"The Secrets Beneath"

Since I read "A Summer Secret" by Kathleen Fuller, I decided I should read book 2 in the Mysteries of Middlefield, "The Secrets Beneath."

Kathleen Fuller does a great job writing about Amish teens in this series.

Rebekah Yoder is a very curious teen who has quite a time with Caleb Mullet. Caleb tends to pick on her. Bekah's sister and friend tell her that Caleb likes her. Bekah doesn't know what to think about that.

Mysterious things start taking place next door. The vacant house has been bought. An old man and a very shady character show up at various different times at the house. It is all Bekah can do to refrain from looking out the window and spying on them.

School has been postponed for at least two weeks due to an accident. Meanwhile, her cousin Amanda shows up for a visit. Amanda's dad leaves Amanda with Bekah's family for quite awhile. Why would her uncle up and leave Amanda?

Cousin Amanda is sad her dad left her behind. She tried to run away but ended up being found and brought back. Amanda has a mother but why isn't she involved in what is best for Amanda? Amanda doesn't interact with Bekah's family and keeps to herself. She doesn't eat. She sleeps a lot.

At the house next door, the old man digs in his yard for some reason. This has Bekah puzzled. Cousin Amanda catches her spying. Bekah tells her what is going on over there.

Bekah and Amanda find themselves in a very scary situation. Will they escape unharmed? Will Amanda get along with Bekah's family? Will Caleb and Amanda make amends?

Read this book to find out.

Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half ---with-- America's Cheapest Family

"Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half" --with--America's Cheapest Family

by Steve & Annette Economides

I was very happy to get this book in my hands. Who does't want to save money on grocery bills? With the price of food going up, it doesn't hurt to save each and every penny we can.

In their first book, "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money," they talked of money saving strategies from practically every budget.

The average family of three spends about $6,133 per year on groceries. That's $511 each month and $170 per person!

Their team effort in writing the book, allows you to read the book from your own life experience. You can apply the various ideas and tips to your level of your life. Test your grocery genius.

According to a 2006 survey, the average American family is eating out 1.4 times each week. Is that because we are too busy, hate to cook or it is more convient?

Meal planning is a must! Take stock of what you have and have a well stocked pantry. List your daily events that you have planned for the week and plan meals accordingly. Create your own menu planner or use the form they have in the book. If you are recipe challenged, research various cookbooks for meal ideas. Online recipes are great too!

Research the local grocery ads and note the sale items. Ad match between stores. Commit to spending less time shopping and avoid impulse buys. Know your prices and if you are getting a good deal or not. They talk of couponing and know that most of us don't want to sit down and clip coupons etc. Steve and Annette work as a team with the grocery shopping. Does your spouse go with you to the store? Not mine!

Once a month cooking can save a lot of time. Just pull your frozen meal out of the freezer on a super busy night. No meal prep and time for you.

Stock up and organize. Store it, find it, use it. They talk of tools and tips that they use. Make meal time fun! Have a garden. They share their favorite family recipes.

Recent Art

"Friendship" postcard. Thank you to all of my friends!
Love ya.

Recent Art

Been awhile my friends. Sorry about that! Here is a "book" themed postcard I made for a recent swap. I LOVE to read!!!!!!!!

http://divascreativas.ning.com Blog Hop Fun

Come have some fun in this upcoming blog hop. Please join the site if you are already not a member. Tell them Sarah Ackerman sent you. Blog hops are fun. You get to see some neat projects, get ideas and win prizes. Hope to see you there!

Win a 1000 sheets of Paper!

Go to this site for a chance to win 1000 sheets of paper! WOWZER! What fun that would be to win. Gotta LOVE paper!

"A Summer Secret"

"A Summer Secret"

By Kathleen Fuller

Book one in the Mysteries of Middlefield series by Kathleen Fuller. Having never read books by Kathleen Fuller before, I am happy to get to know her writing. I had no idea the book was written toward the teenage age but was fine with reading it anyway.

Amish girl Mary Beth Mullet loves to escape and get free time for herself. Living with a twin 13 year old brother and a younger one, she finds peace and quiet in an old abandoned barn. She draws and keeps a journal. Snacks, juice boxes and a blanket make it feel comfy.

Mary Beth notices some strange things in the barn. A found button, that is not like what the Amish wear, begins the mystery. She also notices some of her snacks have disappeared. Twin brother Johnny gets in on the mystery.

Meanwhile, teenage Sawyer is on the run. His parents were killed in a car accident. With no other family around, he is placed in foster care. Some parents a foster family can be though! He escapes and is on the run.

The mystery is solved and Sawyer gets to know Mary Beth and Johnny. The secret the twins hid from their parents could get them into trouble. They go sneaking around and tread on thin ice (so to speak) with their parents.

One night the barn is on fire. The secret comes out after that.

Will Mary Beth and Johnny get into trouble? Will Sawyer get caught or forever be on the run? Will the twins ever see Sawyer again?

I encourage you to read the book to find out.