GIVEAWAY!

I'm not blogging much right now, since I should be making dinner.  It's turkey and dumplings with the recipe courtesy of my California Friend.  I have got to get moving on it, but I wanted to share this giveaway from Multi-Testing Mommy.

Facial hair + women = unhappiness.  Multi-Testing Mommy is having a give away for a Kymaro Roll Away Facial Threader.  Now, I hope you DON'T enter so I have a better chance, but that's not too fair.  Visit MTM and get in on the goodies.  She has lots of great stuff on her site so make sure you look around.

If you just can't wait to win, visit her site and buy from there. Wins all around.

Bob's Red Mill! Gluten Free Oats

Earlier this week I posted about Gluten Free recipes.  I'm trying this for my hubby, who is insisting that he's a non-grain kind of guy.  But I still feel the need for more than just veg and beef on the plate.  Plus dessert!  It's not a full meal without dessert, as my waistline attests...

I can't wait to try  Bob's Gluten Free Oats in my favorite Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe. (The secret is to boil the raisins with baking soda and then use the water in the recipe. Thanks Great Gramma Sara.)

Regardless, Bob's is hosting a chance to win WIN a copy of Carol Fenster's book, 1000 Gluten Free Recipes.  She has an awesome site and a newsletter, too, but that's just a bonus for me. Yay!  Be sure to visit Bob's Red Mill and learn more about this giveaway and enter to win!

Give Me Something! Family Pizza Night Give Away!

Saving money is a big deal for someone with five kids. I look for a way to save wherever I can - from menu planning, to buying generic, to forgoing some of the extras I really want.  As a stay home mom, we live on ONE income and that means sacrifice.

I ran across this site quite by accident, through another Twitter read.  But I'm glad I did!  Saving the Family Money has links to coupons, an online database, and hot sales at the grocery store.  Sadly, we don't have a Publix or Food Lion here, but those are just the top two I read about today. 

Karen, who is STFM, is also a devotee of thrift store shopping.  A woman after my own heart!  Hers looks like it might be more high quality stuff than we have here with the Deseret Industries or St. Vincent dePaul or Idaho Youth Ranch, but still, thrift is thrift.  I'm wishing I was closer to that Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  I think we may have one in our area, but it's open odd hours and never the same time twice.

I look forward to seeing more of Karen's posts and learning more from her on saving money.  Meanwhile, visit her site for a chance to win BIG!  She's giving away a Family Pizza Night set.  Lookie here: 

Here's a little snip from her site:

Would you like to win a Family Pizza Night Prize Pack?  This would be great for you family, a gift or even a classroom!
Prize pack  includes:

• VIP coupon for a free package of Pillsbury Pizza Crust
• Pictureka, the find it fast game from Hasbro, which you and your family can play to make pizza night even more special
• A set of Pizza Plates

I'm down with that!!  Hope there is enough plates for my massive family...  Just drop by Saving the Family Money and enter to win.  All the rules are there. 

Freezer & Pantry Challenge

I was reading the Menu Mom tweets recently and she's issued a challenge to eat solely out of our pantry and freezer for a whole month! Since I don't have as much as her stocked up (take a look at the following picture!) I've been taking it week by week.

This week? Yup, ate out of the pantry and freezer. Other than the diet I'm on which I need fresh veggies for, the whole family ate only stocked food. I don't know if I'll be able to sustain this another week, not having three freezers and a super pantry like Christine has, but I will keep my supplies in mind when I'm menu planning for this coming week.

Join Christine and others, including me, for a CHALLENGE that will (hopefully) lower your grocery bills at least for a week or two. Oh yeah baybee! Our grocery bill was lots lower too.

Holiday Give Away: Win a Serger!

Come on, you KNOW you want it! In fact, I would love to have another Pfaff in my house and a serger would be awesome. Just leave a comment at the BurdaStyle blog about what inspires YOU to sew and you're entered. Easy Peasy, as my darling ducklings would say.

Holiday Giveaway: Over a Week Long Giveaway, Win a PFAFF® hobbylock™ 2.0! – Sewing Blog | BurdaStyle.com

Cleaning and Winning!

I hate cleaning. I told my buddy Becca that I need to cultivate a cleaning hobby. It didn't work at the old house, it isn't working much better at the new house. I'm getting the kids more involved in the cleaning (The dishwasher in the new house was on it's last elbow and is now gone. Hey, isn't that why I had kids?) and am making a point of doing a cleaning project, even if it's just sweeping the entire house, once a day. It's a small dent, but at least it's a start.

We have the best tasting water around. It's straight out of the well and so clean, cold and pure! It does come with a lot of minerals, though, and that means our water is VERY hard. Therefore, we have lots of mineral build up in our water using appliances. (Remember that broken dishwasher?) What I want to discuss here is how to clean out those lovely minerals from my most used small appliance: the coffeemaker.

I'd been using this method for years (thanks mom!) and didn't think to share it around until I read an article on Creative Homemaking about 5 ways to speed clean your coffee maker. We have a Bunn coffeemaker with the hot water reservoir (fresh coffee in just 3 minutes!) and that builds up bad. To combat the minerals, I run a pot of white vinegar through the brew cycle and then rinse with enough water to have no lasting vinegar smell.

Because we have the hot water reservoir, I empty the water out of the holding tank and then put the vinegar in and let it sit for a while to help cut the build up. I then dump the vinegar and rinse as indicated above. This not only makes the coffee maker run faster, but also seems to improve the taste of my coffee.

And speaking of awesome coffee, have you heard of Steve and Harry's Coffee Co? They roast fresh right in the small Idaho town we live near - freshest, best coffee I've ever had! Steve is a friend of my dearest Hubbers and is a big mean (looking) biker dude. We've been in to see his roaster (see that picture?) and the process and I can't say enough.

No, Steve didn't pay me for this post, but if he wanted to, I'd take my trade in coffee beans... I especially like the Sumatra Mandheling!

Hey! You wanna win a Clover Getaway Knitting Needle Gift Set (29" Circular). The set contains one each Takumi Circular 29 INCH sizes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 & 15. They are stylish, portable and easy to carry.

Also included in this giveaway is a Getaway Knitting Needle Gift Set (13" Single Pointed). In this gifts set you can find Takumi Single Pointed 13 INCH sizes 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13 & 15.

About Clover:

A distributor/manufacturer of Clover Brand Products in the U.S.A. Clover specializes in high quality sewing notions, quilting accessories, embroidery tools and the well renowned “Takumi” Bamboo Knitting Needles and accessories. Clover products offer the highest quality, dependability, and overall value. The best part about Clover products is that you make them on your own. Crafting is such a great way to have your homemade products presented.

I do love me some Clover!

Siblings are FUN!

I'm calling this one "LET ME OUT!"


BB and Oldest Girl bond with the Mei Tai.

Mitt Romney and Visiting Teachers

Living where I do, there is a large population of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) people in our area. Heck, we're just hours from the main digs - the Temple in SLC.

I grew up in SLC from the age of 12 on and got the gist of the LDS religion by attending seminary in the early mornings with my Mormon friends. I am not Mormon. I'm Catholic and like it that way.

What I'm about to post is not a slight on Mormons - my own (step)Sister is a Mormon as are some of my very best friends. This is meant to be a laugh and a gentle bit of fun.

So, a bit of fun on Romney's behalf:

A Washington, DC. top congressional policy advisor who is also LDS, has said the vast majority of GOP congressmen are endorsing Mitt Romney.

He thought a Mitt presidency was no longer improbable, but, it is now something that 'could happen.'

So... if Mitt Romney became President of the US (code name POTUS) won't we have something we've never had before -- a president who goes to a specific church?

All other presidents belonged to religions that didn't have tight congregational boundaries. Now, think about that:

What Ward would POTUS be in?

If you are his new Bishop, here are your top 10 questions:

1. Will you allow an inaugural ball to be held in the cultural hall? Do you mount security cameras on top of each basketball rim and have a secret service detail stationed on the stage?

2. Can you call Mitt and Ann as the Nursery leaders... even if you really feel inspired?

3. Who is going to home teach them? Will you call someone who needs activation but may not pass the vetting and national security screening?

4. If Harry Reid and Mitt Romney are in the same High Priest group, will you need to be there to keep order?

5. Exactly how will tithing settlement work? Will the Secretary of the Treasury come too?

6. Will you be inviting the new Romney family to speak in Sacrament Meeting... and if they go a little over at what point do you ask them to sit down?

7. Will the Secret Service do a sweep of the building before each meeting? And if the Romney's always leave before Sunday School, will the Sunday School president need to interview them? If they stay, where will you hold the class?

8. Can you call the Secret Service agents to help out in Primary?

9. If you give Mitt a calling and the two Democrats in the Ward raise their hand AGAINST sustaining him - partly out of habit - does the Supreme Court need to be involved?

10. If you can't give them a calling (job), and they don't attend very often (for presidential stuff) will that mean they're 'inactive?' If they're not active, can you give them a Temple Recommend? And if you do, can they go? Will the Secret Service have to screen the temple too?

11. If the President wants to hold Sacrament Meeting at Camp David or the White House for security reasons, is that a conflict of Church and State?

If you're assigned to be the Romney's home teacher:

1. Can you just drop by, no appointment?

2. Can you even call them for an appointment or do you have to go through the Chief of Staff?

3. Can you bring by Christmas sweets and cookies? Will they be analyzed? And for how many people - family, secret service details?

4. If you don't come can the IRS do an audit on you?

5. Will they want to do a national security background check?

6. Do you have to have a permanent companion who has been vetted? Can you just grab any teacher or priest to come with you? And what if that priest has been a little wayward? Do you need to search him first?

7. Do you have to help him move in and out of the White House?

8. If Ann Romney gets sick, are you allowed to bring in meals or at least tell the Relief Society about it?

9. What can you share with the Bishop about the Romneys?

10. Do you have to ask them about their year's supply?

11. If you get a late night call for a blessing will reporters follow you around wanting to know what was wrong and what you said?

If Mitt Romney is assigned to be YOUR home teacher,

1. Is telling the group leader you haven't been home taught a national security breech?

2. If he wants to come at the end of the month, do you accept his reason, 'I've been out of town'?

3. Will he drop by unannounced or will the media crews give him away?

One more thing - WhyMommy is going in for her double mastectomy surgery in just 10 days! Visit her, comment, leave her love and prayers. She's needing it.

The FDA and Our Food

Doesn't cloned food sound yucky? Seriously - will you buy cloned milk when the FDA approves it, sometime next week? Does cloning really equal reproductive assistance on the farm like the proponents of cloned foods want us to believe?

Undecided? Look at this quote from a CBS news site:

"The frequency of live normal births [in cloned animals] appears to be low, although the situation appears to be improving as the technology matures"

Does that make me and my family guinea pigs? How is this different than mass drug testing, which is prohibited unless tested rigorously first on other animals before being allowed into human trials? I refuse, VIGOROUSLY, to be a guinea pig for the effects of cloned food tests.

Granted, it could be just "superstition" on my part - like people who used to think that flying would cause the human body to explode, or that the earth was the center of the universe. Plenty of people put to death over that one.

So, in the end, we all have to make up our own minds.

Christmas Giveaway Sticky Post!

Really, I don't want to tell you about this 'cause I want to win SOMETHING!! But how fair would that be?

So, 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away the farm for Christmas. Awesome! Be sure to visit the contest page every day from now until 24 November for a new give away. Leave a comment, make a link, and you're SET!

This is a sticky post and will stay at the top until 24 November. Please scroll down for my latest [madness] post.

NEW!! Come visit my new etsy shop!!

In the Spirit of WFMW

Yesterday, Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer hosted a backwards Works for Me Wednesday where I state a subject and you tell ME what works.

In that spirit, here's a quick game that is all the rage now, and an ego booster, too.

The Game is on!!! And you're it!!

Describe ME in one word.... just one single word. Put it in my comments.

Then post this message and see how many strange & interesting things they say about you.

You comment for me, post and I'll tell you YOUR one word.

My Best Work!

I think I do my best blogging at night. In bed. You know, that lucid time right before you fall asleep? Yep, that's my best time. I'm funny, witty, insightful, and all around great!

Just last night I was thinking...

Well, I don't actually remember. I need some kind of direct to brain digital download thingy a la The Matrix. Seriously, other than the jolt that looks painful when they "plug in" and the whole living in a goo-pod as a food source for machines, it looks like a good deal. THINK of the profit margin, not to mention the perks of being able to just think my next blog post into being.

So, this post is a bit of an update on my mundane life. I'm a home business entrepreneur - a sewing GODDESS, if you will... You can see my online biz at WAHMom.com. But this isn't about a plug for my work - I've actually been busy WORKING on my own behalf.

Have you ever heard of the best soy candle company in the world? Based right here in SE Idaho? It's called Simpli Nature. I've been in the workroom when they're pouring some luscious scents, and it's divine! Anyway, I'm sewing for the lovely owner of the place and it's keeping me busy and away from my blog.

You're heartbroken, I'm sure...

But I have been using this time away to think about important stuff. T with Honey awarded me the Reflective Blogger award and I'm charged with finding 5 (only 5?!) worthy bloggers to pass the award along. It seems that the people I think of have already gotten this Major Award! May be that I just end up awarding it again to some of ya'll.




So while I'm busy working, I'm also thinking. Watch this space for more blogblurts!

(See, I made that up while blogging at bedtime! What a great new word. I expect it to catch on, oh so soon...)

Find the Man - Mind Puzzle

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people.

If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of the brain is developed normally.

If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minute s, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein.

If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!!

(click to enlarge)

It took me an average amount of time - about 10 seconds.

I want one of THESE!

Don't you? 5M4M is giving it away! I'm comment number 919, but someone has to win - it could be YOU!

The ultra slim, lightweight Insignia® 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV (Model: NS-LCD37) features 1366×768 Resolution, with 16:9 widescreen ratio for cinema-quality viewing. You will be enjoying picture perfect quality from every angle and not missing any details with its built in high definition capabilities.

The TV measures 5″ deep and will look fantastic either in an entertainment center or mounted on a wall (with optional mounting kit, not included.)

Along with a ton of other features - you can read all about them over at Best Buy - this model is equipped with a V-Chip for parent control and is Energy Star compliant.

And - for extra fun - your new TV can double as a PC monitor so that you can download and watch HD movies.

It's easy to enter, just visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

SWEET Skills in Preston

Preston, Idaho that is. It's the Napoleon Dynamite festival in small homey Preston, Idaho. You could win the look-alike contest, the moon boots dance contest, the sound like contest, the bike roller blade contest, or just visit for fun.

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE FESTIVAL!
July 27th and 28th, 2007

Yes, you missed it for this year, but it will be back. After all, the movie was SO popular here in Idaho that the state legislature commended the filmmakers!

Whenever we're in the area I ask Hubbers if he wants to detour to visit Preston, but the answer is always, strangely, No. Too bad. I'd have liked to see all the [freaks] fans visiting dressed like Napoleon.

Sweet. Girls like guys with skills.

Rated G?!! AND I'm a MAN?!

What's your blog rating? Thanks to Aimee, I found that my blog rating is G, friendly to all audiences. My Forever Child is also G, though I don't speak so cleanly over there and even referenced (gasp!) death and pain.

So, what's YOUR rating?

Also, T with Honey showed me that I am most definitely a male in my writing. No, the Gender Guesser said so! Seems that no matter what I submit for my analysis, I come up as male. Who knew...

Actually, after playing with this for several days and thinking on it before falling asleep (my BESTEST thinking time!) I wonder if the male rating is because of my strongly technical education. A long time ago, in a land far away, before I became a mommy, I was a drafter. I worked with engineers, rocket motors, and PCB boards. I learned the jargon in school and on the job. It's scarred me forever, I tell ya.

T, ya think it could be true, you also being a technical woman?

FREE DIAPERS!!

Thanks to Jennifer at Gabby Gwenhwyfar for this linkage for FREE DIAPERS!

Who can't use those?

Well, I guess if you have no kids in diapers it might not be necessary, but I bet you know SOMEONE who could use them, right?

Also from Gabby, a headline on a give-away from 5 Mins for Mom!! You have the chance to be the lucky winner of the 60 gift certificates for FREE Horizon Organic dairy products (approx $300 value!!!) All you gotta do is scoot on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and leave a comment BEFORE Thursday 26 July at 12 am. HURRY!!




PS - Did you know that cats can snore? Me neither, but Fatso Catso sure is sawing logs right next to me!

Mitt Romney, Cruelty to Animals

Found this article about this "alleged man" strapping a dog to a car ROOF for a 12 (twelve!) hour trip in high summer.

For SHAME, Mitt Romney. For shame.

More? Okay. Top Ten gaffes (mistakes, foot-in-mouth episodes, reasons to laugh and point) of Mitt Romney, so far.



Due to popular demand, I've added a bit of Estrogen to the colors of the blog. Better?

Meal Planning Central Linkage

From the mom behind Dine Without Whine:

Menu Planning Central

Stop Feeding Your Kids Junk!

Save Time And Money By Planning Your Meals

Learn How To Plan Your Meals


Stop Feeding Your Family Junk!

If you had a choice between grabbing fat-laden fast food yet again or serving your family a balanced, home-cooked meal, which would you pick?

What if I told you that you can prepare that home-cooked meal and save time and money over the so called "Fast Food" option?

Menu Planning allows you to do just that. It ensures that you have the ingredients you need in the house to whip up a delicious and nutritious dinner in less time than it takes you to find a coupon for your favorite pizza joint -- again.

But who has time to sit down to find recipes, make a menu plan and the grocery list to go along with it? The Menu Mom Does! (Doesn't she sound like a super hero? Don't you want to be her?!)

She’s done all the hard work for you, compiling recipes and creating printable shopping lists. All you have to do is click print and you’re set to feed your family for an entire week.

Don’t spend this summer stuck in the kitchen, missing out on summer memories, or worse, wasting your money on fast-food. Let the Menu Mom handle everything for you.

Stop Feeding Your Kids Junk!

Vintage Apron Give away! - Not Quite June Cleaver

Contest alert! Who couldn't use a vintage apron? And just in time for Wear Pink day, too!



Please visit Not Quite June Cleaver to read all about it. Meanwhile, pick the link button up and join in the fun!

Also thanks to NQJC, this:

I'm a Ravenclaw!