I've had my eye on one of these trolley's from Hobbycraft for a while now. When they originally came into stock though in my local store they were priced at £50 and I thought, no way......that is a bit pricey for me and for what it is really.

So what should happen on Black Friday? Well Hobbycraft only cut the price by 50% then I thought, that's more like it......I'm having one of those. Perishing the thought of having to go to a retail park on Black Friday I was relieved to know I could order online and get free delivery too. 

Dolly my trolley is just lovely. Dad from the Brew put it together for me today and it is now holding lots of my crafty flowery tools all neatly and I can also wheel it around to wherever I want it. I was so determined not to fall for any Black Friday deals. I kept telling myself, don't buy anything you don't really need and if the price isn't worth it don't go for it. I think this was a bargain though and it will go to good use.

Kind of makes me want to put snacks and drinks in it and wheel it down the living room, asking he kids if they need any refreshments. Then I would have to tell them where the emergency exits are and that their lifejackets are under the sofas. In the event of loss of oxygen in the living room a mask will drop from the ceiling..........oh getting carried away now eh? 

The colour is a nice rose gold and there is plenty of room for all sorts of equipment so I can recommend it if you are a crafter. It would also look nice in any kitchen too if you needed extra storage space. It is good quality and very sturdy so it should last quite a while. I must say very professionally constructed too and easy according to the master of all 'putting together things'. 

It is sold out now online but available in store at £25 so get one fast if you fancy one. Here is the link to Hobbycraft and the deals they still have on offer www.hobbycraft.co.uk/black-friday-deals

Thank you for reading today. I will be back tomorrow with my Verse for Thursday but for now you take care......

Bing Bong.....and thank you for flying with Sue from the Brew......(stop it now!!!)

Weighted blankets have been something that I have heard a lot about but I've never really looked into the benefits of having one. They are a popular topic at our Autism support group meetings especially when we get on the subject of sensory processing issues.

The deep pressure provided by these blankets causes the body to produce serotonin and endorphins which are our relaxing, calming chemical, enabling us to have a better nights sleep or just to take the anxiety away.

I've always like to wrap myself up in a standard blanket or duvet and before I had this blanket I would feel a little better when piling a couple of cushions on top of me when trying to sleep. I have had quite a few restless nights, tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable and fall asleep then I would wake up and hold the longest world record for over thinking. I have also started to experience night sweats (yes getting to that age) and my bladder would always call me to the toilet two or three times in the night.

Since having this blanket a week ago things have changed quite a bit. I can settle more easily, I seem to get to sleep a lot quicker, feel so much more relaxed and cosy. I don't get up so much in the night, tend to stay asleep longer and I don't sweat at all. That surprised me as with the weight of this thing I thought I would become hotter or the hormones would get weirder but no nothing!

Another thing I didn't anticipate it to help with was my back pain. I've suffered for a while with my back but this blanket seems to keep me so grounded and in a nice position that I don't have the problems I had before, I'm amazed really. It's not a miracle turn around as some nights are better than others, I still want a wee at silly o'clock but I just seem to have a better quality of sleep and feel a lot better the next day.

I did find I had to adjust to it a bit, as soon as getting under it it felt nice but it is quite weighty. The blanket is divided into squares with glass beads inside each square which allows the weight to be evenly distributed throughout the blanket. It comes with a nice cover, like a teddy bear duvet cover and if you saw me trying to get the cover on the inner blanket you would have laughed, even I laughed at myself.

It is quite heavy to manoeuvre around, so bear that in mind. There are different sizes and I had the 150cm x 200cm which covers a double bed just nicely. When deciding on the right weighted blanket you need to have one that is around 10% of your body weight, it is important to get the right weight. You don't want it to be like a brick, stuck under the thing and not being able to move at all, it should feel comfortable.

Yes I did get this from Amazon and just to prepare you, they are not cheap (early Christmas pressie to myself). I will put a link (affiliated) at the end of this post for the one I bought. You can be looking around £100 - £150 for a good quality blanket but for me the benefits have been worth every penny so far.

I 'ummed and ahhed' about whether to buy this mainly because of the price but I'm so glad I did. I would recommend doing some research before going for it if you are not sure, try asking different suppliers what their policy is regarding returns. You may get a trial period which is good. I knew that I liked the feeling of the pressure so it was just a case for me as to whether it was worth the cash and it was. The set I ordered actually comes with a weighted eye mask too but to be honest I haven't used this as it may be all a bit too much but it's there if you feel the need for it.

So it is very much a personal preference but I can see how it has benefits for those who suffer from anxiety, for those who have sensory issues regarding autism and also with ADHD. Please check with the supplier when using one for your young people, this one was recommended more for adults. They are not recommended for babies or pregnant women.

I will keep you regular posted to see how I'm going on with this especially as we go into summer next year. I can't work out yet whether it may be too much in the hot weather which it may be, but I'll let you know.

Thank you for reading today, I will be back tomorrow with my Verse for Thursday but in the meantime let me know what you think, have you tried a weighted blanket? Did it help?

I would like to thank the lovely Ella who has a You Tube channel called Purple Ella. She actually reviewed her blanket there and from that I ended up with mine. If you haven't seen her channel, please go and look at it now! Ella is Autistic herself and is also a mum to three children, two of whom are also autistic. She covers some amazing topics on her channel. Here is Ella's review on her weighted blanket to give you more of an idea how they work.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B_gqs9Uu30

If you would like to look at the blanket I ordered then here it is......

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​Take care for now.......

This weeks post is more of a 'do we still like to buy feature'. I want to know whether it's still popular to buy magazines. If you ask Mum from the Brew she would say yes but she does buy them for the puzzles and we both have a TV guide every week.

That's as far as I go though in regard to a mag. I don't really like typical women's magazines as I think it's all a bit 'last season' to me. They can tend to make people feel less positive about themselves. There are so many diet tips and medical items you become obsessed with losing weight or end up a hypochondriac. I think there's too much pressure to look like some of the people pictured in magazines and some of the articles are just a waste of time.

I did used to buy Cosmopolitan for a while as they always used to ask questions or have articles that you couldn't find in a Woman's Own. I realised though with Cosmo and a lot of other magazines that I was paying a lot of money for adverts rather than any quality information. I alway find myself picking a magazine up and then completely changing my mind. Taking a look around though in my local supermarket it seems that you don't buy the mag, you just have a good read and then put it back. We've all stood next to those people eh?

I can't see the point now as I tend to look for info on the internet. If I want a recipe they are there at the touch of a button and for free. A magazine is just something you have sitting on a coffee table for months, maybe used as a coaster and then chucked away. I do like a bit of a flick through a magazine in a waiting room but that's ok if they are not five years ago out of date. I've been known to be sitting waiting for a dental appointment  looking forward to my six monthly look at Hello magazine, hoping to see a good wedding pic of Harry and Meghan but then end up finding myself reminiscing over William and Kate's, I mean blimey, they've had three kids since then.

I suppose people do still buy them, downloading them onto a kindle isn't the same, you can't swat flies with a kindle or get your free gifts on there so real magazines do have their purpose On the flip side though it would save on waste, we don't even need to collect them anymore as everyone uses Pinterest. I wonder if there will be a day when magazines do disappear from our supermarket shelves, well books are still available so it comes down to personal preference. 

Let me know if you still like to buy a magazine and which one (go steady now) I would be interested to see how popular they are now. 

Thank you for reading today, I will be back tomorrow with a Verse for Thursday but for now take care.

Isn't she lovely? Her name is Lily and she is a gorgeous little clutch bag from those people at Mia Tui. I love this bag, so simple and I chose black so that it would go with anything I was wearing. It is good for a casual outing or on a night out. 

Sometimes I just like a bag big enough to get my phone, purse and keys in as that's all I need on some occasions. Lily has a little pocket for your phone and she also has a nifty little elasticated key clip so there's no danger of losing your keys. Pretty difficult anyway with this bag as it is small but just right. It measures: 25.4 cm x 17cm (10" x 6.5") and although it has a wrist strap you also get a shoulder strap with it which you can clip on if you feel the need. 

The Lily clutch bag is available in different colours and priced at £9.99 making it so affordable and it is great quality. No animal based products are used in the making of any of the bags from Mia Tui and the range they have on offer is fantastic. I love these bags, I know I love all bags but these are my favourites. I already have the Maya backpack which I wrote a review about here a-lovely-backpack-called-maya.html

If you follow Mia Tui on social media they do have some offers from time to time and also if you visit the website at www.miatui.com they have great  bundle offers which provide savings when purchasing more than one bag at a time. There is free shipping on UK orders over £25 so what are you waiting for? Go order now and you will be addicted just like me. I bet you end up buying more than one. You can get gift vouchers so maybe with Christmas just around the corner you could be on the way to a new bag by the New Year......woo!

Lily and Maya are now well and truly part of the family, yes my large bag fetish family and I've got my eye on another but it will just have to wait. Yes it will.....I have to eat and drink many brews first. 

Thank you so much for reading today, I do hope you love Lily, let me know if you have bags from Mia Tui and what do you think? Do you love the key holders, the insulated bottle holder and the free clear bag on some bags? I know......it's so good. You all take care now and come back tomorrow for my Verse for Thursday.

Bye for now. 

That's what you need to buy this week.....a cinema ticket to see the new movie Bohemian Rhapsody. If you are a Queen fan you will love this film as I did along with Mum from the Brew and Son from the Brew. We reclined again in the super seats at Odeon and sang along with all the classics Queen had to offer in this 134 minute music biography.

It was the story of how the band Queen came together and their story through the years creating such iconic songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You and Another One Bites The Dust. We witnessed the ups and downs the band went through ending with the performance at Live Aid in 1985 which would reunite the band in so many ways and bring them together for Freddie's remaining years until his untimely death in 1991. 

I personally just got so lost in this film, I love Queen and Freddie Mercury was just the ultimate in showmanship, what a performer! This film showed is eccentricity and flamboyancy but also his vulnerable shy side, his battle with relationships and exploration of his sexuality. It wasn't just all about Freddie though it was about the band and how they were a family complete with disagreement and conflicts.

I found it so emotional especially when Freddie was diagnosed with HIV and the fact that we all knew what was to happen. I didn't realise that he was diagnosed that early as we, the public never knew about his situation until a little time before he died. The Live Aid performance was to be a momentous occasion which they went forward from and continued to give us fantastic music. 

So if you love a bit of Queen then go and see it as you will love it but take a tissue in case you're an emotional wreck like me or just miss the main man still after twenty seven years!! Seems like yesterday to me. The world lost one of the best singer/songwriters in musical history on the 24th November 1991.

I think although we may miss him I'm glad he lives on and the music of Queen and Freddie Mercury is passed down to our next generations. I love that my son loves Queen and gets a kick out their music the way I did when I was his age, he is around the age now that I would have been when watching Live Aid. I also love that I watched this film with my mum who at eighty one and still rocking along to Queen, how cool is that??

Very cool I think so go and see it and tell me what you think. Thank you so much for reading, do join me again tomorrow for my Verse for Thursday but for now......

​Take care.

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