Book Review: So Much To Celebrate: Entertaining the Ones You Love the Whole Year Through by Katie Jacobs

This is a cookbook with recipes and gorgeous food pictures. But what really sets this book apart from other cookbooks is the fact that it goes beyond the recipes and amazing pictures. The author does include seasonal party ideas and include some basic instructions for events such as a chocolate party or a harvest-themed party. I also liked the detailed instructions on some of the basics, such as how to make a really good pie crust.
Overall, this book is a great addition for the a beginner, but also for an experienced bake because the recipes include some more unusual items such as Peach Caprese Salad or Grilled Avocados with Picco de Gallo. Of course traditional recipes are also include such as cobblers, turkey burgers and chicken pot pie. I was thrilled to see a whiskey tasting party that we will use when the Kentucky Derby comes around and the Mother's Day tea Party that perfect for having a bunch of girlfriends over.
Love the many party ideas and also how well written and detailed the recipe guidance is. Overall, I am very happy with the book and while I bake a lot and cook meals every day, I still found some new additions to my recipe collection.

available on amazon.com

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Product Review: Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent

I was excited to try out the new (to me) Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent  in convenient packs. While i have problems understanding a certain hype among some people with pods, I definitely was excited to try out the detergent for its intended use - to get some clothes cleaned in a traditional washer and dryer.

I did not have to measure and while there is slight scent from Citrus and Cedar through the addition of essential oils and botanical extracts, the packs are good for your laundry and good for nature as well. Plus they are safe for kids and pets because they contain 0% dyes, synthetic fragrances, and artificial brighteners. Another good thing, they work in both HE washers and standard washers, even my 14 year old washer had no problems getting the laundry clean and all stains removed
Talking about stains, I picked my dish cloth to see if the spots and stains from putting wet dishes on this cloth three times a day would be cleaned using the Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent  It worked fantastic. I used cold wash cycle temperature to be easy on nature and my household bills and the stains came out like nothing was ever there. Must be the Quadruple-Enzyme Formula that is to so though on stains and despite being or maybe because it has a USDA Certified Biobased Product ranking of 94%, Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent  was a hit in my laundry routine.

How can you beat a product that makes the job easy (pre-measured packs), efficient (all stains are gone) and does something good for nature at the same time? This is a clear winner in my book.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - dish dryer clothes is good as new thanks to Seventh Generation detergent!

copyright Durhamonthecheap

Disclaimer: I received free products in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White

I call myself a neat freak, but I also feel that I could do with a lot less stuff in my house. Working full-time and having family obligations does not leave much time to declutter and start decorating rooms with a theme, so I was hoping this book would give me some ideas how I can clean up my house without needing to set aside time for projects etc.

The book does deliver on the basic promise that decluttering does not need to be a major undertaking that requires time set aside on weekends, but can happen as part of everyday life.  So for me this book was an excellent read.

One thing I like is that the author instills humor into the book. While the book is in general a hoe-to guide to clean up your act and your house, it is done so in an entertaining way that makes reading not boring, but something you actually enjoy to do. Which is important because I normally would not read a book in this subject since I also think that I do not have time to declutter to begin with. So after having started on this book, I made short mental notes about what to do in the breaks that I would otherwise sit around and drink coffee or wipe the kitchen counter for the 15th time that day. I use these breaks to declutter. If I see an old box in the pantry that I moved for the umpteenth time, I now take it and trash it. If it did not get used for the last year and the expiration date is way in the past, remove it. Same for clothing; I have in the past moved blouses around and around - still neatly hanging them in the closet, but now I have a second hamper in the bathroom for just these items that are intended for the donation door at the thrift store.

When I have more time, such as an hour, I actually tackle a closet in the kids room or a closet in the office and come prepared with plastic bag in hand. This gives me a reasonable timeframe to get something done and still does not require me to set too much time aside.

As you can see, the book is already paying off for me and I am sure it will pay off for most readers. Decluttering, I found, has another benefit. Now that I am removing items from the house, I also am very careful what is being bought. I do not want to reclutter my house and then have to go through the decluttering process again.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Product Review: Free & Clear Baby Wipes

I received recently a few sample packs of Free & Clear Baby Wipes. The sample packs were convenient sized to fit into a purse and use on the go. I took them along and found it is really nice to have clean wipes available, especially when you leave home with the kids. During flu season, it is handy to have wipes with you that are free of fragrance and can be used to wash hands before eating or wipe the table at the restaurant.

The Free & Clear Baby Wipes are not only good for you, but are also good for nature because they use 70% less plastic than the original wipes, thanks to the use of plant materials. In addition, they are free of alcohol, fragrances & dyes and the list goes on. They are also free of parabens and phthalates; and of course they are hypoallergenic. Despite they softness and the ease of which to use them on sensitive skin, the wipes are really strong, thick and a good size. We used them to wipe hands of the kids, then wipe the table and any seats at restaurants that were dirty. They never failed us, did not tear and still had plenty of moisture in them when we were done.

The kids prefer them to the antibacterial lotion that we normally use. So now, kids get the wipes, adult the lotion and we can hopefully avoid the flu for the rest of the winter.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - convenient small package to take the wipes along on the go

Disclaimer: I received free products in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book: Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering by Sarah Young

This book is for the coloring enthusiast. While the theme is Christian and religion, the images are very nice and offer a variety of scenarios. Words, nature and animals - something for every taste. I found the book to be high quality, the paper is nice and thick and will handle some erasing without tearing.

I also liked the ability to tear out individual sheets because we often share books and this makes it easy to work in a group. Pictures are on both sides of the pages, so I do not anything other than colored pencils.

The words are lightly drawn in and allow you to either trace them and leave them open or trace and then color them in. I am not sure I would have not preferred a normal dark line to begin with because for exercising writing free hand, I would use other books. But this is no big deal and may appeal to others.


Overall, this is a nice adult coloring book that allows you to use it in the group setting and share the pages. I also thought the quality of both the paper and the drawing were nice. I really enjoyed the variety of subjects covered.

Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Finish First: Winning Changes Everything by Scott Hamilton & Allison Fallon

With the Winter Olympics going on, this book was an interesting read on several levels. Mr Hamilton ended up winning a gold medal at the Olympics many years ago (not really that long ago, but in a sport that is dominated by a new crop of teenagers every four years, it does seem a couple of generations ago). He is using this book to excite people about demanding the best - of others, of themselves and of society. Figure skating was not a very successful sport this year for the US and some critics have said that the US skaters are not fighting enough and are not determined enough. Just today I was reading in papers that the skaters were missing their families and wanting to go home. While this is understandable, other nations have athletes too that are separated from their families and yet, these athletes seemed somehow more determined and more willing to compete for whatever it takes to win a medal.
Mr Hamilton in this book is addressing the fear that outcompeting and seeming too competitive is somehow a bad thing in this society, whereas other countries embrace. And not just in sports, but also in research and business. Competition is good according to Mr Hamilton and we should be excited to see where it takes us and when we hit the infamous wall. Seemingly appeasing people and trying to get along with people is not what brings out the best in us, competition will.
Will you succeed every time - No! But giving your best and trying your hardest to better than others is the only way that you will succeed in the end.
I think as a woman in a career dominated by males being too competitive is something that will seem negative to some supervisors. it is not expected behavior of women in the US and does not fit the female stereotype. You can either then settle for a middle of the road career that will never provide you with the chance to show your full potential. Or you can, and this is what I have done, do your best and push yourself, no matter what, showing excellence in as many things as you can. Eventually the environment will be right for you to shine and then you are ready, because you have striven for excellence all the time. I found this book to be very optimistic and inspiring. it does not paint the world as perfect, but it also makes sure that the only way you will find success is by trying your best every single time. 

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free copy pf the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Hello Mornings: How to Build a Grace-Filled, Life-Giving Morning Routine by Kat Lee

I am a morning person, but I have plenty of friends who could stay in bed until noon and still feel like they need some more rest. So I picked up this book to see whether this author really presented some useful tips on how to be a morning person and maybe I could learn something too in the process.

The author claims that three minutes is enough to get the morning off to a good start. Unfortunately, this includes bible study. I would have preferred if the author had focused on calling this process something more generic, such as reflection or meditation.  I find that some of the best books for life advice often curtail their target audience by limiting themselves in totally unnecessary ways. This too is one such book. Many people want to ensure that their day gets off to a good start and this book has some good advice. I think the author would have captured a wider audience keeping the book open to people of various religious backgrounds.

Overall, I liked the book and felt it was well written and contained easy to follow steps that made for a more effective start in the morning by providing something that many people are missing - structure. Even though it only takes a few minutes, having a plan and some structure I know helps me to get my morning started. Once I am in my routine, things flow and come naturally. I get stuff done without thinking about them in particular and actually plan my day and think about issues at work most effectively while engaging in that morning routine.

I recommend this book especially for busy moms that need to juggle job and family and take care of both in the morning. A well written book that can help people and  makes a morning routine something to look forward to and not a drag.

available on amazon.com

Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.