This book is divided into about fourteen sections and deals with many different parts of the home. Like the book LIVING WELL ON A SHOESTRING, it puts strong emphasis on saving money. But this book puts more emphasis on recycling common objects around the house and using them in a plethora of ways.

His office suggestions are worth the price of the whole book! He suggests using a current glossy calendar for a mouse pad for the computer, using extra envelopes that come with greeting cards as storage for computer disks in file folders -- and show you how to specially cut them for the purpose. He suggests using a dish rack for temporary sorting of file folders. And get this -- for car enthusiasts, he suggests using a clean distributor cap as a pen and pencil holder and conversation piece!

This book is a smorgasbord of great ideas for every part of the home. If you put these ideas to use, you'll get back the price of the bok many times!

THE SWEET LIFE is a short book filled with somewhat profound thoughts Laura Stoddart compiled from famous and not-so-famous sources and beautiful illustrations she apparently drew. She thanks her father for the words and her mother for the pictures. Those familiar with A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES might appreciate THE SWEET LIFE as the adult version of a garden of verses.

For example, "Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too" said William Cowper. Or, these lines by William Cobbett:

"How much better, during a long a dreary winter, for daughters, and even sons, to assist, or attend, their mother in the greenhouse, than to be seated with her at cards, or, in the blubbering over a stupid novel, or at any other amusement that can possibly be conceived!"

This is the sort of book I like to take with me to the privvy chamber where I meditate daily, or give to others as a little gift from the heart.

I just love Laura Stoddart's Whimsical Illustrations, and when I found out that she was putting a book out, I was thrilled! Once I got it, I loved it so much, the quotes in it are great and her work is a wonderful accent to them. This is a great book to get for yourself AND give as a gift!

Laura Fairly is the innocent, the young, sheltered, Victorian maiden who abides by her departed father's wishes. On his deathbed, he bids her to marry Sir Percival Glyde. Enter villainy. The grasping, frightened, short-tempered Sir Percival insists on a speedy wedding. He handily dispatches any obstacles thrown up in his path; he is damned and determined to wed Laura--and her fortune. But Laura has a sister, Marian, a strong-willed, independent, fiercely loyal sister who at first champions the marriage and then recoils once she realizes the true nature of Sir Percival. The man is a monster. And Marian will do anything to protect her sister. Heroism, and then some. There is also another, a drawing master named Walter Hartright, commissioned to teach Laura and Marian the fine art of watercolors. He falls in love with Laura, and she with him--before her marriage to Sir Percival. The drama should be obvious.

But what of the title? Who is the Woman in White? Her chance meeting with Walter Hartright on the road to London provides the catalyst upon which the entire narrative turns. She is at once and both the key and the puzzle. She is a victim. She is a harbinger. She scares Sir Percival out of his wits.

This book offers vivid portrayals of Victorian England, its mannerisms, its wardrobe, its inhibitions, its attitude. This book eerily reflects our own time, our own angst, in the 21st century. Once you read it, you'll know what I mean. Deception has no age.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't turn your back on Count Fosco!

Laura Fairly is the innocent, the young, sheltered, Victorian maiden who abides by her departed father's wishes. On his deathbed, he bids her to marry Sir Percival Glyde. Enter villainy. The grasping, frightened, short-tempered Sir Percival insists on a speedy wedding. He handily dispatches any obstacles thrown up in his path; he is damned and determined to wed Laura--and her fortune. But Laura has a sister, Marian, a strong-willed, independent, fiercely loyal sister who at first champions the marriage and then recoils once she realizes the true nature of Sir Percival. The man is a monster. And Marian will do anything to protect her sister. Heroism, and then some. There is also another, a drawing master named Walter Hartright, commissioned to teach Laura and Marian the fine art of watercolors. He falls in love with Laura, and she with him--before her marriage to Sir Percival. The drama should be obvious.

But what of the title? Who is the Woman in White? Her chance meeting with Walter Hartright on the road to London provides the catalyst upon which the entire narrative turns. She is at once and both the key and the puzzle. She is a victim. She is a harbinger. She scares Sir Percival out of his wits.

This book offers vivid portrayals of Victorian England, its mannerisms, its wardrobe, its inhibitions, its attitude. This book eerily reflects our own time, our own angst, in the 21st century. Once you read it, you'll know what I mean. Deception has no age.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't turn your back on Count Fosco!

Laura Fairly is the innocent, the young, sheltered, Victorian maiden who abides by her departed father's wishes. On his deathbed, he bids her to marry Sir Percival Glyde. Enter villainy. The grasping, frightened, short-tempered Sir Percival insists on a speedy wedding. He handily dispatches any obstacles thrown up in his path; he is damned and determined to wed Laura--and her fortune. But Laura has a sister, Marian, a strong-willed, independent, fiercely loyal sister who at first champions the marriage and then recoils once she realizes the true nature of Sir Percival. The man is a monster. And Marian will do anything to protect her sister. Heroism, and then some. There is also another, a drawing master named Walter Hartright, commissioned to teach Laura and Marian the fine art of watercolors. He falls in love with Laura, and she with him--before her marriage to Sir Percival. The drama should be obvious.

But what of the title? Who is the Woman in White? Her chance meeting with Walter Hartright on the road to London provides the catalyst upon which the entire narrative turns. She is at once and both the key and the puzzle. She is a victim. She is a harbinger. She scares Sir Percival out of his wits.

This book offers vivid portrayals of Victorian England, its mannerisms, its wardrobe, its inhibitions, its attitude. This book eerily reflects our own time, our own angst, in the 21st century. Once you read it, you'll know what I mean. Deception has no age.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't turn your back on Count Fosco!

you can just marvel at the artworks and the really pleasant colors and that should pick you up from every gloom you have in your life..susan's books have a really nice way of getting a good message across..that no matter how insane the world gets with advances in technology, we will always have a place in our hearts for the simple things in life..keeping in touch through old fashioned letters, preserving family history through scrapbooks and appreciating home made food cooked with love.

In response to ybronw from Canada...Perhaps the duplication of receipes and or illustrations in this book were for the simple reason that it is a KEEPSAKE book..in my opinion , the perfect small gift for that special person that you want to remember for a special occasion. Perhaps, it will introduce the receiver to the incredible talent and sensitivity of the author/illustrator! I enjoy reading the KEEPSAKE books over and over when I only have a few moments to relax and renew my soul with Ms. Branches gentle creativity. When I have more time I pick up her fullsized books for a bigger "taste of peacefulness and tranquility". These are not just cookbooks but reminders of a slower richer way of life.

As mentioned before in other reviews, this book has downsized recipes and illustrations from Susan Branch's previous books. However, this is a great way to share the joy I have received by purchasing this book for others.

Rome Sweet Home details the journey that Scott and Kimberley Hahn took in coming from a reformed protestant background, as Presbyterians with theology degrees, into the Roman Catholic Church. The book is very emotionally compelling, told by Scott and Kimberley's points of view separately, as it reveals how Scott first comes to doubt his background and begins to 'defect' to Rome. He is troubled not just by this faith change, but the fact that it will mean abandoning his profession as a minister and causing much strife in his marriage. The story goes on to demonstrate the difficulties that his marriage faced as Kimberley struggled to remain a faithful wife, while dealing with resentment toward Scott for 'breaking the deal'. For her this a deep betrayal as her dreams of being a pastor's wife are dashed and she has to decide how she will submit to Scott's leadership in raising their children in the faith. Though it takes a number of years after Scott's conversion, Kimberely is eventually won over to Catholicism and she details the joy she feels are restoring her family's unity. Their story is very dramatic as it takes place amongst financial difficulties, the shunning of friends, Kimberley's struggles, and advice that she should divorce Scott and take their children with her. Anyone of faith will read this and be impressed with the integrity that both of these people treat their faith with, regardless of whether or not the reader is Catholic. No one could fail to be impressed with their dedication to the pursuit of truth and God's will.

There is quite a lot of scripture sprinkled throughout this book. These scriptures are given in the context of the Hahn's personal studies, but are not presented in a study format. That is the only complaint that I have about this book. While the book does not claim to be an apology, it would have been nice if they had added an appendix that detailed each doctrinal issue that they had struggled with and the scriptures that had won them over. Still, the book is good overall and an excellent witness to one couple's faith and perserverance.

Scott and Kimberly Hahn's book was a turning point in my own conversion to Catholicism after 22 years in the Reformed Protestant tradition. Readers should remember that this book is first and foremost an account of a journey. It is not primarily an apologetical treatise. Don't be misled by those 'anti-Catholic' readers who denounce Scott's knowledge of Reformation theology. I have since listened to many of Scott's tapes and let me assure you, his knowledge of Reformation theology usually surpasses that of such critics. One of the banes of Reformation theology is its inherent hubris, grounded in the false assumptions of 'Sola Scriptura' and 'private interpretation', that fosters fundamentalistic paradigms such as those that dominated Scott's thinking before his journey to Catholicism. This book encouraged me to pursue the latent questions that had developed in my own studies over the years. Due to the fundamenatlistic provincialism of Protestantism, I was afraid to ask them. All praise to our glorious Lord that I did. It is my prayer that this book will allow future readers to pursue the same questions with integrity and intellectual honesty.

As one who has just recently started "paying attention" to my Catholic faith and my Church, I bought this book largely on a whim, but when I got it I couldn't put it down, and read it in a single evening. What a fascinating journey this family has made! As they describe it, part detective story, part horror story and part romance. I have to respond to those reviews which suggest the Hahn's are insincere and/or shallow. Nobody who reads this book with an open mind could fail to see the complete sincerity and honesty with which they tell their story. They came to the Catholic Church kicking and screaming, as do many converts. Their "horror story" is that in their pursuit of Truth they were led to that place where they least expected it, and least wanted to find it, the Catholic faith. As for shallow, it's not clear how much more depth one could reasonably expect in such a story of only 200 pages. Both of the Hahn's clearly live and breathe Scripture and theology, and Scott in particular is apparently voracious in his appetite for knowledge and understanding (he read up to seven hours a night during his "journey"). I will just say that I have no doubt after reading this book that he could easily address all the "stumper" arguments other reviewers have posed, and may very well have done so in other writings.

One last thing I will take from this book is their final exhortation to Catholics to gain a deeper understanding of their faith and Church. Sometimes, to borrow and stretch an analogy from the book, it takes an immigrant to remind the natives of the beauty of their land. Thank you, Hahn family, and welcome!

Mary Giaccio(her sirname changes alot of times during the series due to being a foster kid)will not stop hanging around Jessica and Elizabeth's mother,and ignores the twins!Hot-headed Jessica becomes VERY very ticked off!They soon feel very sorry for Mary when they realize that the reason she spends so much time with Mrs Wakefield is that Mary misses her own mother.Will Mary ever find her own mum again?

This is the story of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and their friend Mary Giaccio. Mary was the foster child of the Altman's. She often went to visit the Wakefield's, walking home with either Elizabeth or Jessica from school. Jessica noticed that Mary was far too close with her mother. She felt jealous and resented Mary's easy going ways in their home. She noticed that Mary was always following her mother around, chatting and laughing with her. Sometimes, she felt ignored because her mother was busy talking with Mary. One day, she approached her twin sister Elizabeth and told her of her observations. She said that Mary didn't really go to their house to be with them - it was really to be with their mother. She asked Elizabeth not to invite Mary to their house anymore. She made it clear that she didn't want another sister! Elizabeth, realizing that Jessica really resented Mary's presence in their house, tried to avoid Mary at school. She would run off after school or pretend to be busy with her newspaper work. Mary noticed this and felt very hurt. Elizabeth, who is really a warm and understanding person, decided to tell Mary the truth. She told Mary that Jessica no longer wants Mary to visit their home because she didn't want to have to share their mother's attention with anyone. Since then, Mary avoided the twins. She would sit alone in school and really looked miserable. During one occasion, Mary had a chance to sit beside Jessica. She gave Jessica a gift and told her that she really wanted to be friends again. Jessica was surprised and pleased when she saw that the gift Mary gave her was a gold and silver bracelet Mary had worn so often and which she really liked. She also needed some help in typing some recipes to be published in a book in school. So she decided to be friends with Mary again. She even invited Mary to go her house after school for snacks. While they drank grape juice in Jessica's kitchen, they read the master newspaper article Elizabeth wrote about someone who gave a talk about proper dressing in school. Unfortunately, Jessica accidentally spilt the grape juice on the paper. The ink ran out and no matter how they tried to blot the paper, the whole article which Elizabeth wrote was erased. Afraid of Elizabeth's reaction, Jessica proceeded to fill in the missing paragraphs with her own ideas. Mary typed the article on the paper. That evening, Jessica overheard her parents saying that the Altman's have decided to adopt Mary. Despite Elizabeth's warning that she should not repeat that information to anyone else, Jessica decided that it was such good news and everyone should know about it. The Altman couple were so nice and finally Mary would stop following her mother around since Mrs. Altman would made a very good mother. Just before going to sleep, Jessica wrote an additional sentence in the Elizabeth's article in the master newspaper. It read: "Mary will be adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Altman". Jessica was sure that Mary would thank her for putting that in. Come the following day, Elizabeth and Mary were both horrified with what came out in the newspaper. Elizabeth went straight to her advisor to say that she wants to redo the article. Her advisor said that the article was more "fun" than her usual articles and if she would only correct the spelling errors, it would really be perfect. This made Elizabeth feel worse. She really wanted to kill Jessica - specially after Mary confronted her, telling her that she didn't want to be adopted by the Altman's because she believes that her mother is not really dead, as was told to her by a certain Annie who brought her up after her mother left and disappeared. Mary said that she was sure that her mother was somewhere still trying to find her. After school, she went home directly and told Mr. and Mrs. Altman that she didn't want to be adopted because she believes her mother would one day find her - even if it was already 7 years since her mother left her. The Altman's understood her and respected her decision. Mary forgave Jessica for writing about her in the newspaper. Elizabeth managed to forgive her twin sister as well and all three became good friends once more. One day, a woman came by the school to ask about Mary. Elizabeth noticed that the woman resembled her mother. She told the woman that Mary was with her twin sister in their house. She offered to walk the woman to her house. On the way, the woman asked a lot of things about Mary, about the Altman's and whether Mary was happy there. Elizabeth asked her if she was Annie. The woman said no. Suddenly Elizabeth's heart jumped. She asked the woman if she was the mother of Mary. Tears sprang to her eyes as the woman admitted that she was Mary's mother. She said that she had been looking for Mary for a long time. When they reached the Wakefield's house, Mary instantly recognized her mother and ran to embrace her. The woman introduced herself as Mrs. Robinson and said that Mary's real name is Mary Elizabeth Robinson. She explained that she left Mary to the care of her neighbour, Annie Gaccio, when she had to go to attend to her dying mother. After the funeral, she went back only to find that Annie had kidnapped Mary. She went to the police but no one could trace Annie. No one could trace Mary Robinson either. When Annie Gaccio was recently caught by the police stealing from a department store, she denied knowing any Mary Robinson. A policeman said that maybe they will try to search for a Mary Gaccio - in case Annie had changed Mary's surname. That search led her to Sweet Valley and to Mary. Realizing that Mary was very happy living in Sweet Valley, Mrs. Robinson accepted Mr. Altman's offer to help her look for a job there. Mary was very happy to be with her mother at last and to continue staying at Sweet Valley. She really liked her friends and her school. Elizabeth and Jessica were so happy for Mary. Elizabeth altered the newspaper article, retaining most of what Jessica wrote and adding "Written by Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield" making Jessica very happy. The school newspaper won in a contest and the recipe book which Jessica, Mary and their other friends wrote was selling well. More importantly, Jessica and Elizabeth realized how lucky they were that they had parents who loved them and took very good care of them. Review by: Alexandra Rodriguez age: 10

This book aptly describes the public side of life in the minstry. It is a good life, but it is best to know a little of what you're geeting into and what some of the limits are.

After reading this book, I was surprised to find that while this story was indeed a horrifying one, it really didn't deal with the supernatural horror that many of her books do. Instead, we deal with the gut wrenching fear of having our child turned over to the hands of a maniac and the fear that both the child and parents have to deal with. I have enjoyed others by Ruby more, but this was a very enjoyable and quick read and I would recommend it.

Meade, Jeff. 1993. Home Sweet Office. Princteon, NJ: Peterson's.

This is a self-proclaimed "how to" book intended for a general audience interested in learning more about becoming telecommuters. Meade attempts to motivate readers to take the company initiative by convincing employers that telecommuting is a beneficial alternative for both employer and employee.

Meade's tone is light and humorous while covering a lot of territory. Benefits he discusses include time flexibility and freedom, coziness (there's no place like home!), informality, less interruptions, and no commute. However, he doesn't discount the pitfalls, such as choas caused at home, loneliness, the inability to separate work space from personal space, and professional jeopardy (out of sight, out of mind).

Using many personal testimonials of telecommuters, Meade takes the prospective commuter through the process of becoming a telecommuter. First, he asks the reader to take a test to see if he has the kind of personality or job type that is compatible with telecommuting. The next step is convincing the boss. This is where his argument falters. It is hard to imagine a low level data entry clerk approaching her boss about telecommuting if she may not even be allowed to take off five minutes early for lunch. However, his tips for convincing the boss (more productivity, less absenteeism, less overhead) as well as negotiating techniques are well written and comprehensive. One subsection is entitled "Six effective tactics for overcoming bosses' resistance". These include defining flexibility and productivity as employer benefits, developing a work contract ("managers feel more secure if everything is spelled out in a memo"), and using information about competitor's telecommuting programs.

It was amusing to read his review of hardware and peripherals.. Although this book was written only four years ago, most of the groundbreaking computer equipment he touts as "musts" are already completely outdated. He recommends the 486 to the 286, although the price is a little prohibitive...Meade also discusses other office equipment needed: fax machines, copiers, and telephones equipped with voice mail. The telecommuter, Meade warns, must negotiate upfront what office equipment will be supplied by the company and what must be supplied by the individual.

Other issues Meade addresses are the legal ramifications such as workman's compensation, zoning restrictions that prohibit working at home, and taxes. The IRS, according to Meade, is very narrow in its allowances for home office deductions if the individual is actually the employee of a company and not a self-employed consultant.

He also discusses the problems associated with perceptions of work and home and stresses the importance of keeping these two spheres as separate as possible. Frequent evaluation is necessary, expecially if the telecommuter is tempted to work long hours because the office is just in the next room.

Although Meade's style is redundant and his "if I can, you can, too" attitude beomes a little tedious, I believe this book is a useful tool for the person with the right personality, right job, and right boss to become a telecommuter. More important, it illuminates many of the reasons that telecommuting is taking a while to catch on.

I bought this book as an alternative to Super baby food. What a disappointment. This book gives you recipes which are exact copies of earth's best jarred foods. Nothing new or exiciting. Do yourself a favor and do not waste your money.

I purchased this book because I was looking for help in making all of my son's baby food. The book doesn't really help with this, since all of the recipes are multi-ingredient, and (of course) when just starting out, you really need preparation instructions for single ingredient stuff.

I decided not to keep the book even after my baby was eating mixed food because: 1) The recipes are not very inventive (it was all stuff I would've come up with on my own); 2) The book is not very easy to work with (it's small and doesn't stay open to a given page very easily); 3) There are no illustrations or other aids to help you find ideas quickly.

A friend of mine brought over Super Baby Foods and I purchased that instead. I wish someone had mentioned *that* book to me before I'd bought this one - that's why I'm writing this review. If you're looking for help getting started making your own baby food, like I was, Super Baby Food is the book for you - not this one.

A must have for every mom and dad to be that plan on making their own baby food! The authors, Sweet and Bloom, do a great job of presenting a large variety of recipes that are also simple and easy to follow. No searching for California parsley tops like some of the other baby recipe books. My wife and I bought this book just after our son, Zachary, was born and we both found it's information presented in a clear and understandable way. This one is recommended to anyone wanting to go through the effort of making your own...and who wouldn't want to feed that special little baby the best food possible?!!! Good luck and good cooking!