IndoctriNation Giveaway Winner

The IndoctriNation giveaway is now closed. Here is what Random.org had to say this morning:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
21
Timestamp: 2012-01-21

That means that Katy~The Country Blossom is our winner!
Congratulations Katy, I'll be emailing you!

IndoctriNation: A DVD Giveaway

I have been so impressed with the IndoctriNation movie. If you missed it, you can read my short review of it here. I wish that this movie could be handed out to all Christian families, for free, so that everyone could easily have a chance to see it. It's that important. It's that good.

I'd like to give away a copy of the movie here on my blog. If you'd like to win this DVD, here are the giveaway rules:

1. Leave a comment here telling me if you're already a homeschooler or looking into homeschooling or if you've never even considered homeschooling.

2. FB or Tweet about this giveaway and leave me a separate comment telling me you did for an extra entry!(optional)

Please make sure I have a way of contacting you if you win.

Giveaway will end Friday January 20th at midnight- California time!

A Wonderful Homestead Giveaway!

Daniel and Abby Jo over at Forgotten Way Farms are having an absolutely wonderful giveaway that you WILL NOT want to miss!
Giveaway HERE.

Poppy and Pearl Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all who entered the Poppy and Pearl Co. give away! Here's what random.org said this afternoon:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

34
Timestamp: 2011-10-21

That means that Kimberly is our winner! Congratulations!

Poppy and Pearl Co. - A Giveaway *CLOSED*

As promised, a giveaway that has something to do with Mason jars! What woman doesn't just love Mason jars? Especially the unique ones. Just thinking about them gets me all excited. Of course, you may be a totally normal person who doesn't get giddy over them and I may just be a weirdo.
Whether you're a Mason jar junkie like me or not, you'll still love what I've got to share.

Poppy and Pearl Co. has graciously offered to give away one of their Mason Jar Tumblers to one lucky winner!
These are perfect for our family since we steer clear of putting anything into plastic!

Bobbi Bankston is the shop owner and creator of everything you'll find at Poppy and Pearl Co. on Etsy. She is a momma of three sweet little boys and a wife to one husband. She and her family live in the happiest place on earth........no, it's not Disneyland.........it's the California Mother Lode! Let me take a moment to allow Bobbi to share a little;

Tell us a little bit about yourself....
Hi, my name is Bobbi. I LOVE living in the beautiful town of Sonora, the place I was born and raised. I married a really cool guy 14 years ago and we now have three amazing, rowdy boys who are 8, 5, and 2. I love gardening, baking, fishing, hydrangeas, snowboarding, dates with the hubby and coffee. Coffee should have been first on the list... I think it's my #1 priority in life ; )

What gave you the desire to open Poppy and Pearl Co.?
I've always adored Etsy... it truly is genius! After working (outside the home) last year, I realized that I needed something that was "my own". I desired a career that would make me smile and allow me to work from home. I LOVE girly things and in a house full of boys I was happy at the thought of doing something that expressed "me" and also gave me a creative outlet. Several close friends of mine who are also Etsy shop owners, inspired and encouraged me to take the leap of faith, make the career change and give it a go. And so, Poppy and Pearl Co. was born on August 2nd.

Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes mostly from the vintage fabric, doilies and lace that I have collected. I've been lucky to find (and been given) so many wonderful materials. I adore vintage lace and doilies- such lovely treasures!
My new Mason Jar Tumblers featured for the giveaway are kind of like my pride and joy right now. The Mason Jar is extremely popular and so many people have created wonderful uses for them. Using them as beverage tumblers are eco-friendly and they look pretty in your hand which makes them very Poppy and Pearl. Getting the word out is a very exciting process for me!


What new items do you see Poppy and Pearl Co. creating in the future?
I would LOVE to expand my Mason Jar lids, starting with "fermenting lids" for the gallon size jars. I have been working on lace earrings and necklaces and also collecting vintage bags to add to the shop in the next few months.


Bobbi was even kind enough to send me a sample of her tumbler toppers so that I could try them out for myself.

They are absolutely wonderful!

To enter the giveaway here's what you need to do:
1. Check out the Poppy and Pearl Co. shop on Etsy and let me know, via a comment, which of Bobbi's items really catches your eye.
2. (Optional 2nd entry) Blog about this giveaway and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you did.
3. (Optional 3rd entry) FB or Tweet this giveaway and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me that you did.

This giveaway will be open until October 20th.

Root Cellaring Give Away Winner

O.k., it's Friday night and I'm pooped. The bed is calling my name and I can't wait until tomorrow. Why? Because tomorrow I have nothing to do but sew!

Well, and take care of the kids, and prepare meals, and get puppy food, and laundry, and organize my stash of fabrics....which by the way I'm thinking of getting rid of. Not all of it of course, I may have gone purge happy , but not that purge happy. Is there anything that you are looking for? I have an abundance of Moda....especially pre-cuts. Let me know if there is. Maybe I can send something your way.
I'm rambling now. See, that's what happens when I blog at night. By the way, it's only 7:59pm right now. Can you tell I'm one of those early to bed, early to rise gals?

Anywho, on with the give away......

Random. org (a give away blogger's best friend) said this tonight......

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

19

Which means that Amanda from Homegrown and Beeyoutiful is the winner!

YAY!! I love giving things away- to anyone really, but it's even a little bit sweeter when Random.org chooses one of your blogging friends!

Thank you so very much to everyone who entered the give away.

Next week I have a really fun give away to share that I know you'll love. I'll give you a hint- it includes Mason Jars! See ya then!

Root Cellaring- A Give Away *CLOSED*

Technically it is still September. The 30th- but still September! I did get the opportunity to read "The Joy of Keeping A Root Cellar" earlier this month, I just haven't gotten around to putting up a post for the give away until now.
First, my pros and cons on the book.
Pros: The biggest thing that I love about this book is that the author actually HAS a root cellar on her farm. This isn't someone just writing about what she has researched. Jennifer Megyesi is living it at Fat Rooster Farm in Vermont.
The book has a bunch of information on canning, freezing and drying fruits, vegetables, herbs and meats. It also has some information on smoking meats. The story that Jennifer tells about her homemade smoker is hilarious! You'll have to read the book to find out for yourself.
There are also some great looking recipes included in the book.

Cons: My only real "con" in this book is the section on smoking. I would have loved to have more information on it, including lots of recipes and how to's. The only recipe that is shared in that section is one, "For five hundred pounds of hams." No, really, that's it. Of course, I could reduce the recipe by maybe 10 times to get something accurate on what I'd actually do here at home.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I hope that you will too!

To enter the give away please do the following:

1. Leave a comment here telling me what you'd most like to learn from this book.
2. (Optional 2nd entry) Blog about this giveaway for an additional entry and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you did.
3. (Optional 3rd entry) FB or Tweet this giveaway and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me that you did.

The give away will be open until Friday October 7th.

What better way to be prepared than to have a supply of food at your fingertips that is preserved? Join the Preparedness Challenge!

Beekeeping Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered my Beekeeping Giveaway. Today Random.org said........

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

26
Timestamp: 2011-08-27

That means that Carol is our winner!

Congratulations to you Carol! Next month I'll be giving away a book on Root Cellaring- stay tuned!

Beekeeping- Review and Giveaway** CLOSED**

This month I read the book "Beekeeping" to review. Boy, did I enjoy this read! The book isn't too thick- only 128 pages, but I loved every page! I think I read through it in just a couple of days. Each day I was excited to read what else Joanna Ryde had to say. Being new to beekeeping myself I found this book to be super helpful with lots and lots of information. Topics are made simple for the novice to grasp and the book is actually entertaining too.
The only few "cons" I would give this book are the fact that there are no real photos. All the pictures are drawings. There also isn't much detailed information about mite control. I've heard a lot about mites destroying entire colonies. I haven't noticed any in our hive as of yet. For better information about diseases and bugs that may infest your hives, try looking for a book that specifically has to do with raising bees in your area. If you're on the California Coast, this book is great.
Overall though, Beekeeping is certainly a book I would add to my collection. It would make a great quick reference. It offers a fantastic general knowledge that is perfect for the beginner, like me. If you know someone who wants to start a colony or that has just begun their adventure in beekeeping, this book would make an excellent gift!

If you'd like the chance to win a coy of the book here's how you can:
1. Leave a comment here letting me know if you already keep bees or are hoping to in the future.
2. FB or Tweet about this giveaway and leave a separate comment letting me know that you did
3. Blog about this giveaway (a simple post will do just fine) and leave a separate comment letting me know that you did

The giveaway will be open until August 26th and a winner will be chosen the following week.

This post is linked to the Barn Hop!

The Homestead Handboook Giveaway Winner!

Well, I'm up at at 'em this morning! Here we go with a winner!
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
22

Timestamp: 2011-08-01 6:30....as in AM! :)

That means that our winner is........ Brie said...
"I am brand new starting out on my journey to homesteading. We have two years before we can actually separate and go off grid. I really need all the info I can get in preparation for the big move."

Brie, I don't have a way of contacting you so I need you to contact me. Leave a message here with your email or email me directly at mountainhomequilts@charter.net

Thanks to all who entered! This month I'll be reading "Beekeeping" and giving away a copy. Stay tuned!

The Homesteading Handbook- Review and Giveaway*CLOSED*

When I got these books from Skyhorse Publishing, I chose to read The Homesteading Handbook first because it intrigued me the most. Now that I have read through it I have to say that I am both impressed and not impressed at the same time. Is that possible? Here are my pros and cons of the book....The Pros: (isn't it better to start off with the good news?)
- This book covers nearly everything. Seriously. I was AMAZED at how many topics it covered. We're talking, gardening, canning, drying, freezing, edible wild plants, all types of poultry, beekeeping, goats, sheep, llamas, building doghouses, birdhouses, poultry houses, fences, bridges, workshops, smokehouses, root cellars, small barns, using alternate forms of energy in the form of hydro power, solar power, wind energy, making things like candles and soap, knitting, pottery, herbal medicine and first aid. PHEW!! Did you get through all that? Really there is a lot covered in this book.
- The photos in the book are great. Nice shots with great color!
- The section on "Edible Wild Plants and Mushrooms" was a fantastic addition. I haven't seen a homesteading book yet that included it. Along with pictures, descriptions, locations and "edible parts and preparing" notes.
- I was also impressed with the canning section. Lots of great information. It's like a canning book inside of a homesteading book.

-Llamas. Most books don't even mention them. If you're an avid knitter, how great would it be to spin your own yarn?
- Cheesmaking! While there are only a couple recipes in the book, they are all that I would need to start off...mozzarella, cheddar, the book even has instructions on making a simple cheese press.

The Cons:
- Because the book covers so many topics in only 268 pages, each topic is covered very briefly. If you're looking into raising honeybees then this book is not going to be sufficient, even though it has a section on them. The section on turkeys talks about having a male and female to have offspring but fails to mention that only certain breeds of turkeys can reproduce without "help." If you're looking for a book on a certain topic like raising goats, building barns or even gardening, a specialized book would better suit your needs.
- There is not one thing in this book on cows!?? Whether for milk or meat.
- There is nothing in this book on wild game or hunting. Elk, deer, jackrabbits, etc. Really going "back to basics" would certainly include obtaining meat from other sources than the grocery store.
- There is nothing on rabbits. My new love of rabbit meat, their ease of butchering and raising has got me wishing that this book covered them.

All in all, the book is far from perfect....but most homesteading books are. They may cover one topic very well (in the case of this book, I'd say it's canning) and leave much to be desired on others. If you're into canning, building smokehouses and would like a general knowledge on most farm things, then this book would certainly work for you!

I'll be giving away one copy of this book to one reader. If you'd like to enter the giveaway here's what you need to do for one or more entries:
1. Leave a comment telling me what homesteading skill you'd most like to learn
2. Post this giveaway on your Facebook page and then leave another comment letting me know that you did
3. Blog about this giveaway (it can be as simple as, "Look! Here's a giveaway!" with a link) and then leave another comment letting me know that you did

The giveaway will close on July 31st at 7pm (PST) The winner will be announced during the first week of August. Please make sure that you leave a way for me to contact you, or make sure that you are checking back during that first week to see if you've won! I'll also announce the winner on my FB page.
Happy entering!

book reviews + giveaways

I am super excited to share this post with you! The nice folks over at Skyhorse Publishing have asked me to review and giveaway a few of their publications, which I gladly accepted. Look what came in the mail today...
I'll be reviewing The Homesteading Handbook this month and giving away a copy. In August I'll review Beekeeping and giving away a copy. Then in September I'll review The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar and give away a copy of it too. Which of the books is the most or least appealing to you?
I am really looking forward to 3 months of great reading, sharing my thoughts with you and sending these 3 books to 3 lucky winners. I hope you'll stick around!

Homeschool Giveaway Winners

Yes, I said winnerS. I decided to give away two copies of the "Building a Winning Curriculum" from Vision Forum instead of one! So here we go...
Random.org did something this morning that I don't think I've ever seen it do....it selected #1 as one of the numbers. #1!! Most folks think that if they are the #1 commenter, they have a less chance of getting chosen. Why? I don't know. The chances are just the same. I guess just because no one keeps track of how often #27 or #89 is chosen.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

1, 25

Timestamp: 2011-02-19


That means that, Tricia from Mommyx12 and Andi from Declared Unto Him are our winners!
Congratulations! Please email me your mailing info: mountainhomequilts@charter.net

Passionate Housewives Winner!

And our winner is:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
36
Timestamp: 2011-01-30

That means that: Laura of Harvest Lane said...
If only we could buy and find time to read all the books we wish to read!
Laura

Congrats Laura and thank you to all who entered. If you didn't win then I would urge you to purchase a copy of this book and read it yourself. Vision Forum often has sales on it- it will be money well spent!(P.S. The book is currently on sale, right now, for a great price!!)
Blessings to you this Sunday!

Passionate Housewives Giveaway**CLOSED**

I purchased "Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God" by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald over a year ago. I don't even know how I got the email ad for the book. I figured it must have been though something else I had signed up for. Apparently God works even through emails. That was something I wasn't aware of.

The book was just coming out and for promotion, it was only $7. The description intrigued me and I figured, "$7? What do I have to lose?" Well, except for the $7. When it arrived I think I set it aside to read at a later date. After all, there isn't much reading going on around here unless it's a book geared towards ages 6 and under.Once I did finally get a chance to open it and start reading, I was hooked. I "passionately" read the pages every day and by the end of the book I had multiple new feelings. My first was of deep conviction. This book plainly tells it like it is with no foo-foo and frills to make you "feel good." It shares God's plan for mothers and homemakers. It's calls out all the women who are so caught up in "me" time and other "priorities." My next feeling was of pure joy! I thought, you mean to tell me that the desires of my heart are truly God's plan for me? That the way I have been thinking all along, those gut instincts and maternal feelings are right? And the world is wrong? Yep. Praise God!

Here's a little about the book, in it's own words,

"Have you struggled to reconcile God’s vision of virtuous womanhood with worldly myths that marginalize and mock the role of the homemaker? Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker’s calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman — the wife whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, or her money-making skills? Such is the image of the “desperate housewife” that the modern media, culture, and feminism are promoting with great energy.
In a delightfully fresh and honest way, this book addresses these issues head-on and provides fresh vision for the hopeful homemaker. Hear a former “Christian” feminist share how she went from a die-hard homemaker-in-training to a dedicated career woman and then back again — after God gripped her heart. See the hollow counterfeit of whitewashed feminism and “me-ology” destroyed. And consider the beautiful picture painted in Scripture of the truly fulfilled homemaker who glories in the hopeful calling God created for her."

I honestly wish that ALL mothers could read this book and learn from it. It is certainly a book that I will read again and again, gleaning the truths that it presents each and every time!

If you'd like to win your very own copy then please follow these instructions:

Rules:
This giveaway is open to everyone!
Giveaway ends January 29th at 8pm PST
For 1 entry, please leave a comment below; any kind of comment is fine.
For a 2nd entry, please Facebook or Tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment telling me that you did
For a 3rd entry, please blog about it and leave another comment telling me that you did
Winner will be drawn randomly by Random.org on or around the 30th.

Vision Forum sells this book, in case you can't wait to see if you've won! I purchased this book to giveaway with my own money, it's not a promotion through them. I honestly believe in this book and it's message and I know it will be an uplifting encouragement to the woman who reads it!

"Country Wisdom and Know How" Winner!

This morning random.org said:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
10
Timestamp: 2011-01-16

So that means that,
Mica said...
Happy New Year, Thanks for the offering. May you have a blessed year! Mica/The Child's Paper........is our winner! Congrats!
Email me at mountainhomequilts@charter.net with your information and I will get the book out to you!

Stay tuned for the next book giveaway. I'm thinking I'll put a post up for it at the end of this week. The book? "Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God" and man, is it a GOOD book!

Oh, and Stephany, I'm working on a venison post for you! :)

book giveaway

One of my most treasured hobbies in the winter is reading. I don't get to do a whole lot of it sometimes but when I do, it's a simple quiet moment that I love. Before Spring hits I'd like to share with you some of my favorite books! So over the next few months I'll be giving away books with topics such as homesteading and being a Godly wife, to name a few! If you haven't already, make sure you enter the "Country Wisdom and Know How" book giveaway in the post below. Happy reading!

Happy New Year and a December Recap

Happy New Year to you all! I pray that God blesses you abundantly this 2011!

December has been a super busy month for us and I, obviously, only blogged twice the entire month! Here's a quick re-cap of what went on at our homestead in December.

We started the month finding our tree and getting ready for Christmas. We gave away a lot of handmade gifts this year which included canned goods, like applesauce and jams along with homemade soaps. The older boys love to help make applesauce. I think it's the peeler/corer tool. If you don't have one of these, invest in one and watch your children enjoy helping with ever last apple!

We also spent a lot of time baking. Seriously.

On our holiday baking list this year were, Gingerbread cookies, peppermint brownies, raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, peanut butter and chocolate truffles, mexican wedding cakes, cranberry snow candy, black bottom cupcakes and yes, more gingerbread cookies! We even had a day where we decorated gingerbread with some friends.

Our animal count, here on the homestead, dropped by three this month. One was unplanned and sad, the other two were planned and worked out great. The first, unplanned one was having to say goodbye to one of our dogs. He was 13 and I'd had him since he was 6wks old. We had found out in October that he had bone cancer in his left foreleg. Just before Christmas he was barely walking and we decided that it was time to put him down. My eyes still well up at the thought of that day but I am glad that he is out of pain now.

Our two other planned losses were a rooster (we had two and only have 8 hens!) and one of our hogs.
After butchering the turkeys last month, I have to say this chicken was CAKE! It went super fast and easy. Maybe starting off with a big bird is the way to go- it makes everything else seem like child's play. We ate him (our first home raised chicken) 2 nights later. While he was young, (only about 7months old) his thighs were a little tough but everything else on him was great. Since he was a Buff Orphington, his breasts weren't as large as you'd find on a meat chicken but still turned out all right.
Our hog experience was slightly.... a mess. I'll spare you the details and any photos. This was our first home raised, home butchered hog. Gavin did it on one of the worst days of our most recent storm. We'll be butchering our other hog at the end of January. Hopefully the weather will be better and the process will go more smoothly. I'll share shots of that one later. But for now, there's one hog in the freezer!

A special little someone turned 4 this month and we also celebrated both my Dad's and my MIL's birthday.

Layton is a big boy now so he gets to cut his own cake!

He was thrilled to get his very fist gun this year. A Daisy pellet gun. He's been out back shooting a couple times a week trying to improve his aim. For just turning 4, I'd say he does pretty well.

Mason has taken to reading all the books he can get his hands on. Well, maybe not really reading, but at least pretending to. We read through "The Courage of Sarah Noble" as a family in the evenings. While it is a book geared towards 3rd or 4th graders, even my 8th grader was eagerly waiting to hear "what happens next" each night.

Christmas was a blessing. We enjoyed the time together as a family and of course, attempted to snap another family picture. Ya know, one where everyone is smiling at the same time and all looking at the camera? This one didn't turn out too bad I suppose.

One great thing about winter? Being forced to be indoors. Not that I enjoy having to be inside all the time. Actually, I'd much rather spend my time outside but with all the rain and hail and storms we've been having, inside time allows for more inside tasks....including quilting! I've been trying to work on a few quilts here and there and I'm proud to say that I'm actually making progress. Being cooped up also allows more time for reading. Another favorite past time of mine. Do you enjoy reading? Would you like to have another book added to your collection to read through this winter? Well, if you've actually stayed with me though this entire post then you're more than entitled to entering the giveaway for "Country Wisdom and Know How." Really, if you've made it through all of this I wish I could just give each of you a copy for being so faithful! But I only have one to give away so here we go:

Here's a brief description: "Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page."

Rules:
This giveaway is open to everyone!
Giveaway ends January 15th at 8pm PST
For 1 entry, please leave a comment below; any kind of comment is fine.
For a 2nd entry, please Facebook or Tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment telling me that you did
For a 3rd entry, please blog about it and leave another comment telling me that you did
Winner will be drawn randomly by Random.org on or around the 16th.
Enjoy!

The Art of Crafting giveaway!

The West ladies are giving away a copy of their new DVD, The Art of Crafting, on their blog!Head on over here and see!

Fabric Giveaway Winner

Giveaway time! How exciting!! Here we go...

True Random Number Generator
Min:1
Max:104
Result:
65
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

O.k., 65 is...
gail said...
"I love Thimbleberries fabric and this collection would be so fun to play with! Thanks so much for offering the giveaway!"

Gail, I don't have a way of contacting you since your email is not in your profile. I hope you see this!! When you do, email me: mountainhomequilts@charter.net
I'll hold this prize for you until the 22nd. If I don't hear from you by then, Random.org will choose another winner. Keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks to everyone for coming by and entering.
Stay tuned in November for a great homesteading giveaway!