...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands...so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. Thessalonians 4:11, 12
I love Woot!
I love Woot!
I love Woot!
I love Woot!
Woot.com offers a one day sale on an item, usually an electronic item. I love the fact that they have a forum where 'geeks' discuss whether or not it is a good item or a good price.
So check it out!
For more Frugal tips check out Crystal's site!
I received the following e-mail, which blessed me so much. It is always good to receive kind words. :o)
This mom also has a question, which I have no clue what the answer is, but maybe one of my readers might.
Hi! I wanted to thank you for your prompt service in mailing out the cake DVD. It arrived yesterday morning and I watched it through yesterday afternoon. It is wonderful!!! Although I learned cake decorating in advanced food class in high school (28 yrs ago!) and used to make/sell cakes, I learned new things from the dvd-and my skills are a bit rusty. I ordered it for my almost 11 yo homeschooled dd to learn from. I have one question. Do you know of a substitute for merangue powder to stiffen roses and such? My daughter is anaphalactic to eggs (among other food allergies), even inhaling or touching will send her into a reaction, and I wasn't sure if you knew of a sub. She can use Spectrum shortening rather than Crisco (which also contains allergens for her) Thank you so much for your wonderful DVD. It is a true blessing since my daughter wouldn't be able to take a "normal" class.
Diane
So if any of you have a suggestion about a substitute just leave a comment.
And THANK YOU Diane for your encouraging words! I'm glad you enjoyed your DVD!
I finally have the gift baskets added to our store. We can ship these anywhere and even include a personal gift tag with your message on it.
These would make great gifts that keep on giving as the recipient will use these skills to give to others!
This basket comes with the basic tools you'll need to start decorating, with the exception of the pan and food ingredients.
This includes the tips, a decorator's bag, a cake spatula, a coupler, a flower nail and our
Cake Decorating Basket
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This basket comes with cotton yarn, a hook and our LEARN HOW TO CROCHET DVD, which is everything you'll need to get you started!
Learn How to Crochet Basket
"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy,
you must have somebody to divide it with." - Mark Twain
I'll be away most of the next few days. It is our Guild's annual Quilt Show. Our family is providing security for the two nights. Hope Jeff has checked out those blow up mattresses. ;o) We are also operating the concession stand. I need to finish up some baking before we head out in the morning. I am thankful for the opportunity to do these things, especially because we can do them as a family, but I'll be glad to get back on a regular routine around here! Our house has been really out of order, which reminds me of how important it is that I be a KEEPER OF my home…when no one is keeping it, it ain't a pretty place.
The good side of all this WORK, is that there will be a lot of inspiration from the 300 + quilts that come from all over to be entered. We will have TWO buildings packed with beautiful artwork! The show is at the same park our Quilter's Cottage is at, and it is one of the most beautiful places is all of Alabama. The leaves are looking so beautiful! I look forward to sneaking a few hours away sitting with my husband on a swing, overlooking the mountains. :o)
If you are concerned at all about the future of our nation and the future of our children and grandchildren you really need to watch Demographic Winter . You can watch the whole thing online.These are non-Christians that put this out, they are Harvard graduates that simply looked at history and did the math!
Personally, I think this is a great time for Christians, IF we will live Biblically. We can not live in fear, but we do need to be informed and make wise choices. We CAN NOT have the 'eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow we die" mentality. We MUST live as if our children's future depends on it, because it does. We MUST live as though we are caretakers of a great Kingdom that will last for generations, because we ARE! Life is not about our comfort, our 'American Dream', it is about obeying God and living in obedience to His Word!
Although this film is not "faith based", it does bring out truth.And if God will use a donkey to speak to man, he will use this film to His glory!
We watched this last night with a group of friends and even though the movie has a sad/gloomy overtone to it (because it is a gloomy truth), the discussion in the room afterward was encouraging. We Christians have HOPE, God will not forsake us, and we have work to do as we train up this next generation to be culture changers! This can cause us to quit looking to the culture to take our world view cues and look at how God says we are to live. Praise the Lord!
The winner from yesterday's giveaway is EVERYONE that commented!!!!
Olivia and I talked about it last night and we'd like to give her Herb book to everyone that left a birthday greeting/comment YESTERDAY. She has loved learning about herbs so much that she wants everyone to enjoy them. Herb gardening is a great project for children and takes very little space to do, you can even grow them in pots on your porch.
I will be e-mailing the book this morning, so if you don't have it by this afternoon check your spam filter.
UPDATE: I am having an awful time with this computer this morning. So if you ladies that commented yesterday and are now winners of the Herb Book, please e-mail me and I'll send your copy, this will save me tons of time, THANK YOU!
If you did not comment yesterday please don't email me asking for the book anyway…sorry.
Now for today's BIG giveaway!
Today there will be TWO WINNERS!
One person will receive my Basic Cake Decorating DVD
AND
One person will receive my Learn How to Crochet DVD.
Everyone that commented on the giveaways this week is entered in today's drawing.
If you have not commented yet, be sure to do so today!
If you linked to our giveaway on your blog your name goes in TWICE!
This giveaway will end at 9:00 pm, Central Time (Alabama), and the winners announced shortly after.
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These can be shipped anywhere in the US and Canada.
We can add a To/From card with a personal message from you.
This basket has all of the tools you'll need to get you started, except for the ingredients,
and includes our Basic Cake Decorating DVD.
This basket is $39.97, plus shipping.
It would make a great gift for anyone.
This basket comes with our Learn How to Crochet DVD,
the recommended size hook and yarn that is used in the DVD.
This basket is $28.97, plus shipping.
It would make a great gift for anyone.
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Yesterday was a booming day for this website thanks to Homeschool Freebie! In fact, it was SO BOOMING it shut us down overnight. So if any of you had trouble getting your freebie from us yesterday please just email me!
So welcome to all our new friends!
The weather here is Alabama is so beautiful right now, it's hard to stay in the house. ;o)
Monday, two of my dearest friends and I took the day off to celebrate birthdays. It was almost like being school girls again. We left the older children (older teens) with the younger children, and grandma next door, and we went out to eat and the thrift store. lol…Yep, the thrift store!
We frugal moms did pretty good!
What a pleasant day sharing conversation without being interrupted…well, except for our husbands who kept calling to make sure we were OK…lol! You should have seen these reformed, Christian, homeschool moms when those 80's songs came on the radio as we sat and ate our chocolate cakes…it was funny! Music is a powerful thing, we knew all the words to all the songs! What sweet fellowship God gives His people. We came home so energized and refreshed to serve our families. Thanks Robin and Kelly!
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I recently found out about a freebie homeschool site. Each week day you can get something completely free! How cool is that?!
Next Tuesday Teaching Good Things will be featured and we will be offering a free download of one of our e-books to everyone, AND we will be offering an EXTRA BONUS! Be sure to stop by!
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If you have never tried Netflix I have a one month free subscription to the first person that e-mails me at kathy @ TeachingGoodThings.com (remove the spaces).
A friend gave us a three month subscription for Christmas. We love it. It is way cheaper than rental places…NO LATE FEES, and the choices are are great. We've gotten some really good documentaries!
The normal trial subscription is 2 weeks, so getting movies free for a month is a good deal! You HAVE to be someone that has not used Netflix before.
Update:
Tracy Thomas won!
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The DVD giveaway ends tomorrow night at midnight! I have really enjoyed reading all the comments and I have some I'd like to comment back on and I will!
To get your name put in on the drawing leave a comment HERE. To get your name in the hat twice link to the give away on your blog/website!
Today's Frugal Friday tip is to learn how to do skills such as crocheting to save money and add to your income. :o) For more frugal tips hop on over to Biblical Womanhood.
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This was a comment left by Rebekah yesterday. I thought it was beautiful! We never know how God will use our handiwork, even if we only have one hand.
Handiwork really impressed me in its importance when I was working as a nurse in a retirement home during my college years. There are many elderly people who think they are no longer of any use to anyone. When they were younger they could accomplish so much, and they measured their value as a person by the amount they produced in a day. Then they had a stroke, or fell and broke their hip, or a heart attack, or just became more feeble as they aged. Suddenly they couldn’t do so much,others had to help them do even the smallest tasks such as combing their hair or buttoning their shirt. Many of these precious people who had so much to offer in the way of wisdom or wise counsel felt they were a waste of others’ time and not worth it. They had never learned that God loves us not for what we do, but because of what and who we are - His creation. I saw my place as one of encouraging them, but this wasn’t easy day after day. Then one day a man arrived who was a Vietnam vet. He was very young compared to all the other residents. He had one good hand and a stub on the other side, and was confined to a wheelchair because his legs ended at mid thigh on both sides. The first day he was there he asked me to unpack a suitcase for him, and set up his hook set. Then, in the common area he sat there for hours doing this latch and hook thing. He made about two projects per week, and was always talking about who he would give this one to, or send this to, or what it would be useful for. He was the brightest, happiest person who lived in the place. At first his enthusiasm irritated the others, but three months later, nearly every other resident in his hallway began to learn the same skill. They soon founded a club. Then, friends and relatives started to take their projects and sell them and give the proceeds to charity. Those who were paralyzed on one side from stroke found they could still do many things with their good side to help. I made it my goal to find a point of interest for every one of those residents. As more and more became industrious in working with their hands the morale increased and the whole air of the place changed dramatically. One man who didn’t have use of his upper body began to paint with his feet. Those who were not able to use any limbs found joy in the accomplishments of others, would offer suggestions, or would just bask in the comradarie of it all. Anyway, when I left that facility to return to my home town it was an upbeat place. Recently I visited that place while on vacation. It was a new group of people. All of them just sat around feeling sorry that they were alive. It was a pitifully dreary place. I wished I could stay and help them find something to do with their hands. I whole heartedly recommend handiwork in some genre and thank God for giving us His example, saying that His handiwork was ‘very good.’ Thanks for the reminder!
Just leave me a comment and I'll put your name in the hat. When leaving a comment I'd love to know what you find most challenging about learning handiwork. Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.
Leave a comment AND post this giveaway on your blog or website, linking back to this post and I'll put your name in TWICE!
If you already know how to crochet this would be great as birthday or Christmas gift!
You can read more about the DVD HERE!
Read my recent article about The Importance of Handiwork.
We've added 2 classes to the Domestic Classes. A Jewelry Making class and a Hair Cutting. Be sure to sign up!
We started homeschooling over 15 years ago. We had taken our oldest (my step-daughter), out of the government school system half way through her 4th grade year. That first semester was a miserable time, not because of her, but because of ME! I remember making her sit at a desk and drilling her on EVERYTHING, EVERY question had to be answered on EVERY page. It was awful! We both cried so much. That summer I was a nervous wreck because I was going to have to teach our next child how to read, I was so overwhelmed and scared. Jeff’s confidence in me and constant encouragement got me trough many nights of worrying. God, by His mercy, slowly led me to the right materials to teach Joshua how to read. I was so blown away that *I* could actually teach him something so important.
Over those first years we struggled with curriculum choices and schedules. Because we had four children I needed to make the best of my time and we fell in love with unit studies. We have relaxed so much that now ‘doing school’ is enjoyable and so much more relevant. We only have one child left at home that is ‘doing school’. She has a certain amount of book work that has to be done each week, but the majority of her lessons are learned in real life. We have a couple of home industries, she goes to help her dad with his work a lot and we are very involved in our community. I have no doubt that she learns more as we go about our day and ask questions, than she would if we just did book work. When I see that she has an interest in something I make sure we pursue that topic in other forms.
Our third child, Olivia, is graduating this month, although she really does not like to call it a graduation, because as she sees it, her life will not be changing any, she will continue to do the things she is doing. She is a serious reader and loves to learn. She will take classes that interest her, look for ways to minister to other people and pursue some home industries. Olivia has stared a home business making bath products. She is learning so much, marketing, packaging, quality control, money management, costumer satisfaction, deadlines, web design, venues, and so on! There is a difference between learning ABOUT something in a book and then actually doing it!
This is the e-book she was inspired by:
Home educating our children has been one of the most important decisions we have made as parents and learning how to relax and embrace learning has been just as important. I wish I could get those first years back when I was so uptight and making all of us miserable, but I can’t. If I could give any advice to new home educators it would be to quit looking at the flawed government school system and start enjoying the learning process. There are countless opportunities every day right before us, we just need to be free enough to seize them.
Teaching our children to read, write and do math is very important, but so is equipping our children with the skills to be well rounded adults. They NEED more than book knowledge. They need to know how to do things with their hands and they need to know how to engage people of all ages. As parents let’s make sure that we are free enough to give our children life skills, along with the academics to make them useful for God’s kingdom!
Just a quick note to let you know about some big news. My friend, Cindy Rushton, is hosting her Ultimate Homeschool Expo again. It is time for the weekly Preview Chats. They are fantastic!
A Preview Chat is an online seminar where you get to listen to the 2008 speakers. Those are free each week. If you have never joined an online class, don't toss this offer! Join us–I will be there! You will love it! I'm actually going to be a speaker this year…yes, I am pretty excited and nervous!
Each session features a free seminar by one of the speakers. You can listen to the speaker on your computer or you can also "text chat" with other moms. It is hard to capture all of the fun in words. You have just GOT to join us! Get the details here:
A very important aspect of running a home efficiently is to be able to shop wisely!
One of my New Year's resolutions was to be a better steward when it came to grocery shopping. I do consider myself a wise shopper, but I knew I could improve. So I chose to read and learn how to shop the CVS and Walgreens' deals. I have to tell you it is well worth the time! With the cost of groceries going up each time I walk through the doors of the grocery store every little bit helps!
In less than three months of shopping the CVS deals I have managed to stock up on most of our toiletries, over the counter medications and make up for pennies on the dollar, often getting things for free! We live in a small town so shopping options are limited which makes me even more grateful for a CVS! When I made my trip this week the cashier said, "If I would take the time to learn how to do this (shop the deals) I'd probably save alot of money." I was SHOCKED! How can she work there and not shop the deals? She also told me that there are about 5-6 other people that come in and do what I do. I couldn't believe it. Only 5 or 6 out of our whole town shop the deals? When I say deals I mean getting the most form the ECB's.
My 13 year old daughter commented how there are so many needy people that could use the free soap and things. Oh how true! I thought of all the children that spend 2-4 hours a day just watching TV, listening to their Ipods, playing video games, and talking on the phone. What a blessing it would be if these young people would take a few hours a week and read Money Saving Mom or other blogs like that.
What if they clipped the coupons from the Sunday paper and learned how to compare prices? Crystal (and others) do most of the leg work for us! Anyone that can read and do simple math can do this. What if these same young people took on this task, invested a small amount of money to get started with their ECBs and took all of those toiletries and over the counter medications and donated them to needy people?
Possible places to give to:
Homeless Shelters
Hospice Groups
Ronald McDonald House
Senior Care Centers
Group Homes for Children
Foster Care Children
Care Baskets for the Military
Care Baskets for the elderly in your neighborhood
Fire Victims -People that loose their homes to a fire.
Disaster Victims - Keep a stock pile for times of natural disasters, not just for yourself, but for your neighbors.
Check with local churches to see of they have a food bank you can donate to.
Start a food bank at your church.
Overnight hospitality baskets for your house guest. We always place a basket next to the bed when we have guest overnight.
I'm sure there are other ways to share of your stockpile. The point is to be on a mission of blessing others.
Moms are busy, especially if you have several children it may be hard to find a couple hours a week to shop the deals. Why not teach one or more of your children to do it for you. This is a PERFECT way for them to learn to be a smart shopper and to have a ministry of giving right from home. They can do most of the research at home and then on shopping day they can have the list and coupons ready! A plan of action!
Does it take work? Yes! Will it improve math skills? Yes! Is it worth it? YES! When I walk through the door of my home and have $60 worth of merchandise and only spent $5-$6 (or less), oh yeah it is worth it!
Equip your children with this life long skill of smart shopping! One day they will be able to bring this skill into their marriage, and what a blessing that will be! Until then, they can be a blessing to their family now and to those that are truly needy!
