monday here again

mon-chicken and bean soup (in my turkey stock i made :) )
tues- meatloaf and mashed potatos
wed-chicken and noodles
thur-sausage, eggs and biscuits
fri-bean burritos



a link of interest
starting early in the garden

Let's Recap

remember when i told you my fridge broke? how i lived out of an ice chest (with a family of nine) for a week? how when my landlord finally got me a "new" fridge that it was rusty and pitted and downright ugly?

then remember i told you my dryer broke? how i washed the clothes in my own washer and then tried to hang the clothes on the line outside and in my bedroom? and how it is simply too cold for anything to dry even after a week?

did i tell you that the day that dh fixed the dryer (after one week) that the washing machine broke? THE VERY DAY
after one week of that he fixed it only to discover that it had another problem and we are on our second week of no washing machine!

did you forget that the day we discovered that problem was also the day dh got his truck stuck in the mud outside our home and we had to pay a tow truck $150 to pull it out five feet?

that happened the same day we discovered the vcr was toast. i have 500 tapes and no way to play them.

well, i never mentioned that on sunday (the day after the tow truck came) that my desktop computer started shooting blue sparks out the back and popping like crazy. dh was able to fix it on monday - putting in a new power source - and that very next day the laptop computer cord broke off inside of the unit rendering it useless. we have yet to fix the laptop.

as if that wasn't all enough today the water pipe outside the kitchen burst and it looked like a fire hose doing its job without a fireman attached to it. the men are here fixing that now.

if you feel like praying for me, i would appreciate it. oh by the way, this morning we discovered mold growing all over my dd's bedroom wall. we will be bleaching that later this evening.

a warning for all you shoppers/couponers

taken from HERE kc penny pinching mama

I must say I’m pretty disappointed with Target at this point. Instead of taking the time to present a well thought out price matching policy, they seem to be in a reactionary mode and updating it on a whim.

After just presenting a new version of their Low Price Promise last weekend, Target has already updated it again. Going forward Target coupons will be deducted before price matching. If the price in the competitor ad is still lower, then that price will be applied and any manufacturer’s coupons will be deducted. So basically Target store coupons can no longer be deducted after the price match is made.

It seems to me that if Target really wants to provide excellent customer service and give customers an incentive to shop their store over a competitor, they would offer us a true low price guarantee, including honoring store coupons. As far as I’m concerned, price matching at Target is already difficult enough. I’ll just take my business elsewhere.





tami-i must say i "hate" my target! i never have anything but trouble there!! i will go and attempt deals sometimes but it has to really be a good deal for me to make the effort! lol it seems that not all targets are the same, just as not all cvs' are the same etc.

menu monday

mon-chicken and noodles
tues- spaghetti
wed-sausage, biscuits and gravy
thur- thanksgiving-turkey,ben is making the mashed potatos, michael's speciality is stuffing,rebekah is making glazed carrots,hannah is making green bean casserole, parker is making sweet potato pie, jamison is making cupcakes, sarah is making a datenut bread.
fri-chicken and bean soup

some good some bad

well, my friday was good but so far my saturday could be better.

yesterday i went to town with my friend jennie and we went to walgreens where i was able to get a box of cereal for $1 (they had a sale plus i had a coupon),and a box of 100 tea bags for 50 cents (they had a sale plus i combined a mfr coupon with store coupon).

then we went to albertsons where i bought a box of instant rice for a dollar - sale and coupon again - and two bags of marshmallows for 50 cents each (combing sale plus coupon), these will be used for our sweet potato casserole at thanksgiving.

i was also able to get a 96 count box of crayola crayons for free the night before. again with jennie, but this time at walmart.

these are the only things i bought this week because i have stocked up on enough food to last another week or so. :)


now fast forward to saturday morning at 6:30. dh had brought his semi home instead of going back to work and picking up our mini van because he had driven the maxiumum number of hours by DOT. he parked in a empty field across the street as he has done before, HOWEVER last nite it poured rain. when he woke and tried to leave he got stuck. he ended up having to call a tow truck and it cost us 150 dollars. i say us not the company because they didn't tell him to park at our home. BUT they did tell him to get off the road because he had driven all the hours he was allowed to drive. well, he was only a few miles from home so of course he came here.

$150!!!!!!!! i am so upset!!!!

still no wash machine and boy is it getting on my nerves! it's been a week so far. i am doing laundry for a family of 9 in the sink! we spent $116 on the part but dh hasn't been home at a decent time all week to put it in! and i have a laundry detergent to review and do a giveaway for!!

i won 2 more giveaways yesterday. a dvd and a cookie cutter set. that makes 137 wins since march ! :) :) have you seen my giveaway blog? it's HERE

have you seen this blog? another new favorite of mine!!

Wordless Wednesday

why is that button there?

why have i added the food storage button so prominently on my blog?
i'm trying to win a wondermill electric grain mill of course!!
but seriously, even if i don't win it it is still a great site that you can learn a lot from (sign up for their emails to help keep you on track :) )

go HERE to see how you can enter to win too!

have a blessed monday

mon-chicken and noodles
tues-chicken tacos
wed-turkey deli subs
thurs-chicken and navy bean soup
fri-mexican casserole

we still have chicken left and we bought turkey at 40 cents a pound so that is why we are having what we are having. :)

i was blessed this weekend at salvation army! i picked up a game , with all the pieces still sealed in the little baggie , for only $1!!! merry christmas parker!!

i also bought 10 books for my dd sarah at 50 cents each. they were originally $12 a piece and they look BRAND NEW! (i'm not kidding! no creases or wear anywhere!) she loves to read so christmas will be great for her.

they also has stuffed animals- like my dds play with- for only 30 cents. i bought four. they are not the kind you get at walmart but rather the expensive kind from hallmark gift shops etc. very plush and "elegant" they'll love them this christmas.

ladies don't dismiss thrift stores for christmas or other gift giving times. while you can't depend on certain items being there when you shop, if you keep an open mind you just might find something. i NEVER buy torn or dirty items. everything i buy looks "brand new" or i don't buy it!! all parts must be working (like the $16 fire engine i bought andrew for this christmas for only $1) and i have high standards. i am prepared to walk away!!! and yet i find all sorts of great things. see what you can do!

LOOK!





i was so blessed to receive this! thank you so much sunflower faith


why do i blog sunflower faith asks- well i blog as an outlet sometimes. something i need to get off my chest.
sometimes i blog becuz i have info that i am bursting at the seams to tell someone. sometimes i blog becuz i have something to say and i want someone to hear me. above the roar of the children.
sometimes i blog becuz i want someone to hear me and comment back. sometimes i just need a friend.
and sometimes i blog becuz i feel God shares something with me that i should pass on.something that might help someone. even if that someone is me.

my picks for this award

every precious joy

beth at i am heading towards my destiny
mama archer
jennifer at quiverfull family



Neno’s Award—-Rules and Regulations

1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.

4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Be Still my Heart!

be still my heart!!! an apron giveaway! and from my fav apron lady to boot!! go HERE to enter!

a shout out for raising olives :)

when i find a new blog i love or see a giveaway i think that keepers at home especially might be interested in i pass them on to you. well here's both things rolled in one! what a great way to introduce you to a new blog i found a few weeks ago - an apron contest!!! so head over to raising olives and enter to win a beautiful apron (just in time for thanksgiving!) and read everything there! you'll love it!!

weird post

how is my day you ask?
i have a sick 4 yr old who has a fever and and is vomiting. i have no way to wash blankets. :(

question i have- why don't the children USE the organizing containers i buy?

my wish- that i had someone to talk to about all these doubts in my faith i have.

baked good of the day- sugar cookies. parker made them. wish he had made more.

good news- i won another giveaway. number 135 i think. it was makeup.

question-if all versions/translations of the bible contain errors which one do you choose and how do you live by it knowing it may be wrong?

is it ok to have a headache that hasn;t gone away in 6 days? it is a helmet like one.

kids made playdough today.

shhhhh-all we did today was math and english.

do you think 45 is too old to start a new chapter in your life? start a whole new way of life? or should dreams be accepted as "not gonna happen" at this age?

how do you get your kids in line ? has it ever gone too far and there is no hope? i have problems in this area. how to make a family of duggers from a family of hedonistic heathens who you have lost control of. (gasp! you thought i was perfect!)

how do you know when God is saying "no" or "wait" ?

are you tired of the qs? i am! see ya!

prayers needed

this short video clip is hard to watch so please consider that first. either way, please pray for this woman. this post isn't about oprah so please don't write me about her "faith" or lack of - just pray for the woman involved.

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL Living/after-the-attack-oprah/49792215001 or click HERE

Charla Nash has been mauled by a chimpanzee, and now we can only hope she won't be mauled by the media and general public.

I would not even begin to criticize the tone and substance of Oprah Winfrey's interview with the 56-year-old woman who was beaten beyond recognition just nine months ago by her friend's exotic pet.

Oprah is a genius in the art of the interview, and that comes from having a sense of compassion that can't be contrived. Even with all her accomplishments, her segment with Nash may go down as one of her finest moments.

But was it really necessary to show this woman's face? Did the veil need to be lifted?

Now Nash must face the ramifications of knowing that images of her will reach every corner of the Internet.

Moreover, this was done on afternoon TV. Do we not even make token gestures anymore to seem like a society that attempts to shield children from things they might not be ready to see?

I know many people were touched by this segment. And for all Oprah's accomplishments, many fans will call this one of her finest moments.

My 78-year-old mother -- a true Oprah connoisseur -- was knocked out.

"It was unbelievable. I cried," she said. "I loved when Oprah went to wipe a tear from the eye on that woman's face -- the eye that wasn't even there."

My mom has been "down in the dumps," as she would say, having lost two close friends in recent weeks. Seeing Nash clearly put her in touch with her own inner strength.

"To have the guts to go on TV like that!" Mom said. "Charla Nash is one of the strongest women I've ever seen. That chimpanzee didn't destroy her, not the part that was inside."

Oprah had worked her magic. She lifted my mother's spirits. For that, of course, I am grateful. But my father, hardly a shrinking violet, had to leave the room. I'm sure he wasn't the only one.

Now, a day later, we must deal with the ramifications of Nash's TV appearance. It's now everywhere -- posted on blogs, rehashed on morning TV and radio.

Whenever disturbing media images make their way across the Internet, I'm reminded of those horrible photos of the torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib. It was necessary to expose those abuses.

But by the time these images become fodder for "The Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live," they were reduced to cheap comedy.

I'm afraid that this poor woman's face is now going to become just one more image that gets shown over and over again -- and the dignity Oprah found in Nash's courage will be lost.

Already we've seen the infamous New York Post headline writers dub her the "Chimp Maul Gal." The New York Daily News drolly observed, "If Charla Nash still had eyes, she too would be horrified."
Brace Yourself for Tasteless Jokes
Brace yourself for the tasteless Charla Nash jokes, Halloween costumes and late-show parodies. This is the age of the Internet, and the toothpaste is now out of the YouTube.

Of course, it was Nash's decision to show her face. But as someone who has never been exposed to the burn of today's multimedia barrage, did she know what she was getting into?

And having spent the past nine months in the Cleveland Clinic, where she is hoping to get a face transplant, was she even in the condition to make such a decision?

When Oprah asked her if she was even aware of the extent of her injuries, Nash told her, "Not all the way, because it's less for me to worry about if I don't know."

The chimp that attacked her ripped off her nose, her lips, one thumb, and a large part of her scalp. Surgeons had to create a hole in her face so she could drink meals through a straw.

Only weeks ago did she learn that her eyes would have to be removed to quell an infection.

"I don't ask a whole lot about my injuries," she told Oprah.

"I know that I have my forehead," she said. "It feels like just patches of tape or gauze covering my face."

Nash wore a black veil through the early part of the interview. She said she wears it around the hospital "so I don't scare people."

At one point, guards were stationed at her door so paparazzi wouldn't snap a photo of her.

Oprah duly warned her that once she lifted that veil, her picture would be broadcast "all over the world."

"That's fine," Nash said. "I'm starting to get stronger and ready for everything."

I hope that's true. But one thing is undeniable: It's nearly impossible to say "no" to Oprah.

school today

some sites we used in school today

what! a trolley car made into a house?!
another site , another house

these were used in conjunction with a history detectives episode found at pbs.org


we started out reading a science book about starfish and i googled the illustrator!

more on her earlier years

her obit

there were more but i'l; let you discover them yourselves. :)

we also did math. our printer is out of ink so i can't print our grammar sheets but that's ok for now :) i buy one book and make copies - that's why i have books listed on the side but still couldn't do schoolwork lol and i feel guilty making parker do english if the girls don't. ~smile~

by the way- now our washer is breaking and the dishwasher is too! yikes!!!!

some links you might enjoy

in surfing the web i come across links that i find interesting and i thought i'd share some :)

get your home in order before the holidays

how to prepare dried beans


Enter for a chance to win a $5,000 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card!

free huggies diaper

my monday

Outside my Window… it is cold and dreary- looks like rain. i love days that look like this!!

I am thinking… i need to make more coffee!!

I am thankful for… all the clothes i was given this weekend for my kids.

From the kitchen… dishwasher is running, beans and rice are soaking for dinner tonite.

From the learning rooms… first up- science. the ear!

I am wearing… still my nightie (blush)
I am reading… the bible is it nowadays
I am hoping… to have more peace

I am hearing… music don't know the name of it.


Around the house… things are busy already

One of my favorite things… coffee!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week… planning more organizing jobs, schooling the kids








mon-beans and rice over hard tostada shells and topped with cheese.
tues-chili and rolls
wed-spaghetti
thur-navy bean soup
fri- eggs and sausage

a mixed bag

well what a mixed bag this weekend has been.

i have been blessed in my early christmas shopping. i have found several toys, that if brand new would have cost $60 but becuz i bought them second hand they cost less than $10!!! they are all in perfect condition so no one is the wiser !(except for you!)

i only have $200 to spend on all 7 children so.... my contest winnings really help out too .")

remember my complaining about my "new" fridge? well here comes more!! it's bad enuf that it is rusty and pitted , and that the door has no bars on it so you can't use it BUT i noticed that the shelves all tilt backward so the food slides backward!!! AND you can't put a light bulb in it becuz the thingamajig is broken inside and a bulb can't be screwed in. so i open a dark cavernous space every so often!!!!

NOW my dryer is broken!! i can't get it repaired for a week or so!! i took 7 loads of laundry - i do about 5 loads a day- to the laundromat. after waiting forever and spending $8 i found that the dryers didn't work and the clothing was as wet as when i started!!!!!! hubby took the clothes to another laundromat later for me. pray pease cuz i don't have a car so i can't go and do laundry at all during the week.

yes the washer works. yes i have a line out. HOWEVER becuz it is so cold here and my backyard is so shaded it takes days to dry anything! so i tried stringing a line up in my room and turning the fans on- no good either!! argh!!

i was blessed with 2 bags of kids' clothes this weekend- 1 for the boys and 1 for the girls. yay!!!

i spent $280 at walmart , counting the chickens i bought last week and now i have 20 meals in my home plus a few snacks. for 9 people. that doesn't count the emergency cabinets. :) it feels good!

Another You Need to Know

are you aware of the health care bill? did you know you can go to jail if you don't obey the law concerning health insurance? do you believe it is nancy pelosi's right to decide how much insurance you carry? is she going to raise your salaries in order to pay for this? (no)


PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail
JCT Confirms Failure to Comply with Democrats’ Mandate Can Lead to 5 Years in Jail
Friday, November 06, 2009

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”


to read more go HERE

i'm honored

thank you laurie!!!! laurie from common sense homesteading presented me with this award and i want to say thank you!


now i get to pick some lovely blogs too!!

kindred spirits
passionate homemaking
a wise woman builds her home
plain homesteading
jonash- two of a kind working on a full house

that's just a few of my favs ( i have lots!) go check them out!

Happy 8th Birthday Hannah

another isolated mistake

another child vaxxed against the swine flu against her parents' consent! i already showed you one child HERE THEY told us then it was an isolated mistake. well here's another isolated mistake!!!



Brooklyn girl winds up in hospital after being injected with H1N1 swine flu vaccine without parental permission
Wednesday, November 04, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) A six-year-old Brooklyn girl, Nikiyah Torres-Pierre, was hospitalized recently after being injected with the swine flu vaccine. The vaccination was conducted entirely without her parents' permission in an incident school nurses are calling "a mistake."

Mother Naomi Troy told the NY Daily News, "I was outraged." After receiving the swine flu injection, her daughter complained she was itching and her stomach was hurting. That's when school officials called an ambulance that rushed Nikiyah to the hospital.

Nikiyah is epileptic and takes prescription medication to treat the condition. Her mother was concerned about the possible side effects of combining a swine flu vaccine shot with epilepsy drugs and was waiting to hear back from her doctor before giving the school permission to vaccinate her daughter. That permission was apparently irrelevant, as some schools simply vaccinate any and all children without concern for parental permission.

After injecting her daughter without permission, the school nurse then called Naomi Troy and tried to persuade her to sign a consent form after the fact. "I was insulted. I was really angry," said Naomi.

So far, 1,800 NY students have been vaccinated against swine flu. Hundreds of thousands more are in line to be vaccinated when a sufficient supply of vaccines is made available.

i am so blessed!

this morning i opened my email and i received this!






This award is presented to a Mommy blogger who is on a mission! ;) So tell us, why do you blog and what do you love about it? And then pick a few other mom's with a mission to pass this award on to.


ok why do i blog?
i don't know! lol sometimes i ask myself that same question! i guess i blog becuz i like to inform people of things.
i like to glorify the sacred work of homemaking. (it gets such a bad rap by the society)
i like to blog becuz it makes me feel like i am chatting with friends. which is why i wish more people would comment more often- it would seem like a conversation then!
i like to "talk"!

well that in a nutshell is why i blog!!

thank you so much every precious joy!

i pick :

purple amethyst 76

happy hermit

the homespun life

life as a mom








free shampoo

win 250 business cards and promote your blog!

in case it affects you!

Almost 546,000 Pounds of Beef Recalled
AP
filed under: Health News, National News


ASHVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 2) - A New York meat company has recalled almost 546,000 pounds of ground beef because, according to health officials, contaminated meat has caused illness and one death.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday the meat sold by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms was linked to cases of E. coli-related illness in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. New Hampshire health officials say one person died and two others became ill.
Skip over this content


The federal agency says the ground beef was sold at numerous retail stores. Each package carried the number "EST. 492" on the label.
In addition, ground beef packaged under the Fairbank Farms name was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and was likely repackaged for sale.

in case it affects you!

Almost 546,000 Pounds of Beef Recalled
AP
filed under: Health News, National News


ASHVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 2) - A New York meat company has recalled almost 546,000 pounds of ground beef because, according to health officials, contaminated meat has caused illness and one death.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday the meat sold by Ashville, N.Y.-based Fairbank Farms was linked to cases of E. coli-related illness in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. New Hampshire health officials say one person died and two others became ill.
Skip over this content


The federal agency says the ground beef was sold at numerous retail stores. Each package carried the number "EST. 492" on the label.
In addition, ground beef packaged under the Fairbank Farms name was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and was likely repackaged for sale.

can you believe this?

first things first! the winner of the coconut flour is julie ann!! i'll be emailing you today :)





scroll down for something nicer than the first story :)












Barbie Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken is a Real Doll

by Brett Singer (Subscribe to Brett Singer's posts) Oct 31st 2009 1:50PM

Categories: In The News, Weird But True, Toys & Games, Fashion & Clothing
Print Email More

The new Ken doll is beyond fabulous. Credit: Mattel Inc.
Barbie and Ken have come a long way since they first came out. But is Ken ready to, um, come out in a different way?

The Internet is all abuzz with news of the Barbie Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken Doll. Retailer Entertainment Earth is taking preorders for the doll, scheduled for release in April 2010.

Indeed.

A word of explanation -- in this case, the phrase Sugar Daddy does not refer to the candy bar. Urban Dictionary describes the term thusly: "A man (usually older and well-off) who financially supports a younger woman (or man) in exchange for sex and companionship.

Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken won't be alone in Florida with his little white dog (readers of the site Topless Robot think the pooch should be named "Precious"). The doll is part of a series called Barbie Palm Beach, which includes the Barbie Palm Beach Swimsuit Doll, the Barbie Palm Beach Caftan Doll and the Barbie Palm Beach Coral Doll, which is the most expensive offering at $174.99. The least expensive of the line, the $14.32 Barbie Beach Party Pool Playset, is sold out at the moment. We truly hope it will be in stock soon. Otherwise where will Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken dunk his pedicure whilst sipping his third Sex on the Beach?

When we first heard about the spanking new Ken, we thought it was a PhotoShopped hoax. Turns out, this Mattel doll is the real deal.

"It's a legitimate concept that leaked out," admitted Michelle Chidoni, Mattel spokesperson.

"We have a group called the Barbie Collector Group, targeted toward the adult, fashion-minded consumer," she told ParentDish, adding that the group is some eight million strong. "The collector community has a message board and this doll concept leaked onto the message board."

"We've explored this character, but it's not finalized," she added. "The concepts that we're talking about now are for 2010-2011. This was a character we explored and that's the long and short of it. But these aren't dolls you'll see at Toys R Us."

This isn't the first time Mattel came up with a controversial Barbie. Last year's Tippi Hedren Barbie, from her role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, had three ravens attacking her ensemble, much to some collectors' dismay.

Now that we know about the adult collection, we have a few suggestions of our own: Octo-Barbie, Jon Ken/Kate Barbie, Lady Gaga Barbie and our fave, Britney Barbie who sings Womanizer to K-Fed Ken.


click on the pic for a great freebie!