Weekend Book Reviews

Grounds for Remorse by Misty Simon is the second book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series.  Tallie hopes she is done with murder and can get back to her part-time job at her family's funeral home and her cleaning business.  All is not well with her best friend Gina.  Gina discovers that her perfect boyfriend is actually married.  Her parting words threatening come back to haunt her when he is found dead inside her locked home.  Tallie sets out to find the killer and clear Gina's name.  The setting and characters are fun.  The story features the slightest touch of romance but not so much that it crosses over into a love story rather than a cozy mystery.  The mystery was strong.  I thought I had it figured out, but I got a surprise at the end.  This is a great second book in the series.

Meg Macy's second book in the Teddy Bear Mystery series is Bear Witness to Murder.  It is autumn in Silver Hollow and time for Oktobear Festival.  Sasha is the manager of the Silver Bear Shop and Factory and is busy with all of the bear related activities.  Her sister is one of the artists creating a bear for the Bears on Parade.  Unfortunately Sasha's high school rival Holly is back in town and causing problems for everyone.  The mystery portion of this book was good.  My first problem with this book was the weak actions of Maggie regarding her boyfriend.  The second was Sasha's mother's behavior with Sasha's ex-husband.  I found both of these characters annoying.  I hope they turn into more normal characters for book three.

disclosure:  I received these books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Meals for Week of June 19

Tuesday, June 19
Dinner (aka Lunch):  Dressed Up Frozen Pizza - added veggies to a store bought pizza
Supper (aka Dinner):  Turkey Sandwiches & Chips

Wednesday, June 20
Dinner:  Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad using up some random veggies from the refrigerator
Supper:  W had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I had tuna salad and crackers

Thursday, June 21
Dinner:  Big Salads
Supper:  W had grilled cheese.  I used my leftover salad to make a "camel rider".  I used to eat these at a local restaurant.  It is basically a finally chopped salad with ranch dressing served in pita bread.  I had not had one in forever, and it was so yummy. 


Friday, June 22
Dinner: Leftovers - W ate a camel rider with his leftover salad, and I had the rest of the pasta salad.
Supper:  W was on his own while I went to a women's ministry meeting at church.  I provided breadsticks and mini cheesecakes


Saturday, June 23
Dinner:  Hot dogs and baked fries
Supper:  Boiled corn, tomatoes

Sunday, June 24
Dinner:  With my parents, and I slacked off on making dessert
Supper:  W ate cereal, and I had ham and cheese wraps with some chips

Monday, June 25
Dinner:  Leftovers and vegetables from the garden (peas, tomatoes, corn)
Supper:  Fish sticks and French fries

Weekly Goals Update: Week 25

1.  Disaster Preparedness
Week 25 was dental preparedness.  I do not even wish to think about dealing with dental emergencies without a dentist.  I am simply taking good care of my teeth and continuing to keep up with my dental visits. 

2.  Makeover the Garden
This week my plan is to plant some pie pumpkin seeds in another area of the garden.  Most of my garden chores are currently focused on maintenance.  I am weeding a bit each day.  I want to finish cleaning around the fruit trees this week too.  We are starting to harvest tomatoes and will continue to harvest herbs.  I expect to harvest some cucamelons this week and should soon see little cantaloupe and tomatillos.

3.  Organize Recipes
I did nothing on this goal during the past week.  It feels a bit overwhelming at times since I tend to hoard recipes.  I just need to be more realistic in what I will and will not make.

4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks
I needed lettuce and vanilla wafers this week.  It was a low spend week but not a no spend one.  We are nearly out of cheese so I will need to make a quick grocery trip for that and bread flour.  I should be able to skip shopping the following week after this small trip.

5.  Focus on Saving
I slipped a bit on this one.  I did not have piles of frivolous shopping, but I did purchase a couple of extras.  New week, new start!

6.  Etsy Store
I spent most of last week setting up state sales tax for my Etsy store.  I need to finish adding a few things and will be opening later this week.  I will share a special post here!

Weekend Book Reviews

On the Hook by Betty Hechtman is the twelfth book in the Crochet Mystery series.  This was the first book in the series I read, but I had no problem following along with the characters.  Molly and the other members of her crochet group, the Hookers, are crocheting baby blankets for charity.  One member of the group has gotten her real estate license and is anxious to show a house to another member.  Unfortunately the house comes with a dead body.  Molly leaves her scarf while making a quick exit and becomes the main suspect.  I enjoyed the crochet aspect of the book as well as all of the characters.  I guessed the killer early on, but I enjoyed the book enough that I did not mind.

Kaitlyn Dunnett's Crime and Punctuation is the first book in the Deadly Edits series.  Sixty-something Mikki has returned to her childhood home.  In order to pay for the renovations and supplement her income, she begins editing manuscripts.  She is approached by Tiffany who has never let anyone else read her completed novel.  Mikki's new job comes to a complete halt when her newest client is found murdered.  Mikki is pulled into the mystery when she becomes a target herself.  While I did guess the killer before it was revealed, the mystery was still strong.  The cover was so clever and drew me toward the book.  The story moved along well for the start of a series, and I look forward to the characters' growth as the series progresses.  

disclosure:  I received these books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews. All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Better Off Read by Nora Page is the first book in the Bookmobile Mystery series.  Cleo is a seventy-something librarian in a small rural south Georgia town. The local library has suffered storm damage but the mayor has his sights set on making the town a fishing hot spot.  Cleo heads out in the bookmobile to pass out books and gather support for the library. When one of the library's main supporters is found murdered, the suspects are many.  Cleo and her sidekick feline Rhett Butler set out to solve the murder and save the library.  I appreciated the rural southern setting where eccentric characters and crazy happenings rival any large city.  I look forward to more from this series!

The first book in the Southern Cake Baker Mystery series by Maymee Bell is Cake and Punishment.  Sophia returns to her hometown of Rumford, Kentucky, to recover following a bad breakup.  She has taken a break from her job as head pastry chef of a New York restaurant.  Rumford lacks a bakery, and Sophia soon finds herself baking for every event in town.  When the chef of the country club is murdered, Sophia is knee deep in a mystery.  Some parts of this first book were quite predictable, but this is the first book of the series.  I read this in less than a day since it was interesting and also a quick read.  I am looking for a little more depth in the second book.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

I had W lower some hanging baskets on our front porch so there are easier for me to water.  He used some pieces of matching chain that he already had on hand.  I planted some excess chocolate mint in the baskets.  I expect in a month of so visitors will be greeted with the scent when they walk by.



I volunteered to make breadsticks and a dessert for a women's ministry meeting at church.  I only needed a box of vanilla wafers to add to ingredients on hand for mini cheesecakes. 


W went to help his dad with a home project on our normal errand day.  I opted to skip going into town this week and work on things around the house.


I am in charge of crafts again for my church's Vacation Bible School next month.  One of the projects requires yarn pieces.  Rather than cutting up good yarn, I have started bagging up all of my scraps.  I expect to have a good assortment from something that would have been thrown away.


We did things ourselves - mowed the grass and bathed Toby.  I hung out laundry and cooked from scratch.  We also ate up the leftovers.  The chickens and rabbits got excess/overgrown produce from my parents' and aunt's gardens. 

Garden Update

We have finally had several days of sunny weather.  I was able to get a bit of work done in the garden.  W ended up getting in there with the weed eater to knock down the weeds in the newer part.  With all of the rain I simply could not keep up.

I cleaned up around another group of fruit trees.  In this part of the yard we have lemon, lime, mandarin, and kumquat trees.

The mystery tomatoes are growing well ,and some are starting to bloom.  It will be fun to see what we end up harvesting.  In the bottom photo you can also see the tiny lemon basil seedlings.

Later this week we will be able to harvest our first tomato!

The banana pepper plants are putting on peppers.

The cucuamelon vines have grown like weeds and have teeny, tiny cucuamelons.

The tomatillo plants are full of blooms.  We love salsa verde.

The cantaloupe vines are packed with blooms and are popular with the bees.

I am hoping this pot of lettuce lasts long enough for us to harvest a bit.  I have it in the shade in hopes of counteracting the heat.

The hibiscus will not bloom until the fall.  The zucchini mixed in will be done long before then.

Celosia for the bees and flower arrangements

Regular basil

More tomatillos and lime basil

I also found some lime basil growing in between the beds and will move it to a safer place.

W used some twine to make the raspberry bushes more manageable.

I am excited this year that we have been able to harvest more raspberries.

The kiwi vines are happily climbing the new fence and putting on new growth!

Cosmos add some color to the garden.

How is your garden doing this year?  I still have pumpkin seeds to plant, and then I can start thinking about the fall garden.

Meals for Week of June 12

This was an awful week for tracking meals.  We had so much going on that it was mostly grab and go.  You will see plenty of sandwiches on the menu since it was easy to fix when each of us had time to eat.


Tuesday, June 12
Dinner (aka Lunch):  Sandwiches
Supper (aka Dinner):  Tomato Pie - I tried a new recipe which was edible but not great.  My original recipe was better so I tossed the new one.


Wednesday, June 13
Dinner:  Sandwiches
Supper: Dressed Up Frozen Pizza


Thursday, June 14
Dinner: Sandwiches
Supper:  Chicken Tenders, Roasted Vegetables


Friday, June 15
Dinner:  Sandwiches
Supper:  Fruit and Snacks


Saturday, June 16
Dinner: Family Reunion - I took jalapeno popper deviled eggs and chocolate chip cookies
Supper:  Nachos for me and Fruit for W


Sunday, June 17
Dinner:  W ate with his parents, and I had leftovers here at home
Supper: Hamburgers with my parents


Monday, June 18
Dinner:  Barbecue sandwiches (barbecue left from family reunion) & chips
Supper:  Tomato Pie (my original southern recipe) & zucchini fries


My plan for the coming week is to do some freezer cooking so we have some easy meals on hand.  There are no restaurants (fast food or otherwise) in our little town so going out to eat is not much of a temptation.  I just need some easy meals in the freezer for hectic days.

Weekly Goals Update: Week 24

1.  Disaster Preparedness
Week 24 is back to water preparedness.  I am still looking for a good, reliable way to store our drinking water.  I have containers that are suitable for the animals.  I do have ways to store water for a few weeks which is helpful for winter when we have freezing temperatures or when we know a hurricane/tropical storm is coming.  It is not so helpful if we have a surprise emergency.


2.  Makeover the Garden
Due to all of the rain and Toby's surgery, I spent very little time in the garden this past week.  I do hope to see enough sunshine to do some weeding and take photos for a garden post.


3.  Organize Recipes
I seriously need to spend another hour on this goal.  I want to work on my notebooks.  I need to add in some recipes that I use all of the time. I also need to go through recipes that I have torn out of magazines and toss the ones I am never really going to make.


4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks
I skipped the grocery stores again this week.  My no spend grocery week total is up to seven now!  I will need to pick up a few groceries this week though.


5.  Focus on Saving
This week savings came from eating what we had.  That meant mainly eating vegetables from the garden.


6.  Etsy Store
I took some time to do some crocheting this week.  I plan to do more and am absolutely going to open my store this week.

Weekend Book Reviews

Beauty in the Broken Places by Allison Pataki is the true store of Allison and her husband Dave.  While on a flight to their babymoon, Dave suffers a life-threatening stroke.  This memoir is a mix of what follows and their life before the stroke.  It was both scary and inspiring.  I appreciated the author's honesty in becoming a caregiver while being a first time mother.  The focus on her faith added to the moving narrative of struggle and healing.

Nicole Weston's Perfectly Creamy Frozen Yogurt uses Greek yogurt, meringue, and a simple ice cream maker to make delicious frozen treats.  I tried out the basic vanilla frozen yogurt on my family.  While my husband was not a fan of the yogurt tang, my parents and I agreed that it was delicious.  I especially liked that it was easy to make.  The base came together quickly and was able to go straight into the ice cream churn.  I will be making several other varieties over the summer months.  This is a wonderful book for those who want a lighter homemade summer treat.

Fix, Freeze, Feast 2nd Edition by Katie Neville and Lindsay Ahrens is a slightly updated version.  I own the previous book and was anxious to see the changes.  The second edition includes 25 additional recipes.  I also noticed a better layout overall.  People new to freezer cooking will find a step-by-step introduction.  Most of the recipes make three freezer meals of four to six servings each.  The recipes are easy to scale down for smaller families.  The freezer meals use basic ingredients but go beyond the creamed soup casseroles you might expect.  It is a wonderful book for first time and seasoned freezer cooks.


Damnation Island by Stacy Horn is the true story of Blackwell Island (now called Roosevelt Island) in New York's East River.  It was home to a lunatic asylum, prison, almshouse, and hospitals.  What was meant to be an improvement on all others ended up being just as bad or worse.  It was hard to read at times simply due to the horror and sadness at what people endured.  Mr. Horn does an excellent job of bringing this forgotten part of history to life. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Read Herring Hunt by VM Burns is the second book in the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries series.  Sam's mystery bookshop is off to a wonderful start.  Dawson, her renter and head baker, is having a great season with the college football team.  All is not well though.  When his ex-girlfriend is found murdered, he is the only suspect.  Sam and her band of senior sleuths set out to prove his innocence.  Like the first book this one has a secondary mystery in the form of Sam's English themed mystery novel.  I enjoy the story within a story, but it may not be for everyone.  I enjoyed the parallel mystery and the way the characters mesh together.  This book is just as solid as the first and can easily be read on its own!

Kirsten Weiss' second book in the Pie Town Mystery series is Bleeding Tarts.  Val's pie shop gets a boost when she is asked to provide pies for the fake ghost town Bar X.  While delivering the pies, a stray bullet blows apart a cherry pie she is carrying, and the town's bartender is soon found dead.  She and her pie crust maker, Charlene, begin an investigation.  It seems they are getting close when Val finds her own life threatened.  Charlene and Val are an unlikely duo that works very well.  The other characters are just as wacky which makes for a fun book.  It is a light, fun read!


I Scream You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson is the first book in the Mystery A-la Mode series.  Tallulah's ice cream shop is struggling so she agrees to take a job providing ice cream for her ex-husband and his new girlfriend.  When the girlfriend is found dead under suspicious circumstances following the party, Tallulah is the prime suspect.  Tallulah is a wonderful cozy mystery heroine, and that fact that she is southern to the core made me like her more.  The book has a nice flow, and the supporting characters add to the charm.  I have added the rest of the series to my reading list!


Linda O Johnston's fourth book in the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series is Pick and Chews.  When the veterinary office that Carrie works for wants to hire a new vet, her boyfriend suggests two candidates and gets a third in the form of an annoying former colleague, who winds up murdered.  I honestly found myself anxiously waiting for the murder to happen since this character was just awful.  This story had a good flow although I was a bit overwhelmed with unnecessary information at times.  Still I enjoy the idea of the dog bakery and the emphasis on animal rescue. 










disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

I may put up a garden post later today.  It has rained between 6-7 inches here in the past week.  Today is partly sunny so hopefully I can wade through the weeds to get some photos.  Before that here are my frugal doings for the past week.


~We took Toby to the low cost clinic earlier this week to be fixed which is another reason I have not made it out to the garden.  It was less than half the cost at the veterinarian, and the staff is always wonderful and caring.  He did great and is recuperating at home. 


~We combined two other small errands on the way home from dropping Toby off at the clinic.  Since we were already in the area, it was not out of our way.


~We ate more squash, green beans, and zucchini from the garden. 


~I hung clothes inside to dry for the most part.  I did get a load nearly dry outside before rain moved in yesterday.  I finished them off in the dryer for five minutes.


~I skipped the grocery stores this week.  I need to fix food for a family reunion, but I am cooking from what I have on hand.  I plan to make cookies, jalapeno popper deviled eggs, and rolls.


~I tutored for two hours this week.  It brings in a bit of extra money.


~We watched a free movie on Vudu.  I love that they offer free movies in addition to rentals.  Between Vudu and the Roku channel, we can usually find a movie or two to watch each week.  Combined with our Netflix subscription and Amazon Prime, we do not miss a costly satellite subscription.


Did you have a frugal week?

Meals for Week of June 5

I realize starting my week on a Tuesday is strange, but this is my errand day so it helps to start then.  We did a big grocery shop on Tuesday, and I spent $90 (or really close to it).  W was a bit panicked since we rarely spent this much at once.  I reminded him that it was the bulk of our purchases for the entire month.  I still have $48 in my grocery budget.  This includes some money left from last month.


Here is what we ate this past week:


Tuesday, June 5
Dinner (aka Lunch):  chicken sandwiches on homemade buns and chips
Supper:  Omelets (eggs from our chickens, veggies from the garden and refrigerator)


Wednesday, June 6
Dinner:  I honestly cannot remember
Supper: Dressed up frozen pizza (we added some items from the fridge to a cheese pizza)


Thursday, June 7
Dinner:  Ham Sandwiches and chips
Supper:  Banana Sandwiches and chips


Friday, June 8
Dinner:  Baked chicken legs, roasted veggies from the garden (green beans, potatoes, squash), and cucumber salad
Supper:  Sandwiches (used up extra ham and banana)


Saturday, June 9
Dinner:  Leftover chicken and roasted veggies with macaroni and cheese and tomatoes
Supper:  Boiled corn and tomatoes


Sunday, June 10
Dinner:  Ate with my parents - I provided dessert:  frozen yogurt
Supper:  W had cereal, and I had a snack plate of cheese, pepperoni, crackers, and cucumber


Monday, June 11
Dinner:  Sandwiches:  Pineapple for me and Tomato for W
Supper: Deer steak and roasted vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, and eggplant) plus cucumber salad for me


This time of year our menu tends to be heavy on sandwiches and vegetables.  Sandwiches are easy and lighter when it is hot.  Vegetables are on the menu since we eat what is ready from the garden. 

Weekly Goals Update: Week 23

1.  Disaster Preparedness
Week 23 brought the focus back to security.  Our home is secure enough although I secretly want storm shutters.  I just think they would be a nice addition after last year's hurricane. 


2.  Makeover the Garden
Now that the main areas of the garden are planted, I turned the focus to a reading area for me.  I want to get a nicer chair for sitting.  I did add in some plant stands and pots with either flowers or flower seeds.  I am also starting on a butterfly area.  I am still in the planning stage on this for the most part.  I expect it will take a couple of years to get it all done like I want it.


3.  Organize Recipes
I spent a good hour working on cleaning up my Pinterest recipe boards.  I deleted a bunch that either did not think I would ever cook.  I moved some favorites and deleted some that were not hits.


4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks
This past week was our big monthly grocery shopping trip.  I am planning to skip the grocery shopping this week.  The garden is starting to produce more so more of our meals are focused on what we picked that day.


5.  Focus on Saving
I did all of our shopping at a grocery store that is somewhat similar to Aldi. Oh how I wish we had one of those here.  I am making the best of what we have.  Most of my saving is our focus on eating out of the garden.  My meal plan will easily stretch the extra 10 days into July.  I do have two family reunions this month.  My goal is to use what I have on hand to contribute food items.


6.  Etsy Store
I am planning to open the stationery side this week.  I am working on crochet items to stock part two of my store.  I know it will be slightly easier once I have all of the items listed.  That can be a bit time consuming, but I am working to get them right (as much as possible) the first time.

Weekend Book Review: Down the Aisle with Murder

Down the Aisle with Murder by Auralee Wallace is the fifth book in the Otter Lake Mystery series.  Erica and the members of Otter Lake Security are at the strangest bachelorette party being thrown by the bride's strange maid of honor.  When the maid of honor is found murdered, Erica and her security partners, Freddie and Rhonda, must solve the mystery and save the wedding. This book stands on its own but it will make you want to read the previous books.  The author does an excellent job mixing humor into the story.  The characters are quirky and wonderful.  I love how they play off each other and how it all works to create a terrific book!

disclosure:  I received this book from St. Martin's Press, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan is the ninth book in the Penny Brannigan Mystery series.  Penny is asked to help out with the annual agricultural show by checking in cakes, jams, marmalades, flowers, vegetables, etc for the contest judging.  Things seem suspicious when two items she checked in are no where to be found and one item she did not check in wins first place.  When the first place winner is found dead, Penny puts herself in the middle of the mystery which includes investigating the Women's Guild.  This book has several things going on at once, but they all come together in the end.


Pat Olski's Dishcloths to Crochet features 25 dishcloth patterns ranging from a bumblebee to a watermelon.  The range of patterns is sure to provide something for everyone.  The instructions are clear and written well enough for a moderate beginner like myself to follow.  Each pattern features information about the finished size, yarn used, and gauge.  The strawberry dishcloth is my favorite with the pansy coming in a close second.  I can see myself using the pattern book as my crochet skills grow.

Expiration Date by Devon Delaney is the first book in the Cook-off Mystery series.  Sherry has entered a cooking competition sponsored by an organic food company with a prize of $10,000.  When one of the judges dies immediately after eating her entry, Sherry feels she must find the true murderer to save her reputation and herself from jail.  I am hoping future books will go a bit more in-depth with the characters.  The story moves along quickly and is a good start to a series. 


Jane K Cleland's twelfth book in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series is Antique Blues.  Josie's friend Mo asks her to appraise a Japanese woodblock print.  Josie's excitement is squelched when Mo is murdered.  Josie is determined to get justice for Mo by finding the murderer.  I had a bit more trouble getting into this book since I had not read any of the previous books.  Josie is a strong lead character, and the mystery had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing.  I also enjoyed all of the information on antiques and the appraisal process. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Five Frugal Things

1.  I found a couple of markdowns while out grocery shopping this week.  I got a good deal on sliced mushrooms and canned cream corn.  I will save the corn for later this year when I make Brunswick stew.


2.  My mom wanted one of her compost beds emptied so she could start putting items in it and allow the second bed to break down.  I filled up my last raised bed as well as several containers.  I could never have afforded to buy enough soil, and this dirt was excellent.  I added in rabbit manure to make it even better.


3.  We have done very little decorating in our new home.  It was a mix of finding things we liked that were affordable.  This week we found some clearance art canvases that matched our colors well.

4.  The rabbits and chickens ate some excess produce from my parents' and my aunt's garden.  It was either oversized squash or cucumbers.  Everything was bigger than we like to eat, but the farm animals happily ate it up.

5.  I wanted to order some yarn to make items to stock my Etsy store.  I had intended to buy from Joann since there was a free shipping offer.  I compared prices and found that I could get everything cheaper from Amazon.  Every bit of savings will help right now.

Garden Update

We finally got a good break from the rain.  The sunshine did wonders for the garden. 

We have plenty of small tomatoes.  I can hardly wait for the first ripe one!

The cucuamelon vines are growing like crazy but no blooms just yet.

The cantaloupe plants are blooming though.  It seems the marigolds worked well against the nematodes.

Marshmallow

Hibiscus

The herb garden.  I did lose the peppermint that I transplanted.  I am going to root a few cuttings and plant again.  This week I also planted lemon basil, calendula, and lamb's ear seeds.

One fish pepper plant

The bee balm and a hummingbird feeder.  I bought the stand a few years ago at a yard sale.  This year I bought smaller hummingbird feeders.  With the hot summer weather I have to change them often so having large feeders does not make much sense.

The bees definitely love the bee balm!

Our pear tree is loaded.  If the squirrels stay away, we should have a good harvest this year.