~Giveaway WINNERS~

I have not forgotten about the giveaway! I have been busy with filling orders that I have had no time for anything else. Since I had 2 books that I was giving away and three comments, I decided to throw in an extra book for third person. I know that I mentioned that I would be using Random.org for the drawing... well with three people it's a lot easier to just pull names out of a cup. Please forgive me about the pictures as I was a little blurry eyed this morning.

With the giveaway being for Mornings with Jesus 2012, the first two names will be receiving those books. YAY!  ** I'll be coming to your blogs and leaving you a comment about your book.

Now for the extra book ~ I have Beyond All Measure, A Lancaster County Christmas,  The Harvest of Grace and Sweeter Than Birdsong These are links to my reviews, hopefully they will help you decide on which book you want.

~Sweeter Than Birdsong * A Review~

 In Westerville, Ohio, 1855, Kate Winter’s dreams are almost within reach. As the first woman to graduate from Otterbein College, she’ll be guaranteed her deepest wish: escape from the dark secret haunting her family. But with her mother determined to marry her off to a wealthy man, Kate must face reality. She has to run. Now. And she has the perfect plan. Join the upcoming musical performance—and use it to mask her flight.

Ben Hanby, Otterbein College’s musical genius, sees Kate Winter as an enigmatic creature, notable for her beauty, yet painfully shy. Then he hears her sing—and the glory of her voice moves him as never before. He determines to cast her in his musical and uncover the mystery that is Kate. Still, he must keep his own secret to himself. Not even this intriguing woman can know that his passionate faith is driving him to aid fugitives on the Underground Railroad.

A terrifying accident brings Kate and Ben together, but threatens to shatter both their secrets and their dreams. Kate can no longer deny the need to find her courage—and her voice—if she is to sing a new song for their future.

MY THOUGHTS~This is the second book in The Saddler Legacy series, and it is just as wonderful as the first. Rosslyn has a way with writing that some do not have. She truly has a gift! If you have read the first book, Fairer Than Morning then you do not want to miss this one.

 Rosslyn and Thomas Nelson are hosting this a giveaway.

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Brand new iPod Nano (Winner's choice of color!)
• Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
• Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 28th. Winner will be announced at Sweeter than Birdsong Author Chat Facebook Party on 2/28. Rosslyn will be chatting with guests, sharing a sneak peek of the next book in the series, hosting a trivia contest, and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, season 1 of DowntownAbbey, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Rosslyn.)

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

~Mornings with Jesus 2012~

ABOUT THE BOOK ~
"Be still and know that I am God.” is one of the most beautiful verses from the Bible, but it’s not easy to practice in this busy world. Mornings with Jesus will help you do just that—“be still” in Jesus’ beautiful and powerful presence. For those who are seeking a deeper experience in their relationship with Christ, Mornings with Jesus offers a fresh perspective of who Jesus is (the Healer, the Son of God, the Comforter, the Good Shepherd) and what that means for day-to-day life. With a warm and friendly voice, 365 short devotional writings on the character and teachings of Jesus encourage readers to greet each day by drawing near to Him and inviting His presence into their day. Spend time with Jesus at the beginning of each day and experience His nearness and peace in a new way throughout the year. Each day’s selection includes: • a Bible verse • an entry based on Jesus: His words, miracles, and parables; His wisdom, compassion, and comfort; His mystery, power, divinity, and humanity • a “faith step” that will inspire and challenge readers to apply the day’s message to their lives.

MY THOUGHTS ~
This is a year long devotional. Each devotion is a short little nugget that easily goes along with your daily reading. I liked this since I'm a busy mom and don't have a lot of time to spend with long devotionals.

GIVE A WAY ~
I have two copies of this devotional that I'm giving away. I just want to add, that I was sent a give away copy and I'm also giving away my copy. All you have to do is leave me a comment. I'll be using Random.org if I get more than two comments. ~ That's it! No linking to Facebook, Twitter, or Posting on your blog. ~Super easy! The deadline for the giveaway is Wednesday, February 22 at 6:00 pm (est).

BUY THE BOOK ~

You can find the book HERE.


**I received this book for free from Litfuse in return for my honest opinion.**

~Laundry Soap Update~

I wanted to write a quick update on my laundry soap.

I received an email about a post that I wrote reviewing Downy Stopables.

"I am getting ready to make homemade laundry soap and I love the Downy Unstopables, but  they are pricy, I was wondering if you have tried pouring the Unstopables in your soap as the scent?"

Here's my answer ~ The Unstopables are expensive. I searched the isle to see if there was another brand of scent booster that I could use and came across Purex Crystals which were three dollars cheaper for a larger container than the Unstopables. It was easier for me to swallow $5.00 on an experiment that I did not know how it was going to turn out, so I bought the Purex and made a batch of soap...

 You can find my original soap post HERE with updates HERE, HERE and HERE.

I've been using this batch of soap for about a month. In this batch I only used one cup of the Purex Crystals, the next time I make it I'll be adding another half cup maybe even a whole cup. Since I only use Fels Naptha in making my soap, the lemon scent is a little stronger than the Crystals, so it boils down to ~ MORE SCENT? - MORE CRYSTALS! For the Unstopables ~ I would probably go with the one and a half cups, just to be happy!

I put the crystals in the pot of soapy water to dissolve, after the soap has completely melted.

I personally like my soap without the scent and will definitely finish up the bottle of crystals on our towels and wash cloths. I like knowing that our clothes are clean without having a strong, artificial scent. That is what I like about the Fels Naptha. I don't have to worry about a lingering smell ~ everything comes out with a clean smell, nothing more.  I have a fear of scents in our clothes. Have you ever smelled someone who wears a scented deodorant? That smell clings to the fibers in clothing. Sometimes it is so bad that after a while it begins to leave a funky scent ~ a scent that smells "unclean" even after it is washed. Don't believe me?... iron the underarms of a shirt and give it a whiff. That weird underarm scent is from all the scented deodorant, even when the shirt is clean. Do you really want the smell lurking about when you are warm and stressed and under pressure?  I don't know about you, but I don't. You have probably guessed, I wear an unscented deodorant. ;)

I also wanted to mention that I've cut back on the TSP. In fact, I don't put it in the soap any longer. I use about teaspoon in the washer for very dirty jeans and work clothes. My husband noticed irritation around his neck and where his sleeves hit on his arms and thought it maybe from the TSP. I'm thinking that it may not have dissolved completely and settled at the bottom of the bucket, since it was in the last of the soap when we started seeing the irritation.

Hopefully, this helps anyone who is thinking about homemade laundry soap.

~A Little Frogging~

 In my life this week…

Last Saturday, I spent a good amount of time knitting only to see that I added an extra row in on the border of a toddler's sweater. The only catch to this is... That extra row is at the beginning of the front left panel. I did not find this until I had finished it and started the ride side. I'm hoping when I finish the right panel, I can undo the cast-on and simply frog one row. If not, I'll be frogging the whole panel and starting over.


In our homeschool this week…

I have found that if I give my son the Kindle, paper and pencil he can become quite creative with his research paper on David Livingstone. I did this a couple of times this week since I had a sewing project to complete and get in the mail. I was amazed at how he could be so detailed in his words when I wasn't around.  (My son is reluctant writer.)

I've started the task of planning for our 2012-2013 school year. It seems like every year I change something in our curriculum. I've been looking at the Heart of Dakota curriculum along with My Father's World. Since this girl is a budget conscience girl, I cringe when I see the "whole package" price. I'd definitely have to pick and choose to keep costs down.  I'd love to find something that had a full Language Arts/History/Geography/Science program all wrapped in a neat little box without having to buy  a zillion books. Maybe I need to look at unit studies?

My favorite thing this week was…

Just being at home, making our house a home for my family. Spending these precious moments with my son because I know that in a few short years I won't have them any longer.

Questions/thoughts I have…

There's only 59 more days of school on our calendar. I'm thinking this eight weeks on /one week off is a HUGE help. It has really helped in keeping the burn out from happening too quickly. So far so good, it hasn't reared its ugly head.

Things I’m working on…

I have several projects that I'm working on for my shop. Several primitive ideas in the works along with the idea of selling Kindle covers.

I’m grateful for…

My Salvation, without it I would be nothing.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

This is the Kindle Fire cover I made for a friend this week. I love how it turned out!