Brooding On

Winner, Winner!

And the winner of this month's giveaway, a Thankfulness Journal, is . . .

Allison Carroll

Yea!  Now, though it may seem rigged, since she had such a great comment regarding what she was thankful for, I assure you, I didn't play favorites!  ;)  (By the way, I think you're pretty awesome, too, Allison!)

Be looking for your journal in the mail!  And, everyone else, you didn't win the free journal, but you could still set up your own way to practice intentional thankfulness, a practice that would behoove us all!

Now, be sure you check back in tomorrow and the rest of next week -- it's Sweet Potato Week!  So, for 6 solid days (even God rested on the 7th), I'll be posting 6 different sweet potato recipes.  (And not a single one of them will be a traditional sweet potato casserole, we're talking some fun, new ideas here!)

Growing Thankfulness: November Giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving!  This season of thankfulness is such a joy!  Reflecting on the many things for which I have to be thankful leaves me feeling so very full.  God is indeed very good to us.

This concentrated season of thankfulness leaves me feeling a bit convicted, though, that I don't incorporate more of it into my daily life.  I suspect that many of us are like that.  When we were experiencing such drought this summer and then were blessed with that first, sweet rain, I searched the web for a prayer in thanksgiving for rain.  What I found instead were tons and tons of formal and beautiful prayers for rain. . . and not a single one thanking God once the rain had come.
Sometimes I feel too much like that -- like I'm very prayerful in my requests and then silent when I ought to be offering thanks for the answers to those prayers.

I've heard a lot about thankfulness journals.  I think they're a great idea.  I've even tried to incorporate them myself, but it just didn't take.  I have had some success with a thankfulness notecard.  I use a notecard system for my daily prayer time, so this integrated nicely.  It's super easy, but it does cause me to reflect on thankfulness in an intentional way at least once a day.

All I do is mark the date followed by a 2 or 3 word description of something I'm thankful for.  Some examples from this card:
9/25 Shep's birth
10/9 PR
10/9 a friend
10/17 a moment with "Girl 1"
10/25 fixed car

So simple, huh?  Anyone can take that much time for thankfulness.
For my monthly giveaway, though, I'm offering you the opportunity to start a nice thankfulness journal.  This paperback Moleskine journal has lots of empty pages, just waiting to be filled.  (Don't you just love the possibility of an empty journal?!)

All you have to do to be entered into this month's drawing is comment on this post by Saturday, telling me something that you're thankful for.  But, you cannot post something that someone else has already posted.  So, if you're thankful for your husband, your children, your God, etc., you'd better comment quickly before someone else steals your idea!


Time for Our October Drawing!

This month, in honor of my recent canning craze, I'm giving away a brand new set of canning supplies!  Starting with the funnel and going clockwise, here's what we've got in this kit:
1.  aforementioned funnel -- fits either standard or wide-mouth jars and allows you to fill 'em up without making a giant mess
2.  jar lifter -- this is an amazing tool!  It expertly grabs jars so that you can lower them into or pull them out of your hot water without burning yourself!
3.  head space-measurer/bubble-getter-outer -- (okay, those may not be technical terms)  The jagged edge has measurements from 1/4" to 1" to help you get your head space accurate.  The other end is used to poke around the edges of your filled jar and get out any air bubbles before sealing.
4.  magnetic lid lifter -- this tool has a magnet on the end and aids you in lifting hot lids out of hot water without burning your hands

Great stuff, huh? 
So, what do you have to do to get entered into this month's drawing?

Comment on this post by Sunday, answering this question:

What's your favorite thing you've NEVER canned? 
Yep, you read that right.  What do you wish you could put away fresh and have for later, but you've never actually tried to do it?

September Giveaway Time!

For this month's giveaway, I thought I would do my all-natural laundry detergent. 

I've been especially thankful for the money it saves me lately.  It seems that I am washing more clothes lately than ever before.  Take Girl 2 Wednesday -- she wore one outfit to school, a second one to tumbling class, and was about the change into a 3rd before an evening jog with daddy when I convinced her that she could just jog in her leotard (and shorts, of course).  Or, take Little Boy who is exceptionally excited about his new-to-him tennis shoes and wants to wear them all the time.  We take our shoes off when in the house.  He's got super-sweaty feet, so he doesn't want to put wet socks back on everytime he's ready to go back outside.  All this means that he may go through 4 pairs of socks a day.  (I know I could fight him on this, but I'm just so excited that he's mostly putting the socks and tennis shoes on by himself.)
The basic recipe for the laundry detergent uses these basic ingredients.  You could easily whip some up for yourself.


What makes my mix special, though, is that I don't use Ivory or some other ready-made soap.  Instead, I use soap shavings from my very own Coconut Laundry Soap.  This substitution to the regular recipe makes the laundry soap 100% all-natural and fragrance-free.

Whoever wins this month's drawing will receive a sour-cream-sized tub of laundry detergent.  At 2 Tbs. per load, it ought to last awhile!

So, how do you win?

I need some great CrockPot recipes for fall!  Fall means extra-curricular activities are back in full swing for our brood, and some of our weeknights are downright crazy around here.

Tuesday:  5:00-7:00 (including travel time) soccer practice for John and Girl 2
6:15-7:00 Hip Hop class for Girl 1

Wednesday:  3:30-6:15 dance team, jazz, tap, and tumbling for Girl 1
5:45-6:15 tumbling for Girl 2

Thursday:  5:00-7:00 soccer practice for John and Girl 2
5:30-6:30 ballet for Girl 1

What in the world will we do when Little Boy starts having evening activities, too?

Anyway, all this means that sometimes I am shuttling kids around during the time I would otherwise be prepping dinner and/or that we eat in shifts.  CrockPot meals solve both problems. They make it possible for me to be out of the kitchen in the hour before dinnertime and keep the meal warm for those who have to eat dinner at the later shift. 

And, yes, those of you who know me, I am saddened by the fact that we don't get to sit down together for dinner everynight anymore.  I guess we're entering a new season; at least we still get to have breakfast together.  Not having dinner together, though, means that important business, like our vote on what we're going to be for Halloween, has to be tabled until we can all be together.  (Yes, it's a very democratic process and a very big decision that we don't take lightly around here. :)

So, submit a CrockPot recipe or link to a recipe that you've tried out, and you'll be entered in the drawing for the laundry soap.

Please respond by Monday to be entered in the drawing.  Thanks!

And the Soap Goes to . . . .

The winner of this month's giveaway is . . .

Carrianne!

Congratulations!  You've won yourself a bar of Peppermint Shampoo Soap! 

I want to thank those who offered suggestions for how to enjoy our deer meat.  I intend to try out Amy's soup recipe (which sounds very chili-esque, which was Carrianne's suggestion) with the ground beef and use one of the recipes from the cookbook I have on loan from Jessica H. for the roast.  Check back in to see how the deer goes over here.  :)

Carrianne, be looking for your soap in the mail.  (Unless, of course, you'd like to come pick it up in person.  There's a standing invitation, you know, for your family to come visit whenever you'd like.;) 

If anyone else is sulking over not winning, message me, and we'll see if we can't work something out.  ;)

This Month's Giveaway: Peppermint Shampoo Soap


Yep, it's giveaway time again! 

This month's winner will receive a bar of all-natural, homemade Peppermint Shampoo Soap. 
This soap would make a great gift for that man in your life (maybe even for his Christmas stocking). 

Why shouldn't you keep it for yourself? 

1.  It's best for short-hair because you can scrub it directly on your hair to work it into a lather (longer hair would tangle terribly if you tried this). 
2.  It's a bit harsh for color-treated hair.  I used it, and I think it stripped my color (oh, don't act surprised, you aleady knew I color my hair!)
3.  The peppermint scent is great for men as well as women.

That said, if you have short, non-color-treated hair, go for it!  It's a great soap -- you won't be disappointed!

So, how do you get entered to win?  Comment on this post by Friday in answer to this:

We've recently been given some venison, specifically a roast and some ground meat.  Since John doesn't hunt, venison has never before found its way to my kitchen, but I am eager to try it (as it was free to us and, in its way, local).  Help!  Recommendations?  Do you have a good recipe for either the roast or the hamburger?
 (Oh, and since I love my CrockPot, if you can give me a recipe for the deer meat that uses the CrockPot, I'll put your name in the drawing twice!)

Thanks in advance for your responses!  I'll plan to post the winner Saturday.  :)

July's Giveaway Winner Is . . .


Gina Myers!

Congratulations, Gina!  I hope you'll enjoy it.  I greatly enjoyed the suggestions from everyone regarding school lunches.  I've begun compiling my list of lunch options for the girls to pick from.  Hopefully, it'll keep things fresh for at least a couple months.  And, of course, I'll have to be sure to include those handwritten notes that make lunches so special!

It's Giveaway Time!


For something a little different this month, I thought we'd do a book giveaway!  I will warn you, though, that before I read this book, I had a pretty normal-looking backyard containing things like a swingset and miscellaneous toys.  Now, of course, our yard is home to 36 animals and an organic garden.  :)

Here's the book description, straight from Amazon:
Put your backyard to work! Enjoy fresher, organic, better-tasting food all the time. The solution is as close as your own backyard. Grow the vegetables and fruits your family loves; keep bees; raise chickens, goats, or even a cow. The Backyard Homestead shows you how it's done. And when the harvest is in, you'll learn how to cook, preserve, cure, brew, or pickle the fruits of your labor.

From a quarter of an acre, you can harvest 1,400 eggs, 50 pounds of wheat, 60 pounds of fruit, 2,000 pounds of vegetables, 280 pounds of pork, 75 pounds of nuts.
 
Even if you don't intend to turn your backyard into a barnyard, this book still makes very interesting reading or, at the very least, a great Christmas gift for that slightly crunchy relative on your list.  So, ready to get entered into the drawing?
 
As you know, I use these contests as a way to get info from you, my dear readers.  :) Right now, I'm trying to get geared up for school lunches (it'll be back-to-school time before we know it).  Last year, I let the kids eat the cafeteria lunch way too often.  This year, I'd like to limit it to just once per week, so that I can monitor the foods they're eating most days and be sure that they're as healthy as I'd like.  The only problem is that I need a pretty good arsenal of ideas built up so that I can keep things exciting for the girls.  So, to be entered into this month's drawing, please comment on this post and give me a good, easy, healthy lunch idea that I can add to my list of lunch choices.  Easy, right?  You have until Friday to post a comment and be entered into the drawing!

And the Winner Is . . .

And the winner is . . .

Jessica Anderson!
Congratulations, Jessica!  I'm actually going to be sending you two of these jars because they're so small.  So, one for you.  One for a friend.  Or, two for you.  Should you choose to keep them both for yourself, I won't judge.  I do, after all, LOVE this stuff!  It is all-natural and made by yours truly.  Enjoy!  If there are any sore losers out there, who just don't think they can go another day without this Rose Butter, send me a message, and we'll see if we can't work something out!  :)

It's That Time Again!

Yep, it's giveaway time!  This month, the giveaway is a jar of homemade Rose Butter.  It's an all-natural, rose-scented, thick body cream.  (Sorry, I don't have any pics right now because I just gave away my last jar and will be making more this week.)  It's perfect for dry skin.  If you don't tend to be dry, you may want to hang onto it until this winter when cold weather and heaters start to take their toll.  I like to use it on my arms and legs right after the shower.  In fact, it'll go further and absorb better if you apply it to slightly damp skin.

So, to be entered into the drawing, you have until Friday to comment on this post and answer the following question:

Of all the various posts you've seen here on Brooding On over the past several months, what has been your favorite?

To refresh your memory, check out the right sidebar for topics covered here on the blog.  If you can't point to a specific post, then at least mention what type of posts you enjoy most.  I'd like to know what's most popular with my readers so that I can be sure to include more of that type of thing.  :)  Also, if you have questions about our little farm or would like to see a post on a certain topic, feel free to add that request to your comment. 

I look forward to your comments!  Check back Saturday to see who the lucky winner is!

And the Goat Milk Soap Goes To . . .

Thanks so much to the 8 of you who made me smile with your comments!  It looks like strawberry and lemon pies are favorites.  Jenny, I love the frozen berry pie, too.  I think I may have made a dozen of them last summer.  I'll have to do a post on that recipe later on.  Ericka, I remember your warm strawberry cream cheese pie.  Yummmmm!  And, I'm anxious to try your frozen pie.  While I do love lemon, I've never made a lemon pie, so I'll have to give that a try as well; thanks, Merrilee, for the recipe for that one.

Now, for the big reveal.  John served as my witness for the big drawing   (Mom, do you recognize the 99 cent bowl you bought me from the antique store last weekend?  A little oil went a long way, huh?).

The winner is . . . Ericka!  Looks like I'll be mailing some all-natural, handmade goat milk soap to Texas!  I hope you enjoy it!

Who Doesn't Love a Giveaway?

I know you're out there.  The blog's stats show that I do have readers.  But, I can count the number of comments I've received since the blog's inception 3 months ago on my fingers.  But, I LOVE comments, dear readers.  So, like any good parent, I'm prepared to bribe you ;) 

I've decided that each month, I'll give away a product to one lucky reader.  All you have to do to get your name put in the pot for the drawing is post a comment, answering the question of the month.  Easy, huh?

This month, the winner will receive a bar of handmade unscented goat milk soap. 

This all-natural soap is great for all skin types and contains a combination of several oils in addition to the milk, which is so nourishing to skin.  It is suitable for both face and body.  Because this bar is unscented, you can use it in the shower, then follow with your favorite scents for lotions and sprays without their having to compete with a scented soap.

To be entered to win the goat milk soap, please comment on this post by Sunday, the 20th.  I'll post the winner on Monday.  Ready for your question?

As summer is approaching, my mind turns more and more to pie.  :)  I love a good, fresh berry pie like this one.  I'm assuming lots of you do, too, since this pie post currently ranks #4 in my most frequently viewed posts.  So, what's your favorite pie for summertime?  You may include the recipe in your comment or provide a link, if it's an online recipe.  I hope to hear from several of you (and be able to enjoy your wonderful pie suggestions this summer, of course.)