If Sellers Noted "American-Made"...

 Look, I'm trying really hard to buy American-made stuff these days. Maybe I should be totally honest and say that I'm actually trying hard not to buy China-made stuff. But, as I've said more than once, that's tricky.

If sellers of non-China-made products wanted to rack up more sales, they'd be smart to make sure that the country of origin is prominently marked. I know for sure that if Amazon sellers displayed the country of origin more boldly, they'd get more sales.

Right now, when I'm browsing for something (the latest thing was a bowl scraper), I have to play detective to find out where the item is made. Often, I have to contact the seller or put in a question for other shoppers to tell me. 

A few weeks ago, after I got my Christmas present (another stand mixer, y'all, to replace the one that I killed), I wanted to get an Anchor Hocking measuring cup. My mother always used A.H. cups and cookware (along with Corningware and another brand I can't remember right now). I remember that the measuring cups were really accurate and sturdy. You could throw that glass across the room and it wouldn't break. (I won't tell you how I know that!)

Let's take a moment to talk about prices, shall we?

I went to Amazon (of course) but the prices were outrageous! One 4-cup measuring cup was priced anywhere from $18 to $35. I'm not kidding. Well, that's a big old Not For Me. A couple of days after I saw those prices, I was ordering groceries from Walmart and happened to see the very same Anchor Hocking cup - for $5.17. I almost broke a finger putting in the order. To make it better, for $3.90, there was a 2-cup size. Yep. Got it.

My insurance covers certain OTC items ordered through Walmart. So the other day, I was getting some vitamins and... happened (yes, happened) to see an Anchor Hocking 5-ounce measuring cup. For under $2.50,

Just because I was curious, I tabbed over to Amazon to price the same cup. The prices were all over the place. Some were as low as 9 dollars (the same as the non-sale price at Walmart) and a couple of them were as high as $25. A couple of the cheaper ones were not Prime so the shipping was crazy high.I snagged the one from Walmart.

Okay. Back to the country of origin thing...

Now, here is my gripe about the beloved Anchor Hocking brand...

When I did a quick "where is it made" search, this kind of thing came up more than once:

Anchor Glass Container has manufacturing facilities in China; Tampa, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Warner Robins, Georgia; Lawrenceburg, Indiana; Henryetta, Oklahoma; Shakopee, Minnesota; and Elmira, New York.

Huh?

I checked the Anchor Hocking  website and saw this:

LET’S SUPPORT AMERICAN JOBS

CRAFTED IN THE USA SINCE 1905

We’ve been making Anchor Hocking glassware right here in the USA for more than a century. For all that time, our products have remained a staple in kitchens around the world by staying on the edge of craftsmanship and in the center of American-made quality. 

Supporting American jobs is a source of great pride for us, and it’s important to our customers too. They appreciate our dedication to the workforce here at home. And abroad, “made in the USA” means something else – quality.

Well, that... reassuring???

Anyway, I love the Anchor Hocking brand for the same reason I love Lodge and the original-made-in- New York Corningware, and hot grits with butter: my mama did. (By the way, I think modern Corningware items are made in France.)

So I've got my set of Anchor Hocking cups and I've got the beautiful uh, made-in-China Cuisinart mixer the kids got me for Christmas so I'm good. (I'm still mad that I thought Cuisinart was made in the USA and that they put the c/o in the smallest font possible on the bottom of the box!)

Apparently, I can't afford any more measuring cups, no matter where they are made so it's a good thing my set is now complete... Hopefully, my glass cups will last as long as Mama's did. Hers never did break but I have no idea who I gave them to when we were moving house. I do still have a couple of the good old glass bread pans from her ❤.

Anyway. I wish there was a way that I could get word to a lot of sellers. If they could help the customer out by letting us know that their items are NOT made in China, that would be a big help to us and a boost for them.

In the meantime, I literally have "Is this made in China?" pinned to my PC clipboard. That way I can just plug it into the question box for Amazon products. Yeah. It's like that.

Peace

--Free

YSK: How To Contact a Seller on Amazon

 This is  something I shared on Reddit's You Should Know sub and wanted to share here also:

Why YSK: Because you might want to deal directly with the seller about any issues before contacting Amazon.

As far as I know, this works best with items you've bought (that are not "sold by Amazon") There are 2 ways to contact the seller of something you've bought:

1. On your Orders page, find the product and go to the Order Details. Click on the "sold by" link to see the seller's storefront, or click on the "Ask Seller" link.

2. Go to the Seller Feedback page, find the specific product & click on the "View Seller Profile" link. 

The first way is best because there are times when you may not be able to offer feedback. 

I didn't know about these ways for a long time. It's the best way to let ask any questions of the seller or to let them know if you had problems. Otherwise, try contacting Amazon with the chat/phone call option. I prefer chat because I can copy/paste the convo for reference if needed.

(Honestly, I do try to always buy items "Sold by Amazon" because it's much less hassle.)

This is on the Orders page. Find the "view order details":

Order Details has 2 links you can use to contact the seller:

This is found on the Feedback page. 

You can use the "view seller profile" to get to the contact/ask a question page:

Whenever I have contacted the seller, I (usually) get better results than trying to go through Amazon's chat. Also, your email is protected because the emails are routed through Amazon and not directly to your email address.

By the way, I did the Reddit YSK post because, apparently, a lot of people don't know how to contact a seller when they have problems or questions. Half of the  "Can you answer this question" emails I get from Amazon involve queries that only the seller can answer. One recent question had to do with whether or not a product is kosher. That's really important for some people but only the seller can be responsible for the answer.

Peace

--Free

Quick Rant (and when brands cheat on pricing)

If you want, you can skip the rant and go straight down to the list of money-saving tips. They are things I've learned about that save quite a bit of money. Or you can keep falling for marketing hype and making greedy people rich...

The Rant:

I was shopping for some more of the Root Erase permanent hair dye I've used in the past. It was $9.97 when I bought it for the first time a couple of years ago. I was able to get multiple uses from it because I only need to touch up my temple hairs (mostly). I ran out and don't want to deal with the henna process right now. What does the same product now cost? $19.99 - and that's with the current 33% markdown... It's typically $29.99. 

 Now, this is where the rant really comes in: all the other similar products are in that high price range. I could find single-use products for cheap but... Just when I gave up and was resigned back to doing henna, I decided to check one more thing. What, I wondered, do men pay for dye? Answer: $8.52 for a tube that I can use over and over and over.

The Tips & Tricks (some are repeats from prior posts):

• Don't buy women's razors, shampoo, dye, etc., without checking what's on the shelves for men... And when comparing chick products against our wonderful male counterparts, make sure you are comparing ingredients and not just the marketing labels & hype. Results are what matter.
• Don't you dare spend a lot of money on those Lemi Shine "dish detergent booster". The full product description on most retail sites is "Lemi Shine Dish Detergent Booster, Citric Acid Cleaner, Pre-measured Tablets". Right now, you can spend about $10 for 15 tablets. Meanwhile... I often buy citric acid by the pound for less than that. I mix some citric acid with water to put into my dishwasher's rinse cycle and I add the powder when washing clothes or doing any other cleaning with this hard as metal tap water.
• I have stopped using Zzzquil to battle insomnia when my magnesium oil's not working. I recently discovered that Benedryl and Zzquil have the same "active" ingredient: diphenhydramine. One of my infusion nurses almost fell over laughing when I told her. She thought I always knew this - otherwise, why do I go into such a doze coma after taking Benedryl prior to infusions?
• I cut way back on buying pricey lotions, conditioners, etc after I learned to boost the cheap stuff with guar gum and/or powdered goat milk. I had no idea that guar gum was so good at softening the skin and conditioning the hair! I thought it was only good for giving my Ninja Creami creations better texture.
• Speaking of hair and beauty products, years ago, I learned about buying and using base ingredients to make cheap versions of my favorite staples. I don't get into the complicated ingredients that I'd need a science degree to use but buying the same oils, emulsifiers, and such things that are in the store-bought stuff... genius.
• Another reason I shop at suppliers like Making Cosmetics is because of the quality of carrier oils and other ingredients. I do like Majestic Pure's oils but I can often get my jojoba and such cheaper at cosmetic suppliers. Piping Rock has bad customer service but I will shop there for cheap stuff that I'm not as picky about. I often get my Marula oil from them.
• Back on the magnesium oil that I use to help induce restful sleep. After using it that way for years, I learned that applying it to the underarms makes for a good deodorant.
• Maybe the simplest way I started saving money a long time ago was by not buying purse/pocket-sized grooming products. I can buy (in bulk) cheap little containers - again from the same place you can buy cosmetic ingredients if you want to avoid Amazon. I have a baggie full of little squeeze tubes, and small bottles with lids and dispensers. I use them to hold small amounts of whatever I like to have on the go or in my purse/pocket and for traveling. The tubes and bottles come in plastic that will safely hold lotion, vaseline for the lips, and even perfumes. They come with sprayers and droppers, etc and you can get them in glass if you prefer. The same goes for not buying both full-size and travel-size perfumes. There are cheap little roller bottles available to transfer perfume into. I think the first set of empty glass perfume sprayers I bought was at Perfumania back in Anchorage. Using the spray nozzle on a perfume bottle, you can aerate small amounts into cute and handy purse-size sprayers. If you want to really be cheap, you can order empty perfume sample tubes (with sprayers) from Amazon or a cosmetic supplier. 
• When it comes to cleaning products - think Lysol Greased Lightning, etc. - buy the big refills and fill up some of the cheap (but good) empty sprayers. I will buy empty spray bottles from Menards or Amazon for cheap - as long as they have both the "stream" and "spray" options - and slap a sticky label on them. (Make sure you get the kind that can hold cleaning liquids. I will ask the clerk or go online and read reviews first.) Also, I have bought concentrated odor neutralizers from suppliers to save money. It is cheaper to add water with it in a spray bottle than it is to buy premixed products where I am, as usual, paying for marketing and packaging.
• Speaking of cleaning products, one huge ripoff is the Mr. Clean "magic" erasing sponges. Those are literally just melamine foam cut into convenient sizes. You can buy that stuff almost anywhere and save money. I wouldn't even start on Amazon looking for it. Sellers have figured out that buyers have wised up and are buying basic melamine. Check local hardware stores for the best prices.

When shopping for anything, try not to be influenced by labels and marketing. Look at ingredients when comparing something like a dandruff-fighting shampoo. Sometimes, it's not that products have the same ingredients overall but where on the label the ingredients fall. Being higher up or lower down on a label tells how prevalent or potent that ingredient is in the product formula. I like to use INCI Dedoder to decipher product labels and compare products. 

the pure citric acid has no fragrance/additives

pure citric acid


The LemiShine has fragrance added

Sometimes though, you just like what you like. For instance, all dark roast coffees are not the same, even when the beans are from the same region. I prefer Yuban and Lavazza to many other brands of coffee. But when it comes to, say, a hair product, I want whichever one does what it says and that usually has to do with ingredients - period.

Here are some examples of the types of products you can use to save:

(and sorry but Blogger is not letting me format photos placement!)

About $3

Concentrated funk-killer! LOL

I share perfume
with my SIL!

I blend this with oils (&
guar to thicken)

For cleaning products
industrial plastic

1st kind I ever used to carry 
perfumes on planes

great for essential oils or perfumes

I use it straight

find at local hardware & paint stores

So there you have some ideas for ways to save or stretch your dollars.

By the way, I am not recommending that anyone go messing with ingredients and chemicals. I am telling you what I have done and used to save money. I am always careful to ask my brother or someone to help me research and understand what I am dealing with. Use your head. Use common sense. Be responsible for what you do.

As far as that hair dye fiasco, I can't be mad at brands for trying to milk us for as much money as possible. I'm just mad at myself for not being savvier. I usually catch this kind of trick. Live and keep learning, I guess. 

Peace

--Free

Perfumes of 2021-2022

 Perfumes are one of my favorite wastes of money! Whenever I buy one, my first thought is, "Yay!" and my second is, "There goes my coffee budget!" But it's worth it.

Smelling good or just smelling something (or someone) that smells good is such a mood-lifter. It's like one of those memes: I don't buy perfume often but when I do... 

... I try to shop smart. I rarely blindly buy full-size perfume. That's what sites like the ones I list at the end of this post are for. 

Also, I signed up for PopSugarDabble and they regularly send out free samples from Macy's. So, yay. When I am curious about a scent, I check Frangrantica where I can get an overview to see if the notes are to my general liking and to read reviews from other users. Some of those reviews are hilariously brutal! So, I do try to limit my perfume buys and I do try to put a lot of thought into it before I spend even one dollar.

However, I did make 2 blind buys that I will never regret. More on that in a moment. For now, here is my list of the perfumes I've bought or sampled and whether or not I liked them and why. I am mostly having to refer to any Fragantica or Macy's reviews I wrote in the past couple of years. I will link all I can find to Fragrantica for you to read more about the scents for yourself.

The Worst (IMO)

• Keep Glazed (from The House of Oud). I got to try this from a niche house sample sent to me (I didn't even ask for it, so...). It's described as being "sweet, fruity, tropical, vanilla, coconut, citrus". Sounds amazing but, it was a big nope for me. Did not live up to the hype. I don't generally like anything with "oud" in the name so I shouldn't be surprised.
• What About Pop (The House of Oud). This is said to be "sweet, vanilla, lactonic, caramel, woody". Another freebie that I loved the sound of but didn't like. Maybe it's the "wood"? I mainly smelled Vaseline in this one. I guess this whole line is more like The House of Nope for me.
• Juicy Couture (Juicy Couture). This brand is home to 1 of my favorites but this isn't it. It's boring. Thank goodness I got a discounted set of it in stick form. I don't think I paid but $10 for 3 of the little tubes. I think the "green" among the accords is what ruins it for me. So, nope!
• Irresistible Givenchy Givenchy (Givenchy). A free sample, thank goodness. Described as having "musky, powdery" notes (which I love) but the "woody" (yep, there it is), "iris" and "fresh" makes it smell like soap. Not good, clean soap but just boring and generic, sales-bin soap. Says something about places I've shopped...
• Soft (Al-Rehab). Saw on Amazon for cheap and liked the idea of "citrus, caramel, vanilla". It made me smell like a man. Not a bad-smelling man but more man than any woman. If that makes sense - because I do have a couple favorite por homme scents. I also tried Al-Rehab's Golden Sand and it's another non-favorite.
• Dreams (Mariah Carey). This one surprised me by being so bad that I think maybe I got a fake. How the heck can "vanilla, sweet, powdery" come off like this??? It smells so cheap and Barbie Doll-like that I am still horrified. Usually, when I don't like a certain perfume, I can pass it along to someone on whom it smells better. This was so bad that I demanded that Amazon give me a refund and I trashed it. I told them that if it wasn't a fake, Ms. Carey should claim that it is. Got my refund.

Okay, that's not a full list but you get the gist. I hate woody smells, and smokey or harsh notes but love soft, vanilla, caramel scents. Next up are the ones I gave away or that just sit in a drawer to be blended with something else.

The "Meh" Collection

• The Only One (Dolce&Gabbana). I am still super-ticked off about this one. I used a gift card to get a roller-ball from Sephora. I shouldn't be surprised. The description mixes my favorites (caramel, sweet, powdery, vanilla) with "violet, coffee, warm spicy". Who does that? And why? This doesn't reek but it smells (on me) like warm hair grease with a spritz of perfume to kill the hair grease smell. I gave it to a nephew who can wear any scent and smell amazing. Have at it, buddy!
• The Mix:Bar collection (Target) is decent. I tried a sampler set and liked a couple. However, the Coconut Palm and Sparkling Hibiscus were okay but forgettable. The Mix:Bar collection is a budget line and the scents fade as fast as they dry on your skin, My hair will hold a scent longer so that's how I use the rest of this sampler. These two just didn't "whelm" me one way or the other. For my hair and undergarments, I do like the Cloud Musk (it really does mimic Cloud from Ariana Grande) and Vanilla Bourbon. They were good but so weak.
• Vanille (Solinotes). Another "budget" line I found on Amazon and as weak (or weaker) than the ones from Mix:Bar. I it and the Tonka scent with Google Reward Points and use them as hair scents.

There are some others but all too forgettable to waste time mentioning.  I will suggest that, if you get a perfume that is almost but not quite there, try layering it with other scents or a scented powder or lotion. That will sometimes unlock hidden magic.

Now for my fave-fave-favorites! There was a time when I wore a lot of Guerlain and Versace scents. Those times have passed. I needed to break out of old habits and explore things more in my ~hahaha~ "budget". I'm glad I started looking not at bougie names and prices and started paying attention to my favorite notes - regardless of what's on a label. I now have **** scents that I claim as staples.

The Most Loved

By the way, you will notice a trend here that still surprises even me

Fancy (Jessica Simpson). All I ever knew about her was to do with some chicken or tuna thing she said. But this perfume... Baby girl done went and did it. The others on this list are in no particular order but this is number one. It was a blind buy recommended after I loved another scent on this list.

This is everything - ev-ver-ree-thing - that I love in perfume. It's got the "sweet, vanilla, caramel, powdery" cloud that I always wanted. There's some amber and almond there with a tiny bit of floral to hold it all together. It's been years since a scent smelled so marvelous on me that I always get asked what I'm wearing. A receptionist at a doctor's office liked it so much that she actually wrote down the name.

Not A Perfume (Juliette Has A Gun). Fancy is my flirty perfume but Not A Perfume is my I'm-grown-and-killing-it perfume. It's very soft but memorable. Actually, I describe it the same way I did a former favorite, Glossier's You, as being like very soft and powdered tissue. Not toilet paper but the fancy wrapping tissue I'd get with Nordstrom gift boxes. Weird, yes, but that's what it reminds me of. It's a lot of powdery, soft, and feminine quietness in a bottle. "You" was like that until Glossier changed something. 

Not A Perfume is not a cheap perfume so I get a 5ml bottle for around $16 from the Scent Split decant site. I do the same for my 2 other favorites from the same designer Citizen Queen and Vanilla Vibes. Vanilla Vibes is one I will live without in favor of the other two. It's got a tangy vanilla, well, vibe to it that I love when I love it and am just "meh" about with I don't. Of all three, Not A Perfume is right after Fancy for me.

Another top one is  Fantasy - Intimate Edition (Britney Spears). I told my friend that I don't know what else these little gals are doing in life, but they did it for real with their perfumes. I bought this blind after reading about the accords, which include all my usual: 

vanilla

sweet

powdery

musky

ozonic

citrus

fresh

fruity

white floral

amber

When you compare it to Fancy's...

sweet

fruity

caramel

vanilla

powdery

almond

white floral

fresh

amber

nutty

... you see how similar they are. Fantasy is a bit more playful than Fancy. It's almost like the 2 scents really reflect the two singers' public personas. What surprised me is that Fantasy is more "grown up" than I expected. 

Finally, there is another one by a youngster - could I have designed such scents at their age? - and it's Cloud (Ariana Grande). I should not be surprised that I like this so much when looking at the accords:

sweet

lactonic

vanilla

coconut

musky

 What did surprise me is, again, how simple and sophisticated this is. I only have a decant for now but I might have to get a bottle soon. I get a lot of compliments - the sweetest one from one of my brothers who said, "That's by who?" LOL

That concludes my top-top-top favorites list but I have to give an honorable mention to another little floozy (just kidding, people, don't go off on me!) and that is Paris Hilton's Can Can. Actually, I stole a vial of this from one of my nieces and ended up buying some more later in a discounted tester bottle (off of eBay I think). 

I wasn't crazy about it the very first time my niece let me try hers. When I tried it later, it was beautiful. It's one that I love to layer with others - the Solinotes Vanilla or Mix:Bar's Cloud Musk - but it plays well solo, depending on how hydrated I am or what the weather is like. I won't go out of my way to buy this unless it's on sale, a decant, or as a tester but I do like it quite a lot.

Other honorable mentions:

Just Because

I've said that I have (and do) wear or enjoy fragrances for men - not just on them but... This is one that I like so much that I spray my pillows with it (you know, in lieu of having an actual man in my bed ~sigh~)

Fahrenheit (Dior). This is probably the most irresistibly attractive fragrance for men that was ever designed. The price reflects it! I did get a microdose and every now and then, I take a sniff. It's just a great smell and I can actually wear it quite well. The first time I ever caught a whiff of it is when a coworker walked past me. I just about fell out of my chair trying to follow the sexy! LOL

Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette (Guerlain).  I have always called this the brother to my beloved Shalimar. I can no longer wear Shalimar well so I sometimes cheat and dab on some Habit Rouge. 

Emeraude (Coty). This is from my youth and was my first "real" perfume. I still keep a bottle of the vintage around (found on eBay). I will spray it on my hair and undergarments when I just want to feel pretty for no reason. Again, can you spot why it's a favorite?

amber

citrus

woody

balsamic

vanilla

sweet

warm spicy

powdery

aromatic

patchouli

The patchouli is probably the only surprise other than the woody note. I never even notice that when I wear it. I just get a lot of powder and soft vanilla.

So that's it. I will most likely not try too many new perfumes in 2023 now that I've found my Greatest Hits List. 

By the way, I have mentioned here before that you don't have to go broke (or hungry, cold, or homeless) when treating yourself to perfume. There are a lot of sites for buying decants and places where you can get microdoses of perfumes. Also, try buying samples or testers from reputable eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari sellers. If you want to get regular vial-size perfume to try, check out one of the subscription services. And don't forget to sign up for something like PopSugar Dabble. Personally, I use the following sites and have never had problems. 

• ScentSplit
• MicroPerfumes
• Fragrance Net

Hope you all go into this New Year with blessings, hope, and peace.

Peace

--Free

2022 Just Won't Stop

Warning: This is a complaint-filled rant to be followed with a statement of gratitude.

2022 has possibly been the worst year out of the last seven. I'm trying to be thankful for every blessing but I am a bit stuck on the horrible things that happened. Even the beginning of the COVID pandemic wasn't as bad as the past 13 or 14 months.

2020 - minus the COVID part - was an introvert's dream. I did a lot of thinking and worked on being more self-aware. I didn't lose as many close friends and loved ones to the virus. And I survived. Not so bad, right? 2022 on the other hand has been a horror. I lost a best friend, a young niece, an aunt, a cousin, and four or five neighbor acquaintances. 

Life can be very cyclical and surprising.

My health has waited for the last weeks of this year to act like a fool. I have recently had a couple of episodes where I felt as if part of my memory had been wiped by a cartoon villain. Seriously. 

First episode:

The mailman often leaves our parcels sitting out on a bench in the lobby. While picking up my mail one day, I noticed there was a small package for a neighbor who recently had knee surgery and already uses a walker. The next day on my way to the laundry room, I saw that neighbor hobbling into the building. I waved and she hollered a thank you to me. For a moment, I thought she was being sarcastic - like "Gee thanks for getting the door for me" - and I was staring at her trying to figure out what she did mean. She said, "Thanks. You know - for bringing my package to my door."

That made sense because I will sometimes bring packages from the lobby to leave on the table outside her door, knock and leave. She lives just a door down from me and she has trouble getting around with that walker so she's used to me doing that. Sometimes, she is home, and sometimes she isn't. The problem is, I didn't remember having brought a package to her for a while. When she saw me still just looking at her, she reminded me that I'd brought a package to her the day before.

Oh. Okay.

I had zero memory of that. I do remember that I saw a package for her but not that I'd delivered it. I figured someone else had done the good deed until she kind of laughed and said, I saw you through the peephole but you were gone before I got the door open.

Let me tell you how weird it feels to have no memory of doing something. That's not the first time I've forgotten having done something but it's the first time that I still don't recall when reminded. I couldn't help but wonder if this is what a drunk blackout is like. Scary.

That was just one thing. The second episode isn't as bad but it's still freaking me out.

I don't socialize a lot with my neighbors but I might stop to chat if I see one in the lobby. One day, when I went up to ask our building manager something, she wasn't in her office. The blinds were closed, the doors were locked and the office was dark. One of my neighbors saw me standing there and asked if I didn't get the recent memo that the manager could only be reached by phone until further notice. (We get any memos from management taped to our apartment doors.) I said I hadn't seen a memo. The neighbor and I spent several minutes gossip-discussing why the manager might be off the premises for a while. 

Later that day I was doing some light cleaning and found the memo on the counter with some mail and newspapers. The memo is printed on an 8.5 x 11 piece of RED paper. Apparently, since it was with my mail and papers from the past couple of days, it had been on my door before I'd brought it into the apartment.  I just have no memory of ever seeing the red memo before then.

So, yeah. Scary. It really is like there are blank moments - wiped or deleted moments - in my memory. 

This sarcoidosis has always caused some bouts of confusion and problems with my memory, but this is totally new - at least as far as I'm aware. The next time something like this happens, I'm going to have to call my rheumatologist. But - oh wait - I don't currently have a rheumatologist... The latest one I saw is a traveler and he has gone on his merry way. My next appointment is with a rheumatologist I don't even know and who is 2 hours away. Hopefully, if something else happens before that appointment, my GP will be able to help me figure out what is going on with my brain.

I tell you guys, 2022 is the freaking gift that just keeps on crapping on life. I'm hoping that 2023 will be better. Better for all of us. Better in every way. In the meantime, no matter how often I tend to fuss, I truly am thankful for a lot.

I'm thankful for the friends and family I have left. I'm thankful that I am fed and clothed and housed. I will be going to sleep tonight in a warm and safe place to get up - God willing - to have coffee and breakfast. That's a lot. There are so many people who don't have love and support and food and medicine. There are people with worst illnesses than my own. There are people who go to sleep in fear for their life or are worried about their children or other loved ones. There are people who feel lost and alone - who are lost and alone.

I might be losing what's left of my mind but I have people who will be there for me if I ever do. For now, I was able to write out this post and get through it without too many errors and goofs.

Peace

--Free

CROSS POST *BIBLE STUDY* My Method & Some Resource Links

 The Resource Links First:

I decided to rearrange this post & list the links first. My ramblings about my study methods and reasons will follow. Enjoy.

NOTE: I try to use free resources as often as I can and donate to the creators of the material. You can find almost everything I've mentioned (especially Chuck Missler's and Dr. Martin's videos on YouTube) through your local library and via their online resources. I did purchase my LTB24 via Amazon. My library has eBook and audiobook resources via Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla Digital. Anyway, here you go:

• eSword for PC 
• eSword for Android
• eSword for iPhone
• eSword for Mac
• eSword for iPad
• Downloads for additional eSword content (note: there is additional free & paid content w/in the PC program. I suggest starting there until you get used to the program.)
• Blue Letter Bible is a great online resource for study and commentary. BLB also has courses for serious Bible study students.
• Study Bible has various Bible versions online - including Hebrew and Greek interlinear versions.
• Koinonia House is a wonderful ministry. They are also on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo.
• This is the Koinonia Online Bible Institute. You have to be seriously ready to study here!
• BOOK - Learn the Bible in 24 Hours (see my note below**)
• HANDBOOK - Learn the Bible in 24 Hours
• WORKBOOK - Learn the Bible in 24 Hours
• If you get only one of these, I suggest getting the Handbook to use along with the videos. I use the Handbook most out of the 3. Also, make sure that you look for used copies. All my copies are used and came in really good shape.

Now, because I know I have too many resource links to list here, I am going to fall back on past posts that list some. Keep in mind, some posts are old so some links may need replacing.

• The Great Big Bible Study Post (Part 1) Resources
• The Great Big Bible Study Post (Part 2) Resources
• Resources for the Learning Christian

 Intro to my study method:

In the past several weeks, I have gotten much deeper into Bible study. I am treating my time spent reading and studying God's Word as if it were a very important college course. I feel like I should know my Bible better than I know the storylines of TV shows or what's going on with the Kardashians.

Reading, studying, and knowing the Bible is, of course, the most important kind of intellectual pursuit for a Christian. Too often in the past, I have treated it as if it's a thing I do when I get around to it. These days, I am making time for it on a regular basis.

Because I have issues with memory and cognition, I was having a lot of trouble trying to study the Bible piecemeal or as an occasional thing. I can easily enjoy mindless and trivial things because they are not important. The Bible is very important to me so I wanted to find a way to grasp and retain as much of the study as I can.

I've talked before about how useful I find the eSword  Bible study program on my computer. It has so many (free) resources included (commentaries, dictionaries, various Bible versions, etc) that I have come to use all the time. However, one of the resources embedded into the program was difficult for me to use. The Notes and Journal tabs are fabulous for anyone with the average working brain. For me, I get tangled up in details and organization. It so happens that another resource I am using works perfectly in conjunction with eSword.

Most people who know me have heard me talk about my favorite Bible Study: Learn the Bible in 24 Hours from Koinonia House Ministries. Of course, you don't learn the Bible in that amount of time; the overall study is separated into 24 sections for small study groups (or solo students like myself) to easier digest. 

(By the way, this is a Google Books overview of the Learn the Bible in 24 Hours book.)

Materials used in my study routine:

I started the study (which I call LTB24) by watching a series of videos on YouTube. The late Chuck Missler has been a favorite Bible teacher of mine, along with Dr. Walter Martin. Missler doesn't skim through the lessons, he goes into detail, including a lot of scientific commentaries. Therefore, I ran into issues with my notetaking and organization again.

Finally, I managed to pull a personal study system together by using my Bible and Bible programs (like eSword) along with the YouTube videos and the LTB24 materials. Currently, this is what I have:

You can see how much room there is to write in notes in the books, by the way:

Get the workbook if you can (try to find it used) but it's not the most necessary of the set.

You can get a lined notebook 

This is what I use in my study to stay somewhat organized:

• Pilot Frixion erasable pens (buy once and get refills where they are cheapest) and erasable highlighters. I use these with my Rocketbook where I keep doctor's appts and appt notes. They tend to run out of ink quicker than other brands of erasable ink but they are the best.  You can find them cheaper if you shop at Jet Pens and Walmart. Shop around. 
• Re-stickable tabs like these. You can get them almost anywhere that has school supplies. I got a 500-piece set and have not had to buy anymore for over a year.
• I use cheap, thin newsprint paper to take notes because the sheets fit in my Bible and books without taking up a lot of room. They are also easy to safely glue into my Bible (using re-positional glue!) so I don't lose the notes or damage my Bible. It's much better than buying the crazily expensive Post-It Notes. I fold and tear the newsprint to the size I need and 1 ream is still lost untouched after 2 years.

Each day that I am physically and cognitively well enough, I spend an hour or so in study. This system works out wonderfully. Even if my brain acts up and I need to re-do a previous lesson, I have organized notes and information to rely on.

If you are trying to commit to a fairly rigorous Bible Study for yourself (or your small study group), I highly recommend LTB24.

About the teachers I like:

Chuck Missler, as I've said, is a teacher who goes deep when it comes to his study sessions. And, yes, there has been some minor controversy about Missler. One thing that bothers some people is that he talks about "codes" found in the Bible and often speaks about equidistant letter spacing (ELS).

In defense of Missler (because I was concerned about the ELS stuff), he only mentions ELS info as something of curiosity and interest. He was a data information guy so this was interesting to his mind. He never bases doctrine on it; he only mentions it as a point of interest and as a side note to his sessions.

As for the other "codes" he speaks of, I'm in agreement with him. He was of the mind that the Bible is of intelligent design and that there are some things that show that. One for instance is the genealogy given in Genesis *** He points out the roots of the names given and shows how, together, they spell out the basic plan of salvation. He is not adding to the Bible in this; he is showing students that God's fingerprints are all over the Holy Bible.

Missler never tries to lead anyone away from the authority of the Bible and God. I am intelligent enough to pray and think for myself. If I found such small items (as the mention of the code and ELS) I can discard that without throwing out my entire study.

The other teacher I always respected is the late Dr. Walter Martin. I would read and listen to his teachings on discernment regarding cults and false teachers and false teachings. I recommend looking up videos of his debates with the spokespeople of various sects and religions. His book (again, here is an overview from Google Books) Kingdom of the Cults is a great resource for anyone trying to understand the many, many cults and false religions. 

**Sorry if this post is a bit disjointed. I did tell you I did some rearranging! I sure hope this is helpful to anyone trying to start a serious study of the Bible from home.**

Peace

--Free

Holiday Attitudes & Understanding

 This is just a reminder that the holidays are not always joyful for some people. It's not that they are "grinches" or trying to ruin your vibe. Some of us are dealing with recent grief or life changes. Holidays are often heartbreaking reminders of the people we have lost.

There was a time when I frowned on people being down during the holidays - even though I don't make holidays a special time for being happy. 

After having recently lost a very beloved niece, I am not enjoying this holiday season as much. Thanksgiving and Christmas were my niece's favorite times of the year. It was also when she would visit her family in the Lower 48 or at least be a bigger part of our lives as we shared recipes and discussed our plans.

I'm thankful and blessed to be here and I'm aware of what the focus of the season is - for us Christians anyway. But there is some pain at Gabby not being here with us. I often tell people who offer their condolences that we are happy for her but sad for ourselves.

If you come across someone who doesn't want to be social this season, don't think badly of them. I'm already a homebody but I have managed in the past to take part in holiday dinners and get-togethers. I didn't mind being coaxed to come out of my shell. Not this year. This year, I am spending the season in meditation and reflection and in a sort of delayed mourning. I will be praying for the people whose joy is cloaked in grief or sadness or despair.

This year, I look at the decorations and can only think of Gabby. I try to plan a special meal and wish that I could hear Gabby telling me about her ideas. I wish that I could call her and ask her again how she made that pie that was her specialty. I wish that I could send her a card. I wish that I would get that December 24th text at 11:59 wishing me a Merry Christmas. I wish I could call her on New Years' Eve to yell "Happy 2023, Gabs!" only for her to return the greetings to me 3 hours later.

It's a joyous season that reminds me I can't share the joy with Gabby.

So, be mindful of people's personal struggles always - but especially at this time of year. 

There are people missing loved ones. There are people struggling to feed their children. There are people struggling to stay housed and clothed and safe. Just be mindful that we aren't all equally blessed. Just be mindful.

I do wish everyone peace of heart and mind. I wish that, even in grief or sadness, everyone recognizes the blessings of life and hope. Just because we are said that doesn't mean we are not thankful. 

Peace

--Free

NOT Made in China?

 While I'm not longer big on making New Year resolutions (birthday resolutions are better anyway), I do have one thing I'm going to work on starting in 2023. My goal is to try to support non-China-made products and goods.

I can already tell that this is going to be difficult for a LOT of reasons:

1. It's tough to find such items, especially since Amazon and Walmart are my go-to shopping places.
2. Products not made in China tend to cost more - in some cases, a lot more.
3. A lot of American-based companies' products are manufactured in China.
4. It's often difficult to tell where a product is from until after you've received it.

When I started exploring ways to weed out China-made goods, I had so much fun that I had to take a couple of Tylenol and a nap to recover.

This is a product I recently ordered for myself for Christmas: 

I stupidly assumed that it was American-made (or at least not China-made) because Nutra Track's site so proudly claims that their products are "Proudly designed in the rainy Pacific Northwest by aging fitness fanatics." In my head, "Pacific Northwest" does speak of "aging fitness fanatics"!

Well, if I had paid closer attention to the product page on Amazon before ordering the item, I would have noticed something. Someone else asked what I should have (and will be doing in the future):

Q: Where is this made?

A: Hello, Our company is US Based (Seattle, Washington) and our scales are manufactured in China to keep our price competitive.

And I can relate to the whole keeping the prices "competitive" thing. Just do a quick Amazon search on any product you want, then compare the costs of non-Chinese goods to those made almost anywhere else. Of course, the costs are higher for American-made goods for several reasons. Good reasons but, still.

However, I am talking about being more careful from here on out in choosing non-China goods. That scale was my Christmas gift (to me!) to replace my 4-year-old scale, which is also China-made...

When my family asked, as they do every year, what I wanted this Christmas, I requested a replacement for my stand mixer - a 4-quart Hamilton Beach electric stand mixer, made in the USA, mind you - that died while trying to mix brioche dough. (If I'd bought the mixer myself, I would have gotten an extended warranty. My family never does that.) 

After I asked for a replacement mixer, one of my brothers hinted that I might actually be getting a KitchenAid. That made me so happy and I assumed at first that it would definitely be American-made. But that might not be true...

Doing a little bit of research for this post on KitchenAid mixers, I ran across this on the No To China (NTC) page:

KitchenAid is indeed shifting production to hand mixers to China and didn’t bother telling its customer service team.

KitchenAid is testing the waters to see if consumers care where their mixers are made.

KitchenAid is manufacturing in Ohio, but tapping China to meet demand.

KitchenAid manufactures in both Ohio and China, and chooses to sell the cheap, China-made models through retailers like Amazon.

This information was given in answer to NTC's inquiry about the country of origin. They received a response from someone in KitchenAid's Consumer Services which NTC said:

"...led me to even more questions, as Brittany asserted that “all of our hand mixers are in fact made in Greenville, Ohio” when in the same conversation Tammy listed one model that was made in China."

Yeah, so, I am over here hoping for an American-made KitchenAid. Feel free to put that to music.

I wondered if, since there seems to be an app or extension around for almost anything, if there was one for weeding out China-made products. I found a couple of sites that are... kind of useful. Sorta, maybe, etc. I found the main ones via a page on the Kim Komando site. Here's my starter list:

• Not China
• China Never 
• Not Made in China Directory
• Product From

There is also an Alliance for American Manufacturing site worth checking out.

I had problems navigating the Not Made in China Directory. Maybe it's my browser but I had to reload the page often because the scroll bar would disappear. I sent them an email about it.

The bottom line is that it's difficult to find weed out China-made items - in-store and online. There are horror stories of some companies switching out Made in China tags to replace them with Made in USA tags. Seriously.

If you try searching Amazon with "not made in China", good luck because it doesn't work well. According to some folks on Reddit, the best way to search on Amazon is to narrow the search field by selecting "Sold By Amazon". I guess that works if you trust Amazon. I don't.

In my opinion, it's best to find several items of the kind you are looking for and then, check each product's Question & Answer section for "made in", "China, "country", and "manufactured in". If nothing comes up, I will post the question. If you are really desperate to know quickly, you can try something very risky (and you have been warned):

1. Order the item
2. Go to your Order Details page
3. Find the seller and left-click on that link to open it in a new tab
4. Cancel the order before it goes through (this is the risky part)
5. Now you can use the storefront link and either "Ask a question" with the link on the top left side or view the seller's store business address - which usually tells you all you need to know!

The seller's storefront shows their customer's feedback ratings and detailed store information, and also provides a link to other products they sell.

My question for Amazon is: why not make it easier to find a seller's storefront in the first place? In some cases, you can find a seller's storefront in other ways. You can Google-search it, or ask Reddit.

Anyway, I am going to try hard to stop buying more China-made stuff to better support U.S. workers.

Peace

--Free

FYI: My "buy American" attitude is not rooted in animosity for the Chinese people or for their country. I am trying to be pro-American worker.