Congrats again to all the winners! I will contact each winner by email. If you did not have your email posted please post it here so I can email you! Thanks to all those who participated and don't forget to enter in my contests/giveaways that are going on now! I will also be adding more posts and giveaways soon so stay tuned!
My kids and I have had the great opportunity to review many titles from Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and so when we were asked to watch and review their Wubbzy and The Fire Engine DVD we were so excited.
This DVD came out just in time for National Fire Prevention Week, which was on October 9. In this new collection of episodes, Wubbzy: has a fire engine adventure with Widget, delivers Daizy's doodleberry treats, re-builds a house with Ty Ty The Tool Guy (voiced by Ty Pennington of "Extreme Home Makeover") and much more! There is lots of singing, dancing and friendly firemen too! Climb aboard for tons of great entertainment that pre-schoolers and parents will adore over and over again in Wubbzy and The Fire Engine!
Includes These Episodes:
Wubbzy And The Fire Engine, What Would Wubbzy Do?, Ty Ty The Tool Guy, Mr. Unlucky, Wuzzleburg Express & Hangin' With Mr. Gummy
Bonus Features:
Coloring and Activity Sheets, Music Video & Sneak Peeks
BUY IT:
You can get the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy and the Fire Engine DVD through Amazon.com at $11.99.
WIN IT:
Jaymie from Grand Communications, Inc. has generously offered another Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy and the Fire Engine DVD for one of my readers to win.
Mandatory:
1. Go to the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! website and tell me another product you would love and why.
2. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall.. (1 extra entry)
3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) on the right sidebar and/or Networked Blogs Let me know what your user name is. (2 extra entries each)
4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)
5. Give me a brief POSITIVE review on Alexa and provide me with your user name. (3 extra entries)
6. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the right) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)
7. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)
9. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog Linky/Link-up and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)
10. Write about this giveaway with a link to this post on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, Google+ or other social media website besides Twitter. Let me know where. (2 extra entries for each)
11. Comment on my regular (not giveaway) posts. Let me know which one. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)
13. Tweet this: @finamoon: @WWWubbzy #WIN Wubbzy and The Fire Engine DVD #giveaway http://bit.ly/sWLZoQ
(Daily Extras are Available)
14. Fan Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! on Facebook. (1 extra entry)
15. Follow Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday November 18, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. only!!
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Grand Communications, Inc. for letting me know about this product and for sending me a free Wubbzy and The Fire Engine DVD to watch and review. This giveaway is also provided free from Grand Communications, Inc.. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
These tips are excerpted from The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution (McGraw-Hill) by Elizabeth Pantley. Please enjoy and check out all her books at No Cry Solutions.
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"It can be hard - almost impossible sometimes -to change your child's rigidly held eating habits. Instead of trying to overhaul every meal and snack at once, begin by making a few small changes, one at a time, toward a more nutritious diet. Pick just a few items to start with. Once these become routine, then change another couple of items. If you follow this process, you'll find that within a year you will have improved your child's overall diet significantly; and likely affected his lifelong eating habits."
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"Your attitude about food is critical to your child's developing outlook. It's no surprise that studies have found that parents who don't like vegetables have children who don't like vegetables. It's assumed that these parents don't serve many vegetables and treat them as villains when they do.
One study found that the more a child is lectured about the merits of eating vegetables, the more he assumes they will taste bad and the more he will resist even trying them -- children catch on quickly when parents are trying to sell a behavior they don't truly believe in or follow in their own lives. Conversely, several studies found that when parents eat more fruits and vegetables, their children do too.Once you realize that your actions are on display to your child as a prime tool for teaching lifetime beliefs, you can modify your own behavior to set the best example. The side benefit is that you'll be healthier too."
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"What's in your kitchen? A typical home contains plenty of healthy food, along with an assortment of snacks, desserts, and less healthy fare. An adult can sift through all this and decide what's best to eat, picking healthy options and judiciously choosing the right time for and amount of junk food and desserts.Children, however, will naturally be drawn to the tastiest option, with no guilt over the resulting choice. They will open the refrigerator or pantry and pick the most appetizing thing they see.
How can you help your child make better choices? The best way is to put the healthy foods where they can be seen easily and allow your child to choose between the nutritious options in view. Place desserts and junk foods on high shelves or in opaque containers. This way you can dole out the treats when and where you feel they're appropriate."
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"Health officials call soda liquid candy. It’s easy to see why: there is no nutritional value in soda and a twelve ounce can contains 9 to 12 teaspoons of sugar. A 20 ounce bottle contains 16 to 18 teaspoons of sugar! Having just one soft drink a day can increase a child’s risk for obesity by 60%."
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"Make family dinnertime a routine because your children who eat with their parents will eat healthier overall, have better social skills, be less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs later in life, and stay closer to you emotionally throughout childhood, and perhaps beyond. Family mealtime does not have to be formal, structured, or complicated to reap great rewards. A night when you eat sandwiches around the table while chatting about anything under the sun counts just as much as those more formal dinners.There are four things that shouldn't be brought to the dinner table: lectures, reprimands, rigid expectations, and demands for specific conversation.The key to success for the family dinner idea is regularity-four to five times a week or more. Families that make a practice of dining together in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere reap the most benefits."
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“If your child is a picky eater, keep the correct goal in mind. The objective is NOT to make your child eat more food…but to be sure that food choices are healthy ones.”
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: By posting this information I am entered into the No-Cry Picky Eater BLOGGER Contest! My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Elizabeth Pantley of No Cry Solutions and vice versa. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post.
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, for the latest adventure featuring the world’s beloved bear, Winnie The Pooh! Join Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Christopher Robin, Owl, Kanga, Piglet, Eeyore, and all of the classic characters you know and love when Walt Disney Pictures releases Winnie The Pooh on DVD and Blu-Ray October 25, 2011! Click on the Widget below to take The Pooh Personality Quiz with your child and download some awesome activities, recipes, coloring sheets, party ideas, crafts, games and more!
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: By posting this widget on my blog I am getting a free Winnie The Pooh on DVD and Blu-Ray Combo Pack for review later on my blog. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post.
Kashi makes some of the most wholesome all natural cereals, snack bars, cookies, chips, crackers, waffles, frozen entrees, pizza and pilaf. Their products are all free of highly refined sugars, artificial additives, and unnatural preservatives. They also think that taste is important because great taste and healthy food don't always go hand in hand. They want you and your family to enjoy their foods so that you and your family will also eat better while eating Kashi products and know their foods are good for you and delicious.
I have tried many of their exceptional products including their GOLEAN Crunchy! Bars, TLC Cereal Bars, TLC Chewy Granola Bars, TLC Crunchy Granola Bars, GOLEAN Cereal, Heart To Heart Cereal, Kashi Squares cereal, TLC Pita Crisps, TLC Crackers, TLC Cookies, etc. My favorites so far are their Cherry Dark Chocolate TLC Chewy Granola Bars, Fire Roasted Veggie TLC Crackers, and Oatmeal Raisin Flax TLC Cookies. I would love to try their Kashi Granola Mountain Medley, Kashi Granola Summer Berry, Cherry Vanilla TLC Cereal Bars, Dark Mocha Almond TLC Chewy Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Coconut TLC Layered Granola Bars, Happy Trail Mix TLC Cookies, all Kashi Frozen Entrees, and Mushroom Trio & Spinach Kashi Thin Crust Pizza. They all sound really good to me!
I was given the opportunity to try their TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars. These bars start with the chewy granola bottom that has peanut butter and peanut chunks along with other granola pieces. Then they spread a layer of real soft fruit mixed with gooey dark chocolate on the granola with a sprinkling of peanuts and dark chocolate pieces on top of that.
These bars are:
• Free of high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and unnatural preservatives
• Full of real nutrition: made with a blend of 7 whole grains, has 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein from peanuts and soy crisps
I liked the TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars, but they were not my favorite Kashi product. I am not a big fan of peanuts so I found myself picking them off the top of the granola bar and the chocolate that was mixed with the fruit was good and probably my most favorite part of the whole thing besides the granola, but it was a bit unusual too. My kids; however, loved them and I shared some with the neighborhood kids and they seemed to enjoy them as well. I also shared them with my moms group and they had mixed feelings on them. Some really loved the flavors and some didn't really care for them at all. The packaging was very nice and presented the product very well. However; if I had my way the individual wrappings for the bars could be in more of an environmentally friendly packaging. If you love peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate and granola then these will be just the ticket!
BUY IT:
Kashi TLC Peanutty Dark Chocolate Layered Granola Bars retail for $3.89. Find them at most major grocery stores nationwide.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
October is National Breast Cancer awareness month and many companies are doing their part to give and support research to find a cure. Freschetta the makers of really yummy pizza are participating with their Proud to Support Pink program where from September 25th - October 31st when you purchase specially marked packages of Freschetta pizzas and Artisan pizza crusts you will be helping them reach their goal pf $50,000 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The specially marked packages have codes that you can enter at www.ProudToSupportPink.com.
Every code equals a dollar donated for breast cancer research. The website also has a place for people to share their stories about breast cancer. Each story submitted will be displayed on the website and on their Facebook page to inspire those who read them. Each week in October you can also have your hand at winning one of 50 pink iPod shuffles by entering a code or sharing the program on Facebook or Twitter. In addition 50 more iPod shuffles will be donated to 4 cancer centers around America to be given to breast cancer patients while being treated. Please help Freschetta make their goal!
I tried their wonderful pizza with my coupon and it is so tasty! They use only the finest of ingredients: real cheeses, tomato sauces made out of prime picked tomatoes and premium meats. Their pizza turned out superb in my oven and the crust was just perfect! So yummy!
WIN IT:
Freschetta has generously offered a Freschetta Proud to Support Pink prize package that includes: a coupon to try Freschetta pizza, 12 oz or larger and 2 pairs of Freschetta Proud to Support Pink earphones to giveaway to one of my readers (one pair to keep and one to give to a family member or friend to remind them of the cause).
Mandatory:
1. Go to the Freschetta website and tell me by commenting on this post what product you would like to try.
2. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)
3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) on the right sidebar and/or Networked Blogs Let me know what your user name is. (2 extra entries each)
4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and Freschetta Proud to Support Pink in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)
5. Give me a brief POSITIVE review on Alexa and provide me with your user name. (3 extra entries)
6. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the right) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)
7. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)
9. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog Linky/Link-up and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)
10. Write about this giveaway with a link to this post on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, Google+ or other social media website besides Twitter. Let me know where. (2 extra entries for each)
11. Comment on my regular (not giveaway) posts. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)
Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday October 28, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am a member of the Freschetta Fresh Connection Community I received word of this program and received free headphones and a coupon for free product to review. All information about the products I received from the media kit, the products and the website. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
Halloween is coming up really soon and the hunt for great costumes is on. The Costume Supercenter is a great website to find a wide assortment of costumes. They have everything from silly to scary to pretty to anything else imaginable. They have baby costumes all the way to adult in a wide range of sizes to try to accommodate just about everyone. These costumes aren't just great for Halloween. They are also great for: dress up, pretend play, other costume parties, etc.
My daughter Zari was needing a costume this year because the hand-me-down baby bee costume had been overdone in my family and I didn't have any other good ones in her size. I went searching for a cute costume to go with my other daughter, Teela's Belle from Beauty and the Beast costume that we had already. Teela decided she was going to wear it this year because she had now grown into it and because she loves the Disney Princesses. So I stumbled upon the Disney's Infant Snow White Ballerina Costume at Costume Supercenter that was so adorable that I had to have it for Zari! I got a size 12-18 months. When the costume came in the mail one of the bows and flowers had fallen off the sleeve, but all I did was sew it back on...good as new. If something like this happens to you with one of their costumes don't forget that they have free shipping on all exchanges! In the pictures you can see I forgot to flip the collar up like Snow White's actually was. The Snow White jewel in the center of the bodice kept pulling the neck down too and I kept on having to fix it for the pictures. The ric rac and red roses are so cute and set the bodice off gorgeously. I love the sparkling yellow glitter tulle on the ballerina skirt part of the gown. I also liked the fact that the skirt wasn't see through because of an under layer of yellow satiny material. The blue ribbons on the sleeves are a nice touch too. In my opinion it is the cutest of all the Disney Princess costumes for babies that they have. All in all this costume is sure to please anyone who wants their little one to look like a pretty princess.
BUY IT:
The prices for costumes range from $9.99 on up and they have free shipping on exchanges. Their shipping prices are also fairly reasonable. The Disney's Infant Snow White Ballerina Costume is $24.99 on the Costume Supercenter website. They have a number of great Snow White Halloween costumes to choose from along with all sorts of others.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Costume Supercenter for providing me with the Disney's Infant Snow White Ballerina Costume for free to test and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Karri | Marketing Assistant, Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults.
For many women, dread turns to panic around 4:00 in the afternoon. That’s when they have to answer that age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” Many resort to another supermarket rotisserie chicken or—worse yet—ordering dinner through a drive-thru intercom.
In The “What’s for Dinner” Solution, popular author and speaker Kathi Lipp provides a full-kitchen approach for getting dinner on the table every night. After putting her 21-day plan into action, women will
* save time—with bulk shopping and cooking * save money—no more last-minute phone calls to the delivery pizza place * save their sanity—forget the last-minute scramble every night and know what they’re having for dinner
The book includes real recipes from real women, a quick guide to planning meals for a month, the best shopping strategies for saving time and money, and tips on the best ways to use a slow cooker, freezer, and pantry.
With Kathi’s book in hand, there’s no more need to hit the panic button.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (October 1, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0736938370 ISBN-13: 978-0736938372
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Girl Meets Kitchen, or Not
Necessarily a Love Story
“Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”
Georges Blanc, from Ma Cuisine des Saisons
I was not the kind of kid who grew up at my mom’s knee, helping her chop carrots for Sunday night’s chicken soup. I never really helped with any meal preparation, preferring to turn my attention in the kitchen to baking. There was always some social event with friends or a youth group party where I needed to bring brownies. The one memorable time I tried to make instant potatoes? Instead of the specified one-quarter tablespoon of salt, I used a quarter cup salt. That incident happened over twenty-five years ago, and I have yet to stop hearing about it from my loving and encouraging family.
Suffice to say, I was a bit ill-prepared for the cooking adventures that lay ahead as I lived on my own for the first time. And to complicate matters? My first apartment was in Uji, Japan, approximately seven thousand miles from my mother’s loving embrace and her pot-roast recipe (as if I could afford beef in Japan).
The recipe cards were stacked against me. No cooking skills to speak of, living in a foreign land where most of the time I couldn’t identify what I was eating much less figure out how it was prepared, a kitchen the size of my coat closet back home, and an oven so small it made me long for the Easy-Bake one of my childhood.
I was terrified going to the supermarket without an escort and a translator. I didn’t speak the language (as a short-term missionary teaching conversational English, speaking Japanese was actually a disadvantage in my job), and as unfamiliar as I was with food shopping in the U.S., shopping in Uji was like watching a foreign movie without subtitles and then having to write a paper on the plot.
Oh, and eating out? So not an option. While my cooking skills were limited, my food budget was near nonexistent.
A few things were easy to recognize. The bread in Japan was amazing. It was buttery and flaky and perfect. And there was some really lovely cheese and ham. So, for the first three months of exploring this exotic new culture, I ate ham and cheese sandwiches every single night for dinner.
As I started to get to know some of my students and coworkers better, I had this urge to invite them over to hang out with me. But I had a sneaking suspicion they would want to be fed. I knew that my students would love some authentic American dishes. The question was, Who would I get to cook them?
Another short-term missionary, Diana, had a cookbook called More-With-Less. This wonderful little book produced by the Mennonite community had tons of recipes that used simple ingredients most cooks would have in their kitchen. While I didn’t have a lot of pantry staples in my four-story walk-up, I was now armed with a grocery list as well as an English-to-Japanese dictionary for my trips to the store.
I started to look for simple things I could make: salads, sandwiches, curries, and mini-pizzas out of English muffins and ketchup. (I promise, my culinary skills and taste have gotten better over the years.) As I grew braver in all things cuisine, I started to ask my mom to send some of my favorite recipes from back home.
In fact, when I threw a Christmas celebration with my friend Spenser in my micro-sized apartment, we managed to make a fondue-potless version of my mom’s Pizza Fondue. Shopping for the ingredients proved challenging, even for Spenser who spoke near-fluent Japanese. After several attempts to translate cornstarch into the native language (One would think corn + starch = cornstarch, right? Wrong. It’s pronounced korunstarcha.), we headed back to my kitchen and made one of the best meals I have ever eaten—lots of tomato sauce, some ground beef, loads of cheese, and just the right amount of korunstarcha.
Pizza Fondue (Connie Richerson)
½ lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 10½-oz. cans pizza sauce (I use marinara sauce)
1 T. cornstarch (or korunstarcha, if you prefer)
1½ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 loaf French bread
Brown the ground beef and onion; drain. Put meat, sauce, cornstarch, and spices in fondue pot. When cooked and bubbly, add cheese. Spear crusty French bread cubes, then dip and swirl in fondue. This is also delicious with breadsticks. Serves 4 to 6.
From that point on, I was hooked on collecting my favorite recipes. I bought my own copy of More-With-Less when I got back to the States, and when I got married a few months later, I received my very first copy of everyone’s favorite red-and-white-plaid Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, with every recipe an emerging home cook could want.
I think most of us home cooks have a similar story to tell. OK, you probably didn’t have your first significant cooking experience in Uji, Japan, but I bet the first few times you got dinner on the table all on your own, you might as well have been in a different country.
Maybe your mom had you peeling potatoes before you could walk. Maybe you have a rich heritage of recipes passed down from your grandmother. None of our cooking histories are going to look the same, but we do have one thing in common: We all need to get dinner on the table.
I am not a professional cook. Tom Colicchio will never be critiquing my braised kale and chocolate with bacon foam on Top Chef. But over the past twenty years I have put dinner on the table almost every single night. And while my family still likes a pizza from the neighborhood shop, our kids who have left home really look forward to coming back for a home-cooked meal.
That is all the reward I need.
Why This Book?
So, you discovered my deep dark secret—I’m not a professional chef. I don’t have my own show on Food Network, my own brand of spatulas, and I’m not going to be appearing on any morning show making a frittata for Kathie Lee Gifford.
Still, I’m required to feed our large family almost daily. So when I come across a cookbook, I have an unnatural need to own it. I’m always looking for new recipes to keep dinner interesting at our house. I have an entire bookshelf in my kitchen for my ever-growing collection.
But to be honest with you, most of the money I’ve spent on those cookbooks could have been better spent on a good set of knives or a heavy iron skillet.
I have found that most cookbooks are aimed at the fantasy life many of us aspire to—entertaining regularly, having unusual and exotic ingredients on hand, and hours and hours in the kitchen to create these masterpieces, from scratch.
And then there is my reality. Yes, sometimes I like to spend a Saturday afternoon cooking up a big feast for friends and family. But most days? I want to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table quickly.
My test when I’m purchasing new cookbooks? I flip to a half dozen or so recipes throughout the book and ask myself, Can I imagine cooking this recipe in the next couple of weeks? If most of the recipes fail the test, the book stays at the store.
I want the reality. I want dinner on the table every night without being seduced by pictures of stylist-arranged food that—let’s be honest—I’m never going to prepare.
While those books offer up a lot of grilled-chicken-in-a-peanut-sauce-in-the-sky dreams, I need some reality. It’s not just about the recipe; it’s about all the aspects of getting dinner on the table.
By the end of this book, my hope for you is that you will be able to:
save time, money, and energy when it comes to preparing meals have less stress when it comes to shopping get your kitchen prepared for battle learn some stress-free ways to get dinner on the table get out of your cooking rut This book is all about the process, the how of getting dinner on the table. It reflects the collective wisdom of hundreds of women who don’t have prep cooks or a crew of interns trying out new recipes. We are the women who spend a significant part of our days thinking about, shopping for, and preparing dinner. And all these wise, wonderful women are going to show you a better way to get dinner on the table no matter what your cooking background or skill level.
This is the book I wish I’d had when I first started cooking, as well as when I was raising my brood of pint-sized food critics.
Don’t worry, there will be plenty of recipes. We all love to find that one recipe that is going to become a family favorite! But this book has much more than that. My hope is that you will be able to use the recipes you already have, the ones in this book, and the new ones you find along the way to set a big, bountiful table for your family.
The Creepy Classics CD of Halloween's Greatest Hits has many of the classical greats that will be a treat this Halloween. Conjuring up images of Dracula, sorcerers, skeletons, witches and other scary things. These are from great movies like Jaws, Fantasia, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Apocalypse Now! Wonderful classical tracks that most will recognize. My personal favorites on this CD are The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Danse Macabre! Great for any Halloween party or to play for Trick-or-Treaters! Keep the classics alive this Halloween by purchasing this CD! You can buy it from Amazon for $11.10. Listen to selections of the CD here and read a little of the history behind each track.
Win an awesome Halloween party for your classroom or office with a grand amount of Hershey's candy and some creepy cool music from Creepy Classics! It is absolutely FREE to enter! Just go here and fill out the form.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: On behalf of Universal Music I received word of this contest/promotion and CD and was sent a free CD to review. All information about the products I received is from the email, the product and the Creepy Classics CD of Halloween's Greatest Hits website. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
Congrats again to all the winners! I will contact each winner by email. If you did not have your email posted please post it here so I can email you! Thanks to all those who participated and don't forget to enter in my contests/giveaways that are going on now! I will also be adding more posts and giveaways soon so stay tuned!
I just learned that it is I Love Yarn Day today :) I wanted to share because of my love of yarn. I think it is one of the best craft mediums out there. There is so much you can make with yarn. You can use it to: crochet, knit, loom knit, tie quilts, make fiber art, and many other crafts. It is so versatile. I am teaching myself to loom knit and loving it! It is so much fun and so much easier in my opinion than needle knitting.
On the 24th of September I attended the the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon. It was so much fun to see all the awesome trade show vendors, artists, demonstrations, and animals! They had all sorts of neat things to see and purchase including: yarn, wool, fiber, flannel, cashmere, fleece, mohair, angora, roving, hand beaded yarns, spinning wheels, spindles, knitting looms, crochet and knitting needles and tools, handmade knitted items, handmade crochet items, handmade needlepoint items, fiber arts, homespun works of art, hand felted items and needle felting supplies, woven items and weaving supplies, fiber dyes, mutton and lamb meat, goats/sheep milk soap, cheese, and other items; bolga baskets, woven lavender wands, related patterns, books and magazines; honey, hand and skin moisturizers, lambs, sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, bunnies, etc.
My friend, Erin, from Connected2Christ blog went to the Flock and Fiber Fest the day after me, took some great pictures and shared on her blog. We wanted to meet at the festival but certain circumstances got in the way...maybe next year. Read her post here.
Because I am a BzzAgent I received free products to try out and review for their Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters BzzCampaign. I thought it a perfect gift for my oldest son's birthday. Even though Delbin would be getting it late he was very excited. As soon as it came he had to try it out. It was so fun to watch the remote control car do its tricks. Delbin got the hang of it and was having fun launching it off ramps and making it spin and flip. He loved it and I think it is the perfect gift for any boy 6+!
The car my son got was the one with the Rampage Flip as the signature trick. It has two different sides that when flipped it looks like a different vehicle. The car itself is rechargeable (has a rechargeable battery included) and plugs into the controller that takes 5 double A batteries that weren't included. The infra red controller charges the car about 20-30 minute charge provides 15-30 minutes of run time. It can also be controlled on 3 different channels. It is intended for indoor use for ages 6 and up.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am a member of BzzAgent I received word of a BzzCampaign for the Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters products. All information about the products I received from the media kit, the products and the Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters website. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.
These bags are absolutely adorable and on sale on Amazon.com! They have an original retail of $91.98!!
The Large Vicky Giraffe Print Faux Leather Satchel Bag Handbag Purses are only $12-$24! Comes in colors: Red, Fushia, Burgundy, Black, Yellow, Blue.
The Large Vicky Zebra Print Faux Leather Satchel Bag Handbag Purses are only $12-$16! Comes in colors: Red, Pink, Blue, Black.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in taking part of this sale. I love these purses and thought I would share the savings. The Amazon links in this post are my referral links.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Harvest House Publishers; 1st ptg thus edition (September 1, 2011)
***Special thanks to Karri James | Marketing Assistant, Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, and their four children in Virginia.
Bestselling author Jerry Eicher concludes the Little Valley Series with one more glimpse into young Ella’s Amish world. She loves the widower Ivan Stutzman’s children and enjoys caring for them. Although she is genuinely devoted to Preacher Stutzman and keenly aware of his desire to propose, her feelings for him stop short of romantic love. Yet Ella yearns for marriage and wonders if what she and Ivan have is enough.
When the handsome Englisha stops by and asks about converting to the Amish faith, Ella is intrigued and warily agrees to meet with him. Soon Ella realizes she’s torn between her devotion to Ivan and his children and her growing feelings for the Englisha. With dire consequences at stake, Ella must determine what the truth is, if her feelings are dependable, and how to stay faithful to the will of God.
About This Series: The Little Valley Series follows Ella Yoder, a young independent Amish woman who has suffered the loss of her beloved fiancé. Relying on her faith and the support of her community, she picks up the pieces of her shattered life and learns to live, love, and dream again.
Product Details:
List Price: $11.99 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Harvest House Publishers; 1st ptg thus edition (September 1, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0736928065 ISBN-13: 978-0736928069
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
The light snow swirled around Ella Yoder’s buggy, the drifts along the ditch already high for this early in winter. Ella pulled the waterproof buggy blanket higher over her legs. Oh, to be home at Seager Hill, sitting near the warmth of the old woodstove, the whole family gathered at the supper table under the hiss of a gas lantern. There to experience the long evening with the dishes done and nothing to do but enjoy reading a good book.
“I have to try!” Ella said, the words echoing in the empty buggy. “I have to make a real home for us. The girls deserve that much.” Her thoughts wandered back to Aden and his untimely death. I have to forget him and our dreams and hopes. I must move on. Ella slapped the lines. And yet I have no feelings for Ivan Stutzman. How can I marry him?
Snowflakes drifted into the open storm front. They perched like white crystal gems on her black shawl—fragile, breakable…breathless beauty sent from heaven. She shook her blanket and sent the snowflakes flying off her lap. The horse jerked his head with the movement on the lines, as if to tell her he was going as fast as he could in this weather. At least the wind was coming from behind. The return journey would be another matter, driving straight into the teeth of what was turning out to be a fierce winter storm.
How like her life. The time since Aden’s death had flown like the wind at her back, pushing her along with its force and fury—and by men who proclaimed their love for her—Wayne Miller, the bishop, and Preacher Stutzman…Ivan.
Now the time had come to leave behind the memories of the past, to turn her heart toward love. And that journey looked to be as fierce as this trip home after supper at Ivan’s house. She could have said no to the invitation…but the girls…It was always about the girls, really. They needed a mother and a home. They needed her, and she could make the decision that would make her their mother. She would surely marry Ivan.
“You can love him, and the feelings will come later,” Ella’s mamm had said, her voice firm. “He’s a gut man of God. He loves you. And Aden’s gone forever. You can make a home for Ivan’s girls. They need that from you, and you do love them.”
From behind her she heard the sound of an Englisha vehicle approaching even though the engine was muffled by the snowdrifts on either side and the heavy cloud cover. The noise was approaching much too swiftly. She tensed. Headlights reflected off the snowbanks. Her horse turned its head sideways and his blinder slipped, leaving him blinded on that side. Ella tightened the reins to keep him away from the ditch.
The vehicle behind her sounded like it was accelerating, the motor much louder now. Ella checked her lights outside the buggy with a quick sideways glance. Were they working? The intensity of the headlights behind her drowned the feeble glow her buggy lights were putting out. Surely the driver could see her. The road behind her was a straight stretch—no curves to hide the buggy’s profile.
Ella pulled right, her horse protesting with an arch of his neck, hesitating to follow her directions. She held him to the side of the road with the sheer force of her hands on the lines.
“Slow boy,” she hollered, hoping he could hear her above the roar of the motor. “It’s safe. Come on over—just a little more, Moonbeam. Give that driver plenty of room.”
Surely it was a man in the Englisha vehicle behind her. There were women who drove as they pleased, even among the Amish. Yet it was hard to imagine that anyone but a man would drive so recklessly on slippery, snow-covered roads.
The headlights wavered and then moved away from the buggy. Ella drew in a deep breath and willed the pounding of her heart to slow down. Surely she had been spotted, and the driver was turning out in time.
She waited for the crunch of tires beside her and the swirl of snow as the vehicle passed her. Instead, it slowed as it drew alongside her, keeping pace with the horse’s slow gait. She glanced out the small buggy window. The pickup truck window was rolled down, but no faces were visible in the darkness inside the cab. Was she about to be waylaid on this lonely stretch of road during this cold winter night? Ivan’s place was still at least a mile ahead, and she would never be able to outrun a truck.
“Are you by yourself ?” the question came.
The voice was female, and Ella opened the buggy door, pushing it aside. Not that it would have done much good, but if it had been a man’s voice, she would have let out on the lines, whipping the horse with her cries and at least made a dash for Ivan’s place.
“I don’t have far to go,” she said, hoping her weak voice carried to the speaker.
“There’s a big storm comin’,” a male voice said from the other side of the truck. “Straight off the lake, the radio said. It’s supposed to dump the worst in a few hours. You’d best get off the road. It’s bound to be dangerous weather…especially for you Amish folks.”
“Ach, thanks,” Ella said. “I’m just goin’ another mile or so.”
“You’re not driving back tonight?” the man asked.
“I had thought I would, but I imagine I can stay over if things look too bad.”
“We’d best be getting inside ourselves,” the woman said. The motor roared again. Quickly the red taillights bounced and faded in the falling snow before disappearing into the blinding whiteness.
So the approaching storm was a bad one. She’d been suspecting as much the last fifteen minutes or so. Her initial hopes had gotten the best of her. She didn’t want to stay with Susanna, Ivan’s sister, but surely she could if she must. Certainly, she couldn’t stay at the main house. Should she turn back now? Yet going back was farther than moving ahead, and Ivan would worry. He would think she had gotten stuck in some ditch and would set out to find her.
She slapped the reins. There was no choice but to go on. Perhaps Moonbeam could increase his pace. He shook his head, but lifted his feet faster, his hoofbeats all but soundless on the snowy road.
In the heavy darkness, Ella stayed in the center of the road. Already the drifts were sending tentative feelers out from the edges of the banks. She kept the lines tight, glad to see a house come up ahead. The soft shine of a gas lantern glowed from the window and across the sparkling snow.
It looked Amish, the familiarity a gut thing. Like the feeling of a warm blanket at night, making the darkness beyond the glow seem less deep, the distance yet to travel closer. Inside the house would be people like her, who saw the world as she did, who experienced life in a way she could understand. Surely the Englisha felt the same about their people.
Ella drove on. No other headlights appeared, the darkness of the woods deepening on either side of her, the snow increasing by the minute. This invitation to supper from Ivan had seemed such a wise idea at the time. If only they had put the occasion off until next week. She opened the buggy door again, glancing out. There was no doubt the Englisha man had been correct—she would not be returning tonight. She would surely be spending the night at Susanna’s place. But perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe it was Da Hah’s way to expose her to Ivan’s extended family.
Her mamm often said, “Da Hah makes use of all things for His own good.”
Since Mamm was usually right, she would simply accept tonight’s change of plans. The snowstorm was none of her doing.
Ella peered into the falling snow, recognizing the turn toward Ivan’s farm. She dodged a long stringy snowdrift, pulling sharply left, before turning into Ivan’s lane. Before her rose the familiar outlines of his white, paint-peeling home and the brown barn, both of them standing like ghostly forms in the falling snow. A light was still on in the barn, and Ella drove toward its door, pulling past the hitching post, which sat closer to the house. Moonbeam would need to be taken inside on a night like this, and since Ivan wasn’t likely to notice her arrival, Ella pulled the buggy to a stop and climbed out, preparing to unhitch by herself.
One tug was off, the leather frozen under her gloves, when the barn door swung open. Ivan rushed out, leaving the door swinging in the wind, the warm glow of the barn lantern flooding the yard and reaching the buggy. Ella blinked, her head bent against the sting of the snow.
“Ach, I didn’t hear you drive in,” Ivan said, quickly unhitching the other side of the horse. “I’m sorry about that. I half expected you to turn back.”
“The storm came up faster than I thought it would,” Ella said. “Someone did stop to warn me on the road, but I was closer here than home.”
“I’d hoped to have a better welcome for you,” Ivan said, smiling through the snowflakes that were settling on his eyebrows and beard.
“It is awful tonight,” Ella said, forcing a laugh.
Ivan grabbed the horse’s bridle, and Ella shut the buggy doors against the force and howl of the wind. She paused, opening her mouth on impulse, feeling the cold snowflakes against her tongue. How strange this evening was—so cold and yet joy stirred within from the snow. She felt young again, perhaps even ready to move on with life.
“Makes me feel like a child again,” Ella said into the wind, repeating the gesture, her mouth open longer this time. Ivan would surely think her silly, would he not?
But Ivan laughed easily with her as he led the horse forward, the shafts dropping softly onto the ground. He had paused while watching her. “Da Hah gives pleasure even in snow, doesn’t He? I just don’t look forward to all the shovelin’ tomorrow morning.”
“If it even stops by tomorrow. The Englisha couple said the storm was a bad one.”
“I think they’re right. The barometer is falling fast. I don’t think you’ll be able to get back home tonight, Ella.”
“No, I don’t suppose I can,” she said as they entered the barn. She shut the door behind them. “Can I keep Moonbeam in here for the night? And perhaps Susanna can put me up?”
Ivan turned to look at her over the horse’s mane. “I see my invitation put you in a pickle. I’m sorry about that. Susanna has room for you. I guess we could have called supper off if the storm hadn’t come so suddenly.”
“It’s not a problem,” Ella said with a nervous smile. “I really wanted to come—snowstorm or not. And this will give me more time to spend with the girls…and you. And perhaps get used to the place.”
Thankfully Ivan seemed to understand. He nodded his head. The horse bumped him, reaching its head toward the stall and the wisps of hay hanging in the manger.
Ella waited for Ivan, standing under the lantern as he led the horse forward and into the stall. He came out and shut the latch on the stall before pulling more hay down into the manger with a pitchfork.
“There!” he said. “That should keep him satisfied for the night.”
Ella rubbed her gloved hands together, the little warmth from the gas lantern on the ceiling not reaching her.
Ivan walked toward her, his face fully visible now. The snow melted from his beard, leaving wet spots that glittered in the glare of the lantern light. He seemed burdened, worried, the lines on his face longer than usual.
I have been searching the internet for a unicorn hat ever since my daughter wanted to be a My Little Pony for Halloween. My friend, Erin, over at Connected2Christ blog just loom knitted her daughter a very cute unicorn hat. Erin calls it a Yarn-I-corn hat, LOL! Anyway, I just got some Knifty Knitter looms for knitting on, but haven't yet got into it quite yet on my own. Since I am just starting out and still learning I asked Erin if she could loom knit my daughter a unicorn hat before Halloween this year. Erin told me that she wanted to further perfect the pattern and probably couldn't get it perfected and loom knitted until after this Halloween. I thought that was fine and told my 3 year old daughter. Teela decided that she would be Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast this year instead because we had the gown already and she had just grown into it.
So, I thought that was that and I was done shopping around for a unicorn hat. Today though I stumbled upon a sale at MODNIQUE for Rumi Collection By Violet Del Mar Hats. They have animal and other hats that would be wonderful for Halloween! I really couldn't pass them up at 61% Off! That's only $19 per hat!! I broke down and bought the unicorn one and the orca whale one. There are so many other animals and things to choose from though there is sure to be one you like too! Just go to the sale at MODNIQUE and go up to the ACCESSORIES pull down menu to the Rumi Collection By Violet Del Mar Hats.
Modnique.com is a boutique flash sale site. Members save 50-85% or more on hand-picked designer merchandise. Modnique sells apparel, accessories, shoes, home goods, and other premium quality brand name products at steep discounts.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post because I thought you might be interested in taking part of this sale. I bought two hats from it and thought I would share the savings. By clicking on the Modnique links in this post and signing up to be a member I can get money for referring you if you spend $100 or more.
Cold and flu season is just around the corner and I wanted to share my tips that I do to keep my family Cold and Flu-Free this season. When it is cold outside it is easy to want to stay indoors where it is nice and warm, but sometimes that is where the germs are lingering. If I am stuck indoors where the germs are I like to eliminate them. If I am stuck outdoors then the best thing to do is dress for the weather and be prepared for weather changes too. What you don't want to do is get stuck somewhere and not have the proper attire to keep you warm.
1. Disinfect things. We use Lysol products, chlorine bleach, ultra-violet light, isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, or vinegar to disinfect things in our home. Surface areas, knobs, handles and other most touched surfaces can cause someone to get germs easily from others who have them if touched by them. The best way to get rid of germs is to wipe them away with a disinfectant wipe.
2. Eat Healthy. Eating healthy well balanced meals will help in keeping your body strong. Yogurt has probiotics that are good for inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Camomile tea and/or supplement helps immunity to getting sick. Zinc syrup or lozenges are great for shortening affects of a cold or flu. Drink your orange juice! Vitamin C is great for helping the immune system. Get plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement. The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun and foods that are enriched with it. If you are stuck inside make sure you get your daily dose to maintain a good immune system and promote bone health along with calcium. Get plenty of fluids.
3. Get your sleep. Getting a good amount of sleep helps with keeping your body well rested and your immune system working well. The optimal amount of sleep varies from person to person. There really is no magic number to a perfect amount of sleep, but getting what is needed for your own body is mandatory in keeping healthy, happy and functioning well.
4. Get your exercise. Exercising helps combat health conditions and diseases along with maintaining well being, improving mood, controlling weight and boosting energy.
5. Have good hygiene and brush your teeth/tongue/gums regularly.
6. Cough into your sleeve (the bend of your elbow) or a tissue not your hands. Don't stifle a cough and don't sniff the mucous back into your lungs. Sneezing, blowing your nose, and coughing are a must when trying to expel germs from the body.
7. Let some fresh air in and don't over heat your house. Overheating and not ventilating properly will only make the air in your home stagnant, stale and dry. Lack of humidity causes our nose and tonsils to dry out so they cannot trap germs efficiently. When this happens it becomes difficult to sneeze and cough. Turning down the thermostat and turning on a room humidifier keeps virus-laden mucus flowing out of your body. As gross as it is you need to get it out of your system.
8. Teach children how to keep well. The most important times to clean hands include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving "high-risk" places (recess, nap-time, play stations) and before meals or snacks. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer regularly. If you are a good example your children will follow. Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Show your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. Better to be on the sleeve than in the hand. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.
9. Try to stay away from others who are sick and if you get sick try to stay home. Try not to spread germs to others.
DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Lysol blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
The winner of the Freschetta Proud to Support Pink prize package is #9 Erin!
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. 
For many women, dread turns to panic around 4:00 in the afternoon. That’s when they have to answer that age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” Many resort to another supermarket rotisserie chicken or—worse yet—ordering dinner through a drive-thru intercom.
The winner of the $15 for anything in the EcoMom store is #2 Erin! She said she would like to have one of those Eco Cup Ceramic Hot Drink Cups!
Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina, and their four children in Virginia.
Bestselling author Jerry Eicher concludes the Little Valley Series with one more glimpse into young Ella’s Amish world. She loves the widower Ivan Stutzman’s children and enjoys caring for them. Although she is genuinely devoted to Preacher Stutzman and keenly aware of his desire to propose, her feelings for him stop short of romantic love. Yet Ella yearns for marriage and wonders if what she and Ivan have is enough.
Cold and flu season is just around the corner and I wanted to share my tips that I do to keep my family Cold and Flu-Free this season. When it is cold outside it is easy to want to stay indoors where it is nice and warm, but sometimes that is where the germs are lingering. If I am stuck indoors where the germs are I like to eliminate them. If I am stuck outdoors then the best thing to do is dress for the weather and be prepared for weather changes too. What you don't want to do is get stuck somewhere and not have the proper attire to keep you warm.
