Book Review: The Scent of Cherry Blossoms

I have been getting books in the mail all the time lately. And with my larger belly, it has been nice to relax and read. This particular book was sent to be from the Blogging for Books program through  Waterbrrok Multnomah Press.

I have been given the chance to read several of Cindy Woodsmall's Books. Each of them usually focus on Old Order Amish life and I have really enjoyed each one. However, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms, was by far my favorite.  The story is a typical love story, one that reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. We have an old order Mennonite girl, Annie, who can't seem to find a place where she belongs. So she returns to live with her grandfather, Daadi Moses. Since the Mennonites are allowed to use electricity, Moses has been helping run a diner with an Old Order Amish family. The families have always been friends and helped each other. So when Annie returns to her grandfather's place she also helps out at the diner like she had in the past. However, this time it is different. The friendship that had been developing over the years between Annie and an Amish boy, Aden, quickly turns to love.

Although Old Order Mennonite and Old Order Amish are allowed to be friends, there are strict rules on marriage and love. For Annie to be with Aden, one would have to break their vow of faith and leave their family. Which could also lead to Moses dissolving his business relationship and the Amish family closing the diner.

I loved the way that this book switched between who was telling the story. It was great to get a feel for each character, their feelings, and their desires through the story. And there was so much more to it than just the forbidden love. We saw the struggles that any typical family would go through with the Old Order twists. And it was a great reminder that no matter what faith you follow, the same life problems will strike and cause you to make tough decisions.

I thought this was a great book for any female in middle school and up. It was a delightful easy read that brought out a lot of emotion out of this preggo mama.

Wegmans: Cheap Sorrento Products

I was super excited to see a quick sale on some Sorrento cheese products at my Wegmans. And the expiration dates were in May on the cheese. So I bought enough to last until then!!!

I believe that these deals are good only until April 7th!!!!!

   The 16oz block cheese is on sale for $2.99
                           Use the $1/1 from the 2/12 SS
                           makes this $1.99 each   (Wegmans brand is over $4!!!)

                           The Ricotta was the same price and there should be another $1  coupon in that same insert

                           to get it for $1.99


And my favorite find: My Wegmans also had the shredded mozzarella that is new from Sorrento marked to $2.99. There was a recent $2/1 coupon. So these were only $0.99!!! I cannot find the coupon in any of the databases, but it was in an insert with Ken's dressing on the front for me and it was very recent!

Book Review: The Coming Revolution

All of a sudden I had tons of books to review. So I apologize that there will be a ton of these for a little bit as I have finished a few of the books. But some of the books were absolutely amazing. So I am excited to share as well.



The book that I have to share with you is The Coming Revolution, by Dr. Richard G Lee. I received this book for free from Book Sneeze in return for my honest review.

As I read the beginning of this book, I was brought back to History class. Much of the book is dedicated to stories and examples of the incredible making of our country. It was fun to go through some of the  stories that I had forgotten or didn't have totally clear in my head.

Reading over what foundational ideas this country was built on was a great reminder of how hard the American people have worked in the past to get the freedom and liberties that we have today. Dr. Lee uses much of this history combined with a comparison of what other countries are doing to start his argument that we are now heading in the wrong direction.

When I chose this book as my next Book Sneeze request, I was actually thinking how much my husband would enjoy this because he shares many of the same views as Dr. Lee and loves History. But in the end, I actually enjoyed reading this book as well. If I were to read this book again, I would have my husband read it along with me because it is a great discussion starter. Whether you agree or disagree with what the author has to say, it gets you thinking about our past, our present, and the future of this country.

More IP match-ups for Wegmans

Here are some deals if you are willing to print a coupon or two. :)

Healthy Choice Complete Meals $2.99
use $1/2 print here
to make it $2.49 each

Seapak item psa $5.99
use $1/1 facebook coupon
prices vary

Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 13fl oz $2.49
use $0.75/1 from coupons.com
doubles to make it $0.99

Carefree 20ct liners $0.99
use $1/1 printable here
makes this free

KC Masterpiece BBC $1.89
use $0.50/1 from coupons.com
doubles to make it $0.89

Clorox Bleach 96oz $1.99
use $0.25/1 from coupons.com
doubles to make it $1.49

Starkist Pouch psa $1.39
use $0.50/1 from facebook
doubles to make it $0.39

Kraft Homestyle Mac n Cheese $2.49
use $0.75/1 printable here
doubles to make it $0.99

Lucky Charms cereal 2/$5
use $0.60/1 from pillsbury website
doubles to make it $1.30 each

Naked Juice 15.3oz $2.99
use $1/1 from facebook
makes this $1.99

Arnold Health-Full Breads

As a bzzagent, I am sent all sorts of interesting products to try and bzz about. This has been one of the most delicious.

 I don't know why, but the pictures of the beautiful deli sandwiches that have been everywhere always make me hungry. And I think that a good sandwich starts with a good bread.

Sometimes I think that the healthy breads that are out there can sometimes be over powering. It is like they are too think for the rest of the sandwich and all you get is a bite of bread.

So I was excited and intrigued to try out Arnold Health-Full bread through BzzAgent.

I decided to try the Nutty Grain bread. It was soft and delicious. I couldn't believe the great flavor and the way it mixed so well with the roast beef and cheese I had selected. It was the perfect thickness as well. So when I took a bite, everything was in proportion. Now, not only is this bread delicious, it is also healthy. Here is some of the bzzz about the bread:

• 80 calories per slice, so you can focus on toppings and not on calories
• Excellent source of fiber, with 4 – 5g of fiber per slice
• 5g of protein per slice
• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• Available in four delicious varieties including 10 Grain, Nutty Grain, Hearty Wheat, Flax & Fiber
• Found in the bread aisle of all major supermarkets (check our product locator on loveyourbread.com for available varieties in your area)
• Online at LoveYourBread.com/recipes — visit the site for delicious sandwich recipes to help you fall in love with lunch again

I look forward to my next Health-Full sandwich!

I might actually make a stop at Tops this week!

So, I have been looking over some of the current deals at Tops and actually found some that might make a trip inside worth my time. Here are some of the items I might check out:

Ricola Dual Action Cough Drops 2/$3 until 3/31
use $0.75/1 from 1/1 SS
doubles to make it free

Olay Bar Soup 4ct $2.99
use $2/1 from P&G
makes this $0.99 each

Barber Stuffed Chicken $3.50
use $1/1 from 2/26 SS
makes this $2.50 each

Furmano's Diced Tomatoes $10/10
use $0.50/2 from
doubles to make it $0.50 each

There are other items on sale and I will update if any of them jump out at me....




And you might just want to take a look at the candy asile. I heard that some of the kit kats and other candies had $0.75/1 peelies on them. I believe that they may have been or are on sale for $1.50. So these would be free after doubling!

My past two Wegmans stops!

Well, I have not posted a picture in a long time. I haven't really had a chance to do any great couponing in a long time. But with the baby coming in a couple weeks, I think it is time to start stocking up on easy to grab things from the cupboard. Not that we eat like that all the time, but I am going to need all the help I can get.

So, here are some of the items I grabbed last week. I bought multiples of most, but it is easier to just put a couple in the picture.

A bunch of the items had coupons that were expiring that day. And I apologize that I didn't notice the deals before the day of. :(

Q-tips 375 pack $2.59

used $0.50/1 from RP expired (doubled to make $1 off)

stacked this with the $0.50/1 in the Wegmans winter savings coupon booklet

made these $1.09

Italian dressing (had a $0.70 off coupon that expired 2/26 and doubled)

Lipton tea $1.39

used $0.40/1 doubled/expired

made this $0.59

Knorr noodles $1.09 each

used $0.50/2 doubled/expired

made these $0.59 each

Lipton soup recipes $1.69

used $0.60/1 doubled/expired

made these $1.09 each

Dole fruit in juice $2.39

used $0.75/1 from 1/8 SS

doubles to make it $0.89

(I think there is a $0.50/1 printable here)

Yoplait with granola $1.99

used $0.75/1 from 2/5 GM

doubles to make it $0.49 each

Purina Chew-eez $0.99

used $4/4 coupon from 12/4 SS (expires today I think)

made these totally free

And the pyrex dishes were on sale with coupons hooked right on to them. They were $3.99 and then the $1 off made them $2.99. There were plenty of other sizes available on sale as well. I have a strange addiction to pyrex dishes. I love them and prefer them over tupperware. So I am always glad to get more on sale!

All in all, I only saved about $40 total from that trip. It wasn't great but it was better than I have been doing.

So I went back to Wegmans today, bound and determined to do a little better.

And I did, but it still wasn't great. In the end I saved over $70 in this trip. Most of what you see above was bought in quantities of 4 because Wegmans will double 4 like coupons in a trip. I try to stick by the rules, so there may be stores where you can use more, but as it was I handed the poor girl about a thousand coupons with some that were for free items. So I didn't want to put her through anything else. Not to mention that my cart was totally full. So I will go back with the remaining coupons I still have to continue to stock up. Some people might think it is weird to buy 4 jars of jelly at once, but remember you want to get it at the lowest price possible and stock up so that you never pay full price!

Welch's jelly $1.99

used $0.55/1 from 2/12 RP or you might be able to print from here

double to make it $0.89

More of the yogurts I mentioned above at $0.49 per package

Lucky Charms 2/$5

used $0.50/1 from smartsource.com or from couponnetwork.com

doubles to make this $1.50 each





Stouffer's Mac and Cheese Family Entree $4.99
used $2/1 from 1/29 RP #2
makes this $2.99 each

French's Fried Onions
used $.50/1 from 2/12 SS
doubles to make it

Duncan Hinse cake $3.39
got this free from a coupon a company mailed to me :)

Blistex Chapstick $0.99
used $0.35/1 from  1/22 SS
doubles to make it $0.29 each

Keebler Dark Stripe Cookies $1.99
used $0.55/1 from  2/19 RP
doubles to make it $0.89 each
(I just found that you can print a $0.70/1 from snackpicks which would be even better. )

Obviously to save over $70, there were some other purchases, but I thought that these were the most notable.

Have you seen any great Wegmans deals lately?

Finally a decent diaper deal!

Well, I will be headed to Rite Aid tomorrow for some diapers. Finally there seems to be a decent price.

I have heard that the buy $30 get $10 +up deal is printing after only purchasing $29.97. I don't know if I am brave enough to try. I might add a Vick's item or some wipes.

But for those of you that are brave enough, here is the deal:

Buy 3 packs of Pampers $9.99 each ($29.97)
-use 3- $1.50/1 from coupons.com or $2/1 from the P&G home mailer

At best you would pay $23.97 out of pocket after coupons.
Then you would get $10 +up for spending $20
and get $5 +up for monthly deal (only until 3/6).

So that would be $8.97 at the least after the $2 coupons and the plus ups. That is less than $3 per pack. Too bad this is a limit of one per household. I would love to do it twice!!!

I am also going to see if I can pick up some of the free softlips while I am there. But since it will be  Monday, I have a feeling that deal will be gone. :(