Thrifty Thursday: Free Calendars Now Available

I look forward to getting my Betty Crocker and Pillsbury calendars every year and last year I missed mine!!  I don't know what happened but I went on the website in December and found that they were already gone.  Darn it!  I marked it on the calendar this year to make sure to check at the beginning of November.  They weren't there at the beginning of November but they are now.

In order to get your free calendar, you need to be a member of pillsbury.com and bettycrocker.com before 11/17/14.  What this means is that if you already have a log on because you print coupons there, you can go and get your two free calendars now.  All you have to do is log on and then enter in a little information on where they are going to mail the calendar. 

You will be very excited in 6-8 weeks when the new calendars with the great pictures and recipes appear in the mailbox.  I use one of mine for my meal planning.  The boxes are really big and let me write in a lot of details on what I am going to make and even leaves a little room if I have to cross things off and move them around.

Free 2015 Pillsbury Calendar

Free 2015 Betty Crocker Calendar 

I can't wait for mine!!!  How about you???

The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane Book Review

My husband and I have been watching the Sleepy Hollow show on TV.  Have you??  It is a really good show and has you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next adventure.  They have lots of scrapes and troubles but Abbie, police lieutenant, and Ichabod, awoken from 200 year sleep, work together to solve the mysteries of the more supernatural.  This book is written from the point of view of Ichabod Crane and covers all of what happened in the first season of the show.

In "Sleepy Hollow," a supernatural twist on Washington Irving's classic short story, Ichabod Crane has been pulled two-and-a-half centuries through time to find that he and detective Abbie Mills are humanity's last hope in the war against evil as the two watchers. Passionate, intelligent, and wryly funny, Crane has always used journals to collect thoughts and documents that may prove useful later, and The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane offers an unprecedented look at the battle also raging inside his fascinating mind.

On the pages within, Crane shares new memories of the American Revolution; more amusing reflections on modern-day phenomena, from the Internet to Election Day; and private thoughts about Abbie, Katrina, and others. He also includes hidden case files; secret Freemason puzzles; selections from George Washington's mysterious Bible; and photos, letters, and drawings he has collected along the way. Filled with detail about past battles and vanquished monsters, as well as clues about those he and Abbie have yet to face, this journal is not just the ultimate repository for fans, but the key to Sleepy Hollow’s future—and the world’s.

I was really looking forward to the book and hoping that my husband was going to read it too.  When I opened to the first page to see how it started, I saw that it was written in the old English way that Icabod speaks and is very hard to get into.  The words don't flow as easily and quickly to read because you have to stop and make sure that you aren't missing words because of the difference in the cadence of speech but once you get into it, it is easy enough to follow.

I was also hoping for a little bit more then the show provided but reading the beginning of the book, I fear that I wouldn't get as much out of it if I hadn't already read the book.  They mention something that happened in the show over a 1 hour episode on one page so there isn't a lot of detail and I would think that if I hadn't already seen the show that I would be confused on what they were talking about with the lack of details.  If this was a book to go along with the show, I could see reading a certain section after watching the show on TV that week or reading the whole thing if you missed the season.  But to sit down and read it for more in depth information isn't going to bring you more insight into the show.  If you are just looking to extend the entertainment value of the show, this might be the right book for you.  I enjoyed the book and the funny musings of Ichabod about the new American lifestyles in contrast to what he remembers.

**This book was provided to me for my honest opinion and review from Blogging for Books.

Menu Plan Monday 11/17

Monday- Tacos with saffron rice
Tuesday- Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Wednesday-??
Thursday- Sausage or Cheese Raviolis
Friday- Chicken Nuggets with homemade fries and tater tots
Saturday- Leftovers/??
Sunday- Leftovers/??

Although I had a plan in place last week, we did a lot of shuffling around.  Luckily, I was ready for the whole week so we were able to move a few things around and did leftovers one night instead of pasta because no one was interested in eating or cooking.  I am hoping for a little bit easier week with nothing planned to make it more crazy.  We already had our week with lots of afternoon and evening meetings and this week is looking pretty easy which should mean that I am a little more flexible but that usually means that I try to fit too much into one day so we will see.  The only thing that we are out of for the week is cheese so I will have to go to the store to get some.  We are also out of olive oil and almost all other oils in the house.

Having the menu plan in place will help me get dinner on the table even after I have done something in the day to take me off track.  I thought being a stay at home mom was going to give me more time and not less but I always seem to fill it up and get a lot less fun things done then I would hope for!!  How about you??

Quilted by Christmas Book Review

I have enjoyed the books in the Quilts of Love series that I have read so far so I was excited to get another opportunity to try another one. Quilted by Christmas: Quilts of Love Series by Jodie Bailey was the next to be offered through the publisher.  This one also had the added bonus about being about Christmas.  I really enjoy the books about Christmas because they help get me in the mood for the holiday season.  There are so many other things in normal life that pull us down and we aren't happy about the holidays coming because they are also so stressful but this is a really great holiday story.

In the book, Taryn McKenna believes she's easy to forget. Abandoned by her parents and left behind when her high school sweetheart joined the army, she vows to never love again and throws herself into her love for the outdoors and the pursuit of a college degree---something no one else in her family has ever accomplished. Her goal, as a young teacher in the hills of North Carolina, is to leave a legacy in the lives of the middle-schoolers she teaches in the town that she grew up.

When Taryn's grandmother Jemma, the only other person who ever held her close, has a heart attack that reveals a fatal medical condition, Taryn is corralled into helping Grandma work on a final project---an Irish chain quilt that tells the story of her history and the love Jemma knows is out there for Taryn. As the pieces of the quilt come together, Taryn begins to see her value. She learned about love of others and the love for herself through the trials with her grandmother.

I enjoyed the book and even had to stay up to finish the book when I got close to the end.  I was laying in bed with a tissue, very past my bedtime, and hoping for a happy ending.  The book has great writing and great characters that you can really relate to.  I loved watching Taryn interact with all of the people in the town where she grew up and see how she acts like she hasn't grown up.  It is interesting to see how she changes through the book and it really makes you relate to her even more.  I hope that you add this book to your list of books to be read!!  I know that you will enjoy this and others in the series.

** I was provided this book from the publisher for my honest review and opinion from LitFuse Publishers.

Thrifty Thursday: Credit Card for Kids???

I saw a little clip from the Chew that had me thinking.  Have you heard of giving your child their allowance on a credit or debit card so that they can learn to budget?  Check out this clip!  The hosts and audience think that it is a good idea.  On the surface, I think that it is a good idea but then I also wonder what age kids start understand the concept of money instead of just having paper money in their hands. 

Tell me friends with younger kids think that you will use this in the future and any with older kids, is this what allowance has come to??  I really need some help on this because my husband and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to allowance because I never had one growing up so I don't agree to give one to my son.

There are tons of websites out there with advice every way including this one and this one to tell you what to decide and what cards to choose to do it with.  But just like with recipes, I prefer to go right to the source.  Would you pay your kids allowance to a credit/debit card and what age??

Raging Heat Book Review

I was excited to see another book on the list at the library by Richard Castle.  Raging Heat (Nikki Heat)
by Richard Castle was the next book in the Nikki Heat series.  It came in off reserve and I got the email that it was on the shelf for me.  I was excited to see the new book coming home with me and it was hard to wait to start reading it.  I finally got to pick it up after I read a few books that I had in the pile before it and I was happy to be back with the characters.

In the book, an illegal immigrant falls from the sky and NYPD Homicide Detective, Nikki Heat's investigation into his death quickly captures the imagination of her boyfriend the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jameson Rook. When he decides to work the case with Heat as his next big story, Nikki is at first happy to have him ride along. She must endure Rook's usual wild conspiracy speculations and adolescent wisecracks, but after reuniting following his recent assignment abroad, she's glad for the entertainment, the chance to bounce ideas, and just to be close to him again and feel the old spark rekindle. But when Rook's inquiry concludes that Detective Heat has arrested the wrong man for the murder, everything changes.  Balancing her high stakes job with a complicated romance has been a challenge ever since Nikki fell for the famous reporter. Set against the raging force of Hurricane Sandy as it pounds New York, Heat battles an ambitious powerbroker, fights a platoon of urban mercenaries, and clashes with the man she loves. The action and twists in this book makes for questions up until the end so make sure you pick it up and find out what happens.

I love these books!  Although the difference between the Castle show on TV and the writing in the book by the character in the show is a little complicated, these books stand on their own.  If you leave behind the show and the characters, this series of books is still great writing and great characters.  I like to be able to take my time with these book but once you get into the book, it is like pausing a movie in the middle and waiting.  It makes you want to finish it quickly and sad when it is over.  Almost worth starting over and reading it again.  This book keeps you guessing from beginning to end because there are so many things that are up in the air until the last possible minute.  The action in this book would make a great movie and I promise that you wouldn't want to pause it either.  I hope that you pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did!!!  Don't forget the others in the series too!!

Menu Planning Monday 11/10

Monday- Chicken Tacos with saffron rice
Tuesday- Leftovers Chicken Fried Rice (for husband) and Mac and Cheese (for son) and ?? (for me)
Wednesday- Red Baron Pizza
Thursday- Olive Oil Spaghetti with garlic bread
Friday- Chicken Nuggets with homemade fries
Saturday- Leftovers/Breakfast for Dinner
Sunday-Leftovers/??

I have a crazy busy week with working two days, meeting with contractors , picking up my sister in law from the airport, book fair night, final walk through and the house closing.  I am hoping that this meal plan helps put the busy week in perspective.  I am hoping that it also means that there wasn't any crisis right around dinnertime.  I think that I am going to have a busy week but at least I have a menu plan!  How is your week shaping up??