eBooks...and why I'm glad I tried them...

I was hesitant for a long time to jump into the world of eBooks and eReaders...  In some ways, I'm a closet romantic (think Anne of GG here...) and like to keep the "old school" way of doing things alive.  But, a conversation last Fall with our children's librarian had me re-thinking things...  She started telling me how much she loved her nook glowlight....  the three things that stood out to me from the conversation were:

1) she liked having the light on the device for nighttime reading....appealing as I almost always want to read in bed after my husband is asleep...

2) she liked being able to check out eBooks from the library...I had no idea this was even an option...

3) she liked only having to take one "book" with her when she traveled but having multiple options available...that is SO me...we will have one less bag to load up when we take long trips now because I will only be taking one "book" instead of the usual 8-10...

So...following that conversation, I put the nook glowlight on my Christmas list and was blessed to receive it from my in-laws, bil, and sil. Thanks, y'all. :-)

I have been nothing but Pleased. (that's with a capital P...)  I've not given up on REAL books by any means, and still enjoy reading them, especially for my highlighting habit. ahem.  But, the convenience of eBooks is delightful.  

Not only being able to have 8-10 books in one, but I love being able to check out books from my local library, and the library (in another state) where I had a card before I was married.  

Soon after getting my nook set-up, I joined the facebook page, and the best part about that is FREE FRIDAYS!  Every friday, they give away a free eBook...  I have yet to take advantage of the offer because the majority of the books they give away are junk, but when you click over to the blog, others will list more free eBooks in the comments.  I HAVE taken advantage of some of these, and my eBook collection is growing faster than I can keep up with.

This article was absolutely the most helpful thing that I read with regard to my nook and getting it set-up for borrowing and purchasing eBooks.  I was thankful that I read it before downloading the (free) adobe digital software, because in order for the programs to communicate you have to use the same username and password for the adobe software and (in my case) barnes and noble.  

I'm still amazed at how many FREE eBooks are out there...  it seems that there are more that are formatted for the Kindle as opposed to the nook, but even if you don't have a tablet eReader, you can still download the eBooks and read them on your computer.  You can download Kindle for PC from amazon for free.  Every week, Money Saving Mom posts about free eBooks that you can download.  And we all know how I  looooooove free stuff!

I have downloaded 6-7 books and have them stored on my PC and hope to begin reading some of them soon.  This is especially nice for cookbooks, and there seem to be lots of those for free.

Another way to find free eBooks is to search on barnes and noble or amazon for "free" or for "0.00".  This way of searching has a LOT of returns, but be warned that a LOT of them are JUNK.  But, you may find a few diamonds in the rough....

So, that is a quick re-cap of how I'm loving this whole new world of eBooks...  Hope some of that is helpful or at the very least interesting to you...

In the comments, let us know... have you found good sources for free eBooks? Share your favorite eReader/tablet and why?

Book Review: Building Her House

This book was a Christmas gift from my parents, and I recently finished it.  It's a short and easy read, with each chapter being just 2 or 3 pages average.  Nancy's writing is very practical and to the point -- she doesn't spend a lot of time with unnecessary details.  I came away with some really good things that I hope to implement in our home, and I wanted to recommend the book to any mothers out there.  Whether you just had your first baby, or all your children are grown and you have grandchildren, or even those preparing to be mothers -- this book has something for you.  I don't want to spoil the book or take away from it, so I hope that by sharing the things that I do, you will be interested in reading the rest of the book and not just these few things.  The book is only about $10 through amazon, and you should be able to click on the picture above to go straight to amazon.  (As a side note, many of you may be familiar with the book Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic -- this book is written by Rachel's mother.)

The book is broken into 5 sections, with a few chapters in each section:


Service
The Table
Sabbath Feasting
Mac and Cheese
Perfectly Domestic
Loving Labor

Family Relationships
Courtship Blues
Mother-in-Law
Daughter-in-Law

Marriage
Young Wives
Submission
Big Stinking Tangles

Mothering
Family Stories
The Postpartum Mother
Your Baby Has a Soul
Mothers and Sons
Mothers and Daughters
Sons and Sports
Daughters and Sports
The Tomboy
Sons and Flattery

Attitudes
Pursuing Virtue
Chick Flicks
Contentious Women
Criticism that Kills
The Pricklies
Rainy-Day Blues

It looks like a LOT of chapters, but the book is only 113 pages long, and it really is not bad at all.  So, don't be scared.

Below are some of my favorite things gleaned from the book -- I realize that we will not all find the same things helpful or encouraging, but I am sharing this in hopes that some of you will find it helpful, as I did.

Life should be generally predictable for {children}.  This gives them security and makes them feel loved and cared for.  But the schedule should never become more important than they are.  Wisdom knows when the schedule needs to be ignored, stretched, or thrown out all together.  


Life in our homes should be characterized by joy and thanksgiving so that children are taught and nourished in a way that takes their souls into account.


Christian women (whether childbearing or not) are required to be patient in affliction, to cast their cares on the Lord, to trust Him in all their ways, and to honor and respect their husbands.  These are moral issues that matter to God.  


Childbirth is something women are equipped by God to do.  He has promised to keep His people, and He will certainly not abandon His children at a moment when He is bringing a new covenant child into the world.  Birthing is such a glorious privilege and high calling.  We must embrace it with wisdom and hardheaded obedience.  The eternal God is our refuge at all times, particularly as we fulfill our calling by bearing children.


Parents are the means God has established to nurture these little souls, and mothers share this tremendous privilege and responsibility to see that, by God's grace, all the children in their charge are flourishing, both body and soul. 


The wise woman understands that children are a source of joy and blessing entrusted to her by God, and she is to be a good steward of them, seeing that she takes care to dedicate her children to God and train them up as God's own.  


Laying aside our own plans in order to rock a baby or comfort a child is a soul-prospering work, not an annoying interruption.


The mother is designed by God to be a source of great blessing to her husband and children; she is to be the "very soul of the house."  


Listening to your children, taking them on your lap and talking with them, and being affectionate and loving to them will of course take time.  Just as preparing and serving good food takes time, so feeding our children's souls takes time.  God uses all these things we do, when we render them unto Him by faith, to strengthen, nourish, and grow our children up into men and women with fat souls who will then be able to nourish their own children and grandchildren.


Our sanctification, being an ongoing process fitting us for heaven, requires our diligence, by means of the Holy Spirit, in pursuing righteousness in our thoughts, our speech, and our lives.  A virtuous woman is one who is known in the Christian community for her high moral standard; she believes the Bible and applies it to herself.  She does not cut corners, make exceptions, or excuse sinful behavior.


A virtuous woman is eager to be taught God's Word, to learn wisdom, and to apply all she learns.  She wants to know, she wants to be virtuous because it is the means of glorifying God.  So a virtuous woman is a learner and a doer.


When wisdom is at home, home is a delight.  So it follows that a pleasant home is one that has a wise, virtuous woman in the center of it.


When the wise woman speaks to her husband, it is nourishing.  When she talks with her children, they are blessed.  She becomes a source of strength to her family, rather than a drain on their joy.  


Mothers (and fathers) who glibly criticize their children are driving them away.  There is NO EXCUSE for parents to share negative things about their children to anyone else.  This springs from a self-righteous "I have been wronged" attitude that is looking for pity.  Sometimes it can come from a desire to lord it over our children or to try to maintain some kind of control, but it can never come from a charitable, merciful, gracious spirit.


We know that only the Spirit of God can bring real joy and happiness to our souls.  But when we find that joy challenged by dreary circumstances, we have an obligation to overcome it with a wisdom grounded in faith.  Put away any murmuring about the weather.  It is unworthy of a Christian and a waste of time.  Not only that, but it is a setup for other sins like laziness, self-pity, or envy.  It only makes things worse, it distracts us away from our God-given duties, and is mighty unproductive.


Linking up at The Better Mom
Pin It

"If ya like it then ya shoulda put a pin on it..."

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You sang it didn't you?

And now you're smiling. Right? And now you'll be singing it for the rest of the day. You're welcome. :-)

PINTEREST......

I've certainly spent enough time talking about it on here, with promises, promises to explain what it is for those of you who may not know. Basically, it is a virtual bulletin board where you can post pictures of things (with links to blog posts, articles, retail sites, etc included) that you find interesting. Then, you can view your friends' boards to see what they find interesting. You can look to see the newest pins that everyone on pinterest has pinned within the last few seconds. You can search for pins by topic. Really, the possibilities are endless. OH...and I almost forgot one of the very important features. You download a small little "button" to your toolbar so that when you are browsing online and see something you like, you just click the little "Pin It" button and it links you directly to your boards (which you will have nicely categorized) so you can save it in an organized fashion, instead of dumping it in some favorites folder never to be looked at again. (just me?) What I have been doing lately is when I look through magazines and see something I want to remember, I go to the magazine website and usually find that article, recipe, etc, and post it to my appropriate board on pinterest. Also, when friends recommend recipes online, I do the same. You can choose whether to have your facebook and pinterest accounts linked so that you can post your pins on facebook also. I have mine set so that I choose which pins go on facebook.

Categories... I have 20 boards (you can name them yourself). I don't know that there's a limit to how many boards you can have. My boards (in case you can't see them) are the following categories:

Organization....How I Love You!
All Things Kiddos
It's Party Time!
Gettin' All Crafty
'Cause I'm a Foodie
The Dream Home
The Most Wonderful Time...
What Makes Me...Me
One Day I Will Travel the World...
So Many Books...
Home Improvement Ideas...
Autumnish...
Christmas Ideas (a shared file with my sister in law!!)
Style...The Kind I Wish I Had
Addicted. To. Shoes. (and Purses)
Words.
Way Back When
Making My Garden Grow
Homeschooling Resources
All Things Natural

Some of my favorite things to see on pinterest are: recipes, DIY home improvement projects, craft projects, fun ideas to do with kids, fashion ideas, home decorating ideas, quotes.

photo credit

So...there's a little red link on the left hand side under our picture that will take you to pinterest... Need I say more?!?

But...be warned...it's like a black hole...it will CONSUME your time.

photo credit

Stay tuned for my upcoming post on managing internet time...

earning a little extra...

I'm trying this out -- it's new for me, so I can't say a whole lot about it, other than that I earned a whopping $1.06 in about 5 minutes of clicking through ads. I'm still figuring it out, but it looks like it has potential. Here's some info and my referral code if you'd like to join me in this new adventure...

I found something that I think you will like. The company's name is YouData (youdata.com). They are trying to convince consumers like us that we should be the ones controlling our own data and selling our own attention, not third parties like broadcasters, newspapers, and spammers. By creating a MeFile at YouData.com, I now control what ads I see and when I see them. Best part - I am selling my attention directly to interested advertisers, for real money. That's right, I get paid for giving them my attention. I can use the funds to buy music and video online, donate to charities, give to my favorite blogs and websites, or keep the change myself and do whatever I want with it.

It's real. They pay. You should check it out.

Click this link to sign up. My MeFile ID, couponmandi, in the "Referral Code" will tell them I sent you.

http://www.youdata.com/join/couponmandi

I hope to write a post soon on the handful of sites that I use to earn points/money for internet shopping, extra spending money, etc. This is a new site, so I'm hoping it will end up being a profitable one also.

a book recommendation...

here i am, trying to get back into the swing of things and figuring out the "new normal."  right now, normal is focusing on resting and eating and trying to return to a healthy me.  i'm very thankful to have help from so many, and this week we are enjoying my mom being here...C is especially enjoying that. :)  i have some pretty strict limitations on what i may/may not do, so i've been spending a lot of time on the couch.  boo. hiss.  i am a B.A.D. patient when it comes to resting.  in order to pass the time and try to be productive (i thrive on productivity), i've been spending lots of time reading, and too much time on pinterest...anyone who's been in my house for any length of time lately will tell you i've been on pinterest...and i have found some cool stuff that i've shared with...well, anyone who will listen. :)

more on that later.  for now, here's a book suggestion for you.  i discovered this book on Kristin's blog, and the title caught my interest.  i do not find myself to be reluctant when it comes to entertaining or showing hospitality, but the book sounded interesting anyway.  i'm really glad i read it, because it has some great tips/ideas for entertaining, as well as some yummy recipes!  i was able to get a copy (quickly) from my local library system, but here's a link so you can check it out on amazon...

this book is written particularly to those who find themselves intimidated by having folks into their homes.  her point is that your home does not have to be perfect, the meal does not have to be perfect or gourmet, and usually, your guests will enjoy themselves more if you are relaxed and not stressed about those things.  and, you will enjoy them more too. :)

we recently had opportunity to show hospitality in a last minute situation and we opted to have my husband pick up take-out (fried chicken).  i was really bothered by it at first, but it made for a much more relaxing afternoon/evening, so i was really glad we made that decision.  

i think in the back of our minds (or sometimes the front!), we all tend to think that the house has to look like a magazine picture, and the meal has to be perfect, the kids have to be perfectly well-behaved, and the conversation has to be interesting, inspiring, and always flowing.  this book really helps you to look past that and see what true hospitality really is.

i read it in an afternoon while my husband was working and my daughter was sleeping...about 2-3 hours.  recipes and pictures are mingled throughout and it's an easy and delightful read.  hope you enjoy!

one website you should check out...

there are LOTS of coupon websites out there, and i use several of them. but this one is a little different. this one is called:

SAVINGSTAR

it's a linky...click on it. ;-)

for this one, you plug-in your store rewards card numbers once you set up an account, and then you "load" the coupons to your account. BUT, they don't come off of your total at the register. instead, when you purchase one of the items at one of the stores with your reward card, the amount of that coupon is put into your savingstar account, and once you reach a certain amount ($5.00, i think) you can cash it in for gift cards, etc.

now...you could spend time matching these "coupons" with your other coupons and grocery sales and if you have time to do that, it's probably the best way to use the site. i choose to load up all the coupons i think i MIGHT use at the beginning of each month, and then i don't think about it again until the next month when i log in to load up my cards. it's kind of a fun surprise to see if i've gotten any money in my account over the past month, and i don't spend much time on it at all. (note: because this does not affect your total at the cash register, it is not like the cellfire coupons that will cancel out your paper coupons at Kroger and other stores. you can still use paper coupons with these.)

let me know if you're already using savingstar and any tips you have...

summer reading

here in the south, summers are HOT and HUMID, and even at 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. it is muggy outside. we love the days when the humidity is low and a gentle breeze makes it pleasant to be outside. otherwise, we are looking for things to keep busy inside (praise the LORD for air conditioning), or we head to the pool. two of our inside activities have been watching movies (when mommy is nauseous or exhausted and needs to rest!) and reading books. we've been regulars at the library...they're starting to recognize us...our once every 4-6 weeks visit have been once every couple of days visits. today, we LOADED up on books (thanks Mom for that library bag on WHEELS!)...in fact, i was worried i might be over the maximum number of items and have to pull out G's card...but i was alright.

i'm excited that i've finally been able to use some of the books that i purchased (or was given) way back when i was single and had some expendable cash that i used to buy books. i have used them at times when babysitting and tutoring, but THIS is the use for which they were intended and i'm so excited to be teaching my own child and using these resources. so -- here are three books that i've been looking through before we head to the library to get some ideas of books for us to read... (blogger hates me today, so instead of clicking on the pictures to be redirected to amazon, you'll have to click on my descriptions underneath...)

this one is probably my favorite, as i like the age-appropriate list divisions, as well as the chapters at the beginning with suggestions for reading.

this one also has the age-appropriate list divisions.

this one does is not broken up into age categories, but rather by subject. i think this one will be more helpful when we are in the elementary school years and up.

my inspiration. . .

whenever anyone asks me about couponing, i usually direct them HERE to Collin's website. i have learned so much from her, especially through the videos that she posts. if you watch the video below and then look at her other videos, you may learn a little something too...and if not, you'll probably get a chuckle or two for the day 'cause she's just so stinkin' cute and funny! one of the things i like about Collin is she's a realistic couponer and not an extreme couponer. here's her most recent "coffee with Collin" video... (these videos are usually posted on mondays...what a happy way to end a monday...watch a collin video before bed!) :-)

secrets of a homemaker...

as homemakers, we have certain *secrets*, tricks of the trade we'll call them....shortcuts. you know...those substitutions you make when you realize you don't have time for the actual thing, or ingredient... using the dustbuster to hit the *high* spots instead of vacuuming, spot-cleaning the floor instead of actually mopping the whole thing, using regular milk and vinegar or lemon juice instead of buttermilk...the list goes on and on... or maybe you don't do those things... well, confession time... i do. not all the time, but sometimes....sometimes substitutions must be made. and i've found a secret that i hope you'll love...

there is a reason this bottle is sitting on my dining room table and not on the shelf in my closet. at the time the picture was taken, i had just used this lovely product to free my tablecloth of its wrinkles before company arrived. i love to iron, but i don't love to iron tablecloths. solution: try to grab the tablecloth out of the dryer as soon as it's finished, put it on the table, spray with downy, smooth out the wrinkles, and enjoy. not quite as crisp as an ironed finish, but definitely more acceptable than the wrinkly-just-out-of-the-dryer-look.

(it also works well on clothes, imagine that(!), and i find it's very helpful to keep a bottle in my travel bag, purse, diaper bag...you get the idea. the travel size is around $1.50 at walmart and target.)

warpaint...

while i'm on the subject of nicknames my grandfather had for things....makeup was commonly referred to as "warpaint" in his house...no idea why. :)

i'm a member of Bzzagent and they recently sent me some samples (full size!) of what i like to call "that taylor swift makeup". it's actually called natureluxe by Covergirl.

i'm a clinique girl, through and through....i looked forward to my 15th birthday for YEARS, because that's when mom said she would take me to the clinique counter at the mall for my "makeover" and i could start wearing makeup. ever since then, i've been pretty loyal, trying a few new things here and there. and i still stick to clinique for the basics, but i love to try new stuff too.

the foundation that i normally wear is the clinique almost makeup. (i'm having trouble locating this on their website, so perhaps they are no longer carrying it...?) i like it because it's very light, you can hardly tell you're wearing it....i don't really like to FEEL my makeup. the CG natureluxe goes on light and i don't really notice that i'm wearing it. however, it does need to be washed off. (my secret's out...i don't always wash my face/wash my makeup off before bed....my skin is weird and i've found that washing it at night/washing my makeup off actually makes it break out...gross, i know.) this foundation covers well and i like the "dry" finish that it has. often a foundation leaves my skin looking oily, but this gives a nice powder look w/o powder. the color i received is 330 chamois and i might choose something just a shade or two lighter. it does have SPF10.

i'm practically in LOVE with the lipstick they sent me! the shade is 215 hibiscus and it's gorgeous. just enough pink without being too eyecatching. in my opinion, it's the perfect shade of pink. it goes on more like a gloss, but not too shiny. i can't stand the "feel" of lipstick, so i tend to stick to gloss or lipstain, but this one's a keeper!

i also received (5) coupons for $2.00 off natureluxe silk foundation, exp 8.31.11. if you'd like to try it, leave me a comment and i'll be happy to send you a coupon. (US addresses only)