Square-foot Gardening with Papa and Nana, part 2

Our new square foot gardens are courtesy of "Papa," my resourceful, ingenious, newly retired Dad. Someone loaned him a book about how to do square foot gardens, and he devoured it. Since we've always wanted to garden but didn't know the first thing about getting started, he set us up right! He used an old, broken trampoline for the trellis. Almost everything he used he already had laying around. We're looking forward to cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, beans, basil, marjoram, thyme, and a few other things that I can't remember. We also have room for more!

The soil is a mixture of peet moss, vermiculite, and compost. It's supposed to be virtually weed-free because there's a ground cover that helps to prevent weeds from the bottom and there's nothing in the soil except the veggie/herb seeds. We'll see how it goes . . . Dad is pretty excited about it, and so are we!

Thank you Papa and Nana for a fabulous day outside! Miriam points to the garden every day and says, "That's our garden! Nana and Papa did that! We did that!" I love it!

Square-foot Gardening with Papa and Nana

Maximize your spending, Help Orphans, Have fun traveling

A Little History
Many of you know that we've been supporting a young deaf girl in Uganda, East Africa, named Justine. She lived with us for six months while we were there teaching at an orphanage/boarding school in 2003, but I actually met her the year before on a three-week trip led by Tod Bell. I fell in love with Africa and with Justine and part of my heart has been there ever since. That was nearly seven years ago.

What's Happening Today
I'm sensing the Lord leading us to support more children. A friend recently told me that if only 1% of all followers of Christ in America sponsored one orphan, then all the orphans of the world would receive the care they need. My goal is to support at least six children in six different countries by the end of this year by giving away the proceeds from travel booked through my travel center at http://buysavegive.com.

How You Fit In
What does that have to do with you? Well, what if you could help support orphans all over the world without spending any extra money? What if you could actually save some money, reduce the time spent searching the Internet, and support at-risk children around the globe, all at the same time? Would you do it?

How many times a year do you book a flight? A rental car? A hotel? How often do you take a week-end or weekk-long vacation? Do you usually stay in a hotel or a condo? Have you ever taken a cruise? What if a portion of the money you already spend on these things could go toward the work of indigenous organizations in places like Africa, Southeast Asia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and even the U.S.A.?

The Big Picture
I have friends who work in all of these areas. I know first-hand that the money we give actually goes to support the children. No one is getting rich on my donations (believe me, we've visited them in their homes and we know!) My husband and I have also personally been to some of these remote areas. I've been to Uganda twice, and he went to Sri Lanka after the hurricane. We have not only seen the great need, but we have also seen how much can be done with so little.

We have now discovered an easy way for friends and family to give without increasing their spending. In fact, you may actually save money! As you may know, most travel is booked online without any brand-loyalty. Most people just search different sites like Expedia or Travelocity or Orbitz looking for the best prices. At the same time, most baby boomers prefer to speak with a real person when booking travel.

With my site (http://buysavegive.com), you have at your fingertips one-stop shopping for all your travel needs. Whether you book online or through a certified travel agent, you can find flights, hotels, rental cars, condos, cruises, and more. You'll find great value, excellent service, and the professionalism that comes from a private-label travel provider that has been specializing in nothing but travel for 25 years. They've partnered with networking businesses like mine to eliminate advertising costs, paying for referrals through commissions instead. The commissions I earn from my travel center will be invested into the Kingdom by supporting orphans around the world.

Testimonials
So far, we've used our travel center to book flights and hotels. For the first flight we booked, we waited until the last minute. Some friends of ours booked their flight weeks ahead of time. They thought they were saving a few dollars by going outside the travel center. However, not only did they have a six-hour layover that we didn't have (ours was just over an hour), but they also spent more money than we did. Our travel center has no hidden fees. What you see is what you spend. There are no pop-ups, no ads, and no clicking from page to page to find out the "real" cost.

When my husband and I went to a Dani Johnson conference in January, we saw on her website that attendees could receive a special promotional rate by calling the hotel directly and saying we were with the conference. We checked my travel center first and saved over $100 for three nights. Not only did we save money, but we also made money (30% of the commission is paid back to us).

We also have stories from friends who found trips to Paris and to Mexico for half of what the major search engines were offering. A couple who wanted to honeymoon in Mexico couldn't afford it, but our travel center helped them book a trip at an all-inclusive resort that cost around $2,000, and that included flights!

A man who needed to attend a funeral in a very small town couldn't find a hotel anywhere on the Internet. He called my travel center and they found a hotel for him in minutes. My travel center has helped countless others save money on fancy hotels and get tickets to major attractions (including Disney) for a fraction of the price.

More Benefits from BuySaveGive.com
The cruise itineraries on my site actually double those found on Expedia (whereas Expedia offers approx. 6,000 cruise itineraries, my travel center offers nearly 13,000 from all 48 cruise lines).

They also have over two-million weeks of condo availability, which you won't find on the aforementioned travel search engines. Condos, if you've never stayed in one, are the best way to vacation. You get separate bedrooms, a living area, and a full kitchen, eliminating the need to eat out every day. You could end up spending the same amount on a condo that you would for a hotel--and save money on food. Just ask me how!

Buy.Save.Give.
If you do any traveling this year, would you consider booking through my site (http://buysavegive.com)? I'd love your help in reaching my goal of supporting six children in six different countries by the end of this year. Your business trips and vacations could actually help feed, clothe, house, and educate children around the world. All you have to do is log on to http://buysavegive.com and book your travel from there. Buy.Save.Give. When you Buy from this site, you'll most likely Save money, and you'll Give to needy children who are hoping someone, somewhere will care in a tangible way.

http://buysavegive.com

Add it to your favorites. Bookmark it. Memorize it.
The children in Africa, Southeast Asia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and here in the U.S.A will thank you.

Partnering together to bring social change,
Lori Todd
(615) 496-8079
http://buysavegive.com
http://loritodd.biz

P.S. You may be wondering if I'm still a representative for Cruise to Cash Vacations. I am. I'm also now a representative for Quest Travel Network, a new sister-company founded by Tod Bell and Michael Churchill. Check it out at http://loritodd.biz.

NOTE: The first picture is of me with Justine in 2002. A year later she poses with my mom (on left) and mother-in-law (on right) while my dad takes the picture. The bottom picture was taken by my husband. It features our friend Howard with some kids from Sri Lanka in early 2005.

Mira Hurts Her Bitty Toe

What begins with a scratched toe turns into a broken toe that might cause her to "maybe die--maybe die in the sea." It moves to a conversation with her big brother and ends with her demonstrating how to "run in the leaves." Watch for the subtle "yes": she doesn't shake her head; she moves her chin up and down. I love that little girl.

What we think before we buy

I don't know about you, but when I need a haircut, I go to the same person every time. Jennifer at Le Bon Ton Salon not only does a great job, but she's also CHEAP, and she happens to be a single mom. I love knowing that I can spend a fourth of what I used to spend on my hair, get a professional cut, and invest in someone I care about--all in one appointment. It may not seem like much, but if Jennifer finds enough loyal clientele, she can make a good living doing something she enjoys, take care of herself and her son, and make lots of people like me very happy.

That's just one example of how we like to spend money. When we make purchases, we almost always go with a combination of professionalism and price. We also think in terms of our purchase being an investment into the lives of those we love.

If someone tells me that they're giving a portion of the proceeds to an organization that I believe in, I'm much more likely to spend the money--especially if I was already thinking about that particular purchase.

For example, we love Lucy Rizzo's cheesecakes. This weekend, we can purchase a cheesecake from her that will also benefit Kristi Singleton, who has joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and needs to raise funds for her DTS (Discipleship Training School). We love that kind of stuff.

So here's where I ask you to do the same for me . . .

Anytime you book travel, whether it's a rental car or a hotel or a flight, instead of using a major travel search engine, use my travel center, and 30% of the commissions go to me. We already support indigenous organizations in Africa, but we'd really like to increase our support in Southeast Asia with a group called Divine Inheritance. Check out Project AK-47. I love it.

And, now, for the link to . . .

MY TRAVEL CENTER

No pop-ups. No ads. No hidden fees.
Twice the cruise itineraries as Expedia.
Guaranteed lowest prices on hotels (two night min.)
Two-million weeks of condo availability--plus $600 discounts for week-long condo stays.

I'll most likely buy a domain name and forward it, but I need something that's easy to remember. Suggestions?


http://buysavegive.com (add it to your favorites!)

Thanks!!!