A Snow Country Christmas Book Review

I was ready to read the next book in the pile and I moved my whole pile to try to read the oldest books from the library.  A Snow Country Christmas: An Anthology (The Carsons of Mustang Creek) by Linda Lael Miller was the one that I jumped out and decided to read.  I was super excited to see who this book was going to be about since it was the fourth book in the series and they already did all the brothers. 

It’s a Christmas affair to remember as a Hollywood mogul discovers his inner cowboy—and the woman of his dreams—amid the rugged beauty of Wyoming  Raine McCall would take snow-covered mountains over a star-studded premiere any day. But when hotshot movie executive Mick Branson arranges dinner on Christmas Eve to discuss a work opportunity, she’s intrigued—by the offer and the man. She’s a no-makeup, no-frills single mom who’s happy with her quiet life. Sharing chili cheeseburgers and sizzling kisses with Mick is sure heating up her holiday, but country girl and power player don’t mix… It’s not just work that’s brought Mick back to Mustang Creek. Since he first visited to oversee a documentary, free-spirited graphic designer Raine has been in his head. Their attraction is undeniable—and so are their differences. Putting down roots in the Wild West wasn’t in the script. But there are some Christmas gifts you can’t walk away from, even when they turn your whole world upside down…

This book gets us to meet Raine and Mick who have been in other books through the series but they were never main characters.  Raine is an artist mom who is trying to make her life separate from daughter, Daisy's, father while still trying to maintain a friendship.  Being alone is sometimes hard when you see it every day when all of the others in your life pair off.  Mick works with Daisy's father doing different jobs with his movie productions.  Mick came to town to show off their new movie but he also wanted to spend more time with Raine.  They quickly get into a growing relationship that Raine decides to call a friendship.  You have to pick up the book to find out what happens with this new friendship because I think that you will see the writing on the wall before Raine does.  I hope that you enjoy this book and the rest of the series.  I know that I was glad that there was a fourth book and I was excited to learn more about Raine who has been in all the books but we haven't gotten to know a lot about.

August Month End Budget Update of Grocery and Eating Out Spending

August is a long month for whatever reason but mostly because I know that next month is going to be difficult with school starting back up and everything virtual.  It is going to take a long time to adjust to the new schedule and trying to get my son on and off classes with the right links so I won't be able to shop during the day like I have been doing.  I have been doing once a month shopping so it is normally leaving the house early and hitting three or four stores to get everything we need for the month.

Aldi $57.13

This was my first and main shopping trip for the month.  I went to Aldi first because I thought that the prices there have been lower recently because it is right across the street from the new Lidl that opened so they lowered their prices to stay competitive.   The great thing for me is that means that I can stock up on a bunch of things that we need for the month at a lower price. I got our 4 Cran Grape, Apple Juice, and Milk for drinks.  I got two bags of nacho chips and two bags of pretzels.  I got four stick margarine for baking with through the month.  I got sour cream to make ranch dip and use for cooking.  I got 4 Mozzarella cheese blocks and 8 Extra Sharp Cheddar blocks.  I got some veggies with carrots and lettuce.  I got some meat with two bacons, two turkey lunch meat, and 2 pepperoni.  I got two veggie shortening to use for greasing pans and in the fryer and super glad that they are back at Aldi.  We got two bags of mini marshmallows to make some Krispy Treats through the month.

Lidl $7.27

I went to get a few things that were still on my list that I couldn't get at Aldi. We have really taken to their tortilla chips and their ketchup.  The chips are super thin and crispy which my son and husband can't live without.  The ketchup has turned into our replacement to Heinz since it was tough to find during all the shopping limitations.  It is super tasty (and close to Heinz after our taste test comparison) and way cheaper.  We also got the name brand brownie mix which is pretty cheap at Lidl for our monthly desserts. I also decided to grab the yellow corn meal because we are almost out of our bag from Colvin Mill and all of them in the pantry and we have been enjoying weekly corn bread.

Aldi $13.25

I didn't get a few things so I went to the other Aldi to find the missing items. The first Aldi didn't have my son's spreadable margarine or his chicken fries.  Super glad that the second Aldi had them because life would be super limiting without his favorites.

Wegman's $50.66

I might have gone a little crazy but I got my ground beef for the month which is a huge expense at $22.62.  But I was totally out of bread flour ($2.99 each) and out of my favorite Wegman's Unbleached flour since I just used my last one from my  November stock up.  The sale price in November is $0.97 per bag and it is $1.49 now when they have it in stock.  I obviously under estimated what I was going to need for the year or else we have been using a ton of flour....which is highly possible.  Last I added a case of mac and cheese because we have been eating one a week which means that we would be out soon and this would last around 3 months. I got a bag of salt potatoes which was a fun summer treat but it lasted us three meals.

Walmart $0.40

I went to the store to get a few things that we needed and I got a gift card to spend less money out of pocket from Swagbucks so that I would use my points to pay instead of cash.  It was great because I had a few extra things in my cart in case it wasn't high enough but spent the whole gift card with the taxes.  I only had to pay $0.40. I decided to get an emergency toilet paper which is crazy expensive without sales and coupons so the gift card helped me feel better.  I got glue sticks for virtual school which my son insists he doesn't need but they were on the supply list.  Also got one Gerber because it was the only one on the shelf.  Some coconut for the next time I make granola to put in the pantry.  I got my deodorant because they are no longer carrying it at many of the stores I got it at so I am trying out the new scent before stocking up again.

Giant $9.04

They had an amazing sale and I couldn't pass it up because there was a 5 lb bag of potatoes for $1.47 and the potato prices have been going up and up. We use about 15 pounds of potatoes a month between the french fries, hash browns and baked potatoes.  It is great to stock up on them at a low price and get even better quality potatoes than we normally can at Aldi.  I got 6 bags which is 30 pounds.

Harris Teeter $49.37

I went a little crazy but there was a sale on chicken so I bought all the chicken that they had.  I marinated and grilled two containers which I diced and froze so that we can have them with meals easily.  We did one package last time and we really enjoyed having them to grab for fried rice and pizza so that they were quick and easy to pull the complete meal together.  Then cut and processes the other three to freeze in bags to use for meals in the upcoming months.  There was a great sale on cereal so I got the evic price and then used a coupon.   I got free milk with the cereal promo and free oat milk from my evics.  I got free yogurt from evics.  I also grabbed another head of lettuce because we like our lettuce!!

Aldi $6.05

I went to get a few things that we had run out of because I just figured out that the lunch meat is going to last us for 8 days per package so we need at least 3-4 to make it through the month but I am always worried it is going to go bad.

Harris Teeter $15.22

I stopped at the second Harris Teeter because we really needed Grape Fanta but there was none at either store so I grabbed the soda that they had since the sale was ending and I wasn't going to go to another store to check.  I think that many people have said that they are going to limit the number of sodas produced because of the limit of the metal for the cans.

Giant $4.31 

I stopped at another Giant to get the few things that I forgot and a few more potatoes because I thought I needed more.  I loaded a coupon to get a free yogurt and then $1 off of 2 Gerber which made them $0.85 each.

Harris Teeter $3.03

Although I was super happy to get this deal, it wasn't something we truly needed especially over budget but it is my son's favorite dessert treat to have after dinner.  I wrote a note to Turkey Hill to let them know that we love their ice cream and they sent a bunch of coupons.  The ice cream was on sale for $1.97 each limit 4.  I got 4 of my son's favorite and then used four different coupons to get all of the ice cream for less then one carton!  He was super happy to see those come home that he didn't even mind helping me with the groceries.

Total Retail $461.43

Total Savings $245.70

Total Rebates $0.20

Total OOP $215.53

Although I was over budget by a little bit, I don't think that I did that badly.  I probably could have skipped the soda but it is our biggest splurge of quarantine.  We got lots of things that we will be using for upcoming months.  I also think that September shopping is going to be put off because of the holiday and school starting.  Here is hoping that we have everything we need to make it through until the next big shop.

Eating Out

We decided that we would get Pizza Hut which got cheers from my son.  He is enjoying getting back to take out even though we are only doing it about once a month.  We spent $10.59.  I guess we have lots of fun to look forward to when we get to go more then once a month.

Forever A Hero Book Review

I read this series a little out of order because I started with one on my shelf during quarantine but I am going back to the beginning to try again.  Forever a Hero: A Western Romance Novel (The Carsons of Mustang Creek) by Linda Lael Miller is the third book in the series.  I was excited to get into this series and meet all the characters.

For the youngest Carson brother, finding—and fixing—trouble seems to be all in a day’s work

Mace Carson doesn’t consider himself a hero. Back in college, he came upon a woman in trouble and intervened—but he was just one irate Wyoming cowboy with his boots planted firmly on the side of right. Now a successful vintner, Mace is shocked to be reunited with the woman he saved. But it turns out she’s in Wyoming on business…a corporate executive representing the company that wants to buy his winery. Only, he’s not selling.

Kelly Wright has never forgotten that horrible night ten years ago when Mace came to her rescue, has never forgotten him. The surprising success of a winery in the middle of ranch country has brought her to Mustang Creek, and she’s secretly thrilled to discover Mace at the helm. Reluctant to mix business with pleasure, Kelly vows to keep things professional, until her attacker is released from prison and comes for vengeance…against both of them.

This book was the third book in the series and it is following the third brother, Mace.  I was super excited to get to know more about this brother who has been in the background in the other books.  Mace was working in the winery and making the most of his business.  He had a meeting set up with Kelly Wright but didn't know who she was and how she was from his past.  Mace was driving through the area and he passed someone who lost control of their car and it went towards the edge of the road.  He looked in and got her to put the car in park and take off her seat belt.  He held the car door while she got out of the car and then the car went over the edge.  He took her to the hospital and got her checked out to make sure that she didn't have any additional injuries.  Kelly was in town to meet with Mace at the winery so that she could present her plan on how to grow his business.  It was a crazy way to meet again after 10 years and their last strange meeting.  Mace saved her from an attack at college and now he saved her from her car accident.  She was hoping that she was going to have a professional meeting about the winery but she wasn't excited about the start of this meeting.  Pick up the book and find out what happens with Mace and Kelly.  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series.  I know that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Menu Plan Monday 9/7

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Tater Tots
Pasta with Homemade Sauce and Garlic bread
Grilled Sweet Chili Chicken with Jasmine Rice
Salsa Sloppy Joes with mac and cheese
Homemade Pizza (Pepperoni, Garlic Chicken and Pizza Knuckle Roll Ups)
Baked Potato Soup with Bacon (eggs and hash browns for my son)
Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Homemade French Fries


I don't know what happened but my blog changed formats again and published this before I actually put the meal plan on it for the week so it looked a lot like last week.  We were out of town over the weekend so I didn't get things updated yet.

We had a busy weekend and now we are looking for an easy week to get school started.  I don't know how much free time I am going to have with all the changing of classes and links for the first week but I am super hopefully we will catch on to this schedule quickly.  I hope that if you are heading back to school that you are ready for all the busy times to start again!!  I know it seems like the summer has been going on for 7 months sometimes but other times it seems like it just started and I can't believe it is school time again!

Sunset Point Book Review

I got to the end of the pile of books from the Shelter Bay series.  I can't believe that I have read them all.  Sunset Point (Shelter Bay) (Volume 10) by JoAnn Ross is the 10th book in the series and it was the last book in my pile to read.  I was also trying to go through some of the books that needed to be returned to the library.  They are waiting 96 hours to check books back in after return and I am starting to loose track of the books that are waiting to be checked in.  I have started taking pictures because I look at the list and can't figure out what day I return them.  I currently have been sharing my card with my son so we have reached our limit of books out.  We have 94 books out (limit is normally 50 but now doubled to 100) so we are hoping to get some books checked back in soon so I know how many books we actually have.....but any way we have a problem!! We need to finish books and return a bunch soon!

Someone to Watch Over Me. Independent, strong-willed Tess Lombardi has dedicated her life to fighting for justice.  As a deputy district attorney, threats are merely part of the job. This time, with several high profile cases on the line, she reluctantly agrees to protection. Only to discover that Nate Breslin comes with his own risks. How can she trust a bodyguard who’s stalked her? And lies for a living?  Former Marine sniper Nate Breslin has managed, at least most days, to leave danger and death in his past. Nate has his own reasons for tracking Tess down, but when her life is threatened, this mission becomes personal and he’s willing to risk anything and everything to keep her safe. As the danger escalates and her would-be killer closes in, Tess must learn to trust Nate. With her life. And her heart.

This book was super great and kept you on the edge of your seat to find out what was going to happen next.  Tess Lombardi works as a district attorney and she is in the middle of a few tough trials.  She is getting threats and there are people that are ending up dead.  She is meeting one of her witnesses in Shelter Bay and she finishes up her meeting when Nate comes up to her.  She is immediately confused and he won't let her go so she hits him until he starts bleeding and falls on the ground.  Nate realizes that he made a bad choice surprising her and decides that he needs to make up for it.  Nate tracks down Tess through friends and decides that he is going to help her when he finds that her life is threatened.  Tess has moved to Shelter Bay to live with Nate in order to get away from the threat because her father and other police officers feel that they can solve the problem without her there.  I think that you need to pick up the book to find out what happens but I know that you will be on the edge of your seat waiting for what happens.  I hope that you check out this book and the great series. I know that I have enjoyed it and I am waiting for the next books to come out which I hope will be soon.....I mean after I have caught up with some work.

Beyond the Sea Book Review

I was excited to read the next book in the series, Beyond the Sea (Shelter Bay) (Volume 9) by JoAnn Ross.  I was excited to see how this worked with two different series coming together in one book.  I couldn't wait to find out what characters were going to be followed in this next installment of the series.

While in Ireland to bake a wedding cake for movie star Mary Joyce, Sedona meets Conn Brennan, an Irish rock star who refuses to fit into any of her tidy, concise boxes. Unable to deny the sizzling chemistry between them, Sedona rashly throws caution to the winds, forgetting that she’s never, ever, been attracted to bad boys.

When Conn learns a dark family secret that has stayed buried for over thirty years, the revelation has him questioning nearly everything he’s believed about his life. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is his intense attraction to Sedona Sullivan, the gorgeous blond American he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. The woman he’s destined to spent the rest of his life with. But first he must break through Sedona’s formidable defenses and convince her that their romance is much more than a summer fling. And Sedona must decide where her heart truly belongs.

This book was about Conn and Sedona.  Sedona lives in Shelter Bay and Conn lives in Catlelough so they are worlds apart but come together in this book because Mary Joyce sends them together.  Mary Joyce tells Sedona that she needs her to go to Ireland to find out what is going on with Conn because he is going through a lot of family crisis and she feels like he isn't doing well.  Sedona just went through a terrible storm and lost her home and cupcake shop in Shelter Bay.  She isn't recovering or dealing well with any of it so she asks Conn to help her get away from the bad memories in Shelter Bay and open up to make sure she is okay.  It is interested to see all of the things that both characters are dealing with and how they come out better.  You have to pick up the book to see for yourself but I know that you will enjoy this story of two unlikely people hitting it off to form a close bond.  Find out what changes they are going to make to change their lives forever.  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of both series.  I know that I have added the Castlelough series to my list!!  I was super glad to have a cross over book so that I know what to add to my list next.

You Again Book Review

I have enjoyed the Shelter Bay series and was getting to the part where I wasn't sure what book came next because different sites labeled them differently.  I finished the Christmas story so I decided to go on to this shorter book next.  You Again: A Shelter Bay novella (Volume 8) by JoAnn Ross is a novella which means it is a shorter story at only 141 pages but I was excited to read it.

A book nerd, a brainiac science guy, and a misplaced killer whale...  Meghann Quinn wasn’t always a hugely successful author. Adam Wayne wasn’t always a marine biologist studying whales. Back in high school in Shelter Bay, Oregon, she was the shy book nerd helping the brainiac science guy pass English. Meghann had no idea Adam would turn into such a hottie. Adam has no idea their once-upon-a-time sweet summer romance inspired Meghann’s popular teen novels.

Two shy geeks didn’t have the courage to share their true feelings back then. But now that Meghann’s back in town, they’re pondering life’s important questions. Such as, will Adam ask her to the Snow Ball? And what are they going to do about the lost Orca who shows up on Christmas Eve? And can two nerds get past their initial insecurity to take a second chance on a once-in-a-lifetime love?

I loved the characters in the book and I think that this could have been a whole book but the interesting thing was that because it was shorter, the characters took no time to jumping into a relationship that they had been away from for years.  They are in two different cities and doing different jobs but when one reaches our for a fundraiser, everything changes.  Meghann decides to take a break and visit the sleepy town of Shelter Bay to take a break from the busy life that she has had writing.  Adam Wayne is there studying whales and teaching kids at the local college.  They quickly feel the spark but instead of fighting it, you have to pick up the book to find out what happens.  There is a great story and wonderful characters that have you coming back each time for more but I especially liked this story as a change of pace from the others.  I hope that you check it out for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did.