For this award I need to list 8 things you don't know about me and award 8 different people

For the 8 things about me:

1. I still have a baby tooth
2. I was suppose to be left handed until my Grandma made me switch (reason my writing bites)
3. Met my husband in a chat room on AOL
4. My father and husband are both funeral directors
5. I wonder why I got this award for my blog????
6. Married my husband again six days after our first wedding (full ceremonies and receptions)
7. Love warm weather
8. Like going to Disney World : )

I will get back to you on who the 8 people I award this to. Stay tuned!

Chunky book page

From My Heart

Here are some projects I recently completed. More altered chipboard heart pages and a chunky book page. Fun to do but I was not feeling the theme. Couldn't get my craft on!

Heart Art

Front and back of the chipboard heart I altered. It was fun!

"An Amish Love"

"An Amish Love"

Beth Wiseman
Kathleen Fuller
Kelly Long

Wow, three Amish books in one. A real treat for me! A super, fast, easy read I must say.

A Marriage of The Heart
by Kelly Long

Having never read a book by Kelly Long before, I didn't really know what to expect. She starts the story rather quickly.

Abigail Kauffman ropes Joseph Lambert into a quick marriage. It didn't work out to her advantage however. They certainly don't start out like any other married couple.

The couple has to learn to get to know one another. Work together and play together. She is worried about her cooking. Joseph is good to teach her a thing or two.

She finds something out about Joseph's past. Will she help him through it? Will Joseph get through it?

When Joseph has an accident, he has a chance to use something of his past to get him through the pain. Will he revert back to this aid from the past or tough it out? Will Abigail be a good wife and see him through? Will they ever be truly joined as one through marriage?

Read to find out all of this and more. Glad I have now read a Kelly Long story!

What the Heart Sees
by Kathleen Fuller

For some reason, I couldn't get enough of this story. I read it in one day.

Ellie Chupp is blind. That does not stop her from being an ordinary women though. Ellie has her own business of making jelly. Ellie's Jellies. Her mom is over protective of her. Her dad lets her get away with more things.

Christopher Miller is leaving the English world and going back to Paradise. He was shunned and doesn't know if he will fit back into the Amish. Once home, he finds out his sister's news. He is not happy at all.

Christopher and Ellie bump into one another at the Pantry restaurant. Ellie finds out that her friend's brother is back in town.

Why was Chris shunned? How did Ellie go blind?

Ellie has flash backs from the past. She later comes forth with some news that Chris will not want to hear. Will it affect their relationship? Will Chris be accepted back in the Amish community?

Healing Hearts
by Beth Wiseman

I have read a lot of Amish books before. Never have I read one that is centered around an older Amish couple.

Levina Lapp has carried on with her life for one year on her own. Her husband, Naaman, left her for that long.

Could it be that all of their children were raised and out of the house? Could it be that they didn't know each other anymore?

When Naaman returns home, Levina and their children have a hard time getting to know him again. They don't know if they can trust him or not.

Will the Lapps have further difficulty or will they be able to reconcile?

Their son is having a hard time with something and certainly has no use for his father. Will Adam forgive and forget what his father did? Or will Adam be just like his dad?


An Amish Love will certainly be kept in my book collection for a long time!

"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.