When the Heart Cries {Review}

This is another great Amish story by Cindy Woodsmall.  I think she has become my favorite Amish author.  She does such a great job writing her stories that I never want to put them down!  When the Heart Cries is about Hannah Lapp.  She comes from a strict Old Order Amish family, but she has found love outside her family's communtiy with her neighbor's grandson Paul.  Before return to college for his final year, Paul proposes and Hannah agrees to marry him, knowing full well that her family will not be happy.  On her way home, however, tragedy strikes when Hannah is attacked and raped.  Hannah's dad convinces her it is best to keep the attack quiet, and while her siblings know something happened to Hannah, they don't know all the details.  While Hannah recovers, her sister has to bear more of the workload of the household chores and resents Hannah, spreading rumors about her.  Not long after her attack, Hannah's brother and future sister-in-law are in an accident and Hannah's brother places the blame on her.  With her world seeming to fall apart, Hannah's only hope seems to be to hold on long enough for Paul to graduate and then they can marry.  But then even worse things happen and she even faces losing Paul. 

I highly recommend this book.  It is the first in the Sisters of the Quilt series and I can't wait to get my hands on the second one to continue to story!

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

The 21 Day Dad's Challenge {Review}

So, clearly, I am not a dad.  But when I was given the opportunity to review The 21 Day Dad's Challenge, I asked my husband if he would be interested in reviewing it and writing a guest post for me.  He thought it looked like a good book and agreed to write this review for it.  So here is his review:

The 21-Day Dad's Challenge is a book written by a group of dads and published by Focus on the Family. It is a book that has simple, easy to understand tips for having a better relationship with your kids.  Each chapter is short so it does not take too much of your time.  At the end of each chapter, it gives you a challenge of something that you can do with or for your kids and space to write out a plan of how you will carry out the challenge. Most dads should enjoy it because it is written by semi well know christian men.  Each chapter is written by a different man.  Former Colts coach Tony Dungy, former Seahawk MVP Shuan Alexander, Josh McDowell, Randy Alcorn, Carey Casey, Jim Daly, Stuart Briscoe, Chip Ingram, Dr. Gary Oliver, Dr. Gary Rosberg, Gracia Burnham, Joe White, Michael Catt, and Dr. Ken Canfield  Their advice is based on the unique experiences that these great men have.  I really enjoyed this book and had fun trying out some of the challenges with my kids.  It is great to intentionally take some time to have a better relationship with them.  The 21-Day Dad's Challenge is a great read for any man who wants great advice from men with a broad range of backgrounds.

I recieved this book for free for review from Tyndale House Publishers.

Doodle Roll Winner!

Thank you to all those who entered the Doodle Roll giveaway!  I used random.org to pick the winner.

Congratulations to Amari! I will be emailing you and you will have 48 hours to respond or I will have to pick a new winner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100: 4-5

This year I am so thankful for the many, many blessings God has given us. Most importantly, I am thankful for my heavenly Father who provides for all our needs and so much more. My wonderful husband works hard to provide for our family and still finds time to have fun with the kids and me. My kids are growing daily and have been healthy and happy. They are doing so well in their school studies and love having fun with each other. We are blessed to live near so much of our extended family, so most of our parents, grandparents, and siblings are a big part of our lives and the kids love having them around. We are never wanting for food, warm clothes, or shelter. We truly are blessed with so much more than we need. 

Once again, Conny has been hosting her 30 Days of Thanks for the month of November.  Unfortunately this year I just haven't gotten around to participating until now.  After you finish reading my post, stop by and visit her to see what everyone else has been thankful for.

I pray that each of you has a blessed Thanksgiving!

I Love to Read!

If you haven't figured out yet from all my book reviews, I really love to read.  When I was younger and before I had kids, I read TONS of books.  After having kids, I really slowed down.  The obvious reason being that I didn't have as much time for it.   Another reason though, was that I just didn't get to the library as often for books.  Not the adult section anyway.  We do get to the library about once a week, but have you ever tried taking four young kiddos into the adult section and expected them to stand quietly while you browse for books?  It just doesn't happen.  If they aren't pulling out books or tearing pages out of magazines, they are pushing buttons on the computers or climbing on chairs to look out the windows!  Once in a while I remember to request a book and have it ready for me, but for the most part I gave up my reading time and figured I could start again when they are older.

But, enter the world of technology!  Last spring, my wonderful hubby surprised me with a Kindle when I was laid up with my kidney stones.  I have read more in the past 6 months than I have in the past 6 years!  I really didn't think I would like using an electronic reader, but it has turned out to be better than I expected.  There are tons of books on Amazon that can be sent right to my Kindle.  I think that I have close to 200 on there right now.  You're probably thinking that they are too expensive and then you still have to buy the books to read.  Well, the initial investment of the reader is pricey, but Christmas is coming. :) Amazon recently released newer versions of the Kindle and they are quite a bit cheaper than they used to be.  And once you have that, you can get all kinds of free books.  I haven't paid for a single one of mine.  Amazon has a large free section and also will have special books free for a certain time.  I have found a site at No Ordinary Moments that is regularly updated with some of these free ones, usually Christian ones.  So unless you are looking for a certain book, you can get all kinds of free stuff to read.  I don't know about your library, but ours has recently started lending electronic books too, so that is another place to borrow for free.

If you still don't want an electronic reader, I have also found that purchasing books online is another great way to get books for a great deal.  There are lots of sites that have great books and often offer discouts and specials.  One of my new favorite places is Vision Forum. They have a great selection of Christian books that are so good for building up your home and family (and they also have tons of other fun stuff!).  I love looking up their deal of the day everyday, just to see if it might be something fun the kids would love for their next birthday or Christmas.  Currently they are having some amazing giveaways that you can check out HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE.

If you don't want to purchase new books or are looking for a place to get rid of your old books, PaperbackSwap is a great site.  The way it works is that you send books you have to people that request them (you pay the shipping which is usually around $2) and then you get a credit.  You can use your credit to request books from others and they will send them to you for free!  I have been using this site to get most of the books we use in homeschool to help bring down the costs of curriculum and it has been working out great so far! Swap Books for Free - PaperBackSwap.com

If you love reading too, hopefully this has helped inspire you to find ways to fit it in even if you have kiddos climbing all over you while you do. :)

An Amish Wedding {Review}

An Amish Wedding by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, & Kelly Long is a book of three short novellas.  I've read a few books that contained several short stories, but the stories have never connected together before.  In An Amish Wedding, they do.  The three authors did a very nice job weaving them together to write this great book about three friends.  I really like Amish stories and these three made me want to find more by these authors.

In The Perfect Storm by Kelly Long, Rose is engaged to Luke.  They have been best friends for a long time and Rose agreed to marry Luke because she thought that friendship was a good thing to base their marriage on. But sometimes she wonders if there is something missing in their relationship.  Then she discovers that Luke has a secret and wonders what he is hiding.

In The Perfect Match by Kathleen Fuller, Naomi, the matchmaker, seems to be content being single. When Zeke comes to town, she tries her matchmaking skills again, but soon her friend is turning the tables and trying to get Naomi to see that she is the one who should be getting to know Zeke.

In The Perfect Plan by Beth Wiseman, Pricilla and Chester are planning their wedding, but everything seems to keep going wrong.  Soon they begin to wonder if it is God's will for them to marry.

I received this book for free for review from BookSneeze.

Get Swagging! {You Could Earn $300!!!}

I am just a few Swagbucks away from cashing in for my 60th $5 Amazon.com gift card.  That's $300!!! And it was all for free!  The Amazon gift cards are good for anything on Amazon, so I have gotten some great stuff for free or very cheap. Comes in handy around birthdays and Christmas time. ;)  Swagbucks also has loads of other prizes you can redeem your bucks for too.  What are you waiting for? Go check out how you can earn free stuff too!

His Mighty Warrior {Review}

I recently received His Mighty Warrior by Sheri Rose Shepherd to review.  It is a pirate themed devotion book for young boys, encouraging them to be warriors for God.  Each page includes a letter "from God," a Bible verse, and also a prayer that ties into the message of each letter and verse.  Here is an example of the first letter:

"My Son,
I have chosen you to do something great for my kingdom. You are not just a boy - you are a child of the King and I am your Father in heaven. I want you to know that I am the same God who chose King David when he was just a little boy, and I have chosen you to show the world who I am. I will give you all you will ever need to conquer and accomplish the mission I have for you. Never forget who you are or who I am, and you will become a strong and mighty warrior for me.
Love,
Your King and Father in heaven"

That is followed by Deuteronomy 7:6 and a short prayer.  All of the pages are filled with good Biblical advice to help young boys grow in their faith.

Buddy has been reading one each night and has loved having his own special devotion book.  He is even able to read the majority of it himself and understands it easily.  He also loves the pirate theme through out the book. This is definitely a book he will enjoy reading through again and again.  If you are looking for a good Christmas gift for a young boy, His Mighty Warrior would make a great one!

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Doodle Roll {Review & GIVEAWAY!} *CLOSED*

My kids love to color and do crafts so I am always on the lookout for things I think they will love.  I try to stick with ones that don't make a big mess though, because, while I love their creations, I don't love cleaning up messes they make.  One product that I recently received for review has been perfect for their creativity without creating a mess, the Doodle Roll.  The Doodle Roll is a portable craft kit that contains a roll of paper and crayons. 

The Doodle Roll is so easy to use, my kids started playing with theirs right away.  They can pull out as much paper as they would like to use and can doodle away!

The crayons have their own separate place that the kids can easily open on their own.  There is also a cutting edge to tear off their pictures when they are finished but it is all made of plastic and very safe.  My kids have been having so much fun creating pictures, banners, cards, and much more.   

The Doodle Roll comes in two sizes, 4 and 6 inch and either is great for slipping into your purse or car to take along to an appointment, out for dinner, or any other place you would like to keep your kids occupied and quiet.  I think it would also make a great stocking stuffer, gift, or party favor.  If you would like more ideas for the Doodle Roll or find out where to purchase your own, be sure to visit the Doodle Roll site.  You can also find them on Facebook or Twitter.

Doodle Roll has generously offered one of my readers the chance to win their own Doodle Rolls!  To be entered, leave a comment letting me know your favorite craft to do with your kids (or grandkids, friends, etc).  Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win!  This giveaway will end on Nov. 25, 2011 at noon.  I will draw a winner using random.org and winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email.  This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. 

This is a MamaBuzz review.  The product was provided by Doodle Roll for free in exchange for this review.

Cleaning A Gas Stove

I love cooking with my gas stove.  I grew up with it and when I had to use electric when we first got married, I had a hard time getting used to it.  I was very happy to have it once again in our current home. One thing I hate though is trying to clean the metal grates and pans.  With as much cooking as I do, it is inevitable that things will get spilled or splattered on them.  And then when it gets cooked on, it sure doesn't want to come off.  I am a little embarrassed to show you this picture, but this is what my stove looked like a couple days ago. 

 Some of that is fresh and would scrub off, but most of that is pretty well stuck on.  I have spent hours (literally) and tried every cleaner I could think of the try get them clean, all with no success.  Until today, that is!  I came across a very handy tip last week, gave it a try, and now my stove looks like this:

Amazing!  And hardly any scrubbing was involved!  Want to know this amazing trick so your stove can sparkle too? :)  Ammonia is the answer.  With little kids in the house, I don't normally keep ammonia around, but I ran out to get some just for this.  All you have to do is put the grate in a gallon zip lock bag along with 1/4 cup ammonia, seal it up, and let it sit overnight.  (I recommend putting it out in the garage or on your deck.) The fumes from the ammonia will do all the work for you and in the morning, all you have to do is wipe it off!  A couple of the most stubborn spots took a little elbow grease, but for the most part, it all came off so easy!  Now you too can have a sparkling clean stove!

God Gave Us You {Review}

As you may remember, my kids love books.  I think most kids do.  Whether they will sit and listen for just a short time, or longer amounts of time, I think they all love snuggling up and listening to the voice of someone they love.  Something that makes reading time even more special is having a good book that hopefully they will remember for a long time.  God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren is one of those great books.   A young polar bear cub asks her mama "Where did I come from?" Mama bear explains that Papa bear and her were alone and wanted a baby, so God gave them the bear cub.  Then she goes on tell how they waited and prepared while the cub grew in her tummy.  Each page is filled with beautiful illustrations and the story is very sweet and age appropriate.  All of my kids loved this book and thought is was a great story.  We have already read it quite a few times in the short amount of time we've had it!  My favorite part of the copy we received for review is that it is a board book, so hopefully it will stand up to the wear and tear my kids put on books and last us for a long time.

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

The Fruits of Our Labor

I think that it is finally time to put my canners away and start enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Top to bottom, left to right: Zucchini pickles, sweet relish, zucchini salsa, pears, apple pie filling, cherries, potatoes, beans, carrots, applesauce, jams/jellies, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Along with the berries, corn, pork, and beef that are stuffed into the freezer, I think we are set for the winter!

This year, Sweetie was a good helper and I had fun teaching her some of the basics of canning.  She calls herself the canning princess.

This year I also discovered these great reusable lids from Tattler and am hoping to switch over to them for all my canning next year.

What did you get preserved this summer to enjoy in the coming winter?

Waiting For Morning {Review}

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors.  I have read almost every one of her books.  I read her book Waiting For Morning a couple years ago, but when I had the chance to read it again for review, I took it.  It was just as good the second time! Hannah Ryan unexpectedly loses her husband and daughter to a drunk driver, and her other daughter survives the accident with injuries. Hannah becomes so obsessed with making sure that the driver gets his punishment that she forgets about God and neglects her surviving daughter. Hannah must learn how to forgive and trust in God again.  I love how Karen Kingsbury uses a crisis to show how God can bring someone to a place of forgiveness and peace.

As Hannah Ryan waits for her family to return home from a camping trip, she realizes she has everything going for her—a husband other women admire, two charming teenage daughters, and a loving Christian home. As the sunny afternoon turns into twilight, her uneasiness grows along with the shadows. Then a car pulls into Hannah’s driveway, bringing two police officers...and devastating news that shatters her life forever.
In the days that follow, Hannah struggles with unspeakable feelings of sorrow and rage—feelings that fuse into one chilling purpose for living: revenge against Brian Wesley, the drunk driver who has caused all her pain.
In her fury, Hannah shuts the Lord out of her life. She’s determined not to forgive Wesley or the God who allowed this tragedy to happen. Can two caring people help Hannah rediscover her faith...before bitterness destroys her?

Show More

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

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Raising Real Men {Review}

I have been blessed with two beautiful boys.  They are very typical boys who love trucks, dirt, and working on the farm with dad.  So far, most aspects of raising boys haven't been too difficult for me to understand, but as Buddy is starting to get older, I am definitely finding differences between boys and girls that I'm not always quite sure how to handle.  I want to raise them the way God instructs us too.  The book Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young has been a great way for me to begin to understand my boys a little better.  As I read this book, I kept thinking each chapter was my favorite so far, but then I would read another and found it even better!  There is so much good stuff I can say about this book, but I will try to just give a few highlights and let you read the rest for yourself. 





Hal and Melanie have 6 boys of their own, so they have much experience in this area and are very qualified to write this book.  They have a very easy to read style and share personal experiences from their own lives along with many scripture references to back up what they say.  A short list of the many topics they touch on includes role models, weapons/violence, leadership, discipline, finances, homeschooling, manners, housework, courtship, and even choosing a college (or not) with your son.  This book is loaded with suggestions on how to handle so many different situations you and your sons will encounter as they grow.  The Youngs are so encouraging in the way they write also.  I did not end this book feeling discouraged and wondering how I would be able to get my sons through tomorrow, much less the rest of their lives! No, I was so encouraged through out the whole book and know that with God anything is possible, even raising our boys for His glory.

I highly recommend Raising Real Men for any parent of boys, whether you have 1 or 10, younger or older, homeschooled or not, you will find many applicable resources.  This is a book that will be staying on my bookshelf where I can easily reference it for many years to come!

If you wish to purchase your own copy of Raising Real Men, please visit Timberdoodle. You can also find more Parenting Help, Boy Friendly Outdoor Learning, or to request a free catalog.



As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of Raising Real Men in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. 

WonderMaps {Review}

My kids love maps.  They like looking at them and finding where we live or where a place is that we are learning about in school.  They love feeling the bumps on our globe where the mountains are.  They like finding rivers and lakes.  Maps make learning fun for them.  Many times I will try to find a certain map to go along with what we are studying, but have often found it challenging to find exactly what I need.  Thanks to WonderMaps, that is no longer an issue!  I can very quickly find a map customized to what we need. 

WonderMaps, from Bright Ideas Press, is a collection of 360 maps that can be customized to your project with a few easy steps.  It is a program that is installed on your PC and has 60+ maps of the world, 60+ maps of the US and 125 historical maps.  They can be customized to include any or all of the following: historical or modern-day maps, outline, reference, political, or topographical maps, black-and-white or color maps, and features including names, borders, rivers, cities, physical features, and graticules.  It also has complete map sets from The Mystery of History and All American History curriculums, so if you use either of those, this could be a big help to you!

I love how easy WonderMaps is too use.  The maps that we have already used, I have very quickly found within several clicks of the homepage.  And once I find what I want I love that I can easily make it color or black and white so my kids can color it, add names or leave them off to test my kids' knowledge, or even add or leave off borders to show how the map compares historically verses modern.  Here is a picture of a historical map of Revolutionary War battle sites with all possible options on:

 And here is the same map with the cities and modern state lines turned off and it only took two simple clicks:

There are even more features that I haven't explored yet, but I can tell that this will be so useful in the years to come for our homeschooling.  You can even register your product on Bright Ideas Press and you will receive updates when they are available!  Even if I purchase a new Atlas, it will probably be out of date very soon, so this is a great resource to have current information. 

Recently we studied Christopher Columbus and one of the maps was his voyages across the Atlantic.  It was so easy to find, print off, and have ready for the kids to look at while I read to them.

So far I haven't found anything that I don't like about WonderMaps, so I highly recommend it for all your map needs!

For more information or to purchase WonderMaps please visit Timberdoodle or Bright Ideas Press.  While you are there, be sure to check out some of their Hands On Geography or Geography Puzzles, or to request a free catalog.

As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of WonderMaps in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. 

Don't Throw Out Those Peels! {Fruit Peel Jelly}

A couple months ago, I read a post on Raising Homemakers about making peach jelly.  They showed how to use the peels and pits to make it and I thought that was a great idea since I usually can or freeze some peaches every year.  So I bookmarked it and was going to try remember to do it when it was time for peaches at the end of summer.  As I started working with some of my other fruits a couple months ago, I began to wonder if you could do that with more than just peaches.  So I gave it a try and it works great!  I didn't remember to take any pictures until I did my peaches this week, but I also tried cherry, apple, and pear jelly and I just used the same process for all of them.

While you are canning, freezing, drying, or just using a good amount of fruit, remember to save the peels and pits or cores in a large pot.  Then cover it with water.  You will need about 4 cups of juice, so add at least that much water for each batch you want to do.  Then bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.  After that let it cool a little.  You can continue on from there or let it sit for a while.  I usually did this right before bed and then let it sit all night because after a day of canning or freezing, I wasn't really too excited to start a batch of jelly too.

Then you will need to strain out the juice.  You could use cheesecloth or a jelly strainer, but I have quite a few birdseye cotton diapers that I have never used, so I usually use one of them and it works just as well.  Then you need to measure out 4 cups of the juice.  Put it in a large pot and slowly stir in a package of fruit pectin.  Bring that to a full rolling boil. While I am waiting for it to heat up, I usually get my jars and lids ready. Then add 5 1/2 cups of sugar quickly to the boiling juice.

Bring that back to a rolling boil and boil it for 1 minute.  Then ladle into your jars, wipe the rims, and add the lids.  Water bath the jars for 10 minutes, then let the jars sit on the counter for 24 hours.  (My pear jelly didn't set the first time, so I just followed the directions in my pectin box for what to do if that happens and then it set.)  Then admire your pretty jars of jelly and get excited about all the delicious toast and jelly you can eat this winter!

The Harvest of Grace {Review}

When I received the chance to review The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall, I was so excited!  I loved the first book of hers that I read, A Bridge of Peace.  Even though these are the 2nd and 3rd books of the Ada's House Series and I missed the 1st, they were still very easily read and I didn't feel lost.  The Harvest of Grace is about Sylvia, who loves working with her family's dairy cows.  After her old beau marries her sister and they find a dangerous connection between them, Sylvia moves away to help the aging Blanks run their farm and try to save it from losing it to debt.  Shortly after, the Blank's son Aaron returns to the farm from rehab with the goal of selling the farm and moving his parents to an easier lifestyle.  Sylvia believes the farm can be saved and the Blanks are stubbornly refusing to listen to Aaron.  When Sylvia and Aaron discover that they are growing fond of each, they must figure out at way to find common ground.

I highly recommend The Harvest of Grace, even if you haven't read any other books in the Series.  I am looking forward to finding more of Cindy Woodsmall's books soon!

This book was provided to me for free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for this review.

Some of My Summer Reading

I've been reading quite a few books for review lately, some great, some not as great.  Here's a couple of my reviews:

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

I think most of us remember where we were on Sept 11, 2001.  I know I do, and I wasn't anywhere near New York or connected to anyone who was.  For those who were there and went through the attacks on the Twin Towers, I'm sure they remember much more about that day than those who weren't.   Michael Hingson was one of the survivors who was in the first tower that got hit.  He was up on the 78th floor and was able to walk all the way down the stairs and get out.  If that doesn't make his story amazing enough, he did it blind, using his guide dog Roselle to guide himself and others out and to safety.  The story goes back and forth between Sept 11 and Michael's past as he tells about how his blindness and his guide dogs have shaped his life, but it was still very easy to read and flowed together very nicely. This was a great true story and as the 10th anniversary of the attacks approaches, it is a good reminder of all that happened on that day, how many people were killed, and how many people made it out safely.

I received this book for free for review from Booksneeze.

Dry As Rain by Gina Holmes

When I first started to read Dry As Rain, I wasn't really sure if I was going to like it.  It is written in the first person from a male perspective, despite the author being female.  As I got into it however, I found that Gina Holmes did a great job writing it.  It is a story of betrayal and a broken marriage.  When the story begins, Eric and Kyra are already separated with little hope of reconciliation.  But when Kyra loses her memories of the separation in a car accident, Eric sees it as a second chance from God to try and save his marriage.  Slowly she regains her memory though and also finds out about Eric's infidelity and kicks him out of their house again.  Eric finally faces the fact that he needs to be completely honest and write Kyra an apology letter for all he has done to break down their marriage.  You will have to read the book yourself to see how it ends up!  This book has some good lessons about honesty and forgiveness and is a good reminder to have good communication and not take your marriage for granted.

I received this book for free for review from Tyndale House Publishers.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Zucchini Salsa

Is it weird that I love standing in my pantry staring at my slowly filling shelves, planning where the next canning project will get lined up?  Does anyone else do this? No? Well, I guess I am weird, but I love seeing my hard work lining the shelves and deciding where it should all go!  Last week I had fun trying out a new canning recipe for zucchini salsa and it is pretty tasty!  We always have loads of zucchini and so do most other people I know, making it hard to even give it away so I thought I would find something new to do with it this year.  I've also done zucchini bread and butter pickles for the first time this year and they turned out pretty good too.  Here is instructions for the salsa:
Ingredients

10 cups chopped zucchini (you can peel and/or shred it if you want, but really, who has time for that?)

4 chopped onions

2 chopped green peppers

2 chopped red peppers

8 chopped jalapeno peppers (I left the seeds in one and removed them from the rest and this produced a medium salsa, you can adjust according to your taste or leave out altogether)

1/4 cup pickling salt

1 tablespoon pickling salt

2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon garlic powder 

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cups white vinegar 

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pepper

5 cups chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

12 ounces tomato paste

Directions: In a large bowl combine: Zucchini, onions, green pepper, red pepper, jalapenos and the  1/4 cup salt. Mix together cover and let stand over night.

The next day rinse, drain well and put into a large pot (or 2 if you don't have a really big one like me) then add mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, remaining salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Pour into sterilized jars, add lids and rings, and water bath jars for 15 minutes.  Remove from water and listen for that magic pop, pop, pop of sealing jars!

This makes about 12 pints, but I put a lot of mine in 1/2 pints because we don't eat that much at once.

Linked up with:

Waving the White Flag

This is a guest post by Brook, author of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most.  I personally already have this book and have loved reading through it and using it to pray for my kids.  I highly recommend it for all parents and would encourage you to sign up!

Are you the mother of boys who
often finds herself ready to wave the white flag in defeat?

Do they drain you, overwhelm you, steal your heart, break your heart and cause you more
anxiety than you ever dreamed possible?

Maybe you only have one boy amongst a sea of estrogen and you just can’t figure out how
to respond to him in a way that affirms all that is good about his masculinity.

You're not alone.

Last May, over 1300 women and a few dads in SEVEN different countries joined together to
pray purposefully and passionately for the hearts of their sons in a challenge called
21 Days of Prayer for Sons. 21 Days is based on the
best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need
it Most.



Even our best parenting efforts don't come with a guarantee. As much as we
might wish we could change their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), we
can't. But we serve a God who can. Knowing this, it becomes quite clear that there is
only one thing we can do…

Plead with God.

Pray.

“The fervent
prayers of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:17.

It’s our hope.

The next 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge starts
September 6 and ends September 26, 2011. How can you participate? Easy!

1. Purchase your own copy of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in
   the Areas They Need it Most (just $5.97 as a PDF download or on
   A
   mazon Kindle!) You could, in theory, participate in the challenge without a
   personal copy, but your experience will be much deeper and richer with it.
2. Commit to praying for your son(s) or grandsons 10 times a day for 21 days
   straight. This is a huge commitment, so if you feel God leading you to participate, pray
   and ask Him to give you the strength and endurance you need.
3. Consider leading your own group on your blog or in your
   community!
4. Sign-up HERE!

Get inspired by recent participants!

“This challenge…has given me my joy back in mothering” ~LaToya

“Thank you for giving me a tangible method for transformation in my family!!”
~Anne

“Thanks, Brooke for your help. I’ve always known that God was listening; I just
didn’t know what to say!” ~Laurel

“So many heart changes are going on in our home and I’m just so thankful…”
~Ashley

************************

Brooke is a
mom of two young boys who leave her desperate for God’s grace. Her pursuit of being a
better mom has left her at the foot of the cross, knowing that if God doesn’t show up …
nothing happens. This dependence upon God to turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh
leads her to her knees in prayer. She’s the author of the best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers:
Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most, creator of
the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons
challenge and co-founder of the well-loved online community for mothers of boys, the
M.O.B.
Society. She offers hope for change to the hearts of women at her main blog,
A
Life in Need of Change.

Frugal Friday

As you may remember from my shampoo experiment, I love to find ways to save money.  (By the way, I am still using the baking soda & vinegar and it is still going great!)  Awhile back I experimented with making my own dishwasher soap and although it was cheaper, it didn't clean worth beans.  I was constantly having to rewash dishes and so I figured wasting my time wasn't worth the money savings and I went back to my dishwasher tabs.

Recently, however, I have found a way to cut the price in half!  Did you know that you can cut the tabs in half and get two loads out of one?!? And it works just as well.  I have been cutting them in half for a while now and still rarely have to rewash a dish!  I would recommend cutting (knife or scissors equally work well)them while they are still in the package because they get kinda crumbly as you cut and can make a mess.  That way you can just dump half the package in the dishwasher, crumbs and all.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Homemade Vanilla

Did you know you could make your own vanilla?  It's really easy.  The hardest part is buying the vodka that you will need. But if you send your hubby, then there is no hard part. ;)  All you need is vodka and vanilla beans.  The amount of both will determine how strong your vanilla is.  This  is the first time that I've tried it and I used a bottle of vodka (750 mL) and put in seven vanilla beans which is all that I could fit in the bottle.  You will need to slice open the beans length wise before you put them in.

Then just shake it up and put it in a dark place for 4-6 months.  You should shake it up every once in a while.  Then after you have patiently waited for what seems like forever, strain your vanilla through a coffee filter in a colander and then you are ready to go! Mine turned out a little on the weak side compared to the pure vanilla that I bought from Costco, so next time I will probably use a few more beans and put it all in a bigger jar. If you make it really strong (like 20 beans in 750mL) then you will only need to use about 1/2 of what the recipe calls for.  If you like using real vanilla, this will save you a ton of money because real vanilla is pricey! 

Tasty Tuesday ~ Fresh Cherry Coffee Cake

This month I've started filling up my empty freezer and pantry shelves with frozen and canned goods.  It's exciting (at least for me) to see all my hard work being lined up on the shelves for winter.  A couple weeks ago we picked a bunch of cherries that I canned and dried.   I had a few left over that I used to make this tasty coffee cake.  Hubby said it was one of the best he's had because it was really moist.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil or butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk (Twin Brook Creamery is the best!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch tube pan. Place cherries in a bowl and toss gently with 2 tablespoons flour. Set aside. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Beat together the oil (or butter), eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth. Fold in the cherries. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate or wire rack.           

Linked up with:

A New Button and a Winner!

So I think that most of you prefer the picture of the cows for my button, so I will stick with that one.  Thanks for all of you who have grabbed my button before and I would love it if you would grab my new one now!


<center><a href="http://www.munchkinfarm.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MunchkinFarm/Country%20Blessings/cows-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" alt="Munchkin Farm" width="150" height="123" /></a></center>

And now, thank you to the two ladies who entered my Twin Sisters Productions giveaway.  Unfortunately only one of you gets to win and I used random.org to pick who it is:

Comment #1 is:
Farmin chick said... 

Miss M's favorite song for the longest time was Amazing Grace:) We would sing it every night before bed:) I loved hearing her sing the words, knowing them by heart.

Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon!