** The winner of this giveaway was Joyful Days!** My next giveaway will begin on Monday, 3 September!

Last month I launched my Pay It Forward book exchange idea and I was so excited about the interest this exchange has generated thus far. There have been many bloggers hosting their own PIF Book Exchange giveaways and there are more to come! Thank you everyone!

Today I'm hosting my second free Pay It Forward book giveaway!

Let me just recap the Pay It Forward Book Exchange concept for those who might have missed it.

Most all of us love to read and get “new-to-us” books, right? And if you’re anything like me, you love winning things (what a rush), not to mention getting fun stuff in the mail! So here’s what this book exchange is all about:

1) Once a month I'll pick a book to give away to one lucky reader (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be a book that someone has shared with me that I really like. It’ll probably be a paperback, just to make things easier, but no guarantees.

2) Details on how you can enter to win will be listed below.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway and you have your own blog I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book). If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive. If you're a non-blogger who has won the book, please consider donating the book to your local library or shelter after you're done with it.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let me know so I can publish a post on my blog plugging your giveaway and directing my readers your way!

So there you have it, my Pay It Forward Book Exchange, designed to encourage people to read, to share good books, to possibly get you out of your reading comfort zone, and to get fun stuff in the mail instead of just bills!

Now then, my book giveaway for the month of August will be The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Before I go any further, I'd like to send out a special thanks to BooMama who sent me an Amazon gift certificate and suggested that I use it for future PIF books. This book was purchased using that gift certificate so thanks Boomama!

So, I the entire time I was reading The Road I found myself thinking, what if this was Snuggle Bug and I. What would I do? Would my love for him keep me going. I think it would! Love is a powerful thing.

Here's what the back of the book says:

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing: just a pistol to defend themselves agains the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food- and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love.

If you'd like this like new book sent to you, here is what you must do:

1. On your blog, write a post about this giveaway, using my "Pay It Forward" button, and then link back to my post. I am sure your readers would appreciate learning about the chance to win a book. You must complete this step to be put in the drawing, ,unless of course you don't have a blog!

2. Sign the Mr. Linky (the Mr. Linky is that list of names at the end of this post - just type your name in the box) with your name and the specific URL of your PIF post by end of day on Friday, 10 August. Note: If you are not a blogger, you may still enter. Just sign your name on the Mr. Linky without a URL and then email me your contact information. Please note on your email that it is for the Cormac McCarthy book giveaway.

I'll announce the winners this coming Saturday morning, so be sure to check back.

Best of luck!

Additional Pay It Forward Book Exchange Giveaways!

Jill at The Diaper Diaries gave away Lucky by Alice Sebold and Dreaming in Black & White by Laura Jensen Walker. Thanks so much, Jill!

Vail at Thoughts of a Wannabe gave away the book Return to Me by Robin Lee Hatcher. Thanks, Vail!

Kathleen Marie at The Open Window gave away the book Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon by Jane Austen. Thanks, Kathleen Marie!

Lynn at Somewhere In the Sun gave away the book Divine by Karen Kingsbury. Thanks, Lynn!

Miss Paula at Gathering of Friends gave away the book Night Song by Tricia Goyer. Thanks, Miss Paula!

Cloudscome at a wrung sponge gave away the book The Living by Annie Dillard. Thanks, Cloudscome!

Lace at Keeping My Fingers Crossed gave away the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Thanks, Lace!

Kris at Paradise Found gave away the book SmartLab 1st Grade
Challenge by Jennifer Jacobson. Thanks, Kris!

Sheryl at Taking the Challenge gave away the book Fair Game by Carol Cox. Thanks, Sheryl!

Julie at Joyful Days gave away the book Crime and Clutter by Cyndy Salzman and also gave away a CD! Thanks, Julie!

Heidi at God's Grace in Practice gave away the book Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg. Thanks, Heidi!

Caroline at food for thought gave away the book Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. Thanks, Caroline!

Brea at The Road to Creating Our Family gave away the book Kissing Adrien by Siri L. Mitchell and I was the lucky winner! Thanks so much, Brea!

Karen at Mommy of Three gave away the book Piercing The Darkness by Frank E Peretti and I was the lucky winner! Thanks so much, Karen!

Kelly at Big A, little a gave away two books. She gave away The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin and also If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko. Thanks, Kelly!

Shauna at Shauna rumbling gave away an autographed copy of the book The Elevator by Angela Hunt. Thanks, Shauna!

Alexia at The Mommy Rambles gave away two books, The Testament by John Grisham and The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts. Thanks, Alexia!

Libby at Lessons from the Tortoise gave away Looking for Alaska by John Green. Thanks, Libby!

Magpie at Magpie Musing gave away Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler. Thanks, Magpie!

Paige at Superpaige's Pad gave away The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Thanks, Paige!

Sheryl at Taking the Challenge gave away another book called The Bishop's Daughter by Wanda Brunstetter. Thanks, Sheryl!

Becky at In the Pages gave away Bright Ideas Calendar by McDonald Publishing. 365 Language Arts Activities for Grades 1-3. Thanks, Becky!

Kathleen Marie at The Open Window gave away the book The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. Thanks, Kathleen Marie!

Kelly at Three Hearts For Home gave away the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
by Joanna Weaver. Thanks, Kelly!

To Know Him gave away the book Making Children Mind, Without Losing Yours, by Kevin Leman. Thanks, To Know Him!

There Is Power In Prayer... gave away the book The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom and I was the lucky winner! Thanks, There Is Power In Prayer!

Labels: books/reading, BooMama, giveaways, Pay It Forward

Just yesterday, I learned about Kelli through A Chelsea Morning and BooMama's blogs. The short of it is that Kelli needs a kidney transplant and she and her family are wondering how they're going to make COBRA payments to have insurance coverage for this kidney transplant. They also need to be able to come up with $1200 a month in anti-rejection drugs once she gets a kidney.

Now, I don't know Kelli (I only heard about her a day ago) but I have full intentions of making a donation today through the PayPal account that BooMama has set up for Kelli.

Why would I be donating to a perfect stranger? Well, for one, it's being requested by two bloggers that I totally trust. I know this isn't a scam, this is legit.

More importantly, I'm donating because I want Kelli to get a kidney transplant and to have the financial means to make this successful. This hits home to me because someday, I may be going through the same thing myself.

You see, I had a kidney removed when I was 2 years old. It was badly infected and was making me very sick, so the doctors convinced my parents to let them remove it. They told them, 'Two kidneys is a luxury. If we remove it while she's young, the remaining kidney will grow larger and stronger to pick up the slack.'

Well, they were right, that's exactly what happened. But now that I'm in my 30's, my kidney is showing some signs of functionality deterioration. It's nothing too alarming yet but it's something I need to be monitoring on a regular basis.

So, if you have a bit to spare, please make a donation for Kelli's cause. And most importantly, please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Thank you!

Labels: blogger friends, BooMama, faith, leap of faith, prayer

BooMama is hosting a Christmas Tour of homes and, since Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year, I thought I'd join in on the fun. You're about to see pictures of our various Christmas decorations.

BooMama mentioned providing refreshments. Well, I can't decide on any one refreshment to offer you. Would you settle for a link to my Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style recipe exchange where you'll find 200+ recipes that 80 bloggers contributed?

Okay, now for our Christmas decorations!

Let's start with our tree. It's a humble little tree, but we love it. We've made no effort to get a larger tree. This one suite us just fine.

Our tree during the daytime. We put it in the living room, in front of the bay window.



Our tree at night. My puny digital camera just didn't do a great job of capturing the lights on the tree. Sorry for the blurriness of the image.

I think the most enjoyable part of putting up our Christmas tree is hanging on our ornaments that we've collected over the years. Both Oronzo and I have ornaments dating from our childhood, up to 2005. I'm waiting to see what ornament Oronzo will get me this year.



This ornament is very special. It was given to Snuggle Bug by his birth grandmother, Clara, the day he was born, in preparation for his first Christmas. This is his very first ornament ever.



This ornament was given to us last year by one of our neighbors. We'd only been in our new home for 3 months by the time Christmas had arrived and we were so touched by the thoughtful welcome gifts from many of our neighbors. We love our neighborhood!



This ornament was made for me by my mom a few years back. She made each of us kids a set of about 6 ornaments. I love each of them!



This is my Fontanini nativity set. I've been collecting pieces of this set since I graduated from college. I love it because, not only is it beautiful, but it's hard to break.



This is Snuggle Bug's Little People nativity set. I put it out in the open for him so that it's easily accessible when he wants to play with it. You may have noticed that in both of my nativity sets, baby Jesus is not present. Our Catholic tradition is to wait until Christmas morning to add baby Jesus to the nativity scene.


This is my favorite children's Christmas book. It's a Little Golden book. I used to have a copy of this as a child but it was lost over the years. I made a point to buy another copy for Snuggle Bug. The illustrations in this book are beautiful!


And this helps remind me how many days until Christmas, which is good because I still have a few days to finish up Christmas shopping!

Well, there you have it, some of my Christmas favorites. I hope you've enjoyed my little tour! Now, I'm off to go see the many other holiday decorated homes of my fellow bloggers.

Thanks, BooMama, for hosting the 2006 Christmas Tour of Homes! :)

Labels: blogger friends, books/reading, BooMama, celebration, faith, family, holiday, home, memories, photos, traditions