My October Favorites

It has been a busy, busy weekend! I’ve been storing the Halloween goodies back up under the eaves and somehow, I found myself rearranging furniture. I have never been one to move furniture around, mostly because when I buy furniture, I buy it go in a certain spot in my home. But I’ve certainly been moving it around this weekend! I’m looking forward to sharing that for Metamorphosis Monday. What have you been up to this weekend?

 

I have some awesome favorites to share with you from last month and I hope you find them helpful. Have I ever mentioned that I’m a big-time worrywart? lol Years ago I sent my son and daughter-in-law these Red Cross lights that come on automatically when the lights go out. (Red Cross Lights are available here: Red Cross Emergency Lights.) I also ordered lanterns for them, as well. My daughter-in-law was so thankful to have them when they had a storm that year and all the lights went out.

Blackout Buddy Lights

 

Last Christmas I gifted my son and dil this weather radio. In addition to being a radio/weather radio, it’s also a flashlight and can be used to charge a phone during an emergency. It can run on batteries or it can be charged up via the sun. It also has a hand crank that can be used to charge it up. It has so many features, I can’t remember them all!

 

The last time I visited, my son was raving about this radio saying that when they had tornadoes in the area this past spring, he couldn’t find up-to-date information on the TV or on any of the radio stations. Then he remembered the weather radio and was amazed but how it pinpointed exactly where the tornadoes were and kept them up to date every few minutes. That made me so happy that he had remembered the radio and that it helped in that stressful situation.

I have a small weather radio but it doesn’t have as many features as the one I purchased for my son/dil, so after hearing him sing the praises of this one, I decided to purchase one for myself. Haven’t had a reason to use it, yet–but I’m glad I have it! I think I’ll turn it on today just to see how it works. If you don’t have a weather radio, definitely consider getting one. This one is available here: Emergency Weather Radio, Hand Crank, Solar, Battery Operated, Phone Charger.

 

 

I’ve been using my Aquaphor Lip Repair a lot this past month since I’ve been running the heat inside a lot more. Definitely a must for the cold-weather season. It’s available here: Aquaphor.

Aquaphor Lip Balm

 

 

Recently, I replaced my 14-year-old SUV. I had to let it go since the hybrid battery was 25,000 miles outside its warranty and it would have been an insanely expensive repair when it died. I cried all the way to CarMax the day I sold it. Have you ever done that when selling a car? I was surprised by how attached I had become to that car. Sometimes I just don’t like change, even when it’s an improvement. lol What is wrong with me?!

After replacing my old SUV with a new one in early fall, I wanted to protect the light-colored seats from denim transfer since I was still wearing jeans and hadn’t switched over to my winter cords. To protect the seats, I’ve been using a sheepskin seat pad/cover. The first one I purchased matched the seat beautifully, but it kept sliding around as I got in and out of my SUV, which was super annoying. I ordered this one below and it’s perfect. The color doesn’t match as well, so I’ve re-ordered it in a different color that should be here on Tuesday, but I love the way this one is designed.

Sheepskin Seat Cushion, Cover for Car Seat

 

It has straps that hook underneath the front of the seat and it keeps the seat cover in place. I love that it’s wool because it’s super cozy and I don’t get a shock when getting in and out of the car. Also, when I turn on the seat warmer, I can still feel it through the wool pad.

Even though I’m full-time wearing all my Talbots cords now instead of my denim jeggings, I’ve kept the cover on the seat because I love how it feels. I love that I’m not sitting on a cold seat when I first get in the car in the winter. I’ll probably even keep it on the seat come summertime, just depends on how much I’m wearing my denim jeggings. In the summer, I mostly wear light summer dresses and shorts. If you worry about denim transfer, you’ll find this cozy sheepskin cover here: Sheepskin Cover for SUV/Car/Truck Seat.

Sheepskin Seat Cushion Cover for Car

 

If you’ve been reading BNOTP for a while, you know I love Ugg Boots. I had never tried them until a BNOTP reader shared how warm they are. I’m always cold in the winter so I gave them a try and LOVE them. I have a shorter style in black that I purchased just to wear around the house in the wintertime. I live in those during the fall and winter months.

Keep Ugg Boots from Falling Over in Closet

 

I love my Ugg boots but sometimes I wish they had a bit more arch support. I came across these wool insoles and ordered a pair. They are awesome! I’ve since ordered a second pair for another pair of my Ugg boots.

Arch Support for my Ugg Boots

 

I wear a size 7 in summer shoes and sandals but always buy a size 8 in my winter shoes and boots since I like to wear thicker merino wool socks in the wintertime. I even wear them with my Ugg boots, though I know most people don’t wear socks with Uggs. I just prefer to always wear socks in the wintertime and the wonderful, merino-wool socks (that I buy HERE) make all my boots, including my Uggs, feel that much more cushy and comfortable.

Since my Ugg boots are a size 8, I purchased these insoles one size down in a size 7 and they fit perfectly into my boots. I love the extra arch support they give to my boots! If you could use a bit more arch support in your Ugg boots or just more cushy warmth in your other boots, you’ll find these wool insoles here: Sheepskin Wool Insoles.

 

Arch Support for my Ugg Boots

 

 

Last month I bought these big 17-1/2 inch light-weight planes for my grandsons. They were a huge hit and my daughter-in-law messaged me a video of one of my grandsons playing with his plane while his brother was at football practice. I love how big they are and how they light up at night. They were such a big hit with the boys and so inexpensive, I ordered another set so they would have spares in case anything happens to one of them. They would make a great Christmas gift if you have little ones on your Christmas list this year. You’ll find them available here: Large LED Light Airplanes.

 

 

 

Happy Weekend! See you tomorrow for Metamorphosis Monday!

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Comments

  1. We need emergency lights. When power was out for several days it was tough at night.

  2. Biodynamic Barb says

    I just want to thank you for theses posts. I’ve bought several of the things you’ve recommended and been happy with them. I wanted to buy the Red Cross lights but they’re sold out. Is there another brand you can recommend?

  3. DawneMarie A says

    Thank you Susan! You always find the best goodies. Highly appreciated. I ordered a few buddy blackouts. We had an outage 3:30 am my new doorbell was ringing. Very scary. Didn’t know the doorbell rings in an outage!
    The sheepskin seat pad nice too! However I use my heated seats often. And my old Lexus is 20!

    • Wow, mine doesn’t ring during an outage. That would scare me especially at night. Did it keep ringing or did it only ring once?
      Dawne, here’s the correct link for the Blackout Buddy if you had any trouble finding them: https://amzn.to/3wwzinG

    • Oh, and forgot to say, I use my heated seats a lot, too–couldn’t live without those. Fortunately, I can feel the heat through the wool sheepskin cushion. It’s also really nice when you first get in the car and the seats are normally cold.

  4. Susan, I ordered the emergency light, charger, radio as my son lives in Minnesota and occasionally has a tornado warning. I think this come come in very handy! I also ordered the red light for him as well. You come up with great ideas! Keep them coming.

    • Maureen, I know he will really appreciate it. My son and dil really appreciated the radio when they had really bad weather come through. My son was really excited, telling me all about it and how thankful he was to have the radio. I was so glad they had it.

  5. I know exactly how hard it is giving up a car. When I moved to Mexico I traded my RAV4 to my cleaning lady for free cleaning and I LOVED that car. For one thing I sat up nice and high so it was easy to see everything as I drove which was so important when driving on St. Thomas in the left lane in an American car. Now I have a Honda Fit which I like but after 11 years I still can’t get used to sitting so low.

    • I love sitting up high, too, Ginger. That’s one thing I do like about this car, is I set up a lot higher. Maybe you can get another Rav4 sometime. Do they still make those?

  6. Yvonne Smith says

    Thanks for always giving us great products & ideas. You are such a blessing!

  7. You covered items from head (aquaphor) t0 toe (socks, insoles)! We have a weather radio and it’s been handy a time or two, but no USB or flashlight options, so thinking we’re due for an upgrade! Thanks for another useful safety/comfort list.

  8. Thanks for all the great ideas. You always come up with things I wouldn’t think of. Have a nice holiday season.

  9. Eloise Fitzsimmons says

    I want to join the list of thanks for the great ideas. I’ve got several in my cart. You’ve made Christmas a little easier. Thanks!

  10. Susan, I have to chime in about crying when giving up a car….I DO TOO!!! My first love was a truck I learned to drive stick on, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED it madly. It got hit by a distracted driver (ggrrrrr) and eventually rusted to the point where we had to take it to the salvage yard. I wept the whole way there! My current SUV is the next love of my car life, and I will cry a river when it is done for…it is 15 years old! You are not alone with your love for your cars!!! 🙂

    • Rosie, I totally get it. I’m sorry you had to go through that…it’s awful! I felt like I was abandoning a good friend. 🙁 A friend said that when she sold her car, she almost felt like she was abandoning a pet at the pound. That was a great way to describe it, like I was turning my back on it after all the years of great service it had given me. I still feel that way now and wonder if it’s okay, wherever it is. I know that crazy! I wish that feeling would go away. I don’t think I felt that way when I traded my car to get the one I just sold. I don’t know why I feel this way this time.
      I love hearing from so many people who drive their cars a long time. I thought I was the only one who did that but there are a lot of BNOTP readers out there who drive their cars for 10+ years. The longest I’ve kept a car was 18 years. I drove it for 16, then gave it to my son who drove it for 2 more.

      • HI Susan, I am SO glad to read that there are people out there that make attachments to cars! But I do think it is the memories attached to the truck and SUV that makes the whole ‘retiring’ process hard for me. My old truck: so MANY memories of house projects and how many trips to house and garden centers it made, learning to drive stick flawlessly (if I do say so myself!) on it, paying it off way before we had too, as a young couple, that was huge! Anyway…it is comforting to read that you and others ‘get it’… Oh, I love driving cars for years!!!! We are definitely the odd balls in our neighborhood about that. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  11. Cyndi Raines says

    Yes, I too have gotten pretty teary eyed when we change vehicles. You pay so much for them, spend so much time in them, that they take a place in your family. You know logically it is a car, or truck but they are tied to memories and it gets us every time! Congratulations on your new vehicle, may she be a great performer for you! I still want those red cross emergency lights, last time I checked they were not available. Will check again and I am liking the emergency radio too. Thanks Susan, you always give us good product information.

    • Exactly! Maybe that’s it…all the memories we associate with them. I keep trying to tell myself it’s a machine and doesn’t have feelings, but I still feel bad for selling it. I hope that feeling passes eventually.

  12. Great stuff! You are a super resource person for really neat (and needed) stuff!

  13. If you are looking for boots with more arch support, Sketchers make Ugg-like boots that have a lot more arch support. I picked up a pair to commute in in NYC when it is really cold out and I can say they definitely have good arch support.

  14. Susan . . I can’t find the hooked pillows you posted not too long ago. Want to order, but need your help!

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