My Menu Plan for this Week 4/23/18!

It's beautiful here today.    The first chance I got this morning I ran outside to the garden (more about this later).  It wasn't till I started boiling the potatoes and mustard greens (home canned) for dinner that I remembered the menu plan for this week.  Better late than never!  

Grilling out helps me so much.  I do a couple of dinners at once and it's like I have a day off from cooking.  Great time saver!  

Monday            Pork Chops, Mustard Greens, and mashed potatoes

Tuesday            Grilled Hamburgers and potato chips

Wednesday       Grilled chicken, baked potato and salad

Thursday          Grilled Hot dogs with coney island Hot dog sauce and french fries

Friday               Out to eat

Saturday           Chili (freezer meal)

Sunday             Baked Chicken and a salad

7 Tips that Will Help Make Meal Planning a Breeze!

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This post has been linked to Menu Plan Monday

Free Kindle Books for Today 4/23/18!

The links in this post may contain affiliate links.   When you order from something from one of my links I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you.  You can read my  full disclosure policy here. Thanks so much for helping support Vickie's Kitchen and Garden! 

Free Kindle Books for today 4/23/18  Make sure you check the price before you buy, Amazon prices can change frequently. If you don’t have a Kindle you can download your favorite Kindle Book on any tablet or smartphone with a free Kindle Reading App

The Pepper In The Gumbo (A Cane River Romance): Cane River Romance Book One

The Amish Widower (Amish Country Mysteries Book 3)

The Bedwarmer's Son

The Homemade Housewife: The last book you will ever need on homemaking and frugal living

Slime Recipes : DIY Recipes to Make the Perfect Slime

Cookie cookbook. 100+ cookie recipes: Most popular and easy cookie recipes. How to make cookies. Baking cookies

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My Frugal Ways this Past Week 4/22/18!

These flowers were covered in snow a few days ago and just like that we have Spring!   I have so much to do outside now and I'm already exhausted trying to keep up!  I'm so happy Spring has finally Sprung!   

Here are the way's I saved this week:

I started off this week by returning things. The flip flops I ordered didn't fit just right. I was almost going to just put up with the tightness around my toes when my husband said, if I were you, I would just send those back.  It's just a hassle to return things I ordered but I managed to make myself put them go to the post office. Now, the money is my pocket and not just sitting in the closet, never to be worn.  

I picked up a small bottle of vitamins that said they were on sale for $3.60 or at least they were in the slot that said $3.60.  I looked on my receipt when I got home and they were $19.67!  Does this happen to you?  I took them back right away and bought a much larger bottle, same stuff, and same make for $11.00.  

This week we went to a church sale, estate sale, and a garage sale. Among other things,  I was able to buy books, one bag of silverware, one bag of spoons, clothes for the grandchildren, clothes for the husband, spray nozzle for daughter's sink, and a duffel bag for me.  Now, we can use a spoon to stir our coffee instead of turning a fork upside down.  Spoons are like socks in my house, they disappear. 
  

The picture above is from the estate sale. We always look for the small stuff that help our household if we don't see anything else.  I paid $6.00 for the  basket, wax paper, plastic wrap, garbage bags and embroidery thread. After I sorted the embroidery thread I ended up with 80 skeins. 

I made up more chili mix.  Some cold winters we can go through quite a lot of chili to help keep us warm.  The Chili Mix recipe will be coming soon.  

I went to Kroger and bought the cereal that was on sale Saturday for .99 cents.  They didn't have the hamburger or the snack bars that were advertised though.  My total came out to $70.44 so I was able to use my coupon I received in the mail for $6.00 off of $70.00.  After my coupons and bottle returns my total was $56.00.  

I took the Kroger survey at the bottom of my receipt. Gas prices have just skyrocketed so we need all the discounts we can get.

Goals:


I got into cleaning the living room last week when we had our last fire of the season.  We burned every box and piece of wood that was beside the fireplace.  That one thing led to another and the living room was officially Spring Cleaned.

For some reason I keep dodging cleaning the den. I'm going to make myself go back there this week.  

What are the ways you saved this past week?  

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Free Kindle Books for Today 4/21/18!

The links in this post may contain affiliate links.   When you order from something from one of my links I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you.  You can read my  full disclosure policy here. Thanks so much for helping support Vickie's Kitchen and Garden! 

Free Kindle Books for today 4/21/18  Make sure you check the price before you buy, Amazon prices can change frequently. If you don’t have a Kindle you can download your favorite Kindle Book on any tablet or smartphone with a free Kindle Reading App

Not This Time: A Contemporary Christian Romance (Jasper Lake Book 0) 

Coffee and a Beagle: Sweetlin Bakery Series Vol 1 Christian boxed set (Sweetlin Bakery Boxset)

On the Wings of a Whisper: A serialized historical Christian romance. (Sonnets of the Spice Isle Book 1)

Crochet: Learn How to Crochet the Catherine Wheel and Bavarian Crochet Stitches 

RAISED BED GARDENING: A DIY GUIDE TO RAISED BED GARDENING

Guilt-Free Cookies: 15 Low-Carb Chocolate Cookie Recipes (Gluten-Free, Paleo Snacks, Desserts) 

The Secret of Camp Whispering Pines (Samantha Wolf Mysteries Book 2)

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Free Kindle Books for Today plus Kroger's Free Friday Download 4/20/18!

he links in this post may contain affiliate links.   When you order from something from one of my links I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you.  You can read my  full disclosure policy here. Thanks so much for helping support Vickie's Kitchen and Garden! 

Free Kindle Books for today 4/20/18  Make sure you check the price before you buy, Amazon prices can change frequently. If you don’t have a Kindle you can download your favorite Kindle Book on any tablet or smartphone with a free Kindle Reading App

Rocky Mountain Oasis (The Shepherd's Heart Book 1)

Unraveled (Emerald Cove Book 1)

Superior Justice (Lake Superior Mysteries Book 1) 

SUNDAY SAUCE - When Italian Americans Cook: Secret Italian Recipes & Favorite Dishes .. Italian Cookbook with Clemenza Spaghetti & Meatballs Sunday Sauce Godfather Gravy

Instant Pot Cookbook: The Easy 5-Ingredients Or Less Instant Pot Cookbook- 101 Quick, Simple And Delicious Recipes Made For Your Instant Pot High Pressure Cooker Cooking At Home( Simple Cooking) 

The Homemade Housewife: The last book you will ever need on homemaking and frugal living

Book for kids: Diary Of A Minecraft Parrot 1 (Parrot's Diary) 

Kroger's Free Friday Download!  

FREE Kroger Kettle Chips
Receive ONE (1) FREE bag of Kroger Kettle Cooked Chips, 8.5 ... more

Exp 05/06/2018

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Book Review of A Mother's Gift plus a $50 Amazon/BN GC Giveaway

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A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard

BLURB:

For Leah Otto, marrying Jude Shetler is a long-held dream come true. As a young girl, she was captivated by his good looks and talent as an auctioneer. When Jude, now a widower with three children, begins to court her, Leah doesn’t hesitate. Other men may not appreciate her tomboy ways, but Jude values Leah’s practical nature and her skill with the animals she tends, and both enter the marriage with joy and optimism.

Three months later, Leah feels as if her world is coming down around her. Her twin teenage step-daughters, Alice and Adeline, are pushing boundaries and taking far too many risks, while five-year-old Stevie deeply misses his mother. Leah, more at ease in a barn tending her goats and chickens than in a kitchen, struggles with her housekeeping duties.

Then a baby is abandoned on their doorstep, and Leah must search her soul. Caring for little Betsy fills her with renewed purpose and the strength to begin pulling her family together. With Jude’s steadfast support, Leah finds that what she once thought of as a happy ending may be something even better—the beginning of a life rich in love, faith, and unexpected blessings.

An excerpt from A Mother's Gift:

“Leah, your life will change in ways you can’t anticipate when you marry,” Lenore began softly. She rested her head against the headboard, grasping her daughter’s hand. “When you move into a man’s home—”

“Oh, Mama, you’ve already told me what to expect in the bedroom,” Leah interrupted with a nervous giggle. “It’s not as though I haven’t seen the deer and the horses mating.”

Lenore closed her eyes, praying for words that would gently pierce the balloon of maidenly naiveté in which Leah seemed to live. “There’s more to marriage than mating,” she whispered earnestly. “You’ll be moving into a home where Jude and his kids have established their routine. We’ve both heard the rumors about how Alice and Adeline might be behaving inappropriately during their rumspringa—”

“They’re sixteen, and they’re very pretty,” Leah quickly pointed out. “Twins are inclined to get into double trouble as part of their nature at that age. I certainly found mischief during my running-around years.”

Lenore sighed again. She wished Raymond were here to help her with this difficult discussion.

My thoughts:  

A Mother's GIft was just such a joy to read.  Packed with romance, action, and traditional Amish family life, there was never a dull moment. So much was happening that I wanted to know every detail and I never wanted to skip a page!   

This story is about the Amish but this is a story that should resonate with everyone.  Amish or not we all have our challenges with raising a family and we all try to find a solution that works for them.  I give Leah a lot of credit for staying strong even when the going got tough. She always tried her best to be the most loving and caring Mother to all of the children.   

What a great story for Mother's day or any day for that matter.  This one is a keeper to put on my book shelf to read again!   

A great, great read!  


About the Author:

Charlotte Hubbard is the acclaimed author of Amish romance and fiction that evokes simpler times and draws upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi. Faith and family, farming, and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle—and the foundation of all her novels. A deacon, dedicated church musician and choir member, she loves to travel, read, try new recipes, and crochet. A longtime Missourian, Charlotte now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and their border collie, Vera. Please visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.

You can follow this book tour here.  

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received this book from the author.   I was not required to write a positive review.  


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