October Song Book Review

October Song by Beverly Lewis was on the shelf at the library when I went to stock up on library books and even though I didn't know anything about it, I decided that I should get based on the fact that the front of the book showed it at the beginning of a series of books that I hadn't read yet.

In the book, there are three sections which are all following up on other series that Beverly Lewis has written. Part one was called Hickory Hollow and was following up on the characters in the Hickory Hollow series starting with the Shunning.  This was the only part of the book with a series that I had already read so I was eager to find out what happened with all of the great characters that I missed. The story followed Daniel and Katie who were shunned from the Amish community and now live in the same area but are practicing Mennonites.  They are trying to mend fences to their Amish families and hope to fill the void in their life that leaving the Amish community has caused.  Katie works as a seamstress to make clothes for others while spending most of her time volunteering for the church and women's groups but she still misses her family greatly.  She speaks to her mother and brother on occasion and there is a big break through with her father so make sure you read it in order to get all the details.

Part two was called Bird-in-Hand and was following up on the characters in the series including the Postcard (which I haven't read yet). Rachel and Philip were married when Philip, the former New York journalist, met Rachel and became Amish.  He changed his whole life and now does his writing on a typewriter.  There was a bad lightening storm and one of the neighbors barns got hit by lightening.  Realizing the phones were out and there was no help coming, Philip jumped into the nearest truck and drove to the fire station to get help.  Many looked down upon him because he wasn't born into the Amish community and making the choice to drive a car was not considered a good decision.   All of the community worked together to rebuild the barn and it is quiet a story!

The third part was called Grasshopper level and was from the series with The Redemption of Sarah Cain (which I haven't read).  Lydia was in love with and courting Levi King but she wasn't sure if they should get married because her parents had recently passed and she had four younger siblings that were getting used to life without their parents.  Aunt Sarah moved in and was trying to do her best but she wasn't Amish and she was taking all of the leads from Lydia.  Sarah is trying to maintain her job in real estate and taking care of the family but she is exhausted and doesn't have the time and energy to do both.  She takes two of the kids to get new clothes made and makes friends with the seamstress who is Katie Fisher (from the first story).  They become friends and spend some time talking.  This story was very heart felt and makes me want to put Sarah Cain on my list next!!!

I really enjoyed the book and thought it was interesting to read the little snippets into the different series of Beverly Lewis.  I think that this book stands on its own as a good book and it also helps me know what series to start to read next.  I can't wait to pick up one of the other series and find some of the characters that I just met in this book.  I hope that you check this out whether it is your first Beverly Lewis book or your millionth (okay, she doesn't have that many but she does have lots).  Check it out at your local library or bookstore soon.

Menu Plan Monday 11/18

Monday- Cheese Ravioli and garlic bread
Tuesday- Raspberry Balsamic Chicken with simple fried rice
Wednesday- Frozen Pizza
Thursday- Bisquick Chicken with garlic wine sauce over egg noodles
Friday- Salsa Sloppy Joes with fries
Saturday- Chicken Paninis/Breakfast for Dinner
Sunday- Leftovers/??

I decided to make the meal plan like it was just the three of us this week and then if one or both of my parents decided to come to visit or stay at dinnertime.  It was too stressful for me to go without a meal plan because I like to figure out what is going on before it is upon myself.  I will just add on bread, veggies, salad and other things if my parents are here to the meals and it should spread them out enough for all of us to eat.

I have a class on Wednesday which is early so we are going to have a frozen pizza so I can sneak out early to make it to class on time.  It is a super easy plan and then either way, the family can have dinner without me if worse comes to worse. I hope that this week works out well. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!

Weekly Goals 11/17

This was a busy week but I made it through and I don't have a clue what is going on next week.  My parents are going to be here on and off (or maybe the whole week) so I have everything up in the air but we are going to try to be flexible on our schedule (not my strong suit) and see what we can get done.

I think that I got a lot done last week but I need to work on getting my pictures on the computer organized and backed up.  I did a little work last week but there is still a lot more to do to get it all backed up.  I think that it has been a year and way too many pictures since I did it last time.  I don't know what I was thinking but it is my major project this week.

Hope that you have a great week and I would love to hear about it!

Last week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family- We got lots of time together this week with some great dinners and lots of family games.
• Get to preschool on time everyday-We made it to school without too many problems minus the loss of our winter hat and gloves that caused craziness at home.  They were left at school by my little man!!!  He would lose his head if it wasn't attached!!!  Luckily, we have all but one pair of missing gloves back in our possession.
• Work on Thanksgiving projects with son- We did leaves and fall this week.  We did a few thanksgiving dot marker sheets and then went to Lakeshore learning to make a Thankful placement.

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons- Umm, I am thinking about this but I think that I cut them early on in the week (maybe Sunday).  If not, I have no idea where they are.
• Get coupons on Friday - I made three stops and didn't find any papers so my husband hit Giant at the end of the day and got a few but I didn't make it back to the library to try to get a few more on Saturday because we had a busy schedule with a consignment sale, then church bazzar, and Lakeshore learning.  We made it home for a quick nap for everyone (while the pizza dough was being made in the bread maker) and then it was already dinner.
• Doctors appointment- I went to the doctor with my free time on Tuesday.
• Guest post with Angie at Gods Growing Garden- I enjoyed doing a guest post with Angie and figuring it out how to save google docs and work with html and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be with my confusion on all things internet.
• Go to Jazzercise- I got to go on Thursday while my son was in school and I was finally feeling better but I might have pushed myself a little too far because I had horrible stomach pains the next day from all the exercising.
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy- I shut off the computer all nights and even some of the days that we were gone from the house.  It acted better most of the days and is a little cranky to be up and working this late but I will be signing off soon.
• Start reading a new book- I got some new Amish books out of the library.  I read one which I still haven't posted a review on and started a second one.

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week- Mostly cleaned, most of the week.  I did a big clean one day and got down on my hands and knees and cleaned the floor which really did need it.  I also vacuumed around the baseboards in all of the rooms and the vents. 
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning- I cleaned everything one night and my husband did it another night but this week seemed to bring a lot of dishes.  I am hoping that we can just keep up with company here.  My husband did dishes while dinner was being cooked and I did them after to get everything cleaned up on Saturday night to hope for a good start for the week!

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)- I did lots of posts this week so everything went without any problems....until I almost forgot to do this post.
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)- Nope, I have two books sitting on my kitchen counter because I was busy working on other posts for my kids stuff that I had been doing and trying to catch up with so that I could return books that were due at the library but I will try to get time to write up both next week.
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week- I got a lot of kids posts up but not a lot of other ones done.  I am hoping to get a rough draft of a few posts up for next week so that I will be ready because there are still a few things that I don't even have ideas for what I am doing.
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip- I got them all posted and up without problems.  I also did my post swap with my guest poster this week which was super last minute because I didn't do the work ahead of time like I should have :(  This sickness has really set me back from getting my blogging done because the mornings and nights are usually my best times to get work done and they are the worst for my yucky cough.

This week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family
• Get to preschool on time everyday 
• Work on Turkey projects with son and P week
• Playdate with a friend after school (? depends on the grandparents plans)

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons
• Get coupons on Friday 
• Organize and back up pictures on computer 
• Teaching new couponer the basics
• Early Education class through the county
• Go to Jazzercise (? depends on the grandparents plans)
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy
• Finish reading The Parting by Beverly Lewis
• Start reading a new book that just came off reserve at the library (after actually making it there to get them off the reserve shelf)

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip 

1225 Christmas Tree Lane Book Review

1225 Christmas Tree Lane: 1225 Christmas Tree Lane\Let It Snow (Cedar Cove) by Debbie Macomber was the next in my pile and the last one in the Cedar Cove series.  It was a little bitter sweet to start it but I was determined to enjoy it.

 This book was set at 1225 Christmas Tree Lane which is the house of Beth Morehouse.  She decided that she needed a change after her divorce and left California for Cedar Cove because of the Christmas tree farm.  She is enjoying her life in the small town and enjoying the holiday busy season before her girls come home to visit from college.  The girls have also invited her ex-husband to spend the holidays with them and told him that their mom wanted to spend the holidays together as a family.  There is an awkward start to the holidays when Dad shows up with a "special" friend, Danielle.  The girls think that all of their planning has been ruined by their father and his young girlfriend.  During all of the holiday drama, a basket of 10 puppies is left on Beth's doorstep so she has a mission to get all of the puppies good homes before Christmas so that she can go on vacation with her girls.

There are plenty of other Cedar Cove friends that stop in for an update.  Ian and Cecilia Randall stop in to see Grace and ask about buying her house since they are moving back to the area with their two young children.  Olivia Griffin was dealing with her mother's first year in the senior home and Charlotte trying to run all of the plans of the holiday dinner without actually being involved.  Luckily, Justine, Olivia's daughter, is helping with Christmas even dinner while waiting for her big announcement that she is expecting another baby.  Zach and Rosie Cox are going to be inviting a new member into their family with the addition of Allison's boyfriend, Anson, proposing marriage.  Rachel and Bruce were back together and enjoying Christmas as a family with Bruce's teenage daughter, Jolene, after almost breaking up their marriage with teenage rebellion against a very pregnant Rachel.  There are tons of updates on all of your favorite Cedar Cove friends so pick up the book and see what happened with this final installment in the Cedar Cove series.

Sadly, this is the last book in the Cedar Cove series.  I hope that there are so more published but I don't think that I could be that lucky!  I am going to have to start on another one of the Debbie Macomber series soon so that I can fall in love with another set of characters.  I hope that you try this series and start at the beginning so that you have this much excitement when you make it to the end of the series.  I know that you will enjoy this great cast of characters and great stories!!  Pick this and others in the series up at your local library or bookstores.

1105 Yakima Street Book Review

1105 Yakima Street (Cedar Cove) by Debbie Macomber was the next in my reading pile.  I picked it up right after reading the last one.  It was a great read that I finished quickly.  I picked it up and had trouble putting it down.  I finished it at the very beginning of the month which shows me that this month is going to be a great reading month where I make lots of progress on my big list of books left to read for the year!!!

In the book, Bruce Payton is going through problems with his daughter and new wife.  Although the three used to be very close before the wedding, their have been nothing but problems since Rachel married Bruce and moved into the home.  Bruce's daughter, Jolene, is thirteen years old and going through a transition that has been difficult for her because she isn't used to sharing her father's time.  Jolene has been rude and hurtful to Rachel and things have been getting progressively worse.  Rachel reaches her breaking point and moves out after she finds out she is pregnant and the rocky home life is causing her health to decline.  In order to protect the life of her unborn child, Rachel moves out and blocks Bruce's number and quits her job.  Rachel works to get her health better and protect her unborn child.

Fire fighters are called to a fire at Charlotte and Ben's house.  Luckily, everyone made it out and it was only a small fire in the kitchen but the reason for the fire becomes more clear after Charlotte and Ben move in with Olivia and Jack while their house is being fixed.  Charlotte seems to become more and more forgetful and Olivia fears having them move back into the house because something worse might happen.  Chad Timmons learns that Gloria is pregnant with his child from the most unlikely source, her father, Roy McAfee.  There is lots going on in this chapter of the Cedar Cove series but in order to find out what happens, you need to pick up the book and read it!!!

I can't believe that we are coming to the end of the list of the Cedar Cove books.  I am glad that I picked up this series and I can't wait to pick out my next series by this author.  I hope that you check it out at your local library or bookstore.  I really enjoyed starting from the beginning and working through to the end.  Stay tuned for the next and last review in the Cedar Cove series.

Sisterchicks do the Hula Book Review

Sisterchicks Do the Hula (Sisterchicks Series #2) by Robin Jones Gunn was on the list for the blogging for books website.  I was interested to find out more about what it was about.  I was excited to start it when it arrived in the mail.

In the book, best friends Hope and Laurie find themselves after a long absence right back to where they were in college.  They are best friends who talk all the time and decide that they deserve that vacation that they talked about back in college.  They set up the trip to Hawaii only to find out that there will be a third person coming on the trip.  Hope is pregnant!!!  They still take a trip of lifetime and learn lots about themselves and the island while they are there.  Pick up the book to find out all of their great adventures that they have on the way through Hawaii including the museum tour, making leis, tea house, and riding around in a red convertible.

This was my first Sisterchicks book and I didn't realize that it was part of series until I read the other information in the book.  I really enjoyed the book and it was a really fast read.  It was a page turner that not only wanted you to wish you had a friendship that great but it also made you want to go to Hawaii!!!  If you are looking for a good beach book or one to wish you were on the beach, this is the book for you.  It shows how strong friendship is and how much lifelong friends do to help each other.  I can't wait to find some others in the series to add to my must read list.  I hope that you pick up this book at your local library or bookstore.  I can't wait to hear what you think about this book or any in the series!!

If you want to learn a little bit more about the author, click here.  Robin Jones Gunn also has her own website which you can see here. If you want any more information on the book or the author, please feel free to look here.

* Please note that I was given this book for review and my honest opinion through Blogging for Books through Waterbrook Multnomah.  All of the opinions here are my own.  If you are interested in finding out more about blogging for books, please feel free to check out there website here.

Thrifty Thursday: Stocking up on Baking Supplies

The season is starting where baking supplies are going to be at there lowest prices.  Normally a 5 pound bag of flour (especially bread flour) goes for over $3 in Northern Virginia.  During the holiday season, they go for as low as $0.99.  I have already gotten a sale at Harris Teeter for $1.88 (got 6) and $1.77 (got 2).  The great part about this sale is that it was for the brand of flour and I used this to pick up bread flour.  I grabbed my $0.99 deal at Wegman's but they had a limit of 2 so I called my mom to get a few too!!

There are also sales to be found on sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate chips.  Look around your house now to figure out what you need to keep an eye on for sale this holiday season because it is always best to know what you are looking for when the sale comes so that you can jump on it!  It is always best to figure out what you need so that when you see it, you can put it in the shopping cart.


I took an inventory of my current baking supplies and here is what I have that is not opened:

8 Flour (5 lbs)
7 Sugars (4 lbs)
4 Brown Sugar (2 lb)
2 Oatmeal (42 oz)
4 Margarine (1 lb)
2 Baking Powder (8 oz)

It might seems like a lot to some people but it isn't that much for me.  I am out of pumpkin, baking soda, corn meal and butter.  I am going to have to get some flour, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin and margarine/butter during the sales.

If you are planning on stocking up, this is great time to go through your pantry and freezer and clean out any items that you aren't using to make room for all of the things that you are going to get.  Many items that are commonly used are kept in the pantry but for longer term storage, you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer like flour, corn meal, oatmeal and more.  If you don't think that you are going to use it quickly, find a space in the freezer and then you will have the items at rock bottom prices to pull out whenever you do need them.  The items for the refrigerator that could go in the freezer to increase storage time, including butter and margarine.

I use at least one 5 pound bag of flour every month (if not two or more) so this is the season that I need to go shopping.  I get flour when it is on sale or I stock up at Aldi's but the prices there normally range from $1.39 to 1.99.  If I can get them at $0.99 then I will save about a $1 on each bag but now I need to figure out how to store all of this flour that I am planning on getting.  Do you have any storing ideas???  Please let me know because I am going to get at least 20 bags of flour and I am going to need some food safe container to seal it in so that I can keep it safe from bugs and pests in the basement.  It won't save me money if I can't properly preserve it (and I don't have any extra room in the freezer)!

I need to make sure that I find some bread flour too!!!  Those always go for above $3 a bag so hoping to find a bunch and fill the cupboards.

What do you need to stock up on during this holiday baking season??