Masquerade by Nancy Moser~ Review by Michelle Pell

Have you ever wished your life was different? Charlotte Gleason does. Even though she lives a privledged English lifestyle, she is bored by the endless parties and meaningless flirting.

When her parents arranged for her to marry a wealthy American business man, and ship her away to the states, that is the last straw in Charlotte's eyes. On the boat to America, Charlotte, or Lottie for short, thinks of an absurd idea: what if her traveling companion and lady's maid, Dora, poses in her place? Her future fiance has never seen her, and neither him nor his family would ever know the difference. If they were to switch places, Lottie would get the adventure she longs for, and Dora would be able to experience a life of glamour and riches.

But considering all the lies and deception required to make their plan work, will either Lottie or Dora ever be comfortable to be themselves? Will they ever realize that true love only flourishes in honesty and trust?

Fundraising Ideas~ Heather Young

Even though summer is almost over, and autumn will soon begin, there is still plenty of time for fundraising! Of course, there are many opportunities to raise money, such as garage sales, bake sales, car washes, and going door-to-door selling something.

Garage Sale Tips:

·         colorful signs

·         easy-to-read signs

·         consistent signs

·         good prices

Garage sales are one of my favorite ways to earn money, even if it’s not for fundraising! The number one rule to a successful sale: have good signage! Have colorful signs that people can easily see and read from far away, and place a lot so no one will get confused about where to go.  Moreover, have consistent signs.  Once, I was on my way to a garage sale following a yellow sign that read, “Huge Sale!” As I got closer to my destination, the sign changed to a smaller orange sign that read, “Garage Sale.”  Obviously, I became puzzled, wondering if both signs indeed belonged to the same sale.  I soon found out yes, they were, but if you have a garage sale, please make everyone’s trip easier by not have varying signs.  When pricing, try to sell items for less than their original worth, while not going so low that you won’t get much profit.  Or, you could even not put prices on anything and let people decide what they want to pay!

Bake Sale Tips:

·         good location

·         samples

·         fresh food

·         reasonable prices

Personally, I have not had much success with bake sales.  Sadly, I only tried once because my first and final attempt only attracted one customer, not counting my friends.  But, I am sure many of you could sell a lot of goodies if you choose a location within view of cars.  One thing the consumers enjoyed about my sale was the samples I laid out.  Be careful not to cut them too big, or some people might only eat samples.  Also, instead of baking a huge batch of goodies in the morning, bake a small amount every hour or two to keep your food fresh.

A car wash cannot only earn a decent amount of money; it can also be fun! Most importantly, have good advertising (see “Garage Sale Tips”).

Lastly, when you go door-to-door (with a buddy!) you can find numerous ways to earn money, whether by selling a product or doing yard work! Be sure to always have a smile on your face and make your offer look appealing.  No one wants to buy something from someone who doesn’t look friendly! Also, make sure you have a flyer to hand out or show to your customers so they know you aren’t just some kid trying to make a few bucks for yourself.

Although you may have already finished your summer fundraising, I hope you will take these ideas into account for the future! Have you tried any creative ways to raise money? If so, please leave a comment!

For more fundraising ideas, go to:

http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/

Photograph property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Phtograph taken by Lauren Jaji.

How-To: Fishtail Braid~ Hogans Stevens

This is one of my all-time favorite braids, especially for the summer.

Just like a regular braid, you start out by taking three strands of hair--but instead of separating all of your hair into the three parts, simply take small sections: one directly in the middle and two sides.

Now, start to bring in more strands, adding more hair to both of the side strands as you go. But do NOT add hair to the strand that is in the middle.

Keep adding your hair as needed, continuing the braid as normal.

And there you go! It's as simple as that. You can either take smaller strands for a more detailed and tight braid, or you can take bigger sections (as seen in the photos), which will give the braid a looser feel.



Step 1

Step 2

Step 3



Lessons from a Tree Branch~ Abigail Massung

 This summer my family decided to visit Michigan’s upper peninsula for a week. While hiking to one of the many waterfalls located up there, we saw a tree. The main tree was normal enough. I barely remember the tree itself because one of the branches held my entire focus. The branch grew out horizontal to the ground for a couple feet, appearing dead. Then, right at the end, it curved up sharply to stand proudly in the sun. That proud little tip grew up straight and green. My mom said something along the lines of: “It would do anything just to survive.” That idea echoed through my soul because lately I’d been trying not to give up my fight to survive.

    Looking back at the branch, I think about all it faced merely to reach out for a chance at a new start. How strong that branch had to have grown inside so it could support the new life! On the outside, it appeared to have died, but life must have coursed through it to feed the new life. It fought through the dark times to reach the sun. The strength it gained in those times gave it the base it needed to hold it up later on. All of us struggle in life –one way or another. We all face dark times when the sun never seems to shine. The thing is, we have to choose to keep growing through those times. If we keep struggling and not giving up, we’ll not only survive to see the sun, we’ll be strong enough to support the new life we’ll gain.