Book Review - Amish Proverbs by Suzanne Woods Fisher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife and mom, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and an author of Christian books, both non-fiction and fiction.

Her relatives on my mother's side are Old Order German Baptist Brethren, also known as Dunkards. That's where her interest in Anabaptist traditions began. Suzanne's grandfather was born into a family of 13 children, started his career as a teacher in a one-room school house in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and ended it as one of the very first publishers of Christianity Today. "We called him "Deardad" even though he was a very stern fellow. Still, Deardad's life inspired me to write."

After college, Suzanne was a freelance writer for magazines and became a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today. Her work has been featured in Today's Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership, Worldwide Challenge, among others. She took the plunge into books a few years ago and now she's hooked.

Suzanne is also the host of her own radio show, Amish Wisdom, every Thursday at 5:00 PM Eastern time.

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Through firsthand research and personal relationships, Suzanne Woods Fisher has collected more than 200 proverbs that uncover the rich heritage, folklore, faith, values, history, and essence of the Plain People. These proverbs serve as teaching tools and maxims for practical living--but they're not just for the Amish. They're for anyone who seeks God's wisdom and truth for everyday circumstances.

Ranging from the simple to the profound, from the serious to the humorous, these sayings will stick with you through life's joys and sorrows. With beautiful full-color photos throughout, Amish Proverbs is the perfect gift for any occasion.

BUSYJULIE'S REVIEW:

You all know I am a fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher from my review of her book The Choice.  Amish Proverbs really impressed me as well.  What a sweet book full of proverbs that will really make you stop and think!  Here are a few of my favorites: 

Do more of less.  
Learning is far more valuable than education.
The person who sows seeds of kindness will have a perpetual harvest. 
A wife will make or break a household. 
Don't believe everything you think! 

Many teens are going off to college this fall, and I think this would be a great book to tuck in their luggage.  Nothing like food for thought!  Or, it might be a nice birthday gift for a sister or friend!

I have one copy of Amish Proverbs to giveaway!  Leave a comment and post one of your own family's 'proverbs' or traditions for a chance to win the copy of Amish Proverbs. 

Here are the rules of the giveaway:

You must be a follower of BusyJulie to enter.

This contest is for US entrants only.

Giveaway ends at 11:00 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, August 29, 2010.

Winner will chosen at random and will be notified by email. You have 24 hours to reply. If I don't hear from your, I'll have to choose another winner!

Get extra entries by: (Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Becoming a new follower of BusyJulie. If you are already a follower, leave a comment telling me so!

Following BusyJulie on Twitter.

Blogging about this giveaway will earn you 3 extra entries - Be sure to leave a link in your comments!

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book to facilitate my review, as well as a copy to give away.  I received no monetary compensation for this review.  These are my honest opinions.

Review - Waterpik Showerhead

MomSelect recently gave me the opportunity to try a Waterpik shower head.  Of course, I jumped at the chance!  When I was growing up, my mom always made sure we had a Waterpik showerhead, but probably not for the reasons you think.  She liked it because she could pull it down and use it to rinse bathroom cleaner off the walls of the shower!  I distinctly remember the cumbersome, brown model we had.  It was not attractive and it probably had 2 speeds of water flow, spray and stream.  Well apparently Waterpik has come a long way! 

The model I have tried is the Waterpik Easy Select shower head.  Here is some information directly from Waterpik:

Designed for those with discriminating taste who want to experience the ultimate in shower style and performance. All EasySelect™ products feature an in-handle spray mode selector, which makes selecting sprays easier than ever. Designed with OptiFLOW®technology that increases water force up to 30% by optimizing water flow, so you feel refreshed and invigorated.

Key features:  

5 " Round Shower Head 

Advanced OptiFLOW Technology

Easy Clean Nozzles

Removable Flow Regulator

Limited Lifetime Warranty

Spray Modes:

Full Body Coverage 

Circular Massage

Concentrated Center Powerspray

Misting

Water Saver

The website says, "The perfect shower changes the way you feel."  I totally agree!  This thing is heavenly!  My favorite spray mode is Circular Massage.  Aaahhhhh!!!!  As if my showers didn't already take too long!  The water raining down is spa-like and just has such relaxing qualities.  If your muscles are sore, you can use the concentrated center powerspray to work those kinks right out.  But the best non-advertised feature of the Waterpik?  You can still pull it down to spray off the bathroom cleaner just like Mom did!

Disclaimer:  I was not paid for a positive or negative review of this product.  I did receive the sample as described above to facilitate my review.

2010 Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday: August 6-8

The State of Tennessee's Annual Sales Tax Holiday is held every year on the first Friday in August and ends the following Sunday night. This year's tax-free holiday weekend begins at 12:01 a.m on Friday, August 6 and ends Sunday, August 8 at 11:59 p.m.  What's tax free, you ask?  Get a complete list here.

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Back to School - Kroger and Boxtops!

It's almost that time!  Back to school!  And while you´re shopping for back to school, be sure to stop at your local Kroger Family of Stores (which includes Kroger, Ralph´s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith´s, Fry´s, QFC, Baker´s, Owen´s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott´s Food & Pharmacy) and take advantage of their "Add Up the Savings" Event.  You can stock up on your favorite General Mills & Kimberly Clark brands at great sale prices.

From August 8 through August 21, when you buy 8 participating items from any Kroger Family store, you´ll receive $4 off of your purchase.  What??!  Yes, I'll take it!

Here are some brands participating: Cheerios, Yoplait Yogurt, Pillsbury Cookies & Biscuits, Kleenex, Huggies, Betty Crocker Brownies, Cottonelle, and Lucky Charms.

In addition to these great savings, be sure to take advantage of the special Bonus Box Tops Offers and get a jump start on helping the participating school of your choice this year.

All you have to do, if you haven´t already, is register at www.RewardYourSchool.com. Once you register, you will automatically receive 5 Bonus Box Tops just for signing up! You will also receive custom offers for Bonus Box Tops for purchasing participating products.

These great offers are:

• Buy any 4 Box Tops products and get 10 Bonus Box Tops
• Buy any 8 Box Tops products and get 25 Bonus Box Tops

The offers you select will then load onto your Kroger Shopper Card to be redeemed once you purchase the items. It´s so easy because there´s no clipping!  Remember to scan your Kroger Shopper Card and the Bonus Box Tops will automatically go straight the participating school of your choice.

Guess what?  Guess what?!!  You can win a $25 Kroger gift card!  Just leave a comment for me and tell me which eight participating items you plan to purchase to receive $4 off during the `Add up the Savings Event´ at the Kroger Family of Stores!

Here are the rules of the giveaway:

You must be a follower of BusyJulie to enter.

This contest is for US entrants only.

Giveaway ends at 11:00 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, August 15, 2010.

Winner will chosen at random and will be notified by email. You have 24 hours to reply. If I don't hear from your, I'll have to choose another winner!

Get extra entries by: (Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

Becoming a new follower of BusyJulie. If you are already a follower, leave a comment telling me so!

Following BusyJulie on Twitter.

Tweeting about this giveaway, and including the Twitter hash tag #myblogspark. 
Leave the link in your comment.

Blogging about this giveaway will earn you 3 extra entries - Be sure to leave a link in your comments!

Disclaimer:  The Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by The Kroger Family of Stores, General Mills, and Kimberly Clark through MyBlogSpark.

Product Review - Band Angels Adhesive Bandages

Recently I was sent a box of Band Angels Adhesive Bandages to try.  Let me just say, these are precious!

Each box contains 20 bandages with 3 different Bible verses.  The bandages are sterile unless the wrapper is open.  Each of my daughters has used several of these bandages and they really adhere well.  They stay on and don't hurt when they are removed.    

Here is the wonderful story about how Band Angels got started: 

Tim and Tami West have eight children in a unique blended family – only one of the eight is Tim’s own biological son. In 2003 his son and daughter-in-law had his first grandchild, Riley. In July of 2008, 4-year-old Riley was taken to the emergency room where her blood sugar tested at over 600. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, a diagnosis that changed her life and the lives of those who love her. Now a sleep-over at Poppy and Ma’s meant not only bringing her pajamas and toothbrush, but also her glucometer, test strips, alcohol swabs, syringes, and lots of bandages.

Tim and Tami, along with Riley’s parents, family and friends pray every day that she will be healed. One evening Riley was on one of those sleep-overs when Tim noticed how many bandages she had on her fingers and arms. He also noticed that it all became routine – swab, test, inject, slap a bandage on. She was always so brave and understood the entire process. It occurred to him how precious it would be to remind her how much he wants her to be healed. He realized how millions of children’s parents hurt when their children hurt – whether it’s from insulin injections or minor cuts and scrapes. How powerful would it be to put healing bible verses and angels right on that wound? And the Band Angels were born.

What a powerful story!  I believe God cares about the big stuff and the small stuff, even little boo-boos.  I want my daughters to hide His word it in their hearts and always take it with them.  So, if a little bandage helps to do that, then I'm all for it!  I also hope that when the girls are at their school, a friend who may not go to church will ask about the bandages and my kids will have an opportunity to share about the Him.

Check out Band Angels, a truly inspirational product for families!

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to try and review on my blog. I was not compensated in any way. These are my own opinions.

Coupon - Dailies Aquacomfort Disposable Contact Lenses

Get your free trial of these lenses now and save up to $100. 

I actually use these lenses and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!  I will not go back to cleaning lenses daily!  You just pop these in your eyes in the morning and take them out and drop them into the trashcan each evening.  So convienent, and easy on the eyes!

Product Review - Soft & Shield

It's almost time to go back to school!  Time for the germs to party!  If you want to protect your kids, check out Soft & Shield. 

Here is some information from their website: 

Soft & Shield Hand Sanitizer and Moisturizer is a Personal Hand Sanitizer that combines an Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer with moisturizing ingredients that will also soften, smooth and moisturize your skin. Soft & Shield is an Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer offering protection that kills 99.99% of harmful germs and bacteria with just one application which is effective for up to 4 hours.   Soft & Shield is an Instant Hand Sanitizer that is perfect for personal use as well as for use by your whole family. 

Soft & Shield is distributed by Napp Technologies, LLC, and manufactured by Bioderm Technologies.  Dr. John J. Willie, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Bioderm Technologies.

Why Choose Soft & Shield Hand Sanitizer and Moisturizer?

• Lasts Up to 4 Hours
• Alcohol Free
• Sanitizer and Moisturizer in One
• Hypoallergenic  
• Clean Refreshing Scent
• Non-Irritating  
• Forms an Invisible Protective Barrier   

Here's my opinion:  This moisturizing, non-drying formula is perfect for little hands, as well as grown-ups!  It's alcohol free and hypoallergenic, so I don't worry about my kids using it.  It has a pleasant, but somewhat medicinal smell that might not please everyone, but I like it just fine.  Oh, and it's not flammable either.  It never dawned on my that most hand sanitizer is flammable.  Talk about an accident waiting to happen!  I really like the fact that after applying Soft & Shield, the application lasts up to 4 hours or more.  So I trust that my kids are protected throughout their day at school!  And so are Mama's hands, through the grocery store, bank, drug store, and all the other places I touch germy things!

The Soft & Shield website is now offering a free sample bottle, and all you have to do is pay a minimal shipping fee.  I encourage you to give this product a try! 


Disclaimer:  I received a sample of this product in exchange for an honest review.  These are my own opinions, and I was not compensated in any way for my blog post.

Menu Plan Monday

This is the last week before the school year starts here in East Tennessee! It seems so early, but I am ready for them to go back and I think my kids are too! We are looking forward to a fun and exciting year, but we still have lots to do this week! Here's the menu plan:

Monday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Tuesday - Cranberry Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Sugar-Snap Peas
Wednesday - 15-Bean Soup with Sausage
Thursday - Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans
Friday - Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Saturday - Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Sunday - Crockpot Ranch Chicken, Rice, Veggies


Have a wonderful week!