Faith and Family Reviews: Product Reviews You Can Trust

Farm Expansion

Posted by html404 on January 7, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff

What does 4.5 acres plus 12.2 acres equal? Yes 16.7 acres but it also means farm expansion. When we initially moved in 16 months ago we rented the house and about 4.5 acres with it. This included the property containing the house and barn plus an extra pasture on the west side of the barn and two smaller fields on the east side of the barn/north side of the house.

Initially, our landlords (four sisters) were against us using the barn and having large animals. After raising our small flock of chickens and turkeys we realized that if we wanted to grow our farm we’d need additional space and appealed to them late summer/early fall to reconsider, especially since we were willing to purchase farm insurance.

The sisters agreed and we moved forward to rent the additional land. Now there’s a ton of work to do and plans for a farm expansion!

Our priorities are:

Clean and organize barn.
Build a couple of stalls.
Bring our horse Blaze home to save on board.
Have a small vegetable CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture).
Put up our low-cost greenhouse.
Fix our fence line.
Get a family cow.
Plant more pasture.
Buy our 2013 turkeys.

Other possibilities include:

Raising broilers (meat chickens).
Raise a couple of hogs. While we do not eat much pork, having a year supply of bacon sounds really good to us. Plus hogs are fun to observe.
Raise a beef cow or two for our family’s meat.

We have been busy marketing our farm. We got our egg license in December. Our eggs can be found at a local health food store and at a local monthly Green Market, but we have so much more marketing to do for our CSA and any other products we decide to raise. We do have over 60 people on our e-list and have 20 likes on Facebook. We are excited about the possibilities yet it’s with trepidation that we move forward. After all farming isn’t exactly a profession most people are getting into these days and is even considered career roadkill.

Let’s just say this is another huge step of faith on our part.

Share and Enjoy

{10 comments}

Vanished by Irene Hannon

Posted by html404 on January 6, 2013
in Books, Reviews

Vanished by Irene Hannon is a book I have been waiting to read. It is the first book in the Private Justice Series. I have read her other books and my book palate was craving some mystery and intrigue.

Vanished is about an investigative reporter, Moira Harrison, who accidentally (literally) stumbles upon a major story. Due to the circumstances surrounding the accident she hires a private investigator firm made up of three PIs, Cal, Connor and Dev, to look into the few sketchy details her memory could recall after her car accident.

The intrigue only gets better as the more they delve into their investigation the more it becomes apparent someone isn’t keen on them uncovering more information.

I loved Moira’s character. She’s tenacious, never gives up and desired to do the right thing no matter what the cost.

While I got the mystery and intrigue I wanted, I was a tad bit disappointed with the predictable romance side and how quickly the “bad” guy was revealed. I like to be kept guessing ’til the end.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The controversial topic of euthanasia is a tough call. Murder is murder and convincing someone or yourself that it’s ok, a blessing even, to put someone out of their misery – is actually a lie. It’s sad but true.

The medical profession has taken an oath (and here) to uphold life and do no harm, yet so many do. Think abortion. Think euthanasia.

I enjoyed the private investigation aspect of the book. Loved the PI’s desire for justice. Imagine a world where justice was more important than money, power or position?!

Included in this book was a little teaser section for Irene’s second book in the Private Justice Series and I can’t wait to read what happens to Dev, as well as learn about his story.

“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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.

Share and Enjoy

{16 comments}

The Rhyme Bible Storybook Review

Posted by Professor on January 5, 2013
in Books, Education, Kids Stuff, Reviews

Reading time at home will be even more fun with the arrival of Linda Sattgast’s freshly updated version of The Rhyme Bible Storybook!

Twelve years since the first edition captured parents’ hearts, Sattgast teams with artist Laurence Cleyet-Merle to illuminate key passages from the Bible, making the most important lessons easy to understand.

Sattgast’s rhyming text helps beginning readers remember each Bible story and comprehend their basic lessons. For instance, the story of David and Goliath becomes a read-aloud lyrical song similar to a nursery rhyme. In addition, the story of Jonah and the big fish detailed in the book is a delightful bedtime story.

With Cleyet-Merle’s vivid illustrations, readers will experience 35 classic bible stories as they have never before been presented ~ with adorable pictured and Sattgast’s rhyming text.

For any parent who wants to teach the Word of God, THE RHYMING BIBLE STORYBOOK is the perfect choice for engaging little ones. Together, Sattgast and Cleyet-Merle breathe new life into the traditional storybook Bible, making this new edition a keepsake for all ages.

Our Review:

I absolutely LOVE this book…perhaps it is because I LOVE songs and rhyming…but it is amazing! This book really hits home with our family because it is an easy way to learn classic bible stories in an easy and fun way! My children LOVE the verse and the illustrations. I cannot say enough about the author and illustrators who have brought the bible stories to life in this text! WONDERFUL!

I liked this book so much that I brought it to my Sunday school class…of 6^th graders… yes I said it 6^th graders. Now, do not get me wrong I am not saying that I taught out of a rhyming book to older children… BUT since we are studying the Old Testament… I used it as a teaching tool! I chose a few stories that we had studied and read the rhyming version aloud to the students. Then I asked my students to take their favorite story we have studied and try to make up their own rhyming version of a story or part of a story. The older kids were very engaged in this activity! We had so much fun! I Loved being able to use this bible with my little ones at home and as a teaching tool in the classroom! Hats off to Zondervan and their talented authors!

This book is available through Zondervan. You can find more information about this and other Zondervan products at: http://zondervan.com/

You can purchase the book here: http://zondervan.com/9780310726029

The book is also available through Amazon and other retailers.

Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Rhyme-Bible-Storybook-Linda-Sattgast/dp/0310726026/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357382333&sr=8-2&keywords=the+rhyme+storybook+bible

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.

Share and Enjoy

{11 comments}

January is Organization Month: Natalie’s Cleaning Routine

Posted by html404 on January 5, 2013
in Cleaning, Home, Organization

January is Organization Month. I have so many areas of our home to organize that it is shameful! Storage room, master bedroom, office, boys room and sewing closet – it’s a cedar closet that the owner made for his wife who loved to sew – are all areas out of control here at our house. Thankfully the girls, at least my oldest, is at the age where she regularly cleans and organizes the two rooms they occupy – their bedroom and their “nook” where they do their school work and go on the computer.

Natalie is a Professional Organizer at OrganizedHabits.com and a few months ago I came across her cleaning routine chart that I thought would be very helpful in light of Organization Month.

Natalie suggests spending 15-20 minutes a day cleaning an area of your home. I like that idea!

This chart was a part of Natalie’s Holiday Blog Series. She gave her permission to share it here but when I copied and pasted it the coding would not transfer correctly. 🙁 So be sure to check it out at the link I provided.

We plan to implement the 15-20 minute “rule”. With nine of us capable of cleaning that much time each day means a total of 2-1/4 hours of cleaning will be accomplished. Surely that will help us keep the house basically clean, right?

So how about you? Do you have any organization goals for the new year? How do you plan on tackling them?

Here’s the link again to Natalie’s Cleaning Routine: http://www.organizedhabits.com/holiday-blog-series-cleaning-the-house

Share and Enjoy

{9 comments}

Charity Outreach and Jumping into a Frozen Lake

Posted by html404 on January 4, 2013
in Giveaways, Giving Back/Charity

You all know that I love to help in charity outreach when I can. But I really don’t think I’d be willing to jump into a frozen lake during the dead of winter.

My friend and fellow blogger Jen from Life With Levi is competing with a local PR rep to raise money for Haiti Outreach by jumping into a frozen Minnesota lake next weekend. That’s dedication, eh? To help spread the word, she’s giving away $20 PayPal cash to one lucky winner! She’s even pre-written tweets you can send out in exchange for entries.

By the way, she loves to win that’s why I’m reaching out to you to help her out! So in the name of charity outreach and jumping into a frozen lake…brrrr! Please support her effort!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a link back in exchange for sharing this post.

Share and Enjoy

{2 comments}

Divine Mama Bars

Posted by 278Wife on January 4, 2013
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Gift Ideas, Pregnancy and Birth, Products for Mom, Reviews

Divine Mama Bars are great tasting bars designed for breastfeeding moms to maintain an abundant milk supply. They are 100% all-natural, are created with milk-producing ingredients, and have no artificial sweeteners or processed starches.

Divine Mama bars come in two different flavors, Datey Apricot Cashew and Macnut Chocolate Chip. The Macnut Chocolate Chip was a little sweeter tasting, which is why it was my favorite! The bars contain fresh ingredients such as macademia nuts, flax seeds, almonds, cashews, and apricots, which are recommended for increasing milk supply. They are a great snack choice for any mom breastfeeding, and would make an excellent gift for a new mom!

Check out their website for more information:

www.divine-mama.com

Share and Enjoy

{10 comments}

Baby Gourmet…mmm good!

Posted by 278Wife on January 3, 2013
in All Natural Products, Baby Products, Food and Treats, Organic, Reviews, Travel

Baby Gourmet is a healthy, organic, and nutritious food for your baby. They come in three different stages. Stage 1 is for babies 6 months and older, stage 2 is for babies 7 months and older, and stage 3 is for babies 8 months and older. All of their foods are organic, contain no thickeners or fillers, contain no added sugar or salt, and are kosher. Each stage of foods has three different flavors to choose from, for a total of nine different products.

My favorite feature of this product is their packaging. It’s in a resealable pouch that can be served warm or cold. It does not require any spoon, just squeeze and feed! It is so convenient to throw in my diaper bag when I know I’m going to be out, and I have a meal already prepared and ready. I can’t wait to bring them with when we go for long car rides. Rather than pulling over to feed my baby, or trying to feed her with a spoon in the car, I can just feed her the pouch while we are on the move.

I cannot say enough positive things about this product. They taste fantastic (Tropical Banana Bliss was the favorite in our house), are extremely convenient, and are a healthy choice for babies and even toddlers on the go. Here’s their website for more information and to find out where you can buy them:

www.babygourmet.com

Share and Enjoy

{10 comments}

Yardenit Cosmetics Review

Posted by Professor on January 3, 2013
in Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Girl Stuff, Health, Personal Care Products, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Seasonal Stuff

Yardenit is the celebrated baptismal site on the sacred Jordan River in Israel. They embrace Pilgrims from the four corners of the earth who come to the Holy Land and to Yardenit for a specific purpose: to walk in the footsteps if Jesus and to be part of the baptismal ritual of following their Savior through the waters of baptism.

You do not have to travel to the Holy Land to experience Yardenit specialty products. You can visit their online store and shop for Holy Land souvenirs, Christian and Jewish gifts, inspirational jewelry, food items eaten during biblical times, music, books, clothing, cosmetics, and toys.

Our Review:

I found this was a very interesting website and web store. I had never actually sought out a store in the Holy Land so I was not aware that one existed. This is a rare gem! The web store offers so many products for both Jewish and Christian guests. They offer a vast array of products… from cosmetics to clothing!

We were privileged to review two of their cosmetic products. We were sent AYA Natural Nail Oil and Olea Essence Lip Balm. Both products are all natural which was a plus! I was concerned about getting a package from overseas … as I was not sure if it would ship well…especially with cosmetics enclosed. But I assure you Yardenit packaged their products beautifully and safely. They were packaged very tight and wrapped so that nothing would break or spoil. I was very impressed.

AYA Natural Nail Oil:

This product is made of 100% AYA natural Oil blend that may have antifungal properties. Nourishes, Moisturizes, and promotes healthy nail growth.

Ingredients: Extra Virgin olive oil, Sweet Almond oil, Tea Tree oil, Jojoba oil, Wheat Germ oil, Geranium, Rosemary, Lavender, and Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

*** We liked this product… the overall packaging was very nice. The oils come in a little dropper like bottle. You then apply right to the nail and rub into the cuticles daily. I used this item for a week and found that it made a difference to the overall health of my nails and cuticles. My cuticles are generally very dry … but this product improved them ten fold. I find that they are no longer peeling after use of this product. My oldest daughter also used this product. Sometimes her nails are prone to peeling …after using this product I can honestly say that her nail structure has improved. It seems that her nails are healthier and stronger and no longer peeling.

Just as a side note… the description states that it “may” have antifungal properties. I believe this is because one o the ingredients in the product is Tea Tree Oil, which is a known antifungal agent.

Olea Essence Lip Balm:

This product is made of all natural ingredients with no preservatives. It is Olive oil based and enriched with jojoba oil, wheat oil and avocado oil. It restores damaged and chapped lips.

Ingredients: Olive oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Bees Wax, Jojoba oil, Sesame oil, Caster oil, Wheat Germ oil, Avocado oil, Tea Tree oil, and Lavender oil.

*** This product was also a hit in my family. We are currently in the winter season and chapped lips are the norm around our house. This product came nicely packaged in a little pot …so it is easily applied with the finger. So I could easily use this on more than one person if needed (unlike a stick lip balm … where it would be limited to one person). The person who benefitted most from this product was my son. He is prone to chapped lips and often licks the top of his lips so the area right above the lip is red and chapped. We have a hard time finding anything except Vaseline that will do the trick because he says that the products we have tried “burn” his skin. Well, we have a new favorite in this product! This has done wonders for his skin and it is gentle and does not burn! It has cleared up his redness and chapped lips…I am so pleased! I did in turn use this on myself and found that my lips feel smooth and not as dried out as they usually feel this time of year! Very nice product!

Overall, we were very impressed with the Yardenit products we received. The only thing I do have to mention is that since the products do have Tea Tree oil in that particular oil seems to take over as the scent of the product. It is not a bad scent… some call it medicinal or a clean scent. It does not detract from the product… but it does take over the other oil scents that are ingredients in the product. I must say that since the Nail oil had the ingredient of Almond oil I expected an overall “almond” scent since that oil seems to be a powerful scent… but the Tea tree Oil is stronger. In the Lip Balm the Tea tree oil was not as strong… but it was still the main scent. I attribute the scent not being as strong in the Lip balm because it is a solid rather than a liquid like the oil. But generally the scent is not bothersome; in my experience it is rather pleasant.

On a side note: I was interested in another product and was worried about shipping to the USA from Israel (I thought it might be expensive) when I enquired with the company I found that their sipping rates are based on weight. The product I was looking at was their hand lotion, which is 150 ml or 5.1 fl oz.; the shipping on this product would be about $ 5.00. I found that this shipping cost was comparable to an average online store. So I was pleased.

Yardenit is currently having a sale on some of their merchandise…so take a look around their store! You can find a link to the store here: http://www.yardenit.com/store

For those interested in the Yardenit site on the Jordan River or for more information on Yardenit in general feel free to visit their home page here: http://www.yardenit.com

If I am ever in Israel I think this would be a neat place to visit and a great place to purchase souvenirs!

Share and Enjoy

{5 comments}

The Memory Jar

Posted by html404 on December 31, 2012
in Books, Reviews

Tricia Goyer is writing a brand new series called Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors. The series is a fictional work about the Amish. The Memory Jar (Zondervan, 2012), is the first book. I read it over a month ago. I have read a few of Trisha’s books and have enjoyed them.

Like many books I read, this book is about relationships. It doesn’t matter if you are Amish, Baptist, Evangelical, Reformed or whatever type of Christian you label yourself, relationships are key to your and my existence. This post could quickly become my soap box if I allow it to because of my views and expectations of relationships/friendships. I have a beef about Christians, even though I am one, and how flippant many are in how they develop and maintain relationships/friendships. So often what comes across to people really isn’t how it is, it’s just the emotional barriers a person has put up to protect themselves from being hurt…yet again.

But that’s not what this post is about, so onward….

The Memory Jar is about a young Amish woman, Sarah, who lives in Kootenai, Montana. The memory jar is her special way of remembering a cherished friend who died. Like many unmarried women her age, she wonders if she will ever find a special man to share her life with.

I really like the sweet friendship and common bond – love of baking – that develops between Sarah and Jathan. Jathan, a visiting bachelor, among dozens of visiting bachelors who seek to live there for six months in order to receive “resident” status for the fall hunting season. What I didn’t like was how swayed Jathan was by other people in his life, at least initially. It was rather heart wrenching to read the turmoil this couple had to go through.

It was also hard to read about Sarah’s grief journey over the loss of her beloved childhood friend. I can relate to grief on a different level but always find it hard to read about because it evokes so many emotionally charged memories, not all of which are good. 🙁 So as usual I cried.

The difficulties Sarah and Jathan had to go through to be understood by family members, the hurdles they had to overcome for having a new generation of ideas end up being character building, as well as foundational in strengthening their relationship. Something I think every relationship endures at some point or another, the key is whether or not the relationship makes it through them or breaks in the process.

As always, I love the show of community among the Amish, but in this story a different side to that community was shown and not in a positive way, especially in Jathan’s home town.

Trisha Goyer’s The Memory Jar receives two thumbs up from me!

Share and Enjoy

{18 comments}

eco.kid’s Giveaway

Posted by html404 on December 28, 2012
in Giveaways, Kids Stuff, Organic, Personal Care Products

eco.Kids is hosting a giveaway with us! You can read our review of them on the blog: Kim’s review

eco.kid’s products are all natural and safe for your babies. We love how they also work. Unlike most organic products that only do half the job, these do more then their fair share. Plus they smell good too!

You can enter to win below! They are giving away ten products. Which adds up to five winners winning two products each.

a Rafflecopter giveaway