Susan Godfrey is sponsoring our next giveaway here on the Front Porch. There will be THREE winners all randomly chosen and they can choose their prize from the following items. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment (please leave us an email or another way to get in touch with you in case you win!) and you'll be entered into the drawing to take place on Thursday, 4/24/08. Good luck!!
This week we are giving away a copy of our EBook, Homestead Simplicity!
Homestead Simplicity: A Primer shares helps for the Keeper of the Home! We like to keep it simple around here, and while I also want the best for my family, sometimes striking a balance between the two can be difficult at best. Join us as we share some simple hints, tips and recipes along with a little inspiration to add a little “Homestead Simplicity” to your life! Natural Cleaning recipes, Cooking from Scratch (easily!) planning/stocking your pantry, and loving care for your homestead and those in it!
Just comment, with your name and email (so I can contact you when you WIN!) and you’re set! Blog about this contest on your blog and comment with the link for a SECOND entry
That’s it–S I M P L E, we’ll draw the winner next Monday the 21st!
We all love a good freebie, contest or giveaway…and here is where we’ll post them for you to win!
What do we have for you this April? Well…a couple things…our first contest? How about a free half pint, all natural soy wax candle in YOUR CHOICE of fragrance! That’s right, a lovely free candle!
So what do you have to do to win? Just go to the site, click on our fragrance list or mill around a bit, come back and post a comment at this link with your favorite scent, along with first name and email addy (so I can contact you when you win!)…that’s it. SIMPLE!
Have you noticed that in the last few months that the costs of milk and other dairy items, grain products such as breads and cereals, and related baked goods are shooting through the roof? If you are among the thousands of people who resolved to eat healthier in 2008 and live on a tight budget but don't know where to begin then read on.
My favorite whole milk yogurt just went up about 75 cents for one quart! I calculate that as about a 25% increase. I have noticed other staple products such as milk, butter, bread, and cereal have incurred substantial increases in the last few months with no end in sight.
One major factor is the world -wide shortage of wheat due to poor harvests in South America, Australia, and other wheat growing regions in recent years. For awhile last year, the United States was the only country in the world with wheat available for export.
Wheat market analysts had hoped that southern hemisphere markets would have had a better than expected wheat harvest this season. Another major variable contributing to the grain price equation has been ethanol which is typically derived from corn.
A percentage of farmers have pulled significant amounts of acreage out of wheat and other grain production in favor of corn, further contributing to a reduction in wheat availability. Even if worldwide harvests should improve over the next year (which is greatly debatable due to the past few years' track record), the ethanol connection will continue to affect crop plantings which will affect prices and availability.
I do not have a crystal ball and do not know what tomorrow holds. I do know I don't want to be grocery store dependent to ever spiraling costs for food. I want to have my own pantry to shop from.
Let's look at a couple Bible passages regarding preparing for the future. First let us look at Proverbs 6:6-11 a passage about the ant.
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from our sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond, and want like an armed man.
What this verse in essence is saying is that preparedness and planning ahead is a plan to succeed. Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.
Consider the story of Joseph, who through interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, was led to put aside enough grain in the good years to carry the Egyptians and citizens of other countries, including the provision of his own extended family, through a long period of drought and scarcity.
My personal opinion is that home reserves of wheat, other grains, canned goods and learning to cook with basic whole food ingredients are a consumer's best protection against ever higher food prices. Now is the time to set aside reserves of food, grains, and household items for the future. Here are a few ideas for getting started:
Now is a great time to purchase a home grain mill and bread baking equipment, learn to cook with basic whole foods, build a home food pantry, and invest in your family's health while trying to mitigate against ever higher food prices.
Purchasing grains and other food items in bulk and case lots will save you as much as 50% or more over alternatives. You can purchase food items in bulk by joining a food coop or placing a special order in a health food store.
When you eliminate the purchase of processed and prepared foods and learn to make them from scratch you will not only save dramatically on groceries but you will eliminate all the unhealthy food additives found in processed foods.
Watch for bargains, particularly at small, discount grocery stores. Stock up and save.
Busy moms of young children have the responsibility to establish healthy, consistent eating habits in their children at a young age by learning to cook and bake healthful foods and meals at home from basic whole food ingredients.
To get you started I will direct you to some free resources at my website:
Another great way to get started with a lifestyle of health would be to invest in my comprehensive books, Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms and A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread.These books include all the instructions you need to begin, including family friendly menus, recipes, grocery lists and step-by-step instructions for baking your own whole grain breads.
I also would like to give away three combinations of Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms along with my ebook A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread, just for posting your best cooking, baking and pantry tips for busy moms at my blog, urbanhomemaker! Let's all share our tips and wisdom with each other so we can learn together to be better wives, mothers, and homemaker's! Here is thelink to my blog where you can post your comment for the contest.
If you purchase Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms for $9.97, I will also give you a complimentary copy of my ebook A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread, also a $9.97 value. Two for the price of one ! Plus one exclusive release, Soups and Stews for Busy Moms! Click here to take advantage of this offer!
Marilyn Moll, passionate lover of "old fashioned skills", began cooking and baking with Betty Crocker Cookbooks around age 10. She holds a degree in home economics education from Colorado State University. When she quit a full-time job to stay home with her 12 month old daughter, she began baking all of her family's bread and teaching baking classes.
Together with her husband Duane, and three home schooled children (one in college, one college graduate), they have operated The Urban Homemaker, a family business specializing in bread baking equipment and products for better health in the spirit of Titus Two, for seventeen years.
She has published articles in various Christian Women's Magazines including The Homemaker's Forum, Open Arms, The Old Schoolhouse, New Harvest Homestead, TEACH magazine, The Urban Homemaker and other magazines and periodicals since 1991.
Her desire is to see busy families recover their health, re-learn the lost arts of cooking and baking with whole food ingredients and return to the family dinner table.
It's time for another Win Big contest in the Schoolhouse Store and our prizes are even bigger and better than ever!
The best prize of all is an incredible 12 year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! PLUS, this time the gift certificate to our Store is going to be not $100, not $200, but $250!
100% of that $250 certificate is good towards products in the store. Don't set aside even a penny for shipping and handling. As always there are no shipping charges in The Schoolhouse Store.
To check out all that you can win, just visit this page or the button above! Good luck!
Here is something else that I saw in The Homeschool Minute today. I have 2 special needs children (ADHD/Aspergers son and a daughter with hearing loss).
A Note from the TOS Publishers
TOS has created three ebooks and is in the midst of putting together its newest project, an ebook about special needs homeschooling.
Can a child with special educational or physical needs be successfully home educated? The answer is a resounding YES. We are turning first to our own readers to assist us in the development of this new e-Book. If you are willing to share your story, please contact Gena right away with your answers to the questions below. Those who are chosen to appear in the book will receive a $50 gift certificate in the Schoolhouse Store and will receive up to ten free copies of the ebook to distribute to friends.
How many special needs children are you homeschooling?
What are your children's special needs?
Have you been successful?
Do you plan to home educate your children through high school?
Please send the answers to these questions to publisher@thehomeschoolmagazine.com. If selected for inclusion in the book, you will be notified shortly.
Paul & Gena Suarez
Publishers
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
I saw this today in The Homeschool Minute and thought I'd pass on the info to anyone interested! This was posted by Todd Wilson of Familyman Ministries
THE GREAT SOAP CONTEST -This past Christmas I was given some great homemade soap. I loved its smell, texture, and the way it cleaned. I'm out and need some more. But you can't walk into Wal-Mart and buy a bar of homemade soap.
That's when the idea hit me that there must be about 10,000 homeschooling/homesteading/homebirthing soap makers out there. I decided to have a contest like the good people of TOS often do.
In asking Lisa Vitello if she'd like to do a contest, I had in mind that there would be only be ONE winner, but Lisa kindly offered to "Spread the Love" this week, so if you've never seen her e-newsletter, then you are in for a treat.
New Harvest Homestead is the e-newsletter for Christian women who want to slow down and live a simpler, more home-centered life in contrast to a culture where women are constantly on the go. The newsletter is published six times a year and delivered via email as a PDF file. Every issue is full of inspiration and information on kitchen gardening, canning & preserving food, backyard flocks, cooking & baking from scratch, crafting, homekeeping and lots of Titus 2 encouragement!
I have received several issues of this newsletter and they are full of wonderful recipes, reading recommendations, articles about homesteading, glimpses into life lived more simply in the past, gardening, tending to animals on the homestead, crafts. Titus 2 wisdom and MORE!
To receive TWO FREE ISSUES, just email Lisa with the code "HSB Valentine Offer" in the subject line and she'll send you your free issues sometime AFTER Friday. This offer expires Friday at midnight. In the body of the email, please take a moment to thank Lisa for this incredible offer as she "spreads the love" this Valentine week.
In addition, Lisa is offering a TREMENDOUS sale this week ... read the details below and take advantage of this incredible offer!
The Second Annual
New Harvest Homestead
Half-Price Back Issue Sale is Here!
For ONE WEEK ONLY – February 8 to February 15 – all back issues of the New Harvest Homestead newsletter are just $1.00 each!
This special offer applies to the ELECTRONIC version of the newsletter ONLY.
Just think – you can purchase an entire year’s worth of the New Harvest Homestead newsletter for just $6.00!Two years’ worth for just $12.00, the normal price of a ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION!
Don’t miss out on this incredible bargain!I only do this ONE TIME every year for ONE WEEK ONLY.
4)Hit the “Send Money” tab at the top of your account page.
5)Total up the amount for all of the back issues you want at $1.00
each
6) Send that amount to our Paypal address: newharvest@gotsky.com
7)In the “Note” section of the payment page, list the back issues
you want (ex: Jan/Feb 2006, Mar/Apr 2006, May/June 2006)
You can also send a check or money order for the back issues to our mailing address:
New Harvest Homestead
P.O. Box 51
Carlotta, CA95528
Be sure to include a list of the back issues you would like and DON’T FORGET to include your email address along with your payment.Mailings must be postmarked no later than February 15.
The New Harvest Homestead Half-Price Back Issue sale starts at midnight tonight, February 8, and will run through midnight, February 15.Due to the large volume of orders I anticipate, please be patient as there may be a two to three day wait as I fulfill orders.Get your orders in early!Please write to me if you have any questions!
DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS TREMENDOUS SALE!TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
I received permission from Marilyn to repeat her contest information here! Read and enter soon!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"More with Less has been one of my most favorite cookbooks, next to Sue Gregg books that I have been using for over twenty years. I like the way they have time saving recipes and lots of "gather up the fragments" ideas to use up a little or this and little of that. Nothing goes to waste. The food is delicious and nutritious.
I have been making a game of using up dribs and drabs in my freezer and on my pantry shelves while improvising recipes as I go. I have only bought eggs, milk, fresh veggies, yogurt, butter and cheese for the last three weeks. My goal is to keep going until the shelves need restocking!
For example I made Stir Fry with vegetables on hand and a small amount of leftover roast beef (about two servings of beef) that fed six last week. Stir fry was made with celery, onions and soy sauce. (Cheapest veggies I know) I served everything over pan fried potatoes. Carrots, onions, potatoes and celery are great economical veggies easy on the budget.
Tomorrow night I'm making leftover Chili Stew with the following ingredients I found in my freezer today: Leftover pinto beans, baby sausages, and frozen corn. I will be adding onion, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper and serving it over rice.
My new blog contest will be discussion about how you are keeping your grocery bills under control while food and grain prices skyrocket. I want you to talk about how you are stretching your food dollars by making MORE WITH LESS.
Prize winners will be judged based on creativity and originality of their ideas. Specific ideas with pictures and recipes will get top ratings. (Email digital photos in jpg format to marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com so I can post them.)
I remembered late last night that I was supposed to choose a winner for the contest that I recently blogged about. Sorry for the delay ... it just slipped my mind! Anyway, the winner was commentor #7 (Kitty) and I have already emailed her at the email address given in the comment. I have been given permission to give away the same prize one more time this month, so let's have another contest!
*** For this contest, I would like to hear about your favorite thing to do on a cold, snowy day. See, where I live, everyone gets excited at even the MENTION of snow. Now, I don't because I know that the chances of us getting enough accumulation for the kids to go out and play in is almost nil. Those of you who live in the snowy states would have a BIG laugh if you could see our TV coverage right now ... they even salted the roads in my town YESTERDAY and the possible snow isn't even going to be here until sometime tonight. Here is our current forecast and you should have seen the people at the grocery store ... you would have thought we were expecting a blizzard !
A chance of snow in the evening...then snow likely after midnight. Rain...a chance of light freezing rain and light sleet in the early morning. Snow and sleet accumulation up to 2 inches. Lows in the lower 30s. East winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
So, leave me your comment and be entered into this drawing ... to be held on January 31st (or a few days later if I forget again ... geesh!)
Many of you know Martha of MarmeeDear.com and Rebekah of Hope Chest Legacy. Well, they have come together to offer us a wonderful year-long program called The Homemaker's Mentor. Below is the info that I have received in my email recently. Jeannie had this to say about the program, "I joined the Marmee Dear and the lessons look really nice and simple enough, I think it would make for a great way for those of us who can sometimes fall on the way side of homekeeping/being a keeper of the home, I look forward to the "free" lessons they will put out on top of the lessons they have when you subscribe."
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MARMEE!
I look forward to 2008 with JOY! are asking what lessons they will be learning in the coming year and we are excited to share our topics with you!
The following 24 online classes will be available for 2008 to HMM Members:
*Cleaning the Master Bedroom
*How to Make Simple Curtains
*Homemade Notecards & Stationary
*Growing an Indoor Herb Garden & How to Use Fresh Herbs
*Beans, Beans & More Beans - Using Dried Beans for Simple, Delicious & Frugal Meals
*Children's Clothing - Storage Solutions & Organization
*Sew an Apron
*Quick Peek at the Well Stocked Medicine Cabinet & Treating Basic Illness and Injury
*Pantry Principles - Organizing & Stocking
*Family Meals - Making This Special Time Together Happen!
*Canning Blackberry Jam & Other Fruits
*How to Embellish Linens with Crocheted Lace Edgings
*Really Good Home Canned Pickles!
*Laundry Basics & Teaching Children to Help
*Simple Skirts for Girls - A Sewing Lesson
*An Abundance of Apples & How to Use Them All!
*A Clean Sparkling Kitchen
*Long Term Food Storage & Simple Emergency Preparedness
*In A Stew!
*Rebekah's Revolving Chore Chart for Children & Mother's Master List of Home Duties for the Year
*Table Settings & How to Create a Lovely Table Setting
*Making a Memory Quilt
*My Kitchen - A Restaurant?
*Gingham Embroidery with Two Projects
You have the option of purchasing a "surprise" SAMPLE LESSON for only $2.50. Or you may subscribe for a continuing subscription for a 12 month period for the full 24 lessons + freebies for only $4.95 per month. After you are a member you may have the option to purchase a gift subscription at a discount for a friend, sister or your mom! You also save by purchasing a full year of lessons in just one simple payment of $49.99.
Each lesson is available online, in beautiful full color PDF format, with an additional option of printable lessons for storing in your own homemaker’s notebook. You have access to your new lessons 24 hours per day, 7 days per week so you can read at your leisure.
Both Martha and Rebekah have prepared twelve lessons each per year, for a total of 24 lessons coming straight to your home! There are also 4 additional free lessons written by special authors that will be available to you as well – each one written by a respected woman in her field of expertise!
You will receive a total of 28 lessons with a full years paid subscription! How does the Homemaker’s Mentor work? It is SO simple! You may sign up for a full year’s subscription or pay monthly with automatic payments. Each month on the first and third Tuesday, a new lesson will be placed on The Homemaker’s Mentor website. (www.thehomemakersmentor.com) You have the full month to access your lessons and read it or print it for your files. All lessons share information with you – some lessons offer optional assignments or projects. Each month, the lessons are taken down and a new set of lessons put in place. The previous month’s 2 lessons are then placed on the website for individual sale – so if you have joined recently you can purchase older lessons that sound interesting to you. Throughout the year the additional 4 free lessons will become available to you as well at no additional cost.
We are so excited to have you join us!
Martha & Rebekah
I have been busier than ever and am so excited to remind you about my new ministry in mentoring homemakers around the world along with my dear friend, Rebekah of HopeChestLegacy. We already have members from Canada, Australia and the big wonderful USA!
Together, Rebekah and I, have created the HOMEMAKER'S MENTOR that is an online course for a full year to instuct and mentor homemakers in the spirit of Titus 2.
You only need a valid email address and internet access to join us along with a willing heart to serve your family. We already have a lovely group in of members in the HMM and the first mentoring lessson is ready for members. There will be 24 full lessons for a very small fee!
Our new subscribers
We have a list of confirmed lessons below, but we also anticipate
several additional free lessons by well-known authors in their field of
interest. The topic of the lessons are secret until the authors complete
their writing, but as they are written and submitted we will be making
them available to each of our subscribing members as a free gift for enrolling with us.
We are having a great time getting to know each other on the private FORUM created for the HMM members. This makes it just like we are all together in my living room having a time of sharing and learning!
Again --- each member must have basic email service and a current valid email address and internet access to view the lessons and the forum.
Many of you know Martha of MarmeeDear.com and Rebekah of Hope Chest Legacy. Well, they have come together to offer us a wonderful year-long program called The Homemaker's Mentor. Below is the info that I have received in my email recently. Jeannie had this to say about the program, "I joined the Marmee Dear and the lessons look really nice and simple enough, I think it would make for a great way for those of us who can sometimes fall on the way side of homekeeping/being a keeper of the home, I look forward to the "free" lessons they will put out on top of the lessons they have when you subscribe."
I have a FREE Lesson to give away, so leave me a comment and tell me which of the lessons featured below sounds like the ONE for you! The free lesson may not be on that topic, but I'd love to hear you share what you'd like to learn to do in 2008. I'll be blogging on Friday about my plans to learn something new (actually 12 "somethings") and so I thought that this would be a great way to get a conversation going!! I'll choose a winner on Friday, Jan 11th, so get your comments in before then.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MARMEE!
I look forward to 2008 with JOY! are asking what lessons they will be learning in the coming year and we are excited to share our topics with you!
The following 24 online classes will be available for 2008 to HMM Members:
*Cleaning the Master Bedroom
*How to Make Simple Curtains
*Homemade Notecards & Stationary
*Growing an Indoor Herb Garden & How to Use Fresh Herbs
*Beans, Beans & More Beans - Using Dried Beans for Simple, Delicious & Frugal Meals
*Children's Clothing - Storage Solutions & Organization
*Sew an Apron
*Quick Peek at the Well Stocked Medicine Cabinet & Treating Basic Illness and Injury
*Pantry Principles - Organizing & Stocking
*Family Meals - Making This Special Time Together Happen!
*Canning Blackberry Jam & Other Fruits
*How to Embellish Linens with Crocheted Lace Edgings
*Really Good Home Canned Pickles!
*Laundry Basics & Teaching Children to Help
*Simple Skirts for Girls - A Sewing Lesson
*An Abundance of Apples & How to Use Them All!
*A Clean Sparkling Kitchen
*Long Term Food Storage & Simple Emergency Preparedness
*In A Stew!
*Rebekah's Revolving Chore Chart for Children & Mother's Master List of Home Duties for the Year
*Table Settings & How to Create a Lovely Table Setting
*Making a Memory Quilt
*My Kitchen - A Restaurant?
*Gingham Embroidery with Two Projects
You have the option of purchasing a "surprise" SAMPLE LESSON for only $2.50. Or you may subscribe for a continuing subscription for a 12 month period for the full 24 lessons + freebies for only $4.95 per month. After you are a member you may have the option to purchase a gift subscription at a discount for a friend, sister or your mom! You also save by purchasing a full year of lessons in just one simple payment of $49.99.
Each lesson is available online, in beautiful full color PDF format, with an additional option of printable lessons for storing in your own homemaker’s notebook. You have access to your new lessons 24 hours per day, 7 days per week so you can read at your leisure.
Both Martha and Rebekah have prepared twelve lessons each per year, for a total of 24 lessons coming straight to your home! There are also 4 additional free lessons written by special authors that will be available to you as well – each one written by a respected woman in her field of expertise!
You will receive a total of 28 lessons with a full years paid subscription! How does the Homemaker’s Mentor work? It is SO simple! You may sign up for a full year’s subscription or pay monthly with automatic payments. Each month on the first and third Tuesday, a new lesson will be placed on The Homemaker’s Mentor website. (www.thehomemakersmentor.com) You have the full month to access your lessons and read it or print it for your files. All lessons share information with you – some lessons offer optional assignments or projects. Each month, the lessons are taken down and a new set of lessons put in place. The previous month’s 2 lessons are then placed on the website for individual sale – so if you have joined recently you can purchase older lessons that sound interesting to you. Throughout the year the additional 4 free lessons will become available to you as well at no additional cost.
We are so excited to have you join us!
Martha & Rebekah
I have been busier than ever and am so excited to remind you about my new ministry in mentoring homemakers around the world along with my dear friend, Rebekah of HopeChestLegacy. We already have members from Canada, Australia and the big wonderful USA!
Together, Rebekah and I, have created the HOMEMAKER'S MENTOR that is an online course for a full year to instuct and mentor homemakers in the spirit of Titus 2.
You only need a valid email address and internet access to join us along with a willing heart to serve your family. We already have a lovely group in of members in the HMM and the first mentoring lessson is ready for members. There will be 24 full lessons for a very small fee!
Our new subscribers
We have a list of confirmed lessons below, but we also anticipate
several additional free lessons by well-known authors in their field of
interest. The topic of the lessons are secret until the authors complete
their writing, but as they are written and submitted we will be making
them available to each of our subscribing members as a free gift for enrolling with us.
We are having a great time getting to know each other on the private FORUM created for the HMM members. This makes it just like we are all together in my living room having a time of sharing and learning!
Again --- each member must have basic email service and a current valid email address and internet access to view the lessons and the forum.
Join us on the Front Porch to talk about anything and everything that has to do with homesteading! Catch up on the latest news at HomesteadBlogger. Chat with our Front Porch Team as they blog about their favorite topics. The Front Porch is the heart of our community. Make yourself right at home!
!
