Faith and Family Reviews: Product Reviews You Can Trust

Carpet One Review and Giveaway

Posted by html404 on October 29, 2012
in Giveaways, Home, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff

When we went to Brandcation Blog Cabin we received swag (products from companies sponsoring the event or bloggers). Amy from Grinning Cheek to Cheek was sponsored by Carpet One. We all received a mat. There was a choice of pet paws and a fall mat, since I don’t have a fall mat I chose that one, though my kids would have loved the pet paws! Mommy rules! 😉 I think there were even two 5×7 mats given away – they were nice too!

Carpet One Review and Giveaway

Carpet One mats are water and stain-resistant, machine-washable and made in the USA. We have already washed our mat once – didn’t want to take a photo of a dirty mat even though the browns hide the dirt really well. Another reason I chose this mat. The pet paws had a light color for the paws which I figured would show the dirt more. With ten people in our home we track a lot of dirt in even though I have mats at every entrance and the children are required to take off their shoes and wash their feet if they go barefoot. The mat washed up nicely and did not fall apart. I’ve had that happen before, probably on mats that weren’t machine washable though as they frayed and the back disintegrated. 🙁

I actually put our mat in front of our kitchen sink. It’s soft under the feet and give extra support while standing doing dishes. It looks nice too. We really like it there.

Overall we are very pleased with our first experience with a Carpet One product.

About Carpet One:

Carpet One Floor & Home has more than 1,000 independently owned and operated stores in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Carpet One Floor & Home carries carpet, wood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, and area rugs, including exclusive brands like Bigelow and Lees.

Carpet One Giveaway

Now for the giveaway!

Please make your entries via the Rafflecopter below to win one of these Autumn mats supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month, which was this past month.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

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Monthly Maintenance Talk With My Girls #KotexMom

Posted by html404 on October 29, 2012
in Girl Stuff, Personal Care Products

A monthly maintenance talk with my girls is something I am still working on. Usually they just come to me with their questions or respond if I ask them questions as pertaining to any issues that come up. They also have their book on “maidenhood” they can refer to, but I don’t know how often they do that since we started going through it a few years ago in preparation of their monthly cycle and I think we have basically covered everything in it.

I have also told them about and shown them www.Kotex.com/tween as this is a site to use for reference for facts about puberty, FAQs, help for us moms to know how to start talking to our girls, as well as tools like a calendar. There is also U by Kotex website page for period questions for both tweens and teens. As much as I love having resources available, my preferred method of passing information along to my daughters is by talking directly to them. I just like being the first source of important information for topics like puberty, menses and sex education.

Monthly Maintenance Talk With My Girls

When issues have come up like the girls asking how to deal with blood overflowing onto their panties, I have told them to double up on pads for heavier days or use a larger size maxi pad or a maxi pad with wings. Each girl has to find out what works best for them.

I have tried to encourage my girls to keep track of their cycles with a calendar but it’s slow in coming. My reasoning is so they know when their moodier times are going to hit so we can all prepare for it. I am not always good about this myself and it isn’t until my period starts that I realize my emotional week was due to the onset of my period. This is something I have to work on with them and it will mean developing new habits for all of us.

Hygiene really hasn’t been an issue for us. My two older girls have been very good about that. My third daughter I suspect will be different just because her preteen years have been so very different than the other two. The other two I really didn’t have to tell them to start showering more often. My three preteens I have to tell them to shower.

Cramps and discomfort is a topic I think we do talk about every other month, it just all depends on how uncomfortable the girls feel. I do allow them to rest more on the days cramping is bad. At the same time I do want them to know they can still function even amidst their discomfort, so it all depends on how long they have been on their period and how long the cramping lasts. I think it’s good to realize everyone has their own pain tolerance and allow some wiggle room without becoming a “commando” mom.

How do you educate your daughter on the discomforts of her monthly cycle? Or how do you think you will if your daughter is still too young?

“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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A Farmer’s Daughter

Posted by html404 on October 28, 2012
in Books, Reviews

I love to bake and cook even though I don’t do much of it anymore now that I work nearly full-time – that’s what happens when you have a large family and teen girls. And in our family the boys are even learning to cook. I just put them on lunch duty for the winter. They are doing well….we just have to work on clean up! I have lots of recipe books but tend to use a recipe book my mom used and one that a dear friend wrote out for me as a shower gift. My girls love trying new recipes so I thought they would appreciate a new cookbook A Farmer’s Daughter by Dawn Stoltzfus is a book of yummy recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen.

Peanut and I chose to try French Puff Cinnamon Muffins for the purpose of this review.

They have been our breakfast for the past couple of mornings and are a yummy, albeit sugary treat. Peanut says this recipe doubles well. That’s always a requirement for a good recipe in our house as most normal recipes are too small for our family and we have to double it, sometimes tripling if we want leftovers.

French Puff Cinnamon Muffins

These melt in your mouth. They’re like donuts – without being fried. And so simple to make! Yeah!

1/2 cup white or raw sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour

Cinnamon mixture:

1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 cup white or raw sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 mini muffins cups. Mix sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in milk, and then mix in baking powder and flour until combined. Do not overmix. Fill prepared mini muffin cups about half full and bake until lightly golden, 18-20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, prepare the cinnamon mixture by melting butter. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. When muffins are done, let cool slightly and remove from their cups, then dip each muffin completely in melted butter and roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Yields 18-20 mini muffins. Serve warm!

Many recipes include a little note at the bottom from Dawn, like this one:

And Another Thing…And Another Thing…The key is to put these in a mini muffin pan. They are such a fun food and when you bake them in a mini muffin pan you can eat more without feeling guilty.

A Farmer’s Daughter Review

We really liked this recipe. It was super easy to make. We didn’t make them in a mini muffin pan but they still turned out yummy. I like how Dawn includes a note at the bottom of many recipes like the one above.

We are looking forward to trying more recipes from A Farmer’s Daughter, many of which seem like spin offs of the ones we already make, like the hot cocoa recipe, even the French Cinnamon Puff recipe is very similar to a plain muffin we make with strudel topping.

All the recipes seem very straight forward requiring regular ingredients that most American families would have on hand at any given time.

One thing missing from this recipe book is photos, though I realize that many cookbooks do not include photos, I think it is nice when they do.

Two thumbs up from us!

“Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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SUPERPRETZEL Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels Review

Posted by Brande on October 25, 2012
in Coupons, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Reviews

Who wants pretzels for breakfast? When I announced this in the house Sunday morning. I got a “Huh?” from my husband and a “Yes!” from my daughter. So off to the kitchen I went to preheat the oven for our pretzels for breakfast.

Move over salt pretzels and make room for SUPERPRETZELS Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels. I was skeptical about these when they first arrived, but I’m willing to try anything once. I was pleasantly surprised and SUPERPRETZELS Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels, they will be on my list for breakfast, dessert or snack!

How to Serve SUPERPRETZEL Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, put on the cinnamon/sugar (provided in a packet in the box), and cook for 5-6 minutes. That’s it!

Take them out and enjoy them by themselves or maybe with a scoop of ice cream, or even a little icing. Sounds yummy to me.

If you head to the SUPERPRETZEL website (www.http://www.superpretzel.com) there’s a coupon. Be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!

My house gives these SUPERPRETZEL Sweet Cinnamon Pretzels 2 thumbs up! We love them!

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.

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OctoNovemCember Shopping Holidays #OctoNovemCember

Posted by html404 on October 24, 2012
in Holidays, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

Can you believe there’s only a week left of October? Seriously, I don’t know where time goes. Before we know it we will be snowed in! But shhh….you didn’t hear that from me!

What does the above image make you think of? To me it denotes Autumn, Thanksgiving and Christmas (insert your preferred holidays) all rolled up into one. I generally only shop for food for Autumn and Thanksgiving, as we do not give gifts for either of those holiday events. I shop for gifts for Christmas.

For Christmas gifts I am usually shopping all through the year. I am not as good about starting right after Christmas with the end of year sales as I use to be, but I am done shopping well before Christmas except for maybe…one…or two last minute gifts for the hard-to-buy people in our family.

This will probably be weird but I don’t shop on Black Friday. I have never relished putting myself or my children~~‘s lives at risk~~ through the crowds and hassle of racing for the sales. It never seemed worth it to me.

It saves money to shop early and to have a budget in mind of what you are going to spend. With the advent of technology there are even more ways to save by taking advantage of online sales, FREE shipping, using sales or coupons in conjunction with FREE shipping offers increases your savings.

Shopping Holidays

This holiday season, you can visit the promotion page to learn about the OctoNovemCember™ shopping season and watch the video about Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus, the King of OctoNovemCember™:

Win a $1000 Shopping Spree

Now thru 10/31 you have a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree by sharing the Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus video. The more times you share, the more entries you get (up to 20!) and one winner is picked each week.

Tech Savvy Shoppers

RetailMeNot has Coupons App for iPhone and Android phones to access deals, coupons, popular stores and categories to help make shopping easier.

Social Media Shoppers

If you are a Social Media Maven be sure to “like” RetailMeNot.com on Facebook, follow the company via Twitter @RetailMeNot and add them on Google+ to stay current with deals you don’t want to miss.

Happy OctoNovemCember™ Shopping!

This is a paid post by One2One Network and RetailMeNot.com

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Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry

Posted by html404 on October 23, 2012
in Books, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews

Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry is a fast moving novel of intrigue and mystery from start to finish.

Book Summary:

Desperate to escape haunting memories, J. D. Jessup travels from Nashville to Tucson and volunteers on an organic farm. The hardened landowner has one prevailing rule: If J. D. sees an “illegal,” call the border patrol. But when an early morning ride along the fence line leads him to a beautiful young woman named Maria, near death in the desert, his heart pulls him in another direction. Longing to atone for the choices that drove him to Tucson, J. D. hides her and unleashes a chain of deadly events he could never have imagined. Soon they are running from a killer and fighting for their lives. As secrets of their pasts emerge, J. D. realizes that saving Maria may be the only way to save himself.

Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry Review

I really liked how Mr. Fabry created the story around a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – people who travel around working on different farms in exchange for food and lodging) working on an organic farm in Arizona. Though much of the story took place off the farm.

It really made me feel uncomfortable reading the stark realities of the racism illegals and immigrants faced through J.D.’s. I understand somewhat where it stems from yet at the same time they are human beings too.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the story kept me riveted to its pages as I tried to read faster to figure out what mystery surrounding Maria’s story, not to mention J.D.’s and how all the drama of their few days together would turn out.

The book is divided into Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and December. Those four days seemed like an eternity and I was in awe of all that happened to J.D. and Maria in the span of one day, let alone four.

This is a great book for mom or day or even older children. Two thumbs up from me!

Watch the Book Trailer:

http://www.tyndale.com/x_products/videos.php?flv=BotHTrailer_v1sm.flv

Q & A with Author Chris Fabry

Q: Your newest novel, Borders of the Heart, addresses heavy topics such as illegal immigration, the U.S./Mexico drug trade and the cost of compassion. Where did you get your inspiration for the book?

A: Our family moved to Arizona in 2008 and since then I’ve known I wanted to write about this area of the country, a rich, desert existence with problems and possibilities. This book is not as much an “issue” book as it is a book about people who have to deal with lots of those issues as part of their daily lives. I don’t have an ax to grind on the topics, but I did want to show how real people are affected by these contemporary topics.

Q: Several of the characters in Borders of the Heart are dealing with things from their past. What lessons do your characters learn along the way?

A: The past is huge for each of us. I’m convinced many are “stuck” by something in the past that holds us back from being all God wants us to be. A reader will walk through that process with the main character, J.D., and I’m hoping they’ll see an authentic struggle.

Q: J.D. Jessup is faced with a very difficult moral dilemma when he weighs the decision to follow his boss’ very clear direction or his own heart when he discovers Maria near death. What lessons does this story provide for your readers?

A: Every choice we make in life comes with a cost. If we say yes to one thing, we may have to say no to something else. The choice J.D. makes is a good choice, and even good choices can lead to disastrous and deadly results. Can you believe that God is involved in even the difficult circumstances? I think that’s a huge reveal in this story for me. Does everything have to work out perfectly in the end in order for God to be glorified?

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Abscess Tooth? Root Canal?

Posted by html404 on October 23, 2012
in Health, Health and Nutrition

I am sure you all must be wondering what has displaced me for the past five days. It’s been a combination of dealing with an abscess tooth with the potential of needing a root canal (self-diagnosis with the help of others) while trying to avoid a costly trip to the dentist and really not feeling like blogging amidst all of it.

Last week my back molar that has been missing part of a filling for well over a year started bothering me. I have staved off any major issues by using Thieves essential oil and Thieves spray. I think it was just this year that I lost the rest of the filling. Then either chewing gum or chomping down hard last Tuesday or Wednesday on some food made my tooth start to ache. On Thursday I woke up to a swollen lower cheek/jaw bone. Friday/Saturday it had moved to the middle of my chin. Sunday it started to settle down. Monday it was the same or a little better. Today it seems to be a bump. That’s the good news.

Here is me in all my glory (kind of scary, I know!) :

Thursday, October 18th

Friday, October 19th

Today

I haven’t eaten much in the past six days. Today is the only day I actually ate all three meals because I have a bit more mobility for chewing (on one side). It’s painful to yawn or chew and my cheek/jawbone area is tender to touch or to lay on. While I should be starving I find I am not, but I am hungry and craving things that would just melt in my mouth. I survived three days on piece of cheese cake, minus most of the crust because it was just easier to eat.

I have treated this dental issue with warm salt water rinses, Thieves essential oil, Thieves spray, Helichrysum and Cloves essential oil. I have taken Ningxia Red and Inner Defense to boost my immune system and to ward off the infection. My drink preference has been hot lemon tea with raw honey as it has beneficial enzymes and good bacteria to help my body fight the infection. Plus my tooth isn’t as sensitive to warm as it is to cold.

If the swelling and pain goes away the only thing I will be making an appointment for is a filling to cover that cavity back up. Otherwise the dentist might just confirm that I do indeed have an abscess tooth in need of a root canal, which I will still try to avoid by prolonging the use of my alternative care methods…..because avoiding a root canal is my goal in all of this. I have read some nasty things about them and know others who were able to successfully treat and avoid a root canal.

So have you ever had an abscess tooth or had a root canal? Try avoiding a root canal? Do tell all in the comment section below!

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Kia Optima Hybrid #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 17, 2012
in Travel, Uncategorized

Before Brandcation Blog Cabin I gave you a sneak peek of the Kia Optima Hybrid, now I want to share my thoughts of the car and how it did on our drive to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Performance and Gas Mileage

The car runs great. It has great pick up speed and awesome gas mileage. We averaged about 35 mpg on the highways and only 19 mpg in Pigeon Forge because we were going up and down a mountain every day so that is understandable. My husband loved the gas mileage aspect of the hybrid (he drove it to work one day) and is definitely interested in getting one (this one or another hybrid)…some day, but not unless we can find a used one.

Happy Man.

This photo is the specs I was given about the fuel economy of the Kia Optima Hybrid:

Oh and it handled really well in the rain. I drove into rain on my way to Paula’s.
Interior

The interior featured many, if not most of the options available for the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid, inlcuding “Bernice”, Kim from What’s that Smell nicknamed the GPS! Paula (Frosted Fingers) knew how to work the GPS the best since she has used one before. It also had a hands free way to use your cell phone, a built in car charger for your cell phone, plus two additional charge outlets. Perfect for three traveling bloggers!

Lots of cool features on the steering wheel.

Push button start took some getting use to but it was very cool to use.

Front seats with a console in the middle and two built-in cup holders.

Dome lights and sunroof control, of which there were two…gotta see if Kim got any pictures of the sun roofs!

Compass and garage door control located on the rear view mirror.

Stereo, GPS (below too) and gear shift.

Dashboard with tripometer, fuel economy, temperature, etc.

It was a comfortable ride in front and in back. The front seats had heat and cold controls, as well as “prime” position control at least for the driver’s seat.

Exterior

It’s a slick looking car inside and out.

Compliments of Kim

Storage Space

We were surprised with how much trunk storage space we had for the luggage of three women. Granted we did use half the back seat too but that’s beside the point. 😉 I think for a family of 4 or 5 it would be kind of tight to travel in unless everyone packed lightly.

Personally I really liked the Kia Optima Hybrid car. It was better than I expected. For some reason when I have heard or thought of Kia in the past it was in a negative way. This car has completely changed both my husband’s and my opinion of Kia.

For more information visit: www.Kia.com/#/Optima-Hybrid

Two bloggers and I were loaned the KIA Optima Hybrid car with the agreement to feature of it on our blogs after Brandcation, this post is done to fulfill that agreement. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Enter Mike the Gardener’s Sweepstakes #Giveaway

Posted by html404 on October 16, 2012
in Contests, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Health and Garden Tuesday, Organic

I wrote about Mike the Gardener in the Spring and his great deal for a year worth of seeds. Well, I was just on Facebook and Mike the Gardener is having a sweepstakes to Win 5 Years worth of Vegetable Seeds! Go now and sign up!

Editor’s Note: I signed up too! 😉

Happy Health and Garden Tuesday!

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Lumberjack Feud #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 15, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

Courtesy of Brandy at Not So Average Mama and Loud Mouth Photography.

Lumberjack Feud was another one of the highlights of Brandcation Blog Cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I am not sure what you think of when you hear Lumberjack Feud, but it is all about a feud between lumberjacks. And no, it isn’t geared towards men. This is a family-friendly show.

History of Lumberjack Feud

According to Pigeon Forge history one of our fair presidents decided to take over land in Pigeon Ford, the thing is it belonged to lumberjacks. Yes, this is true. The feud part not so much. Lumberjack Feud has magnified the so called feud between two families into a dinner show, much like Dolly’s Dixie Stampede in the way it is set up with dinner and a show, but the similarities stop there.

The CEO of Lumberjack Feud is a third or fourth generation lumberjack, which is pretty neat.

Lumberjack Show

During the show two lumberjack families, the McGraws and Dawsons are feuding, nah they weren’t fist fighting or anything but they were competing in lots of different lumberjack activities. The families’ dogs even competed! It is highly entertaining and fun to watch.

Again at this dinner show the audience are participants and divided into sides to cheer on the McGraw and the Dawson families. We bloggers hooted, hollered and “Yo-ho’d”…yep, I just divulged a show “secret”.

There was also a couple other characters who tickled our funny bones, Camper Bob and a certain young “lady”.

Lumberjack Dinner

Photo courtesy of Lumberjack Feud

The Lumberjack dinner was delicious. It included as stated on their website since I am forgetting everything 8 days post-Brandcation:

Mouthwatering BBQ ribs, a savory Mesquite baked chicken breast, creamy baked Macaroni ‘N Cheese, home-style baked beans, and a piping hot dinner roll. Top off this fantastic meal with our all-American, homemade, strawberry shortcake for dessert!

Choose your favorite beverage: Pepsi products, Iced Tea, or Coffee. FREE refills!

Lumberjack Shop

Lumberjack Feud has an awesome gift shop of lots of unique, fun and useful gifts.

I thought this was hilarious!

A lumberjack sling shot.

These were adorable…and I think a certain blogger bought herself some, right Toni? 😉

I loved the old photos of lumberjacks that adorned the walls and hallways of the impressive Lumberjack Feud building. I wish I had taken more time to read more of the history displayed there. Next time…

Lumberjack Feud is another great place to visit. I know I’ve said it a lot in the last week, but this is another place I want to take my family to when we plan a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennesse.

So if you’d like to learn more or to connect with Lumberjack Feud visit them here:

www.LumberjackFeud.com/
Facebook
Twitter

Companies may have provided media rate or media tickets to assist in facilitation of this article. Experiences are all real and all opinions are my own.