~Unbelievable! I stopped in to Goodwill last night after a long break(downsizing before the move) because I needed a couple of dresses. I found two great dresses: one a lined cotton green dress, looks brand new, Gap for $3.50(half price tag) and a blue silk halter dress from Express, $4(half...

DH was laid off on Nov 3rd. He was paid on a 2 week delay so we had some more checks from his employer this month, but unemployment has been slow to send out the checks. So I figured for this month that we'd be $1491 short. We have a fair chunk in savings, so I wasn't too worried. The...

~I'm seriously tempted to purchase my first Groupon today. It's a $50 of merchandise(even sale items)for $25 coupon. Good at Gap, Baby Gap and Kids Gap across the US and Canada. I have gotten some wonderful deals on their clearance racks before for ds so I may get one. | Groupon Philadelphia ~

Gap between rich, poor Americans accelerates A stagnating middle class is stuck between a lower class with shrinking incomes and an upper class with an expanding slice of the pie, a new study finds.

This a brand new winter coat by Baby Gap. It is Pink on the outside and white on the inside. I am asking $15.00. Please email me for pictures if interested. Will except paypal, money orders or gift cards. Thanks

All items are NWOT. GAP hooded sweater $5 Limited Too striped shirt $5 American Eagle $5 FREE SHIPPING PM if interested. Have a great day!!! Melanie

Use coupon code SHIP50, valid for 3 days only.

But the book I received is NOTHING like the sales blurb on Amazon. I am pretty disappointed . Perhaps you all could shed some light on this for me - otherwise I don't think I will be able to finish it. It is supposed to be based on ancient Toltec Wisdom: the synopsis of his first Chapter is...

Big Cherry Holler, Adriana Trigiani’s next novel about the people of Big Stone Gap, jumps forward eight years into Ave Maria and Jack Mac’s marriage. Knowing these two characters as you do, do you ex-pect the path of true to love run smooth for them? What quirks do Ave Maria and Jack Mac bring...

Ave Maria is named for the mysterious woman who took Ave Maria’s mother under her wing. Do you see another meaning in Ave Maria’s name? Does it tie in with her developing belief in des-tiny and faith?

Both Ave Maria and Worley discover their fathers aren’t who they thought they were, but Worley learns of his true parentage when his father is still alive. Do you think Ave Maria’s expectations of love and marriage would have been affected if she had learned the truth about Mario before her...

When describing her friend Iva Lou, the majorette Tayloe, and Sweet Sue, Ave Maria focuses on the power of beauty and desirability, but she also cautions Pearl that beauty fades while character endures. How does Pearl synthesize the importance of character with the force of beauty?

Ave Maria feels relief and not much surprise when she learns Fred Mulligan is not her father, and later she recognizes aspects of herself in Mario. Though Fred is not her blood kin, what traits did he pass on to Ave Maria while he raised her? How much of Ave Maria’s personality was shaped by...

A common theme in literature is that the heroine (e.g., Snow White, Cinderella, Jane Eyre, Nancy Drew) must lose a parent or parents before she is free to discover who she really is. Is this merely a literary convention or does it have roots in real life? Does it apply to male characters as...

Jack Mac tells Ave Maria, “Stop thinking.” Is Jack Mac correct? Does too much thinking lead Ave Maria into making the wrong choices? Are her emotions a trustier guide or equally unreliable?

When did you suspect that Ave Maria would fall in love with Jack Mac? What were the clues that the author left?

Theodore and Ave Maria have romantic feelings for each other, but never at the same time. If their feelings had been more coordinated, do you think they would have entered a lasting marriage? Do you think their “best friend” relationship will endure after Ave Maria and Jack Mac’s wedding?

Ave Maria’s description of some events, such as kissing Theodore after the Drama and Jack Mac’s reaction to her gratitude for bringing over her Italian family, differs from other people’s perspectives. Do you be-lieve Ave Maria’s interpretations? Why or why not?

Ave Maria refers to herself as a “ferriner,” but when she visits Italy she realizes that her home is in Big Stone Gap. What other works have you read in which the hero or heroine must travel to find his or her home in the world?

As the novel progresses and Ave Maria learns more about herself and her past, her feelings for Big Stone Gap change from contentment to disassociation to joy. Have your feelings for your hometown changed as you’ve changed? How?