Product review; sampling the January Goodies box

I love getting Goodies boxes because the products included are often perfect for the lunch bag. These last couple of days I sampled the hummus and dip, the cookies, the falafel chips and the berry fruit chews. So far, Goodies samples from the January box have been a hit! Everything was outstanding and I cannot wait to go through the last remaining items.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the January Goodies box!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - chocolate cookies, two in a bag and guaranteed free of nuts!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - nice and crispy as well as a lot of chocolate flavor!

 Of course I had to try the chocolate cookies. With two in each bag, this was a perfect afternoon snack. The cookies has just the right mix of crispy and flaky. I really though enjoyed the flavor; the cookies tasted real like chocolate had been baked into them!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - hummus and chips that do not need refrigeration!

 I also had to sample the hummus. I got the original flavor, which made me happy. I prefer original flavor over the fancy flavors since I actually like chickpeas and so the original flavor maintains the most of the chickpea flavor. As you can see the pita chips were a good portion and I actually had hummus left over to pair with other chips at home after I was done at lunch. The hummus portion was definitely plenty. Everything tasted good. The pita chips were nice and crispy and the hummus smooth and just the right hint of spices.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the whole wheat pita chips

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Falafel chips and a large portion to boot!

 Today I decided to sample the falafel chips as well as the druit chews. The falafel chips were branded as spicy, but while they were flavorful, I would not describe the flavor as spicy. I could not detect a lot of spice in the flavor and they certainly were not hot to me. I ate the bag by itself; I would recommend using either hummus or a cheese or savory spread to go with the chips.The chips on their own had a nice flavor, but they were not really spicy in my opinion.
The second item I sampled for lunch were the fruit chews. I got mine in berry flavor and berry flavor they had. Opening the bag, I felt surrounded by berries because the bag literally smelled as if filled with dried raspberries. The chews were just the right consistency, not to soft and hard enough to last some time in your mouth. I thought the berry flavor was really natural and strong. These were next to the chocolate cookies my favorite item so far. Going into the sampling I would not have expected the sweet items to beat out the savory items since I usually prefer savory items to cookies and candy.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the Berry fruit chews, a punch of fruit flavor in the little bag

Review: Goodies January box

Today the January Goodies box came. I am not sure if there was a specific theme for this box, but as always the contents were healthy, containing many natural ingredients and showed a great variety in product types. They included a soda, which I was happy about because I love trying out new beverages. I would more often buy special sodas, but it is so hard to find single serving sodas these days and I hate to buy 6-packs and then realize that the flavor I imagined the soda to have is nothing like the flavor that soda ends up having!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Goodies January 2013 box exemplifying what product discovery is all about!

As you can see from the image, I got

• original flavored hummus dip and pita chips
• spicy falafel chips
• chocolate cookies
• berry cassis soda - really excited about this one since I love black currant-flavored beverages
• berry fruit chews
• whole wheat raspberry fig bar - I never really liked the original Fig Newtons so I have high hopes for "Raspberry Newtons"
• blueberry granola

Everything is one serving size and a wonderful variety of healthy products as in prior Goodies boxes!
I have not tried anything yet, but the soda and chocolate cookies are definitely tempting. I will pack the hummus dip and pita chips for lunch tomorrow and may include the fruit chews as well.

Some subscription services raise an expectation in subscribers that boxes will be a bargain with boxes worth more than what people pay for them. For Goodies, I personally never consider that principle to apply. The reason Goodies stands out to me that I have usually found each box to only contain products that were new to me. Goodies really stands for product discovery. So yes, I may find chocolate cookies in a box, but the company making the cookies is not a company I have heard before and in most cases I may not even be able to find the products in my regular grocery stores. I love that Goodies challenges my taste buds every month; either by introducing me to a soda, as in this box, that is a mix of black currant, tangerine and lemon or by introducing me to sunflower-based mint chocolate cups. Of course, each box will have one or two favorite items, but for me to assemble this collection of food, I would either have to mail order full size items at higher prices or drive around town and visit several stores, hoping to find single serving-sized product there.

If you are interested in having your taste buds challenged on a regular basis and want to subscribe to Goodies, please visit their website at Goodies.co and put in your information. They are continuously sending out invites, but be prepared to have to wait for a couple of months since the company seems to be continuously growing and it takes some time to catch up to all the invite requests.

Disclaimer: I received a Goodies box for a subscription fee of $7. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own and have not been influenced by Goodies, Walmart or any third party.

Freebie: Sample of Downy Infusions™ Honey Flower and Shimmer Unstopables

Go to their website here and request a free sample.

From the Downy website, it seems the scent is a mix of creamy jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, and sweet rose and the scent combination is called Honey Flower. It can be used like a regular fabric softener.

If you create an account at PG Everywhere, you can request a bunch of sample for P&G products as well as request several coupons. P&G provides samples at specific intervals and so you can sign up for all the available samples and you only need a couple of minutes for processing the request. This is a lot more efficient than signing up for each sample individually.

I just requested mine and the sample is still available! I also got samples for a bunch of other P&G products, plus coupons!

Sunday morning Kroger bargain shopping trip

This morning I decided to go to Kroger and use the digital coupons for free products that I have been collecting and, not surprisingly, I found a couple of other items as well.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - all this for less than $3 at S. Roxboro Kroger!

 Included in my shopping trip was  Noble Tangerine juice, which was reduced to $1.99. I figured my immune system can still use all the boosts it can get and this juice is high in Vitamin C, but also tastes good. I also purchased the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, which were on sale for $1.49. They can stay frozen and when ready, you just add some lettuce for a restaurant-style salad. I bought the cranberry chicken variety because I love Raspberry Vinaigrette. I used a $1-off coupon to make the price even better.

The remaining two products were totally free.Through digital coupons on the Kroger site I was able to get Carnations Breakfast Essentials in vanilla flavor and the regular Egg Beaters for free. That saved me more than $7.50 alone!

So this morning the grocery store run proved to be good for bargain hunters. If you want to use some of these deals, make sure to get a Kroger card and then regularly check their site for digital coupons that give you free products! Happy bargain hunting!

Product review: Big Game CraveBox

Today I received the Cravebox to go with the Superbowl next week. The box was sponsored or associated with Zatarain's, similar to the earlier box last year that was titled "Cooking Light" Cravebox. I expected several Zatarain's products and was not disappointed. Cravebox provided a wonderful variety of products and everything included is going to be used for the Superbowl party. The beads will  be used for decoration,  but the rest will be gobbled up during the game.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - everything you need to throw a NO-themed Superbowl party!

 In the above photo you see the whole goodness of the box. I was extremely happy with the selection and the amount of products included. Every item goes well with the theme of a Superbowl party and the Superbowl happening in New Orleans. I am also happy to see a mix of new item and old favorites. Cravebox definitely got it right with this box. I you are interested in subscribing to Cravebox, go to Cravebox.com and sign up for an account. You will have to enter a credit card that gets charged for every box you sign up for. Cravebox is not an automatic subscription service, meaning you do not get a box, unless you specifically request it. I like this feature about Cravebox because depending on the time of year, I may have so many things in my freezer that I really do not want to find any more food at my door.

That being said, Cravebox is now starting a feature in which you can subscribe to a series of boxes with a common theme. So you are able to sign up for a series, paying for all boxes in advance and are thereby guaranteed to get each box in the series. So if you feel very strongly about books and Cravebox decides to put together a booklovers series, you can sign up for all  boxes, pay in advance and then know that you will receive each box in the series. I am still somewhat on the fence about this proposal since I like to decide based on theme, current pantry state and travel plans whether getting a subscription box with food is a good idea.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - product discovery! mustard by Zatarain's, should go well with spicy sausage

 This product I am particularly excited about. I am sucker for mustards and I actually look forward to trying out new varieties. I had not even seen this Zatarain's mustard at the local grocery store and I cannot wait now to try it out. It is nice and coarse, so it should be quite flavorful!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - who can say no to beans and rice? Put them in a crockpot and enjoy!

 I am so happy they included this basic staple of NO cooking. I will likely make at least one box as a vegetarian dish.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - I have the chicken in the freezer already for a mild jambalaya!

 I love jambalaya and with the chicken in my freezer I can make an excellent mild Jamabalya. I also have polish sausage frozen, which I can use for a more spicy version. I may just put both boxes into the crock pot and add a bunch of finely chopped chicken for a party-size jambalaya.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - all that spicy food calls for some iced tea and I love True Lemon mixes!

 I love True Lemon products and have sampled the flavors of original Lemon, Lime and Orange so far. This is new to me, but I appreciate that True Lemon products are all natural and so getting iced tea that is natural, but easy to prepare, is definitely something I like. With all the spicy dishes that I can prepare courtesy of Zatarain, we will definitely need something to cool our burning throats!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Creole seasoning to add spice to your meat or veggies!

 This should be good to add some spice to regular vegetable or white meat dishes. I still have plenty of chicken in the freezer and I can see myself adding some of this seasoning to it and some vegetables for an easy dinner.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - great selection of products and keep in mind I got two of each!

 The video describing the contents in more detail is below. I am very with the Big Game Cravebox. All the products are items I can use and a couple of them are new to me like the mustard and iced tea mix. From a cost perspective, this is a great bargain since I only paid $15 for the box but ended up getting more than $30 worth of products.

Keeping in mind that prices differ across the USA and certain items on sale will be significantly cheaper, I took the prices from amazon.com (and even here prices can differ based on the company offering the product).
True Lemon Iced Tea, 6 packets -- $2.50 x2
Zatarain's Creole Mustard, 5.25 oz. -- $4.49 x2
Zatarain's Creole Seasoning, 8 oz. -- $6.99 x2
Zatarain's Jambalya Mix (family size), 12 oz. -- $2.50 x2
Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, 8 oz. -- $2.00 x2
+ some beads!

Disclaimer: I received this product collection through Cravebox in exchange for a subscription fee. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have not been influenced by Cravebox or any other third party.

Freebie at Kroger (card required): Egg Beaters

If you have a Kroger card, please go the their digital coupon site (you will need to create an account, if you do not already have one) and you can download a free Egg Beaters carton. You must do this TODAY. The coupon will automatically be added to your Kroger card (no printing of paper coupons!) and then applied at checkout when you purchase a carton of egg beaters.

Kroger digital coupon site:

www.Kroger.com/DigitalCoupons

free at Kroger grocery stores until 2-9, you must download the digital coupon to your Kroger card!

Product Review: Effie's Homemade - Oat Cakes

In my most recent Goodies box I had a small sample of Effie's Homemade - Oat Cakes. Initially, I was somewhat suspicious because Oat Cakes simply sounded too healthy and I was worried about the cracker-like cookies tasting too dry and not having much flavor. In other words I was expecting the things to taste like wood shavings. I was totally off. These little cookies are absolutely delicious.

Who would have thought oatcakes could taste this good? (source here)

The oat cakes taste like a mix of toasted oats, butter and sugar and while totally different in texture from shortbread, just like shortbread they are to me a comfort food-type cookie.

On the website at Effie's Homemade here, they recommend or suggest to pair the oat cakes with sharp cheddar, tea, jam or chocolate. But quite frankly, I simply ate the oat cakes like cookies because I wanted to enjoy the flavor. And this got me going on my new mission, finding a good recipe for homemade oat cakes. So I googled for Scottish Oat Cakes and found several recipes. I finally settled on this one here because it uses real oats, not oatmeal, and standard ingredients that I always have in my pantry. The comments from people having tried the recipe are good as well and describe the recipe as easy and the oat cakes as delicious. So in the near future, I will be attempting homemade oat cakes.

Product review: MorningStar meatless patties in chicken or burger flavor

Through bzzagent, I was able to obtain a free package of MorningStar meatless patties. They are offered in a variety of flavors and I chose the Chik Patties (see for a detailed description here) and the Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers (see the product page here). I chose these two products because I like spicy items and figured the Bean Veggie Burgers were naturally spicy, while the Chik Patties could be combined with a spicy salsa to make a spicy sandwich on their own.

The nutritional information is impressive on both products. The Chik Patties have 64% less fat than regular chicken patties and contain only 5g total fat per serving. The Black Bean Veggie Burgers have 73% less fat than regular ground beef and contain only 4g total fat per serving. I had friends over for lunch and served both products to compare and sample Morningstar products.The flavor was as impressive as the nutritional content.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Chik Patty on English Muffin with spicy corn salsa and hash browns - Delish!

Both products are easy to prepare. You can either microwave them or grill them for the burgers as well as prepare them in the oven. We microwaved the patties since we were meeting for an informal lunch and people were coming at different times. As you can see in the image above, I paired the Chik Patties with a corn salsa that was somewhat spicy and used an English Muffin as the sandwich underlay. I also had some hash browns that had a little heat added through bell peppers and onions.

The patties and burgers are the ideal size for English Muffin or you can even cut down more on calories by using sandwich thins, which are about the same size as the muffins. One patty is certainly filling and so we ended up mixing and matching both products so that each person could sample burger and chik patties. Everyone was impressed by how well the meatless products tasted - you certainly did not miss the meat and if I did not know any better, I could have sworn the Chik Patties contained chicken meat.

I can highly recommend MorningStar products, especially if one your resolutions for 2013 is to live healthier or watch your fat content during meals. MorningStar patties represent a healthy and satisfying alternative to traditional meat patties for burgers and sandwiches. I certainly will consider adding MorningStar regularly to our diet and may even participate in their Meatless Monday program. You can find information about this great program that has the possibility to let you win prizes here.



Disclaimer: I received a coupon for a free Morningstar product through bzzagent.com. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have now been influenced by bzzagent or any other third party.

Fighting the Flu coupon giveaway - a collection of high value coupons to get your medicine cabinet stocked up against flu and cold!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Fight the Flu giveaway with samples and high value coupons

Getting you over the flu myself, I know that the bug is still going around and is actually expected to hit real high levels in January / February. To help my readers be prepared against the flu / cold and all the nasty symptoms that go with it - I will host a coupon giveaway for a variety of remedies against the cold / flu and also include items that boost your immune response.

The giveaway package consists of:

• 2 coupons for $1 off each Advil Congestion Relief
• 1 coupon for $3 off Afrin Nasal Spray
• 2 coupons for $1 off any Children's Advil product
• 2 coupons for $3 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin-D (10 count or larger)
• 1 coupon for $1.50 off any one Airborne Product
• 3 samples for Airborne (hot soothing mix, refreshing mix, effervescent tablet)
• 2 samples of Emergen-C (Blueberry-Acai and Super Orange)

This collection of medication and immune supplements should help in kicking any cold or flu! Now that I am almost fully recovered, I want to make sure that my readers can get bargains for relief, in case the cold or flu hits your home!

Rules for the contest:
1) Subscribe to the blog
2) Add a comment mentioning your favorite flu or cold remedy (can be the most effective or the one you like the best - like plenty of ice cream for a sore throat)

Deadline:
all entries must be received by Noon EST 1-30-12. I want this to be a quick giveaway to make sure that the winner, drawn by selecting a random number, gets their package in time when the flu is supposed to reach its peak!


Good luck!

Product Review: Resolutions Box by Cravebox

I have frequently blogged about Cravebox, a product discovery service that compiles goodies into boxes matching specific themes. The first Cravebox for 2013 was the Resolutions box. I was hoping for items that would ensure 2013 getting off to a good start and Cravebox delivered exactly that.

Since I am currently still struggling with the aftereffects of the flu, no video, but more pictures in return. My voice is still hoarse and so a video would not turn out too good. But the images should tell you that this box was filled with goodness and a lot of items that can make 2013 a healthy year - and as an added bonus provide me with nutrients that boost my immune system and help me overcome the flu!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the whole goodness of the Resolutions Cravebox!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - who does not like coupons for free products? I certainly love them!

 As you can see from the image above, they did include coupons, but they were for FREE products. One coupon was for a free Wholly product, love their guacamole and cannot wait to buy their appetizer and serve for my Superbowl party! Then they also included a coupon for a free product from Smart Ones - perfect for a lunch at work and healthy at the same time. I know with one product coupon I will face the problem of which product to choose. I am just looking at the selection here, Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata, Fettucini Alfredo or Chicken Enchiladas Suiza - what to select, they all sound sooo good! I also got a nice little paperclip from Wholly that I can use to collect my coupons for each shopping trip. But the goodies did not end there.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - fruitbars galore and they are ymmy!

 So this product was new to me. I never had a Sunrype bar before, but the blueberry pomegranate fruit bars taste so good and they do provide you with two servings of fruit in a handy bar. I took one to work the other day and did not have to worry about mushy bananas or bruised apples, yet still was able to eat my serving of fruit for lunch! So convenient are these bars, but they also taste good!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - drink mixes with health benefits, who does not like those?

 The Cravebox also included another new product, Cocoavia drink mixes. These mixes are based on Cocoa, but you can mix them into milk or just water. This is a variety pack that contains two chocolate flavored as well as two fruit flavored mixes. They are low calorie mixes and according to the company's website, the Cocoa flavanols contained in the mixes are scientifically proven to help support healthy circulation by helping your blood vessels stay flexible and expand as needed. You can read more about the health benefits here.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - tea and nutrition bar to kick the flu goodbye for good!

I got a nice nutrition bar from Simple in Cranberry Almond and a sample of healthy tea by Celestial Seasonings. The Metabo Balance Wellness tea could not have arrived at a better time to get me over the flu. It is advertised on the Celestial Seasonings page as a green tea to support metabolism and combined with garcinia cambogia and other botanical ingredients. So it will be good to drink a cup of that every day!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - diet soda. I already tasted the 7UP and it is very good!

I can always use soda in the house, so convenient to take to lunch at work.These are new to me, I have not even seen them in the store.I already sampled the 7UP and it tastes really good. I cannot detect a chemical aftertaste, so I am optimistic about the rootbeer as well. Anyway, soda in cans is not that often found in my house, so this is a nice treat to pack for lunch and use instead of the drink mixes and lemon slices in water for a couple of days.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - last, but not least, a wonderful MaryKay product and a sample from Pantene

 To top off this box - keep in mind it only cost $15 - was a full size product from Mary Kay that alone cost $40! The wonderful people at Cravebox decided to include the Timewise Eye Repair. This should make my eyes look better after haven spent several sleepless nights with the flu. I know it is a Resolutions box, but it also works wonders when getting over the flu. I also get a sample of Pantene Moisture Whip Mousse, which I had been able to sample earlier and loved. So I am excited about getting another sample because I love how this product straightens my hair and adds a nice gloss.

Overall considering the price I paid for the box, this was an outstanding Cravebox. I really liked that this box had some totally new products for me and every product included fit the Resolutions theme for a healthy 2013.

Disclaimer: I received the products included in the Resolutions Cravebox for a nominal fee and in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and have not been influenced by Cravebox or any other third party.

Influenster - Palmolive Fresh Infusions Voxbox

Through the Influenster Voxbox program, I frequently receive new items that are just appearing on the market. Last week, when I was still suffering from a bad flu (despite getting the flu shot!), my day was significantly brightened by the arrival of a Voxbox. This Influenster box contained three full-size bottles of a new Palmolive dishwashing detergent in wonderful scents.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - my Influenster Palmolive Voxbox package, plenty of coupons for sharing!

The new line of Palmolive premium dishwashing soaps is called Palmolive Fresh Infusions and came in three different scents:

• White Tea and Ginger
• Lime and Basil
• Lemon and Thyme

The soap is available for around $2.99 at local Walmart and Target stores. You can read more about the new dishwashing soap by Palmolive here.What I really was impressed with was how little of the soap I needed to clean even stubborn messes, such as baked on tomato sauces. Just a drop into the water was enough to remove the caked on dirt and the smell would have been overpowering had I added more to the dishes. I am currently using the White Tea and Ginger variety and I really, really like the scent. It does not smell like your usual dishwashing soap, but much better and leaves the dishes and the whole kitchen smelling refreshed. The scent of ginger and white tea is not overpowering, but the dishes smell clean and for someone like me who does not like overly strong perfumes, this dishwashing soap is the perfect scent for my kitchen.

I had some friends over last weekend and they were also commenting on the new dishwashing soap. First, the bottle does not look like your usual dishwashing soap bottle and then, as I was doing dishes after lunch, they also commented on the scent and how refreshing it smelled. I showed them the other bottles and one of my friends really liked the lemon / thyme scent, but the other two friends agreed that the ginger / white tea combination is outstanding.

As you can see from the video below, I am a big fan of Palmolive dish soap to begin with, but these new scents are outstanding and I really like the look of the bottle. It has the perfect smalllish footprint to put and LEAVE right next to the sink and it is still powerful to clean your dishes.

Disclaimer:  I received free full size products of the Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soaps thanks to Influenster.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and have not been influenced by Influenster, Palmolive or any other third party. Additional reviews for the Palmolive soap can be found on the Influenster page here.

Book review: A Gift from Tiffany's by Melissa Hill

Sometimes the best laid out plans fall apart and then anything can happen. This is exactly what Ethan Greene experiences. He had it all planned out with a romantic vacation in New York during Christmas time accompanied by his little daughter and girlfriend. This vacation was supposed to culminate in a proposal with the perfect ring from Tiffany’s, ending the loneliness after the loss of his wife. But it all turns out differently because right after he leaves Tiffany’s with engagement ring in hand, he witnesses an accident and all things go haywire from there. 

Ethan’s romantic adventures become intertwined with those of Gary Knowles, the accident victim, who had also been to Tiffany’s to pick up something for his girlfriend. He wants something not too marriage material, but still likeable, just like he views Rachel, his current girlfriend. Unsure about his commitment to Rachel, he asks for a nice gift for his sister, figuring that anything from Tiffany’s will make Rachel happy and a sister-like gift will not raise too high of an expectation in Rachel about their future. As it turns out, each man is in for a big change from their anticipated New York vacation because a tiny mix up happens. 

Melissa Hill creates a wonderful romance story that teaches out that life sometimes has other plans for us and going with the flow can often be better than planning everything to the tiniest detail. Her story A Gift from Tiffany’s contrasts two male protagonists and their very different approach to life, one easy going and carefree, the other filled with responsibility to this daughter and careful action. In the end, both find happiness, but in different ways than either one expected. 

This was my first book by Melissa Hill and while her story can be described as traditional romance, the book is anything by boring and predictive. The ending is surprising, the tone upbeat and the events described comical. The characters are well developed and very believable. I really enjoyed the comical reactions of the characters to some of the events they experience. This book was a very quick read because I had a hard time putting it down once started and I really enjoyed the style in which the author describes both characters in the story and the events in the storyline.

Book review: Becoming Clementine by Jennifer Niven

A follow up to her bestseller Velva Jean Learns to Fly, Becoming Clementine continues the exploits of Velva Jean Hart during World War II. Velva Jean Hart, originally from Appalachia and now a member of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP), moves from a WASP to a no-nonsense Allied spy in occupied France. In the process she changed her identity to Clementine Roux, but at the same time she continues to draw from her roots growing up in the tough mountains of Appalachia to survive as an enemy agent in occupied France. 

Velva Jean, a co-pilot on a flight to drop off agents in occupied France, finds herself literally stuck in occupied France after her plane crashed and all but a handful of passengers are dead. She meets Emile, a member of the French Undergound, becomes Clementine and continues to collaborate with other members of the Underground to successfully complete missions, while at the same time trying to find her brother Johnny Clay who is missing in action. Despite the action-heavy adventures of Velva Jean, the book is written like a story that still invites the reader to cuddle up in front of a roaring fire and enjoy the storyteller that Jennifer Niven is. The romance angle is covered as well since in Emile, Velva Jean also finds love, a love for which she is willing to risk her life. 

I have to admit that I did not read the earlier books by Ms. Niven that dealt with Velva Jean’s life prior to this book and I am not certain if it would have made a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it is a mix of romance, adventure and history book. I learned quite a bit about the role and origin of the WASP, an organization that I knew existed, but its meaning and relevance really I had not fully grasped until this book. The storyline is fast paced, romance is definitely present, but plays a minor role in the story. 

Living in North Carolina, I am always interested in reading books by authors from this state and Ms. Niven, as I found out while researching this author, hails from North Carolina and has written her heroine Velva Jean to be from this area as well. This may explain to some degree why I enjoyed the book so much, but I really have to give credit to Ms. Niven’s excellent historical research and her writing style, which reminds me of the storyteller tradition in Appalachia. Her book is reading like a story, easy to follow, despite the storyline full of adventure. Ms. Niven is a true modern day storyteller.

Harris Teeter Bargains - Saturday 1-5-13

Today, an early morning run to Harris Teeter generated some great bargains.

The Saturday special were Lysol wipes (35 count), priced at 97 cents a container. This was combined with a 50 cents coupon of the Lysol.com website that doubled, generating a saving of $1 and pricing two Lysol containers of Lysol wipes at less than 97 cents.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - yummy biscotti from Biscotti Brothers and Lysol wipes from Harris Teeter

In addition, I found at my South Durham Harris Teeter Biscotti from Biscotti Brothers (7oz.) on sale, likely reduced for the after Christmas clearance. Originally priced at $4.99, they rang up at $3.50 and the two containers I grabbed had another sticky coupon for $2 off.

My total purchased ended up being $4.06 with a total saving of more than $13.00. Not bad for an early morning shopping trip.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - total $4.06 for two biscotti and two lysol wipes packages

Do not forget, tomorrow Harris Teeter has a Sunday special of 18 HR large eggs for $1.97. This offer is valid for Sunday only.