Book Revew: "Why you Say It" by Webb Garrison

I love language, words and history, so I was excited to get to review Why You Say It: The Fascinating Stories Behind over 600 Everyday Words and Phrases by Webb Garrison. This book is chock full of every day words and phrases and the history behind them.

The book is very well organized. It is primarily organized by type of saying, i.e. "The World of Entertainment," "The Great Outdoors," and "Making Fun of Others." Within each chapter is an alphabetical listing of each word or phrase within it. There is also an alphabetical index of every saying in the book.

I really enjoyed the educational aspect of this book, too. Not only did I learn new words and phrases (Donnybrook means a loud fight or fracas), but I also learned where some most common phrases come from (pretty penny is derived from a gold piece coined in 1257. Not very many were minted, so when a tradesman would see one, they were considered rare, good luck and were still shiny! Garrison writes, "Obsolete so long that it is seldom found even in a valuable collection, the 13th-century coin retains a tenuous hold in American speech after more than 700 years.")

I find that kind of information fascinating! If you do too, you should definitely read this book. For more information, visit Thomasnelson.com or  buy it on Amazon.com



Thomas Nelson has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book. This review is my own opinion and is not influenced by anyone.

Menu Plan Monday 3/29/10!

Well, my plan has changed since yesterday due to this massive rain storm. I decided not to go to the grocery store today. Hopefully tomorrow evening the rain will taper off some!


Monday:  canned soup
Tuesday: frozen meal, veggies
Wednesday: DH is making a Weight Watchers version of cheeseburger pie
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Crunchy chicken cheese bake from Relish!
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: EASTER!!!! MIL is serving lasagna... whatever. lol. I'll be making cookies on Sat for it! (Still looking for suggestions!)

Not a huge week... I tried to plan via the grocery circular but was lost a bit. Oh well!!

Magazine Insanity...

Yoday, J and I drove 2 hours north to  meet my brother's girlfriend for the first time! We met at a Cracker Barrel halfway between where we all live - and close to where My brother and I grew up. It was a good time,she seems really nice. Afterward, J and I drove 30 minutes to a mall that we both went to when we were growing up (separately!).

Since I would be spending so much time in the car, I decided to tackle my magazine mess. The magazines were already organized, but again there were so many that they didn't fit into my 2 holders. So I grabbed a big stack.

And read and  read! I read 14 magazines! Granted, some were food or others without tons of articles. But it feels good to get through so many! My magazines all fit in the holders again! And I think that I have received about all of my monthly magazines so if I can keep up to reading 1 or 2 a day, I'll be allcaught up by the time it starts over again LOL!

Quite a few are expiring within a month or two, though, thankfully :)

Anyone else have magazine issues? lol

Easter/Spring Cookie Recipies?

Does anyone have any good spring or Easter cookie recipes? I will be doing cut outs for Mother's Day. I was thinking something light and airy - like with lemon or lime cookies, but J doesn't think his family will like those. So maybe something with chocolate instead? I still might just make some lemon crinkles though lol

Please LMK if you have any suggestions!!

$1 doubled coupons at Stop & Shop again this week!

OMG you guys, last week Jeff  BANNED me from going to the grocery store again this month! I had overspent on my budget, and we had so much food here that we really did need to eat it before buying more (and that is why I haven't posted any menu plan recently.... that and my new work schedule) . I also need to eat before I go to the grocery store - I usually go directly from work and am STARVING by that time.

But, today I got this week's Stop and Shop flyer in the mail, and there were the 4 $1 double coupons. So I sweet talked Jeff ;) and this week I'll go to the grocery store.Thanks Stop & Shop! the best part is that I should have 8 coupons to use.

And I promised him, though i did it more for me, to look at the flyer and choose what to buy based on it nad my coupons and create a menu from that. I'm nervous but excited to try!!

(And btw... he didn't actually ban me. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. We came to a mutual agreement! )

Giveaway! 4 containers of Yoplait Greek Yogurt and a $20 Stop & Shop goft card!

Yay and thanks for stopping by my first giveaway!!

Review:
I jumped at the opportunity to review the new Greek yogurt by Yoplait. The funny thing is that I had just returned home from Stop & Shop where I bought a cup of the blueberry flavor. I was eager to try the two other flavors - honey vanilla and strawberry (there is also a plain flavor). Now, I eat light yogurt almost every day. Mostly I use it on cereal in place of milk. I had wanted to try Greek yogurt for awhile but was afraid it would be too sour, so this was the perfect opportunity.

The first flavor I tried was strawberry. I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet it was. Not as sweet as regular yogurt, but  not as sour as I thought it would be. The yogurt was also really thick. I found the same for the blueberry, though it was a little less sweet than the strawberry.

I approached the honey vanilla with some trepidation... but again I was surprised. Yes it was more sour, but it wasn't pucker your lips sour, jsut more tart. I mixed it chocolate granola to make it a little sweeter, and with the ticker yogurt, it seemed like a more filling breakfast.

Verdict: Two thumbs up. While I wouldn't eat this every day, due to the calories, I would eat this on occasion or when I would need a more filling breakfast. I am not scared of Greek yogurt anymore!!

Product Info: Each cup contains 130 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 12 grams of protein - two times that of the leading yogurt - and is available in four delicious flavors, including Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla, and Plain. In addition, Yoplait is the only leading brand of Greek yogurt with Vitamins A and D.

Giveaway:

One lucky reader will receive four (4) coupons - each one good for one free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt AND a $20 gift card to Stop & Shop!

Mandatory Entry:

 Tell me what flavor of Yoplait Greek yogurt you would most like to try. Please leave your e-mail address as well so I can contact you if you are the winner!

Extra Entries:

Please leave one comment per entry.

~ Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter name in you comment)  (2 entries)

~ Tweet the following (you can tweet daily): Win free Yoplait Greek Yogurt, Stop & Shop gift card @lbandj. http://lbandj.blogspot.com/2010/03/giveaway-4-containers-of-yoplait-greek.html (1 entry)

~ Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect (2 entries)

~ Subscribe via RSS (1 entry)

~ Grab my button (2 entries)

~ Blog about this giveaway and include a link to this page. Leave the link to your post in your comment. (5 entries)

Rules: Open to U.S. only. Giveaway will end April 1, 2010. Winner will be chose using random.org and will be notified via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their mailing information. If no confirmation in that time a new winner will be chosen. Good luck to all entrants!

Discliamer: Stop & Shop and Yoplait provided me with the free product, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark ™ All opinions are entirely my own.

Free pack of 5 Gum!

Ok, this is really cool! Go to 5react and click on "See if you arechosen" You will have to connect with Facebook, then there is some cool stuf, then a form to get your free gum will open.

Yay for free gum!!

Freshening up!

Wow, today was a GORGEOUS day!!! J and I ran some errands - I FINALLY updated my phone, and we also got free Italian Ice and Rita's. Mmmm. Then we did some yardwork and cleaning. And we also put out the outdoors chairs, so now we can sit outside on our patio. i love spring!

I am also refreshing up my blog, adding a few things, like my sig here. Found an easier way, thanks to katydidandkid.com and mombloggersclub.com If anyone knows how I can add my button with the html code under it to my blog, please LMK.

Fiber One 90 Calorie Granola Bar Review!

I received a free sample of the 90 calorie Fiber One chocolate bar in the mail, so I thought I'd review it. *note I did not receive this product from the company to review, nor is my review influenced by them*

I eat granola bars every day, either as breakfast or a morning snack. Fiber One bars are among my favorites - they are thick and chewy and very, very flavorful.

So I was really excited to try the 90 calorie version. I am all about saving calories!! I tried this at work, so I don't have pictures - only one from the official Fiber One site.

Sadly, this bar disappointed me! First, this is NOT a granola bar. In fact, the package itself calls it a "chewy bar." It actually wasn't very chewy either - it was just very soft. And while the chocolate flavor was really good, the rest of the taste wasn't. It was like eating puffed rice or what cereal with some chocolate. The only real taste was the chocolate. The wheat taste lingered in my mouth too, after I was done eating.

I hate to say it, but I would NOT buy these bars. There are other low claorie granola bar options that have a good taste to them!

Very disappointing :(

(like my new sig tag? Is it too big? I created it as a transparent image in PSP... why is it not showing up that way?)

Free Ritz Munchables Sample!

I'm interested to know if these taste better thn the Town House Flipables (which are yummy!). These sound really good too.

Friend Ritz Crackers on Facebook and grab your free sample of Ritz Muchables!

Happy Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day! Last night I wanted to make a pie to celebrate, but I didn't have any pie crusts. I have made pie crust once in my life - and I FAILED. The biggest issue is that the crust was for 9 inch pie and mine was a 9.5 inch pie pan.  I probably over mixed too. So, it was just "ok." Does anyone have a good recipe for a 9.5 inch pie crust?

I ended up making Pillsbury Cinnabon cookies instead. They were in my freezer and needed to be cooked!  The best thing about them is how big and uniform they are. They taste pretty darn good too. But I feel a little guilty for taking the shortcut.

I have eggs to use up, so I will make something this week. Need to gather recipes for Menu Plan Monday, too.

Sunday is one of my fave TV nights... Amazing Race and now the 2 hour premiere of Celebrity Apprentice! Since it is a heavy TV night, I decided to do my "Commercial Cleanup," where I straighten up, return items to thier proper room, etc., during commercial breaks. This living room has so much paper clutter it is RIDICULOUS!!! And its working. I just need to clean off the little table next to my chair, and I am done,

This weekend, I have already gone though my coupons and organized my magazines. I also FINALLY moved the aluminum foil and plastic wrap into a different cabinet where hey can lay flat. They used to stand up on end and would fall down every time we opened the cabinet. Not good.

Ok, a commercial is on... time to get crackin'! :D

Exciting Things Are Coming!!!

Stay tuned to lbandj .... In the next few days I will have a couple more reviews as well as MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

I am in them midst of clearing off my to do list... more on that later. It is POURING out (and crazy windy) so what else is there to do? :) I also will have stuck to my meal plan for the first week ever lol 

The dentist went as well as expected?? But my tooth STILL hurts today. Only one more visit!!

Hope you all are having a great Saturday!!!

Not-so- Menu Plan Tuesday

Another crazy week here, another week to fly by the seat of our pants, meal-wise.

The dentist didn't go well yesterday.... without going into details I have to go back Friday morning for more work, and I might have to go to a specialist if it doesn't work Friday.. So eating isn't much on the agenda thisweek lol

Monday and today was leftovers. Wednesday we are seeing a  screening of Hot Tub Time Machine :D so we are EATING OUT!!! Gong to Cheeburger Cheeburger  before the movie. I've wanted to go there for awhile, and we have a coupon from the entertainment book :)

Thursday I will cook, "Gourmet Pigs in a Duvet" from Relish! meal planning. Friday will be free for all, since I doubt I'll want to eat. Saturday I'll make Pizza Chicken in the crock pot.

Sunday will be leftovers!!

It feel good to feel like i have SOME control at least!!

Sunday night....

Well, here we are.. another Sunday night! I had a nice weekend - the weather was FINALLY warmer and sunny out so Jeff and I ran some errands, did some shopping... spent some time outside. Can't wait until the parks are open for the season - the ones Patterson is keeping open, anyway *rolleyes*

But this is a worse than usual night - tomorrow I get my annual review at work. I hate them so much -even at my old job that I liked and was good at and when I had an AMAZING boss I hated them. Now that I hate my job, dislike my bosses and am planning on leaving.. . IDK how I am going to get through it. It really sucks because reviews were supposed to be done in January so I thought I was free. And I was planning on having quit by now so it was not worried. Now I get to freak out all day- and then go to the dentist afterward :\

Hope you all had a good weekend!

And a remember - Smart and Trendy Moms' spring giveaway is under way! They have tons of good itemsup for grabs! Check it out: STM's Spring Giveaway Event!

Real Simple's No Obligation Book Club

So today I went to the grocery store to get stuff for the foil pack taco chicken.... and I forgot to buy the taco seasoning. LOL That is me! We ended up not making anything so tomorrow will be taco chicken night. Yay.

Has anyone heard of the No Obligation Book Club run by Real Simple magazine? I just discovered this last month. Each month, they have a poll where you can vote on what book to read the following month. Then each week, whatever editor from the magazine who is in charge that month, will post a blog post about the book (chapters1 to 4, 5 to 8, etc) and then you can reply and read everyone' thoughts.

I have always wanted to be in a book club so I figured i mgiht as well join this one! March's book is Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett.  This is what Real Sipmle has to say about it: Before she wrote Run, a club selection in 2008, Patchett penned this moving memoir of her deep friendship with the charismatic, difficult, and complicated writer Lucy Grealy, who died in 2002, only 39.

Sounds interesting. I just hope that the library hasa copy in stock. Is anyone else particiating in Real Simple's No Obligation Book Club? 

Stop and Shop Doubling $1 Coupons this Week!

I spent most of today organizing my coupons. I was all caught up, then I had to go out of town and boom.... there went my organization lol

So, instead of going to the grocery store today and cooking tonight, I sat on the living room floor with the cats and stuffed coupons into baseball card pockets for a few hours. But it is DONE! And I vow to keep on keeping up with it!

I was going to go to the grocery store tomorrow but for some reason, in the mail at work was the grocery store ads, and in the Stop and Shop ad there were 4 coupons to double $1 coupons. Usually we get the ads on Thursday but whatever!

So I snapped that up and will do a big shopping trip on Friday, though I will stop by quickly to pick up a few things to make the taco chicken tomorrow night. And I'll go again early next week, since I'll be getting another ad in my paper tomorrow! I LOVE $1 double coupon weeks!

Do any of you shop at Stop and Shop? It seems like nobody does, maybe because they aren't very widespread? I think they are very bright and clean, and the prices are really good, plus they double coupons up to .99. Pathmark has better sales, but the store near us is so dark and dirty. I feel bad for not shopping around as much as I should BUT I just love Stop and Shop so  much (Plus they have a Starbucks in the store!)

/babbling.

Technorati CDYZQJ9ASVB6

CDYZQJ9ASVB6
I think I am supposed to post this claim code in a new post, so CDYZQJ9ASVB6
IDK, I am so confused, but I think that is correct!

Everyone else please ignore this ;)
*goes back to coupon organizing*

Menu Plan Monday 3/1/10!

See http://orgjunkie.com/ for more info!


MONDAY: ended up being baked ziti (post about that tomorrow!)
TUESDAY: leftover ziti
WEDNESDAY: Foil Pack Taco Chicken
THURSDAY:  If I am home, leftovers, if not who knows!
FRIDAY: Brown Eyed Baker's Pepperoni Rolls
SATURDAY and SUNDAY: If I don't go into the city Thursday, then I'll be going Saturday. So it will be leftovers one day and Dump and Go Chicken (crock pot) the other.

Not the healthiest week? But most will be served w/veggies at least :D

Headaches...

I am attempting to post about my awesome! dinner but the pics haven't made it from my phone to photobucket yet. For my birthday, I'm getting a camera.... cannot wait!

What I SHOULD be doing is organizing my coupons and thinking of a menu plan for Menu :Plan Monday.I think I will go do that now! But keep an eye put for the other post... tomorrow?

P.S. Are migraines a sign of pregnancy? At the end of the 2ww (too scared to test) but the past few day I have had such horrible migraine-like headaches. Almost all the time. Excedrin migraine helps (til it wears off), they go away when I sleep, but no joke, 15 mins after I wake up it comes back with a vengeance.