Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop (Ends 1/3) WW

Welcome to the Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop. 

December 30th to January 3rd
Thanks to Kathy from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer for hosting.
Thanks to Babs from Babs Book Bistro for co-hosting. 


I am doing something a little different this time. You know me.  I get bored easily.  I know that I had a great response when I did a charity giveaway, so I am doing that again this time with just a little twist.  


Have you ever heard of Books for Africa?  I have heard of them before. Here is what their website states:


Books For Africa. A simple name for an organization with a simple mission. We collect, sort, ship, and distribute books to children in Africa. Our goal: to end the book famine in Africa.

Books For Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African continent. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped over 24 million high-quality text and library books to children and adults in 46 African countries. Millions more are needed.

It costs $9,800 to send a sea container to most major sea ports of books and computers to Africa. Your donation will enable Books For Africa to send even more books to children in Africa who are hungry to read, hungry to learn.

I checked them out, and they are a responsible organization.  There is proof on their site as well as charity ranking sites like Charity Naviagator.  So I feel like donations will be going where they need to go if I send money there.

So, for this giveaway, I will make a one-time $10 donation to Books for Africa in the winner's name (or any name you designate).  In addition to that, I will be letting that winner choose any book from Book Depository up to $10.

Sounds like a good deal, eh?  It is an international giveaway, and it will end 9 P.M. Pacific Time on January 3.  All you need to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below and then be sure to go on to the other blogs in the giveaway to win more prizes!

Fortified Friday--Yes, I Skipped a Week (12/30-1/7)

In case you were wondering (and you probably weren't because you have been as busy as I), I didn't need to make a recipe post last week because the one from a couple weeks ago carried me through nearly two weeks.  I am now on schedule (but don't get used to it!).  This week, I plan to use recipes mainly from Taste of Home's Top 100 Recipes.  I kin s of  liked the  idea when I saw it in my inbox yesterday.  So here goes.

Meal 1:

Potato Kielbasa Skillet Recipe
I think I will add some carrots to it as well as bell pepper per the comments/reviews.

Meal 2:

Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops Recipe
I'll serve it with rice and veggies.

Meal 3:

Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe
I'm going to make sure to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini.
I will definitely add some garlic bread as side!

Meal 4:

Tender Beef Brisket Recipe
Baked Beans
Green Beans
Rolls
And this is not a top 100 recipe because we needed to use our brisket.

And just one more recipe:

Alfredo Chicken 'N' Biscuits Recipe

That should get us through this week!

This Day in History December 29, 1845

Well, this one is kind of interesting for me.  Since I lived, worked, and was a resident of Texas for a number of years, it was neat to discover that on this date in1845, Texas became the 28th state.  I did not know until I lived in Texas that it was the only state that actually was its own country--the Republic of Texas.  Then a lot of things made sense.  I understood why Texas did things so differently from other parts of the country!

It should come as no surprise that this move by President Polk angered Mexico.  And they were further angered when the Rio Grande was announced as the boundary.  It did require some military influence to "settle" the issue.  And is wasn't too many years later the Civil War broke out with Texas as a slave state.

For those of you who would like more information, please check out these links:
http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/history/timeline/annexation-and-statehood
https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ref/abouttx/annexation/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Annexation
http://timelines.com/1845/12/29/texas-is-the-28th-state-admitted-to-the-union

Top 10 Characters of 2011

This is a really hard one today.  Only 10 characters?  Really?  Thankfully, yesterday's post covered the "boyfriends."  So I can concentrate on heroines, villains, supporting characters, and more.  It still is a very hard choice.

Well, here goes.

Honorable mention:

Adina from Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble by D. Robert Pease

I felt I had to mention this character.  This is a recent read of mine, and I was not smitten with most of the characters, but I really liked her.  Here she was, a time traveler, and she was full of confidence and natural intelligence in spite of the circumstances.  Noah liked her, and she liked him.  I have to admit I saw more of a brother/sister relationship between them rather than romantic, but then again, Noah is only 12.  I know a sequel is coming out, and if the author is smart, he will certainly feature her prominently in the book!

#10:

Hetty Sorrel from Adam Bede by George Eliot

As you can read in my review of this book, it was not a truly favorite book of mine, but it was well worth the read.  And it got better. Hetty Sorrel was the tragic character.  She was poor but pretty.  She cared more about the way she looked than her duties.  I felt so sorry for her when all her trouble began.  And the tragedy does not improve.  I knew there was no escaping her destiny, but I still felt for her.  I was not enamored by any of the other characters the way I was with her.

#9:

Trina, Mark, and Lucas from Steps to Courage by Sandra Stiles

I realize it might seem like I am cheating, but there is no way to separate these three characters.  They are the three survivors in the book of the 911 disaster.  This was quite a compelling book, and these teenagers really kept my attention.  I couldn't imagine having survived this disaster--especially as teenagers.  They learn to rely on Christ through it all, and by the end, they are doing much better.  I certainly hope this is not the last from this author.  These three characters' stories will grip your heart and stick with you long after you have finished reading.

#8:

Tea of Blaze of Glory by M. Garzon

I struggled to know which character to choose.  Yes, I loved my boyfriend, but Tea is quite a strong character.  I wasn't sure I liked her in the beginning, but as I saw her growth throughout the story, I began to love her.  And the romance was as sweet on her end as it was on Jaden's.  It was neat to see her come out of an abusive situation and truly have her dreams come true.

#7:

J.S. Bach from Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall

I bet this one throws you, doesn't it?  Wasn't he a real person?  Yes, but he definitely makes the top 10! I have always enjoyed the story of his life, but this book truly delved into his life from a spiritual perspective.  I still find myself thinking of his views on church music during the worship time of our church services.  This book brought this historical figure to life for me.

#6:

Kelly Grace Pickens from Countdown to Love by Julie Ford

I know I featured my "boyfriend" from this box last night, but I just have to feature Kelly tonight.  I fell in love with her from the start.  I instantly thought of Kellie Pickler (in the book, her name is often confused with that singer), and I really thought she was a well-developed character.  I loved the romance between her and Dillon--it was so much fun.  And yet she was a driven woman as well.  She knew what she wanted, and she didn't rest until she got it!  Wow!

#5:

Tess from Tess of the D'Urvervilles by Thomas Hardy

I absolutely loved Tess.  So much that the ending was so harsh, but I was not surprised.  It had to happen.  I loved the way the author made her come alive, and I never tired of her.  She was a strong woman placed in an incredibly difficult situation.  I would have loved to have given her some advice to avert the harshness of her life, but it was not to be.  Indeed a woman with strength and depth.

#4:

Jamil from Freedom's Stand by Jeanette Windle

This one was a surprise to me, but I will never forget the character Jamil.  He is the character in the story who converted from Islam to Christianity.  And he spread the gospel until he was arrested.  You can imagine the rest of the story with him.  He never wavered, and God gave him all the strength he needed to endure everything.  As I read the tragedy of his story, I realized how true the words of the the Apostle Paul are--To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  

#3:

Nell of Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar

Talk about a strong woman!  I know I featured this as one of my top reads, but I could not pass up featuring it again.  Nell is the narrator of the story, and I was enchanted by her.  It is easy to see why so many men enjoyed her and ultimately, the King himself bedded her.  She is vivacious and strong.  I love strong women.  She never gave up, and she got herself and her family out of poverty and a life of harshness by doing whatever she had to do.  Except that she had standards her sister did not.  She was never a common a prostitute.  I was so glad about that.  Not that I condone her actions, but she did have high standards under the circumstances.

#2:

Denise Jackson from It's All About Him by Denise Jackson

I know--another real life person!  In fact, she is still alive.  But I was enchanted with her.  I found myself saying over and over again that I could never have done what she did.  She never "dissed" her husband, and she very clearly detailed her spiritual journey in easy-to-understand words.  I felt for her over and over during the story, and it was so neat to see God working in her life.  I would love to tell her in person what her story meant to me.  If I could be half the woman she is, I would pretty happy!

#1:

Count Fosco from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Another surprise, I know.  Who would expect me to select a villain as my top character of 2011?  I went into this story knowing a lot about Count Fosco.  I did not realize just how charming he was.  He seems to be the nicest guy one could ever meet.  Under most circumstances, he would not be the one who would be a villain.  Villains are supposed to be ugly and mean.  Well, Count Fosco always seems to have himself together (even though he is severely overweight).  Even when one realizes what he really is.  It is worth the read just to read about him!  And I think many people would say that Count Fosco is one of the most likable villains in literary fiction.

Well, there you go.  I cannot believe how long it took for me to write this post.  Enjoy!

Six Things to Consider When Donating a Gift Card

I came across this information today when I was looking through my e-mails, and I thought it might be something to share with you, my wonderful readers.  I have never considered donating gift cards to charity.  I thought I would pass it along to you.  As it says on the bottom, please feel free to pass it along as long as you  give proper attribution.  Enjoy!

The season of giving isn't quite over, as Americans make last-minute deductible donations to a wide variety of non-profits. Unwanted gift cards received during the holidays have happily emerged as a popular contribution, and for good reason.

According to the National Federation of Retailers, eight in 10 consumers bought at least one gift card this year, for what BigResearch estimates is a total of $27.8 billion in sales during the holiday season. Naturally, not all those cards aren't exactly well matched to the recipients, which means a lot of plastic goes unused; thus the trend towards donating unwanted gift cards.

Before you contribute your card, however, here are six caveats to consider.

1. How Much Are You Actually Donating?
What percentage of your gift card will be directed towards the charity's stated purpose and how much towards overhead? Ascertaining this fact may require reading the fine print or contacting the non-profit directly.

2. What is the Minimum Balance You Can Donate?
Some charities will accept any balance, but others don't want the hassle of processing a card that's worth less than $10 or $20.

3. How Will the Charity Use Your Donation?
Gift cards sometimes end up being given directly to the charities clientele, while other non-profits resell the card for a percentage of the face value and use the cash.

4. Should You Simply Resell the Card Yourself?
Not many non-profits accept gift cards, but there's a way you can still make hay out of this sunshine. You can exchange your gift card for cash on such websites as GiftCardGranny.com, then donate the proceeds directly to your preferred recipient.

5. Would the Charity Prefer You Donate Purchased Items?
Check with the non-profit to see if they would rather you purchase groceries, clothing, etc. and donate these items, instead of the cards or cash. If your gift card comes from a merchant selling products the charity doesn't need, some stores allow you to exchange gift cards for those from another store. Look for a kiosk near the cash registers that contains a variety of cards from different merchants.

6. Can You Donate the Gift Card to a Silent Auction?
One way to make sure cash goes directly to a non-profit is to contribute your card as a biddable item for a silent auction. If the buyers are feeling charitable, the non-profit might end up with more than the value of the card.

###

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert and has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.

For all media inquiries please contact Andrea Woroch at 970-672-6085 or emailandrea@kinoliinc.com.

Feel free to share "6 Things to Consider When Donating Gift Cards to Charity" with your audience, giving proper attribution to the source.

This Day in History December 28, 1832

I did not know that a vice-president ever resigned, but on this date in 1832, John Calhoun became the first vice-president to resign.  He was President Andrew Jackson's VP, but he said that he had major political differences.  There also was a vacant South Carolina Senate seat which he desired to fill.  

He was an early proponent of states and minority rights.  He had served as Secretary of War under President James Monroe and then ran (unsuccessfully) for president in 1824.  So he was vice-president under John Quincy Adams.  And then in 1828, he continued under President Andrew Jackson.

Following his resignation, he did serve in the Senate. and he viciously fought for slavery in the South against the growing tide of abolitionism in the North.

For more information, please check out these sites:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/calhoun-resigns-vice-presidency

http://www.conservapedia.com/John_C._Calhoun#Vice_president

Top 10 Book Boyfriends 2011

Day 3 of Top 10 of 2011--this one is a stretch for me as well.  But only because I have never really written about it.  There are many times that I read through books and wish with all my heart that I could have a husband or boyfriend like the guy in the book!  So I think this one will be fun.  Again. I am only featuring books I read this year, so there may be repeats.

#10:
John Stark of Hot Wheels and High Heels by Jane Graves

John Stark is an ex-cop, and he knows how to show Darcy a good time.  The sex scenes in this book were hot.  I don't usually condone sex scenes--especially those outside of marriage--but these were at least tasteful.  And the two got married, so what I can I say?  While John had his issues--he didn't trust Darcy at times to do what she knew she could accomplish.  But he learned to treat her the right way, and if he were my boyfriend and then husband, I would certainly be willing to take the time to "train" him!

#9:
Lucas Clairmont of Mistletoe Magic by Sophia James

Lucas Clairmont, indeed a reckless man who knows how to show a lady a good time.  He wrecked Lillian Davenport's "perfect" marriage because she liked the way he kissed.  She could not bring herself to be honest with her feelings.  And although he "ruined" her, he married her and discovered he truly did love her before it was too late!  If he is a good enough kisser to make a woman forget every other man on earth, I would say he fits the bill.  And he never took advantage of her.

#8:
Jefferson Ames of Secrets by Jude Deveraux

Jefferson is an absolute idiot throughout most of the story, but then not everything is what it seems.  He loves Cassandra, but he struggles to tell her.  While he tends to take her services as nanny for granted, at least he realizes his mistake before it's too late.  If he was handsome enough to catch a 12-year-old girl's heart for life, he can't be too bad.  And in spite of his serious job, he does know how to have fun.  Sure, I'd take him.  Men do tend to be dumb in areas of the heart.

#7:
Julian, Earl of Wyndham of Scandal Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee

Julian, a reckless man who marries Nell (and rescues her).  Because of the hastiness of the marriage, he gives her all the room she needs.  But love does indeed grow.  Julian is not perfect, but he always treats Nell with great care and respect.  And he believes her dreams.  Which help to solve a mystery.  His bedroom manner is outstanding, and I would not complain if he were my husband!

#6
David Schlosser of Called Home: Two Hearts Answer by Gloria Schumann

I liked David from the moment he walked into the story. I loved his sense of humor even more than Emma's. I love the way David cares for her and watches over her even when she is not receptive to it.  She fights him tooth and nail.  I sure wouldn't have!  If David showed me some kindness, I would throw a lot his way!

#5:
Walter Hartright from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Walter falls in love with Laura (who is already promised to another).  He is her drawing instructor, and though heartbroken, he does the right thing and leaves.  But he never gives up on her.  He risks his life to save hers.  He makes her stronger by his strength and belief in her.  I love the way that years later, he still loves her.  And he does not fault her for anything.  He loves her and cherishes her.  I would love to have a wonderful guy like him!  Even if I had to wait a lifetime.

#4:
Marc Darcett of How to Seduce a Scoundrel by Vicki Dreiling

Let it be understood that Marc is an absolute rake.  He has so many conquests that I don't think you can itemize them!  But he agrees to be Julianne's guardian for the season.  I would sure let him be mind any day!  I love the fact that these two have fun together--even in bed after they are married.  He is willing to do the honorable thing when he ruins her, but he then realizes he actually loves her.  Typical guy!  I would love to be with a guy like this.  He never pressured her in the physical area at all even though they "got it on."  My kind of guy!

#3:
Edmund Bertram of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Edmund is the only one who ever truly cares about Fanny's feelings from the beginning.  Yes, he is sidetracked by another lady, but he and Fanny always have a special relationship.  He always treats her with great respect.  And the love between them is so sweet and grows over a number of years.  Sure, he can have me!

#2:
Jaden of A Blaze of Glory by M. Garzon

Yes, I liked Jaden from the beginning.  Though older than Tea, I was so happy when they finally allowed themselves to fall in love!  He thought of her and tried to squash the feelings he had.  Very noble, but thankfully he came to his senses.  He always cared about Tea, and he helped her when he could.  He showed her love and tenderness, and he interceded on her behalf more than once.  And he never pressured her in the physical area.  While she decided she wanted to go ahead and get physical, he was kind to her and never pushed to hard.  Sure, he can have me, too!  I also loved the fun they had together!  He was pathetic when he tried to give her up.

#1:

Dillon Black from Countdown to Love by Julie Ford

No contest--Dillon Black is the one I would absolutely pick above any of them.  His personality grabbed me from this first, and he must have been pretty doggone handsome, too!  He treats Kelly like a queen, and they always have such fun together.  There are complications.  Sometimes you think he is being mean.  But in the end, it all comes together.  He loves her and gives her the room she needs.  He is my kind of guy, and I sure wish he were real!  And that I had him all to myself!

I really enjoyed this.  I look forward to linking up.  And to the next post--top characters!