Saturday, August 23, 2014

Orkin Fact or Fake Back-to-School Scientific Prize Pack Giveaway and Blog App



I have the opportunity to give away a Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK below free for posting this information. All information and giveaway prizes are provided by Orkin and PartnersHub.

"Daddy longlegs are poisonous."
"Mosquitoes prefer adults over children."
"Ants can survive underwater."

You've heard the myths about bugs before. Do you know what’s fact and what's fake?

Take Orkin's Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake™ Quiz to test your knowledge, and be sure to watch every clip for the scoop on these infamous bug myths.

Orkin uses the latest technology and unparalleled training to develop a treatment that's right for your home and your needs. To learn more about pest control that's based in science or to schedule an inspection, visit orkin.com or call (844) 503-8251.

@AskTheOrkinMan
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Blog App:
  • You’ve heard the myths about bugs before, now it’s time to debunk them. Take the Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake Quiz to test your knowledge!
  • Watch every episode of Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake and find out the answers to these age-old bug myths.
  • Tweet using the #OrkinMan hashtag on Twitter.
  • Pin the Scientific Fact or Scientific Fake PDF on your Pinterest.
  • Share on Facebook!



WIN IT
Prize:  The Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK includes:
- Clip-on Fisheye Lens (iPhone, Galaxy, Android compatible)
- Orkin On-the-Go Drink Tumbler
- Orkin Drawstring Bag
- Orkin “Field Notes” Notebook w/ Pen

Giveaway open to the U.S. Each household is only eligible to win 1 ONE Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about The Orkin Fact or Fake App I am getting a Orkin Scientific Back-to-School PRIZE PACK free for my readers as a giveaway and one to keep for myself. Thanks to PartnersHub for providing me this promotion information and free 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 posting this blog app and giveaway.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Planting a Fruit/Nut Orchard and Edible Garden with Food Stamps (SNAP EBT)

My daughters and our homemade raised beds.

A while back we made 2 raised beds for a garden (the third in this picture never got finished) out of used lumber we had lying around. Back then we didn't know how we were going to furnish the soil or plants because we didn't have the means or the money to that we knew of. We just knew we wanted a garden and that we loved the idea of a raised bed garden to tide us over until our greenhouse was built and the aquaponics system was put in.

Then we got on Food Stamps (SNAP EBT) because my husband, Brian, has been out of work because of a disability (an orthostatic intolerance). We, like many other people on food stamps, did not know at first that we could buy food bearing/producing plants and seeds with our food stamps at the stores that accept them. We found out through a friend, that bought a salsa garden for himself with food stamps, that it was possible.

Our fruit orchard is taking shape.

We decided to test the system out and see if we could get larger food bearing/producing plants like trees and large bushes. We came home from Fred Meyer with three gorgeous Earliblue High Bush Blueberry Bushes, their last ones in stock. We also went to both local Walmarts subsequent days afterward and picked up 8 Heritage Red Raspberry plants, 4 thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants, 3 Sweet Cherry trees, 1 Profusion Flowering Crab Apple tree, 2 Granny Smith Apple trees, 1 Honey Crisp Apple tree, and 1 Bartlett Pear tree all with our food stamps! My neighbor also gave us 2 Desert King Fig trees that are going in the ground soon.

Thorn-less Sawtooth Blackberry plants: we planted these in the kids area where the large trampoline is.

Blueberry bushes and raspberries.

We have ran into a few snags when using food stamps, unfortunately though. Some of the plants had been marked down and were in the discounted section. The tags showing the discount didn't ring up the plants as a food producer and so the checkout person had to find the original tag to the plant and then take the discount off manually. We also tried to buy two beautiful Semi-Dwarf Eureka Lemon trees (the common supermarket lemon variety) from Fred Meyer, but even though it is without a shadow of a doubt edible and was even growing fruit on both trees when we showed it to them we couldn't get them because the tag didn't indicate anywhere on it that it was an edible. Instead, it called the tree a "patio plant", indicating ornamental. We are still fighting this one. We also found that at the time we found out about this program it was a bit late in the season and a lot of the Spring stock of plants were picked over and already taken. Very few places that take food stamps also carry food bearing/producing plants. We wish more gardens with nurseries and farms that sell their plants would take EBT. We did find one in the area that wasn't a large chain store, called Pikku Farm in Woodland Washington, but we haven't been able to get a hold of them by phone yet.

The cashier at Fred Meyer cut the tops off large paper sacks and stuck the folded top into the bottom of the sack for transport.

We also picked up some Sage (Common, 2 Pineapple, and Blue), 2 plants of Basil, 6 Brussels Sprout plants, 6 Broccoli plants, 6 Rainbow Swiss Chard plants. These we planted in our raised beds full of aged manure and soil. Our friend gave us some beets from her garden to eat and some she pulled out with the large ones were too small and so we put them back into the ground in our raised beds along with a bunch of scallions that had the roots on them still. We already had a cherry tomato plant in the corner growing.

Raised bed gardens with the blueberries and raspberries in the background.

My daughters with the raised beds and the compost pile in the background.
I love that all this planting and growing our own food will help us never go hungry. We also are teaching our kids where food comes from and how to grow and harvest it. Soon we will have a sustainable orchard and garden all thanks to the SNAP Gardens: Food Stamps Grow Gardens program.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Baby’s First Book Blocks by Dan Stiles


We received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

Dan Stiles is a local author and artist that lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughters. He has done many things including  fabric, books, posters, t-shirts etc. His silk screen prints and other things are very colorful and stylized.

Baby’s First Book Blocks by Dan Stiles are 4 wonderful chunky board books that comes in a boxed set for babies that combine books and blocks together. This mini series will grab your baby's attention with its bold colors, diverse shapes, and intricate patterns. They help babies expand their visual and tactile awareness. I love that these books help babies grow and develop basic motor skills like: play-grasping, stacking, sorting, and turning pages. Since they are board books they will stand up to baby drool and little hands that might want to rip or tear things better than regular books. These are the perfect size for little hands to hold and grasp. I like that the Baby’s First Book Blocks has images in both black and white and colors. I love that these books have a dual purpose and are a fun way to play with baby. These are great for ages 0-3. My 3 year old daughter, Zari, likes them a lot! I highly recommend them!


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate my 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. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Schwan's Home Service Savings Offer

US Family Guide provided me with this promotional offer information to share with my readers. I am getting a $25 Gift Card for posting this information.

For over 60 years, Schwan's Home Service has provided superior frozen foods with convenient home delivery. Our foods are flash frozen at the peak of freshness and flavor. Choose from USDA Choice meats, wild-caught seafood, flavorful skillet meals, Grade A fruits and vegetables, plus our heritage ice cream, distinctive desserts and much more.

We offer delicious foods to satisfy everyone, including family members with special dietary needs including:

- No gluten ingredients
- Vegetarian
- No sugar added
- Heart healthy
- Low calorie
- Low sodium choices


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100% Guarantee! Love It or Return It! If you're unsatisfied one of our products - for any reason - we will gladly replace it or provide a refund.


My Readers Save $ On Your First Order at Schwan's Home Service!
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$15 off $75 Order - Coupon Code: JULIEN15
http://usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?regionid=75&bid=11745&dealid=1748

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Schwan's Home Service I am getting a $25 Gift Card for posting this information. Thanks to USFamilyGuide.com for providing me this promotion information and free GC. 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 posting this promo.