Weekend Book Reviews

Wed, Read, and Dead by VM Burns is the fourth book in the Mystery Bookshop series.  Sam's mother is getting married to her wealthy fiance.  Sam thinks the worst thing is the bridesmaid dresses her mom has chosen until she meets Lydia the wedding planner.  Lydia wants to do things her own way regardless of what the bride and groom want.  When Lydia ends up dead, the suspect list includes the groom and a long line of people being blackmailed by Lydia.  Sam must solve the mystery and save her mother's wedding.  This series always includes a subplot in the book set in early 1900s England.  Some people may find it distracting, but I enjoy this second mystery which always goes along with the first.  The characters are fun since they include Sam's grandmother and various others from the retirement home.  I always look forward to the next book in the series!

Krista Davis' second book in the Domestic Diva Mystery series is The Diva Sweetens the Pie.  Sophie is all set to help with the annual pie festival.  Things get a bit crazy when celebrity cooking judge Patsy Lee arrives in town.  Patsy asks for Sophie's help, but Sophie never finds out what it is all about.  Patsy instead dies mysteriously in the middle of the festival.  This was a fun if typical cozy mystery.  It took me until nearly the end to figure out who the murderer was.  This book was a fun, light read!

Plant Combinations for an Abundant Garden is full of garden ideas for all size of gardens.  It includes a wide ranging plant guide in addition to the individual garden guides.  This is a great book for those new to gardening with no idea where to start.  I found some new information even as a long time gardener.  It is tailored more to those in urban or suburban areas.  It could also work for those with large yards who want to create a small garden area. 

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

Weekend Book Reviews

Knit One, Die Two by Peggy Ehrhart is the third book in the Knit and Nibble Mystery series.  Pamela's Knit and Nibble group has a new member, Caralee has joined to improve her knitting for a play she is in.  Caralee is not the most personable individual so when she dies mysteriously Pamela does not believe it is an accident.  I enjoy this series and loved the addition of the kittens.  The characters do come across as much older than they actually are.  My only dislike of the book was all of the filler of Pamela's meals.  It added nothing of interest to the book.  That aside the book was a fun, easy read.

The thirteenth book in the Trash 'n' Treasure Mystery series is Antiques Ravin'.  This is the first book I have read in the series, but I was easily able to follow along with the character and story.  Vivian is sheriff, and her daughter Brandy is her deputy/chauffeur with dog Sushi tagging along.  When bodies start piling up during an Edgar Allan Poe festival, Vivian, Brandy, and Sushi stay busy trying to sort out the varied victims and suspects.  This is a typical cozy mystery with a heavy dose of humor added.  It was fun if a bit silly at times and a nice change.  I will be looking for the other books in the series.

Death of a Wedding Cake Baker by Lee Hollis is the eleventh book in the Hayley Powell Mystery series.  I have read and enjoyed previous books in this series, but this one seemed a bit off.  Hayley's friend Liddy is getting married.  After the wedding cake baker is murdered, attempts are made on Liddy's life.  Several obvious story errors were made - more than just simple grammar.  Actions done by one character were attributed to a different character a few pages over among others.  I also had problems with Hayley's actions.  At times she was beyond reckless and other times completely gullible.  I felt like many of the characters should have been college age rather than grown women based on their actions.  I am looking forward to the series getting back on track for book twelve.

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

Planning Ahead Part 2

Unfortunately all of my planning ahead has dealt with food.  It is important as we all have to eat, and the food budget can easily get out of control when time is short.  I have been working to remedy that by doing double (and sometimes triple duty) when cooking our regular meals. 

One day last week I planned to serve nachos.  Rather than just cooking enough seasoned meat for the one meal, I made extra and put two containers of cooked, seasoned meat into the freezer for future meals.

I am most thrilled with my second planning ahead day.  I used a pack of marked down chicken thighs to make chicken salad for dinner.  It makes enough for two meals.  I also had enough chicken left to make chicken pot pie filling (heavy on the vegetables) for the freezer.

That will be easy to thaw and top with a Bisquick topping at a later date.  I also put two containers of chicken broth into the freezer.  When the weather cools down, that will go into tomato soup or chicken gnocchi soup.  The best part is that the marked down chicken was only $1.20.  

It was extra work on that particular day, but I will appreciate the homemade freezer meals over the next few months!

Planning Ahead

Now that W and I both work from home, and since my crochet business has turned into a full-time job, I am finding that I need to plan ahead.  Last week I took a tip from Rhonda at If You Do Stuff.  The day after grocery shopping I prepped the vegetables that I bought by washing and slicing them as well as some from the garden.  I also mixed up some chipotle ranch dressing by the Pioneer Woman.

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When I wanted a snack, it was easy to reach into the fridge and grab the veggies and dip.  Rather than messing up a cutting board and knife every time I wanted a healthy snack, I could just remove the already prepped snack.  I will definitely be doing this more in the future. 

Weekend Book Review: Core 52

Core 52 by Mark E Moore is a 15 minute daily guide to Bible study.  That first statement does not touch what Core 52 really is.  Each week is divided into five days and focuses on one Bible area.  Each area has an essay, Bible verse to memorize, additional Bible passages, and a simple task to put what you have studied into practice.  The essays average about three pages.  This has easily moved to the top of my favorite Bible study books.  I especially like that I spend an entire week focused on one study area.  The book will help anyone dig deeper into God's word even in today's busy world.  I find myself excited to start a new week and memorize another verse.

disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Basket Makeover and a Freebie

In the spring W and I went to a different outdoor market than my regular one.  The lady set up beside me noticed that I used yarn and offered to give me a few skeins that she had.  When I went to give her back the basket that the yarn was in, she told me to keep that too.  I said "thank you" and put it in our vehicle. 

The basket was very dark brown and had some nicks and spots that were less than perfect.  I saw promise though even if I could not decide exactly what to do with it.  Recently I have taken to storing yarn in a cardboard box under an end table in the living room and realized that would be a perfect use of the basket.  W said he had paint on hand that would match our open living room and kitchen.

He even added a burlap liner to the basket.  It works perfectly and looks much nicer than a cardboard box.

If you are thinking about organizing, Motivated Moms is offering a free printable planner for August.  It is a checklist of daily chores as well as extra cleaning chores to get your home clean and organized.  The planner also includes a coupon code if you want to keep using the planner.  You get $2 off the $12 yearly price.

I have used this planner in the past.  I loved that it takes just a few minutes to do the extra tasks to clean the often overlooked areas of the home.  It is useful for anyone, not just moms.  Click here to get your free copy of the August planner.