Tyndale contest/giveaway~ Bibles, Ipads, Hawaii and more!

Here's an interesting contest/giveaway from Tyndale that I thought you might be interested in....
(Boy, wouldn't I love to win an ipad or a trip to Hawaii so I could visit my brother and meet my niece and nephew for the first time!!!)

Blessings~

The New Living Translation Break Through to Clarity Bible Contest and Giveaway

Visit www.facebook.com/NewLivingTranslation

and click on the tab that says “Sweepstakes”

Fill out a simple form, take a quick Bible clarity survey, invite your friends to join and you’ll be entered to win one of our exciting prizes.
With each fan number milestone a new prize will be given away.

Grand Prize
Apple iPad 64G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fifth milestone
Retail Value: $829.00

2nd Prize - Already awarded
32G iPod Touch and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the fourth milestone
Retail Value: $300.00

3rd Prize – Will be awarded when fan count hits: 3500
Kindle DX and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the third milestone
Retail Value: $489.00

4th Prize Will be awarded when fan count hits: TBD
Apple iPad 16G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the New Living Translation Fan Page hits the second milestone
Retail Value: $499.00

5th Prize Will be awarded when fan count hits: TBD
Apple iPad 32G and a Life Application Study Bible
Awarded when the NLT Fan Page hits the first milestone
Retail Value: $599.00

Prize Eligibility – Recently updated to include more countries
Sweepstakes participants and winner(s) can be U.S. residents of the 50 United States, or residents of any country that is NOT embargoed by the United States, but cannot be residents of Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India. In addition, participants and winner(s) must be at least 18 years old, as determined by the Company.

Sweepstakes Starts
March 17, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)

Sweepstakes Ends
April 30, 2010 @ 10:24 am (PDT)


Wait, there’s more!
Visit http://biblecontest.newlivingtranslation.com/index.php for a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii!

Here are the details:
Choose one of six passages of Scripture from the New Living Translation and consider:
How do these verses encourage you to know God better?
What is God teaching you in this passage?
How does this passage apply to your life?
Submit your answer and you’ll be entered to win.

Just for signing up: Everybody Wins! Win a Free .mp3 download from the NLT’s new Red Letters Project. It’s the dynamic, new presentation of the sung and narrated words of the Gospel of Matthew. You win the download just for entering! Or choose to download the NLT Philippians Bible Study, complete with the Book of Philippians in the NLT.

Every day, one person will win the best-selling Life Application Study Bible!

The grand prize: One person will win a fantastic trip for two to the crystal clear waters of the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore in beautiful Hawaii.

Menu Monday 3/22/10 (no recipes this week, but ask me!)

Hello, folks~

It's that time of the week again~
BTW, the Bubble and Squeak with AlFresco Chicken Sausages were the hit of the week last week. :)

So, here we go~

Monday~ We're having chicken and rice enchiladas with leftover chicken and rice from Saturday
Tuesday~ Pasta with Al Fresco Chicken Sausage and corn niblets
Wednesday~ Ground Turkey and Barley Soup
Thursday~Mexican Pizza with leftover (Frozen) chicken
Friday~ Leftovers and/or Cheese Toast OR Mexican casserole because a couple of weeks ago I made this Mex Casserole with Ground Turkey, and used the leftovers to make a soup, and it was YUMMO!

I don't really have recipe for any of these, and plan to just "Wing it", but if anything looks interesting to you let me know, and I'll try to write it down and post it. :)

So~ There you have it~ Be sure to head on over to Menu Plan Monday to get some inspiration for your week this week or next!

Blessings~

Menu Monday 3/15/10 Tuna, Chicken, Bubble& Squeak

OK, Let's see if I can get my brain wrapped around a menu this week~ I love heading over to orgjunkie.com to help me get organized for the week ahead... it seems to go much more smoothly when I do!

• Monday~ Creamed Tuna over Crackers (I'm going to try to use coconut flour to thicken it instead of regular flour~ We shall see what we think), with sliced cucumber and carrots on the side, maybe even some broccoli, for broccoli boy
• Tuesday~Thai Crockpot Chicken (Thanks, Laura at orgjunkie.com) and rice
  
• Wednesday~ I know~ It's St. Patty's Day, and I usually make Bubble & Squeak, but DD is out performing with her Irish Dance School all afternoon and evening, so... maybe something terrible like hot dogs or .... pasta salad?
• Thursday~ Bubble & squeak, and MAYBE some Corned beef if we pick some up. if not some sausage would go well..
  
• Friday~ Leftovers from the week(Hmmmmm.. Thai Chicken Pizza sounds good!:)

Have a great week! Blessings~

Alpaca, knitting and felting~ Mittens!

Well, we had a very blustery day, Pooh, and since JDP1 is such a sicky boy, we aren't at the planned birthday party. This means that I've had a little gift of unexpected "Free" time today to take some pictures of past projects to share~




These are some mittens that I made last year and the year before. The tiny felted red mittens were made originally for JDP1~ he used them a LOT and they felted down tiny~ now JDP2 gets to use them.

The long red mittens are the pair that I knit for JDP1 last winter, but didn't get around to felting~ you can see the huge size differential from knit to felted... ;)

The purple and blue mittens are a combo of wool and alpaca~ the alpaca portions are the more pinky stripes~ These I knit for RJP last winter. She LOVES them still, and with good reason, I think~ Even though snow sticks to them, and they get wet, when everyone else's fingers are freezing, hers are toasty warm! Oh, and the alpaca is sooooooo soft! NICE!

Sorry that I didn't take pictures in process~ I knit them on circular knitting looms. It's been long enough that I don't recall if I used the knifty knitter or one of the wooden sock looms I got for my birthday a couple of years ago. I used this pattern but felted them down, and there are some other interesting patterns on this site.

Just thought you might be interested! :)
Blessings~

Looking for "Followers".... want to join?

OK, here's a little plea~

If you actually read my blog regularly (or even not so regularly, but occasionally), but haven't officially "Followed" me, would you mind doing so? I'm trying to get a gig reviewing other products (Mom and family related), but I have to have 50 "Official" followers for them to consider my blog.

Tutorial~ There are three ways to "Follow"

1. In the address bar at the top there is a little blue square with lines~ you can click on that and subscribe that way.
2. At the top of the actual blog page there is a navy blue line across the top, with a link "Follow"
3. Along the left-hand side, second item down, is "Google Friend Connect", and you can follow that way as well...

For those of you that take the time, thank you! :)

Blessings~

Random ramblings....

Poor JDP1~ He's sick again.. tonsils are gone, but now he has an eye infection ~ always seems to happen around birthdays~ {sigh} (I think we need to teach him to blow his nose better.... he's always "Stuffed up".) :\

School has been interesting this year again, due to the TOS Crew reviews that I've been doing.... a little eclectic, and some of the things that I love and WANT to do have been taking a bit of a back seat these past two years, but that will change next year~ a "normal" schedule, and we'll be able to REALLY take advantage of those TOS Crew products that we have loved, but had to set aside for ongoing reviews, as well as our beloved FIAR.... maybe even more art and science~ I'm looking forward to it!

R is dancing like crazy~ I hear feet thumping and clicking all over the house. When you're on the floor below, it sounds like elephants~ hard to believe that on the same floor it's actually graceful! :) She thrives on competition, which I * think* is a good thing... (??) , and she only has one more dance to place 1st in before she is prizewinner the whole way across~ COOL! :) (I don't mind if she takes her time a little, though.. Irish Dance is expensive! (The dresses are crazy $$, and I don't know how we're going to afford the next one... more $ than my own wedding dress! And we're doing this why? .... Oh yeah, because she loves it! :) )

Baseball tryouts in two weeks for JDP1~ glad he's sick this week and not then... (Although there were tryouts this week as well..)

JDP2 is cracking us all up these days
.... collecting books before following his brother down the hall~ hears the door shut~ and shouts "knock! knock! J! What you doin'? " ;)
....waiting for Curious George to come on TV (R says~"It will be on in an hour, J") his reply? "Tick, Tock! It's Curious George time!" ... love his use of onomatopoeia! :)

DH is off today~ Going to play some drums on a few songs for his brother~ I don't like Saturdays without him! :( At least we'll have him all day tomorrow. :)

OK~ So now, I should go figure out what to do on this gray Saturday~ maybe something creative! :) If so, I'll post about it here. :)

Blessings~

Online Homeschool Convention~

Hey, friends~ here's something new to check out. I've heard about a few of the online homeschool conventions, but I haven't been certain how they work. Well, thanks to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, and as part of the TOS Crew, I have been given the opportunity to check out their "Schoolhouse Expo" that will be happening online in May, in exchange for letting you all know about it. I wanted to be sure to let you know about it early, tho', because they are offering a discounted rate, and other bonuses to early registrations (See below....)

In addition, there are a number of other things happening at The Old Schoolhouse~

Right now March Madness and Win Big are going on in the Schoolhouse Store. During March Madness, over 240 items are 10 to 40 percent off! Click here

Then, if you're customer 139,000, 139,500, or 140,000, you will win over $348 in prizes. Prizes include a 5 year subscription to TOS (U.S. only), Scripture Sleuth literature series(my daughter has one of these that we bought for Christmas a couple of years ago... she and her brother both like them, and would like to read more!), guitar lessons on CD, and more! Hurry, they are just past customer #137,818.

The BIGGEST news of all--
The Schoolhouse Expo is coming in May!
Pre-register now and save $5!

• As homeschool teachers, what do you need to learn?
• More about teaching multiple grades?
• All about different homeschool methods?
• Transcripts?
• Could you use some help with reading, language arts, math, and more?
• Are you intimidated by the idea of teaching middle school and high school?
• Those dreaded, advanced courses?
• Would some encouraging words and motivational Scripture help you on your way?

Get answers when you attend The Schoolhouse Expo, an 3-day, online conference, presented by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse® Speaker's Bureau.

Pre-register today for only $19.99 through March 31.You do not want to miss this unbelievable, virtual homeschool convention! PLUS, you'll receive over $300 in free gifts when you register.
Get the details and preregister here http://www.schoolhouseexpo.com

The speaker line-up looks most excellent! People like Mark Hamby, Amanda Bennett, Diana Waring (I've never heard her, but I like her books!), and Susan Wise Bauer, to name a few~ You can check the full line up here. (For those interested in the Workbox system, Sue Patrick is one of the speakers as well.)(Now, if only they included Steve and Jane Lambert, I would be ever so content! :) )

Even better you don't actually have to be "live" to get the benefits~ MP3 audios will be available for download, and listening at your convenience~ just like the CDs from the MassHOPE convention!

And check out the free gifts! (the ones pictured above are just a sampling) They are all ebooks and downloads, with many of them ones that I've been interested in checking out, so WOW! Awesome! (Well worth the $19 early bird registration! Oh, and there is another freebie ebook for registering early, the TOS Creative Nature Study E-Book) This is one that I already had, and what a good reminder to take it out and USE it! :) ... I think I'll put it on my itouch! There are so many great ideas in this book. (The New Testament Timeline is most excellent~ you can read how we used it with our Japanese Exchange student last summer, here I reviewed the entire "overview", but the Timeline was one of the most useful components for my purposes.)

One more "Extra" I just saw~ For those who register early, there are two bonus pre-conference sessions in April, one with Malia Russell (Who I am not familiar with), and the other with Clay and Sally Clarkson of Wholehearted Ministries.. I've never heard them speak, but I love their book "Educating the Wholehearted Child", so I'm excited about this one! :)

Check it out, and maybe I'll "See" you there as an attendee in a live workshop or two! :) (Let me know if you sign up, so I can look for you there! )
Blessings~

Wordless Wednesday~ Saying Goodbye to Winter

French Fry Soup

French Fry Soup

It's a little bit of a glorified (Fast) version of potato soup that I came up with last winter.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Butter
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 bag of frozen French Fries (The healthier the better...)
2 qts chicken broth (I used these great boxes of Rachel Ray's Natural Chicken Stock)

Melt your butter with the olive oil in the bottom of a heavy stockpot over medium low heat.

Chop your onion (don't cry too hard), and saute in the hot oil/butter mixture until transparent and starting to turn golden. (They should just about melt in your mouth)

Add your bag of frozen french fries and your chicken broth/stock and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for about 15 minutes, to cook the potatoes.

Mash your potatoes up to the consistency you prefer (Or really pulverize it in the blender, if you want CREAMY.... I prefer some chuncks in mine), and serve with yummy, crusty, toasted bread.

Variations on a theme: You can use any frozen french fries you like, but I highly recommend the less "processed", closer to the garden varieties. Some that we have used, all from Trader Joe's: Garlic French Fries, Chipotle French Fries, Sweet Potato French Fries

Sometimes I add some Basil... but then it is less "French Fry" soup.

Now, I have to say, this particular batch of French Fry Soup that I used for the photos (the last time I made it) was going to be another experimental batch... we were going to try a bit with a dollop of blue cheese dressing on top when serving (Since most of our family dips their french fries in blue cheese dressing instead of ketchup), and my son was going to try a squirt of ketchup (Since he's more traditional). Sad story.... we didn't get to try it yet, because I had to throw the soup out. We had to leave the house unexpectedly before dinner, so I tossed the soup in the crockpot on low to keep it warm.... but when we returned to the house hours later, we discovered that the crockpot had come unplugged (a slightly pesky outlet...),the soup was cold, and potentially hazardous. :( So, not only did we not get to try our experiments, but I had to come up with something else to feed my tired family.... ERGH! Next time I make it, I'll post an update with our findings.

Blessings~

Menu Monday 3/1/10

So... tomorrow would be the mathematical equation day that my daughter will enjoy... 3-2-10 :)

First, here's a post up with my French Fry Soup recipe from a couple of weeks ago, and now
~ See what I'm doing this week :

• Monday~ Left over Seafood Chowder and Salad
• Tuesday~ Shepherd's Pie using rotisserie chicken and leftover IRIO from our African meal last week as the topping
• Wednesday~ Pizza with leftover Rotisserie Chicken on top(And maybe red peppers???mmm) and raw carrots on the side
• Thursday~ Possibly dinner out... we're going skiing for the 1st time as a family! (Woohoo! I haven't been on skis in over 13 years...)
• Friday~ Mexican pasta with "Chili" using Trader Joe's frozen "Succotash" mix (Corn, edamame, and red peppers) in place of beans

So, we'll see how it goes~
click on the pic to visit hundreds of other blogs and reap some great ideas!

Blessings~