The Winnowing Season Book Review

The Winnowing Season: Book Two in the Amish Vines and Orchards Series by Cindy Woodsmall was the second book in the series that I found on the new book section.  I have been into the Amish books recently so I decided that it would be fun to try a new author and I was right.  It was really fun and I love the story and the characters so I was happy to start on the second book in the series.

The small group is moving to Unity, Maine to make a new life for the orchard and themselves after the tornado damaged the crop and ability to make a profit growing apples.  The night before they are set to leave, Rhoda has to go in front of the district to discuss the events that lead to the destruction of her berry bushes.  She made a choice to not pursue justice but Samuel sent a message to the bishop and he waited months until they were set to leave.  They had issues with the  meeting but they were resolved and the small group left in a variety of different transportation methods.  The women and children traveled on the train (and they were supposed to have a man with them but he didn't show up).  One traveled with the moving van, one traveled with the animals and they were all delayed.  When they arrived, they had nothing but trouble in making the start to their new life.  Pick up the book and find out all the challenges that all of the people in the new Amish settlement have to go through.

I loved the book and had trouble putting it down!  I finished it and was sad that the next one is still not in on my library reserve.  Luckily, I have two other books in my pile to read but I can't wait to read the next in the series.  I hope that you pick this up at your local library or bookstore but I do suggest starting with the first one.  These are a great story of family and friends and I hope that everyone takes a chance to pick these up!

Thrifty Thursday: Planning Ahead

I don't often think about it anymore because I always do it but planning ahead is a big money saver.  It works for just about everything.  It is my best money saving advice and it also saves time!!

1. Stockpile-  If you plan ahead and buy things when they are at their cheapest, then you can plan to spend less.  Even if you don't coupon, if there are items that you use, it is always a great practice to have an extra one on hand and if you paid less for.  If you like rice, buy two bags when it is on sale and you know that you get to have the lower price all the time.  I keep a pantry in the basement with all of the canned and bottled good that I get for free or almost free so that I have somewhere to go to grab inexpensive ingredients to make dinner.  I would much rather have a cupboard of free hot sauce then have to go out and buy it at the shelf price.

I also buy chicken when I can get it on sale and cut it up and put them into bags based on what my family eats for a meal.  I use different marinades and stick them all in the freezer.  I make my meal plan based on what I have so I like to have a variety to make it through for a few months.  This was a little while ago and I have since reorganized but you can see that there are piles of chicken and other food packaged to be ready for meals.

2.  Bringing lunch or snacks-  If you leave the house, my father always told me that in the cold New York weather you should bring a sleeping bag in the trunk.  We always had blankets and other things because you never know when you are going to get stuck and the same holds true for snacks or drinks.

We bring snacks every where we go because if not any food purchased out is money coming out of our food budget that I could better spend at the store.  We use fun containers that make lunch more interesting but for the most part when you are hungry, it is just great to have something on hand that is quick and cheap.  We also try to have some healthy and sweet snacks just in case we need a little pick me up.  Always be prepared for being out of the house!!

I used to keep an empty water bottle in the trunk in case we needed water so that I could fill it at a water fountain.  I had to get rid of the last one after the last sickness and haven't replaced it but having to stop to buy a bottle of water would be something that would cause me to be super sad.  I also used to have some flavoring like lemon packets or Crystal Light which I don't use as much anymore but they are always good to carry to mix up a fun drink when you don't have any other drinks.

3.  Cook and Bake from Scratch- It is always healthier to cook meals at home but sometime it takes a little planning to make sure that you have everything that you need for a meal.  I like to make a monthly meal plan but it is also great to just plan the week ahead to make sure that you can get everything you need to make the meals.  It is also thrifty to make cookies, bread and cakes from scratch.

I also make a loaf of bread every week for sandwiches and make lots of homemade rolls so that I have some in the freezer for quick dinners.  I make our own pizza dough so that we can have fresh pizza every Friday.  I love my bread machine!!!

4. Shop Used- This used to sound strange to planning ahead but there are a ton of bargains out there to be had that you can save a ton of money on if you start early.  We started going to a consignment sale a few years ago to see what they had and I will never go back.  If you have kids, check these out because there are some great deals on things that you don't want to spend tons of money on so that the kid gets bored, you aren't nearly as sad because you didn't spend $100 on it at the store.  We purchased some toys only to find out that they were at collector prices on the internet and would have been really costly through eBay.

We went to yard sales and my son picked out tons of different toys and we came home with a whole trunk full of toys and we spent around $10 for a full day of entertainment with toys that have entertained him for over a year so far.  My son picked out the Sodor Mining Company playset which costs $50 on the internet and he got for $0.75.  The most expensive purchase of the day was the Fisher Price Ramps Around Garage which goes for over $40 on the internet and we got it for $5. He still plays with both and we will probably sell them when he is done and come out even with years of entertainment in the middle.

We have also shopped through the newspaper classified (back when the internet was just taking off), Craiglist, and Ebay to get other things that we want at great prices.  We bought a used dining room table, set of 6 chairs and a china hutch through a house sale and we use it every day and have for about 10 years.  We were able to get a much nicer set then we would have ever been able to afford because someone else was done with it and ready to move on to something different.

If you have kids, you have the chance to get clothes for them ahead of time.  I have gotten an entire wardrobe for my son through different sales and it just takes a little planning ahead.  If you don't, there are tons of other ways to save with a little planning and patience.

How do you plan ahead to save you time and money??  I know that I worked on a lot of things that would save time and money so that we could make ends meet on one income and most days, they seem like second nature now.  Hope that you can use them to save your family a little time and money too!!

Shared on Living Well Spending Less Thrifty Thursday

A Season for Tending Book Review

A Season for Tending: Book One in the Amish Vines and Orchards Series by Cindy Woodsmall was a book that I got from the library after finding the second book in the series in the new release section.  It looked like a good Amish book and I can never remember the authors when I get home so this way, I would remember to go online and request the first book in the series to read before starting the second.

Rhoda Byler has been growing herbs and berries since a young age and she always seems to get more berries and a longer growing season then anyone else in the area.  Her Old Order Amish community think that she is using witchcraft to make that happen.  She is also a small business owner with a canning business from all of the berries that she picks.  The Amish tend to have male business owners so there is a little distrust in anything different and Rhoda is different.

 In Harvest Mills, The King Orchard is struggling to make a profit on their apples.  Samuel, Eli, and Jacob, the King Brothers, are trying to run the apple orchard while their younger sister Leah is testing all of the boundaries during her rumschpringe.  Leah has a wild night out with Amish and Englisch friends at party and then all of her friends leave so she is left in the strange town by herself.  She walks through town and find a house with no electrical wires (meaning it is Amish) and hides in the garden to curl up and sleep.  She is awoken in the morning by Rhoda.  This change event has brought the families together in ways that change all of their lives.  Pick up this book to find out how!!

Another great book and another great author.  It was a little slower read then the other books that I read before but I think that was because there was so much more on the page then other books and at over 300 pages, it was a good long book.  I was glad to get into it and it was hard to put down (especially at the end) and I was super excited that I already had the second book to get right into.  Stop by your local library or bookstore and pick up this book to find out all the amazing adventures that Rhoda, Samuel, Leah and their friends and family have while trying to find their way.

Kids Reading: Wallace's Lists and more

Wallace's Lists by Barbara Bottner was book that was added to my reading list after finding it in the Playful Learning book.  I love lists so I was super excited to get this from the library and check it out.

 

In the book, Wallace the mouse would only do things that were already on a list.  He met his new neighbor, Albert.  Albert and Wallace became friends after Albert told Wallace he was going out to paint ducks and ended up changing his mind and painting a place.  Albert told him that changing his mind is an adventure.  Wallace doesn't like adventures because they are not on his to do list.  Wallace had a list of places with funny names and Albert picks Glocamorra to travel too.  They decide to go the next day but Wallace had nightmares all night and didn't fall asleep until dawn.  Wallace woke up and it was raining.  He went to his friends house and there was a note on the door that he left on the adventure because Wallace didn't answer the door.  Wallace was worried about Albert out in the storm so he left to go help his friend.  He went through a lot of obstacles and then found Albert at the airport.  Wallace told Albert all of the things that happened to him and Albert declared that Wallace had his adventure.  Then, they went back together to do some of the things that Wallace did on his adventure.  They had another adventure together and Wallace went home and wrote a list about it as well as a list of his best friends. 

My son and I sat down and read this book.  He liked the book and thought the lists were really interesting.  I asked him if he wanted to write his own list.  He said that he did and he got out the paper and the colored pencils.  He wrote To Do on the top of the paper and then the number one.  I started spelling what he wanted to write and he got bored.  I know that it is a fine line between writing the list for him and letting him do it himself.  I was going to suggest drawing pictures but then he had already moved on to another thing and wasn't interested.  I think that it really depends on your kid but certainly be willing to step and do it with them or let them do it on their own.  

It teaches kids that things aren't always going to go as planned or go their way but to enjoy the journey.  It is a great lesson for kids with a set of expectations.  My son gets upset when things don't go the way he wanted them to go.  If I tell him that we are going to the bank and then the library and I change the order, he is not pleased but I think that this is the best book to read to make sure that children understand that everything is an adventure and we can't plan our life with lists....although they are a helpful tool and a good follow up activity.

It is a great book to read before you have to go run a bunch of errands because you can use the time after to make a list together. If I have a lot to do, I write a list of all of the things that we have to do with a box in front.  My four year old checks off when we have finished things and is very excited (there is sometimes cheering).  It is a great way to get them interested in getting on to the next task and not taking too long at one stop.  He loves checking off things and you have to watch and make sure that he only checks off the things that we have done because he sometimes gets carried away.  This helps with reading and pre-reading skills because you can point to the item that you want them to check off and they can see what letters and words are there which they might recognize next time.

Lists are also great to practice memory.  List off the things that you need to get at the store and ask them a little later what it was to see if they were paying attention.  It is really helpful now because he remembers when I forget and actually said to me as we were leaving the store that we needed furnace filters.  We went back in and bought them.  Great to have a helper and a reminder which will help them too!!

Hope that you pick up this book at your local library or bookstore and see how your kids like it!  It is a great book with great activities to go along.  I hope that I can pull it out again sometime soon when we have a long list of things to do and tell my son that he is going to be in charge of the list just like Wallace.

A Cedar Cove Christmas Book Review

A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber was on my list because the Christmas special edition was in the middle of the last few books that I read.  I decided that I better start reading it when I passed where it was in the series.  Oops!  The rest of the series is so easy to follow because it is one number after the next but this was the perfect place to fit this in.

Mary Jo Wyse was listening to her brothers argue in the other room while she was trying to relax and listen to Christmas carols.  Linc, Mel and Ned were all auto mechanics who lived in the family home with their younger sister who they were over protective of and she was unmarried and pregnant.  Mary Jo decided to go confront the father of her baby before her brothers could get to him so she left early in the morning to go to Cedar Cove where he was supposed to be visiting his father, Ben and step-mother, Charlotte.  When she arrived in town, she quickly found out that he lied because they were on a cruise and no one in town had seen David.  She decided that she was going to stay in town to meet Ben and Charlotte the next day when they returned from their trip but all of the places to stay were full.  She met Grace at the library and she told her that she could stay in Cal's old apartment on their property.  Mary Jo was quickly taken in by people that she had never met before and invited to Christmas Eve mass and different parties.  She opted for staying "home" and resting while the rest of the family went out.  It was an adventure not to be missed but you are going to have to pick up the book and find out what happens to Mary Jo and the Three Wyse Men.

I loved it!  It is another book that I picked up and read all night.  I tried to put it down but with my sickness, I couldn't breathe or sleep so it was a nice distraction.  It was a great story with great new characters.  I loved the book (even though I should have been sleeping).  I hope that you pick this one up at your local library or bookstore because it is was amazing!  A fast read that makes you happy that you have read it and I hope that you agree.

What do you get in a month for that $160 Budget?

Many of you see the pictures and all of the things that I get in the month but even though they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to write a list of all of things that I got during the month.  It might be a little easier to see broken down in a big list to see all the things that I get and stay under my monthly $160 budget.  Do you know how much you spend a month on your groceries? 

I was thinking about this after talking to my non-couponing mother because she asked why I have to go to the store every week.  No matter how many times I talk to her about couponing, she just doesn't get how it is different then other people who shop.  Just to take this time to stand up for myself, I don't have to go to the store every week.  I do have to get milk so I do go as often as I need that since it is something that spoils, I normally don't keep more than one gallon in the house at the same time (unless my mother is coming because she is a big milk drinker).

Remember that couponing uses a lot of stockpiling at the lowest price so I use items that are already in the refrigerator, freezer, pantry and stock up on things that are at the cheapest price.  I have an upstairs freezer and pantry for immediate use and a downstairs deep freeze and pantry for those things that are longer term storage.  I try to use the things that are in the house already to plan the menu for the upcoming month and any additional items purchased are saved for future months.  So here is the list of everything that I got in September:

September

Food

Honey Nut Cheerios (12.25 oz)- 3
Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz)- 2
Quaker Perfect Portions- 2
Quaker Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal- 2
Kellogg's Pop Tarts- 6
Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips- 2
White Corn Tortilla Chips- 1
Mini Pretzels- 1
Sliced Pepperoni- 1
Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese-8
Annie's Organic Bunny Crackers- 1
Ultimate Hamburger Helper- 2
Progresso Soup- 8
Gerber 2nd Bananas- 31
Marini Yogurt Covered Raisins- 4
Marini Cranberries- 4
Plum Baby Food- 4
Ortega Taco Seasoning- 4
Old El Paso Taco Seasoning- 3
Old El Paso Stand and Stuff Tortilla- 4
Old El Paso Cooking Sauce- 5
Smuckers Natural Jelly- 2
French's Brown Mustard- 3
Heinz Ketchup (20 oz)- 3
Franks Sauce- 1
Tetley Family Tea Bags- 1
McCormick Gourmet Seasoning Packet- 2

Baking

Dixie Granulated Sugar (4 lb)- 2
Aldi's Flour (5 lb)- 4
Pillsbury Bread Flour (5 lb)- 4
Aldi's Baking Powder- 1
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt- 3
Duncan Hines Frosting Creations- 2
Sweet n Low (100 ct)- 2
Nestle Chocolate Chips- 2
Lindt Chocolate Bar- 1
Magic Shell- 3
Vegetable Oil (128 oz)- 1

Refrigerated/Frozen

Ground Beef 80 %- 6 packages (range 1-2 lbs)
Chicken Breasts- 2 packages (about 5 lbs each)
Iceberg Lettuce- 1
String Beans- 0.3 lb
Gallon Skim Milk-3
Land O Frost Turkey Lunchmeat (16 oz)- 2
Dozen Large Eggs-4
Dozen Extra Large Eggland's Best- 2
Kraft Fresh Take- 6
Sargento Prov/Mozz Cheese Slices- 1
Smart Balance Butter- 4
Imperial Margarine- 6
Tastes Like Butter- 4
Yoplait Simply Yogurt- 2
McCain French Fries- 1
McCain Smiles- 1

Non Food

Tide (100 oz)- 1
Advil (24 count)- 6
Foil Muffin Cups- 1
Reynolds Oven Bags- 1
Angel Soft Tissues-8
Pampers Easy Ups- 3
Centrum Flavor Burst Vitamins- 3
Crest 3D White Toothpaste- 1
Dixie 5 oz cups for school- 1

Total Retail Cost $590.65

Total Savings $426.00+ $14.34 refunds= $440.34

Total OOP $150.31

Under budget so I was happy with everything that I got and some interesting stuff that we don't normally get to purchase.  I did have to make a return of one box of Annie's crackers ($2.05 refund) that my family didn't like and three bottles of vitamins ($11.11 refund) that my son didn't like that I purchased last month so there was a little more wiggle room this month with those credits of $13.16 which gave me the flexibility to add some more Gerber items and use up the coupons at the end of the month before they expired.  I had to buy 10 Gerber items to get the $1 and $2 catalina so I bought two of the ones that my son doesn't like assuming that it would be an easy exchange at another Giant but they only had one at the other Giant so I got $1.18 back for one banana.  I always count the credit in the month that it is received so that I don't have to go back and count it against the month where the purchase was made which does make a little more in the budget this month so that gave me an extra $14.34 in refunds this month which gave me enough to come in under budget. 

The Letters Book Review

Letters, The: A Novel (The Inn at Eagle Hill) by Suzanne Woods Fisher was on the new release section so I decided to pick it up!  I am really glad that I did because it is always good to try a new author and open a new series up and more by the same author.  Can't wait to check some more of them out soon!

In this book, Rose Schrock decides that after the death of her husband, she needs to find a way to support her family which consists of her children, step-children and mother in law.  When she is at the store spending the last of her money, she hears a couple saying that they have no place to stay for the night and it was getting dark soon.  She offers them a room to stay in their house and they take dinner and breakfast to the couples room so that they can rest.  They in turn pay her $100 for the room.  She decides this is a sign to turn her basement into a bed and breakfast.  Her mother in law was not in favor but the church said that it was fine so with the help of her neighbor, Galen King, she and her family transform the dusty basement into an apartment for visitors.  Her first visitor, Delia Stoltz, comes after a recommendation at a gas station from the women who stayed with Rose before.  Delia needs a break from her life and decides to drive to Amish country and enjoy the peace and quiet.  There are many unexpected twists and turns which you will have to pick up the book to find out what happens to these great characters.

There is also a recipe in the back for her famous blueberry cornbread which I hope to make soon.

Blueberry Cornbread

2  large eggs

1  cup  buttermilk

1/4  cup  (1/8 lb.) butter, melted

2/3  cup  all-purpose flour

1 1/3  cup  yellow cornmeal

1/4  cup  sugar

1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  fresh blueberries, rinsed

In a bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, and butter to blend. In another bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Stir flour mixture into egg mixture just until evenly moistened. Gently stir in berries. Spread level in buttered 8 inch square pan.

Bake in a 375° oven until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then cut into 9 squares.

I really enjoyed the book and already put the second book on my to read list.  I have put it on hold at the library so crossing my fingers that it comes in soon.  I have a few other books in my pile but I look forward to continuing the series.  I hope that you pick it up at your local library or bookstore.  I think that you will enjoy the characters and the story!  Let me know what you think.