I have been wanting a Silhoutte machine for so long!! This is the most awesome little machine. It can do anything from vinyl lettering to glass etching, to t-shirts... you name it!! And, Craftaholics Anonymous is giving one away!!! Just go to

here

for a chance at winning one!!

Nutrimill Grain Mill Giveaway...

On my Christmas wish list is the Nurtrimill Grain Mill. I would love to have one of these to make fresh, nutritious bread with! Happily Domestic is giving one of these away and she has several ways that you can enter! Check out her page for lots of other nifty information!

Happily Domestic

LeAnna's Holiday Wishlist...

Mama’s Holiday Wish List 2010People, this is the year. The year that we wish big and manage to slow down to make the holidays magical and cookie-filled.

Of course, it’s tough to orchestrate the magic when you’re knee deep in to-do’s. That’s why we’ve partnered with GameStop to take a big to-do off that list—the one that says “Get epic gifts for the family”.

That one, we’ve covered. TodaysMama and GameStop are giving Santa a run for his money this year with a pile of presents that any family could love. Our Wish List Grand Prize includes:

One XBox 360 250 GB with Kinect



One Nintendo Red Wii Bundle



Three Nintendo Red DSi XL Bundles



Plus, a ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR GameStop gift certificate so you can fill those stockings with games and accessories.

You may want to serve some earplugs with your hot cocoa on Christmas morning to protect your precious hearing from the shrieks of joy from your family.

Entering this contest is easy and fun. Just answer and post the meme below on your blog or as a Facebook note and add your link below.

To participate you must include all of the text, including the links, in bold below:

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme


TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.


1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
Every holiday is special with my family, but I would love to see something extraordinary happen this Christmas that would just be so wonderful!! Something that our entire family would enjoy!

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?
Christmas morning, the kids get up to Christmas music playing. They aren't allowed up, until it is.:) Then, we gather around and open a few presents, break for breakfast and open some more! So fun!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? It's crazy I know, but an unlimited shopping spree at Potterybarn and Williams Sonoma! Love that store!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? We make a lot of home made gifts. The kids and I enjoy making cookies and candies together; putting gift baskets together, etc.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? Charades was our favorite!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Getting up on Christmas morning to Christmas music has remained my favorite thing to pass on to my kids!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip? Would love to go to New Jersey to see my sister!

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
1. Kinnect... love it!!
2. DSi's for the kids.. love the thin ones!
3. Halo Reach for my hubby

To enter, link to your Mama’s Holiday Wish List post using the Mister Linky box below.

BUT WAIT. Did you think we were done? Oh, you must not know us at all.

We have another stockpile of gifts from GameStop that you can enter to win with our extra entry options.

■Runner Up #1 will receive a XBox 360 250 GB with Kinect and a $250 GameStop gift card.
■Runner Up #2 will receive a Nintendo Red DSi XL Bundle and a $250 GameStop gift card.
■Runner Up #3 will receive a Nintendo Red Wii Bundle and a $250 GameStop gift card.
Extra Entry Options include:

■“Like” Gamestop on Facebook
■Follow @gamestop on Twitter
■Head back to the tippy-top of this post and hit that “Retweet” button.

The deadline to post your meme and comment is Friday, December 10th (same deadline applies for extra entry methods).

* For an example of a Mama’s Holiday Wish List entry post CLICK HERE

Another giveaway that I missed...

Heart and Home is giving away so much fun stuff this week. She started off with a $30store credit from Gussy!! Awesome!! I especially love the adorable laptop bags! So cute!!

Enter for a chance to win!! I did!!

So fun!

My friend Ashleigh is giving away some more fun stuff! This time it's a cool camera strap from SheyB. Check her other items out here!! So cute! I especially love the Couture one! Adorable!!!
Anywho, check out the giveaway at Heart and Home. Fun stuff!!

Another fun Giveaway...

Asleigh is giving away another adorable gift! This time it's from an adorable company called The Pleated Poppy.
She makes to most adorable little flowers to go on anything... headbands, aprons, pins, zippered pouches... Adorable!!!

Check out Heart and Home for more details on how you can win!!

Day 3 of Heart and Home Giveaway

My friend from Cali is doing a Giveaway all week long. Today, she is giving away a special laundry soap, called HopeSuds, from Lora Lynn. There are so many good things about this soap...
1. It's all natural
2. It has a fresh, sweet citrus scent
3. It cleans wonderfully
4. Most importantly, 100% of the proceeds going to raise money for the Lynns who are on the journey to adopting a little one from Uganda. Then, it doesn't stop there... When they are finished raising their funds, they are going to go on to raise money for others wanting to give children loving families.

A lot of you don't know this, but for some time, I have been thinking about adoption. It just breaks my heart to think of children out there, that will never have a family to call their own. Never have a birthday celebration. Never sit around the Christmas tree drinking hot chocolate with their families. When the time is right, when God's timing is right... maybe someday.

Check out Heart and Home to enter her giveaway!

New Discovery!!!!

One of my friends, Ashleigh, is hosting a giveaway of some seriously gorgeous jewelery from Lisa Leonard. Check out her beautiful work here. Go to Ashleigh's blog and you can have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Lisa's line. I hope I win!!!:

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

For all of you, whose mouths were watering, the other day, here's the recipe for the gooey cinnamon rolls that I make. I have used a standard recipe that I have found here and tweaked it a bit. Here's how...

I kept the bread machine ingredients and recipe the same, but when it came to the filling, I spread a stick of softened butter on my rolled out dough. Then, I sprinkled about a cup of sugar over the dough. Then rolled it up, and sliced.

Now for the gooey part...
In a saucepan, over medium heat mix...
1 cup of brown sugar
1 stick of butter
6 Tablespoons of light corn syrup

Bring just to a boil, and then turn off. Pour into your greased baking dishes BEFORE you lay the cinnamon rolls in. ** This part is important-- Add only about 1/4 inch of goo in the pans, or it will bubble out and you will have a horrible mess!** Then, bake as the recipe says, until light golden brown. I should also add, this recipe works best with glass pie plates. When they have baked the appropriate time, take out, lay a glass dinner plate over the pie plate and VERY CAREFULLY flip and let goo run over the top of the rolls. Be very careful, as the goo is extremely hot!

Let cool and eat! If you are wanting to freeze them-which they hold up well- just wrap the gooey side on wax paper and slide into a gallon freezer bag. Another reason the pie plate is a great size to bake these with!!

Hope you enjoy them!!!

Buttery Goodness

I woke up this morning, feeling kind of punky, with a head cold. Thankfully, I had some already prepared chicken noodle soup, from one of my freezer cooking days, already in the freezer!! Click here for the recipe. I cook everything except the noodles, and then cool and freeze. When I take it out to cook it, is when I add the egg noodles. That way, they don't get mushy. One other thing, I do, is prepare the chicken in advance, so that it is already diced or shredded for the soup. You can find how I do this, here I also like to double the carrots, onions and celery, and use L.B. Jamison's chicken base instead of broth. It gives a lot more flavor.

What goes even better with a bowl of hot chicken and noodle soup? A hot, yummy, buttery roll!! It took no time at all in my bread machine, and very easy to shape and throw into a buttered pan to rise.

Bread Machine Rolls
Makes 12 large rolls or 24 small

Put these ingredients in bread machine in the order listed...
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups of bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Select dough setting. When dough is complete, turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 or 24 portions. Shape dough into balls, and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cover with syran wrap, and let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 375degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown. When done, I put a little bit of butter on the tops of each bun. Yummy!!

Enjoy!

Yay for free!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE getting fun, free things in the mail!! Look what I got today! I also got some valuable coupons!! What fun things did you get today?

Fun day in School...

We are starting off the week with some fun! This week in our Beyond Hearts for His Glory, we have been learning about the Mayflower, which sailed to America in 1620. There were 102 passengers on board, and it sailed for 66 days, 2,750 miles across the Atlantic Ocean! The girls used 180 'O' shaped cereals to represent the 180 casts or barrels that the ship held.










The girls also added the Mayflower to their timelines.

Reading...

As much as I love to read, I have a hard time finding time to sit down and soak up in a good book. But, I came across this book, "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God", and haven't been able to put it down. It's a very refreshing and really puts into perspective how important our jobs as stay at home moms and wives are! It is very important! He only wants us to give Him our best, so that He can mold us into His best! This book gives a bright insight on what a keeper of the home truly is,and made me feel proud to be a stay at home mom! It also shines light on to how Believers can even neglect to value what God values.

I really like 2 Timothy 4:3, because it's shows us why we need to be very careful what we are taking in... "For a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers." NKJV.

Many so-called, Christian self-help authors, teachers and even bloggers, are eager to tickle our ears and tell us we need more time for ourselves and that we deserve more. But, all that does is rob us of the joy and fulfillment that we could have if we just embraced our God ordained roles. When we submit to His design for home, family, and marriage, then our homemaking will impact our families for God's glory, for generations to come!

I could go on, but I want to finish it, and I don't want to spoil to much for those of you who want to read it! Fabulous book! You can find it here or here.

Freezer Cooking Day 2

So far, last night and today, I have prepared for the freezer...

7 lbs. of shredded chicken, ready to go for any quick recipe
3 lbs. of BBQ Chicken
2 1/2 dozen Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
4 1/2 dozen Corn dog Muffins
1 1/2 dozen Blueberry Almond Crumble Muffins (making more tonight)
1 batch of Homemade Pretzels

My plan for making later this week includes...

Garlic Toast Slices
Taco Pasta
Mac and Cheese
Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches
Chimichangas
Chicken Enchiladas
Buster Bar Dessert
French Onion Soup
Whole Wheat Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls

You can find more ideas on freezer cooking here

Fess Up Friday!

Okay, this isn't usually what I would write about, but thought this might be fun to do and a bit refreshing at that, since there are some moms out there... you know who you are:)... who think I have it all together, all the time.:)And, it's also good to remind me too from time to time that there are other moms out there who have less than "glorious days":) So, I will be the first to confess that it's not all flowers and rainbows, like my blog on a regular day portrays:)I do however, like to organize, keep a clean house, create school schedules, and work on weekly menus, but it's just not a 24/7 reality.:)

First off, I will admit that I can not for the life of me make a fluffy pancake with out it sticking or falling apart in the pan, or make mac and cheese from a box. My husband will attest to that! He is a great cook, and usually will take over in that department.:)I love to cook, but why I can't make the world's most easiest meals... no idea! And, there are some days, when I don't feel like cooking my blog's "scheduled" meal, and wind up with my kids' favorite... cereal!

Secondly, there are some days, when laundry piles up so high on my bed, and then falls off my bed, to the point where I have to take the "sniff test" to see what's clean and what's not... and then usually ends being washed all over again... You see where this is going?:) But, those are the days, when I am not expecting anyone to just pop in... Please don't all rush over at once!Lol!

Thirdly, I am not the "perfect mom" by any stretch! My kids aren't the "best behaved", just because they are home schooled, by any stretch! Planning a trip to the store usually entails this.... Getting the kids ready to go... taking all morning to get there. Then, when we get ready to go, it's time to check to see if everyone has gone potty before we go. Mom usually points out that there are no bathrooms available (even though there are, but we aren't stopping... when in reality we do). Then, we all pile in the car... fighting over who gets the captain seats. Then, as we are driving to our destination, it's bickering about "who's touching who, or who's looking at who"..., followed by mom, threatening to turn the car around. You mom's know what I'm talking about. So, we get to our destination, and before we get out of the car, it's a huge lecture on how to behave in the store... Catch my drift? Then, when we get out, and go in, it's "who touched who, and whose looking at who" all over again... followed by, "Can we get this?" Mom usually, is warning them throughout the store...Not all days, but some. We are really trying to work on this. By the time we are out of the store, I am a bit frazzled, and then it's home to start the cycle of life all over again.

My "schedule" says, that baths for the kids are every other day... reality is that sometimes we as a family, kids joining in, have to play the guessing game to see when one had one last.:)Fridays are supposed to also be our Family Fun Night... usually is. We enjoy playing games with the kids or watching a movie and having snacks together. But, reality is, that sometimes I am so strung out from having an "unscheduled day" that when regular bedtime comes around, I jump at it. Terrible mom? I don't think so.... just not a "perfect mom".

I think what makes us "good moms" or "good homemakers" is not whether we always have our laundry done or that our schedules are always kept, or that our house always is perfect, or if we have 5 course meal planned for dinner... but that we STRIVE to be the moms and wives that God wants us to be. We are imperfect, sinful, human beings, that are going to mess up. Thank goodness for new days!! God wants us to be moms and wives for Him! So, to me that means that all we can do the best job that we can! Does things always get done that we would like or how we would like? Absolutely not! But, I think STRIVING is the key... that's all we can do!

Wow! This was kind of refreshing for me! Hope you got a little laugh out of it, and found it a bit refreshing too! Thanks New Life on a Homestead, for posting this!
What a great idea!

Stay tuned .....

Keep your eyes open for this special edition on Friday! I came across this from another one of my blogging friends, New Life on a Homestead. I actually a little bit excited to post this. I don't know why, because it's about my "dirty laundry". Lol!
But, I think you will enjoy reading about the reality of my less than perfect life!
See you on Friday!

Freezer Cooking Day 1

Wednesday night, I must have got a burst of energy, because I started freezer cooking. I had planned to do it on Thursday, but thought I would start a little bit earlier, since I had to teach school as well. So, on Wednesday night, I made 9 turkey and swiss melts, and 9 turkey and cheddar melts, wrapped them individually in foil and then in freezer bags. Now, when we are in a hurry, we can just pull one out and microwave it, to get the cheese all gooey!

I also made French Onion Soup, and I have to say, it turned out fabulous!!! So yummy! I made Julia Child's version of it, minus the wine. I read in her book, that if you don't use a good wine... one that you would drink yourself... then it was better to just leave out, so I just added more broth instead. The broth that I used is L.B. Jamison's Beef Soup Base. I find that it isn't so bland as canned beef broth, and has a nice, rich flavor. It is hard to find, so you might have to look around.

Then, Thursday, I started with the other half of Day 1 cooking. I was able to put in the freezer, Chicken Noodle Soup, Beef fajita mix, Chicken enchiladas, peanut butter and granola bananas, 2 meatloaves, corn dog muffins and some lime juice cubes.

If you haven't thought about Freezer cooking you should try it! It is a bit time consuming, but worth it to have a freezer packed with easy meals. During the week, when we are homeschooling, it's nice just to be able to pull something easy out with no or little work to prepare. I have two books that I think are great books to use for cooking..."Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer" and "More, Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer". Excellent books, however, you can freeze really just about anything. Both of the books, though give you tips on how to prep for cooking day and how to store your preparations.

I will try and post some of these recipes soon!

Got a craving for some S'mores?

This is one of our family's favorite little snack.... so easy, and so yummy!!!














Smore Drops

4 cups of Golden Grahams
1-1/2 cups of miniature marshmellows
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup of light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine cereal and marshmellows; set aside. Place the chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter in a 1 quart microwave safe dish. Microwave uncovered, on high, for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Drop by tablespoons onto wax paper.
Makes 2-1/2 dozen.

Yesterday, I discovered that I had quite of few bananas that were getting ripe, and I didn't have any eggs to make banana bread right then, so I decided that I was going to try and freeze them. It worked! I just sliced and flash froze them and put them into 3 or 4 quart size freezer bags. Now, I will have them handy to make bread later or a yummy smoothie!

I'm back and ready to Blog!!

Yay! I'm back!! It's been a long time, and I have been anxious to get back and post some things. We have moved, lets see... a few times in the last few months... crazy!! I hope that I am a little more settled now, and can get back to reality a little more... we will see.:)

A couple of days ago, I found an awesome find on Craigs List for a bread machine! So, yesterday, I went to whipped up some whole wheat buns. They turned out awesome! The recipe called for regular flour, and whole wheat flour, but next time, I think I will use bread flour instead of regular. I think they will raise a little more. But, here is the recipe from one of my favorite frugal mom websites Money Saving Mom

I did add about 1 Tablespoon more of sugar, and then brushed the tops with honey butter. They were very yummy!!! Enjoy!!!