Author: Crissi Langwell

Crissi Langwell is a romance author who writes heartfelt stories filled with humor, emotion, and a heavy dose of angst. She has been publishing books for over a decade, including her steamy Sunset Bay romance series. When she’s not writing, Crissi stays busy leading her local writers’ club Redwood Writers and getting lost in a good book (everything from romance to fantasy to thriller). She lives in Northern California with her writerly husband, Maine Coon cat Cleo, and a chair of laundry she swears she’ll fold any day now.

Grocery Shopping on a Budget

There is a steadfast rule when it comes to grocery shopping. Never go when you are hungry. I remembered this rule as my stomach growled on the way into the grocery store parking lot. When you are hungry, it is so easy to succumb to the smells and sights of really good food that are whispering to you, “Buy me, you know you want me. Don’t worry that I am 5,000 calories per bite and cost twice as much as I should. I will love you more than anything else in this world.” My problem is that I was going grocery shopping because I had no food in the house. My son had made that abundantly clear to his teacher earlier today when the teacher asked him why he was spacing out in class.

“I didn’t really have a good lunch today,” he told him.

“Well, you might want to think about packing a bigger lunch for school,” the teacher told him.

“I couldn’t,” my son said matter-of-factly. “We have no food in the house.”

The teacher laughed and said, “Then you should get yourself over to a shelter and get some food.” He turned to me. “Isn’t it funny how kids can be so dramatic?”

I smiled weakly, still recovering from the teacher’s joke. I had just paid out a couple of unexpected bills that left my checking account in a precarious position, and any check I wrote today was going against a paycheck I hadn’t received yet. And the food situation in our house was at the bare ends since I had stretched it for as long as I could, which is why I was going to the store on an empty stomach.

You could say the economy is affecting this household. (Read more...)

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Ready, Set, Bag! – benefit for REFB

Nerves were racking in Virginia’s Food City, the first setting of “Ready, Set, Bag!”, a documentary on competitive grocery bagging by Executive Producer and Pixar CTO, Oren Jacob, and directed by his wife Justine Jacob as well as Alex D. da Silva. The winner would be flown to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to compete in the National Grocers Association’s Best Bagger competition. Not only would the baggers have to be fast, the bags had to be packed properly – no squished bread or frozen peas below cans – and the weight of each bag had to be even.

States across the country held their own bag-a-thons to compete for the big event. Some held competitions reminiscent of rock concerts, treating the baggers like celebrities while they cheered them on under strings of lights wearing togas, referees and announcers called out the stats (California, where else?). Others kept their grocery store settings or held the competitions in banquet halls.

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Sonoma County Teen Idol

Do you watch American Idol, and think, "Hey, my kid can do that!" Or maybe your child has expressed interest in showing off their vocal chops. Well, now's their chance. Kodiak Jack's is hosting Sonoma County Teen Idol for teens between the ages of 13-20. Prizes are $1000 first place, $500 second place, $250 third... Continue Reading →

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Weekend Family Fun, Nov 28 – 29

If you’ve come out of your turkey coma and can tear yourself away from the Black Friday doorbusters (be sure to see my blog entry on not-to-miss events going on today), here are some festive events that will be happening this weekend. Santa's Riverboat Arrival This has become a yearly tradition for us. We park... Continue Reading →

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on all the things in our lives that we are thankful for. I am thankful for being a mom to my kids. With so many people out there that have lost children to illness, divorce, or other extenuating circumstances, I am grateful that our home is healthy, and that... Continue Reading →

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Black Friday Events

Black Friday really should be considered a national holiday. I mean, it’s almost criminal that anyone should have to work on this day when there are so many great sales going on (ahem, bosses…..). Our own area is abundant in Black Friday events going on all around the community. Don’t miss the doorbusters, fun activities,... Continue Reading →

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Letters to Santa

Every Christmas, my mom’s piano is covered in pictures with Santa. There’s the one of me as a baby, cradled in Santa’s arms. There’s the one of all three of us girls crowding Santa. There’s the one of us holding onto our youngest sister to keep her from bolting. There’s the one of us and... Continue Reading →

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Thanksgiving Stuffing

Stuffing is one of the easiest things to make for Thanksgiving, and one of the easiest to embellish. Thanks to my mom’s creativity in the kitchen, I have never made a stuffing exactly like the package recipe, but instead add to it to make it my own and create an even tastier dish for Thanksgiving.... Continue Reading →

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