Amazon prime and Netflix and roku as gift

Recap - This started because a close friend got Netflix as a Christmas gift from her sons several years ago.

Before Netflix she had garage saled movies on VHS and watched for years. She likes something to keep her company at night while she does handwork, she lives alone.

That is what gave me the idea. However I did it in a way that did not cost anything extra.

We moved a Roku, we already had, to my mother's and then set it up to give her access to our accounts. So she has Netflix and amazon prime thru the Roku.

And she also has PBS thru the Roku which she uses a lot. PBS  posts current shows for a short time.  So it is only certain shows for a limited time, it is not every show, and it is not the same as just tuning into pbs on TV.

There are a few other things on the Roku too like the history channel I think.



Now - I keep adding/putting things on the watch lists for all of these systems. And then I send her a note.

So I get notice from PBS or Netflix or amazon prime about something that is now available. For the shows she would like, I take a screen shot of the notice, so she can see what it looks like, and email it to her with a note that I added it to the watch list.

Every once in a while she has trouble finding something and I take pictures with my phone of what the tv screen looks like (we have two more Rokus at our house) and send them to her as a step by step tutorial. I do the pictures so she can find it again later (rather than me running over and doing it, she learns). This does not happen often, but when it does, it is always about finding additional seasons on amazon prime. (Netflix has all the seasons one right after the other. So Netflix is actually easier for her to use than amazon. But there have been a lot of things on amazon prime she has really liked that were not on Netflix)

So she can immerse herself in something, which is now an old concept to us, but totally new to her.

For example she watched Downton Abby and the related behind the scenes specials (one on costumes and one on manners and I think two on castles) and then she read two books on the making of the show. And then she watched the whole series again.

She has a DVD recorder on her tv cable box. So she is able to watch what she wants, when she wants, all the way around her systems.

Oldest does not have network tv at all. He uses Netflix and amazon prime and free online things. He has lived this way since he started grad school in 2012. 

Oldest has his own amazon prime account. The rest of us are on mine. I do not know how many of us can be on at the same time. So far it has not been a problem.

We are all on one Netflix account that allows four tv's no matter where they are located (we are in three different states now) at the same time. We are all on the same account because it is cheaper to do four on one, than multiple separate accounts. Six of us do fine sharing four accesses.





I wrote about this a short time ago

https://baby-steps-v.blogspot.com/2016/12/it-wasnt-even-xmas-present-it-was-extra.html?m=1


My mother is 76. My other friend whose sons started this is 70. But if I did not know how use all this, it would be a great gift for me, at age 55. And it was youngest who physically set up my mother's Roku and all the access. It was very easy/fast for her. (So I am good at using, but not so great at set up.)

Looking for a mystery book series please.

I have read and loved
Agatha Christie
Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series
Margaret Truman's Capitol Crimes books.
Those were the first three that came to mind.

I do not like gore. Nor spooky.

I have read some John Grisham and Scott Turow.
I am looking to see if there are more by these two that I have missed.

I like an author with a large selection so I can settle into their style for a while.

I do audible books. But you do not have to check that before making suggestions.

If you have a sharp eye you might have noticed I started a "books read" list on my side bar for 2017. I have been listening in the car and around the house. I was surprised how quickly I now go through a book (with no one home). So I need to put together a really good list.

It is easier/cheaper to buy new knit shirts/dresses/skirts to cut up and use as fabric, than it is to buy knit fabric.

These are doll clothes.
A modern girls' T-shirt dress.
And a modern girls' pair of leggings.
They are not meant to be worn together.
I sewed and photographed them together.

These started out as size 2X mens' knit shirts.
So, lots of fabric.

I took advantage of the hems that were already in the garments.
I cut my pieces so the original hem is now the doll garment hem.

I was able to get an identical doll dress out of the striped fabric as well as a couple shirts.
I used as little of the legging fabric as possible so I can use it for other things.

Very large size knit clothes end up on clearance racks for a couple dollars quite often.

Knit fabric at the store is $12+ per yard.

Knits in clothing are often much cuter than knits on the bolt.

And there is the advantage of the already sewn hem in the garments.

Baby/toddler clothes and doll clothes can easily be made (if you sew) from Xl, XXL, XXXL mens' knit shirts. I use a stretch stitch on knit fabric.

I am keeping my island nearly empty and that makes a big difference

The crab on the island is made from spoons and forks. I am attached to him. The bowl on the table holds card games and decks of cards. The tablet under the kleenex box is for score keeping. There are some epic games on those pages. 

Six pillows, a pair for each kid.

These are all bed pillow size. There are three pairs, each pair in a different fabric. They originally had velcro closures which are now sort of a lint/thread mess.






The first two (turtles) redo's are done and going in the mail to oldest today.

These were the original pillows, blue turtles on white background.

Even after washing in hot water, spots from years of use.

Luckily the reverse side of the fabric was also usable. I picked all the stitching out of the pillow cases and then remade them using the blue background side and also putting in zippers (no velcro).

The zipper is under the flap. I had to teach myself how to make a flap, it was not hard, that is a standard zipper, not a special one.

I cleaned off my bulletin board and organized my thread

My bobbin holders have always been organized by color. But until this weekend, I had not thought to organize the spools also. They are not deeply organized, but they are generally organized with like colors together.

The bulletin board used to be mostly covered. A lot of costume necklaces (Hawaiian lays and shells necklaces) went in my closet on an underused peg strip. All the Mardi Gras (2/28/17) necklaces went to preschool with middle for her kids.  And after the girls checked them, all the lanyards went to goodwill. I didn't count, but I am guessing 50+ necklaces were hanging on the bottom pegs of my thread racks. Maybe closer to 100 items as I think about it. There is a collection of lacings and ties on the far left peg that I am saving.

Computer room clean out 2016

This after picture is from a 2010 Computer Room Clean Out. I got rid of major piles and was quite pleased with myself.

Here is a wider angle of the whole room. After picture from 2010 also.

I did another clean out the day before New Year's Eve 2016. 

I did not think to take a before picture. But it was stacked. All kinds of odds and ends. 

These first two pictures (below) are my GO piles. The first one is a box full of dictionaries. And yes there is a religious book on top. Youngest has to go thru this box before it GOES. There is a tutoring center in town for English as a second language and I am going to see if they want the dictionaries. I kept one in case we have a no internet life again. I also kept the grammar type books. I have some very good children's ones. They were moved to the living room book shelves.

This is a GO basket that both girls have to check in case I got rid of something vital without knowing it. It is a very small basket, not a laundry basket. The main thing in this basket is weird mechanical pencils and odd pens. The kleenex box is full of them. There is a gallon size zip lock bag full too. So many.

This Chair is in the GO pile. It is cheap. It rolls too easily. The fabric is covered with a very slippery plastic and I have nearly slid out while I was also falling out, several times. It is a broken tail bone waiting to happen and it is going to goodwill.

I did a rethink on the counters as I cleaned this time.

I got rid of the file sorter and the bookshelf that were on the counter. This might seem obvious, but because they had always been there, and were needed originally, I had not considered eliminating them.

Originally I had a file for every kid and one for myself and one for parking lot and one for receipts and one for checkbook in that file holder. For many years those files reduced clutter and kept things organized. But all those times are now gone. I went through those files and cleaned out a lot. Checkbook went in a cubby. My file went in a file drawer.

A lot of maps went in paper recycling.



AFTERS 2016

The off white chair was originally my husband's father's. This is one of the things that came home in the truck after my husband's mother died in 2010. It is old. But sort of beloved. Yes, an odd shape for a counter, but it got it out of my husband's upstairs office. There are 4-6 chairs currently in that office.  (I have a bulls-eye on that office. I am chipping away at it, bit by bit.)



I cleaned the cupboards in the computer room a year or so ago.

A month or two ago, I put all the computer games in a box and put them in the top shelf of the cupboard after realizing all three kids (especially youngest) thought I should hang on to them. So the gecko on the wall is now empty, but I am leaving him there.

Middle and I cleaned all the cubbies (above the checkered bulletin board) on New Year's Eve Day 2016. Every single thing came out and was reorganized. I purged a lot. Post it notes that no longer stick went in the paper recycling bin. A box of things went to my mom's. Things went in the Goodwill box. Etc.

It wasn't even a Xmas present, it was an extra Roku that I happened to think might work well

Anyone just itching to alphabetize something?

Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat, Go Pete, Go! by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat and his four groovy Buttons by Kimberly and James Dean (book and CD)

Pete the Cat, I love my White Shoes by and James Dean (book and CD)

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Robo-Pete by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Rocking in my school shoes by Kimberly and James Dean (book and CD)

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin (Christmas)

Pete the Cat Scuba-Cat by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Sir Pete the Brave by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Snow Daze by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Train Trip by Kimberly and James Dean

Pete the Cat Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by James Dean

Pete the Cat The Wheels on the Bus based on writings of James Dean

As you read down thru this list, you will see where I am confused. If you would be so kind to just copy and paste (a corrected version) in comments, I would really appreciate it. If you are itching to add or delete commas, that is okay too. 

Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Five Little Pumpkins by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by Kimberly and James Dean (book and CD)
Pete the Cat, Go Pete, Go! by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, I Love my White Shoes by and James Dean (book and CD)
Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Robo-Pete by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Rocking in my School Shoes by Kimberly and James Dean (book and CD)
Pete the Cat, Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin (Christmas) 
Pete the Cat, Scuba-Cat by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Sir Pete the Brave by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Snow Daze by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Train Trip by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by James Dean
Pete the Cat, the Wheels on the Bus based on writings of James Dean

Tracy links

Shauna gets the credit for finding Tracy originally.

I get Tracy's weekly post in pictures.
http://www.shutterbean.com/category/my-everyday-life/
I love getting it.

My husband says she has an incredible eye for photography. I also forward it on to my kids. My older two are overtly artistic. My youngest is too, in different ways. But I do not think you have to be artistic to enjoy Tracy.

She lives a very unique life (she only has one kid, her work is art, she travels, she lives in San Francisco area).

When her recipe food posts hit my inbox, I delete them without opening. I can tell by the title that it is a recipe.

Her food pictures (in her week in review) do not bother me. She takes pictures of food for a living. She also cooks things separately and cooks ahead. I have learned a lot from her about sorting, storing, labeling. So I look at her food pictures from an organization viewpoint.

So, for example, I did not look at what food she served for thanksgiving. I looked at how she did her table. I look at how she packages her pre cooking as she preps and puts it in the refrigerator too. Etc.

Alcohol is in a lot of her pictures, that does not bother me either, I just ignore it. But I just wanted to forewarn.

Blue painters tape now lives in my studio, kitchen and computer room because of Tracy. I label a lot of things. Dates, content, owners names. (When we were at our friends over xmas, I realized how much I use blue tape when she did not have any in her kitchen. Drove me a little nuts.)

She used to write another column for Homefries on organization.
http://homefries.com/category/high-straightenence/
There are some good posts there.

This post started because I was thinking about how Tracy rotates her clothes.
I had to look to remember what she calls it - capsule wardrobe.

I searched the word "capsule" on her blog
http://www.shutterbean.com/?s=capsule
And you can see past posts on that topic.

I am not suggesting following her fashion trends.
I am suggesting looking at how she thinks about her closet.
I look at all her organizational posts this way - the labeling and the sorting,
but not necessarily the content.

More gift ideas from my Amazon Orders page

Yes, these are all things I have ordered in the last couple years. Some of them I have ordered many times.

WET BRUSHES. Available at Walgreens and other local stores too. My girls have two each. One stays home, one is at school with them. These work extremely well. We have given them as gifts also. They come in different sizes.  

Youngest has a set, I have a set. I just ordered a set for middle at her request after she saw youngest's. The zipper tab is behind a cover when closed so they do not come unzipped. Two sizes in each order. 

Math or science or drafting/drawing person inyour family? I have been buying these for youngest for years. We used to get them at Office Depot. Now the only place we can find them is Amazon. The whole thing is an eraser (it is a stand alone eraser). 

Have given these as gifts (several times) to math and science type families. Maybe I should be giving them to non math and science families to get them going too.

Middle has several pairs of the girl version. My husband has these. Keen Sandals are really great. 

I cook big breakfasts when I have a house full. We tend to eat two meals per day on these weekends.  I add protein powder and extra egg to my Red Mill Waffle mix. And I make waffles for my extended family, a lot.

Space saver Vacuum bags for suitcases. Do not need a vacuum, they roll. We all use these. I have ordered many sets. 

This is what I use when I travel. I think mine is the style on the top. Middle had the one on the bottom when we traveled to England/Scotland/Wales. I put it under my clothes. Not glamorous but super practical. I put my credit card, passport, driver's licence, a little cash and some wipes in there too. All flat enough, then I do not carry a purse. 

Good family game. (We also play the card version which is called Bikini.) We love the larger size tiles.

If you have a drawing kid of any age, Ed Emberley is great. I sent one of these books with youngest to college. If she has to draw something for a project, which happens a lot, she will be able to do it with this book. Everything starts with lines, circles, squares, etc. Would be extremely good gift for kid who likes to draw and is still learning how. (When someone taught middle the ratio for where to put the features on a face, it was like someone turned on the light. So if you have a drawing kid, look up a diagram on the internet of how to draw a face too. )  I think the Green Monster book might be a story book, not sure.

Middle found this for friend who loved Winnie the Pooh as a boy. He is getting it for xmas.  Really great (true) story.

My kids all had these as children. It is how they learned to skate. I bought these for 8 year old a few years ago. 

I bought this for 8 year old for xmas this year. She opened it early at Thanksgiving. It is all one piece, it does not come apart. There is some type of mechanism in the rings, it is sort of like wheel clogs as you put your pen in it and move around the wheel (It does not work with your finger, put the pen in and it it goes).  The kid has to be able to hold the red frame stationary as they work the pen. So some kids would need a holder. Good fine motor skills art practice.

Middle and youngest each have a set of the straight ones and the round ones. 

Boye Long Loom Set and Boye Round Loom Set which Amazon does carry.

I also called the company and got extra pegs proactively. 

They have been used and used and used. I just bought another set (Good Will) of the round ones for our eight year old who will be able to do it with youngest or middle helping her. 
An artistic boy might like these too.
We buy THICK YARN so it goes faster and takes less skeins. 

Gift ideas

Footwear
Youngest has these boots and loves them. I got them for her birthday last year. I was lucky. She has other pairs of Rockports, so I knew the size. And I was confident of the style. I had to order because she is an odd size. I ordered, she loved them, it was a surprise, I think. (She wears an insert for added support. We all wear inserts or have cookies added to almost all our shoes for more support.)

Middle is considering these same boots for her birthday. They are great.

If you have a teen or young adult where shopping for them is now really hard, consider taking them shoe shopping. It works very well for my kids. But you have to be okay spending $$$ because it is going to cost. I did this for oldest for the last two years. His birthday and xmas are close. It is extremely hard to guess what he might like. Shoe shopping worked great. And he needed the shoes. I think he got new running shoes both years. Plus two pairs of work shoes the first year. Plus a pair of casual shoes the second. So, yes, major $$$ but he needed them and it worked.

FitBit
Last year middle wanted boots for her birthday all year. There was a lot of boot talk. I got a lot of boot pictures. I got a lot of boot links.  I just kept saying - that is fine, we will buy when it gets closer. Then when we were a week or two out from her actual birthday, she switched to fitbit and that is what she got. I bought the insurance. It has already been replaced once. The insurance started over the moment it was replaced. No extra fee. Best Buy. She really uses her FitBit - sleep and steps mostly. Her

On Black Friday, I bought a FitBit for youngest for this Christmas. Target. I bought the insurance. I did it online and they held it at customer service. I knew the size (small) because middle had one. I picked it up on Saturday when we were back in town. No crowd, no wait. I gave it to youngest early (now) because she will be gone for xmas. And with finals coming, she can use it. We buy the ones that track sleep and monitor heart rate (plus all the other stuff).



OTTLite
If you have someone who does a lot of handwork of any kind, an OTTLite is wonderful.
http://www.joann.com/ottlite/
JoAnns carries a variety of styles. They go on sale often. JoAnns has coupons available all the time. Our local JoAnns also accepts the 40% coupon from Hobby Lobby.
I bought one for my mother for Mother's Day. I bought one for myself for xmas. Both of ours are floor lamps. We both also have short ones too.





HAIR
Bed Bath and Beyond for these first two. If you register online, they will send you coupons regularly.
(The Hair Turban does not work for people with really, really, really thick manes of hair. It works well for both of my girls.) Youngest has three Hair Turbans, two at college, one at home. She has two Turbie Bands (one at home, one at school). Middle has a Turbie Band for herself and buys for the gift bags she assembles for high school graduation gifts. (She has two graduating this spring and she has her bags filled and ready. Painted letters, Turbie Bands and manicure sets.)

A close friend swears by the Wahl Peanut. She cuts hair regularly, the boys go thru beard phases. Sometimes they arrive for family functions, she takes one look and gets out the peanut. Groom two days before wedding, for example. I do not cut hair. But middle cuts her boy's. And we have beards here too. So I have one of these on hand. As you can see, it has not been used yet. But it will save the day on some future occasion. So this is a good gift option too, in my opinion. I bought mine on sale at beauty supply place.

Doll Clothes

The dolls are ours, they were not included in Christmas boxes, just modeling for pictures. Laney and Chrissa, I think.

These are all clothes my mom and I made for cousin's girls for xmas. I have not seen the cousin in many years. I have never met his wife or girls, but they are going through a really hard time, right before xmas, and my mom and I wanted to do something.

Note under each picture (below) with who made what.

Also included were three pairs of underwear, one pair of shoes and a pair of socks (per box).

My mother made both dresses. They are exquisite. They take her about 12 hours per dress (handwork takes a long time). The bodices are self lined. Fabric and lace was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

I made the dresses which are long sleeved, lined bodices and very simple. My mom made the jackets which are fully lined. Boots are ours, did not go in boxes. Fabric and lace was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

My mom made the black dress and apron when she was first starting on the clothes. Then she switched to more sophisticated choices. So the black dress and apron were made by my mom more than a year ago and gave us a head start for this project. My mom made the dress and apron on the right last week. I had to convince her that the check dress was okay with the pattern apron. And it is really cute.  Fabric and lace was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

Fleece. Super simple. I made both coats. I made two more for our dolls too. Looking for ultra suede tan coat at Good Will to make same pattern for Josefina.. Fleece was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

Fabric was embroidered (it came that way) so all I did was fussy cut. Vests are fully lined. Tops are knit. I made three more. Used different pants pattern for our three, slimmer cut. One set for our dolls. Two to save as future gifts. Denim and knit was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. I bought vest fabric.

We bought the hats. But I have made similar hats in the past. I made the jumpers but my mom did the handwork (snaps, we never use Velcro, too hard on doll hair). I also made the knit tops. I have another set of these cut out to make for our dolls. Putting zippers in the back of the jumpers for our two. Fabric was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

Striped blouse, flowered blouse, and khaki skirt were from my mom's previously made reject pile. My mom made green skirt last week. So this set was pretty easy. My mom is going to remake the striped blouse fabric for our dolls. We loved the fabric, but hated this blouse pattern.  Fabric was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. 

I made 2 sleeping bags, two pillows and 2 sets of pj's. All very easy. I now use 26"zipper in sleeping bag, pattern calls for 30" but it looks better to have zipper only go part way. Waste bands are elastic with built in lace (JoAnns). .Fabric for pj's was in stash my friend passed on to my mom. I bought the navy flowered for sleeping bag, The rest of the sleeping bag fabric and the furry pillow fabric came from friend too. I bought the lace elastic, which really made the pj's bottoms easy and special.

Yes, picture is out of focus. My mom took it. 

The fabric stash from my friend made this all possible and very inexpensive. We just "shopped" in my mom's boxes. Sleeping bags and pillows are not in this picture. Impressive volume in boxes. Really great.