Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Book Reviews

I have three reviews for you . . .

The first is the book, Leaving Carolina, by Tamara Leigh.

This is a story about a girl named Piper Wick who left her hometown of Pickwick , North Carolina twelve years ago. She proverbially shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. Now she's even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

It's a fun fast moving book, which features quirky characters, some comedy and a little romance. It seems a little similar to the movie Sweet Home Alabama. If you like the movie, you should like the book.

You can purchase Leaving Carolina at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421661


The next book is What Matters Most: Diary of a Teenage Girl, by Melody Carlson.

This is the 3rd book in a series of books subtitled, Diary of a Teenage Girl.

In this book, we see that Maya Stark is sixteen years old and has been mostly on her own for about a year. Living with her Uncle its more like a place to lay her head. Her father did not fight for custody as being a musician he is gone more than he is home and her mother is in prison for drug addiction.

As a Christian teen Maya has a lot to think about and sort through. It's a tough time of life and there are more complications anyone would want for their teen. Maya could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

This would be a good book to give to a teen girl who is considering options in life as she reads about Maya and her writings which uncover more of her personality.

You can purchase What Matters Most at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421197


The last book is another Melody Carlson book called Limelight.

In this book, we learn about Claudette Fioré, who used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crook
ed accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone.

Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fioré questions her own values and finds herself wondering if it’s too late to change.

A wonderful book talking about values and change. It's one most people can identify with.

You can purchase Limelight at
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070824



All of these books were provided for review by Random House Publishers.


Blessings to all!!


Friday, November 13, 2009

$Money$

A short but good video about money from a 4 year old.

Elijah Offering Video from Elevation Church on Vimeo.



Click on the title and watch the video

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

LEAF RAKING

If anyone is interested in helping rake leaves or help some people with yard clean up this Saturday beginning at 9 am please let me know.

Also, we have a number of youth helping, and could use a couple of extra adult volunteers to help supervise, plus if you have a leaf blower to bring that would be great.

If you can't help, but are willing to let someone use your leaf blower, please let me know.

Thanks,

Michael

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Coupon Success


Okay, I admitted on Facebook I am a coupon addict, I'm a junkie when it comes to coupons and I drive Debbie a little bit more crazy, but let me give a quick example of what I bought and how much I paid.

Pay Less (Kroger) had a mega sale, buy to of certain items and you receive an extra $5 back. So, I bought 8 of these Pillsbury Refrigerated cookies and 2 bags of Chex Mix (both were part of the mega sale).

Here's the breakdown. If I buy them without sales, etc. the cost would be $2.88 x 8 = $23.04. Chex Mix would be $2.79 x 2 = $5.58. Total cost would be $28.62.

The sale for Pillsbury was $2.49 . . . . but, I used the following . . .

Buy 2 receive $1.50 off, I used 4 of these coupons. = $6 off.
4 coupons from the Internet @ $1 each. = $4 off.
3 coupons on my Pay Less card via Internet @ $1 each. = $3 off.
Mega sale $.50 off each item. = $4 off
Buy 4 and receive a $2 coupon on your next trip. = $4 back.

Net expenditure for the Pillsbury cookies would total $2.04 or $.255 per package. NOT BAD!!

The sale for Chex Mix was $1.49 . . . . but, I used the following . . . .

2 coupons from the Internet @ $.50 each. = $1
2 coupons on my Pay Less card via Internet $.50 each. = $1 off.
Mega sale $.50 off each item. = $1 off

Net expenditure for the Chex Mix would be $0.00

So, do I need all those cookies? Yup, now we can have a family project without the mess and bake cookies for our neighbors and greet them in the name of Christ. Plus, we may eat a few on the way.

I'll write more about couponing in future dates.

By the way, yesterday's grocery bill was about $130, of which the bill was $32. I used about $48 in coupons.

Fun Kids Devotional

God Gave Us the Bible: 45 Favorite Stories for Little Ones is a very well done, hardcover introductory Bible for parents to read with thei...