The Winner Is.....

I put the number of entries into the random number generator. Here are the results.

Here are your random numbers:

9

Timestamp: 2011-02-28 18:43:36 UTC

So... the winner is......

Patricia said...

And I FB'd about it! ;)
Patricia

Congratulations Patricia!!!!

Family Strategies - Vision Forum

I have been given the priviledge to give away one of these down loadable strategy sessions by Doug & Beall Phillips.

If you would like a chance to have this resource tool as you raise your family, please see below for contest details.

To Survive and Prosper: It’s Time to Think Strategically
About Your Children, Your Household, and Your Family Culture!

strat-e-gies: The art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal.

If you are a Christian parent living in the twenty-first century, you need to think strategically about your family. Settling for the priorities and practices of the world is a proven formula for disaster. As parents, we must do more than settle. We must self-consciously choose. This requires strategic biblical thinking. It means self-consciously building your family culture. And whether the subject is entertainment choices, home décor, travel, music in the home, or dealing with antagonistic relatives, it means that wise, Scripturally-informed parents must think creatively as they aggressively engage impediments and obstacles to success.

A 20-Week Energy Boost of Strategic Thinking and Encouragement from Doug and Beall Phillips

Family Strategies: An Invitation from Doug and Beall from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

These are the weekly messages from Doug and Beall that you will receive:

1. How to Organize Your Home to Promote Family Unity
2. How to Cultivate a Love of Reading with Your Children
3. How to Make Mealtime Meaningful
4. How to Prepare for a Year of Home Education
5. How to Take Children Safely Through an Airport
6. How to Involve the Whole Family in Family Worship
7. How to Address the Plague of “Jive Talk” in Your Home
8. How to Encourage Masculinity in Sons
9. How to Encourage Femininity in Daughters
10. How to Handle a Social Worker Visit
11. How to Wage War on Sibling Rivalry
12. How to Use Household Decorations to Teach Character
13. How to Talk to Your Children about Miscarriage
14. How to Involve the Whole Family in Hospitality
15. How to Build an Entrepreneurial Spirit in Your Children
16. How to Watch a Movie As a Family
17. How to Cultivate a Love of Meaningful Poetry with Your Children, and Why Doing So Is Important
18. How to Prepare Your Children to Listen to a Symphony
19. How to Take a Road Trip with Your Family
20. How to Select the Best Locations for Family Vacations

As the parents of eight children and the founders of Vision Forum Ministries, Doug and Beall Phillips have spent the last decade collecting and implementing helpful strategies for building a strong, safe, and visionary family culture.

Now, beginning Tuesday, March 1, Doug and Beall will be sharing some of the most practical and proven strategies for building a vibrant family culture through their new 20-week, 30-minute episodes audio series called Family Strategies.

Receive a New Family Strategies Message in Your Inbox Every Tuesday!

Get your new Family Strategies message every Tuesday morning.
Beginning March 1, every Tuesday morning for twenty weeks you will receive a link to your new downloadable message from Doug or Beall, hosted at Vision Forum’s partner website BlueBehemoth.com. To access your first download, simply create a free BlueBehemoth.com account and then follow the easy instructions in your weekly emails to download your messages at no additional charge.

Listen to the messages at your convenience on your computer, iPod, or other portable MP3 player. And, don’t worry if you miss a week due to travel. The messages will be there waiting for you.

Order by March 1 and save $10, plus receive two bonus messages as our gift.
At $85, Family Strategies is a 20-message series sent directly to your inbox each week for less than $5 per message. But make sure you order by February 28, as that price will go up! With your order confirmation email, we will also send you coupons to download two important, family-affirming bonus messages for free: Victories: Moments Small and Large Which Define Christian Parenting, and How to Evaluate a Suitor.

A weekly energy boost for the price of a fancy cup of coffee.
For about the price of a fancy cup of coffee, you can get a real energy jolt — a weekly encouragement boost from Doug and Beall in which they share their favorite and best strategies for building family unity.

To enter the contest, leave a comment telling why you would like to receive this. If you share it on Facebook and/or Twitter, leave a comment letting me know for another entry. If you blog about it, leave a comment letting me know that for another entry. Send a link to 5 friends and leave a comment for another entry.

The contest ends at midnight EST on Sunday, the 27th of February. There is not much time to enter, so spread the word. Leave a way to get a hold of you, because it starts next week!!!

Advertising

I try really hard to not clutter my page too much with advertising. :) I know some of you might think I don't do a very good job at it. I try to only advertise for places I believe in or use myself. I actually do bring in a small income this way. Thank you to all of you who have used my links to place orders. I appreciate each and every one. I would love for you to take the time to see who all I am an affiliate with and that you would remember me when you order from these companies.
Thanks!!

Eggs-trordinary

Eggs come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

See what we mean?

These all came from our chickens. I love to see a basket full of these come in the house. There is a beauty in them.

Give Away for an HP TouchSmart 310!!

Dear Crissy is giving away an HP TouchSmart 310!!


Head on over and enter to win!!!!

One More Snow Day

We got some rain yesterday. It slowly turned to sleet and then I looked out and saw the snow start. It was amazing how fast it came down. The ground was totally white in no time at all. Here is a picture of when it first turned to snow.

Yes, the chickens are STILL in my front yard a lot.

Here is what we woke up to this morning.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am thankful for some warmer temperatures. I had out of town company last week and we ran some errands on Thursday. I was in short sleeves with no sweater. It was wonderful. It gave me a wonderful boost to last until the warmer weather is here to stay. It is raining today and cool, but we need moisture in our ground and so I am thankful for that as well.

What are YOU thankful for?

Eggs

Eggs come in all sizes and shapes. We always love to see the weird eggs here on the farm. We got a new one this week. We have never had another one like it. I call it the carrot egg. :)

Here it is with some of our regular eggs. When I saw this it made me think of something.....

It made me think of a snowman's face. :) Then I took this picture and made this...

At first it looked like a bird until I added the mouth.

Here is a close up of the egg. You can see the wart at the end of the nose. :)

Spiral Slicer Give Away and Review!!

We are being highlighted on another blog. Kim over at In A Shoe did a review of our spiral slicer and is hosting a give away of one of these. Head on over and enter to win!!

Win a Kenmore Stand Mixer!!

Have you seen the Kenmore Elite Stand Mixer giveaway on Dear Crissy this week? It is beautiful and it is RED!! :) Head on over and enter to win!!!

We Are Being Highlighted on Simply Stacie!!

We are being highlighted for a review and a give -away over at Simply Stacie. Be sure to check it out and enter to win!!!

Simply Stacie

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am thankful for My Valentine!!!

This is our 33rd, Valentine's Day together and our 32nd as man and wife. We have been through so much together. We really grew up together. When we started dating I was 19 and he was almost 20. There have been some rough times, but there has been SO MANY good times. It is wonderful to look back over the journey we have taken together and see where it grew into the sweet relationship that is there today. I would gladly do it all over again. I have the sweetest Valentine there ever was. I am more in love with him now than ever and I look forward to the years ahead of us.

He has been faithful and loyal and a great provider. He has been there for me through some serious illness as well as good times. He was a great Dad to our son. He has a wonderful sense of humor and not only puts up with my weirdness, but acts like he enjoys it. :) He thinks of me first most times and always looks out for me in both big and small ways. I am so grateful to God for the Wonderful Man that He gave to me.

I LOVE YOU MICHAEL!!!!!

I also remember the most awesome love ever shown... The love of God that He sent His only Son to die for me!!!

Take a Romantic Get-Away in February!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Many times in the month of February we think of romantic dates and get aways. Sometimes it is just a dream, but other times you can make it happen. It is always wonderful to get away with my husband. It seems when you are not surrounded by your phone and a place where people can just drop in, that it is easier to spend more time focused on one another. We do so much better at talking at a heart level when we are off alone. Sometimes our off alone is just in our car.

I have never been to Branson, but I have heard some wonderful things about it. How about a wonderful get away to a luxurious hotel in Branson? Sound good to you? It sure does to me. There are 2 Hilton hotels available for you to stay in. The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel They are offering a romantic package that is good for the WHOLE month of February. You could celebrate an anniversary, Valentine's Day or just a special get away. During your stay, you will enjoy the following:

*Early check-in & pre-registration upon request
*In-room sparkling wine (where permitted by law) or cider upon arrival
*Access to hotel health club, pool and whirlpool spa (where available)
*Full American breakfast for two in their room (where available) or in the hotel's designated restaurant. At airport locations, guests can exchange their breakfast for a lunch or dinner discount
*On stays beyond one night, buy one entrée and get a second one of equal or lesser value at no additional cost. (Choose from either lunch or dinner in designated restaurant)
*Late check-out available upon request

They try to make some special extras for you. You could enjoy a glass of wine or cider in your room. You get to stay in your room for breakfast which means you don't have to get up and rush to get ready. If you get there a bit early, they will let you go ahead and check in. All of these details let you have more time to spend together enjoying one another's company.

There is a special dinner menu for Valentines day. Just the names sound so wonderful... Chateaubriand Wagyu Beef Tenderloin and for dessert... Askinosie Chocolate Butter Cake.  That sound delicious. 

I hope you are able to get away with your wonderful husband or wife and spend some time focusing on each other and renewing the spark in your relationship.  There is so much to do and see in Branson.  I think you will have a wonderful time. 

Educational Placemats

Lots of learning takes place every day. Think of how your child learned to crawl or walk or say words. That is one of the beauties of homeschool, you realize that life is a school of its own. We had friends who were looking for those educational placemats. They were having a hard time finding them. So, we did some digging and found some. We are selling them in the store. So far, we have a total of 17 different designs, but there are plenty more we hope to order at another time. I have already sold 10 and they just came yesterday. :) Here are some samples of the placemats. They

The reverse side of all the placemats (except the Civil War one) features a write-on/wipe-off surface with interactive learning exercises.

Come and check them out.

Get Cultured Fermentation Class Give Away!!

I have been experimenting more with fermented foods. They are so good for you and I want to do more than I already do. One of the blogs I follow is called Cheeseslave. She is hosting a give away for a Get Cultured Fermentation Class by The Nourished Kitchen. It has a value of $149. Head on over and sign up. Learn how to help your self feel better and have foods that truly nourish and feed your body.

Save 50% on Jonathan Park Albums

Thank you for Jonathan Park! I cannot put into words how much it has blessed our family! My husband and I enjoy it as much as our eight-year-old son. My son is fascinated and is learning so many scientific and Biblical facts. —A Jonathan Park fan

Introduce Your Family to Jonathan Park!
Choose Any Three or More Albums, Save 50%

For years, the Jonathan Park radio drama has been Vision Forum’s bestselling product. Filled with dramatic tales of adventure, exploration, and testimonies to God’s creation, parents and children alike have become passionate fans of this educational, exciting series.

Now we encourage you to try Jonathan Park with your family, and at a great price!

This is Shadow, one of the stars of Jonathan Park.

For three days only, save 50% when you purchase three or more albums from our Jonathan Park radio drama collection. Simply add the albums to your cart, and your price will drop to just $12.50 per album. Don’t miss this limited-time opportunity for huge savings on Jonathan Park! Mix and Match — View the Jonathan Park Collection And Choose 3 or More Albums for 50% Savings

Let the Excitement of Radio Drama Help Your Children Learn to Defend Their Faith

Calling all boys and girls with vivid imaginations and a love for adventure!

For decades, radio dramas entertained and inspired Americans of all ages. From masked cowboys protecting the western plains, to savvy detectives matching wits with the most ingenious criminal minds of their day, radio’s “Golden Age” created thrilling worlds in the minds’ eyes of millions.

Now with the Jonathan Park radio drama, Vision Forum uses the best elements of old-time radio and combines them with a distinctly Christian worldview, telling exciting stories filled with powerful truth about God’s creation. Not only does Jonathan Park make for entertaining “theatre of the mind,” more importantly it helps parents teach their children to defend Christianity and creation against evolutionism.

As they listen to Jonathan Park, your children will travel the globe with young Jonathan and the Creation Response Team, finding evidence for a created world all around us — from Flood-period dinosaur fossils to modern-day volcanoes. Join with them as they search for stolen manuscripts, build a creation museum, and confront evolutionists with the true history of our world!

50% Savings Ends February 11
Don’t miss this opportunity to inexpensively introduce Jonathan Park to your family. This sale may not be applied to past orders, and ends at midnight on February 11, 2011 (CDT).

Reminders Of Warmer Times

This is what makes my home warm. We are having another really cold snap. I appreciate my stove and the warmth it gives.

Even though it is cold, it still looks like a winter wonderland outside. The sheep love this weather.

Here is my reminder of warmer times. I love to look at these blooms with the snow outside the window behind them.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am thankful for my son. He has turned into a fine young man with a beautiful wife. He started his own construction company and soon had more work than he could do, mostly by word of mouth. He took on projects that made me wonder how he was ever going to figure it out because he had not done that before. He always found a way and did a great job. Now, he is starting a new line of work and seems to be doing wonderful at it as well. He pops in from time to time and says hello as well as checking in on us with phone calls. It is a good thing to be able to be a friend to your children when they become adults. He is my special gift from God and I am so grateful for him.

Eat Good Whole Foods

We try really hard to eat healthy whole foods. We often hear how people say that they can't afford to eat healthy. Organic food is more expensive, but you can pay up front or pay the doctor down the road. I love the quote by Joel Salatin, "You think my food is expensive, have you priced cancer?" I do realize though that it is hard to eat totally organic, plus, organic is not always what we think any more. I have found a way to buy a few of the things we like at really good prices and I want to share them with you.

Crackers (actually Saltines) are one of my biggest comfort foods. However, most of them have high fructose corn syrup and other yuck in them. We found some crackers at the bent and dent store that we really liked. They were organic and made with stone ground wheat. I priced them in the store and they were pretty pricey. However, I found them at Amazon.com. Then when we went to put them in our cart, I noticed the subscribe and save option that was given. This made them even cheaper and I got free shipping to boot.

You see the price above is $16.44 for the case, but if you do the subscribe and save it is only $13.97 and free shipping. You can put that you want them only every 6 months if you would like. You can also cancel at any time. I had also ordered a different flavor of these to try and they were so good, I figured I did not want them in the house (no self control with them) and I canceled that one.

I also was having trouble finding some teas I like. I not only found them at Amazon, but I can get them cheaper there. If you do decide to buy any of these items from Amazon, I would appreciate you using one of my links so I get credit.

Another way to find food at a better price is to buy in bulk through a co-op or bulk food store. Buy basic foods that you make things with. It is much cheaper per serving to buy a 25# or 50# bag of oats and make oatmeal than to buy the ready made you just add water, or even the Quaker oats in the canister. Plus, look at the labels on those... it is not just oats. You can buy 5# bags of dried beans or 25# bags of flour. Make your bread at home. It is not that hard and there are many no-knead artisan breads out there that are very easy to make.

It has become to easy to grab a frozen entree or just add meat or just add water mix to cook up. It does take a bit more time, but get your children to help. If you are just a small family, make a large portion of whatever you make and freeze the rest for another time.

Grow a garden and put up your produce. You can eat out of your garden all summer, but plant enough to put some up for the Winter and Spring. Research the best way to preserve each type of produce you grow. We carry a really neat book that I love. It is called The Practical Produce Cookbook. It tells you how to plant, pick, prepare and preserve the produce from your garden. It gives recipes to use what you grow and then at the end of each vegetable, it tells you how to put it up.

There are lists of the top 12 veggies you should buy organic because of what is sprayed on them. There is also a list of what is the top safest vegetables and fruit to buy. You can get the EWG Shoppers Guide to Pesticides here.

We are what we eat and we need to make wise choices. We can't trust what is sold anymore. I believe that ultimately our health is up to God, but we are to do our part as well.

God's Hand of Protection

I look back and see so many times when God protected us from something. I wonder about all the times He protected us that we never knew about.

We did get some ice, although it was not bad. We have not lost power as of yet and that is a huge blessing. Our animals are all doing well and there has been no real damage. This morning the temperature was in the high 30's. It is going to drop all day with a low of about 10° tonight. It is currently in the low 20's.

I talked to my sweet husband at work and he told me about something that happened this morning on his way to work. He got up to the top of a hill and he was going very slow because the hill was iced over and he had trouble getting up it. When he got to the top, he went ahead and put on his brakes so that he would only be creeping along when he got to the stop sign onto the state highway. Nothing happened as it was a sheet of ice. He knew he was going to slide right out onto the state highway, so he sped up a bit and was just going to go for it. It is a bad intersection because when you look to the left, there is a hill and you can't see what is coming. He shot out onto the highway and just as he got turned going the right direction and started forward, a big truck came up over the hill. He said that if he had been 3 seconds later, he would have been killed.

Thank you Lord for watching over my husband!!!

Living Without Electricity

People have often asked us if we were raised on a farm. We tell them no and then their next question is... "How did you learn to do all that you do?" Our answer is books and people. We would find books on the subject and read them. We would find people who did what we wanted to learn and we would ask questions, offer to help for free, etc.

We lived without electricity for a short time. We bought an Amish home and it took us a bit until we got the electricity put in. Even then we only had 5 outlets. One for the fridge and an extra in the kitchen, two for the computer room and one in the basement. Our lighting was oil lamps and I actually like that better than electric lamps. However, electric lamps are cheaper to run that oil lamps.

The book you see above is full of useful information. It is on sale this month at Lehman's Hardware. It is regularly $14.95, but is on sale this month for $7.99. It addresses a lot of details that many would not even think of.

I have to say, I loved living without electricity. It is amazing at how quiet your house can be. When we finally got hooked up and the power went on, I was amazed at how loud a refrigerator motor is. The 2 things I missed the most was my computer and the refrigerator. We had a dark room in the basement that had been a sort of root cellar. At one end, there was what looked like a big cement tub with a drain pipe that stuck up about 8 inches in the air. There was a constant flow of water coming into the tub and going down the drain. We had to put all of our cold stuff in water proof containers to sit in the tub. The water would get sort of gross, so when you went to get stuff to prepare a meal, you had to have a way to dry it off and something to carry it in so you wouldn't get yuck on you. It was not convenient at all. We figured we would keep our meat and frozen items on the back porch in a cooler. However, that winter did not have lots of time that was kept under freezing temperatures, so we had to buy meat on the day we wanted it, or no more than a day or 2 before.