I heart natural stuff. Just take a look at my guest post over at Moody Sisters. Since my liver went defunct, we’ve really been making an effort to go natural as much as we can with our foods and personal care products. Growing an organic garden makes me smile and is my spring/summer obsession. At some point I have to draw the line, though, such as raising my own cattle. There’s just not enough time in the day, nor room in my yard, to make that happen. That’s why I’m so very grateful for local farmers who offer organic, non-GMO foods in our area. My very favorite new place to get my beef, produce, and eggs is Indian Brook Farm. [Read more…]

Determined to limit our household food waste, we’ve been trying to use up the last bits of food in our fridge.  This is not only because of trying to stick to a budget, although it helps in that area too!  We’re also trying to teach our children to be good stewards of our resources, which includes the food we’ve purchased.  This morning we woke up with a minor crisis in the house (my son has a huge splinter lodged in his nailbed) and my husband took him to the ER.  Thankfully my son chose my husband to take him because I’m not sure my mama’s heart could have handled it!!  In the end, the doctor decided to do nothing and let’s see if it grows out. In celebration, I wanted to make something hearty for the boys so they’d have a hot meal when they got home.  There was this lone bowl of leftover chili in the fridge that wasn’t going to polished off, so I decided to make it into something a little more hearty.   [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book for review; the opinions shared here are 100% mine. The post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through the link, I will receive a small commission.

In our town, there’s a local legend about haunted Sensabaugh Tunnel.  It’s the rite of passage for some teens, who try to prove their YOLO theory by visiting the graffiti-filled tunnel the way that we used to do “Bloody Mary” in the mirror at slumber parties.  Like Kingsport, the town of Mattingly has a spooky place called Happy Hollow.  It’s said that The Devil walks in Mattingly;  Happy Hollow is so scary that only the sheriff would investigate when something awry happens in the creepy wooded area.  Fast forward twenty years and it doesn’t appear that things have become any less scary!  [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine. The post contains affiliate links; if you purchase through them, Savings in Seconds receives a small commission.

My husband laughs at me because I like to read what I call “mind candy.” While the occasional thriller or mystery are fun to read, my preference is usually the type of books that have a happy ending.  A fairytale ending isn’t necessary, but I get enough of real life thankyouverymuch.  It’s nice to have a dose of candy land every once in a while.  Generally my favorite books have a sigh-worthy ending, the kind that makes me close the book and smile.  I mean, really, what was the likelihood that Bella would come out of that fight with the Volturi completely unscathed?  Zero.  But that’s the way I like it.  Do you prefer books about “real” life or those with a sugarcoated feel?  [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book for review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

My grandmother is the ultimate multi-tasker. She raised six children, helped my grandfather run their small business, plus taught most of the town’s children how to play piano. She had a little corner of her music room that was filled with at least a dozen tote bags. Each bag was filled with the items she needed for that bag’s activity. For instance, she had the Sunday School bag, the piano lesson bag, and the Bible study bag. She often played piano (or sang) for funerals and weddings, so she had separate bags filled with music for those, too. Her organization was amazing and now I can see that it was necessary to her sanity! These days we call all of these bags our “hats.” If you’re like most people these days, you have too many hats on your head all trying to be the one on top. From work to school to church to extra classes, it’s not surprising to know that most people say their hats are getting heavy. So what’s a girl to do? [Read more…]

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If I never wanted to play music on my blog, I do now.  Because the only thing that would make The Holdout more fun would be a little microchip inserted in the cover that plays the Survivor theme song upon opening the book.  You’ll just have to sing it in your head (complete with the unintelligible tribal lyrics) while you read.   Remember those parties we all had in the early 2000’s?  You’ll be taken back to the good old days when reading The Holdout.  I was given a copy of Laurel Osterkamp’s novel to review. Initially I thought the book would be a complete Survivor-esque script and wasn’t really into it.  However, the main character Robin drew me in as the book revealed more about her family dynamics.  The youngest of three kids, Robin was a baby when her mom passed away.  She’s loved by all yet still treated as the baby of the family, the one who isn’t really expected to accomplish much in her life.  When she decides to go on the show The Holdout, her family doesn’t put much stock into her success.  She’s about to show them what she’s really made of! [Read more…]

Welcome to the Booking Into Spring Giveaway Hop! This event is hosted by Christy’s Book Addiction and Lilybloombooks.  I’m always excited when I get to participate in a book giveaway because it gives me the chance to share some good reads with my wonderful readers.  For this giveaway, I have an extra special prize package valued at $60 for one lucky reader!   Our sponsor for the event is the HomeTown Buffet family of restaurants. Your local restaurant may be called Ryan’s or Old Country Buffet instead.  Anyway, they are giving one lucky reader a huge prize pack based on their April promotion.  I’ll be receiving a prize pack, too, which my kids will enjoy.  Thanks, HomeTown Buffet!! [Read more…]