Author: Angie

Mom, blogger, social media influencer, healthcare worker

Slumberland Book Tour & Giveaway

Slumberland By Derra Nicole Sabo Genre: Biography

How do you dream? Are your dreams in color or black n’ white? Do they feel surreal or all too real? Well, I’d like to introduce you to my little slice of bittersweet. These subconscious woods hold every fear and my anxieties masked are as wolves. Nightmares that play on a loop for weeks, even months at a time. Symptoms of waking in cold sweats and shaking. The only moments of peace are found in the sporadically studded dreams that happen every now and again. These woods house every past demon as well as certain past versions of who I once was. This place is worse than death, yet it inspires. So… …Before my alarm clock goes off, before I take the last train out of here, I take one last glance back, one last glance at all of the Polaroids pinned to every tree branch, polaroids of every dream and nightmare that have stolen my nights since ’95… These dreams…these woods…this place…it’s my upside down… This is my Slumberland… Reviews: “I enjoyed ‘Slumberland.’ It is a poetic, dark, abstract look into Derra Nicole Sabo’s dreams. I was reminded of many odd and repetitious dreams. I really liked Sabo detailing how the unfamiliar and the familiar can offer both comfort and terror to the dreamer. I’ve always known the fact, but had never thought about it in those terms before…” “I enjoyed weaving through every retelling of the author’s remembrance of her dreams and nightmares. How she explains their importance through reflection of them is an eye- opener too…”゚゚ “there was something about Slumberland that resonated with me. It is, in essence, a collection of short dream stories that are weaved together in an inexplicable way. The author goes kind of dark, but her phrasing is beautiful. It is abstract and poetic…” (the little widgets after the reviews are supposed to be butterflies…if you can get them to be them? lol) Add to GoodreadsAmazon * HigherGroundBooks&Media

My name is Derra Sabo…I am California born and raised. I spend my days writing, sipping on coffee and listening to music. When I’m not busy typing away, I love spending time with my family and friends. Days spent at the beach ended by burgers at In-N-Out. Growing up I wanted to become a fashion designer/ drummer, but somewhere along the way writing grabbed ahold of me and I’ve never looked back. Over the years writing has aided in healing from my past. Being born and living with a rare disorder led to being bullied throughout life as well as surgeries growing up. Writing and music are my sanity. Website * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads

$20 Starbucks Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saint Justice Book Tour & Giveaway

Saint Justice A Christopher Wren Thriller Book 1 by Mike Grist Genre: Thriller

A thousand homeless ripped off the Chicago streets. A biker gang slaughtered in a Utah police station. A terror conspiracy like nothing in history. “This is addictive, intelligent, edge-of-your seat writing – as urgent and gripping as it gets!” – bestselling author Oliver Harris. When rogue DELTA operator Christopher Wren uncovers a vast warehouse crammed with human cages in the deserts of Utah, the payback will be swift and righteous. But Wren soon learns there’s far more than caged humans at stake – a terrifying conspiracy stands poised to forever shatter the United States, leaving only blood and sorrow behind. Wren will never let that happen. Not on his watch. Justice will be done. Saint Justice launches the Christopher Wren thriller series with explosive originality, packed with roller coaster twists that will leave you hungry for just one more page. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, Mark Dawson’s John Milton and Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp. Add to GoodreadsAmazon * WebsiteDon’t miss the other books in the series!

Monsters A Christopher Wren Thriller Book 2 Goodreads * Amazon

Reparation A Christopher Wren Thriller Book 3 Goodreads * Amazon**New Release!**

Ghost War A Christopher Wren Thriller Book 4 Goodreads * Amazon

Mike Grist is the British/American author of the Christopher Wren thriller series. For 11 years Mike lived in Tokyo, Japan, exploring and photographing the dark side of the city and the country: gangs, cults and abandoned places. Now he writes from London, UK, about rogue DELTA operator Christopher Wren – an anti-hero vigilante who brings brutal payback for dark crimes. Discover Mike’s other books and his stunning ruins photography at his website http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

$25 amazon gift card Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Value Of Timber On Your Land: FREE Resource

It’s not something I’ve put a lot of thought into. In hindsight, maybe I should have. We hired some arborists to cut down a few dead trees for us a couple years ago. We did keep the fallen timber to use in our fire pit and wood burning furnace. So, I guess we didn’t waste it. But we only live on about an acre. I know a number of people around us have acres of land with lots of trees or fallen timber.

Have you ever wondered about the value of the timber on your land? Penn State Extension has released the “Value of Standing Timber” publication. It helps land owners and loggers learn the economic value of standing timber and how it’s determined.

This 24-page publication describes methods for estimating timber volumes and values in a simple, easy to understand, manner. It will also help landowners and loggers understand how the value of timber is determined and, in turn, provide them with increased opportunities for obtaining a fair market price when selling timber, said Dave Jackson, extension forester and publication co-author.

The publication is available as a free downloadable PDF; printed copies are available for purchase. To learn more, visit https://extension.psu.edu/valuing-standing-timber or call 877-345-0691

I looked over this myself. It’s highly informative with helpful illustrations and tables. It covers a number of steps to take to prepare you for getting a good value for your standing timber. As well as information about how it’s valued at more. Education is the best way to make sure you’re not taken advantage of!

This is a great time to start preparing wood for the winter too. It needs to dry out for several weeks to a couple months to make good firewood. I know in my area, there are always people looking for firewood for small things like fire pits to necessities like heating their homes.

If you own wooded acreage in my area another way to make money off your land is to let hunters pay to hunt on your land. Hunter find it appealing as there is exclusivity to it. The land isn’t over-hunted.

About Penn State Extension

Penn State Extension is dedicated to translating scientific research into real-world applications to drive progress. In support of Penn State’s land-grant mission, extension programs serve individuals, businesses and communities, while promoting a vibrant food and fiber system, a clean environment, and a healthier population in Pennsylvania and beyond. With support from federal, state and county governments, the organization has a tradition of bringing unbiased information and support to the citizens of Pennsylvania for more than 100 years.

How Knowing Your Plants Can Save You Money

For way too many years, I took for granted the “weeds” that were growing in my yard. I thought they were good for nothing but making my yard look bad. Then after learning a common weed in my garden was actually edible (and not half bad) I wondered else I didn’t know about the weeds in my yard and garden. Turns out, it’s a lot.

It is important to note that you should NEVER consume plants/weeds that have been treated with weed killers or certain lawn products. If you’re not sure, it’s best not to consume it.

Just another weed in my yard?

A landscaping company posted a picture of a weed I commonly see in yard.

Crushed or chewed then placed over a bug bite, mosquito bite, bee sting, rash, or acne as a poultice and bandaged these plant is said to be able to help draw out toxins. Do a quick search and you’ll find several recipes for salves and balms using the broadleaf plantain. It’s said to be a digestive aid as well. B&D Landscaping’s facebook post has a wealth of information about this plant and uses.

Broadleaf plantain is also edible in salads or added to recipes.

That Sticky Plant

On another occasion, while harvesting raspberries from the wild raspberry bushes we have growing in our yard, I came across this invasive weed. It was so long and sticky. It was starting to wrap around the raspberries. I wondered what it was since it was touching some of the raspberries we were going to consume. Turns out this weed has many names: Clevers, sticky willy, coachweed, goosegrass, and a few other names.

Probably my favorite thing to learn about these was that you can make “coffee” with them. Cleaver is actually part of the coffee family. Yes, those little sticky, fuzzy berry looking things. You can pick them off, dry out, then roast them in the oven, then grind them up and make coffee. Be warned the process is time consuming. Picking all those stickly little berries off takes a while and you need a lot to brew a pot of coffee. I tried it though. It wasn’t half bad. The leaves and stems are edible as well and can be added to stir fries, salads, and soups.

Cleaver is said to have diuretic properties and has been used for kidney and urinary tract ailments.

People actually plant this one on purpose!

Purslane. This is the one I often saw growing in my gardens. Almost looks like a succulent to me. I found out that not only is Purslane edible but quite nutrient dense for a little plant containing antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron, Potassium, and Manganese. Phew! Now that’s a hard working plant.

You can eat it raw by itself, mix it into your salad, or add it to your dish. You can easily find Purslane seeds and plants online. In fact, Purslane is commonly grown, on purpose, in many other countries.

The multitasker of the weed world

Dandelions, we all know them. Dandelion greens can be eaten. The petals can be turned into teas, wine, jams, or jellies. You can use the root for dandelion root coffee.

Dandelions are also said to have medicinal properties. A quick search will have you finding tinctures, tonics, and many other medicine cabinet ideas for dandelions.

The more I learn the more I realize the culinary adventures and medicine cabinet stocking I can do. And that saves me money! I’m also interested in learning more.

I love seeing companies like T1 payments that care. Donating to the South Florida Fairchild Botanic Gardens. I truly believe that there are so much more we need to learn about plants. There could be one out there that could be the cure for an illness, or an affordable option to help stop hunger.

This post is sponsored by Diamond Links.

Ideas For Finding Staples During the Pandemic (And Maybe Save Money)

People from all walks of life and across the board like to save money on things they needs or want. Why pay full price if you don’t have to right? With this pandemic it was almost impossible to find some things for a while. Things like: cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer, disposable masks, and even common grocery items like chicken, hamburger, and toilet paper were scarce.

More recently while heading to the store it’s been a little relief to see toilet paper, chicken, hamburger, and occasionally cleaning wipes on the shelf. It’s not the selection it used to be and the shelves aren’t full like they used to be though. If I see cleaning wipes I’ll grab a container while I’m out.

Watching numbers rise all over the country and seeing some states back track on opening phases and starting schools online makes me wonder if another shutdown and possibly scarcity is in our future again in the next few months. But how do you save money on these things and get what you need without being greedy?

Here are some ways I’ve found to make sure my family of 6 is taken care of without financial hardship.

Chicken: Going directly to the source and/or buy in bulk. We have a little country store near us that offers bulk meat deals near us. Also a small family owned grocery store that periodically offers bulk meat deals. I just ordered a 40 lb case of boneless skinless chicken breast for $48! That’s only $1.20/lb The last time I ordered it was $39.99 for a 40 lb case! When I get it home I break it up into freezer bags with about 2 breast in each bag. That case will last my family of 6 for 2 month or more. More recently I read an article where chicken ownership has become more popular among homeowners. I know my sister got chickens. You get gets and chicken in that deal!

Hamburger: Again the bulk deals are great. Some of the same places offering bulk chicken deals will periodically offer bulk hamburger deals. Another idea: My husband and I went in with my in-laws on a 1/2 a cow from a local farm. We ended up with about 35 lbs of ground beef, tons of steaks, soup bones, and roasts for $400. That was about 2 months ago and I haven’t even gone through half the meat yet. I figure if it lasts us 6 months then it will have cost $60/mo for all that meat. But I have a feeling it will last longer than that. I’ll have to let you know.

Milk: Milk delivery has picked up. In fact, we now have a milkman and we don’t have to leave our house for milk, butter, ice cream, sour cream, and lots of other products. They are even selling frozen pizzas now for a small business. The prices are very reasonable and you get a bigger discount the more you order. Milk can also be frozen. You just have to take a cup of milk out of the container to allow for expansion.

Not everyone is on-board with this option but I honestly love coconut milk and almond milk. It lasts a lot longer in the fridge too. I’ve been buying Silk unsweetened coconut milk and it doesn’t expire for 2 months! Plus you can find sales on it as well as coupons from time to time.

Fruits/Veggies: It’s summer so it’s certainly easier to get your hands on items. With roadside stands, farmer’s markets, and home gardens. Growing your own fruits/veggies is a great way to save money though. Land isn’t even a necessity anymore with container gardening and so many in-home options. Things like Aerogarden and Click and Grow Smart Garden have been becoming more popular because you can grow fruits and veggies all year long in a compact space. My husband is all into gardening right now and is talking about setting lights up and stuff in the basement. This might have to be a Christmas idea for him.

Another thing to consider with veggies/fruits is trading with neighbors. One year I had a huge crop of zucchini. I was trying every zucchini recipe I had. I even shredded some to freezer for later. But still too many. I gave some to neighbors and coworkers. In return I got things like rhubarb, tomatoes, and green peppers. It worked out nicely.

Currently, with things becoming available, it seems almost every company is putting out some type of hand sanitizer. My suggestion is to buy an extra bottle now for safe keeping (please be considerate and don’t buy out stores!). I also buy one extra pack of toilet paper than I would normally buy just to keep stock or buy in bulk when I can.

If you’re looking for ways to save money on groceries check out the article I linked to or search the term “save on groceries” in my search bar! I’ve done a few articles 🙂

Guys I’ve even recently started seeing deals on disposable face masks from reputable sites. Office Depot right now has a 50 ct box of disposable masks for $14.99 and free shipping. I ordered it myself and received it within 3 days!

The bottom line an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Take advantage of the deals now. Stock up with what you NEED for your family but be considerate.