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Kittens! – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on October 23, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Fun Stuff, Home, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

We had three little kittens born four weeks ago this past Sunday to our mama cat, Princess Moonstone (Princess or Prinny). At first they look like little rats, but they are adorable now and worthy of a blog spot. Ha ha! They are so hard to photograph because they wiggle so much! For the photos below I had to tuck them in my arm and have the girls take the photos. When I tried taking the photos with the girls holding them, the girls let the kittens crawl up their arm, their shirt and we were not getting anything but laughing (and frustration) done.

Happy Month Old Birthday! (taken on Sunday, October 20)

From left to right the children have named them: Selene, Sir Hiss (actually should be Lady Hiss, doesn’t she look like a badger?) and Tabby or Freckles.

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Breathe Easy with Air Scrubber Plus Pure Air iPad Mini Giveaway

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2013
in Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Health, Home, Uncategorized

I think we would all like cleaner air this fall as we approach cold and flu season. Some of you with children in school may have already experienced your first illness of the season. Did you know the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers? In fact, the quality of indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the most polluted outdoor air. 87 percent of American homeowners are not aware that pollution may be worse inside their homes than outdoors. October is National Home Indoor Air Quality and Awareness Month and we want to spread the word on improving indoor air quality!

Air Scrubber Plus® with ActivePure™ technology is based on a variation of the technology originally developed for use in the International Space Station and is recognized as the exclusive Certified Space Technology by the Space Foundation in its category. offers the only environmental technology that is proven to actually reduce contaminants in the air and surfaces of the home.

Working through your heating and air conditioning units, Air Scrubber Plus uses specialized germicidal UV light waves along with a proprietary catalytic process to reduce dust, pet dander and odors in your home. You will be able to reduce common smells such as pet odor, cigarette smoke, paint fumes, mold smells and the occasional burnt food odor.

The difference in air quality is noticeable; the air is fresher and the surfaces are cleaner, with an up to 99% reduction in contaminants on surfaces, like kitchen counters and toilet seats. Dust, allergens, mildew and odor-causing bacteria are proven to be significantly reduced with Air Scrubber Plus, now available through a nationwide network of general contractors and HVAC specialists.

Our Favorite Features of Air Scrubber Plus® with ActivePure™ technology:

Air Scrubber Plus cleans and disinfects the air and surfaces of your home, reducing up to 99.9% of surface micro-organisms and 90% of airborne micro-organisms.
The most highly respected labs in the country at Kansas State University and University of Cincinnati have tested and validated the effectiveness of the Air Scrubber Plus technology.
Air Scrubber Plus reduces VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emitted by carpets, building materials, cleaning products, furniture, paint, fireplaces, and pesticides.
Air Scrubber Plus eliminates airborne and surface toxins that can aggravate allergy symptoms, chest tightness, cough, nausea, sinus problems, dizziness, eye/nose/throat irritation, fatigue, and headaches.
Air Scrubber Plus extends the life and effectiveness of your existing HVAC system.
Air Scrubber Plus is easily installed by professional HVAC technician.
Member of the U.S. Green Building Council

Purchase: You can purchase the Air Scrubber Plus indoor air purification system from top HVAC contractors across the country or contact Air Scrubber Plus by phone or email for more information.

Win! Air Scrubber Plus is sponsoring an iPad Mini 16 GB giveaway (retail value $329) to promote their incredible new indoor air purification incredible technology during National Home Indoor Air Quality and Awareness Month.

Special thanks to AnaB Social for hosting this giveaway. Huge thanks to airscrubberplus.com and all the fabulous participating bloggers as well! Giveaway ends November 11th at 11:59 pm, open to residents of U.S., ages 18+. See detailed terms and conditions on entry form. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below (see directions on how to enter here). Thank you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: AnaB Social and all participating event bloggers are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. I received no compensation for this post.

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CordaRoy’s Beanbag Bed Review

Posted by html404 on October 3, 2013
in Bedding, Deals, Furniture, Home, Reviews, SALES, Shopping, Uncategorized

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

If you had to choose an area of your home as your favorite, which room would it be? When I typed that question, I thought I had my favorite room in mind but as I thought about it, I have more than one favorite. I was going to say my bedroom because I spend a lot of time there sleeping and just getting away from the noise of our busy household, but as I thought more about it, I realized how much I like our Kitchen and dining room area too. We spend a lot of time in these two rooms preparing and eating meals, doing school work and just living, being together.

What is essential to your favorite room? A comfy place to sit and relax, right? Well, I have a product that fits those qualities! It’s CordaRoy’s Beanbag bed and chair combo.

About CordaRoy’s

CordaRoy’s was recently featured on ABC’s popular show called Shark Tank. The owner of CordaRoy’s, Byron Young, was able to secure a deal with one of the sharks, Lori Greiner, who has her own show on QVC-TV.

CordaRoy’s is a unique company in that it offers a beanbag chair that is also a bed. The beanbags come in a variety of sizes: Kids Sleeper, Full Sleeper, Queen Sleeper, King Sleeper and King Sleeper Sofa. The other unique quality is CordaRoy’s beanbag cover. It’s made of quality corduroy that not only comes in a lot of cool colors but it is also removable making it easy to clean – and yes, it is machine washable! Prices range from $129-$599 for the beanbag sleepers. CordaRoy’s also sells extra covers, pet beds and footstools.

CordaRoy’s Beanbag Bed

To say we were excited to receive a CordaRoy’s full size beanbag bed to review is an understatement! I actually made my daughter wait to open the box until I was done work and ready to take photos.

CordaRoy’s beanbag bed arrived in a fairly small box that looked like this:

There is a special way to unpack the box so we had previewed this unpacking video supplied by CordaRoy’s. I share it just in case you are interested in it:

My daughter excitedly opening the box!

Inside we found a neatly packaged cover, instructions and guarantee on top of the vacuum packed beanbag bed.

My daughters unpacked the bed like pros and got it into it’s slate chenille cover (blue is my daughter B’s favorite color!). Here she is with our youngest, sorry the photo is blurry, I have an issue with my family remaining still while snapping photos!

Here is CordaRoy’s beanbag as a chair, which my daughter uses to read and do schoolwork on by day:

This is CordaRoy’s beanbag as a bed, which my daughter uses to sleep on at night:

And yes, she gave me permission to post this last photo, as it shows her utter delight in her new CordaRoy’s beanbag bed!

B’s CordaRoy’s Beanbag Bed Review

B says the beanbag chair is the perfect size for her to curl up alone or to share with one of her teen sisters or with two younger siblings. She says if she puts it at the right angle it makes a perfect throne! She thoroughly enjoys her new chair for reading and doing her school work. She says it is fairly easy to unpack into a bed at night.

B thinks her beanbag bed is lovely and squishable like arms hugging her. It makes a lovely nest for sleeping. It stays warm when she gets up. For example, she got up and was gone for an hour and a half to pick veggies for our CSA boxes and to milk Miss Moo and her bed was still warm when she returned to it after her shower! She says it is very soft and that she loves it. As she stated above about the chair, she says the beanbag bed is fairly easy to pack up into the beanbag chair.

One of our sons wants to steel B’s new beanbag bed and the rest of the children really, really like it! I still need to take a few moments to try out her beanbag chair and her beanbag bed, I just haven’t yet. I’m going to have to do it while she’s out milking because then I’ll know it’s vacant!

Shop Now for a 15% Discount!

CordaRoy’s is offering Faith and Family Reviews’s reader a great little deal! If you place an order at www.cordaroys.com on or before October 12, enter the coupon code BEANBAGREVIEW (no space) and you will receive a 15% discount on your purchase of one CordaRoy’s sleeper! Hope you’ll take advantage of this offer as CordaRoy’s beanbag bed will make a great gift or addition to your favorite room!

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Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch

Posted by html404 on September 21, 2013
in Contests, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Home, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

Capri Sun Big Pouch

Our teens and tweens sampled three flavors of Capri Sun Big Pouch products this weekend for the first time. GASP! I know! They’ve had regular Capri Sun pouches, just not the Capri Sun Big Pouch. Capri Sun Big Pouch Fruit Punch seemed to be the flavor that was enjoyed the most, as Capri Sun Big Pouch Maui Cooler and Capri Sun Big Pouch Strawberry Kiwi were more faintly flavored according to my crew. Our teens enjoyed drinking Capri Sun after our “Pickers Adventure” and after working hard fencing for a couple of hours. We had to put up more fencing for our cow since she grazed through her new pasture this week. Oh the joys of rotational grazing! Capri Sun Big Pouch products are available at Walmart for just 88 cents a piece!

Capri Sun Big Pouch and American Pickers on History

Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History, in conjunction with Capri Sun Big Pouch are sponsoring a contest called Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch for you all to enter! The grand prize is a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Contest winners (and 3 guests) will meet and do a half day pick with Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History. How exciting is that to all you pickers and history lovers! To enter the contest all you have to do is go to the highlighted link above, enter your name, email, address, birth date, phone number and agree to contest rules. Then upload a photo from your picking adventure of what you found on your pick and you are done! Takes no time at all.

100 other winners will win a picking kit. The items included in the picking kit Capri Sun Big Pouch contest are: Messenger Bag, Magnifying Glass, Gloves, Bandanas, Flashlights, Journal, Pen, T-shirt, Kid Pickers Book (signed by Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History) and Carabineers.

Capri Sun Big Pouch Pick Adventure

As I mentioned in my intro, we went on our own picking adventure. We love antiques and history so my teen “Om” and tween “JAG” helped me pick in the barn we are renting. When we made the agreement to rent the barn it was “as is” so a lot of OLD stuff was left in there. We assembled our own picking kit of gloves, a bag, flashlight, pen and notebook. My son and daughter grabbed a Capri Sun Big Pouch Strawberry Kiwi and our picking kit, then we headed to the barn.

We discovered a couple of old milk cans, an old gas can, thermos and bridle or halter as shown in the photo collage above. We have no idea the value of any of these items but we’d love to find out! I entered the photo of my son in the Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch contest. Be sure to enter your own picking photo!

Feel free to follow Capri Sun Big Pouch on Twitter (Please use hashtags #shop #CapriSunPickers and #cbias) and Facebook. Have fun picking!

What are your favorite places to pick? Your favorite pick items?

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Why is Organic Dairy So Important? #FightPesticides

Posted by html404 on September 17, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Home, Organic, Safety, Uncategorized

This post is part of my application to become a Stoneyfield ambassador and I will receive Stoneyfield coupons for my participation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Why is Organic Dairy So Important?

I know our family knows why organic dairy is so important but thought I’d share with you our reasons for wanting to eat and drink organic dairy to the point of owning our own cow. As you know, organic anything can be expensive, especially when buying for ten people. A huge reason for our buying a cow is so we could provide fresh milk for our family (and animals because we do share!). You also know from our Mariano’s shop, organic milk is around $7.99 per gallon at Whole Foods and Mariano’s. However, our reason for feeding her organic feed and hay is to be free of harmful pesticides (and GMOs – Genetically Modified Organisms) often used on crops. Now that we have our own pasture and hay, we know without a doubt our milk is organic, free of harmful GMOs. We have been supplementing Miss Moo with certified organic feed because when we brought her home she was underweight and want to fatten her up so she’s a good weight for her age and stage of lactation. We also know exactly what Miss Moo is fed, how she how the milk is handled and how she is cared for. We like knowing where our food comes from, and for our large family that means we are raising our own at this stage of our lives.

Don’t just take my word for it. Research it for yourself.

Resources:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/07/milk-101-whole-raw-organic-low-fat-etc/

http://www.utne.com/Environment/organic-milk-USDA-amendment.aspx#axzz2f5HSUr2e

http://www.realmilk.com/

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My Husband Lost His Job….Again

Posted by html404 on September 10, 2013
in Business, Family Stuff, Home, Money & Finances, News Worthy, Saving Money

Five and a half years ago my husband came home through our front door at about 9am, which was uncharacteristically early considering he left work at 5:30-6:00AM and usually returned at 3:30-4:00PM. When I asked him what he was doing home so early, he replied, “I was laid off.” It was such a shock. Robert had worked at the store since he was in junior high. We worked for the first owner from 1981-2005. Then when the second owner bought the shop in 2005, Robert at times felt he had less job security. But seriously, we never saw the lay off coming.

Robert was out of work for about 20 months. I cleaned houses for a couple of months and started our virtual assistant business. Then his original boss, whom he had worked for over 20 years called him saying he had a new buyer for the store. You see, the second owner still owed the original owner money so when he went out of business in 2009, the store reverted back to the original owner. Clear as mud, eh?

He’s trying hard not to crack a smile in this photo in case you didn’t notice.

My Husband Lost His Job….Again

We accepted the job because we had high hopes of the store succeeding under new ownership.

This current lay off was better in the fact we knew it was coming. Robert’s job allowed him to see the numbers in the reports he ran and I’d say early in the summer he called it by saying he gave the shop until mid-August. He was a little off in that he had a job until about the end of August, as he was officially done a week and a half ago.

It’s was a topsy, curvy ride waiting for the axe to fall, so to speak. It is a bittersweet end to a job Robert enjoyed. He really liked this last owner and we thought the store would make it but alas, the industry has changed so much with the advent of the internet. Mom and Pop stores cannot compete with their distributors or online competition. Just look at your home town’s main street. If you have empty store fronts like we do, you’ll see what we are living.

We are not sure what God’s plan is in all of this. It is definitely stretching us.

Robert is applying to jobs. I’m working more. I just learned that I have a job as a hostess of a new moms forum, which will help bring in a little extra money. We are trying to get caught up around the farm while Robert is home…but that is a never ending task because there is always something to do!

Have you ever been unemployed or faced a lay off? How did you survive?

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Our Farm at Sunset – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on September 4, 2013
in Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Home, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

This is a photo of our farm at sunset when we got the hay field cut. The hay is all baled and stored except for the few bales that got rained on. We got pretty close to 600 bales of hay for our first cutting and that was just our share. We split it 50-50 with the farmer who cut, raked and baled it for us. No exchange of money, which we liked. Some hay guys will charge you a certain amount on top of each bale, even if they are getting 50 percent of the bales.

It was very hard to find someone to do our hay. Someone who said what they meant and meant what they said. Mr. L. came out to our farm to look at the hay field the same day we called him. He cared if the hay got wet or not, though we didn’t miss the rain altogether due to the amount of time it took for the hay to dry with the thicker weeds. We had a few hay guys give us the run around, didn’t come out when they said they would etc. We are very thankful to Mr. L. for doing our hay for us.

It was a lot of work to get the hay unloaded and into the barn. Our children now say they hate hay! lol! We kept asking them what are you going to do if we get another cutting? What are you going to do if we get three cuttings next year? Though some say three cuttings is rare, especially if you don’t have your own equipment, which we obviously do not.

Now that the hay is in we have fencing to work on. Thankfully it is suppose to be nice all week and not too too hot. 70’s and 80’s slowly moving back up to the 90’s again.

P.S. By way of a wee update….Mr. L. picked up his last two wagons today and told us he had to bring in someone to fix his baler but he wasn’t accusatory like it was our fault or anything. The guy that planted our field refused to hay it, #1 he was backed up with other haying jobs but #2 he said it was all weeds and there were too many rocks in the field. When we told Mr. L. this he was matter of fact, “Hay fields have rocks….” We feel bad his baler broke but blessed he didn’t blame us/our hay field.

He also told us our pasture grass is coming back nicely and we can probably look at a second cutting mid to late October! Hoorah! The kids are going to love us!

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Delicious and Nutritious Microwave Meals

Posted by html404 on August 29, 2013
in Appliances, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Home, Uncategorized

This is a featured guest post

Delicious and Nutritious Microwave Meals

Microwaves are capable of more than we give them credit for. So often they’re relegated to an out of the way counter where they’re used only to defrost frozen meats or cook frozen dinners. For busy families with hungry mouths to feed microwaves provide hearty, healthy dinners for everyone around your table.

For the beginner microwave chef there are a few introductory recipes that are super easy and sure to please the whole family. One of the easiest things to cook in the microwave is a baked potato. A conventional oven can take 20 minutes to cook a potato while a microwave cuts cooking time in half. Prick the potato all over, cook on high for five minutes, flip and cook for another five for steamy delicious potatoes ready to be dressed with the toppings of your choice.

Another easy crowd pleaser is microwave chilli. Combine all your favourite chilli ingredients into a microwave safe casserole dish and cook on high for five minutes. Remove the dish and stir it up well to break up all the meat then put it back in the microwave for another 20 minutes stirring every 10. You’ll be absolutely shocked at how delicious this dish tastes and it can quickly become a weekly staple.

Lasagne is a family favourite in many households but can sometimes be ruled out as a dinner option because of its labour intensive prep and cook times. Microwave lasagne is a quick alternative to conventional baking and tastes just as delicious. There’s no need to cook the noodles ahead of time, so once you’ve prepared your marinara and cheese ingredients the layering can begin. Arrange your layers in a microwave safe dish, cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes turning halfway through. Remove the lasagne from the microwave at this point and let it stand covered for about five minutes. Put it back in the microwave and cook on high for 15 minutes turning it again at the 10 minute mark.

It’s always important to know how your appliances work as individual units can vary. Understanding temperatures and cooking times specific to your microwave will help your culinary skills develop. For more delicious microwave recipes there are several websites worth perusing, even Oprah has a page dedicated to the fine art of the microwave meal http://www.oprah.com/food/Microwave-Cooking-Recipes.

Delicious and nutritious, microwave meals allow families to spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the dinner table, as it should be.

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Wallaby Organic Kefir

Posted by html404 on August 20, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Home, Organic, Reviews, Uncategorized

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.

What is Kefir

Kefir is an ancient beverage that is packed full of wonderfully good stuff! This is what the National Kefir Association says (I didn’t even know there was such an association for kefir!). I thought this information was interesting and I learned a few things:

The name Kefir comes from the Turkish word “keif” – meaning “good feeling” – for the sense of well-being experienced after drinking it.

Kefir is often compared to yogurt, because they have similar tastes and both contain live and active probiotic cultures, which support immunity and ease digestion. One difference between the two is that Kefir is a drink, so it can be enjoyed on the go. But the biggest difference is that Kefir contains three times the amount of probiotic cultures typically found in yogurt – Kefir usually has around 10 – which means a bigger benefit for your digestive and immune systems. Kefir is also an excellent source of protein, calcium and fiber. Plus, it’s gluten-free, 99% lactose-free and comes in many different flavors, as well as lowfat, nonfat and low-carb versions, so even the pickiest eaters can enjoy the health benefits of Kefir.

Wallaby Organic Kefir

When there is food in the house to review I have to take photos right away. I did this with this review, but what I forgot to do was take photos of the actual kefir and of someone drinking it! If I don’t do it right away, it gets eaten or gobbled up before I even get a chance. This is what happened with the Wallaby Organic Kefir….until….my older daughter found the second bottle of strawberry! So she got to be my model!

We all love yogurt and amazingly all the children love kefir too, especially Wallaby Organic Kefir. We got the strawberry and vanilla flavored, but it comes in two additional flavors of blueberry and plain. We downed it. It was thick, tasty and over all very good. There are definite advantages to training your children’s palate to healthy food. Once their taste buds get accustomed to it they will usually eat anything good set before them. There are exceptions to this of course, as we all have our own unique likes and dislikes.

When Wallaby Organic Kefir says it is creamy, they are not lying, it truly is creamy. It also contains 12 different strains of Live and Active Kefir cultures and boasts the health benefits listed above from the National Kefir Association. The organic milk comes from local farms in California.

I really do not have anything negative to say about this kefir. It was a little hard to find so don’t go by the store locator unless it specifically states the stores carry kefir. I went to Jewel, which carries Wallaby Organic Yogurt, but it did not carry the kefir. My husband went to Whole Foods for it.

Two thumbs up from us!

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Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review & Giveaway

Posted by Brande on August 16, 2013
in Appliances, Home, Houseware, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Shopping, Uncategorized

What’s one of the worst things about washing dishes, baking, canning, or folding? Standing on the hard floor! By the time I get out the kitchen my back is aching and my feet are barking.

Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review

I was super excited to review Chef Fabio Viviani Comfort Mats by Smart Step Home. The first time I stepped onto the mat it was a dream to my feet. This nearly indestructible mat will not curl and is trip resistant. It is puncture, heat and stain resistant and is non-toxic. In addition it is super easy to clean and is non-skid.

In this picture you can see I do my kitchen work in heels. lol…….nah. I’m just showing you how thick this mat is. I’m putting my weigh into the heel of this shoe, the product did not puncture. When I got off the mat, it popped right back in place, you didn’t see when I dug my heel into it. I LOVE IT!

Here’s what Smart Step Home says about the comfort of their mats….

“Our proprietary polyurethane composite (STP) effectively suspends body weight and reduces the impact on the back, legs, and feet, while encouraging proprioception (rebalancing). The result is consistent comfort, improved circulation and less fatigue on joints, limbs and muscles.”

I have been using my mat for the past few days and my body doesn’t have the aches as it did last week. I highly recommend this Smart Step Home Mat for people who stand most of the day. I have a friend that owns a flower shop and she is planning on buying them for her shop.

It’s available in a few different colors and also comes in a 6 foot size! Click here to order yours today!