Product review: Heat Holder Women's Original Thermal Heat Holders Socks

My feet always get very cold in the winter. I even purchased electric booties to warm up my feet when they get painfully cold. Since I purchased Heat Holders I have not had to resort to the electric booties. These sock's warmth exceeded my expectations. On outside they look like regular socks, on the inside they have a very thick plush pile. In attached video I show the outside and the inside of a sock.



✔ The socks material content is 91% Acrylic, 5% Nyln, 3% Polyester, 1% Elastane.

✔ The socks are fairly color fast. I did the first wash by hand to see if they will bleed indigo blue, but they did not. The discoloration of water was minimal.

✔ The socks are fairly thick, so they may not fit into tight slippers/shoes/boots.

✔ The sizes run large. My shoe size is 7. I purchased Women 5-9. By the end of the day the sock stretches out and the sock heel is no longer in the right place. But they are so warm that I don't care where the heel is, I bought several more pairs.



The only thing I do not like about the socks is that they are shipped stapled through the sock with a plastic staple which can cause damage to the sock, which is what happened to the first pair of the socks I received..  When I attempted to issue an Amazon return for the first pair, it was marked as non-returnable item. However a chat with Amazon representative and the fact that the socks were still in original packaging got me a return label. If the Amazon return does not work for some reason, another option is to contact customer service directly at Heat Holders web site, the web site name is included on the back of the packaging.



My feet are very happy in these socks. Since my original purchase I ordered 2 more pairs. I now own black, grey, and blue. Also note that all three colors are color fast.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: HoneyGuaridan CG-8120 Electric Coffee Grinder

This is a powerful grinder. The grinder is 6.5" tall (with the cap on).  Its capacity is only 30 grams (for coffee beans it means 4 coffee scoups of beans) but it does an excellent job and fairly quickly too.



The package includes two small brushes to clean the grinder - they do a really nice job!  I show how well they work in the video.



Overall, pretty nice grinder!



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LCH Measuring Tape Measure, 26ft(8m)

This is heavy duty measuring tape. It feel very solidly made and it weighs 1 pound 2.7 oz.

  

It can measure up to 26 feet or 8 meters.  I like its metal catch on the end of the tape. It is larger than my other tapes, it sticks out 1/2" and it has two small magnets built into it.  If you are measuring from something metal the magnets latch on.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Aluminum External DVD Drive USB 3.0 Ultra Slim Portable CD Player Burner CD/DVD-ROM by Smallcar

This a nice looking slim external DVD drive. It comes with a power cord and a data port, both plug in to separate USB port of the computer. Documentation states that you should not run it from a USB hub, which means you have to make sure you have two free USB port on the computer or laptop.



I tested the DVD speed by doing a copy the same DVD using a built in DVD reader and Smallcar external DVD reader.  The external DVD was significantly slower.  The copy on internal DVD took 15 minutes, the copy on external DVD took 45 minutes.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Food review: Newtons Fruit Chewy Cookies, Whole Grain Triple Berry

My new favorite Newtons Cookie



On my last trip to the local supermarket I thought I grabbed a box of Fig Newtons and only when I got home I realized that it was a box of Triple Berry Newtons instead of my old favorite.  When I bit into it I was pleasantly surprised - the texture and taste were similar to my old favorite but with a slightly tarter flavor. I love it! 



Triple Berry Newtons

Service cookies 2 cookies (29 gram)

Servings per Container 12

Calories 100 (calories from fat 15)

Total fat 1.5g 2%

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 100mg 4%

Potassium 45 mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 21g 7%

Protein Less than 1g



This is now my new favorite cookie!   The only problem for me now that they so delicious is hard to stop at just one or two.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: La Cle LA-033 Cow Leather Handbag - foldable

There are a couple of things about this bag that I really like.  First, as you see it has rather striking coloring.  I often gets comments on how this bag looks.  Second, this bag folds to be be flat.  This is very handy when travelling, I can fold it flat in the luggage and carry a large carry on bag. Once I arrive to my destination I can take out my nice cute bag.  The third thing that I liked that it came with two shoulder straps.  Not sure if it is a packing mistake or if it is designed to be this way but the two straps give me an option to carry this bag behind my back (like a back pack). If my hands are busy carrying groceries or something else, I use this bag as a backpack and don't have to worry about it slipping off my shoulder.

On the inside it has one large open compartment, and three pockets: one zipped and two open.



It is made out of leather. What allows it to fold is that it is made out of panel of leather connected by  canvas.  The only down side of this design is that the bag is not water proof.  The water can get in through the fabric channels between the leather panels.  Cleaning recommendations are to clean it with a dry cloth.  This bag does not like water!





Overall, cute, has a couple of unique features, but keep it packed away during rain.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Book review: Clear Seeing Place: Studio Visits by Brian Rutenberg

Ever wondered what the artist is feeling and thinking as he creates the art?



I loved the style of Brian Rutenberg writing. It reminded me of the writing style one of my favorite authors, John Irving, where simple thoughts are expressed so well (and would I say beautifully) that I want to read it slowly so I soak in every sentence.   My only disappointment with the book is that it did not include more of Brian's art, and that a few paintings that were included were in black and white. After a few chapters I went to visit his YouTube videos and it really added to my enjoyment of the book because I could picture what he is talking about.



If you ever wondered what the artist is feeling and thinking as he creates the art this book lets you understand the process of at least one artist. Turns out Brian does not think when he paints.  It is not something I ever imagined to be the case but I understood why this is so after reading the book.



I really enjoyed reading the description of his visit to the Jackson Pollock studio. It was interesting to read what was important to him and what he looked for in the studio. Only another artist would have expected what caught his attention.  I also enjoyed his thoughts and process on creating original works. Limiting your perspective may sound counter intuitive but again it began making sense after reading his thoughts about it.



This book lets me get into the head of an artist. It surprises me. It entertained me.  It educated me.  It made me want to read it slowly so I can enjoy it longer. 





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★