I Feel Like a Giveaway!

This post contains affiliate links: You can read my disclosure policy here.

I like giveaways. I like sharing the wonderful things I’ve found with others, especially when I know how huge a blessing it could be to them. I have several ebook bundles that I’m going to be giving away in this post. If you’d like to find out more about ebooks and blessings, you can read my post here.

First off…

It’s the New Year! We’re well enough into it that people are more likely to stick with something now. All of the excitement of the holidays is over and life is mostly back to normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t focus on getting a bit smart about how you’re using your time.

Here’s a bundle to help you get on that pathway!

Budgeting Your Time and Money

Books included in this giveaway bundle:
From Debtor to Better by Barry @ From Debtor to Better ($10.00)
Tell Your Time by Amy @ Blogging with Amy ($2.99)
The Homemakers Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy @ Raising Arrows ($4.99)
Your Grocery Budget Toolbox by Anne @ Authentic Simplicity ($7.99)
Finding Financial Freedom by Kelly Crawford @ Generation Cedar ($5.97)
Become a Frugalista in 30 Days by Susan @ The Confident Mom ($3.99)

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Secondly….

In every marriage {and any relationships for that matter} there is always room for improvement. These are some great ebooks to help bring to light things that may need a bit of improving in your own marriage, and how to go about it.

Building a Stronger and Better Marriage

Rekindling Romance by Jason & Jami @ A Biblical Marriage ($4.99)
Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)
31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ Ashley Pichea ($4.99)
31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($4.99)
Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair by Amy @ Amy J. Bennett ($4.99)

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Lastly…

With all these winter storms and dangerously cold weather, there have been quite a few whispers said about the potential baby boom that’s coming this fall. I know for our family and friends, there are 6 or 7 babies being born in the next 8 months!

This bundle has some wonderful books in it to help you get ready

Preparing for Your Pregnancy and Baby

First Bites by Hilary @ Accidentally Green ($9.99)
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Stress-Free Baby Shower by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($4.00)
Unbound Birth by Jenny @ The Southern Institute ($4.99)
My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy @ Simply Designs ($9.99)
My Buttered Life Baby Edition by Renee @ Made On Hard Lotion ($5.00)
The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($5.00)
Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide by Angie @ Redeeming Childbirth ($3.99)

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An Interview with MelodyIndependent Consultant for Lilla Rose

First off: DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY! It ends TONIGHT!

Thank you so much Melody for stopping by, and for the giveaway! I have to tell you, before I tried Lilla Rose Flexi Clips, I wasn’t sure what to make of them. I would see them on different blogs and in giveaways, but they just didn’t excite me. Now I absolutely love the one I have and hope to get a few more for my girls as stocking stuffers!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your family…

Thank you so much for letting me share about Lilla Rose! My name is Melody Detwiler. I am the wife of Josiah, and the mother of 3 little boys - and another baby due next summer! Our household is busy, and I really enjoy spending each day with my boys! :) 

What interested you in Lilla Rose?

Since our home is filled with 'all things boy' (which I love!) my husband graciously encouraged me to sell Lilla Rose! I'm so grateful he encouraged me to join as I have been having a wonderful time - I enjoy playing with hair, showing ladies different styles, meeting new people at parties, and the aspect of earning money while being a stay at home mom with very limited time! 

The aspect I most enjoy is handing a busy mother a flexi clip, and watching her easily style her hair in a lovely way. What a joy it has been for me on the busy mornings to be able to quickly put my hair up - and have it look lovely and feminine! In this season of life, I do not have much time each morning to style my hair, and so Lilla Rose has been a huge blessing for me. And to share this joy with others is so fun!

What are you favorite pieces?

I have many favorite pieces -- I'll try to pick just a few to show you! :)  

Those are all beautiful: The Celtic Knot one is on my list. Tell me about the special that you’re doing right now for new customers.

Right now, I am offering a wonderful special for new customers to Lilla Rose. If you have never purchased from Lilla Rose before, you may purchase 3 or more items on my site and receive a free item of your choice! This is limited to 1 offer per household, and up to a $16 value.  Simply purchase 3 or more items on my site, then email me saying you have done so. I will reply and ask what item you would like for your free item! Note, the free item will ship separately from your order and will take a little longer to arrive.
I would love for you to follow me on Facebook where I post sales and new clips!

Thanks again Melody! Be sure to enter in the giveaway: It ends TONIGHT!

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Lilla Rose ~ a Giveaway

I’ve got something awesome coming your way! About a month ago I was approached by an independent consultant for Lilla Rose, about whether I would be interested in reviewing a flexi hair clip and doing a giveaway on my blog. I said “Sure!” I’ve always seen these things floating around online and have entered into giveaways for them, because I wasn’t sure if I would actually LIKE the clip. I’m kind of particular about my hair…comfort: That’s my big pre-req for anything I do in my hair.

Melody was fantastic, we talked about what kind of hair I have, how I usually do my hair, and what size clip would do best in my hair for how I wear my hair most often. A few days later a package arrived in the mail with this beauty in it…

Given how I wear my hair {up and off my face} and the thickness and body to my hair, Melody figured a Large Flexi-Clip would work well in my hair. And boy, does it ever! This clip is simple, beautiful, just a bit of elegance to it, and actually just as comfortable as my no-metal elastic hair band. My hair went…

Which one do you think looks more like the pulled together Mama, who’s embracing beauty?! This clip is fantastic! I didn’t think I would love it as much as I do, but…I DO! I may have to look into getting a smaller one so that I can put my hair half-up, since I like that, but never do it because my rubber bands are too big.

Lucky for you Melody was gracious enough to be willing to giveaway one of the Mini Princess Tiara Flexi-Clip {the smaller version of what is in my hair}. Click HERE to find out more about Clip Fits.

I think I may even have to take advantage of the special that Melody is doing for new customers: Buy 3 clips, and get the 4th FREE! I’m sure I can find a few clips and other pieces for me and the girls’ Christmas stockings :-)

You can find Melody’s site HERE and visit her Facebook page HERE. And now…for the GIVEAWAY!!!!

Enter HERE…..
Winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 26th

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An Interview with Kateri of Tangled Basket Farm

Today I’m going to be sharing a short interview I had with Kateri, of Tangled Basket Farm. Kateri is the gal behind the beautiful baskets and the wonderful garlic that they make, grow, and sell. Thanks Kateri for stopping by today…

Tell us a bit about Tangled Basket Farms: What do you specialize in? 

My husband and I bought our little 13 acre farm in 2009. We were living in Ann Arbor, MI at the time and one of the commitments he made to me when we got married is that we would move out into the country. We were specifically looking for a plot of land between 5-10 acres where I would have enough room for gardens, orchards and a large willow plot and some animals, but at the same time would not be be overwhelmed with a large amount of land to take care of.

I grew up way out in the country in upstate NY, and feel much more at home with country life. Both my husband and I work full time (I am a registered nurse who keeps very busy doing homecare nursing), but we are slowly building our dream bringing in an income from our land as well. We currently have a flock of beloved hens that lay eggs for us and a set of miniature goat triplets (Sherlock, Watson, and Emily) who do weed control and provide lots of entertainment. 

Each year since we have been here I have doubled my basket willow patch, and this fall, I finally will have enough willow from my own property to make a few dozen baskets. (It takes four years from planting a willow shoot to having a mature willow bush). We also grow heirloom garlic. We use only organic practices on our farm. 

How did you learn to weave baskets?

I believe I was 8 or 9. A family friend came and showed my entire family how to weave a simple basket using store bought reed as part of a homeschool project. From that time on, one of my favorite things to do was to go into the woods with a pair of pruners and weave baskets from vines, grasses, and wild willow. It became something that I did to relax. When I was in my teens I often wove 2 or 3 each week. I have only ever used wild materials or materials that I grew myself in my basket making. 

I would love to learn, but have no one to teach me: Can you recommend any books or videos?

I must admit, I am not good at learning hands on skills out of a book. I really need someone to show me how to do things. I have several basket books, but I use them more for inspiration, and the only new techniques I have learned, have been through someone showing me how to do them. My suggestion would be to see if any one teaches classes in your area. The other possibility might be look for tutorials on You Tube. 

Love your garlic! How much garlic do you plant each fall? 

It is a work in progress!  I've grown garlic for years, and have always hoped to have enough land to be able to plant enough to sell. I spent the first few years after moving to Tangled Basket Farm building up my seed stock so that we would have enough to sell. This is the first year that we were able to sell some and still have enough to plant. This fall I put over 2500 cloves in the ground. The plan is to sell about two thirds of the harvest next year and replant the other third. I currently have 9 varieties in the ground for harvest next summer. 

What tips do you have for new garlic planters?

Garlic loves soft loamy soil, the lighter the soil, the bigger bulbs you will get. It is very important to plant in the fall. Garlic will spend the winter putting down a strong root system and in the spring it will be one of the first things to pop up once the weather warms up. In late spring the garlic plants will send up a flower bud. This is called a garlic scape. The scape needs to be cut off, other wise all the energy from the bulb will go into the flower head and you will end up with a small bulb. As an added bonus, the scape is edible and should be considered a vegetable in it's own right. It has a mild garlic  flavor and can be used in any dish that uses garlic, but can be used in larger qualities because it is so mild.
Here is a link to a post where I go into more detail about planting garlic.

Thank you so much for not only talking with me, but also sharing your beautiful handwork for the giveaway!

Be sure you enter in the giveaway: It ends tonight!

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Tangled Basket Farm ~ a Giveaway

OH boy! Do I have a beautiful giveaway to share with you today! Last year I had ordered some garlic from Tangled Basket Farm, planted it, tended it, loved it! We ate all of what we had planted pretty quickly this year, so I had to order more of my favorite Killarney Red. Fortunately, they now have an Etsy shop with all their garlic goodness, as well as their beautiful hand woven baskets.

And that, my friends, is what YOU have a chance of winning. Kateri, owner of Tangled Basket Farm, is an incredible basket weaver, and is generously giving away one of her hand-woven baskets, made of wild willow and braided cornhusk. It has a willow handle and measures 10.5" x 8" x 8" tall, and approximately 4" deep. The perfect size to stuff full of goodies for a Christmas gift basket!

Enter here….Winner will be announced on Saturday, November 9th.

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Remember that Survey?

Yea, I remember it too. Not to worry. I’ve been reading and re-reading over the input I received, and thinking and re-thinking all of it. Thank you again to all of you who filled it out.

I certainly appreciated all of the insight, I’m obvious not going to change certain aspects of this blog, because then it wouldn’t be me. Yes, I did agree with some of the changes {more on that in a bit}, but some just deviate too much from what I want this space to be. So, please, feel free to ignore the posts that you would rather less of.

That said.

Quite a few commented that they would like to see fewer book review posts; I wanted to take a bit of time to address that. I like books. Ok, I LOVE books! As a blogger there are several publishers out there who offer FREE books to people who would be willing to give an honest review in exchange for a book. Win-Win. The stipulation is that the recipient does need to post on their blog about the book.

A few months ago, I had several reviews that went live within a couple of weeks of each other: I was on a reading kick and wanted to get them off my plate. It was unusual for me to have that many review posts going up at once.

In the future, I will try and limit book review posts, to one per month {and there may be months that there aren’t any reviews}. That way I can still get my free books {I’m on a budget here and our rinky-dink library doesn’t have many books in the Christian anything genre}, and you don’t have to be subjected to a plethora of boring book reviews. HOWEVER, if I come across a book that I absolutely want to share with you, I might have to break my 1-post-per-month policy. Again though, you’re free to just ignore those posts and I will try and restrain myself.

As for the rest, I’m going to attempt to keep a balance between life, writing, recipes, and quilting posts :-) And don’t worry, there will be giveaways too. I have another one coming up in September.

5 Days of Giveaways – Giveaway Round Up

Here’s the entries for all the giveaways from this week: Remember they all end tonight!

Thank you to Shannon for contributing a copy of Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson.
All other giveaways were provided by myself.

Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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 Day 4
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 Day 5
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5 Days of Giveaways—Day #4

Be sure to check out the other giveaways too; remember they all close on Sunday night!

Fashion & Beauty eBook Bundle
Set of 4 Summer Flowers Note Cards
1 Copy of Desperate by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson

I have a secret: I love, LOVE Amazon.com. Seriously. It’s my favorite things. We get a lot of our stuff delivered right to the house from Amazon.com with their Subscribe & Save option. We live nowhere close to anywhere, so it’s a big help for me to not have to drive 45 minutes when we need things that aren’t perishable (i.e. overnight diapers, wipes, toilet paper, Pamela’s Baking Mix, and any other thing that may come along).

Since Amazon.com is one of my favorite online places to shop, AND I love books, AND I know I have 200 books on my own Amazon.com wish list I figured I’d give you the opportunity to pick up one of the books on your wish list!



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5 Days of Giveaways – Day #3

Don’t forget to enter the other giveaways; for the Fashion & Beauty eBook Bundle and the Set of 4 Summer Flowers Note Cards!

Today’s is a great giveaway! I’ve reviewed this book here on the blog, bought an extra copy to share amongst friends, and now a friend of mine is wanting to share a copy with one of you!

Thank you to my friend, Shannon, from ArrangedbyGod.com for contributing a copy of
Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
to my 5 Days of Giveaways!

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5 Days of Giveaways – Day #2

Don’t forget about yesterday’s giveaway for the Fashion & Beauty eBook Bundle!

Up for today is:

a Set of 4 Summer Flowers Blank Note Cards {of my own photographing and making}

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5 Days of Giveaways – Day #1

{Post contains affiliate links: Read my Disclosure Policy Here}

The first giveaway will be for a Fashion & Beauty themed eBook bundle, containing:

The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley Morgan

Frumps to Pumps by Sarah Mae

Embracing Beauty by Trina Holden

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Let’s Party!

Next Sunday (7.21) is my 31st birthday. Last year I did a giveaway to celebrate. This year I’ve decided to go a bit crazy and have a few more giveaways! I’m not even sure yet what all I have lined up for giving away, but all of them are things that I myself have enjoyed enough to want to share them with all of you! There will be books, and ebooks, and a few other fun things too! The first giveaway will go live tomorrow {Monday} morning.

So be sure to check back soon!!

Survey Giveaway Winner

First off, I’d like to thank all of you who took the survey. It was fun to read what people liked, didn’t like, and were interested in reading more of. Needless to say, I will be taking your feedback and giving it careful consideration. So thank you to all of you.

That said the winner of the ebook was Mary D: I’ll be emailing you shortly. 

Valentine’s Day Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the winner: Amy L.

I’ve sent you an email….as soon as I hear back I’ll be sure to get the necklace in the mail to you!

Ok…so I’m sure you all lost a ton of sleep wondering what was the truth about me and what was the fib.

I spent my 22nd birthday in Ireland.
       I actually did, sitting in a pub in Cork, called the Thirsty Scholar, with a great bunch of people that I had only met a few weeks earlier {we were all in the same study abroad program}.

I knew my husband’s sister before I knew him.
       We were actually in dance together when we were 8 {me} and 6 {her}, and then did a lot of the high school musicals together as well. Of course, I can’t actually find one of the pictures right now…a lovely one of us in our rainbow hued tiger print spandex…gorgeous!

I was reading John Grisham books when I was 13 years old.
       My favorites were The Client and The Pelican Brief.

In college I majored in Accounting.
      I actually majored in English; however, I did quite a few accounting courses. Which wasn’t really helpful, because an English degree is not worth much. I ended up doing Accounts Payable for a local production plant that was part of a large national corporation.

I was in remedial reading class in school.
      I’m still not sure why I was, but I was. It always really upset me that the kids in the advanced class were reading books that I had already read, on my own, years earlier. I think I was bored and just didn’t pay much attention to the books that were assigned.

Last Day for A Giveaway!

Don’t forget to hop on over to all the giveaways going on!
They all end at midnight tonight. You don’t want to miss out on something fantabulous!

Valetine's Day Giveaway!

If you remember at the beginning of December some of my “Mastermind Group” decided to team up for a massive giveaway. No, we’re not doing that again, but I definitely felt the need for a little giveaway amidst the quiet of February. A few of us decided to do a much smaller Blog Hop Giveaway, for only a few days…and here it is!

What do we have for you?

*Natasha from NatashaMetzler.com {author of Pain Redeemed} is giving away a Set of 16 Valentines {2 each of 8 designs}

*Kateri from Dandelion Haven is giving away seed packs of 4 varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes

*Gretchen from GretchenLouise.com is doing a 24 hour giveaway for a Copy of Christin Slade’s new e-book, “Blog at Home Mom” , which releases today! As well as some other book goodies!

*Shannon from ArrangedbyGod.com is giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon.com.

*Ginger from GingerTruitt.com is giving away a Delectable Box of Chocolates.

Lots of fun things to brighten not only your February, but your Valentine’s Day too!

So, there you have it. Be sure to hop on over to everyone’s blog, real fast, because it ends at 11:59pm on February 6th {EST}!

On to my giveaway!

A while ago I posted about this wonderful tutorial that I had found to make necklaces from clear glass tiles and pictures {I’m not a jewelry person, but the one I made myself I love and wear it whenever I can}. Well, here’s your chance to get your hands on one without having to do anything…well, at least not anything too involved.

I’m going to be giving away one of these necklaces, the one up in the picture: It’s a Pink Asiatic Lily on a black cord/ribbon, with clasp.

Here’s how to enter:

The giveaway is now closed. Winner will be announced soon.

The Winner is…

Thank you so much to all of you who entered the giveaway. I had such a fun time doing this, as well as getting to read all of your comments; it was such a blessing!

I hope you had fun too, and found some wonderful new blogs to read. I also hope to see you back around these parts again :-)

A Few More of My Favorite Things: Christmas Books!

I love books, I love Christmas books even more! Over the years I’ve asked what everyone’s favorite Christmas reads were, because I was always at a loss of what to read. This year is different! This year I’m coming to YOU with some suggestions! {I’ll give you a second to be awed of me…you’re welcome}.

Mind you…I don’t have a ton of suggestions and only have those I do because of a flyer I got in the mail for a local Christian book store.

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
There is a {e}pre-equel to this on amazon.com called The Beginning

Susanna’s Christmas Wish by Jerry S. Eicher

A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs

 

A Wild Goose Chase Christmas by Jennifer AlLee

The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson

Have you discovered a new Christmas favorite? I’d love to hear about it.
Don’t forget to enter the Ladder Bloggers Giveaway if you haven’t already…be sure to check out the other blogs too. There are some awesome gifts!

A Few of My Favorite Things

The Sound of Music has long be a family favorite. My grandmother grew up in Germany during WW2, coming to America in the 50s: Her favorite song was Edelweiss. There’s one song from that movie that most of us probably know, My Favorite Things. Only a few songs can instantly cheer me and bring me to tears at the same time….and that is one of them.


In honor of our massive Ladder Blogger giveaway {Be sure to go and check out the more than 20 awesome items that you could win!}, I’ve decided to share a few things that make being a part of a Mastermind Blogging Group one of my favorite things.

• A group of like-minded women who are willing to give me feedback on any number of crazy ideas and questions I may have.
• Always there to answer any prayer requests I may have
• They help to spread the word when I have something I’m excited about on my blog, whether through twitter or facebook
• They make blogging conferences a lot less scary and a lot more fun
• Accountability…being a part of a group helps me to focus on the what and why of blogging
• The new friendships I have formed

Here’s what I have to offer you…if you are interested in being a part of a Mastermind Group, START ONE. Pick 2 or 3 of your readers that you have really connected with, invite them to join you, invite them to invite 1 or 2 people to your group.

My group consists of 20 women, many of which I have had the privilege to meet and spend time with in person as well as online, women that I would NEVER have met if it hadn’t been for one person, asking me to join their little group. We’re set up as a private group on Facebook, where we can share and talk about blogging…that thing that most people in our {REAL} lives do not get!

So, start one. It can be whatever you want it to be. But honestly, don’t go the blogging thing alone, it’s wonderful having other PEOPLE to share it with.

And yes, one of these Christmas, my girls will be dressed in white dresses with blue satin sashes.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

The Winners are....

Congratulations to the luck winners of my Honey Bees post!

Rafflecopter went suddenly crazy and picked 5 winners, but I figure I'd go with it:-)  

Entry #110Maria M.

Entry #118Susan C.

Entry #134T.h. R.

Entry #72Samantha R.

Entry #56Kateri F.