The Provision Room

I am so excited about a brand new blog called The Provision Room, named in honor of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.  (You can get a free Kindle copy of the book here.)  My daughter and her friend have a vision for their homes and lives that can help all of us out, too!  


The mission for their blog in their words:

To prepare our homes—kitchens, pantries, and gardens—to be ready in case of emergencies or unexpected life changes. To do so we will not increase our food budgets nor cause our family to subsist on bread and water. We will strive for the following ideals:

~Real Food
We will not recommend you go out and buy food-like substances, just because they have a shelf life. We will learn to make Real Food last.

~Organic, local and sustainable whenever possible
This is not always possible, but is a lot more possible than people think. We’ll try to show you how we feed our families while being true to our values.

~Frugality
We will search out things that are genuinely good deals and not just short term solutions. We will strive to be good stewards of the family finances.

~Environmentally friendly
We will try to find ways to store our food and stock our pantries without resorting to a bunch of disposables that overfill already overfull landfills.

~Transparency
We will not act like we have all the answers and will show you our mistakes and learn to laugh at them!


They are also on Facebook charming us all!  You can also read more about them on the Prosperous and Successful blog were they are being featured this week.


This week they are having an pretty fantastic giveaway to celebrate their grand opening with all kinds of chances to win.  They are giving away a $50 gift card to Azure Standard, an autographed book entitled Year of Plenty that I can't wait to read, and a case of Venice Premium Biscotti.  How fun is that?!  The giveaway ends tomorrow (Wednesday) night, so hurry on over the party!

Daja's Having a Giveaway!

So, Daja's celebrating her 598th blog post with a giveaway the likes of which you have never seen!



So, go on over to in other words... and see what I mean! Hurry, deadline is Monday!

Free Blog Headers and a Giveaway!

How would you like a brand new FREE blog header made just for you? Then head on over to April Showers, where April will design a unique header with YOU in mind! Yep, it's right there in her sidebar, left hand side. But, hurry! Offer is only good during October!

And while you are there, enter her giveaway! She's giving away three prizes:

1. A custom 2009 calendar.

2. A $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

3. A total blog makeover.

Are those great prizes, or what?

Deadline for the giveaway is this Thursday, October 30. So, like I said, hurry!

Reluctant Entertainer Giveaway!

Sandy, over at 4 Reluctant Entertainers, is having a Fall Giveaway in celebration of her 2nd blogiversary! Look at all the fun stuff she is giving away!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment over there answering this:

What do you look for in hospitality/entertainment publications? (Magazines or books.) Great photos? Recipes? Particular lifestyle helps? Organizational tips? What about real life stories that inspire you?

The winner will be announced on Monday!

Another Quilt Giveaway You Don't Want to Miss!

This must be the season for great giveaways! Here I am posting two great giveaways back to back!

Elizabeth over at Pigtails and Snails is giving away this absolutely fabulous quilt! It is her very own original pattern named "Spring Up"; however, it is bursting out with beautiful autumn colors.

Now, hurry on over and enter this fantastic giveaway!

Want to Win a Vanity Dressing Table?

If so, get yourself over to Decor to Adore! Laura Ingalls Gunn is having a giveaway in honor of her 100th post! You can win a dressing table (size of your choice) ready to decorate however you wish from Ready to Cover. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 20.

And while you are visiting Decor to Adore, go ahead and take a good look around. You'll not only see great decorating pictures, but you'll learn a thing or two about decorating styles and history in the process.

Pay It Forward, Part 2

Back in August, I joined a fun "game" here in blog land. It's called Pay It Forward. It boils down to: I get a gift, I send out three. I sent out my first gift a few days ago. I'll show you that in a later post. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

Last Friday, I received my gift. I was so excited when I saw Bonnie's name on a package when the mail arrived. I couldn't get the package open fast enough. Oh! My gift is fabulous! It is one of Bonnie's beautiful apron creations! Here's my gorgeous apron being modeled by Sarah-Kate. Thanksgiving-themed toile! How great is that combination?!

The apron is feminine with side bows and a ruffle. It is lined (!) and so practical as it covers in the front completely. And did I mention that it is Thanksgiving toile?

Visit Bonnie at her blog, Calamity Jane's Cottage, and her online shop and check out some more of her aprons! She also has many other categories of wonderful items to browse through. So, go enjoy!

Pay It Forward

Bonnie at Calamity Jane's Cottage (one of the blogs I visit regularly and a hugely talented lady) is participating in a blogging exchange - Pay It Forward. I've decided to join with her and others in this project which is based on the movie "Pay It Forward". This exchange focuses on acts or deeds of kindness being done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness perform their own acts of kindness.

So here's how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. (I can hear my daughters gasping with disbelief!) I don't know right now what the gift will be, and it probably won't come this month, but it will be some time soon -- I hope! If you are one of the three, what YOU have to do in return is to pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. So, anybody want to join me?

Win This Quilt!

Old Red Barn Co. is giving this away! To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment. Hurry! Deadline is Tuesday, July 22.

Cute Shoe Giveaway!

Cookie Sunshine over at The Cookie Sheet is having a giveaway! In celebration of 5,000 visitors to her blog, she is giving away a copy of this cute little print. But, that's not all! Little Red Shoes is part of a series of six Mary Jane prints, and each print is limited to an edition of six. She is going to give number 3/6 of each print to the winner! That's right, the complete series!

I can just imagine how cute six little prints of Mary Jane's could be!

Go to this post and follow the rules to be entered in the drawing.

Passionate Housewives, Revisited

On October 11, I posted about a book giveaway. And, yea! I won a copy and received it today!

Guess what? Another ten copies are being given away! This time they are autographed by the authors! You don't need a blog to enter. Go to this Ladies Against Feminism article to read how to enter. The drawing will be held November 5.

You can read about or order the book here.

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

Update:
I won a copy! Hurray!

****************************

Okay, yes, it is another giveaway. But this is one you don't want to miss! I have been awaiting the publishing of this book. It is finally coming out and the site Biblical Womanhood along with Vision Forum is giving away 10 copies of this soon-to-be-released must-read book by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald!

What the publishers have to say:

"Have you struggled to reconcile God's vision of virtuous womanhood with worldly myths that marginalize and mock the role of the homemaker? Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker's calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman -- the wife whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, or her money-making skills? Such is the image of the "desperate housewife" that the modern media, culture, and feminism are promoting with great energy.

"In a delightfully fresh and honest way, this book addresses these issues head-on and provides fresh vision for the hopeful homemaker. Hear a former "Christian" feminist share how she went from a die-hard homemaker-in-training to a dedicated career woman and then back again -- after God gripped her heart. See the hollow counterfeit of whitewashed feminism and "me-ology" destroyed. And consider the beautiful picture painted in Scripture of the truly fulfilled homemaker who glories in the hopeful calling God created for her.

"Pull up a chair, dust off the cookie crumbs, and join Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald as they lay aside stereotypes like the "Stepford wife" and dispel such myths as the 1950s "perfect homemaker." Laughter and tears will flow, and hopefully you will be infused with a renewed vision for victory as a wife and mother. Discover what it means to be a passionate housewife "desperate" for God alone!"

So, go to Biblical Womanhood and enter! Giveaway ends Saturday, October 13.

Three Contests

Contest #1 5 Minutes for Mom is having another giveaway for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This time they are joining with Casio to give away the Casio Pink EX-Z75 digital camera specially bundled with a camera case with pink stitching and a pink ribbon-clad lanyard to show support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). Visit 5 Minutes for Mom Digital Camera Giveaway!!! to enter the giveaway. They will draw the winner on Friday, October 26.

Contest #2 I won a prize on 5 Minutes for Mom's Cyber Baby Shower! I won a product of my choice from Happy Panda, the hostess of the shower. I picked the Pink Ruffle Set. So adorable! Thank you, Happy Panda!

Contest #3 So, out of my nine grandchildren, only the first two are girls. Two of my daughters are expecting and do not know if they are having a boy or a girl. So, I'm holding my own contest. First daughter to give me a granddaughter wins the Pink Ruffle Set! Hopefully, this does not take years to give away!

Pink Giveaway

Daja over at In Other Words (a blog I check several times a day -- just in case) posted about this and I just had to join in! A giveaway for a PINK Dyson! How fun is that? Visit 5 Minutes for Mom to enter. They will be drawing the winner on Monday, October 1.