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Kraft Delicious Days

Posted by html404 on October 16, 2010
in Contests, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff

Delicious Days is Kraft’s new headquarters for all things seasonal. Watch featured videos to learn new recipes that really take advantage of fall’s unique vegetables – even picky eaters will dive right in! There are also tons of classic recipes that are sure crowd pleasers – your family will definitely be asking about your secret recipe stash when you serve them an apple crumble filled with fresh picked apples and fragrant cinnamon!

The site also features content the whole family will love. Check out fun games, budgeting ideas, and party planning must-haves. If you celebrate Halloween and want to get creative, Delicious Days also features fun recipes that are spookily delicious, like eyeball cupcakes and the Ghosts in the Graveyard cake, perfect for getting kids to help out in the kitchen! After these recipes, your house is sure to be haunted with delicious candy ghosts! We actually don’t celebrate Halloween, but even I can admit these are cute recipes.

While you’re at Delicious Days don’t forget to enter the AOL Home for the Holidays Sweepstakes* for a chance to win $2,500! It’s the perfect prize to get your family together in time for the holiday season.

Below are two tutorials from the site:

How to Pick and Store Fresh Fall Apples

Easy Recipe for 20-Garlic-Clove Chicken – Only 5 Ingredients!

*AOL’s Home for the Holidays sweeps is solely sponsored by AOL only, not Kraft. If sharing please only refer to the sweepstakes as “AOL’s Home for the Holidays Sweepstakes.”

{One comment}

ClosedFFR Friday Giveaway – Dot Girl

Posted by html404 on October 15, 2010
in Contests, Faith and Family Reviews Friday Giveaway, Fashion, Giveaways

Congratulations to Wendi P! You won our Dot Girl First Period Kit giveaway! Thanks to all who entered and to Dot Girl for sponsoring this great giveaway. Winner chosen by Random.org

Do you have a daughter who is starting her period or is at that pre-puberty stage and are you looking for a product to help her out with that? Well Dot Girl has the product for you! Here is a little bit about what Dot Girl wants to give one of you a Dot Girl First Period Kit! Cool huh?

The kit includes:

A Dot Girl Period Answer Book- It answers twenty common questions about menstruation including:
How many days will I bleed?
When will I get my first period?
How do I track my period?
What about cramps?
What is a period anyway?
Written in an easy-to-read and positive tone, it covers the basics of menstruation in one compact booklet.

5 Feminine Pads
5 Disposal Bags for disposing of used pads.
1 Reusable Dot Girl Warm Pad, a gel heating pad for soothing cramps
2 Hand Wipes

So you wanna win?

The giveaway is open to both US and Canada and one winner will be chosen to receive one kit.

Mandatory Entry: Visit http://www.dotgirlproducts.com/ and tell me what you want besides the kit.

Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):

1 Entry:Follow Faith and Family Reviews On Twitter (http://twitter.com/faithfamilyrevw)

1 Entry: Follow Dot Girl on Twitter .

1 Entry: Like Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook.

1 Entry:Like Dot Girl On Facebook

2 Entries: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Google Friend Connect.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, but only one tweet per day please. Include your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:

Giveaway: Enter to win a Dot Girl First Period Kit @faithfamilyrevw! http://tinyurl.com/28zrqqu Please share! Thx!

5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post and to dotgirlproducts.com website.

1 Entry for every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!

Details:

This giveaway will run from Oct. 15th, 2010 until October 29th at midnight CST. The winners will be chosen through Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email on or before Nov. 15th and asked for their contact and other pertinent info. Winners will have 48 hours to send me their info at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Please note: This giveaway is offered to US and Canada.

Thanks and have fun!

{7 comments}

Thrifty Thursday – Barter

Posted by html404 on October 14, 2010
in Free Stuff, Thrifty Thursday

Bartering is a age old custom used since 2000 B.C. In China. You can barter for anything now. There are many sorts of barter styles from trade exchanges, internet bartering, and even barter markets. But how exactly can you find people who want to barter? Good question here is a list of websites/places that can help you learn how to barter and how to find items to barter for.

1. Craigslist: Craigslist Barter section is a GREAT way to find barter items. Go to craigslist.com and look for Barter under the for sale tab.

2. Barter Quest.com

3. Swap Treasures

4. Swap Tree.com

5. U- Exchange.com

6. Free Cycle.com (not a bartering place exactly but you can save money)

7. Care To Trade.com

8. Trash Bank.com

9. People Trading Services.com

10. Swap Hog.com

Happy Bartering!

{One comment}

Win a Kindle Contest!

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2010
in Books, Contests

Suzanne Woods Fisher is thrilled to announce the release of The Waiting, book two in The Lancaster Secrets Collection. In The Waiting Jorie finds herself caught be two loves and two lives in this compelling page turner about complex people living the simple life.

A must read!

Visit the blog tour and find out what the reviewers are saying!

Learn more about Suzanne and her books at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com!

The Waiting is the next stand alone story in The Lancaster Secrets Collection and follows in the footsteps of the best-selling, The Choice. The Waiting is in stores now and to celebrate Suzanne is hosting The Waiting KINDLE Giveaway.

One Grand Prize winner will receive a Kindle preloaded with Suzanne Woods Fisher titles and a Amazon.com gift certificate! The Prize Pack (valued at over $185.00) includes:

* A brand new KINDLE, Free 3G, 6″, Latest Generation

* The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

* The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

* A $15 dollar Amazon.com Gift Certificate

To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest. Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on October 28th at Suzanne’s Lancaster Secrets Book Club Party.

Join Suzanne for the Lancaster Secrets Book Club Party on October 28th! She’ll be announcing the winner of the The Waiting KINDLE Giveaway, hosting a book club discussion of The Waiting and The Choice, and giving away copies of both books and HEAPs of readerly prizes! Be sure to join us on Thursday, October 28th at 5:00 PM PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST & 8 EST) at Suzanne’s Author Page.

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Code Triage

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2010
in Books

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Dr. Leigh Stathos is an ER doctor who loves her work – “Treat ’em and street ’em” – without any emotional attachments. The hard knocks of life had taught her that nothing lasts forever, including her marriage to San Francisco police officer, Nick Stathos. Time is running out for the young couple’s marriage when an act of violence forces Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into a lockdown. As the Stathos manuever their way through the maze of events that rock their world, will their marriage survive Leigh’s confrontation with “the other woman”?

Code Triage is another one of those books that make you take a good look at your marriage and cause you to wonder just what it can survive. This book not only me made go through all the emotions Dr. Leigh Stathos went through, but also those of her husband, sister and patients. The whole gammit and the whole range of emotions of a broken heart.

Candance Calvert kept me on the edge of my seat as I read her book waiting for the whole story to unfold. I loved the faith Nick Stathos exhibited and empathized with him as he struggled to hang onto his marriage. I hurt with Leigh as she struggled through a wounded heart. It was really difficult for me to embrace “the other woman” who seemed bent on being a destructive force in more than just two lives.

If you like hospital drama and police action intertwined with romance then you’ll like Code Triage.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

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The Waiting – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on October 12, 2010
in Books

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Jorie King has been waiting for her beau, Benjamin Zook, to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together. But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside down once more.

I bawled my eyes out while reading this book and I cannot even blame it on pregnancy hormones! There were humorous moments too, as both humor and tears is what makes a great book in my humble opinion. This story was filled with many of life’s complexities and reveals that the Amish are not immune to suffering and hardships. What it does reveal is their fortitude in life’s trials.

I love reading about the Amish. Their lifestyle, community and family life intrigue me.

The Waiting is one of those books that makes the Amish people’s faith, community and willingness to forgive stand out above what I am use to experiencing. Because the Amish possess these traits they are better able to withstand life’s troubles when they come their way. Grant it, this book is a work of fiction, but it is based on who the Amish are in real life.

Personally, I long for what the Amish have – a close knit community on which to depend through thick and thin. The ability to forgive and be forgiven freely and to love completely without brick walls of emotional barriers being in the way of trusting, godly friendships is a rare gift. A gift The Waiting shows is possible with endurance, more forgiveness and love we are capable of in and of ourselves. It is our relationship with God that makes or breaks our relationships with others.

This was a wonderful story that I recommend as a good read. Thanks, Suzanne!

“Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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Monday Motivation – A Day Late, Again

Posted by html404 on October 12, 2010
in Family Stuff, Monday Motivation

Last week’s Monday Motivation:

~ We have a field trip planned this week to a farm. We had a great time! The children mostly played in the wide open spaces and loved the hay ride.

~ A friend offered her photography skills to take our family pictures so we are going to have a second field trip to the Botanical Gardens.This was another wonderful highlight of our week. The photos are complete and we had a wonderful time with our friends and enjoyed the beauty of the gardens.

~ Plus we have to do everything else we need to do for work and homeschooling. So I am really just trying to organize my time better, if that is even possible when I am nursing on-demand a six week old baby!? It seems most things are done along side nursing and holding Sir Eats Alot.

This week’s Motivation:

~ My husband and I have an appointment with the Executive Director of a farm incubator program that we are interested in.

~ We really need to do our end of season garden clean up! My husband has been battling a cold but is feeling better so we should be able to do the garden this weekend.

~ Swim lessons for the children. We decided to take advantage of the YMCA’s no enrollment fee (at least for this month as we test drive this membership thing) and have been swimming every day since Friday. Yes, even I went swimming once. The children love it. I am hesitant to take Sir Eats Alot in the pool at his young age or else I would be in there as much as the other children. I grew up swimming all the time. My mom tells me that my sisters and I were swimming by four.

So I actually exercised! My goal is to get exercise while teaching my children how to swim. All of them are at different levels but for not growing up swimming I think they are all doing great. It’s exciting that we can share the love of swimming together.

Other than that I am just trying to manage home, children, homeschooling and work. It is definitely a juggling act. That’s why I may be taking most of November off from most of my work-at-home responsibilities except for one client whose busiest season is Christmas. I need to regroup and refocus a bit and hope that time off will help.

{One comment}

The House on Malcolm Street – Revell Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on October 9, 2010
in Books

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

The House on Malcolm Street is a novel. It isn’t so much a romance novel, although there is a little of that included, just not with the main character so much. Leisha Kelly has written an endearing story of a woman, Leah Breckenridge, her losses, her relationships and her healing.

Leah learns the value of relationships through a godly aunt who takes her invites Leah to visit. Not only that but she heals as she faces her “demons” and starts trusting again.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a great story. So often life’s tragedies are exactly what teaches us the value of relationships. It is easy to go through life with severed relationships, sometimes that is the healthiest and safest in certain cases, but the majority of the time relationships can and should be mended. Carrying bitterness or anger around is very unhealthy for all involved – spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. With God’s help, we heal ourselves when we heal a broken relationship with a family member, friend or with God Himself.

“Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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Sweet Exchange

Posted by html404 on October 7, 2010
in DVDs & CDs

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

If you are familiar with the group Point of Grace, then you will remember Heather Payne who sang with the group before she left to focus more on her family. In spending more time with her family she and her husband were interested in teaching their children more of the traditional hymns that have all but disappeared from some mainstream churches. That led Heather to consider recording her own single album with all the old hymns but with a modern flair.

Sweet Exchange is Heather’s her new album as a soloist artist, which she recorded in a friend’s home studio on days her children were at school. What a mom, eh?! Her album is beautiful and will appeal to the younger generation who is not use to singing or listening to the old hymns. The words are the same but Heather has attempted to update them to appeal to a wider audience. So even if you don’t attend church this album just might surprise you and appeal to your ear.

Personally, I love the old hymns, but I grew up singing them in church so they are what I know. They are so rich with meaning and truth of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for each and everyone of us.

Heather’s Sweet Exchange album is available here.

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Under A Maui Moon

Posted by html404 on October 6, 2010
in Books

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Under A Maui Moon is a book about a woman who has strayed from her relationship with God, facing marital difficulties amidst other life struggles. Robin Jones Gunn deals with some tough situations that many women face.

I wasn’t sure what the book would be like, but had read a couple of Robin’s first books years ago so thought I’d read this one. Even my daughter said, “What kind of book is this?” when she read the back of it.

Sometimes we don’t like to admit when we hit a valley in our marriage, but that is a pride thing. All of us at one point or another will face marital challenges, the important thing is what we do about them. Will we give hang in there, keeping our vows and our commitment to the one we’ve pledged to love, honor and cherish for the rest of our lives? Will we give in to the temptation to flee or maybe even “play around” and possibly even leave our spouse? It is harder to hang in there because it hurts and it’s hard, but face it, the best thing and the biblical way of dealing with the challenges is to stick it out (unless of course physical or substance abuse calls for a time of separation or even divorce if these issues cannot be worked out). Divorce hurts and doesn’t solve the problems. The problems just get carried into the next relationship. What a vicious cycle.

My husband and I are blessed to have a legacy of in tack marriages in our families for the past three generations that we know of, it could be more, and we desire to be the same example our children that our parents, grandparents and great grandparents were to us – All of whom faced their own kind of troubles and difficulties but remained married to the one they committed their lives to. What a testimony of God’s faithfulness to us!

Ultimately I enjoyed the story and was rooting for the main character as she manuevered her way through the difficulties thrown in her path. This isn’t really the typical Christian Romance that I am use to, but I think it made me think about how’d I’d respond to what Carissa faced in her marriage. I think it helps to see things in a different light and try to prepare for how we will respond should we find ourselves facing life’s tough questions like Carissa did as she visited the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Review Copy Provided by Wynn Wynn Media

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