Frugal Friday

It has been a long time since I have written a frugal Friday post.  I have been frugal but just have not kept a list.  I am going to try to think back over the past couple of weeks for a few things.

I used a promo code to add extra talk minutes to my Tracfone.  I did break down earlier this year and get a smartphone.  I cringe when I see the prices of the newest smartphones and monthly plans.  I am quite happy with my refurbished phone and inexpensive plan ($12/month). 

I made my own elderberry syrup with elderberries bought during the summer.  Flu season hit early here, and I mixed up my first batch of elderberry syrup a couple of weeks early.  I planted two elderberry trees this spring so eventually I will not need to buy elderberries.  Until then I purchase them during the summer to save $10+ per pound over fall/winter prices. 

We ate leftovers.  W pointed out that a large portion of our meals are leftovers and then said he was not complaining.  We are both home all of the time now.  If it were not for leftovers, I would spend a large portion of my time cooking.  Some meals leave us enough for a complete repeat while others are individual sized portions. 

I took advantage of reduced shipping from Dollar Tree.  I needed a bunch of a few items to make things for my craft booth.  I would never have found enough at the local stores.  Shipping was just $4.95, and I would have spent more than that driving around to various stores.  *I could have picked in store pick up for free, but I honestly did not trust the stores around here.  Some things are worth a bit of money.*

I bought some mark down candy to use at trunk or treat next month.  I have been collecting small items throughout the year when I found an extra good deal.  I have candy and non-candy items.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Weekend Book Reviews

Something Borrowed, Something Mewed by Bethany Blake is book five in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series.  Daphne's sister Piper is getting married before her fiance heads overseas for a short term job.  Her mother and mother-in-law-to-be have worked up an Independence Day themed wedding.  The problem is that the wedding planner has organized several weddings at the same time and at the same venue.  When the wedding planner winds up dead, Piper's fiance is the prime suspect, and Piper worries her wedding will never happen.  I adore Daphne and her pets.  In this particular book Daphne and Piper seemed to have a better relationship.  The book includes a bit of romance but not too much that it becomes a romance novel.  While I did figure out the mystery portion early on, I still enjoyed the book.

The second book in the Very Cherry Mystery series by Darci Hannah is Cherry Scones & Broken Bones.  Whitney is working to get the Cherry Orchard Inn back on its feet after a recent murder on the property.  She thinks she is on the way to that goal after the popular artist Silvia Lumiere books a room for the summer.  What seems like a dream quickly becomes a nightmare after Silvia and her assistant move in.  When another death occurs on the property, Whitney jumps into action to save the family inn.  The mystery had several twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.  I enjoy the inn and cherry farm setting of this series, and Whitney is a smart, likable cozy star.  I am looking forward to the next book.

A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn is the second book in the Handcrafted Mystery series.  I had not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble following this one.  Sammy runs Community Craft, a store dedicated to selling items handcrafted by those in her community.  She took over the store after her best friend was killed.  Sammy is thrilled to be hosting a celebrity crafter for a book signing.  Jane stops by to meet Sammy and says she needs to talk to her about Kate.  Before Jane can reveal what she knows, she is murdered.  Sammy is faced with two mysteries finding out who killed Jane and what really happened to Kate.  I love the idea of this book based on a community craft store.  I guessed the solution to the mystery early on, but that was not my issue with the book.  Sammy went a bit too far in "helping" the police.  I have no problem with some cozy heroine meddling, but Sammy seemed intent on getting what she wanted no matter the cost.  That dropped the book from four stars to three for me.

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

Fall Spruce Up

I am once again trying to do the Holiday Grand Plan.  I am not necessarily focusing so much on the holiday portion since our holidays are pretty low key.  Instead I am trying to get all of the little projects around the house that need to be done.  It is things that we put off after we moved in, and they have continued to be put off.  W works from home and can easily take time for a few around the house projects.  Last week was front porch week.  It was a combination of cleaning and a project. 

I swept off the porch and put down the fall door mat insert.  It is a little early, but I cannot be the only one jumping ahead with fall decorating.

W put hangers on the wreath post decoration.  A lady at church had asked him to cut out some shapes for her to paint.  We bartered and supplied the materials for two wood pumpkins.  She painted two and gave one of them back to me.  I love it, and it makes me think of her each time I see it.

The final project was fixing up the bench.  Originally it was covered with foam and outdoor material.  After two southern summers, the material was barely holding together.  Since W has started tearing down the old house, we have an abundance of 120 year old wood.  I asked W to make me a wood bench instead.  The bench base is actually an aquarium base.  It came with the very large aquarium that is in our foyer wall.  It is the perfect height for a bench though.  I was thrilled with how it turned out.  It is so much prettier than a fabric topped bench.

Weekend Book Review: When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams

When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams by Jill Eileen Smith showcases 12 women of the Bible.  Each woman's story is told through an imagined adaptation based on the Bible.  That event is then related to our current world.  At the end of each chapter is a Bible reference to ponder and a set of discussion questions.  This book would work well for a personal study or even for a group study.  The questions at the end would be particularly well in a group setting.  I enjoyed the "In Our World" section of each chapter since it showed how the Bible and even the Old Testament is relevant to today's world. 

disclosure:  I received this book from Baker Publishing but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches by Karen Rose Smith is the third book in the Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series.  Daisy is expecting a visit from a food critic that has everyone in an uproar.  When the critic is murdered shortly after his visit, Daisy and her employees are at the top of a long suspect list.  Add in relationship problems and family issues and Daisy is at the end of her rope.  The mystery was good but took a back seat to all of the other drama.  I enjoy the setting and the characters, but I do wish Daisy was a stronger main character.  At times her actions such as refusing to have a grown up discussion with her boyfriend in favor of pouting like a toddler are a bit childish.  I am hoping for a change of pace in book four.

The fifth book in the Pancake House Mystery series by Sarah Fox is  Crepe Expectations.  Marley, owner of the pancake house, and her chef employee, Ivan, are both volunteering at an amateur chef competition in town.  At the same time a cold case gets a new lead with the skeleton of a long missing 18 year old turns up at the site of Marley's boyfriend's latest landscaping job.  When participants of the chef competition are targeted, Marley wonders if the two are related.  This is a good cozy mystery with strong characters and a great setting.  Marley leans toward the smarter side when it comes to being a cozy heroine.  The ending of this book leads into the next which I am already looking forward to reading.



Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is the fifth book in the Cat Latimer Mystery series.  Cat is welcoming another group of writers to her writers' retreat.  The retreat is in trouble when a jealous bakery owner, Dee Dee, files a false report with the health inspector.  Dee Dee has problems of her own though when a body is discovered in her bakery.  The suspect list grows from there as Cat begins to dig into the dead man's life.  The writers retreat is such a fun cozy mystery theme.  I love that a large group of new characters is introduced each book while the base characters remain the same.  Lynn Cahoon writes two cozy series, but this one is my favorite.  Her books focus on the mystery with some side stories and the slightest touch of romance. This is a great addition to the series.

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

Feathered Friday - Peachicks

I have been working every day to tame our two little peachicks.  One is more tame than the other.  At this stage it is impossible to tell if we have baby peahens or baby peacocks.  

I discovered early on that the two littles loved for someone to talk to them.  They are more used to W and me since we are around them all of the time.  Of course tossing out a bit of feed at my feet helps bring them in closer.  Mama peahen gives a gentle reminder not to get too close by clucking at them.  Even she ventures close to me though.

Hopefully in time they will come right up to me and eat out of my hand.  It is a slow process and best done with the youngest animals.  Kindness and taking time with any animal goes a long way though.

Fall Decorating

I have started decorating for fall even though it feels more like the middle of summer here since the heat index is over 100 degrees.  I love that the cold weather takes longer to arrive though.  I choose instead to embrace decorating for fall when it does not even remotely feel like fall.  I have been trying to do it slowly though.  Yesterday I added a set of pumpkins that I crocheted. 

I put the set on the table in our foyer.  They are a nice range of sizes, colors and textures.  The only sad part is that I only have these until Saturday as I sold them soon after posting a photo.  I will be starting on a couple sets this afternoon.  I listed them on Etsy and plan to take them to the farmer's market so I want to make sure I have a set for myself.