When visiting Alton, Illinois — or even if you’re just traveling through between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. — do yourself a BIG FAVOR and get lunch at My Just Desserts! Just remember, order dessert first, because once the Mrs. Ledbetter’s Chocolate Pie is gone for the day — it’s gone! Ann Badasch, the owner […]
Snow Cream: A distinctly southern treat
Growing up in the snow belt, I am quite familiar with everything snow: how to build a snowman, which type of snow is best for sledding, and even how to shovel it without too much back pain. One thing I didn’t learn until moving south was how to make snow cream. My first winter in […]
Forget pumpkin! Make mine maple! (cookie recipe)
Pumpkin spice latte might be the social media darling of October and November. But, it’s spot at the top of the fall flavor world may be coming to an end. And maple is to blame! Personally, I’m not a big pumpkin spice latte fan. I like pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, and even pumpkin cheesecake. But, […]
Work to live: Break the debt cycle
My husband said not to long ago that, “If I wasn’t married to you, I’d be driving a Jeep.” At first, I wasn’t sure how to take that. Was it a criticism? Or was he testing the midlife crisis waters to see if he could buy one? So, being the good wife that I am, I […]
Budget Talk: Online shopping, do you really save?
Over the past 5 years, online shopping sites have gained so much market share that they outsell many brick and mortar stores. Sites like Amazon.com, Overstock.com and Wayfair.com promise low prices on first quality goods. For a really long time, that was true. True enough to convince us, collectively, to change our shopping habits. In […]
Tourist in my own city
A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure to be a tourist in my own city with some wonderful travel writers. They flew in from across the country to discover the fun right here in Johnston County. While I write often about Johnston County, I’ve never really stepped out of my “resident” life to experience it as a […]
Stretch the budget with Groupon Coupons
This post is sponsored by Groupon Coupons, but all opinions are mine. 2016 is proving to be a budget challenge! We have one son graduating from college in Alabama. Two weeks later, he gets married — in Alabama! And two weeks after that, our second son graduates from high school. Late this summer, he heads […]
Budget tips: Using Groupon Coupons
**This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.** Around here, we’re always looking for ways to trim the budget so we can spend more on fun stuff like travel. Our son is getting married next spring, and so now we have another great reason to trim the budget! We want to help him and […]
Canal Boat Ride at Canal Fulton, OH
Who Has Time To Vacation? Most everybody loves vacations. Unfortunately, vacations never seem to last long enough. Maybe one reason why people don’t get enough out of their vacations is because no one really wants to be completely separated from the rest of the world. I personally know plenty of people who would gasp in […]
4 easy tips to save for vacation
This post contains affiliate links and links to outside businesses. Traveling to and from Louisiana last week, I met lots of neat people. When they learned I write about families who travel on a budget, many shared that they wished they could travel, but had no money for it. With these 4 easy […]