Book Review: Eager Star (Winnie the Horse Gentler)

This is book two in the "Winnie the Horse Gentler" series.  It is aimed at girls ages 8-12 and about a junior high girl who can make impossible horses into good ones.  Her mother has died, and she learned how to do this from her mother.

In this book, it's the start of the school year and her classmate, Grant, is to be riding in a barrel race.  However, his horse "Eager Star" doesn't want to cooperate.  She even bucks Grant off of her at one point in the book.  Winnie's job is to make this horse that is frightened and nervous into a winner in one week.

Also during the course of the book Winnie gets off on the wrong foot with her English teacher, and wouldn't you know it, but she turns in the WRONG journal to this woman, which doesn't make things any better for Winnie. 

She also plans a slumber party, inviting the most popular girls in school.  That doesn't go quite as expected for her.

This was an enjoyable book even though I'm not the target age range.  It is a quick read, and one that girls who love horses would be especially fond of.    I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Crickets and Blue Jeans

I hate winter.  I really hate winter.  I loved it when I was a child, and we might get a month off from school, but as an adult this is no fun.

I started hearing crickets on July 20th.  Around here, we say the rule of thumb is the first frost is six weeks from when the crickets start.  If that's true then our first frost will be August 31.

I'm not one to like cooler weather.  It's 68* outside as I write this.  Already this week I have worn jeans.  I I like wearing shorts, mainly because it feels more acceptable to wear flip flops with shorts, and when I wear jeans I feel like I should always wear socks and shoes.  (And if it's cool enough to wear jeans, then my feet would be cold with flip flops.)

I didn't put my electric blanket away until mid June.  I'm wondering how soon I'll have to get it out.

I think I should live closer to the equator!



Review: Wild Cat (Starlight Animal Rescue Series)

When I started reading this book, I didn't realize it was book three of a four book series.  It is great as a stand-alone book, or if you're like me, now I want to read the whole series! 

Kat is in junior high, which is always a tough time in life, but to make it more difficult, she has cancer and it's not uncommon that she will vomit.  A lot.  So this is geared for girls 9-12 but because of that, I could just hear myself at that age saying "That's sooooooo gross!"  Of course, for a child with cancer, this would be a welcome book because I've not read that many books that have the main characted as a teen with cancer, at least not when it discusses the effects of treatment such as the vomiting and she does remove her wig at one point as well as deciding "which hair" to wear for the day..  Another major issue addressed is foster children and adoption. 

In this book, Kat is going to be adopted and she feels like everyone in her family has done something great and she doesn't deserve to be a Coolidge.  When a project at school comes up, she hopes it will proves she does deserve to be a Coolidge.  She and Fiona decide to start a service to improve the behavior of their classmates' cats.  Fiona has a cat that she calls dumb, and Kat takes it home to see how she can help it.  In the end, will Fiona reject Kat as she has her feline cat? 

I very much enjoyed this book, and I think most tween girls would as well.

 

Newspaper article

I was interviewed a couple weeks ago for an article for the local newspaper.  I've been couponing for about 20 years now, and have likely saved over $30,000 if not more during that time (taking into account the time that I was in college and also when I could barely walk when I was suffering from Lyme disease.)  I usually save $2,000 or $2,500 a year, and I spend about an hour a week organizing.  The woman who was the main one featured in the section on coupon shopping spends hours a week and saved $3,000 last year, up from $2,000 the year before.  (Personally I'd rather spend 1 hour a week and only save $500 less per year.  Time is money, you know!)

I don't understand why everyone now thinks the only way to organize coupons is a binder.  It may work for some, but I preferred a box when I used to clip coupons.  Now what I do is file the entire insert.  This is why it takes me so little time each week to prepare.   I get the coupon insert.  First thing I look through it and clip any coupons I KNOW I will use even if the item isn't on sale or almost free after coupon.  Those go in the small accordion coupon file in my purse.  The rest of the insert is placed in a file folder with that day's date on it (Such as 8/7).  When I visit coupon match up sites online, they will say which supplement the coupon that corresponds to the sale items were in.  For instance, say Crest toothpaste is on sale.  On a coupon match up site, it will say "Crest Toothpaste $1.00 off any 4 oz. or larger P&G date".  The way this is decoded is P&G means the Proctor and Gamble coupon supplement, and the date is when it was in the paper.  So I just go to my file, pull the file folder for that week, get out the Proctor and Gamble insert, and clip just the coupon I need.  It saves tons of time.

Of course, I only shop for two people.  And I don't buy 100 jars of mustard for $23.00 so I can tell everyone I saved $100 on mustard.  I will buy things to donate.  But I don't clear shelves.  That is plain rude.  I am not smart with cashiers.  Yes, I've had my problems with cashiers, but being rude is not the way to solve problems.

I was also glad to see the articles I was mentioned in (yes, I was mentioned in two) didn't mention buying coupons off eBay or from clipping services.  I have heard there are plans in the works to code coupons by region to prevent this from happening, as it does say on the coupons that buying or selling invalidates them. 

What you see on TV isn't reproducible all the time.  You may occasionally have a shopping trip like that, but not all the time.  I once bought $158 of groceries for $10.  My best sale ever was when I bought $1700 of games (although I admit they were very overpriced) for a final total of $65 (but still 90+ board games for $65 is cheaper than garage sale prices!  That was no using any coupons, however.)

Coupons aren't available for fresh fruit and veggies, for milk, meat, and rarely bread. You can still save money, but don't believe everything you see on TV.  Just because the TV might show a woman using coupons on an item they aren't supposed to be used on doesn't mean you can get away with it.  (People have been arrested for it in the past!)  Stealing newspapers is a crime, and you can get arrested for that, too.  (I recently read a newspaper article where a woman said she was going to pay her $4,000 fine she received from stealing newspapers with the money she saved from coupons.)

If you're going to use coupons, use your head.  Don't steal newspapers to get coupons, don't commit fraud by using coupons on items they aren't meant to be used on, don't be rude to cashiers or other shoppers, and don't clear shelves. 

Review: The Boy who Came Back from Heaven

UPDATE:  PLEASE READ THIS LINK.  The mother of the boy who was to have written this book has a lot to say about this book.  
The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. . . Not Quite

I was skeptical of this book before picking it up.  Am I skeptical now?  I have to say I still am somewhat about the parts of heaven -- I'm not sure anyone can really know what heaven is like until we die and not return to earth.  (The author claims that his son died, and he may have, but I'm not sure we can still really know about heaven until we're there permanently.)  But it doesn't matter  if you read this with skepticism or an open mind, this is a page-turner.  Although it's entitled "The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven", it's more about the struggles the family encountered after the dad and Alex were in a car wreck and Alex became paralyzed. (One thing I noticed right away was the dad was talking on a cell phone while driving when in the wreck.  That bothered me a lot.  He blamed a dip in the road for him not seeing an oncoming car.  I realize the cell phone was probably only one contributing factor to the accident, as well as a chattery four year old in the back seat, but there was even a photo of how the road appears straight but really there is a dip.)  I did enjoy reading the account of how God provided for the family through their ordeal be it financial (although I was amazed the family qualified for government help with the medical bills since he has a psychiatric practice.)  Their church banded together like I've never experienced in any church I've ever attended, they provided food, people praying, people to help repair the house, get it ready for Alex to move back home, and more.  The parts about heaven?  It was only a tiny fraction of the book.  If you're reading this just to read about heaven, skip it as you'll be reading lots of accounts of hospital stays, medical milestones, and learning to adjust to a new life.  If you're interested in how a family survives a major crisis that changes their lives forever, this is an inspiring book.  

Review: So Long Insecurity

 I'm not one to really struggle with insecurity, so I'm not sure I'm the best one to write a review.  However, I realized why insecurity probably isn't a big issue to me.  In the book, she talks about how once we depersonalize someone, we no longer see them as human, and they are larger than life in our minds.  I stopped to think about that.  If you were to look at my list of friends on a social networking site, you'd find authors, recording artists, missionaries, even someone who has done modeling as well as "average" people.  Yet, I still find these people "normal".  My friend who won a Dove Award?  I remember the time he insisted we meet for a class project in college in his car, and then us riding around the city while doing our homework.  I guess I'm unlike a lot of women and see the human side of people rather than the larger-than-life side.  That said, I'm not totally immune to being insecure, but even with her, I see she has strengths I don't, and I have strengths she doesn't.

While this is an area I don't often struggle with, it helped me understand a bit more the women who do.  The stories of crazy things women did because they were insecure was a very interesting section of the book, as well as what men had to say about insecure women.  I enjoyed the chapter on dignity, because I've rarely seen that addressed as it was in this book.  Most times I've seen it either as being proper or covering your body sufficiently, but Beth Moore took this a step farther and basically describes dignity as the opposite of self-esteem.

I would recommend this book to other women who struggle with this issue!

Couponing Success Tonight!

It amazes me how things change over the years, including my perspective.

I haven't been to the drugstores for a while now because it seems like every time I go they are sold out of the sale items, and my time finding the coupons that match the sale items was a waste because they are all sold out. 

Well, we were nearly out of pop, and I saw CVS had Coke on sale for 4/$13 this week with $3 back for your next shopping trip.  As my mother can only drink caffeine free Diet Coke, I expected the shopping trip would be pointless, it has always seemed that caffeine free pop is always sold out around here.

Not tonight.  I was able to buy 4 cartons of it.  As I was walking up to the counter, I remembered there was a candy bar that was free after Extra Care Bucks. So I thought I'd get one.  Not surprisingly, both boxes of qualifying candy bars were empty.  Or was it?  I checked more thoroughly.  Would you believe the candy bar was small enough that one was pressed to the front of the box and no one saw it?

So I got the candy bar after all as well as the four cartons of Diet Coke.

Times have certainly changed when I consider finding a sale item in stock a victory! 

(I used a $10 gift card I got free, so I paid $4.39 and got $5 back in Extra Care Bucks because I had the last quarter savings spit out at the register as well as my $1 for using my Green Bag Tag four times.)

All That Glitters. . .

We moved into this house 24 years ago.  I have not used glitter since I was a child, over 24 years ago.  Well, I'm doing a deep clean of our house.  I'm in what used to be the junk room, and am down to some residue from the past.  Evidently at some point in time a box of stuff from when I was a child toppled and more boxes were piled on top of the 'topple' as well as the glitter.  There is a layer of glitter on the floor in this area.  Whoever invented glitter should be given glitter clean up for eternity.

Some of the other things I've found:

• an old time chair for a "little people" toy
• the rear end -- just the rear end -- of a Barbie doll
• a coupon that expired decades ago
• a badge from Canada's Wonderland
• photo from a school field trip circa 1985
• Christmas cards from decades ago
• a huge stack of newspapers from 1987-1990

I'll be glad when the list square of glittler is eradicated from this room! 

Robert Pierre CD review

I've been a fan of Christian music for years.  I have a huge collection of music dating back years, even records and cassettes, so when I was asked to review a new Christian music CD I was excited at the opportunity to listen to I'm All in .

What did I think?  I'm getting a little older these days.  I very much enjoyed the lyrics, but a few songs sounded very much the same to me musically, although the lyrics were very deep and definitely made up for my disappointment in the couple of the songs sounding alike.  It was a CD I enjoyed listening to, but unlike many of my other CDs, this one will find itself being listened to once through and then being switched out for another CD.  That said, I know I'll be listening to this CD quite a bit, just not on constant repeat like I do with some of my favorites.  (I think again my age is showing not only in musical styles but that I listen to CDs and not through streaming or digitally!)

MyLoveBook review and Giveaway

Have you ever wanted to give a creative gift book to someone?  What happens, if like me, you have run out of photos to create photo books?  Or maybe a photo book isn't exactly what you want to give?

Well, now you can still give a gift book even if you're not particularly creative with MyLoveBook.  The website http://www.mylovebook.com/ is easy to navigate, and they have "story starters" for you to tell that special person in your life how much they mean to you.

I was given the opportunity to create my own MyLoveBook.  I gave the code to my mother as she thought this would make a nice gift to her sister for Christmas.  (We shop early around here!) 

My mother isn't extremely computer savvy, but she did fine creating this book.  What she made was an 18 question, 35 page book, complete with dedication page. 

While this book sounds like it's for a spouse, you can create it for anyone you love.  My mother did find it a bit difficult to find enough questions appropriate for her relationship with her sister.  I think it would be great if in the future MyLoveBook would add a way you could create your own story starters for those who are a bit more creative.

You can add funny comments, too, if you like.  For instance, one answer my mother wrote was this:
 

Your most impressive talent:

being able to spell "automobile."

(about 1950)

Of course, this is a joke between my aunt and my mother.  Growing up, my aunt always tormented my mother by not allowing her to swing on their one swing until she spelled a word correctly.  Being five years older, my aunt would ask my mother to spell long words such as "automobile" until she was tired of playing on the swing, and then ask her to spell something simple like "car".

This is one of the great things about MyLoveBook -- you can personalize it how you wish.  If Mom would have wanted to have been serious and told of a talent my aunt has she finds impressive, she could have.  Instead, she decided to be funny with this one. 

The book measures 8 3/4 inches by 5 3/4 inches.  There are three different covers to choose from.  Because this was for my aunt, this is the cover we chose:

The inside of the book looks fantastic.  On the left side on each page there is a beautiful design.  The selection my mother wrote is on the right side of each two-page spread.

I know I am looking forward to Christmas when my mother is planning on giving this to my aunt. There are answers my mother gave that are both sentimental and some so funny I know it will cause all of us to start telling stories of mishaps and humorous events in our family's history. My mother and I were very pleased with the finished book!

I have fantastic news:  http://www.mylovebook.com/ would like to give away a code for one of my blog readers to create their very own MyLoveBook. This is a $49.99 value!  (Shipping isn't included.  Shipping starts at $5.95 for the USA, $13.95 for Canada and Mexico, and $15.95 for all other countries.)  Even with paying shipping, this is a fantastic way to create your own MyLoveBook for just the cost of shipping.  Just imagine the surprise your love one will have when he or she realizes you created a book just for them! 



Giveaway details:

Giveaway ends August 25th at 11:59 pm Eastern.  Open worldwide.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry:  (PLEASE LEAVE A SEPERATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY as well as a way for me to contact you if you win)

Visit MyLoveBook.com and tell me something you learned or who you would like to give a MyLoveBook to and for what occasion 

Additional Entries:

• "Like" MyLoveBook on Facebook AND tell them "The Radar Report" sent me
• Follow MyLoveBook on Twitter
• Follow me on Twitter
• Follow Me with Google Friends Connect
• Tweet the following:  (This can be done for a daily entry)

 Enter to win a @mylovebook from The Radar Report and @jenndiggy  Ends 8/25  http://bit.ly/oqv3gw

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FTC disclaimer:  I received a code to create my own My Love Book from the company.  The review is my own.