Bring Me Home for Christmas Book Review

Bring Me Home for Christmas (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr was the next on the Virgin River list and I quickly reserved it at the library.  I was super excited to run to the library and grab it when it came in.  I started right after I finished my last book (pretty proud that I finished my previous book this time in order to move on to the new one).

In this book, Denny is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Becca.  The broke up badly a few years before after his mother died and he decided to go back into the Marnies.  Denny decided to break up with Becca in order to save her the pain and loss if he didn't make it back.  After two years, he came back and asked for forgivness but Becca had been through a lot loosing the love of her life and she told him that she never wanted to see him again.  A year later, things have changed and Becca had questions and decided that she would go with her brother on a hunting trip to Virgin River to see Denny.  They got in a fight and she told him to let her out of the truck on the side of the road.  She fell and broke her ankle and Denny had to rush her to the hospital.  The injury needed surgery and she had to stay longer in the town because she was not able to travel before the doctor saw her again in 10 days.  During that time, Becca falls in love with the town and pitches in to help during a snow storm.  She learns what small towns are all about but in order to get all of what she learns, you better read the book!!!

I hope that you get a chance to check out some of these books.  I know have only 4 books left in the series so I am going to have to find another series quickly!!  I can't believe how quickly I am going through these books and the whole series.  I hope that you take it a little slower but I don't know if it is going to be possible.  They are super fast reads and they have the entertainment of meeting lots of new characters in every book.  I hope that you check them out and let me know what you think!

Menu Plan Monday 4/22

Monday- Leftovers (just got home from our trip and we are exhausted)
Tuesday- Chicken and Rice Casserole
Wednesday- Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thursday- Garlic Herb Chicken with chicken rice
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Leftovers/Sloppy Joes??
Sunday- ???

Our week back from "vacation" visiting family and I was hoping for an easy week without too many plans to make anything difficult.  My father is coming into town our first night back so I am moving the menu around to figure out what is going to serve an extra person at the table.  I will most likely be trying to catch up with making bread, breakfast food and others at the beginning of the week so I am hoping that the mealtimes are going to be super easy (and the weather is going to be nice so that the little man is outside with Dad while I am cooking)!!

The 8 Minute Organizer Book Review

The 8 Minute Organizer: Easy Solutions to Simplify Your Life in Your Spare Time by Regina Leeds was one of my book choices from the new book section.  I shouldn't spend a lot of time looking for new books to read because I have quiet a few already on my list but another few always make their way into my bag before leaving the library. 

 

 

The book is broken down into nine chapters of organization points.  Each section is directed at the 8 minutes that you can spend on different projects to make a big difference.

 

1.  Preparing for Change

2. Bedroom Minutes

3.  Kitchen Minutes

4. Bathroom Minutes

5.  Paper Clutter Minutes

6.  Family Room Minutes

7.  Kids' Room Minutes

8.  The Power of Lists

9.  Maintenance Rituals (and Rewards)

 

After reading this book, I think that I might be more organized than I give myself credit for :)  Of course, I keep all of my things in their place but there is an entire basement of things that don't have a place to be!!!  It has some really interesting tips like what to do in the morning when you get ready and what you have to do when you get home.  It swears that this little bit of time will save lots of time.  I think that they are right because you don't know how much time you will loose when you can't find your keys to leave the house!!

 

If you are one that looses you keys, cell phone, and other important things a lot, then this book is for you.  I think that I have figured out a lot of those things because I loose a lot less things.  Of course, this book is also really helpful for those that haven't figured it out yet or those still working on their process to help them stay organized.  Check out the book and let me know what you think!!

Weekly Goals 4/21

A little bit shorter time to write this week with the trip looming at the end of the week and the beginning starting off with a teacher work day so I had my little guy with me all day.  I guess I should have prepared better to get more done over the weekend but we had a lot of time together working in the yard, fixing Aunt Kimmie's computer, and visiting little man's favorite stores at the mall.  With a whole lot of pizza (just the way my son likes his weekends), we were exhausted after packing in so much but got to start on our shortened week.  Hoping you had a more productive week!!

Last Week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family including the extended family with trip up to visit- Things might have been a little busy this week but we still had a good week ending in leaving to visit all of our extended family.  We are going to be even more busy over the weekend but hope to have a blast.
• Playdate with friends- We played with one friend on a good day outside for a little bit but our other playdate with friends was rescheduled to next week.  We had a lot of things to do before leaving on our trip and they had lots to do to.
• Lighters and Matches puppet show- It was at a library that I had never been to before but we made it there and saw the puppet show.  My little guy enjoyed it (and had no memory of ever seeing it before) but the fireman still didn't show up at the end :(
• Spanish language class trial- Although I knew that my guy was going to have fun at this sample class, he was really hesitant to go.  I think that he changed his mind once he was there because he did have fun and learn lots.  I was hoping that we would be able to sign him up but it is too expensive so we will cross that off for the next idea on the list.
• First class at My Gym and go to at least two open playtimes- We went to free play on Wednesday and then class on Thursday followed by our second free play.  He had a blast and really enjoys all the fun running and jumping.  I think that we are going to have to revisit trying them again later but we are going to take a break during the summer.

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons- What done on Sunday you say!!!  Amazing!!!  I was so excited.  With a little help from my husband and less from my son, we got the coupons all sorted and cut.  I hope that I can get everything organized before we leave for the week so this was my first step.
• Get coupons on Friday- UGH!! Checked at the CVS before they got them and then at Giant but still no papers so I am going to cross my fingers and hope that I remember when I get back!!
• Go to PT for TMJ twice- Once on Wednesday night which was a little hard to get to with all the traffic and then the second one after I dropped off my little man at school which I rushed through since I had so many things to be doing at home.  I really prefer the night sessions because they seem to be longer.
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy- I shut off the computer lots and let it rest and even made sure to do it a few times when we were leaving for the day.
• Finish reading 8 Minute Organization- I finished the book on Sunday and posted the review
• Start reading one of the next books in my pile!!- I read two of the Robyn Carr books next and finished them before leaving on the trip.  Now is trying to figure out how many books to bring with me on the trip!!
• Make snacks for the road trip- I made banana bread and popcorn which we ate through the trip.  YUM!  My sister in law gave me 6 bad bananas so I was super excited.  I made one loaf of bread and left the other bananas to make a loaf when I get home.

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week- So many dishes!!  How do we get so many dishes!!  I cleaned up the kitchen every day and kept it fairly clean for the week.  I cleaned up quickly before leaving the house so that the counters would be clean when we got home.
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning- My husband washed all of the dishes on Wednesday night while I was at PT. YEAH!!!  I got most of them all cleaned Thursday night too so that I didn't have so much to do on Friday morning but there were still a few more.

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)- All scheduled
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)- Done and books returned to the library
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week- Some posts done for the coming weeks
• Post Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, and Thrifty Thursday Tip- Posted

This Week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family including the last few days with the extended family
• Playdate with friends
• Healthy Puppet Show at the library
• Class at My Gym and go to at least two open playtimes

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons if I get them
• Get coupons on Friday
• Go to PT for TMJ twice
• Sub for preschool
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy
• Finish reading "All in good time : when to save, stock up, and schedule everything for your home"
• Start reading "The Shunning" or "Cold Service"

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week
• Post Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, and Thrifty Thursday Tip

The Garage Sale Gal's Guide to Making Money Book Review

Garage Sale Gal's Guide to Making Money Off Your Stuff, The by Lynda Hammond was calling my name from the new book section.  My friend, Amy, just asked me if I would like to come and sell some of our stuff at their community garage sale!!! Umm yes,  sounds like a great opportunity because I know that they will have a lot of traffic so I am excited to try to beat my earning in the last two garage sales.  I am going to have to dig deep in the basement to find all of the treasures that are still hidden so I know that I have my work cut out for me.  If this book could help, I thought I owed it to Amy to do my homework.

There was a section on garage sales, consignment/thrift stores, antique stores, pawn shops, online outlets and so much more.  It was an interesting book that actually said that you could make more money at a sale if you didn't price the items.  I am sure that could be true because people don't want to offer something that is offensive but I think that is so much easier to price so that people don't have to guess and you don't have to make it up on the spot.  It is a big jump to make but I guess I shouldn't worry if I don't get some things marked because I can pretend it was on purpose and not because I ran out of time!!

If you are going to go to sales or are interested in selling things, it is a really interesting book.  This book is a good resource and a fast read.  Check it out and let me know what you think!!

Harvest Moon Book Review

Harvest Moon (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr was the next in the series.  I was interested to meet the two characters that were briefly introduced in the last book and see what they were all about.  As always, the character development doesn't disappoint!!

 

In this book, Kelly, the sous chef, comes to live with her sister Jillian after having a medical emergency and being taken out of work in an ambulance after passing out in the kitchen.  She says that she is going to take a break from the high paced life of five star kitchens but she ends up staying for over 5 months.  She meets Lief, a single father who was widowed two years ago.  There is an instant attraction but she tells him that she is not interested in a relationship because she has been recently heart broken and hasn't had many relationships.  They both have the challenges to overcome which you should read the book and see what they are!!

I hope that you check out this book and all the others in the series.  I only have a few left in the series so it is bitter sweet but I have a few other books to read before getting back to the series.  A little break to make it even better to get back to Robyn Carr.

 

Jam Shortbread Bars

I wanted to make a sweet treat for my husband and he really likes shortbread cookies.  When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect because it made shortbread bars so there was a lot less work to get all the same goodness.  I hope that you check out Happier than a Pig in Mud because she has some great recipes and some great stories.  The other great news was that I didn't have any eggs left in the fridge and this didn't take any eggs so it was fate that I make this recipe right away.

I got out all the ingredients which was not a long list.  I put all of the dry ingredients into the bowl.

Then, I added the butter to the dry ingredients.  The recipe said to work it with your hands but since I had my handy dandy new pastry blender, I decided that I would use that instead. 

It worked really well to mix everything together.  Since I didn't know how small to make everything, I mixed for awhile until you couldn't really see the butter.

I set aside the small amount for the topping and put it in the fridge.  I used my new snapware bowl.

I pressed all of the crust into the greased pan.  I put it in the freezer and then I had to leave to take my son to school.  It was a great recipe to get a little done before I had to stop. 

When I got home, I took the crust out for the container to get to room temperature while the oven was preheating.  I baked the crust for the time that it stated in the recipe and it was a little browned but mostly looked the same.

I added the jam to the top of the hot crust.  I wasn't sure if I was supposed to let it cool but I figured that if I was supposed to then it would be in the instructions and it wasn't.

The crust was at the topping on the jam but it looked very strange because it wasn't really buttery and solid but I was hoping that it would cook up to look good.

I baked it per the recipe and the jam went a little crazy across the top towards the edges.  I guess I didn't do the best job of spreading or keeping it away from the edges.

I couldn't wait to try it and I cut into it immediately to eat one (okay, maybe two or three).

I cleaned up the edges in the pan but you can see that the jam stuck to the edges of the pan a little.  The shortbread was nice and thick and the jam was super tasty!!!  I had a hard time staying out of them and finished a whole line of them before my husband even got home to taste his special treat!!!

I really loved these bars and I would totally try them again!  They look way fancier than the effort they take so I would totally make these for a special event.  I hope that you make them and taste the buttery goodness of the crust with the fruit goodness of the topping.

Here is the recipe so that you can try it yourself soon!!!

Jam Shortbread Bars

1 1/2 C A/P flour
1/3 C sugar
Pinch of salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp-I used salted
6 Tbsp preserves (any flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 inch square dish with aluminum foil, leaving an over hang.
2. Mix dry ingredients together. 
3. Work the butter in with you fingers to make a crumbly dough.
4. Remove 2 Tbsp of dough and place in refrigerator. Press the rest into the baking dish. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. 
5. Bake crust for 15 minutes. 
6. Spread with preserves leaving 1/2" border. My strawberry preserves were extra chunky so I ran them through the food chopper.
7. Crumble Reserved dough on top. 
8. Bake until edges are golden brown, approx 25 minutes-watch this, mine were over done. Maybe 18-20 minutes in my oven. Trust your nose, if you smell it getting brown, check on it!
9. Remove from oven, let cool 20 minutes, remove from pan and cut into squares.