For all of you reading my blog who have ever called me cheap...there is a distinction between frugal and cheap.  And I definitely err on the side of frugal - thank you very much.  If you don't know the difference, this article will help!

My in-laws got me a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble for my birthday, so I was trying to find some inspirational books I would treasure. Hometown Heroes caught my eye on the feature book table. It's a compilation of short stories (taken from the regular feature in American Profile magazine) about people all over the nation doing good things to help each other. Each story is only a few pages, and I typically read one each night before going to bed and really thought about the little message at the end of each story. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Angel to the Aged - a woman began a non-profit organization, Second Wind Dreams, that grants senior citizens a final wish come true - from riding a roller coaster to being reunited with a long-lost family member. The message: "Wisdom is yours when you honor your elders, listen to their thoughts and dreams, and celebrate the miracle of life together."
• The Birthday Lady - every morning, a woman in Kansas writes the names of everyone celebrating a birthday in the community. I thought this was a cool story because it makes everyone slow down and think of others. The message: "Take the time to know people by name and know a little about them. That's the beauty of community."
• Fostering Family Ties - after seeing a picture of a girl in one of the poorest areas of the nation eating her one meal a day and sitting on a filthy mattress, Pat Koner in New York inspired her community to adopt a family and send food to them each month. She did it this way because it's more meaningful than sending money. "It's easy to write a check, but it's not easy to do the right thing when you're busy," she says. How true indeed. The message: "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." - Mother Teresa.

Each story made me think because they ranged from simple and heartfelt gestures to starting non-profits, and the heroes spanned all ages. It was a wonderful collection of stories I will definitely revisit!

As my sister was talking to a local news reporter, I was thinking "Wow, she's an expert."  Patty spoke about what to look for in a bathing suit depending on your body type.  Her hair and make-up looked great!  And she spoke so eloquently.  Not that she doesn't normally, but I would have been stumbling all over.  I don't think CBS has a video clip, but click here for the transcript.

It was my first time at the XTU Anniversary Concert -- and probably my last! We had lawn seats, which absolutely sucked as people were packed in there like sardines and there was no where to walk, so people were walking on your blanket and worse, on you. After 2 hours, someone was packing up their stuff and handed us two tickets for the reserved seats area -- sweet! We packed it up and headed for the pavilion. While it was towards the back, we had a pretty good view. The music started at noon, but we got there at 4, just in time for the main acts. We saw Clint Black, who was whining because no one was singing his songs, and left the stage after only 20 minutes of performing. He sucked, so I said "buh-bye"! Gary Allen was pretty good and I really enjoyed Dierks Bentley. He sung a lot of his hits, so I was bopping away and singing along. Tom was getting bored, wanted ear plugs and then some guy puked right behind us, so it was time to hit the road. We missed Montgomery Gentry, the headliner of the show, but we also missed the mob and traffic! I'm glad I experienced the XTU concert, but it's also something I don't want to experience again!

It was a hot, muggy day yesterday, but our first community yard sale and potluck dinner was a lot of fun. The day started at 7 a.m. when everyone was setting up their tables and "stuff." About 4 families participated and one person up the street sold food (tomato pie, soft pretzels, cookies, etc.) and drink to the weary buyers and sellers. What a great idea! We had a steady stream of people. As expected, the early birds were looking for specific things and didn't necessarily buy anything. Without advertising in the local paper, we still got a lot of traffic - where we hung big, colorful signs that said "Huge Multi-Family Yardsale" in both directions. My neighbor posted a listing on Craig's list and David updated it the night before so it was again one of the first postings.

Tom and I brought in around $280 - far exceeding what I thought we would make. We were so excited that two people bought our old Dell computer. We didn't think it would move. One person took the monitor and someone else the computer, so it worked out well. My Mom also made some money and she was happy to get rid of her stuff. The best part: We took everything left over to the Salvation Army. The feeling of purging was almost as good as making the money!

There was little time to rest between the yard sale and potluck dinner. By the time we packed everything up and took showers, we ran to the store for a couple last minute items and began the food preparation and set-up. A total of 18 people from 8 houses came for the dinner - about a 25% response. We got to meet and talk to people we don't normally see, so it was really nice. All of the food was so tasty - we had baked ziti, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, bean salad and homemade stromboli - to name a few items. For dessert - cakes, cookies, brownies and fruit were on the table. It was a feast that could have easily fed twice the number of people. The cutest thing was the little boy down the street and the little girl across the street became fast friends. They were holding hands at the end of the night! Everyone had a great time and we vowed to do it again - maybe even more than once a year!