I don't know about you, but I'm a pasta lover - all the way. Me and pasta are best friends. (Okay, you grammar Nazis - don't correct me!) Well, all right. Pasta and I are best friends. Is that better? ☺ The problem is, I really shouldn't eat pasta, not since I began eating a low-carb eating plan (Trim Healthy Mama). And one of my daughters cannot eat gluten, so that makes pasta almost out of the question for her. Sure, there are other gluten-free alternatives, but they definitely are not insulin-friendly or for those who are trying to lose weight. Even my favorite Dreamfields Pasta? Well, their company has changed their tune, and it is no longer being promoted as a low-glycemic pasta. Rats. After learning about the changes with Dreamfields Pasta and realizing my daughter needed to eat gluten-free, I began to look into other options. Someone on Facebook mentioned spiral slicers, and that piqued my interest. Well, when I start researching something, I learn all kinds of things! ☺ I've learned that there are several types of spiral slicers, whose purpose is to slice vegetables into pasta strands for those who cannot eat pasta or are looking for healthier options. There are the cone spiral slicers, like the Brieftons Spiral Slicer, below - and I get to give one away this week! Click on the Rafflecopter entry form below, or if you are reading this in your email, please click over to the post to enter or click on the link below that says "a Rafflecopter giveaway.” You'll also commonly find what I call the "tabletop" style and the "covered pot" style of veggie spiral slicers. Each type has their advantages and disadvantages. I've personally used two types of spiral slicers so far: the Brieftons "cone" Spiral Slicer, and another brand's "covered pot" style of spiral slicer. Since I'm giving away one of Brieftons' "cone" type of spiral slicer, I'm mainly going to let you know how well this product works. The Brieftons Spiral Slicer is inexpensive (under $13) and easy to use. It is small and takes up very little room in a kitchen drawer or cupboard. Nice! The Brieftons Spiral Slicer, like other cone-style spiral slicers, is used much like a pencil sharpener, where the veggie is the "pencil", and the slicer is the "sharpener". After washing off your veggies or fruits such as carrots, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, zucchinis, cucumbers, large radishes, apples, squash, pears, etc., peel off the skin if necessary or desired. Straight and firm vegetables and fruits work best with this type of spiral slicer. Use one hand to hold the spiral slicer's stainless steel handles. Use the other hand to carefully insert your veggie into the spiral slicer's "cone", making sure that the vegetable stays straight in the middle of the cone. Twist it in with moderate pressure to create long strands of the vegetable or fruit. When the size of the vegetable or fruit becomes shorter, use the provided "end cap" to attach to the end of the vegetable. This will help you to process the whole vegetable - or most of it. Oh, and the Brieftons Spiral Slicer has two different julienne sizes on it: 1/16" x 3/32" (2 x 3 mm) and 1/8" x 3/16" (3.5 x 5 mm). These sizes aren't marked on the cones themselves, but by glancing at the spacing between the blades on each side, it's evident which side is which. If you're more of a visual learner, you may watch the video, below, on how to use the Brieftons Spiral Slicer: For best results when using the Brieftons Spiral Slicer:
Note: If you are left handed, you can still use the Brieftons Spiral Slicer the following way:
This video, below, demonstrates how to clean the cone-types of spiral slicers:
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| Let's give away one brand new Brieftons Spiral Slicer! Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway. |
What could go wrong when Mommy leaves the house for an evening out with her friends...and leaves the children with Daddy?
What's the worst thing that ever happened with your children when you left home for a getaway evening with friends or family while your husband was watching the children?
Ha!
I'm trying to think of anything horrific that ever happened when my dear husband, Elmer, stayed home with the girls when they were young.
Hmm...I do remember a Sunday School teacher telling me once that Elmer would be a great father to the girls if I passed away or was too ill to care for them - except that their clothes would be mismatched and definitely not color-coordinated. ☺
I thought that was funny, and we had a good laugh about that. She pointed this out to me after I'd been away on a Sunday morning due to a reading curriculum conference I'd attended out of town.
IF you haven't seen Moms' Night Out yet, starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, and Trace Adkins, you are in for a big laugh! This is the kind of story where you can basically figure out some of the plot, knowing that Daddy is going to have a disaster on his hands in taking care of the kiddos at home by himself, but there are some great twists and turns in Moms' Night Out that we all thought were quite funny.
And yes, even Elmer laughed a good, hearty laugh or two when we watched this together. ☺ He's the greatest guy, to go to the theater and watch Moms' Night Out with his wife and two daughters on Mother's Day. Awwwww...!!!
I'm giving away one DVD copy of Moms' Night Out, even though I wish I could select more than one winner! Moms' Night Out is rated PG for some mild thematic elements and some action. I think you're going to love this movie if you haven't seen it! The DVD/BlueRay version of Moms' Night Out is available September 2nd, so if you don't win the giveaway here, you may look for it in your local stores and online. Do you find it hard to find other movies and DVDs appropriate for children and families? Take a look at my reviews of other family-friendly movies and DVDS! |
Enter to win your own copy of the new "Moms' Night Out" DVD!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway. |
Disclosure: Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Maybe I'm the only person around who has this problem. I would enjoy wearing socks, but they drive me C-R-A-Z-Y! Those beautifully knitted and machine woven socks that should comfort my feet so cozily are just so uncomfortable. I think it all began when rayon and other nylon or man-made materials found their way into socks. So halfway through the day, or sometimes even after five minutes (!!!), my legs are telling me that my socks are pressing too firmly against my calves or ankles - and ouch! Okay, so I'm the sensitive type. ☺ But truly, even though my pre-diabetes rarely causes me to have swollen feet and ankles anymore, thanks to the Trim Healthy Mama diet, my lower carb eating lifestyle, and using a lot of full mineral sea salt these days, socks are just not comfortable. And the sock itch? If you get that from the socks squeezing your feet and legs, you know what I mean! |
I heard that there was a new type of socks being made for diabetics. Even though I'm not a full-blown diabetic, my feet are just sensitive, and have been since I was a skinny mini in college...so I decided to be brave and try the new Buster Brown Wearever 100% Cotton Socks for Women.
Oh, wow.
Oh, wow! Wow! WOW! ☺
Maybe these socks feel so comfy without being restricting because they are made of 100% cotton. Where I live, I truly cannot find any 100% cotton socks. The last time I looked at another online clothing company that sells socks, I couldn't find any 100% cotton socks there, either. But these Buster Brown Wearever socks are 100% cotton. Just like the photo here, they stay up without slouching, but THEY ARE NOT RESTRICTING. !!!!! I have a big dresser drawer full of socks from many brands and companies, and every single pair is not fun for me to wear. They are too restrictive, and cause major sock itch. |
A little bit about the Wearever Socks by Buster Brown:
Wearever's new 100% cotton socks are made by Buster Brown for maximum comfort and durability. Great for those who have poor circulation, easily irritated skin, or diabetes, Buster Brown's Wearever 100% cotton socks are made with no elastic or synthetics. (Hooray!!!)
The seamless design of Buster Brown cotton socks with cushioning are designed to improve comfort, reduce binding, and eliminate skin irritation. Wearever currently offers three comfortable styles of socks.
I personally prefer the socks on the far left. Knee highs haven't been my thing since I was a young child, and the web-look diabetic socks on the far right just really aren't me, either. ☺
Buster Brown Wearever Diabetic Socks come in the following shoe sizes for women:
Shoe size 5 - 7
Shoe size 7.5 - 9
Shoe size 9.5 - 10.5
Shoe size 11 - 12
After wearing these socks for a full day, I can say that I experienced absolutely NO chaffing, sweating, rashes, itching, and swelling. Wahoo! However these socks are made, they are amazing!
So just in case you think I'm super terribly picky about socks, a relative came to visit this week. Even though younger in years, she has experienced some medical problems that have greatly affected her feet and legs, even to the point of disability.
I wanted to see what she thought of these socks, since I was so happy with them. She put them on this morning (a clean pair - don't worry!), and told me a couple of hours later, "The instant I put those new socks on, my legs and feet felt so amazing! I've never had socks feel like that before!"
Okay, so it's not just me. She loved them so much that she refused to take my new socks off. ☺
So I gave them to her. And when I find the other two pairs that I received to review and tell you about, I'm going to give them to her as well.
Then, I'm placing an order for as many of those socks as I can afford to purchase...or get away with purchasing. ☺ Get a 6-pack of your favorite item and save big! Wearever U.S. also offers free shipping on all domestic 6-pack orders.
Drawbacks to these socks?
- Price: $8.95 per pair of socks. Ouch - but thankfully it only hurts the pocketbook and not the feet.
- No markings: no markings near the toes or anywhere to indicate the Wearever/Buster Brown name...so hard to find in sock drawers because so many socks look alike when folded into a "ball".
- I'd love to see some ankle sock options; not the "no show" socks, but anklets.
- Would love to see navy blue and tan colors as well.
- These are thin socks, so I don't know how long they will hold up without getting holes in them.
Now for the 3-pack 100% cotton sock GIVEAWAY:
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
While my family hasn't used Diana Waring's full history program over the years, we have enjoyed her audio CDs to accompany different eras of history.
Diana has a brand new series of books with accompanying CDs that include folk songs and true retellings of America's westward expansion, the Old West, and even a book on Laura Ingalls Wilder - wow!
In a couple of weeks, I'll be sharing my family's review of these new history products, but for now, I'm joining members of the Diana Waring Launch Team for an amazing giveaway. Friends of Diana have joined in and as you can see, someone’s familyl is going to be greatly blessed!
Our family has used a number of these items in our own home and have found them to greatly enhance our children's education, including Diana Waring's products, Map Trek (one of the best map products I've found yet), and Philosophy Adventure.
Here’s what you have an opportunity to win, should you enter and win one of the giveaway items:
From Diana Waring Presents: Experience History Through Music – set of 3 books with CDs ($50/set) Diana Waring Presents is about to bring back into print the BEST folk music you have ever heard, combined with the fascinating stories they represent in American history! The Experience Music Through History series includes:
The musicians are amazing, every instrument is real, lots of great vocalists, and more toe-tapping music than you can imagine! The books tell the stories behind the songs. Together, they bring American history to life through its music!! With fascinating history books and toe-tapping folk music CDs, American history has NEVER been this fun! |
Also from Diana Waring Presents: Encouragement for Homeschool Moms Collection ($25) Every mom needs that word of encouragement from someone who has been there, who has grownup children and can speak with assurance about the journey. Homeschool moms have an extra portion of the journey to navigate, and often wish for an extra voice that will offer direction but without nagging or prodding. Diana Waring has that voice. |
From A Journey Through Learning $50 Gift Certificate to spend in the A Journey Through Learning store, applicable toward any digital download purchase. |
From Homeschool Legacy
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From Knowledge Quest Maps Map Trek: Atlas and Outline Maps of World History ($55) Map Trek is a historical atlas plus outline maps that allow you to teach geography alongside history. This is a resource that any homeschool parent can use with brilliant success, even if you don’t remember a thing from your history or geography classes in public school. |
From Home School Adventure Co. Philosophy Adventure™ Digital Download ($39.95) Philosophy Adventure™ is designed to help students 6th-12th grade cultivate and defend a biblical worldview by teaching them how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately as they explore the history of ideas. |
From Heidi St. John (The Busy Mom and Real Life Press) Firmly Planted Family Devotional Digital Volume 3 ($39) The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age! |
From Raising Real Men
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From Excellence in Writing $50 Gift Certificate to spend in the IEW store, applicable toward any purchase. |
From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine SchoolhouseTeachers.com ($139) One-year membership to the curriculum arm of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Nearly 100 classes for Pre-K to High School, taught by expert teachers, and lots of extras including the Schoolhouse Planners, Schoolhouse Expos, monthly free ebook downloads and more. |
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 2014 Print Book ($15) Be encouraged, enlightened, and educated with the all new 2014 Annual Print Book published by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.You’ll get a year’s worth of homeschool support in almost 300 pages in this full color one-of-a-kind print magazine for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. This is a magazine you’ll refer to again and again. |
From Writing with Sharon Watson The Power in Your Hands ($53.96) With The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, they’ll learn what they need to know for high school and will be prepared for college writing. Writing Fiction [in High School] ($35) Are you raising the next C. S. Lewis or Jane Austen? Help your students develop their fiction-writing talents with Writing Fiction [In High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life . |
How to enter this amazing giveaway:
To enter the giveaway, all you'll need to do is to use the Rafflecopter form, below, and fill out or click on the specific parts you'd like to use to enter this giveaway.
This giveaway is only for residents of the U.S., age 18 and older only. Other terms and conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter form.
Also notice that you can earn up to 95 entries into this specific giveaway, so while it looks like thousands of people have already entered it, it is a lot fewer people than that. Do the math! ☺
I've always wanted to be able to wear some of the amazing hair styles you see, above. But my hair doesn't look all that great in an updo or ponytail. For some reason, the shape of my face has never allowed me to wear fancy updos or other fun hair styles.
However, my daughters both have long, beautiful hair and can wear their hair in countless numbers of styles. Oh, the joy of never getting bored with how hair is done! That's something that I've personally never experienced. ☺
I'm hosting a giveaway for Lilla Rose products, so read through my comments, see which product you'd like best, and enter the giveaway, below!
Over the years, I've purchased lots of types of hair clips, barrettes, ponytail holders, etc., etc., etc. for my girls. Most of them either wouldn't stay in my daughters' hair, or they just didn't look attractive and were too difficult to use...or they easily broke. I started seeing the Lilla Rose Flexi Hair Clips being reviewed by lots of bloggers, but I was skeptical. They looked beautiful, but they must be shoddy or not work well all day in the hair...I thought. However, I won a blog giveaway for a Lilla Rose Flexi Hair Clip, and when it came in the mail, we were pleasantly surprised! |
If you are at an extremely busy stage of life (with babies and little ones...or at the other end of the spectrum where you are caring for elderly parents)...
...or if you are a college student who has very little time each morning to spend time on your hair, I think you are going to really enjoy the Lilla Rose hair jewelry products!
Over the last couple of years, I've ordered from Lilla Rose several times for new Flexi Clips for my girls. They've received them in their Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, and for Valentine's Day and birthdays.
Hair sticks . . . Hair bands . . . the Flexi Oh! . . . and Lilla Rose Bobby Pins!
Time to have fun and give away Lilla Rose hair products!
Independent Lilla Rose Consultant Susan Peterson is offering TWO of Joy In Our Journey's readers anything in the Lilla Rose catalog up to $16!
In addition to being a Trim Healthy Mama, Susan Peterson is excited to be a representative for the Lilla Rose company because she and her girls use and love the products! Susan bought her first Flexi at the state fair at least ten years ago, and it is still as strong and beautiful as ever!
The star of the Lilla Rose line is the Flexi Clip. Flexis are stronger, more versatile, and more beautiful than barrettes. But Flexis are only the beginning of what Lilla Rose offers. Check out all the other great products at www.lillarose.biz/happy!
There's only one catch: this giveaway is open to brand new online Lilla Rose customers only.
That means only U.S. residents who have never purchased any products from Lilla Rose online are welcome to enter the giveaway.
If you've purchased Lilla Rose products in the past - but not online - then you are welcome to enter this giveaway provided that you are a U.S. resident.
Why is this Lilla Rose giveaway set up in this way?
The Lilla Rose web pages are set up so that customers will always return to the page of the same consultant that they have used in the past. If you have purchased any Lilla Rose products online in the past, your purchase would be credited to that consultant, and not to our giveaway consultant, Susan Peterson.
Because Susan is offering the giveaway prizes at her own cost, we want to honor that and make sure she is credited with any purchases made through this review and giveaway.
Make sense? If not, please leave your questions in the comments section below. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I had no idea that over 5,000 of you would enter my giveaway for the new Trim Healthy Mama stevia products - wow!
Thank you all for taking a minute or two to visit Joy In Our Journey and enter the giveaway. It was so hard to know that I could only select two winners of this fabulous new sweetener.
You'll find the winners listed here.
If you weren't randomly selected as a winner, I highly recommend the new Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Pure Stevia, Erythritol, and Sweet Blend products. They are truly wonderful in their taste. I'd buy them alone, just for the level of purity in the products, and the taste in my baking and cooking. But also, these are so much more pure than other products on the market, that it takes a lot less Pure Stevia or Sweet Blend to make foods deliciously sweet - so even if you are paying shipping to purchase these products, you'll use a lot less than you would with other stevia products on the store shelves and online.
I hope to host additional giveaways of THM stevia products in the future, so stay tuned!
Also, if you haven't yet downloaded my new Grocery Shopping Lists for Trader Joe's and for any store, they're available here for anyone to download, print, and use for their own personal use:
Like many of you who are following the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan or a low-glycemic or low-carb diet, the sweetener aspect of eating this way has been a bit tricky for me. And I do love sweet treats. ♥
When Trim Healthy Mama was originally written, the authors recommended NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract as one of the best stevia products to use with their plan because of its purity and taste.
Unfortunately, in April 2013, NuNaturals changed the formulation of their Pure Stevia product. My family couldn't get used to the change in taste and level of bitterness...and we're not very fussy.
When the NuNaturals version of stevia was no longer an option my family could use, we chose to use several other stevia/erythritol options...but didn't really love any of them. If our bodies could have tolerated xylitol, we would have used that, too. We weren't too happy about using Truvia, because it's most likely made with GMO corn products, and it is highly processed. :(
Over the last year, we have anxiously been awaiting the new Trim Healthy Mama Stevia products. I'm very excited to let you know that these products are now available!
Pearl and Serene sent me some of their new sweeteners so I could give them a try.
THM Stevia sweeteners are available in three different varieties, for various uses:
The THM Pure Stevia Extract IS NOT an artificial or chemical sweetener; it is made from the non-bitter, naturally occurring, sweet component of the herb stevia - a glycoside called Rebaudioside A. This naturally sweet component is isolated from the stevia leaf using a gentle water extraction process. No bleaching is involved in this process. The THM Pure Stevia Extract is also so minimally processed, it has not even been granulated, which means it remains as a fine white powder – like a dust, which is unusual for stevia products, because most stevia is overprocessed. The THM Pure Stevia Extract comes in two sizes: 1 oz. and 4 oz. The 1 oz. bag will actually last quite a long time (2-3 months of daily use for my own family), because such a tiny amount (a "doonk") is used at one time. |
How is THM Pure Stevia best used?
It contains a tiny "doonk" (spoon) to sprinkle very small amounts of stevia in your foods and beverages.
Based on my 15 months of experience in using stevia products, the THM Pure Stevia would best be used by adding it to beverages and anything needing sweetened but not needing the bulking action of sugar.
For example, I wouldn't use this as the only sweetener in most baked goods (cakes, cookies, etc.), but it could be used in combination with the other THM sweeteners (THM Erythritol or THM Sweet Blend) in baked goods.
- sweeten a cup of coffee or tea
- sweeten a cup of yogurt
- add to fruit syrups
- 1/2 tsp. = the sweetness of 1 cup sugar
- sweeten protein shakes
- and more!
When opening the bag of THM Pure Stevia, tap it on your counter a few times. Then, zip the seal before opening the bag, because the powder likes to "plume" a little when first opened. You’ll find a tiny spoon (1/32 of a tsp.) inside the pouch. This is your “doonk” spoon. When adding the powder to your drink or recipe with your doonk, turn spoon downward and gently tap it on the side of your glass or bowl as you empty it out. This will allow the stevia to flow out of the spoon.
Don’t put the doonk back in the pouch, as you’ll have to dig around in the white powder to find it. Find your doonk its own special home somewhere else in your kitchen. ☺
THM Erythritol is a delightful tasting sweetener that has zero impact on blood sugar levels. Even "purists" will love the fact that THM Erythritol does not contain any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), nor is GMO material used in its production. Erythritol is the only sugar alcohol which has a zero glycemic index reading and zero calories per serving. Other sugar alcohols, like maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol are often used as sugar substitutes because they provide a sweet taste yet do not raise blood sugar to the same extent as sugar does. However, many people have trouble with gas, bloating, and diarrhea when eating these sugar alcohols. Erythritol is much easier to digest, and its high antioxidant levels help to fight free radicals in the body which are responsible for the aging process. |
You can also combine THM Erythritol with THM Pure Stevia to make your own homemade "Truvia"; see directions on the chart below for the "Homemade Sweet Blend Recipe".
THM Sweet Blend is the perfect combination of two natural sweeteners: THM non-GMO erythritol and the organic THM Pure Stevia. Both are diabetic friendly, certified Kosher, offer numerous health benefits, and have no impact upon blood sugar. The THM Sweet Blend looks and acts similar to regular sugar (although it is a little sweeter) without the negative health and weight consequences. It is heat stable and offers bulk to your baked goods, so you’ll love it for baking, along with all your other sweetening needs. It's also a great product to use with recipes using baking cocoa, which can often be difficult to sweeten with alternative sweeteners and still taste good. |
Stevia takes a while to get used to using, for most people. Keep in mind that if you have never used stevia extract or stevia products, there will be a period of adjustment to the taste...although the THM Stevia is far better tasting than anything else I've used so far!
For my own family, it took us 6-8 weeks to adjust to the taste of foods made with NuNaturals stevia so that we couldn't taste the "aftertaste" anymore. Even though the THM Stevia products taste wonderfully, you may possibly have an adjustment period where your body is adjusting away from using sugar as its sweetener source, and switching to using stevia and erythritol exclusively. This is normal.
Also, the THM (Trim Healthy Mama) Stevia sweeteners are definitely sweeter than other stevia products on the market, which is nice! You'll use less of it each time, saving you money in the long run.
It's time for a giveaway of THM Stevia products!
Two winners will be selected in this giveaway: one will win a 1 oz. bag of THM Pure Stevia Extract, and the second winner will win a 1 lb. bag of THM Sweet Blend!
The giveaway ends on Friday, April 11th, 2014 at midnight (Pacific time)...
...and please read the requirements, below, for entering this giveaway. ☺ I will be validating the winning entries to make certain they are legitimate entries. U.S. entries only, please. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I've always enjoyed sweet, wholesome, moral movies because our world is so filled with the opposite of that in our day and time. Janette Oke writes in simple ways, sharing her message of strong people trusting in God, despite the trials and hardships which come their way. When Calls the Heart is a "feel good" movie, one that I can sit down with my entire family and be glad we watched it together! I hope you'll enJOY watching When Calls the Heart as much as we did...especially if you win a free copy in my giveaway (2 winners)! Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale without costing you any extra. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so it helps to support this site, so thank you! |
Movie Summary:
Lori Loughlin plays Abigail Stanton, a wife and mother whose husband, the foreman of the mine, along with a dozen other miners, has just been killed in an explosion. The newly widowed women find their faith is tested when they must go to work in the mines to keep a roof over their heads.
Elizabeth, the new teacher, charms most everyone in Coal Valley, except Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) who believes Thatcher’s wealthy father has doomed the lawman’s career by insisting he be assigned in town to protect the shipping magnate’s daughter. Living in a 19th century coal town, Elizabeth will have to learn the ways of the frontier if she wishes to thrive in the rural west on her own.
Let's give away two copies of the "When Calls the Heart" DVD!
To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. (Email subscribers may need to click back to the original post to enter this giveaway via the Rafflecopter form.)
The giveaway for the When Calls the Heart DVD ends on Friday, February 28th, 2014 at midnight Pacific time...
...and please read the requirements for entering. If you're randomly selected as the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll need to select a new winner instead. U.S. entries only, please. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I'm giving away two books to one blessed reader today! Here's more about the two books I'm giving away so you'll know what you will be winning:
Children these days are drawn in to gaming, television, iPods and iPads, and YouTube.
Will they show an interest in reading the Bible with their family?
I believe the answer to that question is: YES!
We began reading little Bible books with our children when they were just tiny - probably around 8-9 months old. One of them LOVED to be read to, even though we knew she didn't fully understand what was being read. She loved the snuggle time and couch time with both her mommy and her daddy each evening before bed.
The other daughter was an active, energetic little one, and it was more difficult to encourage her to sit still for a few minutes of prayer and Bible time with Mom and Dad and sister.
Even though it was tougher for our energetic bundle of joy, our expectations as parents were the same for both girls. We just knew that it would take longer for one of the girls to learn to settle down and begin to enjoy reading Bible events with us. And that was okay. We were willing to teach her how to sit and focus for a few minutes at a time when she was very young. It's an important skill anyway, right? ☺
I've been taking a look at The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook for children ages 4-8. While my daughters are past this age, I love to share with you some of the new Bible resources for handing our faith in Jesus down to our children! I would love to use this with future grandchildren some day.
Here are some details about The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook:
- Features 145 illustrated Bible lessons
- Each lesson features a "Christ Connection" that shows children how God's plan for salvation through Jesus appears throughout the Bible
- Free download to the Interactive Bible Storybook App that brings the art and lesson to life both visually and audibly
- Jenna Lucado, daughter of well-known Christian author, Max Lucado, provides narration to more greatly engage children in the Interactive Bible Storybook App
- Engaging questions at the bottom of each Bible lesson
Here's a sample of a two-page spread (one lesson):
You can see from the sample how the layout of the lessons is done for parents (and grandparents). This will help determine if this material is age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for your own children and grandchildren.
Along with The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook comes another new book that works side by side with this one: The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted:
The purpose of The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted is a kid-friendly, Reader's Digest version of the Bible for children. Eighteen kid-friendly pages summarize the Bible and God's purpose for His will in our lives - that we would all become Christ-followers and share Christ's message of love and salvation with others in our lives. |
Video introductions to these books:
Time for our giveaway of these two books!
The giveaway for these two books, The Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook and The Big Picture of What God Has Always Wanted ends on Tuesday, February 24th, 2014 at midnight Pacific time...
...and please read the requirements for entering. If you're randomly selected as the winner, and you said you completed a step, but didn't, I'll need to select a new winner instead. U.S. entries only, please. Thanks!
Entrants must be 18 years or older; only U.S. residents are eligible to enter this giveaway.
I will select the winner of this prize using Random.org (via this Rafflecopter entry form, below).
I will be verifying the winning entrant's giveaway entry options to make sure they are valid. In the past several months, multiple potential winners were excluded from winning even though their names had been selected randomly as winners, because they said that they had signed up for email subscriptions but had not completed the process, which includes clicking on an email you will receive to confirm your subscription. An email subscription to Joy In Our Journey.com is not a requirement to enter our giveaways, but if you do use an email subscription option to enter to win, please make sure that you click on the confirmation email that you will receive. That will validate your entry. Thank you! :)
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
I wouldn't say I'm exactly "starstruck"...or these days - as my girls would say, part of an Ann Shorey fandom, but I do feel blessed to have met author Ann Shorey in person. She attends church with me, and several years ago, she was gracious enough to host a dinner at her home and provide a teaching/Bible devotional for younger women in our church. It was a blessing to get to know her just a bit - and to hear that she was going to be releasing her first published book to the fiction world! We were all so excited for her!
That was back in the winter of 2009, and her first published novel would be released to the public the following August.
Since that summer, it's been enjoyable for me to read each of Ann's books as it becomes available. I feel blessed!
Tonight, I'll be attending a small book signing/dessert event in our community as Ann celebrates her latest novel, Love's Sweet Beginning.
I think I'll bring along something chocolate to share. Seems fitting, right? Sweet = chocolate? ☺
Here's a little summary of Love's Sweet Beginnings by Ann Shorey:
What will it take for a once-privileged young woman to make her way in the world?
It isn't Cassie Haddon's fault that she has reached the age of twenty-five without possessing any useful skills. Until the War Between the States, she always had servants. Since then, she and her mother have been forced to rely on family to care for them. But now the well of human kindness has run dry, and Cassie must find work to support them.
Unfortunately, leaving the past behind is easier said than done, and Cassie must summon all of her courage and wits to convince local restaurateur and grocer Jacob West that she's exactly what his business needs.
With her signature sweet romance, Ann Shorey weaves a tale of two people from different backgrounds finding common ground and the hope of a bright future together.
Joy In Our Journey's review, by Julie:
The story takes place in Missouri, beginning with a widowed woman, Eliza Bingham, and her grown but yet unmarried daughter, Cassie Haddon. Cassie has been raised as a lady, never having had to dirty her fingers with any kind of housework or imagining she would have to learn how to provide an income for both herself and her mother. Unfortunately, this is the very circumstance in which they find themselves. Cassie determines she will learn how to provide as they face this very difficult crossroad in their lives.
Cassie succeeds at the job she applies for in the small town’s grocery/restaurant. Much to everyone’s surprise, she actually becomes very successful at it. Her mother never gets over being horrified that her daughter would have to stoop to such a low life, and is even more disturbed as Cassie falls in love with her employer, Jake.
Many surprises are revealed throughout this story having to do with every character presented. It becomes somewhat complicated to figure out all the “mysteries” but needless to say, it eventually all turns out well. A good read!
About Ann Shorey:
Ann Shorey is the author of the At Home in Beldon Grove series, Where Wildflowers Bloom, and When the Heart Heals. She has also published selections in the Cup of Comfort series and in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul. Ann and her husband make their home in southwestern Oregon. Learn more at www.annshorey.com. In addition to writing, Ann has won many prizes for her culinary skills. Her recipes have appeared in Country Woman magazine, and in several national cookbooks, including Taste of Country and Taste of Home. Recently author Patti Hill included one of Ann’s recipes in her Garden Gates Cookbook, available on Patti’s web site. Ann has been privileged to present cooking demonstrations to young women from her church as part of the Apples of Gold mentoring program. Ann and Richard share their home with a loveable Belgian Shepherd named Amber. |
The Giveaway:
To celebrate the novel, author Ann Shorey and Revell Publishers are pleased to present the SWEET BEGINNINGS Sweepstakes, and your chance to win one of three marvelous prizes, all closely connected to the story.
GRAND PRIZE: our Grand Prize winner will receive a 6-month Pie of the Month Club Membership to the Grand Traverse Pie Company!
SECOND PRIZE: Our Second Prize winner will receive a prize pack filled with some of Cassie's favorite things: a delicate, rose-colored lace shawl, a pewter pen and ink set, and a bath set filled with lavender and lilac soaps and lotion!
THIRD PRIZE: our Third Prize winner will receive a complete, signed set of the Sisters at Heart series!
Winners will be selected Friday, February 21, 2014, and announced at AnnShorey.com.
Ann's other books:
In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!
Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.
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