Homestead Blessings- Art of Quilting and Art of Crafting Review and Giveaway! Courtesy of Franklin Springs Family Media

*This Giveaway Has Ended*

Franklin Springs Family Media provides families with top-quality DVDs that encourage the building and strengthening of God-honoring family life. In my previous review I introduced you to one of Franklin Springs best selling collections, The Homestead Blessings series.

Homestead Blessings is a collection of instructional DVD's teaching the art of homemaking. You will be amazed and inspired by the talents of the West ladies. This time around I want to introduce you to 2 newly released DVD's in this series, The Art of Quilting and The Art of Crafting!

The Art Of Quilting

In this DVD the West ladies teach you quilting basics such as cutting blocks, piecing blocks, assembly, quilting, binding, etc.
You will learn tips and tricks to making your next quilting project stress free. You will also learn how to make a simple baby quilt, cobbler cozy, quilted pot holder, and more!

I do not have a lot of quilting experience. I started a quilt back when my 10 year old son was a baby and am ashamed to admit, it is still unfinished. I never really knew what I was doing. Now that I have learned some tips from this DVD, I am ready to tackle the quilt and get it finished! This will give me a fun project to work on during the long winter months.

Watch this trailer to see more:

The Art Of Crafting

I love crafts! When I was a little girl I would pour over craft books and make anything and everything I had the supplies for. I always appreciate new craft ideas even today! I had a lot of fun watching this DVD and can't wait to try my hand at making all these wonderful craft projects.

In this DVD you will learn how to make hand printed napkins, gingerbread ornaments, dipped pine cones, bird feeders, dried potpourri, baby doll cradle, cookies in a jar and more!

Watch this trailer to see more:

I can't wait to see what the West ladies come up with next! I hope you will be as inspired by this series as I have been. Be sure to check out the rest of the titles, here.


BUY IT: You can purchase Homestead Blessing DVD's directly from Franklin Springs Family Media. Click here. Be sure to check out Franklin Springs complete library of fims here.

WIN IT: Franklin Springs Family Media is giving one lucky Happily Domestic reader the Homestead Blessings -Art of Quilting and Art of Crafting DVDs! $28 value

First Mandatory entry:
Visit Franklin Springs Family Media and tell me a film they have made that you would like to watch (besides the Homestead Blessing series).

*Remember to leave your email address in your comment! YOU MUST DO THIS TO WIN*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * *Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and include your e-mail address.*

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too!
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar.
• Blog about THIS giveaway between October 29th and November 5th and gain TWO entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your HB giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your HB giveaway@ #2".
  
• Grab my Happily Domestic button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
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Giveaway ends Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
*This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

Thank you to Franklin Springs Family Media who provided me with the DVD's for review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received to conduct this review and giveaway.

*This Giveaway Has Ended*

Wordless Wednesday- A Visit From Uncle

My husband's brother was in town for a visit this past week. My husband, his brother, dad and several other men went for a 1 week camping trip in the Utah dessert. They had a great time. It was good to see some of my husband's family as we rarely get to see them.

This is one of my husband's (4 years younger) brothers. He always loves to read with our children when we get together. He will make a great daddy some day!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

No, this is not my new blog design

I was just playing around with the new blogger templates, this is NOT my new blog design. It is still in the works. Hopefully it will be ready soon because I am getting inpatient! Anyway... I have been wanting a wider blogging area, this will do for now. :-)

Fluff Talk Thursdays- Cloth Diaper Mama, coming in November!

I haven't done Fluff Talk Thursdays in awhile and have had some of you say you miss it. I decided it was time to stop being lazy and get back into this. Honestly, I have been a bit discouraged by the lack of interest I have had the past few FTT posts. Is this a meme you all wish for me to continue? I would love your input!!

I decided to dedicate the month of November to all you cloth mamas and do "Cloth Diaper Mama Month". Each week I will feature 3 cloth diapering mamas during Fluff Talk Thursday! I will post a short interview with you, pictures you want to share, and give you a chance to introduce yourself to my readers.

Email me @ HappilyDomestic09@yahoo.com by November 1st if you wish to be included during the 1st week. Deadline for all other participants is November 10th. Once I hear from you I will email a list of questions for you to answer and we will go from there!

*Once the 12 FTT Cloth Diaper Mama slots have been filled, I am not obligated to share your story. Sorry*

My favorite natural remedies for babies and children

Last week my husband, children and I had the stomach bug...this week a horrid cold!! I thought I would share some of my favorite natural children's remedies. One of my friends is a big natural living guru. She has given me many tips over the past few years and I have learned a lot from her. Whenever we are sick or have an issue going on, I call her to ask what I should do! Who needs a doctor? Haha. Anyway, these products are among my absolute favorites and I highly recommend them.

Gaia Herbs Ear Drops for children is what I like to call "Miracle Drops". These ear drops are AMAZING! Seriously, I had such a bad ear ache one time that I had to constantly lay down to bear the pain. I put these drops in and within an hour I had no ear ache at all!!! And these drops are for kids, but worked well on me. I have used them numerous times on my children and have had the same results. You can purchase these at natural grocery stores or online for only about $5 a bottle.
BabyLife by Solaray is a probioitic for infants, children and nursing women. It comes in a unflavored, non-dairy powder and is great for everyday digestional health as well as boosting the immunity. Since the powder is tasteless you can easy get your babies and children to eat it. I mix my baby's up in his morning baby cereal. Probiotics are great for those times baby has diarrhea. You can also purchase this at a natural grocery store (I shop Vitamin Cottage) or online, cost is about $15.

When your baby's and children are sick, it is time to add extra vitamin C into their systems. Hylands make these little chewables that dissolve quickly making it great for young children. Cost $5.

Carlson Labs offers Vitamin D drops for both infants and children. Vitamin D has been proven to help boost immunity and help keep sicknesses such as H1N1 at bay. Given your child a daily dose of D is a simple way to help your child stay healthy all year long. Vitamin D drops are pretty much tasteless so you will not be fussing with your little ones trying to get this down. You can also add to their food or drink. $28 but will last you a whole year!

Wish Garden Herbs sells a whole line of children's herbal remedies and you can view the full line here. I have not tried all their products for children, but the Kick It Immune is one I try to always have on hand in my medicine cabinet. It works great when used at first sign of sickness. Your children can also take this daily as a preventative. Now, this IS a liquid and does not taste the best if given strait, however when added to even a small bit of water it tastes much better. $10 or so depending where you buy it.

This is a great alternative to using products such as Mentholatum. The Aromatic Chest Rub by Badger Balm is 100% Organic, safe and natural. It contains ingredients such as Tea Tree, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, etc. It is every bit as powerful and effective as Mentholatum without the harmful ingredients. I have used this on my babies as young as age 4 months or so, but please use caution when using this on small children as it can be burning to their eyes. A safe alternative for babies may be to put a bit of the chest rub on a rag and lay it in their crib. Check out Badger Balm for other helpful balms. $10 for 2 oz. container.

I hope this has been helpful. I know when my children are sick I like to find healthier alternatives to help them get through. What are your favorite natural remedies?

*I am not a doctor, just a mom writing about products our family has used and liked. I cannot be held responsible for any bad side effects you have from using these products.*

Wordless Wednesday- Peek -a- Pooh!

PEEK -A-POOH!!!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Costumes for Baby Wearing- Genius!

I know that Halloween is fast approaching and most of you have probably already bought your costumes, but if you have a small baby...you MUST check this out!!! A friend of mine announced on her blog that she is starting a new business. It is called Carried Away Costumes. These costumes are designed for the baby being worn by his mother (or dad). Costume goes over baby and carrier, this way the cute costume is not hidden away! Adorable! Check out her site for more information.

Toddler Play- Fun with Painting!

Little E had so much fun painting at the Denver Children's Museum

I love those mess free paint cups! Must buy some!

He was excited and kept saying , "Ooh!"

So serious!

Don't interrupt my painting, Ma!

Finished Masterpiece

Clean up time!

Little E had so much fun painting at the Denver Children's Museum! I wasn't sure what he would think about painting as he has not tried it before. I guess I need to let him paint more because, he LOVED it!

Pictures from our Denver trip!

Thought I would share some of our pictures from our recent Denver trip. I put them together in these collages so not to make this post extra long. Click on images to see larger.

Our room at Embassy Suites

I love the picture of Baby J crying in the crib! Haha!

The first night we ate dinner at Casa Bonita.

Their food is nothing to brag about but it is a lot of fun. They have divers, fire jugglers, a stage show, and the building is HUGE! Casa Bonita has an arcade, gift shop, haunted cave, etc. If your ever in Denver, I recommend checking it out!

The 2nd day we visited the King Tut's Tomb Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. This is a traveling exhibit so maybe it will be in your town next! Totally worth checking out. It is amazing seeing Egyptian jewlery, dolls, chairs, coffins, statues, etc that are as old as Moses! Very interesting!

King Tot The Great

(love the eyebrows)

This collage is of the outside of the Denver Art Museum.

I love the architecture! Amazing!

The Imax theater at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science recently got new screens, sound, etc. We watched "Hubble 3D" about the Hubble telescope. Since I am teaching the kids about Astronomy this year in Science, this was a real treat for us all. We truly have an amazing God to create such a marvelous universe!

A visit to the Denver Children's Museum was made...fun was had by all. But, to whoever brought the flu bug germs with them...NOT COOL!I love the picture with Little E and the fireman. Adorable!

You should have seen my son "C" going into the Lego store!!! He was SO excited I thought he would have a heart attack!! We let the kids do the "Pick a Brick" where you fill up a container with Legos. The kids also brought their own money they have earned in school and they bought a couple cheaper sets.

Lastly, we visited the Denver Zoo. It was perfect weather, all the animals were out and about, and the kids behaved wonderfully. We couldn't have asked for a better zoo visit. The only thing I would recommend doing when you visit this zoo is to pack in your own lunch. We paid $30 for greasy hamburgers that didn't even have lettuce or tomatoes on them!!! Rip off!

That was our trip! I love taking mini-trips. Makes dealing with everyday life a little easier. We all need a break now and again.

Mountain Hardwear Garnet Packtote Review and Giveaway!

If you are an outdoor enthusiast then you are probably familiar with the many great outdoor products Mountain Hardwear has to offer. Tents, sleeping bags, exercise clothing, gloves, hats, and more! They carry outdoor gear for the whole family! Did you know they also offer backpacks and totes for everyday use? Whether your a student, teacher, mom or CEO you will love the functionality of these bags!

I was given the opportunity to try Mountain Hardwear's new Garnet Packtote in Redwood color. The packtote is awesome because it functions as both a backpack or a tote bag, whichever you prefer! As a mom I can appreciate this feature because I often find myself with my arms full. I like to wear the packtote on my back during those times I have my kids in tow.

The Packtote is made of durable herringbone nylon (front panel) and has poly accent panels. It has fully bound seams to ensure long life. The front pocket contains 2 larger storage areas as well as 5 small storage pockets and slots for pens and pencils. Inside the packtote you will find 2 full size pockets (large enough to hold a laptop!) and 1 large zip pocket.

Overall, I am very impressed by the packtote. It has ample room for my everyday essentials, it's durable, well made and dual functioning! What more could I ask for in a backpack? Love it!


BUY IT: Mountain Hardwear products are sold world wide. Click here to find a retailer near you.

WIN IT: Mountain Hardwear is giving one Happily Domestic reader a Garnet Packtote in their choice of color (Deep Water, Black, Redwood, Berry Soda, or Grasshopper). $75.00 Value!

First Mandatory entry:
Visit Mountain Hardwear and tell me what other products they offer that you would like to try.
*Remember to leave your email address in your comment! YOU MUST DO THIS TO WIN*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * *Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry AND include your e-mail address.*

• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too!
• Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. Sign up box on my right sidebar.
• Grab my Happily Domestic button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
• Blog about THIS giveaway between October 18th and October 31st and gain TWO entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your MH giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your MH giveaway@ #2".
• Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
• Vote for me at TOP 100 MOMMY BLOGGERS, link button is found at my top left sidebar. Leave a comment saying that you voted for me. This only counts for new votes.
• Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
• Follow Mountain Hardwear on Twitter. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
• Like Mountain Hardwear on Facebook . Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
• Sign up for the Mountain Hardwear Newsletter. Leave a comment saying that you did this.

Giveaway ends Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. *This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

Thank you to Mountain Hardwear who provided the product for review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received to conduct this review and giveaway.

Hoover T-Series Bagless Upright Vacuum Winner!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO RHONDA U.!!!

She left winning comment #260...

RhondaU said...

I voted for you on Mommy Bloggers!
phlebtech3000@yahoo.com

October 6, 2010 4:59 PM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn!

Naturepedic Organic Quilted Mattress Topper Winner!

CONGRATULATIONS TO RENEE K!!!

She left winning comment #68...

ReneeK said...

I would love the twin organic sheets my son has eczema and his skin is sensative.
jeff (no space) knoblauch (at)sbcglobal (dot) net

September 27, 2010 4:49 AM

Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Update

In case you have been wondering where in the world I am...I thought I better give a quick update. My family and I went out of town on the 8th as we had to take Little E to the Children's Hospital in Denver to see a few specialist. As I mentioned previously, he has had some pretty severe gross motor delays. He has been seen by a neurologist 3 times, had all kinds of tests done and no one seems to be able to figure out what is going on. This time the Neuro. wanted him to see a Neuro-muscular doc as well as a few others.

The appointment went real well. The Neuro-muscular doc was very reassuring that she did not feel E has any type of muscular disorder. He does have low tone and loose ligaments. She said that he may fatigue faster than other children and may need more sleep. This is interesting because he has always been so mellow and he sleeps ALOT. We will be meeting with a Geneticist in the spring to rule out any other possibilities. E is VERY tiny for his age and quite skinny. We just want to make sure we are not overlooking anything. I feel encouraged regarding all this. I know our little guy is going to be okay. Praise God for good reports!

The rest of our trip to Denver was spent having fun. We stayed 3 nights at the Embassy Suites Hotel, visited the Kind Tut's Tomb Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (very interesting!), took the kids to the Children's Museum, Zoo, IMAX Hubble 3D movie, and to the Lego store (my oldest thought he died and gone to heaven!). We had a great time together.

When we returned home one by one each of us came down with a stomach bug! My turn was last night and today I have been so weak and tired. My husband was real sick and had to stay home from work (something he NEVER does). I will be glad when this is over!

My husband's dad (from WA state) and brother (who lives in N.J.) will be here this weekend. All the guys are taking a 1 week camping trip in the Utah dessert. It has been hard to get prepared for this with us being gone and then sick. We will spend the next two days cleaning like mad and preparing meals for the guys. Life seems insanely busy at the moment. I look forward to when it slows down again.

Now... I KNOW I need to end the 2 giveaways that ended on the 10th and I will do that tonight! I promise. Thanks for everyone's understanding.

~Beth

Another year older....

Yesterday I turned 32!!!! I can hardly believe it myself. When you are a kid people in their 30's seem SO OLD. Now here I am 2 years into it and wondering how I got here so fast!
Today I was looking through some old photos and found a couple birthday ones of me to share.

My 1st Birthday
I look a bit like Baby J here.

And I look a bit like Little E here (minus the ponytails)
Yes, my nickname was "Bubba" growing up. Gotta love it!