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Raisie Bay

Sunset – My Sunday Snapshot

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This week I saw this amazing sunset from window. Of course by the time I’d reached my phone to take a photo the sky was already changing. The orange glow that completely filled the back of the trees had already started to disappear. But still, you can see the orange behind the trees, you’ll have to take my word for it that it was much more impressive before.

sunset behind the trees

Sunset Life

It’s been a difficult week and it’s not going to be much easier next week, but there is hope in sight. If we get the lovely weather promised during the Easter holiday I’ll be looking forward to watching the sunset from my garden.

So much is going on at the moment, it’s all very stressful. And it’s my hospital week, so that doesn’t make things easier. I just want some peace, some calm and I hope we can achieve that somehow together.

I long for a good night’s sleep. I want to go down like the sun and let the moon take over for a while.

Happier times are ahead. I’m going to buy as much chocolate as I can for Easter, make a Simnel cake and get the kids to make some Easter Biscuits and Cake. We are going to have a sugar overload and it will be delightful. Of course, with all that sugar I can forget about sleep for a while.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s Sunday Snapshot.

RachelSwirl

Previous Sunday Snapshots on Raisie Bay

Saving Your Favourites on Etsy.

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Hands up if you are a huge Etsy Fan. I am and I’m thrilled that you are able to save your favourites shops and items so you don’t have to go looking for them. Great for payday purchases, or when you are not sure about something and have to budget carefully. Or simply because you absolutely love what you’ve found and want to keep it handy.

I am also an affiliate for Etsy so I may earn some money if you click through any of my links and purchase something. It won’t cost you any extra though, enjoy my favourites with me.

Favourites Folder on Etsy

How to make a favourite folder on Etsy.

Etsy heart favourite

See this entry for a Sea Glass Necklace. There is a little heart in the corner that if you click it turns red and becomes your favourite. You also get a little pop up which tells you that you can add your favourited item to list.

Etsy favourites add to list

On your Etsy home page there is a heart at the top right next to the search bar. If you click this it takes you straight to all your favourites. Here are my favourites. Not only can you have favourite items you can have favourite shops too. And just for real convenience you can have lists for your favourited items, for example I have lists for Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines Day, Crochet, Crystals and a few more.

It’s so easy to keep all of your favourite things together.

Some of My Favourites on Etsy.

I can’t leave you without sharing some of my favourites on Etsy. I’m so passionate about well made, original things to buy. I also love to support small businesses.

Personalised Father’s Day Saw £17.95

wooden saw plaque saying, You are the best dad I ever saw, and personalise with a message...love from...

Deer and Stag Heart Print £30

print of a deer and stag head in a heart shape in blue

Magic Wand Crochet Hooks from £7

crochet hooks with the handles decorated as magic wands

Forget Me Not pressed Flower Necklace £24

forget me not necklace

Red Elephant Candle Holder £7.95

red candle holder decorated with a glittery elephant

Crystals for Beginners

crystals for beginners

Are you an Etsy Fan? Maybe I am introducing you to Etsy for the first time. Do let me know.

All links are affiliate links and you can read other Etsy posts here. and here on my other blog At Home A Lot

Word of the Week 13 – Can Only Be Described as Difficult

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Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week. A nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is ‘difficult’ and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase. But please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week. There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest boardfollow devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK – Difficult

Last week we were coping. It wasn’t easy but we were getting on with life and doing the best we could. This week has been difficult and I can’t deny it.

Monday, the Little Man didn’t want to go to school and was difficult in the morning, but it turned out to be Monday blues and he went to school and came home happier. Sadly though, he’s been getting a lot of pain in his feet and we are not sure what is wrong. His shoes seems to fit ok, and there are no obvious signs, like redness, blisters, corns, verruca’s etc. He just seems to be in pain.

Then the girls got up and Star was not feeling well. It was difficult to get her to listen to me and in the end we gave up and she stayed home from school. Thankfully, her behaviour did not affect Boo who went to school. However, after a difficult time last week she insisted on sitting in the SEND room rather than going to her lessons. Arrgh! At least she will get a mark for attendance.

I’ve also been poorly, really poorly. I’ve had an infection for nearly three weeks now and I’m on my second course of anti-biotics. It’s proving difficult to get rid of. Now I’m worried that it’s going to cause problems with me having my treatment which starts today.

We have a difficult timetable ahead which mostly affects Graham as he is the only driver now. Eldest needs at lift to work at 7.30 am, The Little Man goes to school at 8.30am. The Girls are leaving for school at 10.30am and I’ll be leaving for hospital at 11.30am. Then straight from the hospital Graham has to pick up eldest from work as she’s doing a short shift, then he may just make it back in time to pick up the girls. I finish at the hospital around 3pm, and the little man finishes at 3.10pm so I’ll have to wait around for Graham to pick me up. Looks like Graham will be in the car all day, and I’m dreading to think how much it’s going to cost us in petrol.

Today, the girls are not at school which makes the timetable a little less difficult. And he only has to do it for four days next week because it’s Good Friday.

One thing that hasn’t been difficult is doing the lateral flow tests. After doing tests for the Office of National Statistics for the last year I think we are experts in putting little sticks to tickle our tonsils and poke our brains through our noses. The kids have to do them twice weekly, and so far so good. Although, Star was talking to one of her friends yesterday who is in self isolation after a positive test. It’s been a difficult year with Covid, but I fear it’s not over yet.

I’m sorry for not being more positive this week, I doubt that next week will be better, my treatment really makes me feel ill until it sets in. Then hopefully things will brighten up. Easter is one of my favourite times of year and the kids are already looking forward to two weeks off school. And chocolate…don’t forget the chocolate!

So now it’s over to you, what word or phrase sums up your week this week?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Moosoo 4 in 1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review

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I have been looking for an extra vacuum cleaner to keep upstairs to save having to carry ours up and down all the time. Then I was asked if I’d like to review the Moosoo 4 in 1 Vacuum and I was really excited.

The Moosoo is a cordless vacuum at a fantastic price. Here is what I thought about it.

What’s in the Box?

I was really surprised when my Moosoo Vacuum arrived as the box was really small. It was really well packed though and not very heavy.

Moosoo Vacuum cleaner in box

I opened the box and made sure I had everything that should be there. Here are the contents.

contents of the Moosoo Vaccum box arranged on the floor.

Contents include:

  • Telescopic aluminium alloy tube
  • host header
  • LED turbo electric floor brush
  • slot nozzle
  • round brush
  • wall mount
  • 2200maH battery
  • plug
  • cleaner brush

Highlights

Hightlights:

☞24K/8K Powerful Suction

☞250W Brushless Motor

☞12/30 Mins Running Time

☞1.2L Large Dust Cup

☞4.5 hours Charging Time

☞Less 72db Sound-level

☞4 LED Indicator Lights

☞Telescopic Metal Tube

☞Removable Washable components

My Review of the Moosoo Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

The vacuum was super easy to put together and it’s also easy to take a part to use as a handheld cleaner.

hand held version of the Moosoo vacuum cleaner

It works great as a hand held cleaner, with a trigger action button you can run it over your furniture and clean up in no time. From crumbs to cat hairs, it really works well. It’s also great for the car. Being extremely light weight it’s good for people like me who find heavy vacuums difficult to use.

The cleaner itself is also super light weight and great for someone who can’t use a heavier model. It’s just what I was looking for.

It’s great that it comes with a wall fitting so I can just pop it against the wall on the landing. It doesn’t need to be near a plug socket as you can remove the battery and charge it elsewhere.

The vacuum is lightweight and so easy to use. When fully charged it cleans really well, the suction is great. The vacuum holds a lot of dust and mess before needing emptying. My only gripe would be that the battery doesn’t last so well and after about 10 minutes on full power, it doesn’t continue working so well and will need re-charging. It’s not a bad thing though. Most rooms can be cleaned in 10 minutes. If the floor isn’t too bad you can turn the power down and it will last around 20 minutes.

I wanted a cleaner for upstairs and the Moosoo is ideal. It sits out of the way on my landing and I can pick it up and use it anytime to keep the landing clean. The bedrooms can be done regularly too. Keeping them clean daily is now so much easier.

It’s a good cleaner and holds a lot of dust and dirt. It’s powerful when fully charged, and really lightweight. I love the convenience of the Moosoo vacuum and it’s perfect for my bedrooms. It’s not as good as some of the well known brands of cleaners, but if you are looking for something much cheaper than gets the job done then the Moosoo could be the answer for you.

The Moosoo vacuum is only £84.35 plus P&P and is widely available. It’s great value and if you want to check it out more you can find all the details here. For a cordless vacuum at a very reasonable price it’s a good buy.

I received the Moosoo Cordless Vacuum in return for my honest review. Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments.

You can read my disclosure policy here.

Day of Reflection March 23rd 2021

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Today is being marked as a day of reflection, a time to think about and remember those who have lost their lives to Covid 19 during the past year.

There is a minutes silence planned at 12 noon and people are requested to do a candlelight vigil on their door step from 8pm.

I’m happy to do both. Covid 19 has caused so much pain and suffering and death. So many families have lost love ones, so many people are now having to live with the disabilities that Covid can leave you with. It’s been a dreadful year for so many.

day of reflection march 23rd 2021, candle
Day of Reflection 2021

My Year in Reflection

We decided to stay home as soon as we heard of the threat of Covid 19. We’d seen what was going on in Italy and other Countries and I admit, I was very afraid. I wanted to keep my family safe. It’s a natural reaction and although we didn’t go into full panic mode with hoarding stuff and sterilizing everything in site, we did stay home and stay safe.

I lost two family members this year but neither were to Covid. I have had family members with Covid who have recovered and one that survived a heart attack. But in my own home we have coped fairly well. I have been able to continue with my infusions. I did have a break for a while but that had already been decided before Covid, but come September I was back into hospital. I had two MRIs during the first wave of the pandemic, both went well.

Graham had an accident while trying to fix our washing machine which resulted in him having to have his tendons sewn back together in thumb. He had to go to A&E and the surgery was performed the next day. Then he was home and he recovered quickly.

My eldest son had some severe pain which ended up with a call to 111 who in turn got a doctor to call back. The Doctor sent an ambulance and they took him off to hospital. They thought it might be gall stones, but the main worry was his low heart rate. Thankfully it turned out to be a gastric issue and he was soon on his way home.

But there has been no Covid in our home.

School and Family Life

There was no school and we were sent packs to learn at home. The Little Man worked hard but the girls found it difficult. Then came the summer holidays and we left the house only twice. Once for a socially distanced day out to Cosford museum and the other to visit Spencers Retreat. The rest of the time was spent in the garden.

We managed to have friends around for the kid’s birthdays but being the summer we were able to stay in the garden and there were never more than six, including my three!

We missed our UK holiday but even though it was open and we could have travelled, after seeing the pictures of the crowded beaches on the news we decided to leave it until this year. (Something to look forward to.)

Looking back it wasn’t bad at all. We have a large household of seven and it never gets lonely or boring here. We seemed to bond more and as we are not very social anyway, we didn’t really mind. My eldest daughter had the most events cancelled including a trip to Germany, and Boo missed her very first school trip abroad to France. We know we didn’t lose as much as a lot of people though.

If my Mum had still been here she’d have been elderly and at high risk, and with me being ill I wouldn’t have been able to see her. I can fully understand how heart breaking that would have been. But my Mum passed away many years ago. I didn’t have to worry about losing or missing her because of Covid.

September started well, the children were back at school and it seemed like normality was returning. It didn’t last though. The girl’s couldn’t cope with all the changes and ended up on reduced timetables. The Little Man was okay though and his school did really well. Whereas Star and Boo’s school had ‘bubble’ closures every week, the Little Man’s school only had two bubble closures all term. (And not his class.) However, it all changed at Christmas when we were locked down again.

First we were told you could have family over, but the times were reduced and it was only Christmas Day. We never have had anyone over on Christmas Day so it didn’t cause us any problems.

After Christmas school had become virtual and classes online. This had mixed results. The Little Man was fine at first but he did get bored of it all. Boo and Star tried but failed and didn’t attend many lessons. Now, after an entire year they are finally back at school. Although the girl’s are doing a phased return, fingers crossed it will go well.

And that’s it, our Year living in a Covid 19 world. We have survived, we have had our first doses of the vaccination, and we are hopeful for a happier future, especially for my children. BUT, we have also had a better year than so many people and for that I am truly thankful.

My heart goes out to all that have been affected by Covid on this Day of Reflection and forever more.

May this nightmare be under control very soon.