Free Charity Cars!

I have a lot of things I have been thinking of doing blog posts on, but I have not been feeling that great, and have learned how bad migranes suck...I never had them before the last two weeks!  So I wanted to do a quick post about a great charity site that helps those in need.  Do you have a car that you no longer need?  Even if it is not running, Free Charity Cars will pick up your car for free and tow it away.  Follow the link for more information.  It is a great way to get a tax deduction!  It is a legitimate business, because my mom was helped when she needed a car. 

I think the site is really neat, it is set up like a social network site where you vote for people after reading their stories explaining why they need a car.  Some of these reasons are financial hardships, illnesses, family troubles.  People can vote for one another and return the votes, think pay it forward.  Many of the people on there become like a family to one another.  They miss each other if they don't hear from their friends.  Even though most of the people on the site are in need of vehicles that are safe, a lot of people join just to gain and transfer votes to those in need, sometimes a friend or family member.  Many of the people who do receive a call and receive a car stay on the site and keep voting to help others. 

What keeps this site going?  Volunteers, and donations.  Another way to help is by monetary donations.  There are three different ways to donate, the most common one is via paypal.  If you donate money $10 or more, you can select a member to send 200 votes too!  These votes are added to their total and bring them closer to achieving their goal of obtaining a car.  Their other link to sign up to become a voting member is http://www.freecharitycars.org/.  It is a great way to volunteer if you do not have the ability or time to volunteer somewhere in person.  I am happy to volunteer and promote such a great site!  Check it out! 

Ristorante Pizza Bzz Agent Review!

I am a member of a great product, sampling, testing program called BzzAgent.  Every now and then I will get an email from them to see if me or someone in my family is eligible to test a new product.  This time we were asked to test Ristorante Pizza. 
Let me just tell you, the flavor selections had me salivating...I mean really, two free pizzas to try, from the most popular frozen pizza company in Italy, the pizza capital of the world.  They really are delicious!  They have six different flavors and are 10" pizzas.  They cook up nicely right on the rack creating a nice thin, crispy crust.  After thoroughly enjoying both the Mozzarella (fresh mozzarella, sun-ripened tomatoes, and zesty pesto sauce) and the Spinach (with spinach, mozzarella and a delightful garlicy sauce), we cannot wait to taste the:
Pizza Funghi (mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parsley, and oregano),
Quarttro Formaggi (4 cheeses, edam, mozzarella, emmental, and blue cheese with basil seasoning),
Vegetale (tangy tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, chiles, and sour cream sauce), and finally the
Speciale: (Pepperoni, cooked ham, and spicy herbs).  With the beautiful pictures and the mouth-watering descriptions, who can blame me.  I seriously miss my deep freezer.  These are great to have on hand on nights you really don't feel like cooking, and are made from high quality ingredients.  Definitely better than calling in for pizza or pulling through the drive through! 

If you live in my area they are on sale at Market Basket this week for 2/$5.  Great bargain!

Book Reviews Net Galley (Amish)

I mentioned Net Galley in one of my last posts.  It is a great way to get some books for your Kindle to read and review for the publisher.  Since I have not been feeling too well, I have been doing a lot of reading.  For me, reading is a great way to take a break from my own life and to get lost in a story.  When I started learning more about the Amish faith and culture, I became fascinated with their simplicity and their ability to stay that way in today's times. I enjoy reading both Fiction and Non-Fiction, and I have enjoyed learning more about the Amish and their ways.  Within the past few days I have finished two books pertaining to the Amish way, one fiction, and the other non-fiction.  Both were from authors I have not read before.  I know a lot of people are not religious and the Amish are very religious people.  Even for people who are non-believers, or have different beliefs, I feel there is still a lot of great qualities and skills that can be gleaned from the Amish of today.

The first book I read is Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth.  It is a memoir of Nancy's families quest to lead a simpler life, and grow together spiritually, with all the modern conveniences we have.  Almost Amish is the story of how Nancy's family went from living the big life, in a big home, her husband was an ER physician and she an English teacher, and through her husband's new found belief in God, the family decided to downsize their home, get rid of many of their worldly possessions, and learn to live a simpler life.  During this journey, they moved a few times, and studied the Bible in search of scripture about nature, and how we, as the Lord's stewards should treat it.  It is the story of how a family grew spiritually, all committing their lives to the Lord, and through studying the Amish way of live, staying close to home (riding a horse and buggy), therefore the Sleeths' looked for ways to Become "Almost Amish"  Some great examples she gave that I have been gradually adding in my own life are things such as buying locally (to support your community and know your community), having faith when times are tough, building a community of like-minded people you can count on and share with, spiritually and otherwise.  Nancy talks about branching out when you go to a new community and making friends.  The Sleeths' have made Friday night Dinner at home where sometimes twenty of more people including their now grown children get together and break bread and share food.  Food brings people together.  In the Amish Culture, food is a huge part of their lives.  Families eat together mostly 3 meals a day, and are closer because of it.  Nancy's family is very close and she attributes this to the fact that they have slowed down, to enjoy life.  Nancy does enjoy using the internet, in fact she uses it for her job in their ministry.  She does keep the Sabbath however, as does the rest of her family, and does not use email on Sunday.  She finds that this has helped her relax more and enables her to spend more time with her family, and doing things she enjoys such as reading, taking long walks, spending time visiting, gardening etc.  Nancy includes scripture that applies to these beliefs and that the Amish apply to their lives daily.  It is a great book, and it makes me want to continue to simplify my life even more, so that I can enjoy more time with my family and friends.  It is often difficult to find time for things you truly want to do, in today's fast paced world.  Nancy's book, Almost Amish, shows that it is possible to reevaluate your life without sacrificing the things that are truly important to you and your family.  I would highly recommend this book, and I know that I will definitely read it again.  The book is due out April 1st 2012.
Nancy's website is Blessed Earth.  There are many great references on this site, including a list of books about green living.  I am going to get some of those books and see if I enjoy them as much as I enjoyed Almost Amish.  The great thing about Almost Amish is you can have the attributes listed in the book anywhere you live, in the city of in rural areas.  If you find yourself interested in learning more about Amish ways this book is definitely worth a read.

 Return to Grace by Karen Harper was another enjoyable book I read from Net Galley.  This book was unlike any of the other books about the Amish I have read so far.  This book is suspenseful, and focuses on a murder investigation in Amish Country.  The main Character Hannah Esh, leaves home when her beloved Seth, tells her that he made another woman pregnant and he would have to wed her.  Hannah left to pursue a singer career in the Englisher world.  She turned Goth, and returned to the Amish graveyard for a midnight party on Halloween night.  While there, they were shot at.  Hannah was injured and a friend killed.  She is hospitalized and home for the investigation and her recovery.  Harper weaves a great story with many twists and turns.  This book is a part of a series, and I enjoyed it so much I am going to buy book two as soon as it's available.  During all of the investigating and the chaos that occurs Hannah is caught one foot on each side of the fence, trying to decide if she will go back to her worldly ways, or stay Amish with the family and friends in the community she loves.  This book is set to come out on February 28th.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing what happens in book two and others to follow.  I had a difficult time putting this book down and if you like Amish stories as well as suspense/mystery stories you should enjoy this is well.

I finished Return to Grace Last night, and I have not decided what I will be reading next.  Since Spring is fast approaching I may look at some of my gardening or sustainable living books, even though my yard at the new place is not as big to do as much as I would like, and there are three kids that live and play here as well, I think it will be some container gardening for me this year!