Map of the Heart Book Review

I was surprised when a book showed up on my reserve shelf.  I put a bunch of things on hold and they seem to be coming off at the strangest times when I am totally not ready for a new book because I am already reading another and these books come with no renewals.  I normally have to read really quickly to get done before the deadline and this was no different.  I finished Map of the Heart: A Novel by Susan Wiggs in time and returned it to the library to then have to review it without the book which I hate to do but this was such a great book that I wanted to make sure to pass on the recommendation.

Widowed by an unspeakable tragedy, Camille Palmer has made her peace with the past and settled into the quiet safety of life with her teenage daughter Julie in a sleepy coastal town. Then the arrival of a mysterious package breaks open the door to her family’s secret past. In uncovering a hidden history, Camille has no idea that she’s embarking on an adventure that will utterly transform her.
Camille, Julie, and Camille’s father return to the French town of his youth, sparking  unexpected memories — recollections that will lead them back to the dark days of the Second World War. And it is in the stunning Provençal countryside that they will uncover their family’s surprising history.
While Provence offers answers about the past, it also holds the key to Camille’s future. Along the way, she meets a former naval officer who stirs a passion deep within her — a feeling that she thought she’d never experience again.

Camille Palmer is making the most of her life with her daughter Julie in Bethany Bay, Delaware after the death of her husband.  Camille is working with many people to develop film and work with historical pictures in order to make a living.  Her life is turned upside down when her daughter gets hurt and Camille uncovers that Julie is being bullied at school.  It is upsetting to see her child hurt and continually hurt but an unexpected family secret is revealed when a large crate is delivered to her father's home from his childhood home which brings up more questions then answers.  They decide to head to France even though Camille has a great fear of flying after loosing her husband.  The best part of this book is that they went back and forth between the past and the present so that you could get everyone's point of view on what was happening.  Of course, you have to pick up the book for yourself to see what happens but I promise that it is totally worth it.  This is a very different book by this author and goes into a lot of emotion and pain from the past.  It is best if you pick it up for yourself and check it out because I know that you will enjoy it.

A Plain Leaving Book Review

I was excited to read another book by Leslie Gould because I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read by her.  I quickly looked and A Plain Leaving (The Sisters of Lancaster County) by Leslie Gould was the first book in the Sisters of the Lancaster County series so I was even more excited by this new start to a new series that I was going to enjoy.  The cover showed a great picture of the country life and living on a farm but I was excited to get into the book and find out what it would be all about.

At age twenty, Jessica Bachman left her two beloved sisters and her Amish community after clashing with the new bishop about her role in the family and the future of their farm. She tried to convince Silas Kemp, who'd been courting her for two years, to join her, but when he said no, she fled anyway. Three years later, she returns home for the first time since leaving Lancaster to attend her father's funeral. Her arrival back revives all sorts of emotions--yearnings and sorrows alike. Jessica knows things will never return to how they were. But in seeing Silas again, she can't help but wonder what might have been.  Struggling to decide where her next step should take her, she learns the story of a Revolutionary War-era ancestor that echoes her own choices. Will Jessica leave her family and community forever, or is there peace and healing and love yet to come?

This book was interesting because two members of the family come back to the family home after their father dies so that they can morn him with their family.  Jessica and Amos left for different reason but came back because of their love for their father.  Their father was the only contact that either of them had with their families after they left and they were upset to learn of his passing.  At the farm, they had to sit at a different table to eat and work to maintain the family farm while being treated very badly by the family members.  Both Amos and Jessica use this time to make peace with the past and try to move forward but the family members are stopping them at every turn except their Aunt Suz who tells them a story from their family history.  This story is about how the family lived through the war and the choices that the family members made.  I hope that you pick up the book and find out for yourself how the story affects both the past and the current situations with the family drama.  I think that you will really enjoy it as much as I did!

**I received a copy of the book for my review but all opinions here are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

List of Everything I Got In October

I decided that I would list out of the things that I got this month to see if there were any different categories that were standing out and see how I did getting things and staying under budget (okay close to budget).  I work hard every month to get the most for our family and maintain a budget under $160 per month for our family of 3 to include all household groceries and other goods like paper and cleaning products.

I shop sales and use coupons to make the money stretch as far as possible.  I got a lot of things early in the month and had to slow down my spending quickly and then a quick up turn with a second Super Doubles the last three days of the month. I think that my list is pretty good even if I went a little crazy with two super doubles in one month!!  This month was a little bit of a struggle because I got some great deals early on but there were still some things on the list to get because we were running out.

The family made a list and put it on the fridge so that we could add and cross things off that I got at the store.  We were just a little over half way through the month and I only had $22 left.  Luckily there weren't too many things left on the list but they also had a super doubles rumored for the end of the month so I was a little worried but I made it through the month.

In case you missed the breakdown, here are the pictures and details of what I got for the month.  Below is the list of everything that I got in categories for the whole month for $164.96.

Food 
5 boxes Variety of Cereals
4 boxes Quaker Dinosaur Oatmeal
1 Doughnut
12 boxes Cheez-Its
4 jars Pringles
5 boxes Freezer to Plate Pasta
4 cans Organic Progresso Soup
8 cans Progresso Soup
2 boxes Old El Paso Shells
1 box Welch's Fruit Snacks
10 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 Minute Rice Microwave Containers
17 Atkins bars
8 Goodness Knows Bars
2 boxes Horizon Mac and Cheese
2 box Annie Mac and Cheese
4 boxes Barilla Lasagna Noodles
6 boxes Barilla Spaghetti
1 box Cheesy Hash Browns
1 package of 6 Maruchan Ramen Noodles
3 boxes Dole Mixations
4 bags Hungry Jack Pancake Mix
1 bottle Canola Oil
3 bags 4 lb sugar
8 Heinz Ketchup
4 Grill Mates Seasonings
4 Gerber Bananas
6 boxes Enjoy Life Cookies cookies
4 bags Airheads candy
1 bag Peanut Butter M&Ms
12 Enjoy Life Candy Bars

Drinks
3 cases Coke
2 cases Diet Coke
17 boxes Tetley Tea
2 boxes Celestial Seasoning Tea
1 bottles Northland Cranberry
2 bottles Welch's Juice

Refrigerator 
2 package of Pork Chops
5 Turkey Lunch meat
2 Roast Beef Lunch meat
11 Hormel Natural Choice
4 Land O Frost Deli Snackers Chicken
6 Johnsville Chicken
2 Gallon Milk
2 Organic Valley Good to Go Milks
6 Galbani String Cheese
1 tub margarine
1 head of Lettuce
1 Dozen Eggs
12 Yogurt
11 packs Chobani Smooth 2-pack yogurts
2 Pizza Crusts
2 Perfect Bars
1 container Good Belly
1 Arla Cream Cheese
4 Crescent Rolls
2 Cinnamon Rolls

Freezer
4 boxes Barber Chicken
2 boxes Pagoda Chicken Pot Stickers
6 bags Edamame
4 Sister Schubert's Sharable Bread
2 Celentano Meat Ravioli
1 bag Chicken Fries
1 bag Popcorn Chicken
2 bag Tater Tots
1 box ice cream sandwiches
2 boxes Blue Bunny Ice Cream cones

Personal Care and Cleaning
2 bottles Advil
2 Kotex Pads
1 container Target Kid's Vitamins
14 bottles Garnier Shampoo
1 Etos Shower Gel
2 Vick's Vaporub
2 Charmin Toilet Paper 6 Mega Rolls
2 Windex
10 Crest Toothpaste
2 Water Bottle Tops for Camelbak Kids

Other
 Whiskas Cat Treats
Whole Pumpkin

I hope that I didn't miss anything but it was a really long list this month!!  How do you think that I did this month??  All this for $164.96 seems like a bargain to me and now I just have to work hard to use everything that we got to make a wonderful November menu plan and use everything before things go bad.  I am ready for the challenge!!

Menu Plan Monday 11/6

Monday- Chicken Fries, Buffalo Chicken with homemade french fries
Tuesday- Barber Chicken with white rice
Wednesday- Pasta
Thursday- Spiedies with white rice
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Birthday Party/Leftovers
Sunday- Chicken Tacos

Last week was the fairly easy.  Monday was my son's favorite meal and Tuesday was leftovers before trick or treating.  Wednesday ended up being pork chops with herb rice because I forgot to take out the chicken and I just bought the pork chops and hadn't frozen them.  It was tasty to get those two pork meals in the month with those amazing coupons.  We had Rosemary Chicken with potatoes on Thursday night which is one of our winter favorites.  We did leftovers and homemade mozzarella cheese sticks.  We did Pizza on Saturday with our end of season soccer party.  Sunday was meatball sliders to use up the rest of the rolls and my husband requested tater tots with them so that was a tasty dinner.  The week went really well with the change of only one meal.

I went through the month and got the entire menu filled early including weekends.  I have most of the things already in the house so I am hoping that I don't need to run out and get too much which will leave me free to get the best deals that I can while stocking up on a few things that we are out of like Cranberry Juice and Ground Beef.   Here is hoping that the month goes according to plan.  I have a bunch of things ready to go and a pretty easy plan moving forward.  Hope you have a yummy week planned for you and your family.

October Reading Review

I normally keep a running post through the month of all the books that I have read so that I can keep track of how many I have read but this month it was all the way until the end of the month before I realized that I didn't have a clue how much I read because I didn't post anything!!  I don't think that I got them in order but partially in order is good enough for the end of the month so hopefully you won't hold it against me.

Here is a list of the books that I read in October.  If you click on the title then you will be linked back to my original post with the summary and review.  I hope that you add a few of these books to your reading list.

Many Sparrows

by Lori Benton

Bringing Maggie Home
by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Slow Burn

by Ace Atkins

Little White Lies

by Ace Atkins

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

by Susan Mallery

Right, Next Door

by Debbie Macomber

One Night
by Debbie Macomber

Education A La Carte
by Kevin Leman

Total Books Read for 2017

January    8

February  15
March     17
April      13
May        10
June         10
July          15
August       17
September  13
October      8

Total Books Read    126

Currently Reading:

A Plain Leaving
by Leslie Gould

Education A La Carte Book Review

I was interested in the description of the book but not as interested in sitting down to read a boring information filled book but this book was full of information and written in a way that had me wanting to continue.  Education a la Carte: Choosing the Best Schooling Options for Your Child by Dr. Kevin Leman wasn't a novel with lots of mystery and intrigue but it was still hard to put down.  Although, many things hard to put into practice, this was filled with great advice on education and making choices on what we need to choose for our children and why.

Every parent wants the best possible education for their child--one that fits their child's unique needs, challenges them to grow, and equips them to succeed. But there are so many options--public, private, and charter schools, plus homeschooling and online schooling--that it's easy for parents to feel overwhelmed and, well, undereducated about the choices. What's more, while one schooling option may be right for one child, it may be challenging for another. And sometimes the same child will thrive in one environment in elementary school but falter in that same environment in middle school.

What's a parent to do?

Parenting expert and longtime educator Dr. Kevin Leman can help. In this practical book, he clearly explains the pros and cons of various schooling options so that parents can make an informed choice about the kind of education that will help their child thrive. He shows parents how to stay involved and engaged with their child's education every step of the way, knowing that the choices they make about school now will reverberate long into that child's future.

I think that this was a great resource for helping parents pick what is best for their kids.  There is information about whether your child is ready for kindergarten, whether to change schools and how to deal with children doing homework.  It talks about adding before or after school enrichment where your school might be lacking and moving kids to schools to fit their love of learning.  There are tons of topics like the following:

The Top Concerns of Parents
Factoring In Your Child's Uniqueness
Schooling a la Carte
Finding Just the Right Menu for Your Palate
 Your Parental Role in Schooling
Preschool and Kindergarten
Homework and Grades
Top Traits of the Absolute Best Schools
Your Personal Menu to Educational Sucess

All of these topics are covered and go into a lot of detail to talk about how things might apply to you and yours children.  All areas of the country are different and have different challenges but the simple basic principles are great guides like make sure that the staff including the office staff are fond of children.  There are so many people that get into education for different reasons and I think that you want to make sure that they like kids and are able to deal with kids on their level.  There are some amazing guides in the homework section like letting your child fail for themselves and learn that homework has to be done or they will have the consequence.  I think that this is a great message to send because I know that fighting to get homework done when so many other things are going on isn't working in our house and it is always better to learn the lessons early on.  I am hoping that I can be strong enough to be able to let me son fail so that he can learn.  It is always hard for parents who are trying to do everything but I think that this book is a great picture into choosing the right school and path for your family.  The biggest plus I can say about this book is that it was published under a Christian Book title and it kept all of the Christian premise of being a good person and doing what is best without telling you bible verse for why you should be doing something.  I find that many books  Christian books take that stance and it isn't helpful when you are trying to figure out what is best for your family.  I hope that you check out this book and it helps answer some of your questions and helps find at least a little solution to what every education questions you might have.  I think that it provides a great overview of all the options available and education and might make you feel a little better about the choices you have made.

**I was provided a copy of this book for my review but all opinions here are my honest and my own.  A positive review was not required for participation.

End of the Month Budget Update

I went to the store a lot the first week of the month and went a little crazy on the budget and posted all of my hauls here.  I would like to say that the first week of the month was the problem but I got some great deals.  They are pictured below but don't have descriptions so for the breakdowns, you can see them here.  Super Doubles is hard to pass up because they double coupons up to $2 and you can get lots of things for cheap or free.

I tried to stay out of the store for a little bit and not pay attention but there were some deals on ketchup that I couldn't pass up and then some freebies at Harris Teeter that pulled me back to the store.  I was less than halfway through the month and only have $45 left for the month.  I got lots of great deals but I went a little too crazy because we got a second Super Doubles for the last three days of the month.  I was over budget with one day left in the month so a little bummed but she how it adds up but you can see what you think below:

Check out the deals that I got below:

Harris Teeter $11.42

Harris Teeter $5.09

Harris Teeter $1.60

Harris Teeter $2.12

Harris Teeter $1.71

Harris Teeter $4.11

Harris Teeter $9.29

Harris Teeter $9.54

Harris Teeter $0.08

Harris Teeter $17.48

Harris Teeter $23.20

Harris Teeter $3.60

Harris Teeter $2.50

Safeway $4.10

We had a ketchup emergency before dinner and so my husband and son went to get this at Safeway.  We ran out of ketchup and there were no more in the cupboard!! They said that the store had no signs up and they had to ask for help and the person wasn't really nice.  The checkout took forever and dinner was delayed and there were only two.

Safeway $12.30

I went to get a bunch of  ketchup to stock up because this is the lowest that I have seen it in awhile.  I went to another store and they were much nicer, had signs up and had tons on the shelf.  I got 6!

Harris Teeter $7.38

I went to the store to get a few freebies before the weekend freebies hit.  I got the Hungry Man Pancake Mix, Annie's Mac and Cheese, Good to Go Milk, Goodness Knows Bars, Atkins Bar, and Air Heads Extreme.  The Quaker Oatmeal was on sale for $1.97 limit 4 and I had some coupons so they were $1.47 each.  I grabbed the pork chops which were on clearance and used a coupon to get them for $1.13 so I figured it would make a cheap and easy dinner.  Some of my coupons didn't double but I went to customer service and they gave me the money back... I think that it was the Goodness Knows bars so I will watch more carefully next time.

Harris Teeter $2.91

I went to the store to get the weekend freebies and I didn't have a lot of time so I was running through the store trying to make some quick decisions.  I got the free M&Ms, free Annie's Mac and Cheese,  and free Goodness Knows bars (yum).  I grabbed the turkey lunch meat and the tater tots because there was a sale and coupon on both.  I turned in a rebate for $1.00 from Checkout 51 in addition.

Aldi $4.75

I went to the store because we were close and our milk expired today (not bad yet but my husband gets freaked out by the date) so I grabbed the milk that should get us through the end of the month for $0.95 for the gallon.  I also grabbed Ice Cream Sandwiches because my husband and son really wanted them.  I got a back up tub of margarine because we were close to done with ours.  I didn't check the list but I probably should have gotten chicken fries so I will be back soon. There were two receipts in my cart and I turned on in for $0.10 on apples through Checkout 51. It went in the fridge and freezer before I got a picture I guess because I don't have anything!!

Target $0

I ordered online at Target and used my PayPal money to pay for this so it was no money out of pocket.  I got to buy the new spouts for my son's water bottles and my son's vitamins.  I think that I figured out a way to get grocery items and not spend any money.  This was super easy and quick for me to run in and grab.

Target $4.17

I went to Target to pick up my other items and decided to run back and grab four of these which were on special and had a cartwheel.
 

Aldi $10.38

We were totally out of oil and running low on our chicken fries and popcorn chicken so I ran in to grab just these few things.

Safeway $0.71

My husband promised to take my son to get a doughnut because he said that he was living a horrible life because he hadn't been to the grocery store on the weekend to get a doughnut in forever!!  Although we had tons of food here, he got his wish.  He picked out one with Halloween icing and sprinkles so he was extra happy.

Aldi $2.55

We went to Aldi at least four times to try to get a pumpkin and my husband ended up getting a pumpkin.  He lined up three and took pictures and sent us a picture of what he found and my son picked the one he liked.  This picture doesn't do it justice for how large it was because the other ones were even bigger but it was a great pumpkin for carving.

Giant $0

I went to Giant to get the free stuff and it was a little weird looking for things because they were hard to find but I took pictures of the details on the items and got exactly what I needed.  The shower gel came up on sale and the cat treats did not but I finally got a customer service person to credit it.  Then she walked away again and the transaction was stuck.  She came back and released it and then she wanted to take the receipt.  I told her that I couldn't leave the store without a receipt for my items.  She gave me the paper and said that she would cancel the transaction.  This is the reason that I have trouble at Giant because the customer service is not great but I left with my two freebies.

Aldi and Trader Joes $0

My parents bought a ton of stuff at the grocery store when they were here visiting.  I made most of our meals at home and didn't touch most of the food that we got at the store but I was grateful to get this which should be most of my groceries from Aldi to last me through all of November especially with the holiday at the end.  My main goal is to just make sure that I get organized and nothing goes bad because there is a ton of things here but I am sure that we will put it to good use.

Harris Teeter $0.19

I got three of these way over priced cookies because there was a catalina that would make them a money maker during super doubles and the catalina machine didn't print the coupon.  Instead of making it work at customer service, they just gave me $3 back so it wouldn't turn into a great money maker but I got three boxes of cookies for $0.19 so I couldn't complain too much.

Harris Teeter $9.20

We were totally out of lunch meat and the sale was ending in the next few days so I used the last two coupons that I had to get these for lower then Aldi price at $2.49 each.  My main reason for the trip was to get the Dixie Crystal Sugar which was on sale for $1.97 and there was a $0.40 coupon so I got them for $1.17 each.  The Garnier Shampoo, Grill Mates seasoning, Pagoda Dumplings, Chobani Smooth Yogurt, So Delicious Yogurt, Tetley and Hormel Natural Choice were all free.  I turned in a rebate to get $0.75 back from Ibotta for the Pagoda dumplings.

Harris Teeter $3.60

I went to another Harris Teeter and got some free Garnier Shampoo, Tetley Tea, Hormel Natural Choice, Grill Mate Seasoning, and String Cheese.  The pork chops were $0.02 with the pork coupon.  I got a catalina coupon for free Good Belly Probotics Juice so I got that free too.  The expensive items were the Johnsville Grilled Chicken which was $1.99 after sale and coupon and I put them in for $1.50 rebate each on Ibotta.

Harris Teeter $0.25

Everything was free and I paid tax only!!

Harris Teeter $0.00

I got some free stuff and brought my mom with me and she got the same thing so she paid my $0.20 for this transaction cause she used some of my coupons to save a bundle on her things too.  Of course, she bought other things without coupons that made me cringe a little because I could have gotten her coupons on them but I didn't have them with me but I took it because it was a good deal for her and I saved her $15 on her groceries with coupons.

Harris Teeter $2.23

 I got free Pringles, Garnier Shampoo and Chobani Smooth yogurt.  I only paid for the Advil and then turned in for an Ibotta rebate for $2.00 so it a great deal.

Harris Teeter $0.30

I got everything here for free and even got another Perfect Bar which I ate for lunch on the way home.  I only paid tax.  I turned this in for $2.25 back for the Perfect bar and $0.25 on any item so the transaction was a money maker and maybe my best at this super doubles.

Harris Teeter $3.65

I knew that I was going to Super Doubles for the last time and I grabbed the free shampoo, yogurt and Pagoda dumplings.  I got the Blue Bunny ice cream treats for $0.64 after sale and coupon.  I got the frozen veggies because they finally had our favorites which is the frozen edamame.  It worked out to $0.34 per bag which is a great deal.

Harris Teeter $4.27

I went to get a few more freebies with the time that I had between work and going to a Halloween Party at my son's school.  They didn't have anything else left but I got the Johnsville Chicken for $1.99 and turned it in for the $1.50 rebate from Ibotta per bag.  I also grabbed two more free shampoo.  More then I wanted to spend but the $3.00 back helps offset that cost.

Harris Teeter $0.28

At the first checkout, I got a coupon to get free Idahoan Steakhouse Potatoes so I decided that these would be yummy and different.  I thought that they would be good with the pork chops but I was afraid my husband might not like them so I made rice instead.  I also decided to use the soon expiring coupon to get the Maruchan Ramen because the sale was ending even though it was only $0.40 off and the coupon was $0.50 which doubled so it was $0.19 after sale and coupon.  I didn't need it and could have passed but $0.03 for a lunch through the winter months seemed like a good enough reason since I was already over budget, I went for broke!

 Total Retail $1008.88

Total Savings $843.92

Total OOP $164.96


Over budget but not unhappy!!!  I went a little crazy this month with the shopping but it is hard to pass up the deals associated with super doubles so I knew that I had to make the most of the month regardless of my overage.  I was also very proud because we had a no spend for take out or eating out for the month so there was still a little wiggle room because of that $40 left in the budget.  I know that I could have passed on some of these deals but I don't think that $4.96 is that much when I look at the list of everything that I got.  Stay tuned for another post with a list.

I put in for lots of rebates this month!!  I got lots from Ibotta which added up to $38.00.  I did some through Checkout 51 which added up to $3.30.  I got $9.50 in my Saving Star plus a little something for my purchase of Coke but it doesn't say the actual amount in the app so I am not sure but it wasn't much.

Eating Out $0

We didn't eat out this month except for one Red Robin lunch that my parents paid for and one Chinese and Pizza take out that my parents paid for when they were visiting.   Both were done because we were way too busy with all of our activities when they were visiting.