Random Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Are you enjoying this sweet season?  

I haven’t posted a random post like this in a very long time. Just some randomness of what I’ve been up to and doing and buying and reading, with some ideas that you might be able to use right now.

One of the things that has been keeping me busy at the blog has been going back to some of my posts that are quite old and polishing them up a bit. There are quite a few older posts that I feel have value but were in need of some updating.   My Joy Blocks post and my Easy No-Sew Christmas Ornament post were 2 of those older posts that I’ve been enjoying again. It has helped me rediscover some of my early readers, too. 

I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done already, which is kind of a record for me, I think.  It’s been very fun to do most of the shopping online, honestly, although I’ve popped into a few stores here and there. I couldn’t resist a quick stop into Hobby Lobby for some wrapping and gift bags, before the grocery shopping this week.  

I baked some cake mix cookies this past weekend, and they were well received here.  I just love the idea and the ease of using a cake mix for cookies, especially when I’m not in the mood for a big baking extravaganza, so I was grateful for an easy cake mix cookie recipe. (It was one of the features at the Thursday Favorite Things Link Party last week.) 

I’m always tweaking recipes to use ingredients I have on hand, so next time I might try my Earth Balance buttery sticks (dairy allergies here, or I would use butter) in place of the oil, and see how that goes.  I added white chocolate chips to the ones at the bottom of the picture, and they were my favorites. (Sometimes my recipe tweaks work well, and sometimes they do not. But cookie add-ins are almost always a good idea, right?  I might try some M&Ms too.)

I finished decorating the tree just this past week, so we’ve been enjoying the soft warmth of the lights. It makes me wonder why I don’t have more of these pretty little lights around year round, and this post from Debra at Common Ground was so inspirational for me.  I promptly ordered some little fairy lights through her links so that our house will be more cozy year round.

(This section of the post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.)

I try to read a little bit before I go to sleep every night, although lately I barely get 10 minutes of reading in before my eyes get too heavy. My current book is the Kindle version of The Last Year of the War,  a story of a friendship in an internment camp during World War II.  It was a little slow moving at first, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because the story is very good. (This book was recommended by a blogger, and I’m sorry to say I can’t remember who recommended it!)  What have you been reading?  I need some new recommendations for my book list. 

Last of all, have you ever heard of a Kalimba?  I’ve recently become obsessed with this beautiful little African musical instrument. Some call it a thumb piano, and the sound it makes is so clear and pretty. I just think it’s a beautiful little instrument and am sharing it here, as I think it would make a lovely family gift, a gift for anyone who loves music, or really anyone at all. 

I spent an afternoon researching them to death, and landed on this one as it appears to be a nice quality one for a reasonable price.

Here’s how a Kalimba sounds.  I love it so much.

Have you found some interesting new gift ideas this year?

Linking to:

Grammy’s Grid

Thursday Favorite Things

Friendship Friday at Create with Joy