Feels Like Family Book Review

I grabbed the third book in the series before I even had the first two because it was sitting on the shelf at the library while I was there so I figured that I would get to eventually but little did I know it would be so soon. Feels Like Family (Sweet Magnolias) by Sherryl Woods was quickly the next book in my pile and I was eager to read this book with the sunny cover. 

Helen Decatur spent a lifetime setting goals—getting through college and law school, opening her own practice, becoming financially secure and establishing herself as one of the most highly respected matrimonial attorneys in the state of South Carolina. Achieving those goals was a breeze compared to the one she's faced with now.  The most driven—and cynical—of the Sweet Magnolias, Helen is forty-two, single and suddenly ready for the family she's put on the back burner for all these years. Unfortunately, having a child at her age comes with lots of complications, not the least of which is the absence of a serious relationship in her life.  But Helen's not the type of woman to wait around for fate to step in. Taking charge of her own destiny puts her at odds with her two best friends, sets sparks flying with a man who doesn't want a family, and leads her straight into the most unexpected complication of all…love.

I loved this book!  It was a little crazy with some of the things happening but I love that the small town rallies around one of its own to help in any way that they can.  Someone is having trouble at work and they all try to figure out how to work so that she doesn't have to quit her job which is the only thing keeping a roof over her kids head.  There is a great network of friends that are always there for each other and reach out to others to protect those that are important to them.  With a great love story running throughout, what isn't to love about this book?!  I hope that you check out this book for your yourself the next time you are at the library or bookstore.  This and other books in the Sweet Magnolia series are well written with great characters.  I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have!

A Slice of Heaven Book Review

The second book in the series was reserved at the library but I just couldn't wait for it to come in so I was able to grab it while at another library with my son after we went to a program.  I was super excited and then the book was sitting on my reserve shelf when I went to our branch of the library to pick it up.  So greedy me, I now have two copies that I checked out of A Slice of Heaven (Sweet Magnolias, Book 2) by Sherryl Woods!  I guess I probably can return one now but it won't take long to read the other book so I figured that I would be all set to return them both soon.

When an eating disorder threatens the life of chef Dana Sue Sullivan's teenage daughter, she has no choice but to bring Annie's cheating dad back to Serenity, South Carolina. She tells herself and her friends it's all about Annie, but the sad truth is she has a boatload of unresolved feelings of her own for Ronnie Sullivan.  From the moment Ronnie hits town, there's no question about his intentions. He's there for his daughter, to be sure, but he wants Dana Sue back, and every move he makes is designed to prove he's a changed man. The one thing that's never changed, though, are the sparks that fly whenever the two of them are in the same room. Dana Sue can deny all she wants that Ronnie's the only man for her, but not a single person in town is buying it. No matter the circumstances, Ronnie's return is a sweet recipe for a new beginning.


I was excited to get the second book and start reading about the next interesting character in this great small town (which of course I picked up right after finishing the first one).  It was a serious book that was dealing with the serious issue of eating disorders but there were still some light hearted parts to make it a well rounded book.  I enjoyed the different change of pace with this book with all the ups and downs of the characters who were dealing with their issues and the issues of Annie's eating disorder.  I hope that you enjoy it and pick it up the next time you are at your local library or bookstore.  Of course, one copy is plenty so don't go crazy like I did!!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Menu Plan Monday 7/6

I can't believe that we are already in July.  I know that my menu planning and pretty much all other planning has gone out of the window.  It happens a little when summer starts but it doesn't matter what I am making and how many things I have moved to the new house, I seem to always find that I have the one thing that I need still at the other house.  I have been doing my best to move the last few little things over but it seems to be the hardest part.  The menu has been a mess and I think that I missed even writing down what we eat more nights on the calendar because it is still at the other house while I am cooking at the new house most nights.  This is going to be my week to get everything back under control (hopefully).  I finally have my stove top in and working and don't have to use a low powered plug in burner like I was trying last week to get things done!

Here is the list of the meals for the coming week in no particular order:

Chicken nugget wraps and homemade fries
Salsa Sloppy Joes and mac and cheese
Grilled Chicken with chicken rice
Philly Cheese steak Pasta
Olive Oil Spaghetti with fresh basil and garlic bread
Beef Enchiladas and saffron rice
Leftovers

I need to go to the store and get milk, chicken fries for my son, and maybe egg noodles if I can't find another noodle to use instead already in the cupboard.  I have the sloppy joe meat made and in the freezer.  I have the chicken cut and marinating in the freezer.  I have the meat for the Philly Cheese steak pasta cooked and in the fridge.  I have the taco meat for the enchiladas made and in the freezer and the enchilada sauce mixed.  Most of the food is in the house so there isn't a ton of shopping or prep work that needs to be done to pull this off.  With a plan on the table, I feel way more ready to conquer the week.  Here is hoping that this can be pulled off with the busy schedule we already have planned for next week.  I hope that you have a yummy week too!!

Not So Great Month End Report for June

I have been trying my best to keep track of receipts and stay on budget but everything went out the window with the move to the new house.  My budget is $160 for all household products including groceries, cleaners and anything else that I need.  I have been doing okay for the first 5 months of the year as you can see below:

January        $71.46

February    $1.03

March         $61.81

April             $128.55

May              $151.81

Then June came and we were living in two houses and things were never where we needed them.  I thought that we were eating way too much out but at almost the end of the month, I decided to finally write down my grocery receipts.  Holy Cow!!!  I was over budget and it wasn't even the end of the month (and we were out of toilet paper and lots of food).  I hit the store twice with super doubles to make the money stretch even farther but we didn't stay anywhere near budget this month.

Safeway $2.56 for doughnuts

Giant $2.05 for soda to have with dinner

(no picture but it was just two one liter bottles)

Aldi $28.76

Wegman's $19.53

I don't think that I took a picture of this one unless it is on the camera which is currently packed.  I am not sure but I think that this is the one that I grabbed a container of ground beef and went home and cooked it all up for the month so that we would have a bunch of meals in the freezer like salsa sloppy joes, tacos and French dip sloppy joes.  It was great to have them on hand and not a lot of work to get it all done and in the freezer. (no picture)

Walmart $8.02

I got a container of cranberry juice and a mat for the kitchen sink at the new house.  Not really interesting but I think that is all I got. (no picture)

Aldi $14.60

I can't find a picture on this one either but I got chips, cereal, cheese, chicken nuggets, cookies and ice cream sandwiches.  My son said that it would be really nice to have ice cream sandwiches at the new house for a special treat so I grabbed a few other things and stocked up. (no picture)

CVS $21.85 and $12.60 (done in two transactions by my husband)

Aldi $16.41

 

CVS $0.96

Safeway $2.56 for doughnuts

Wegman's $41.49

 

I went to the new Wegmans because they sent me coupons.  I went some crazy way that my GPS told me to go and I ended up right next to one of the libraries so I knew where I was!!   I will make sure to plan my next trip to this new store when I am going to the library and I will be all set!

I had a coupon for $1 off frozen food so I grabbed the ice cream sandwiches which were wonderful.  I also had a ibotta deal for $0.20 off pasta and we needed some so I grabbed a box of the Wegman's brand which was $1.  The other things were purely stocking up because we didn't have any food and I got to use my $3 off $15 purchase coupon (easily).  I should have only gotten one meat because I realized when I got to the car that I had a second set of coupons!  The benefit of having two houses was getting two sets of coupons.
 

Aldi $11.65

I grabbed a bunch of things we were out of like milk, brown sugar, and parsley.  I also refilled the wheat crackers, nilla cookies and fruit snacks that are good snacks.
 

Harris Teeter $0 OOP

I went to super doubles and got to do a little shopping before going home for dinner.  My mom paid $14.14 because most of things that cost money were hers (yogurt, eye drops, and strawberries) and I was picking up a ton of overages to pay for most of my groceries so my total would have only been around $2.  I even went to the customer service desk because one of my coupons didn't scan so they gave me $2.09 back to my credit card.  Funny that they asked for a credit card and didn't give cash since my mom paid in cash but whatever!

Safeway $2.05 for doughnuts

Harris Teeter $43.86

I went a little crazy especially knowing that I was already over budget for the month but I spent my son's entire time in summer camp at the grocery store trying to make the most of the end of super doubles.  I ended up saving $104.23 with sales and coupons on the whole order.  I got some clearance sausage for under $1 per package which is crazy good since it is close to $5 normally.  I got some clearance lunch meat which was on sale for $3.99 for free after meat coupon and peelie on the package.  I also grabbed some free Tabasco, Apple and Eve juice boxes, and Melt Buttery Spread. My favorite purchase was the chicken fingers that we love which ended up being $1 for the package which we ate for dinner that night.

Total OOP $226.86

I would love to blame it on one bad decision or another but I purchased a lot this month and I was not doing so great with the couponing so there was a lot of make up for with the last 6 months basically not getting the things that we normally do.  I know that I bought a ton of junk food that I normally don't because I am busy making things in the kitchen like breakfast food and treats and we got doughnuts at the store instead a lot!!  I think that $67 over budget isn't super bad considering everything (of course that doesn't count any money spent on take out or restaurants)!  Can't really blame it all on my husband (also known as doughnuts and soda).  Here is hoping that the move is mostly behind us and I won't have to go crazy with so many other things that I can't take the time to do my grocery shopping anymore!  I almost have my kitchen set up so that should help except for a few boxes that I can't find yet, I think that I will be able to get back to cooking...at least as much as the summer schedule allows.

June Reading Review

I was reading and reading and reading this month.  There was a lot of moving happening and my only break was picking up a book.  I enjoyed one book after the next.  I have spent a little too much time reading and not enough time moving and sleeping but it turned out to be a great summer month!!  I hope that you have had a great start to summer too!!


If you missed the review or want to see it again, make sure you click on the title of the book and it will take you back to the original post.  I hope that you add a few of these to your must read list this summer.

Fatal Trauma

by Richard Mabry 

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

by Sherryl Woods

Driftwood Cottage

by Sherryl Woods

Moonlight Cove

by Sherryl Woods

Beach Lane

by Sherryl Woods

O'Brien Family Christmas

by Sherryl Woods

  

The Summer Garden

by Sherryl Woods

 Seaside Christmas
by Sherryl Woods

The Christmas Bouquet
by Sherryl Woods

Dogwood Hill
by Sherryl Woods

Summer's List
by Anita Higman

Sandcastle Bay
by Sherryl Woods

Wind Chime Point
by Sherryl Woods

Sea Glass Island
by Sherryl Woods



Two Roads Home
 by Deborah Raney

They Almost Always Come Home
by Cynthia Ruchti

Stealing Home
by Sherryl Woods

Total Books Read 2015

January       9

February     13

March         14 

April           9

May          12

June          17

Total Books    74


Currently Reading:

Stealing Home Book Review

I decided that after I finished my last series from Sherryl Woods that I would start on another one.  I went to the library and decided on the Sweet Magnolia series which they only had the third one on the shelves.  I quickly reserved the first and second book before checking out the third book.  When it came in, I was happy to read Stealing Home (Sweet Magnolias) by Sherryl Woods.  It was the first of another long series of books that I was hoping to get me through lots more of the summer.

Maddie Townsend might live in a town called Serenity but there's been nothing calm or peaceful about her life since her marriage broke up. This stay-at-home mom has no job skills, an out-of-control sixteen-year-old son, a talkative fourteen-year-old who's suddenly gone silent, a six-year-old daughter whose heart is broken, an ex-husband whose younger girlfriend is expecting their baby and two best friends who think she's somehow qualified to help them open a fitness spa for women.  But if Maddie is a tad on edge with all that on her plate, it's nothing compared to the chaos that ensues when she discovers that her son's baseball coach has feelings for her and the whole town disapproves. Maddie's faced a lot of challenges lately with strength and resolve, but Cal Maddox may turn out to be more than she can handle. Then again, he could just be the one man in all of South Carolina who can help her find serenity.


I really enjoyed getting to know this new town and all of the characters.  I love stories set in small towns and this little gem was no different.  The characters were all ones that were totally interesting and had lots of different things going in their lives to make any of the characters interesting to follow.  I loved following Maddie through this story with her break up of her 20 year marriage and trying to get her footing to start her new life.  I can't wait to follow other characters through the rest of the series.  I hope that you check this book and others in the series out at your local library or bookstore.

They Almost Always Come Home Book Review

I received a copy of They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti with a book that I read last month for review from the publisher (this was sent as a bonus).  It has been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read it for a little bit.  I finally had time without any library books and grabbed this book eager for something just like the last book I read by the author.

When Libby’s husband Greg fails to return from a two-week canoe trip to the Canadian wilderness, the authorities soon write off his disappearance as an unhappy husband’s escape from an empty marriage and unrewarding career. Their marriage might have survived if their daughter Lacey hadn’t died . . . and if Greg hadn’t been responsible. Libby enlists the aid of her wilderness savvy father-in-law and her best friend to help her search for clues to her husband’s disappearance…if for no other reason than to free her to move on. What the trio discovers in the search upends Libby’s presumptions about her husband and rearranges her faith.

I was shocked to read this book because it was so different from the other book.  It was mostly a sad book with the story about how this women thinks that he marriage is over so she thinks that her husband has gone off on a fishing trip and left her because he never comes home.  It is amazing to read this book and feel all the emotions right along with the wife.  There is a little part towards the end of the book that is written from the perspective of the husband which is also great and emotional.  This book was very emotional and totally worth the read! It wasn't anything that I was expecting which is always great in a book.  I thought that it was amazing and really showed some things that everyone could love at in their own relationships.  I hope that you pick up this book at your local library or bookstore soon!!