Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post/rafflecopter form both contain affiliate links. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Welcome to the Beach Reads giveaway hosted by Stuck In Books.  The hop runs through August 15 so be sure to enter the other giveaways – they’re posted in the linky at the bottom of this post.  One lucky readers at Savings in Seconds will win a copy of When I Fall In Love.  I just can’t help but sing that song in my head when I look at the cover of this book; that’s probably what makes it the perfect beach read!

Susan May Warren is one of those chameleon writers that I love. She can go from a mysterious drama to a sweet romance and not skip a beat.  In the new Christiansen family novel, When I Fall in Love , she takes the romance spin a bit deeper by throwing a bit of tragedy into the mix.  Although I typically prefer to read all the books in a series, When I Fall In Love could really be a standalone novel.  It’s helpful to know the background story but isn’t completely necessary for the enjoyment of the plot. [Read more…]

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There have been several times in my life when I felt like Bridget Jones.  All I wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch a movie, have a good cry, and eat lots of chocolate.  There was that time (6 weeks worth) when I was on bedrest and watched about 6 DVDs per day.  My husband had to pick out the movies for me since I wasn’t able to leave the recliner; he came home with 4 movies about The Holocaust.  Seriously. [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Roomations.  The opinions shared here are 100% mine except the awesome style board, which is 100% Whitney J!

In between selling our old house and buying our next home, we lived in a short-term rented apartment. It was above a garage, where we soon learned that the owners chain-smoked.  I worried for the health of my unborn child and was determined to move into a house before we made the second rent payment.  Although we had started the house hunt well before then, we gave up the “Forever House” plan and decided to buy something that would work for our growing family.  This house was it, warts and all. We moved in within 2 weeks.  We’ve had our ups and downs in terms of house affection, but overall this has gradually become our home. It’s the place where my babies came home from the hospital; this is where my kids learned to ride their bikes.  We put in a pool and planted flowers.  This house holds our hearts.  That all sounds lovely until you see my living room.  [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links; the opinions shared here are 100% mine.

 Do you find it hard to visualize your goals?  I’m not talking about the Mirror of Erised, where you would see your deepest desires.  Many times, those kinds of dreams are out of one’s control.  Instead, think about your life’s goal that is either tangible or attainable.  Can you see yourself doing that?   What was the first step toward it?  To Hold The Sun is an allegory about reaching happiness by internalizing contentment.  Sounds tough, right?  I think so, too, but found myself practicing the skill while reading this book. Well, that and pretending I was on a Caribbean island.  That’s what the book was about and far be it from me to ignore the story.   [Read more…]

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

Did you ever put something off because you knew it would hurt?  Perhaps a dentist appointment, getting a bikini wax, or maybe starting a new diet?  Well, I’ve tried several debt-reduction programs with varying success.  In one of the online forums I belong to, I read about the You Need A Budget program and wondered what all this fuss was about.  I kept seeing “YNAB” mentioned and doggone it, I had to be part of it.  It’s kind of like my friend Marsha — she says when she sees a line, she figures she is supposed to be in it.  So after checking out the YNAB program, I thought it was time to get a real-time budget going on.  My little envelope system has long gone by the wayside.  With online checking, I’m sort of out-of-sight-out-of-mind; the checkbook ledger is in the pits of my purse. And really, who has time?  Well, I need to make time because it’s ridiculous (and scandalous) to waste the lion’s share of our income on restaurant meals like we do.

So here we go.  Ripping off the band-aid. [Read more…]

Last year we grew these gorgeous poppies and sunflowers from seed.  We grew wave petunias in pots that cascaded around the front porch.  Dahlias, zinnias, and many other bright and beautiful blooms decorated our outdoor space.   I thought about how I could re-use these plants…..then did a little searching to see what I could come up with.

Basically, here’s what you do with petunias.  The steps vary for other flowers, but the idea is generally the same. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review; the post contains affiliate links. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Woman of Courage started out with a “Whaaa????” situation and didn’t stop there.  As Amanda deals with one unlikely event after another, I just felt sorry for her.  I must say that her deep faith and generous heart stood out to me; my heart would have been sarcastic and downright mean if I’d been living her life.   As Amanda explored the deep west, it was clear that her soul belonged there. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received books to review. This post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase through them, I will receive a small commission.  I use the commission to sponsor giveaways like this one.

When I was about 13 years old, a neighbor asked me to babysit her children. It was the first time I had ever been paid to babysit (before, I had only watched my brother or my mom’s friend’s children.) Their family eventually grew to include 4 kids and I babysat them for several years. Earning my own money was really exciting, plus I could do my homework at night while the kids slept. It was a great job and I appreciated having the chance to do it. Unfortunately I completely wasted the money I earned! I’m sure I spent it on NKOTB t-shirts and stamps to mail letters to pen-pals or something completely cheesy like that. No one really talked with me about saving, budgeting, or planning for the future. Would I have listened at that time? I’m not sure. Still, it’s worth noting that money DOES grow over time.  My husband worked 20-30 hours per week from the time he was a teenager all the way through college.  We’re still in massive debt from student loans, car payments, and a mortgage.  Isn’t it amazing that all this can be avoided simply by investing at a young age?  [Read more…]

This month, the cloth diaper giveaway was one of the most popular posts.  The free Ruffle Bums post continues to be one of the most visited, so when I saw this email I thought of you guys!    If you’re in need of reusable breast pads, use code ENJOYBP to get $35 off your total, which equals to 10 pairs completely FREE.  Note that they come in packs of 2 pairs, so you will want to put 5 sets in your cart to equal 10 pairs.   I did a test run to see if it works (my “girls” are out of order, so no need for those here anymore.)  You do have to pay shipping and handling, which totaled $12.95 for me.  The code can be used more than once to place multiple orders.   On Amazon, pairs of plain breast pads run about $2 per pair, so this is  a good savings.

[Read more…]