - THE Children's Gift This Holiday!

What a terrific thing that I got from Amazon to Review this time. Some of the toys I have been sent were cheaply constructed, hard to put together, didn't have much to hold the child's attention, but this one, YES! I will admit to be about to turn 61 at the end of the month, and I had fun playing with this set and had to drag myself away because I had other things to do. You do need to check this GeoSmart Educational Set. Here is my Amazon Vine Review:

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If you are going to buy your child only one big (price wise) gift this year for Christmas, Hanukkah, birthday, etc. this GeoSmart EducationalSet, 100 Pieces should be it! Buy this toy!!! If I could I would give it 10 stars and 5A+++. Someone with a brain or a team with a brain designed it. I opened the set with no kids around (my boys are grown-up) and got myself lost in making things and seeing what this GeoSmart Set could do. I made a mini-version of the Pope-mobile. As a quilter, I was putting together some quilt blocks. You or your child could spend hours making things and rearranging the pieces. I can hardly wait for my cleaning lady to bring her boy over for him to play with the set as I know he will love it.

Of note, just like my other favorite children’s toy, Legos, this set also has more sets that can be purchased with will add on more pieces and more specialized pieces to make all sorts of interesting things, especially space related. With the other sets, you can make a lunar rover, space station, solar spinner, etc. Of course, as anyone knows that the more sets of Legos you have the more things you can make whether the Lego folks thought of it or not. The add on sets to the GeoSmart main set works the same way and we aren’t talking 3-4 piece sets. Some of the add-on sets have 70 more pieces including the specialty pieces for that set.

I was delighted to find that the pieces were much bigger than they looked on the computer. For instance, the wheels for the set are 2 1/2” across, the square pieces are 2 ½” on all sides. The set is for ages 5+ and up, so the bigger pieces will be easier to manipulate for small hands. They seem just the right size for making projects so they don’t get way too big or too tiny to work with. The set is made in nice bright colors and the different colors come in multiples of two, four or six, so whatever you are making you can have a matching color on the opposite side of the first color. The magnets are imbedded in the pieces and don’t feel sharp at all. All pieces seem to be big enough so that younger brothers and sisters can’t swallow the pieces.

This is a great set and I highly recommend it!

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Revlon RVST2160 Pro Collection 1" Wide Fast Pass X-Long Plated Flat Iron

Revlon RVST2160 Pro Collection 1" Wide Fast Pass X-Long Plated Flat Iron

Here is my review of this Flat Iron for hair that I received from the Amazon Vine program:

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As a girl that grew up during an era when every girl that could manage it had long straight hair, I was the odd one out. I had wavy, unmanageable hair. Fast forward many years and I'm much older, still have wavy hair and as it has been growing out for several years, it is long and wavy and fly away so I was delighted to try out this flat iron for hair. After I got past trying to turn it on. I had to look in the directions to find that you have to hold the on/off button down until it comes on. The control buttons are tiny! It heated up very fast and I then got to try it out. I soon realized that I needed hair clips to hold most of my hair out of the way as you are only supposed to use a 1-inch section of hair at a time in the iron. But I made do with what I had and at least got the top hair in the front straight. So for the first time in my life I saw myself with straight hair! I actually did it before going to bed, and this morning the areas that I had straightened last night were still straight. I did like the fact that you use this iron on hair that has already dried as showering and washing my hair are exhausting for me due to chronic health problems, so doing anything to wet hair is out of the question. This iron did everything that it was supposed to. I'm sure most women using this won't have the physical problems that I do and so will find this a quick and easy way to straighten hair.

Country Living Chadwick Nightstand, Cherry

 

This review is for the Country Living Chadwick Nightstand, Cherry  that can be purchased on Amazon ASIN B0116M9Y16. You can get the entire bedroom set as well. This is a review that I did for Amazon.com.

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First off this nightstand is gorgeous! The wood is beautiful and the color of the wood gives this nightstand a rich warm look.

Secondly, the nightstand came fully assembled. My husband had already told me no more bits of things that need put together. I really read the product page but still wasn’t sure if it was going to come in a box of wood and screws, but I was crossing my fingers that it would be in one piece. Coming fully assembled, it meant it could be put right into place. I am not using it for a nightstand, but as a table to hold my Janome 300e (the latest model being the 400e) embroidery machine as well as the machine’s hoops. The drawer I had been keeping them in also had a large amount of quilting rulers and templates and so things were a bit of a jumble when I needed to pull out a hoop.

 

It will be so nice to embroider something without having to reach up and aggravate my shoulder arthritis. I’m trying to turn my whole sewing room into a place that is easier to use as this disease eats away at me. I have gotten many things that help, but this piece of furniture is the best looking thing by far. My husband loves it and felt it was well put together. As he works with wood in his business, he was also very impressed with the construction and the wood used in the nightstand.

Please note that that in the attached photos, the ones with the drawers open show the color of the nightstand best. It has one top drawer and one bottom drawer, although it looks like two drawers, the bottom drawer looks like it can hold a lot depending on what you are using it for. I would have no problem using this piece anywhere in the house. It does come with levelers if needed as well as care instructions. You do not need to use furniture polish and its use is discouraged.

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My sewing room is slowly starting to get sorted out and I have a stack of projects waiting in the wings, especially some embroidery projects. Janome has been coming out with some spiffy new machines lately. I've downloaded the manuals to read, and they sound wonderful, but they are not in the budget of someone that lives mostly off a SS check! Also another one called the Janome Memory Craft 9400 is coming out in a few days, that is strictly a sewing machine with 9mm wide stitches, and about 100 more stitches than my 7700. This is dreamland for me.

 

Review of DII Zig Zag Weave Kitchen Dishtowels

I was given the opportunity to review these towels for Amazon. DII 100% Cotton, Basic Everyday, Machine Washable, Monogrammable, 16 x 28" Zig Zag Weave Kitchen Dishtowel, Set of 4- Neon Lime. Here is my review and what I did with one of them and what I plan for the rest.

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There are three things that I check for when buying towels of any kind. How well made they are, including how thick or thin. Towels that are too thick can take a really long time (thus money) to dry in the dryer and if you line dry your laundry, they can take a lot longer than other things and end up scratchier and stiffer than your other towels. So on this item, these towels were exactly right. Not too thick or thin, and as they would generally be used for dish towels, they have enough 'oomph' to dry more than one or two dishes before getting saturated. In regards to washing and drying them, the tag states that they are 100% cotton, made in Pakistan, wash in cold water and tumble dry low, low iron. Does anyone really iron their dish towels? By their very nature and what use they are put to, I don't ever wash towels on cold water. I wash them in hot or at the minimum warm water as I want at least a bit of a chance of killing off any germs they may have picked up. They also get the hottest drying of anything else in our laundry. So I do need to report that if you wash towels like I do, you can expect them to shrink up lengthwise about an inch and half. I saw no measureable difference in widths between the washed towel and the unwashed one. See photo. The top towel was the one that went through the wash and the bottom towel was still brand new. A piece of white paper was inserted between the two to highlight the difference.

The second thing I look at, actually probably the first as that is what catches my eye, and that is color. Believe me, I would never ever pick lime green towels to come into my house but that doesn't mean I didn't find a use for them! So far I have turned one into a burp rag for a baby. The rest will follow made up as the first.

The third thing I am concerned about is whether or not I can hoop the towel and do machine embroidery on it. If a towel is too thick the hoop pops open in the midst of the embroidery which pretty much spoils the design. These towels were great for embroidery as the pictures show. I make Project Linus quilts and the ones that I am currently working on are blue and green frog based. So for the mostly blue based frog quilt (boy) I made a burp rag with a frog design on one end and a saying "Burp Baby Burp!" on the other. The frog design is from Embroidery Library #C7977, my most favorite site for getting machine embroidery designs. Don't forget that when embroidering on terry cloth, to use a wash away stabilizer on top of the towel to keep the terry loops from getting in the way. I'm not sure what happen to the close up photo of the words as I'm just getting used to the camera and downloading photos.

These towels I would give 5 stars and wish I could have gotten them in colors I would use in my house, but instead they will eventually be part of a charitable gift, so the color was actually the perfect one to receive.  I hope this gives you some ideas if you end up with some weird colored towels that you don't know what to do with, make them into fashionable Burp Towels for baby.

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DII 100% Cotton, Professional Stripe Bib Apron

Here is a review of a great apron I just got through the Amazon Vine program. I love it but there are a few things to think about. One things I didn't notice until I had finished my review and looked at some others, this is a rather long apron. Since I like wearing longer skirts, etc. I didn't notice, but if you are short and don't have the ability to hem the apron up you might want to reconsider buying this particular apron. Since it is a heavy cotton, I would recommend for hemming the use of a sewing machine instead of by hand.  For the current price of $10.99 it is a good value as well when you consider the time and cost of fabric to make it yourself .

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I love wearing chef's or butcher type aprons. When I make aprons for myself, this is the style I choose, so I was very happy to get this one to try. Right out of the package it had a slight funny odor to it. While it is advertised as having two front pockets, mine only has on large one. If I feel the need for two, I can sew a seam down the middle of the pocket and end up with two pockets so this is not a problem for me. If I got that ambitious I would also make a loop to have a towel hang from which is also a preference of mine that I make when making an apron.

The apron is also advertised as having the ability to have the ties wrap around and tie in front. I think that ability is solely dependent on the height and weight of the wearer. This apron has something I have never seen before and I wouldn't mind trying to mimic it on the next apron I make. Instead of the separate neck loop and separate side ties, the ties come around the neck and through a casing on the upper edges of the apron and then come out to be tied in back. This is great for being able to adjust the apron to cover you where you most want it and to accommodate different heights of cooks. For me at 5'8" and overweight, I can only tie the apron in the back which is fine with me. Unless you are super skinny and a bit on the short side, I don't think you will be able to tie the apron in front. Or if you can manage to tie it in front, you will only get just a small bow or knot.

The apron is made of 100% heavy cotton fabric which will help prevent spills from soaking through. I like it very much and it is comfortable to wear. Once I wash it, I plan on machine embroidering a design on it but I want any potential shrinkage to happen first. The tag states that the apron is made in India for those concerned about where your products come from.

Even though it doesn’t coincide with what is stated on the product page, I am very happy with this apron and plan on using it often, thus the 5 stars.

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Fiskars 18 Inch Billhook Saw - A disappointing Product

I received that Fiskars 18 inch Billhook Saw through the Amazon Vine program. I really looked forward to trying it out since I had high hopes for it, but was sadly disappointed. I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned, I never look at others reviews until my own is written. So once I posted my review (below) I looked at other reviews. Many also were disappointed in the dullness of the blade. One reviewer said it took him a good half hour to sharpen it. Others were very interestingly written. They gave high praise and 5 stars, but never actually admitted USING the saw. Others gave high praise claiming they had been able to accomplish much work with the saw right out of the package. Did they get a sharpened saw unlike most of us or are they making up stories? Enquiring minds want to know.

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I really wanted to like this item. I have Fiskar scissors and punches in my sewing room so expected at least that quality. I received this saw right before an onslaught of snow so I had to wait to try it. It got warm and the snow melted (we are having the craziest winter!) and so with high anticipation a few minutes ago I went out to my weed/flower patch to get rid of the dead, dried out stuff. I first attempted to use the smooth saw side and it couldn't cut anything....Period! I tested the edge of that blade with fingers and thumb and it wasn't sharp at all. I don't think when you buy a brand new saw you should have to go find a way to sharpen it, if it is even possible. The packaging doesn't indicate that it is necessary. So I tried out the jagged edge of the saw. I did manage to cut down some 1/4" - 1/2" stems. But the cuts were very jagged and it wouldn't bite down and stay in one place. That could have been due to my poor muscle strength, but the harder and more pressure applied, the worse things got. A gardener probably doesn't care as much if trimming down weeds etc. you don't get smooth cuts, but if you used this to trim small branches off of trees and the like, it would leave a lot of jagged wood exposed which would be an invitation infestation and infection at the spot. Any tree and bush trimming needs to be done with smooth cuts to make it easier for the wound to heal. It did come with a nice sheath for storing the saw. Like I said, I really wanted this saw to work would have
accomplished more by using my usual gardening tools.

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DII Kitchen Millennium 4-Piece Heat Resistant Seamless Non Stick Dishwasher Safe BPA Free Silicone DII Kitchen Tool Set, Red

In my time as a reviewer of books and products for Amazon and some other companies that send me things, I have received some great products. Other products are such a waste and yet they garner so many positive 5 stars reviews that I wonder if the reviewer had even tested them (much less seen them or taken them out of the package). Such is the case today. My son Steve and I were making spaghetti last night, both sauce and noodles. This gave me a chance to try out this silicone kitchen tool set. I ended up giving them one star because no stars isn't an option. I thought they were absolutely worthless. I never read other reviewer's reviews until I have actually posted mine. I was shocked to see all the 5 star reviews and they had an average score of 4 stars with 80 reviews done at that point. What did I miss or did they 'cheat'. I will never know.

I also found it interesting when I saw more of the product information on the product page. They made a big deal about them being hygienic and that the red color stimulated the appetite. Since most kitchen tools are left in the kitchen when the food gets served I wouldn't count on them being much in the appetite stimulate department. Anyhow here is my review for these poor excuses for kitchen tools. Hygienic, possibly/probably but I have cooked with wooden spoons for years without dropping dead from a food borne pathogen hiding in the wooden spoon.

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This is my third time attempting to try out and use silicon kitchen ware. Even the one item that I had thought turned out while even after scrubbing it clean I discovered it to have congealed grease several months later when I went to use it again. Other than prep to be able to use these, I haven't technically washed them and I'm not sure they are worth the time. I tried the spatula while making a scrambled egg and it is a good thing it was scrambled as the spatula has a very thick and short 'ramp' up onto the flat part of the spatula. I don't think I could have gotten a friend egg out without scrambling it since it was too thick to get under food in a pan without the food being damaged.

Yesterday I made spaghetti sauce and tried out the spoon. Just stirring the sautéing onions and garlic the spoon didn't want to do much and as soon as I included thawed, loosely packed hamburger and tried to stir it in the spoon bowl literally bent in half! Again and again and again. Nor was it possible to scrape up the fond (those yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pan) without the spoon bowl bending in half. It was only once I had some tomato sauce in the pan that the spoon stopped bending with every stir. I would it consider impossible to stir things like cookie or bread dough by hand with this spoon and certainly won’t try as I don’t need the frustration.

Then I tried the pasta server thinking there couldn't be much difference between this one and the super cheap one I have used for years. Wrong. The tines or whatever you call them were so thick that they pushed the noodles out of the way in colander instead of collecting them so I got about half the amount of noodles in it at a time as my other one.

I haven't even tried the slotted spoon and doubt if I will. Working with these things made me honestly wonder what the manufacturer was thinking and did they even give them a casual test in a kitchen? These are worthless and don't waste your money on them! And just to be clear, I'm not a newbie to a kitchen. I've been cooking for about 50 years now at this point. I know that cooking with a spoon that bends when you need it to be stiff while stirring something.

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Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum Advanced Relief

I got to try this Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum lotion as part of the Amazon Vine Reviewers Program. Here is the review that I left and then additional comments about the product.

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I'm always dubious about claims of great performance when it comes to lotions and potions, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that after using this serum my skin did look and felt better. I have noticed over the years that most hand lotions within an hour or less of putting it on you see the same flaky, dry skin. I did not notice that with this lotion. When using it on my feet, not only did the skin look better, but the day after using it it still looked better and some of the calluses were easier to remove than usual.

Why the 4 stars instead of 5. I don't like the smell of this item. Reminds me of men's aftershave.

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When I do a review of a book or product from the Amazon Vine program, I do not look at what others have to say about the product as I don’t want to encourage ‘lemming’ behavior, even if unconsciously. So I wrote my review for this serum and after posting it, looked at the reviews that have been left for it. At this point in time almost ALL the reviews mention the scent as being too overpowering. A male reviewer felt that it was flowery smelling, I thought it smelled like aftershave, other compared it to room deodorizer, etc. I think the point has been made. If you are sensitive to scents, you are not going to want to use this product. If it doesn’t bother you what something smells like, then you might like to try it.

Others also mentioned the viscosity of the product. The manufacturers call it healing serum and as some noted, serum is usually a thin clear fluid. This looked and acted as a lotion just like any other kind of lotion. I thought it felt tacky the first time I tried it, but didn’t have that sensation after that, perhaps because I used way less.


The product seems to work as it should, by it is important to know some of the problems with it prior to buying. If you can test a sample first, that would be much better than buying the full sized container, especially at around $10 a pop for it.