Saturday Savings - 11/15/14

**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

 

Knorr Pasta Sides:


Sale price = $0.88 each (an awesome price to start, usually they are $1.00 on sale*)
 

Stacked with a Catalina (a coupon printed from the register after a previous sale) - $2.00 off seven

Total cost = $4.16, $0.59 each

AWESOME DEAL!!

One of the keys of couponing strategically is finding the rock bottom prices for products and only buying when those items are very close too or at rock bottom!  If you are paying, for example, $2.00 for a box of cereal after a coupon...that is NOT a good deal!  Most of the time you shouldn't pay more than $1.00 for cereal. Or toothpaste, if you are paying more than $0.50 for toothpaste you are being cheated! Often you can get boxes of toothpaste for FREE with a little effort.

All products have rock bottom prices and you just have to keep your eyes out to figure them out based on the sale cycles. There are websites that offer lists, but keep in mind those lists are often effected by location. What is rock bottom here in Boston may not be rock bottom in Georgia!

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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Sloan

Title: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel

Author: Robin Sloan

Published: Genre: Fiction
Rating:
3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Book Source: Borrowed from the library
 
Recommended if you like: Fiction, YA, Fun and quick reads


What Its About:  

When Clay Jannon loses his job as a San Francisco designer, he finds himself forced to take an overnight position at a local 24-hour bookstore to pay his rent. Its not long until Clay realizes that the bookstore is not exactly what it seems.

With few books for sale, despite a building full of options, and just as few customers, Clay can't help wonder what keeps them open...and 24-hours to boot. Spending his abundant free time looking to entertain himself, Clay eventually ignores his employer's instructions to not peek at the books and discovers that they are written in gibberish, despite regular customers who return again and again. Clay realizes that the books are in fact written in code and learns that the bookstore is a front for an international secret society charged with decoding a complex code invented many years previously. The store supposedly houses books that will eventually lead readers to cracking the code, which will provide a route to immortality.

With the help of a group of misfit friends, including a tech-savvy millionaire, a Google coder, an artist  roommate, and a group of online comrades, Clay digs further into this mystery world. Ultimately he discovers that computers, while useful, are not always the only answer and sometimes friendships are created out of the most random life experiences.

The Bottom Line: 
This was a cute and entertaining book, easy and quick to read. It is easily accessible to everyone: adults, YA and children. Its not unique or earth moving, but its a fun read.

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Tuesday Tunes - 11/11/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

The Flyer
Nanci Griffith, Artist & Writer


He was a flyer for the Air Force
On a plane from San Antonio
I was traveling to London
He was going off to Buffalo
Changing planes in Pittsburgh
We got grounded in a storm
Now, I would give anything
To be on that flyer's arm

We played cards, mostly blackjack
As we sat out on the tarmac
We sang songs we knew in Spanish
As we both loved songs of language
He'd heard me on the radio
I'd seen the flyers on San Antone
Now, I would give anything
To have that flyer for my own

God bless the flyer
Who would be flying home tonight
I would give anything
To see that flyer, flyin' tonight

He said he'd never married
Cause, his heart was in the clouds
And I said I was too clumsy
That I broke the wings of the loves I found
He shouted out his name to me
As I ran to make my flight
Now, I would give anything
To see that flyer, flyin' tonight

One year I watched a war in London
In the airport leaving London
And I wondered if I'd know him
If I saw his wings in motion
Did I leave my heart in Pittsburgh
In the lightening of that flight?
I wish that you could tell me now
Will he be flyin' home tonight?

God bless the flyer
Who would be flying home tonight
I would give anything
To see that flyer, flyin' tonight

God bless the flyer
Who would be flying home tonight
I would give anything
To see that flyer, flyin' tonight

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Mondays and Monday Mailbox - 11/10/14

Monday Mailbox hosted by Marcia @ To Be Continued.

It's Monday! hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey.

STILL Working On This:

Dirty Bombshell: From Thyroid Cancer Back to Fabulous! (Lorna J. Brunelle)

Just Finished: 

Nada


On Deck:
Not sure yet...

Arrived this week:

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Saturday Savings - 11/8/14

**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

   
Rolaids Softchews...

Love these things. They disappeared for awhile, but they are back!
  
Twin pack sale price = $2.49 each

Stacked with a Walgreen's store coupon for $1.50 off each one
Stacked with a manufacturer's coupon per two: B1G1 (buy one get one free!)

Total cost = 0.50 each

A GREAT DEAL!!

Sometimes you can find coupons similar to the ones in the newspaper online, so while I had two "newspaper" B1G! coupons, I was able to print another from Smartsource.com! Always check online coupon sources!

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All About The Books

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My (not so) Storybook Life - Harrell (Owen)

Title: My (not so) Storybook Life: A Tale of Friendship and Faith

Author: Elizabeth Harrell (Owen)

Published: Genre: Memoir
Rating:
4/5- Great. Push it on your friends and family.

Book Source: Purchased
 
Recommended if you like: Memoir, comedy, classics

What Its About:  

On the search for domestic bliss, Liz Owen discovered that all is not as it seems. Her picture perfect life with her perfect husband, in their perfect home, never quite materializes. Sharing that reality with some of the ladies of beloved classics, she writes alternative scenes to Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind, and Pride and Prejudice, among others.

These often hilarious snippets lead into sometimes funny,  sometimes heartbreaking, always entertaining stories about her own struggles to find happiness, including a mediocre job who's best feature is her coworker become bestfreiend, a foreboding that something is bound to go wrong with her newly purchased home (a premonition that came true, though she may have blown it a bit out of proportion), her struggles with choosing paint colors (spoiler: she chooses not to chose), and a dog who poops during tornado warnings. Through all this humor runs the tragic story of Owen's dear friend Angela's battle with cancer, the ultimate reminder that reality is a bitch. It takes this heartbreaking battle to make Owen realize that life is much more meaningful than paint chips and a clean house and happiness is sometimes right under your nose.

The Bottom Line: 

Another reader puts it much better than I could:

"This is a memoir for the rest of us, who go to work, deal with cranky pets, quirky spouses, and dream of having kitchen floors that don't ripple underfoot. It is funny, clever, touching, and--notwithstanding the "storybook" title--very real." ~Juli Kinrich


Elizabeth Harrell (Owen) has a fresh and fun writing style that is as touching as it is entertaining.  This memoir is wonderful and creative and worth a read for any woman living a life, any life. 

Harrell is a fellow blogger who can currently be found at http://elizabeth-harrell.com/. Previously, she wrote the well known and loved mabelshouse.blogspot.com/.

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Tuesday Tunes - 11/4/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Me and Bobby McGee
Janis Joplin, Artist
Kris Kristofferson, Writer

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train
And I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
It rode us all the way to New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, yeah
Windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no
And, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know, feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGhee

From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun
There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby kept me from the cold

One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He's lookin' for that home, and I hope he finds it
But, I'd trade all of my tomorrows, for a single yesterday
To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', that's all that Bobby left me, yeah
But, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
Hey, feelin' good was good enough for me, mm-hmm
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGhee

La da da
La da da da
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
Bobby McGhee, yeah

La da da da da da da
La da da da da da da
La da da da da da da
Bobby McGhee, yeah

La da La la da da la da da la da da
La da da da da da da da da
Hey, my Bobby
Oh, my Bobby McGhee, yeah

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Hey, my Bobby
Oh, my Bobby McGhee, yeah

Well, I call him my lover, call him my man
I said, I call him my lover did the best I can, c'mon
Hey now, Bobby now
Hey now, Bobby McGhee, yeah

Woo
La da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la la
Hey, hey, hey Bobby McGhee, yeah
La da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la
Hey, hey, hey, Bobby McGhee, yeah

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Mondays - 11/3/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Now Reading:

Dirty Bombshell: From Thyroid Cancer Back to Fabulous! (Lorna J. Brunelle)

Just Finished: 

Getting Life (Michael Morton)

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October 2014 ReCap...

OCTOBER 2014
A better reading month. Still not likely to meet those goals, but at least got some great reading done!


This month I read: 
Total Read: 4
YTD: 26
Adult: 4
YA/children's: 0
Abandoned: 0

Including:
The Martian (Andy Weir)
My (not so) Storybook Life (Liz Harrell Owen)
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Robin Sloan)
Getting Life (Michael Morton)

Abandoned: 
None

Favorite Book(s) of the Month:
Getting Life (Michael Morton)

Challenges Update: 
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge = 26 of 58
A-Z Book Challenge = 18 of 26
Library Reading Challenge = 7 of 36
E-Book Reading Challenge = 20 of 25
What's in a Name 6 Challenge =  2 of 6
Year of ReReading Challenge - 0 of 1-4

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The Martian - Weir

Title: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Published: Genre: Fiction
Rating:
3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Book Source: Borrowed from the library
 
Recommended if you like: Memoir,  Books about loss, Books about medical adversity

What Its About:  

A brutal Mars sandstorm forces the Ares 3 crew to evacuate abruptly. Unfortunately, one of their crew, Mark Watney, gets hit by debris and is killed in the process.

Except that...he isn't. Dead that is.

When Watney wakes and discovers himself, alone and abandoned on Mars, he must quickly transition his Mars visit to a survival mission. Through his journal entries, we learn how he utilizes his skills and knowledge (engineering and botany) to orchestrate his own survival mission. By utilizing earth and Mars dirt, and a few potatoes that were sent for Thanksgiving dinner, he begins a garden focused solely on producing calories to extend his lifespan until the arrival of the Mars 4 mission four years out. He utilizes old parts and manages to establish communication with NASA on Earth and, along with  NASA scientists, orchestrates a plan to get him home. But its not a smooth process and Watney keeps being reminded that he may well die before he is able to complete his mission!

The Bottom Line: 
A no-win situation for the author, in my opinion.  Its one of those books that is just bound to be hated. If Watney dies, everyone is angry and let down... But if he lives, everyone rolls their eyes and says, "Yeh, of course he'd live...ho hum." Thankfully, the journey is well worth the ride..

Weir does his best to keep the excitement and challenge going until the end, and does so very effectively.  The story really grabs readers' attention. Just technical enough to be realistic, but also funny and entertaining.  A great read!

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Tuesday Tunes - 10/28/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

If Nobody Believed In You
Joe Nichols, Artist
Harley Allen, Writer 



I watched him take the two strike call
He hadn't tried to swing at all.
I guess he'd had all that he could take,
He walked away, for goodness sake.
His father's voice was loud an' mean:
"You won't amount to anything."

That little boy quit tryin',
He just walked away.
There were teardrops on his face.
Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you.

That old man said: "One more try,
I know i'm not too old to drive.
I promise, son, i'll do my best,
This time, i'm gonna pass the test."
"Give me the keys, Dad, an' get in."
His father never drove again

That old man quit trying',
He just turned away.
An' there were teardrops on his face.
Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you.

We take His name out of the schools.
The lawyers say it breaks the rules.
Pledge of allegiance can't be read,
An' under God, should not be said.
I wonder how much He will take.
I just pray it's not too late.

What if God quit tryin',
He just turned away?
There were teardrops on his face?
Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you.

Tell me, how would you feel?
You'd probably give up too,
If nobody believed in you.

 

 

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Mondays - 10/27/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Now Reading:

Getting Life (Michael Morton)

Just Finished: 

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Robin Sloan)

On Deck

Something great!

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Sunday Salon - 10/26/14

If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.

Life:

Late as always...

After disinfecting for days, hoping against hope that I wouldn't get sick like hubby, I fell to the evil beast. I spent three days out sick this past week, and only went in Friday because I had too. With more than ten grants going out the door this month, I needed to get some work done. I planned to leave early, but when all was said and done...I missed lunch and only got to leave an hour early.

I've got a meeting this week to discuss the transition from my current job to my new one. The job that I got...but still have not been "offered" or accepted. HR tells me they are waiting on a start date... How can I start a job I haven't been offered, you ask?! Yeh, well, so do I! HA!

PV met last night to listen to our recordings and pick our final CD songs. It went well and I am psyched to hear the final version.  Very cool!

Hubby and I have spoken about maybe getting kittens around Christmas when, hopefully, we will both be on vacation for a couple weeks.  I reminded him that kittens don't always come house broken, as our sweet Sheeni did. So...having an extended amount of time to help them (and us) adjust will be good. I am desperately missing pet-love my life.  Hopefully it's in then cards.

Blogging

After reading Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore this week, I grabbed a memoir that's been sitting on my bedside table for months. It was a freebie from Simon & Schuster...and it was amazing! Review coming soon.

Have great week everyone!

S

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Saturday Savings - 10/25/14

**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

Generally speaking, I am an honest person.  I'm a black/white, right/wrong person...very few"greys".  Seriously, I've corrected someone or spoken up to my own detriment on many occasions.  That being said, there are some cases where I have learned to keep my mouth shut. "Big business" (shopping) is one of those. I feel that, if the big-name stores (Walmart, Stop n Shop, etc) hired staff at more than minimum wage, then they might get better than minimum wage employees. Furthermore, big business spends billions of dollars a year trying to screw me out of my hard earned money!  Errors are the cost of doing business the way they do.

Case in point...

A couple weeks back, a big name store had a deal on Arm and Hammer laundry detergent. They were $1.88. And, there was a $2 off 2 coupon in the paper. Their ad, conveniently (and perhaps shadily) pointed this deal out prominently, the potential price of $0.88 nice and big to catch everyone's eye. While I am sure they would say they were doing us a "favor", the truth is that I am confident they caught more than one shopper who didn't note the coupon needed part and didn't check their receipts after.

When I went in to get the deal, they were of course out of stock. And so I asked for a rain check for the max I could get, ten bottles.  The gal wrote the price check...for the $0.88 price!! I didn't notice until I was home, but at that point I decided it was their error, to my benefit. I returned to the store this week with my rain check and coupons...and oh, what a deal!!

Laundry Detergent = $2.99 on sale, BUT...

$0.88 each, per rain check

Minus two $2 of 2 coupons

Total cost = 0.48 each, or $4.80 total paid

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Fly A Little Higher - Sobiech

Title: Fly A Little Higher: How God Answered One Mom's Small Prayer in a Big Way

Author: Laura Sobiech

Published: Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5/5- Excellent. Keep it, treasure it, reread it.

Book Source: I purchased this book.
 
Recommended if you like: Memoir,  Books about loss/cancer

What Its About:  
 Zach Sobiech was just a teenager, barely, that spring day when he went running with his little sister. By the time he got home, his hip was aching. Assuming a pulled muscle, he let it pass. Weeks later, with the pain was still present and increasing, he went to the doctor. And life changed forever.

Zach Sobiech was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. He and his family pursued surgery.  They started chemo. They tried every reasonable therapy they could find but, when the cancer showed up in Zach's lungs,  they knew that perhaps this wasn't a fight they could win. Zach's mother, a devout Christian, could accept the loss as God's will, but she wanted her loss, and that of her family, to make a difference.  Laura Sobiech asked God to make Zach's life, and death, count for something.

A passing comment made during one of their many long road-trips for chemotherapy, that perhaps Zach should write letters to his loved ones - in case they did not beat the cancer, inspired Zach (a musician) to turn to music as a way of saying goodbye and "I existed and was important."

Sobiech wrote a little unassuming ditty called Clouds. With "heartfelt lyrics and irresistible positivity in the face of adversity", Clouds quickly caught on with friends and family and eventually with the world.  "When Zach passed away on May 20, 2013, his fans had pushed Clouds to up to #1 on iTunes, Spotify and the Billboard charts – a fitting tribute to a remarkable young man." 

Before he passed, his little ditty had given Sobiech a record contract and to record a SoulPancake video about his struggle, as well as opportunities to meet celebrities, to perform live for thousands, to record in a professional studio, and to meet and touch the lives of thousands of people who may have never known of this young boy's struggle. As well, it gave the Sobiech family the opportunity to bring some attention to the battle that is childhood cancer and to make sense of this horrible, heartbreaking loss.
 

The Bottom Line:
How does one rate such a book? It seems less about rating a book and more about rating a mother's soul.

Let's just say that Zach Sobiech was an incredible young man and his story is a "testament to what can happen when you live as if each day is your last".

An amazing read, for everyone.

Quote:

“I want to be remembered as a kid who went down fighting, and didn’t really lose.”

~Zach Sobiech

 

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Tuesday Tunes - 10/21/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Luka
Suzanne Vega, Artist & Writer



My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was


I think it's because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud

They only hit until you cry
After that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore


Yes, I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway

I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown

Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am


My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was


And they only hit until you cry
After that, you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore

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Monday Mailbox - 10/20/14

Monday Mailbox hosted by Marcia @ To Be Continued.

This little goody arrived this past week...

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Mondays - 10/20/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Now Reading: 
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel (Robin Sloan)

Just Finished: 

My (Not So) Storybook Life: A Tale of Friendship and Faith (Elizabeth Owen)

On Deck

Many, so many...

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Sunday Salon - 10/19/14

If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.

Life:

Oooff... A busy week here! At work, one of my admin folks was out sick, one was on vacation, and the other left to work for another department a couple weeks back. That left me doing three (actually 3.2) jobs... And, remember how they are splitting my job in two? Well, part of the reason is that my job is more than one full-time slot...especially during the fall.  So, in reality, I was doing more than three full time jobs this week, - all by my lonesome! I'm pooped!

Talking about splitting my job... The interviews went well. I have been told that, though we are still waiting for HR to follow up, I am the candidate they have chosen for the job. Yeah! It's nice to know I will have a job!  Now my supervisor has to work with the powers-that-be to work it out... The department doesn't want to loss me, which again is really nice, so they are asking me to think hard if I want to stay or go.

Purely Vocals has gone into the studio three times to record. Now its up to the sound engineer to make something of our tracks. But, we should have a CD soon!  Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas! :)

Still doing the work out thing. Took some days off not feeling well, but trying to maintain at least every two to three days.

Blogging

I've finally begun to get control again. I've preset some posts, so I am not always struggling to keep  up (or let's be honest, catch up!). This fall has just been too crazy, it's tough to keep it going. But, I am determined to make it through until things calm down (and I am once again only doing one full time job, ha!).

Just finished up reading this:

I love Liz Harrell (Owen), in case you don't know. Her blog MabelsHouse, was amaze-balls! She is funny, entertaining, and seems like a really cool chic. I say "was" because she recently switched over to Elizabeth-harrell.com. She is going through some changes in her life (including a divorce) and the new blog site is a shift toward her new future. I wish her luck, success, and joy. Lot's and lots of joy!

I've started reading a fun new book... But you'll have to stop by tomorrow to see what it is!

Have great week everyone!

S

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