On a Walk

On a walk 7 years ago today I saw this plant in all its springtime glory. The exuberance of spring is always amazing to me. In our yard now the yellow flowers are coming out in the Palo Verde tree and the bees are loving it and the hibiscus in the backyard is blooming.

Most exciting to me, maybe because I am easily impressed, is that our lemon tree has fruit on it for the first time since it was planted. I am so looking forward to having fresh lemons just outside the door. Maybe I'll even have enough to share. 

I'll be busy in other places for a bit so I will try, note to self - please do it, to get pictures of all this good stuff when I have more time for such activities in a couple weeks. 

Over on X I am posting wildflower affiliate links from Amazon today. You might see something you like there.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

Organizing is Good, Right?

I quit doing craft shows when I found Etsy. After going through all the growing pains and changes there I am doubtful I have a place in the market that Etsy has become. With that in mind and working with my sisters we are teaming up to do in person craft markets again.

I have missed talking to people in person who consider buying my creations. I haven't missed setting up and tearing down. All things have pros and cons. One thing I do know is that the easier it is to organize your set up and tear down the better the time in between can be enjoyed.

I bought some zippered bags on Amazon (affiliate link) and found some storage cubes to go in them at Dollar Tree. Two cubes will fit in each bag. Each cube can hold a category of items to be put on display and can go right back in the cube to go home. If I am lucky enough to sell out of something the storage bags and cubes can fold flat until when they are needed again.

Next, I am waiting for the hang tags I ordered to be printed and arrive. That should be soon. I already have a tagging gun that allows you to attach the hang tags to the items. Look at the 3 Busy Sisters getting all professional.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

Watering Cans

If you happen to follow me on X (formerly twitter) you know that I post a few items each day from Amazon. Those are affiliate links like the one I put at the bottom of each post here. Do you know how affiliate links work? It is easy to understand. If you click on an affiliate link to go shopping on a website a cookie is placed in your browser. That cookie lasts for 30 days. That is standard for nearly all affiliate links and the companies that use them to get more customers to their sites. If in that 30 days you make a purchase the provider of the link, in this case me, will get a small commission of maybe 2% to 5% or so. These links and cookies add nothing to your price. If you click on multiple links for the same site while browsing the last affiliate link you clicked on will get the commission. I will tell you quite honestly it is a pitifully slow way to get rich, pennies at a time but I enjoy looking for things to share. It keeps the old brain active.

So, today my theme for no apparent reason is watering cans. This link (here) will take you to my search. I sorted the search by average customer reviews. I don't want to send you guys to items that aren't well received after all. 😊

Here are a few examples for my search...

I really like the copper one and if you do too here is a link that goes right to it. (link)

Did you look? Did you find a new favorite? If you shopped with my links thank you!

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

45 Books Loved and Read in 2023

The title says loved and read. I do love books but maybe I wouldn't say loved for all of them. Each book has something to offer though, in learning or a simple escape to another place and/or time. Last year, 2023, I had 45 pleasant times spent with someone else's work and words. Here's the list...

1. The Easy Life in Kamusari (Forest Book 1) by Shion Miura
2. The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel
3. Vanished: A Gripping Serial Killer Psychological Thriller (The Baudin and Dixon Series) by Victor Methos
4. Reluctantly Home by Imogen Clark
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. Contents Under Pressure by Edna Buchanan
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8. The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel
9. The Tracker (Sam Callahan Book 1) by Chad Zunker
10. She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino
11. No Ordinary Thursday by Anoop Judge
12. When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde
13. The World Played Chess: A Novel by Robert Dugoni
14. Rich Blood (Jason Rich Book 1) by Robert Bailey
15. City Dark: A Thriller by Roger A Canaff
16. An Impossible Return: A Novel by Caroline Laurent
17. The Second Mrs. Astor: A Heartbreaking Historical Novel of the Titanic by Shana Abe
18. The Bookstore Sisters: A Short Story by Alice Hoffman
19. A Girl Called Samson: A Novel by Amy Harmon
20. My Evil Mother: A Short Story by Margaret Atwood
21. Shogun: A Novel of Japan Volume 1 by James Clavell
22. Wild, Beautiful and Free by Sophfronia Scott
23. The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken
24. Someone Else's Life: A Thriller by Lyn Liao Butler
25. Shogun: A Novel of Japan  Volume 2 by James Clavell
26. Lost Light by Michael Connelly
27. The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson
28. Invasion by Robin Cook
29. Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen
30. The Dry Grass of August: A Moving Southern Coming of Age Novel by Anna Jean Mayhew
31. They Came to Bagdad by Agatha Christie
32. N or M by Agatha Christie
33. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
34. The Undertaker's Assistant: a Captivating Post Civil War Novel of Southern Historical Fiction by Amanda Skenandore
35. The Road Towards Home by Corinne Demas
36. Vietnam-Culture Smart: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture by Geoffrey Murray
37. Swan Light by Phoebe Rowe
38. Dutch Uncle by Marilyn Durham
39. Speak to Me of Love by Dorothy Eden
40. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harman
41. A Chance Inheritance by Carolyn Brown
42. Never Lie: An Addictive Psychological Thriller by Freida McFadden
43. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
44. Black River by Matthew Spencer
45. There's No Turning Back from This: A Novel by Ann Garvin

There it is. This is the list of books read during the day, typically at lunch time, or at night on my Kindle. I read from 4 different sources of books, some were Prime Reading books or First Read choices from Amazon, some were gift books from Connie given to me by her daughters after she passed away and some were books I already owned and had saved during all my moves. After I read any of the paper books, I am passing them on the thrift stores or friends. 

Have you read any of these? What outstanding books have you read this year? Feel free to leave a comment. If you want to make a blogger smile all day just leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you, any you, except spam, I delete those.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

Deer in Snow (My Own Photo)

This morning, searching for inspiration to keep up with a writing daily habit, I came across this photo from December 2011 of deer outside my house in Jackson Wyoming. 

No matter how sneaky you are animals like this are very aware of any kind of movement. It is what keeps them alive. As I, as quietly as possible, came out a back door to take some pictures their heads all turned to look at me. This was the first image and the best of that day. 

I stayed as still as possible and after a while they relaxed, kept eating the leftover dry grasses from summer in the field and moved on. I did add the vignette shading to this image to make sure the animals stood out as the main focus. 

I shared some deer in snow art from eBay and Amazon on X today too. If you want to find your own art or any other treasures from those sites you can use my affiliate links below to start your search. 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Paisley, Love or Hate?

It is simple and doesn't matter but I love paisley, and my mother hated it. She would have looked at my made-up bedroom from Bing Image Creator and said you should change that. In my mind I am ready to climb in and take a nap. The colors are soothing, and the pattern is pleasing to my eyes. This light filled imaginary room looks like a good place to hide, sleep and recharge.

Are paisley designs as polarizing as the way my mother and I thought about them? Does anyone see this kind of design and think "meh"? Tell me about it. Would love a comment or two.

Over on X (cozyatoz.twitter.com) I will be sharing paisley neckties from eBay and Amazon after I get repost favors taken care of. I just figure if ladies must wear heels to be formal then guys shouldn't complain about a necktie.

I know this blog might seem very random in its topics but that is the way my mind works. With a goal of writing daily there will be great days, good days, and days I should just shut up but don't want to. I would love to share this blog with lots of other people but at the end of the day it really is a place for me to share in small ways random thoughts and feelings without going too deep. It is by and for me. If you want to come along, thanks and welcome.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

A Sister's Gift

My sister Karen always keeps an eye out for great products that make living day to day easier or better. She brought Kristi and I each a couple of these paperless paper towels to try and see if we like them. The image you see is of the ones she bought on Amazon and she has been very happy with how well they work in her home. I do love the idea of these. Paper towels are something I have wanted to ban from the kitchen for a long time. Jim however always wants a roll of them around.

While I do really like the idea of these, I may not buy any just yet. Why? Well, I have a cotton flannel stash in my fabric bins. The flannels I have are baby prints that I used to make receiving blankets long ago. Those prints will work great as I experiment with the sizes I find most useful. Seems very simple, 2 layers of flannel, serge the edges and for mine I may stitch and X through the middle to keep the layers together nice and neat. If I like the ones I make I will watch for Joann's sale on flannel that happens a couple times a year and make some prettier ones that I would like to see every day.

I know that many of you may not have a secret flannel stash and some of you may not sew either. Because of this I am leaving an embedded Amazon affiliate link to the product my sister shared with me. If you are in a RSS reader you may not see the ad below unless you come to the website.

Are you ready to ban paper towels from your kitchen?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

On This Day, Mickey and Minnie

On this day, November 18th, in 1928 Micky and Minnie Mouse made their debut in the cartoon Steamboat Willlie. From that small start in a New York theater, we end up with all that Disney is today with theme parks, movies, streaming services, and merchandise. If you love Disney I am going to share a couple finds you might like, one from eBay and one from Amazon. Even though you can find Disney on Etsy, if it is labeled handmade it is a trademark violation. I don't know many who list vintage Disney there because you can run into too many problems so let's just stick with the safer sites as sources, okay?

Starting with eBay...

Photo is affiliate linked

This porcelain item from the 1980s can be found in the eBay shop SweetMagnolias. With over 1500 reviews this seller is rated at 100% and personally if I was a collector, I would buy from a seller like that with confidence. The condition and photography quality tell me this is a seller that cares. Click on the picture to check it out.

From Amazon...

photo affiliate linked

On Amazon I found this Lego Duplo birthday set for toddlers. It definitely looks like something my children would have enjoyed during those early years. As of this writing it is 20% off and is rated 4.9 with over 2000 reviews. Again, you can click on the picture to check it out.

So, are you and your family Disney fans? I am not really but I am related to some who are in one of the parks yearly. My own link to Disney is tenuous. My husband's grandfather worked, and I am not sure in what kind of job, on building the original Disney theme park in Anaheim California.

Take care and stay cozy! 

 Back with more again soon. 

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Elephant Appreciation Day September 22nd

Started in 1996, September 22nd is National Elephant Appreciation Day. Concern around the world continues since poachers still kill elephants every day for the ivory in their tusks. Hopefully this can be stopped before this very special animal disappears from its wild homelands in Asia and Africa. 

If you would like to know more about elephants NationalDayCalendar.com has some book recommendations. One of them is The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. The following quote is from the description of this book on Amazon.

"The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad account of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, it is a delightful book that will appeal to animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere."

I am sharing 2 sources for this book today. One from Amazon for a new book and if you are frugal, like I tend to be, a used book from a highly rated seller in eBay. The choice is yours and these, in full disclosure, are affiliate links.

From Amazon > https://amzn.to/3PNaAKN

From eBay > https://ebay.us/GlAyTM 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

Afternoon Plans Made

I started the day by checking NationalDayCalendar.com and was delighted to learn that today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. I now know exactly what I will be doing this afternoon. Baking cookies! I love baking cookies and chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of mine.

I found some chocolate chip cookie items from Zazzle, Amazon and eBay to share with you today. I hope you find a bit of inspiration here today. Maybe by this evening you will have spent some time mixing, baking and tasting something delicious like I plan to.

From Zazzle you can get a beautifully designed sticker if your baking leads to gift giving. By the way if you do this can I give you my address? Just kidding but consider how it could brighten someone's day to do that. You can find this item on Zazzle by clicking right here.

If you are not a baker there is always someone who is. I found a 100% rated baker on eBay. If you live in Pensacola, Florida you can pick up for free, or if not, have a couple dozen shipped right to your door. If you want to buy in quantity for a special occasion or just because you can get discounts for a larger order. Consider that and use this link to learn more.

If you want to think about cookies but not take in all the calories, consider this next item. I found this one on Amazon. You could give it to yourself, or it would make a great gift for a housewarming, wedding shower or your favorite baker. Purchase this kitchen towel by clicking here.

The power went out here for about 10 minutes as I was finishing up this post. This time of year in Arizona that is definitely not a good thing. It is going to be another warm one, it is August after all, with temperatures at about 110 degrees for our expected high.

All links in today's post are affiliate links and I could earn a small commission if you click and then make a purchase. This is no cost to you of course.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

And stay cool!

Nothing to See Here

I don't want to break the habit of writing every morning even though I don't have much to share today. 

We did watch 2 movies last night on Amazon Video. We can see a lot of what Prime Video has to offer since we have a Prime membership. So what did I watch and knit through while Jim dozed but claimed he saw the movies? First was Rams, a story about 2 sheepherding brothers in Australia. I don't want to give anything away so I will leave it there. Second was Silver Linings Playbook. I had seen this one before, but Jim hadn't. He tried but fell asleep anyway. Both were good movies or at least this is one old ladies' opinion.

If you aren't a Prime member you can use this affiliate link for more information if you are curious about what Amazon provides with the membership.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

National Sunglasses Day

Checking in on NationalDayCalendar.com I found out that among others things like pineapple it is National Sunglasses Day. So sunglasses is what I will be tweeting about today as well as sharing some links here too.

Remember please that sunglasses are more than just fashion. They can also protect your eyes for the type of damage that can lead to cataracts. I came to realize this personally at my last eye exam. The doctor told me I have the beginnings of cataracts but they are not developed enough for surgery yet. I asked if there was anything I could do to slow the process and was told no. Cataracts are created by years of damage early in life and I am guilty of not taking care of my eyes when I was younger. 

I did a search on eBay and to check for yourself click this affiliate link. Below are a couple of the styles I found. I, as usual for eBay found old, new, classic, trendy and cherished vintage styles. 

Amazon had of course a wide range of prices and styles too. Use this affiliate link to see the search results that just might help you find your next pair of sunnies. 

Funny thing I noticed while looking today. Nearly all of the images of the sunglasses on the pages of search results were looking the same direction. If there was a variation at all a few were straight forward. Random things that make me wonder why. LOL

So did you see anything you like? Feel free to let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

   

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Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Coming Soon!

I know, I know Valentine's Day is nearly a month away. But holy cow it is only a month away! With so many of us shopping online and shipping times not as predictable as they used to be because so many are shopping online the time to think about gifts or home decor for this upcoming special day is getting critical. If you are considering a personalized gift from a maker on a place like Etsy the time is now!

Last week on Twitter I started sharing Valentine's Day finds from my affiliate connections on EBay, Society 6, Zazzle and Amazon Handmade. If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen some of these.

Valentines Day Cute Watercolor Hedgehog Holiday Card https://t.co/6bmAPNZc3J via @zazzle #affiliate #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 12, 2021

Almost Every Day Holiday Card https://t.co/xFmpvLiiOz via @zazzle #affiliate #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 12, 2021

Valentines Day Face Mask with Nose Wire, Insert Pocket, and Adjustable Ear Loops. Fabric Mask, 3 Layers, 100% COTTON & POLYPROPYLENE, Washable, Made in USA (Flower Tr... by MY'S BRIDALTERATIONS, LLC. for $13.99 https://t.co/sUpun5GoVY via @amazon #affiliate #amazonhandmade

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 15, 2021

Just saw this on Amazon: Gnome Valentines Day Mug by The Rustic Country Home for $15.95 https://t.co/ALdr3WiQjU via @amazon #affiliate #amazonhandmade #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 15, 2021

Check out 2 Vtg COWBOY 1950s VALENTINE GREETING CARDS #ValentinesDay https://t.co/m2Y9FAZmaj via @eBay #affiliate #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 14, 2021

Hearts Pattern watercolor pink heart perfect essential valentines day gift idea for her Throw Pillow https://t.co/90cpOlx2Vy #affiliate #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 13, 2021

I Love You Like No Otter Coffee Mug https://t.co/Q9fG8CKzH5 #affiliate #ValentinesDay

— Kathy 🌻 (@CozyAtoZ) January 13, 2021

 

As I said the links in these tweets are for affiliates. I could earn a small commission if you click on one of them and then do some shopping at the site. This would cost you nothing and could in a small way keep my husband from knowing how much I spend on yarn so we can have a Happy Valentine's Day too. Thanks!

 Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Houseplants, More Please

In the earliest years of my marriage, in an apartment in Southern California I had houseplants in every room. I could get little ones cheaply at the grocery store, the same with a pot, and bring a bit of greenery and life to each room. In the last decade I have been a bit of a nomad and only have  one plant that moves with me. That plant is a 4 foot tall ficus that is about 30 years old. It was a gift and I have moved it from California to Utah to Arizona to Wyoming to Idaho and back to Wyoming. I love that plant and will move it again when we retire to Arizona hopefully next summer. Hopefully by then the virus will be less of an issue than it is now!

Did you know that you can get plants on Amazon? I suppose that is a stupid question but one I had never really thought about before today. I knew I could get pots and potting soil and plant food and maybe seeds. I never thought about live plants though and am intrigued. I wonder how the plants you order are packaged to get to you in good shape? Maybe next year I will find out.

I would love to have some of  new plants in my life to look at in every room when I get to our retirement home. I'll show some pictures of what I have in mind. Also below will be some affiliate links if you are inclined to do some shopping for yourself.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Mother's Day Gift

I did it. I headed off the flowers by choosing a gift for myself. No regrets either.

By the way did you have a great Mother's Day? Mine was quiet but good. I heard from my kids on Sunday and talked to my own mother on Saturday.

Now the gift I got myself was something I have been thinking about for awhile. I got some metal mesh bands for my fitbit. I have the Charge 2 version and these work perfectly. I can also tell you after wearing them for a few days that they feel better against my skin that the plastic bands that fitbits come with. The magnet that secures the band is infinitely adjustable and strong enough to not come undone. You can find them in lots of colors and for me I chose silver and champagne gold. The bands came in a box and inside the box each band had a protective plastic sleeve. I am so happy I got these!

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Affiliate Link below if you are interested. I would get a small commission if you purchase that won't change the price you pay.