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Book Review: The Alice Network
There are two kinds of flowers when it comes to women…the kind that sit safe in a beautiful vase, or the kind that survive in any conditions…..even in evil. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn Since reading THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY and THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, I have wanted to read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING related to WWII. I REALLY go in phases when I read…I guess I am in my WAR phase this year. All the way last year, one of my sweet IG friends recommended THE ALICE NETWORK, and I finally got around to crossing it off my TBR list and I am SOOO glad I did. THE ALICE NETWORK…
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Crockpot Cinnamon Applesauce
Living in the middle of an orchard has one MAJOR benefit…ALL THE FRUIT WE CAN EAT!!! BUTTTT…there is a drawback too. Sometimes during the Fall, I start to sound like Forrest Gump…apples, apple pie, apple cake, apple crisp, apple sauce…and then we get to the point where we don’t wanna see another apple…UNTIL NEXT YEAR:) But since we are JUST getting started on our store of apples for the season, it is crockpot cinnamon applesauce on repeat at Orchard Slope!!! Just as a warning, this IS NOT a healthy recipe in ANY way…besides the fact that it contains apples. There is nothing diet, or keto (actually I have no clue…
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Walmart Wednesday: Walmart finds for FALL
This week at Walmart I wandered out of the Christmas decor aisles and hit the jackpot on cute Fall clothes…I swear Walmart is REALLY upping their game lately. Here are my favorite budget Walmart finds for the week. This top was my FAVORITE find and I plan to go back in search of other colors. Unfortunately, I could not find it currently online:( It is NOT true to size (not ok for me and my mom tummy), but I sized up 2 sizes and it is long enough to cover my tum and my bum…win win!!! I cannot EVER have too many cardigans, and this Time and Tru cardigan looks…
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Book Review: Cilka’s Journey
Since reading THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ (see my review here) I have been devouring ANY and all WWII books that I can get my hands on. It is just such an emotional part of our history and I find myself drawn to the individual stories of the survivors and their strength to endure in the most horrible conditions. CILKA’S JOURNEY by Heather Morris is based on the true-life journey of Cilka Klein and her life AFTER surviving the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We first meet Cilka in THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, when, at the age of 16, she arrives at the camp. Cilka is beautiful and strong and attracts the attention…
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Simple 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cake
If you know me at ALL, you probably know that I DO NOT love making dinner. Cooking is just something that I do to survive. I REALLY don’t LOVE it. BUT BAKING…that is a WHOLE other story. Because no matter HOW hard I try to make dinner taste good…it is NEVER gonna be as good as ANYTHING with chocolate chips or a cup of sugar…it just ISN’T!! The only thing that stands in the way of me and baking…TIME. I swear every time I find a recipe, it calls for ingredients I DON’T have, takes 2 hours, and uses words like sift and let stand…both of which I do not…
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Book Review: EVERLESS by Sara Holland
You know that old adage, TIME IS MONEY?? Well in the book EVERLESS by Sara Holland, time actually IS money!! Jules lives in the kingdom of Sempera where time is used as currency and only the aristocracy have enough of it. When money is owed, the TIME is extracted from the debtor in the form of blood. Then the iron is rendered from the blood and becomes iron currency. These irons can then be consumed, giving the person MORE time. Both cool and slightly revolting right?? Of course, there is a great discrepancy between the wealthy who have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, and those who are LITERALLY giving…
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Walmart Finds: Farmhouse Christmas on a budget
I adore going ALL out with my Christmas decorations, but buying new stuff each year can REALLY take a toll on my budget. That is why I was sooooo excited to see that Walmart had some AMAZING farmhouse Christmas finds this year…and all for VERY reasonable prices. BUTTTT I have heard from many of you that YOUR Walmart does not have the same selection. Lucky for everyone that a few of my favorites are available online. PLUS you can order them and then do FREE pick up at your local store. Just order what you love, and then pick it up a few days later at your own store…easy peasy.…
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Is the Downton Abbey Movie any good???
Well, I had well-intentioned plans of watching the new Downton Abbey movie the DAY that it came out in theaters, but darn it if life didn’t get in the way. So I am a couple of weeks behind schedule. BUT the only thing that matters is…WAS the DOWNTON ABBEY MOVIE ANY GOOD?? Let me just put it this way…if you loved the shows…GO SEE THE MOVIE!! Just so that we are all on the same page, you must know a bit about me. I believe there are only two types of people in this world…those who are mildly obsessed with Downton Abbey…and those people who I do not care to…
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The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey
I remember learning about the Holocaust as a young child and not being able to comprehend the atrocities of such a horrible event in history. And now, as an adult, I don’t think my mind is ANY MORE capable of comprehending it. But what draws me into books like this, is the feeling of HOPE…that even under the ABSOLUTE worst of circumstances, the human spirit can survive. “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is hands down one of my favorite books of this year because of the undying hope and love…even through the horrors of WWII. The “Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris is based on the the true-life experiences of Lale…
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How to survive a spending freeze
Today was our FIRST day of the October Spending Freeze and I already got lots of messages about…what do I do?? how can I last for a whole week??? What now?? SOOO I thought I would quickly go through and answer a few of the FAQ about HOW TO SURVIVE A SPENDING FREEZE. First things first: WHAT IS A SPENDING FREEZE?? And WHY?? A spending freeze or spending ban is simply choosing a period of time to go without spending money. You intentionally go without spending, then set the money that you WOULD have spent aside for savings, sinking funds, debt, etc. This is a great way to pay off…
