The Unfinished- A Short Story

The Unfinished by Patrice Williams-Marks

 

 

 

 

The Unfinished is not a normal book i would pick up and read, but i was surprised, and i actually enjoyed the story and loved the fact that even in the end it kept me guessing what came next.. The Unfinished is based on a period in the future where you can be brought back to life for 72 hours. The part of the story that keeps you guessing is when you realise why they were brought back and why only  72 hours. The fact that this is a short story makes for a short review so that i do not inadvertently give away the whole story line.

It was a fairly easy to follow short story, and yes, it is a short story, but over all it has a good story line and i look forward to reading part 2.


You can purchase it for Kindle here : The Unfinished







I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Savory Seasons Review

If you are like most people, you want to have a Holiday Party or gathering and stay within your budget.
I love having company during the Holidays and am always on the hunt for something new and different, yet cost effective that i can serve my guest in a hurry.
I recently had the chance to try The Original Savory Saltine Seasoning. It's really very cost effective and it will make your guest say "mmmm" .
You can add the whole pack of seasoning to 4 sleeves or regular Saltines, or you can do it 1 sleeve at a time. It makes for a great stand alone treat or you can serve it with a dip or spread of your choice.

The whole process took me about 3 minutes flat to make a sleeve of crackers. I served them with chili last night just to get a reaction and a feel for how my family would like them. They enjoyed them and ask for more, In which i quickly whipped up another sleeve.
Now, i still have enough seasoning to do 2 more sleeves for another night when my family wants a treat.
I will definitely be purchasing some more of this for my Holiday gatherings and to have on hand for unexpected guest.
 I think they would also be great to take along when my son has a sporting event , they would make a great snack for us without the expense of the costly concession stands.

You can purchase your own Savory Saltine Seasoning HERE

Country Bob All Purpose Sauce Review & Giveaway

And the Bottom Line is....

I am always searching for new seasonings and sauces to turn the same boring dishes in to something new and creative that my family will eat.  I buy a lot of Boneless Pork Loin because I can usually find it on sale, but it gets harder and harder to make it in to something “new”, the same with chicken and beef as well. On any given evening you can find me throwing spices, seasonings, salad dressing, whatever I can find in to a bowl to make a new taste.

I am always hesitant to buy marinades and such because they are the same ole flavors, and they really don’t vary much by brand. Now…here comes Country Bob’s.

Country Bob’s most popular sauce is the original All Purpose sauce, which I had never experimented with before. So out comes my boneless Pork Loin and the All Purpose Country Bob’s sauce.  The pork Loin was thick so I cut a slice right down the middle where I poured in my Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce…and put my Pork Loin in the oven to slow cook…within an hour the smells coming from my kitchen made my mouth water. I just knew this was going to be a winning sauce for us if it tasted as good as the smells coming out of the oven.

I was not to be disappointed. The savory flavor was more than I had bargained for and it was delicious. It was a mix of sweet yet tangy and the meat was flavored just right. My Pork Loin was a huge hit with my family and I know now, it will be a hit at my Holiday gathering.  My kids said it was probably the best tasting sauce I had used so far. Score 1 for Mom!

Country Bob’s also has several other flavors such as Honey habanero, Apple chipotle and BBQ, as well as Seasoning salt. I can’t wait to try them all, I am sure they will be a hit just like the Original was.

Country Bob’s has graciously offered one of my readers’s some Country Bob’s Sauce of their own!

Enter on the Rafflecopter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not paid for this review. Country Bob’s provided the product for the review but all opinions are my own

Win Tickets to the Titantic Holiday Event in Pigeon forge, Tn

 I am so excited to be a part of this awesome event! i would love to see the Fireworks on Thanksgiving evening and even though i live 30 minutes away i have never visited this event and have always wanted to as i love History! Enter for your chance to see our Titanic Fireworks Display on Thanksgiving evening! Hurry. This contest ends on November 11th. Winners will be announced on November 12th, 2012 on Titanic Attraction web and social media channels (@TitanicMuseumAttraction). Enter here for your chance to win:  http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com/fireworks_contest.php Top Winner: a family pass to the Titanic Museum Attraction for Thanksgiving Night, a photo of your family, and a $100 gift card to our Titanic Museum Attraction gift shop in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Runner Up: a family pass to the Titanic Museum Attraction for Thanksgiving Night, a photo of your family, and a $50 gift card to our Titanic Museum Attraction gift shop in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Titanic Museum Attraction closes Centennial Year with Fireworks .Major Disney-style fireworks, holiday-themed events help wrap up 100th anniversary Pigeon Forge, TN – A year of paying tribute to the 2,208 souls aboard Titanic comes to a dramatic and energetic conclusion this Thanksgiving at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  The night sky will be filled with a major fireworks show on November 22, 2012, to celebrate the lives and legacies of the ship’s passengers, crew and rescuers.  It will be the largest fireworks event on the Smoky Mountain Parkway since the Titanic Museum Attraction’s grand opening in 2010. “We wanted to end the Titanic Centennial year on a note of celebration and hope,” said John Joslyn, expedition leader of the first private exploration dive to Titanic and co-owner of the Titanic Museum Attraction.  “We knew a fireworks show such as the one that helped open the museum in 2010 was the perfect way to provide a celebration in honor of the passengers and crew rivaling anything they could have hoped for if they had arrived safely in New York a century ago.” The Thanksgiving fireworks provide an opportunity to reflect on the sense of hope and wonder each passenger and crew member must have felt as they climbed aboard Titanic. It also provides an opportunity to look forward to that same sense of hope and wonder found in the Christmas and holiday season.  The annual tradition of a magical snowfall from the ship’s bow will be renewed on Thanksgiving weekend and continue every Saturday in December. Father Christmas, dressed in a style most familiar to the children aboard Titanic in 1912, will also be visiting the Pigeon Forge museum on those magical snow days to greet the museum’s guests. Visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction will also be able to view thousands of holiday lights, Edwardianperiod decorations, costumed merry-markers, and a magical Gift Shoppe brimming with original, one-of-a-kind gifts. “Every day, but especially at Christmas, we remember and honor the men, women and particularly the children who sailed on the Titanic.  At this special time, our guests truly experience what it was like onboard the ship in 1912, and how it might have looked on a Christmas voyage almost 100 years ago,” says Joslyn. The winter events continue at Titanic Museum Attraction into January with the return of the attraction’s annual national ice carving competition on January 19, 2013.  The competition, held under the auspices of the National Ice Carving Association, is an exciting one-day event attracting world-class professional and amateur carvers competing before a crowd of wonderstruck children and adults alike. Information about these and other winter events at Titanic Museum Attraction can be found online at www.titanicattraction.com.  The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, opens daily at 9 a.m. Reservations are strongly suggested since many days sell out entirely. Passengers may purchase tickets online at www.titanicattraction.com or by phone at (800) 381-7670.

Chobani Yogurt Review & Giveaway

Pumpkin Bread made with Chobani? 

Well, yes, I think I shall. Who says yogurt is just for eating from the carton? I love to come up with new ways to make normal cooking healthier and more exciting. I decided tonight to make Pumpkin Bread using Chobani Yogurt instead of egg's.  It was actually really simple, as I used a Pumpkin Bread Mix , 3 tsp of EVOO and 1 carton of Non-fat Plain Chobani Yogurt with 1/2 cup of water. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I wanted to try something new. It was great. The taste was much better than any normal Bread I have made before, very moist and delicious. 

With that project a success, I decided to try another. I used a standard beer bread mix but instead of oil and beer i used Chobani Honey Yogurt and a tad bit of water just to make it thinner. Again, a success....

Chobani is made with only natural ingredients. You can use it in recipes, substituting for eggs or use any great recipes they have listed HERE

It is also great to eat alone. My kids love Chobani, and Chobani champions.

Chobani is offering one of my readers to win a variety pack of their own Enter on the rafflecopter below a Rafflecopter giveaway I was not paid for my opinions. Chobani provided the product for my review but all opinions are my own. Savings4sanity is not responsible for shipment of prize.

Home Improvement

Most people do Home Improvement in the Sprint and Summer, but because Winter is slow in our business, we try  to do ours during this time of year.

Our home is over 100 years old, but it is large and comfy enough to hold my big family, which was a huge factor when we purchased it 7 years ago and remains a huge factor still today.

The bad part is that in most rooms, it looks 100 + years old. We have updated the dining room and are almost finished save for the flooring. It was necessary to do this room first because i decided that the ugly pink wallpaper had to go...well the wallpaper ended up being 7 layers of wallpaper with plaster behind it, the plaster decide it had to come down with the wallpaper, so we were left with no choice but to tear out all the plaster in this room and replace with drywall, and we added higher more open ceilings without the "popcorn" finish.  The floors are hardwood, original to the early 1900's, but sadly they are warped in places and we cannot find any flooring to match ( i have scoured old houses, craigslist, etc) but the few pieces i did find were way out of budget.

Budget....now that is the key when doing Home Improvement for us. Quality materials but within our price range, so the overall picture may end up lasting years before i get it done. I hope not, but with prices soaring daily, you really never know. We are doing all the work ourselves, after all, Construction is our business. ( we actually do Steel construction but hubby is a master at all things Home improvement minus electric and heat and air work)

We are currently updating the main bath in the downstairs. In April of 2011, we had major floods here in East Tennessee, especially right in my area, now, my house sits on a hill, so it should not have been a problem, but all the water ran down the hill and pooled in our basement and crawlspace, which in turn caused major damage in our floor joist in the bathroom ( We did not have Flood insurance because we are nto considered to be in a flood zone), so the floors have been replaced. We have purchased new cabinets and sink and now have to replace drywall and the bath tub/shower. This, i am not looking forward too as i need to find quality products that will last as well as fit in my small budget.

Next up, which i hope to get a good start on this winter, is my Kitchen. I cannot afford to totally replace it as hoped, so i have taken a different approach. My counter tops  will be redone using Giani Granite paint kits ( which i cannot wait to review...it is on it's way) , so now i need to decide how to redo my cabinets ( they are very dark original wood and some will need repair ) . I want to strip and paint them in a lighter color, but need to find just the right stripping agents and tools . I need to tear down wall paper and decide what to do with the walls ( not much wall space to worry about as my kitchen is super tiny, which is not good when you have a large family such as mine) and i would like to replace the small floors with a decent flooring ( i have not made any decisions yet as to if i will do tile, laminate, etc)

My husband has informed me that the Kitchen is my project. The work shall be done by me and that if i finish everything else, he will then help with the floors provided i make the choices and stay within a small budget.

Not many women would take this on, but me, i am determined.
So now, it's research time, and hopefully i can find more great companies like Giani who would love to help with my Kitchen project just so i can prove to my husband that i can do this, and show other women and men alike how to give the Kitchen a whole new look on a budget.

Boylan Bottling Winter Wonderland Review & Giveaway

Have you ever wondered what a Winter Wonderland would taste like?

I can tell you…but you will want to go out and experience it yourself with Boylan Bottling Company.

Boylan sent me a package of the Winter Wonderland Boylan flavors and they are simply delish!

The Winter Wonderbox includes three bottles of each of the following flavors: Root Beer, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry and Creamy Red Birch Beer. My family loved all the flavors. 

They all come in Glass bottles, which i think is just WOW! 

My youngest son took one drink of the Creamy Red Birch Beer and needless to say, no one else had a chance to try it, even though we had 3 bottles, he quickly claimed them. He said it was the best he has ever tasted and insisted I get more.

The Ginger Ale was really a great flavor and very smooth, I would not drink any other brand after tasting this. I used one bottle to make a punch with a bit of Orange Flavored Sorbet and it turned out really awesome.

The Root Beer was also a big hit in my family. I am not usually one to allow my kids a lot of carbonated beverages but the ingredients in these are perfect and and not highly sugared as you would expect.

The Black Cherry was also great and quickly gone from the box.

The Winter Wonderland Box would make a great Gift for someone on your list this year that enjoys quality beverages at an affordable price.  You can get the whole case of 12 for only $15 and the box is comes in is pretty awesome in itself!

I also plan to order some just to have on hand for my Holiday gatherings, your guest will be in awe at the burst of flavor coming from these cute retro glass bottles. ( I love, love, love the glass bottles)

Boylan’s beverages are available in 20 different states and 3 Continients.

Boylan has graciously offered to give one of my readers the chance to win a Winter Wonderland Mix of their own.

Enter on the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Savings4Sanity is not responsible for the shipment of the prize. I was not paid for my opinion but received the product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and based on personal experience.