The Sonoma County Free Bookmobile

by Pat Chiappa February 1, 2011

I went to a grammar school in a small, fairly rural town in NJ. The school library was in the basement of the school, and as I recall, there were maybe 2 shelves of books. It was pretty sad but luckily, the town library was within walking distance. But I’ll never forget the first time [...]

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Free Stuff! What Could be Better?

by Pat Chiappa January 20, 2011

I LOVE to win things -  drawings, contests, games – you name it. So I’m already loving Any Lucky Day. I just signed up today, so I don’t know how it will really all work – but I was so excited, I wanted to share it with you immediately. It’s easy and quick to sign [...]

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Beauty is in the Eye of the Seller

by Pat Chiappa January 17, 2011

Because I’m frugal, I often buy things off of Craiglist.  I have had great luck over the years with only one bad experience which is not really worth noting.  I have also successfully sold some furniture myself through Craigslist and met some great folks in the process. I’m in the market right now for a [...]

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PIE – Making a Comeback!

by Pat Chiappa January 11, 2011

I think cupcakes are adorable,  after all they are cakes in miniature – so what’s not to love?  Besides the fact that they are in general, unhealthy snacks,  and every other town has a few cupcake shops now, I think cupcakes should step out of the spotlight and give pies their 15 minutes of fame. [...]

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Larry Robinson – A New Year’s Blessing

by Pat Chiappa January 4, 2011

I don’t know Larry Robinson, but a friend sent this poem to me and I connected with it and wanted to share.  The happy little messy chocolate boy is my nephew Ben. A New Year’s Blessing Unhurried mornings, greeted with gratitude; good work for the hand, the heart and the mind; the smile of a [...]

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Time to Plan Your Best Year Yet

by Pat Chiappa December 31, 2010

I wanted to wrap up the year by thanking everyone who bought my guide, Year Ahead/Year in Review, and implemented the philosophy and system of life planning into their lives. I appreciate your support and also your willingness to do the work involved in creating a real honest-to-goodness plan. I would love to hear more [...]

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Give ‘em a break and a prayer

by Pat Chiappa December 22, 2010

The holiday shopping rush got me thinking about something I think is worth sharing… You know the feeling of when you are driving down the road and someone is riding on your tail, trying to pass you, swerving to your right and left to try and see ahead of you so they can get in [...]

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Five Gifts of Compassion

by Pat Chiappa December 17, 2010

I was given The Five Gifts of Compassion from my qigong instructor last week. We went over it in class and talked about how we could give these gifts during this holiday season. We all agreed that we would each set a holiday goal  – to give one gift of compassion daily during the holiday [...]

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Caution – Generosity Can Be Contagious

by Pat Chiappa December 15, 2010

Mark and I were out rambling this past weekend. We started the day by driving to the coast and then walking along the Kortum Trail in Bodega Bay on the Sonoma Coast here in northern CA. The fog was so thick you couldn’t see the ocean, but we could hear it crashing just alongside the [...]

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Frugal, Smart & Simple 25 Creative Uses for Coffee Filters

by Pat Chiappa December 4, 2010

COFFEE FILTERS Coffee  filters …. Who knew!   And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing -  even the large ones. Here we go: 1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the  microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers. 2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome…  Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave [...]

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