Mother Earth News Fair

I spent two extremely jam packed days at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pa. Mother Earth News is a magazine chock full of useful knowledge for those who are interested in a more sustainable lifestyle. They have an event full of seminars, workshops, and vendors who are focused on helping others fulfill their goals to become more self reliant. I attended classes on homesteading, cooking with homegrown foods, family nutrition, etc. I also attended a seminar with Jenna Woginrich, a fantabulously awesome gal who left her desk job to pursue a life writing and homesteading. She even signed two books for me. I highly recommend attending this event next year if you can. I was so encouraged in my endeavors to pursue a more provident, sustainable life. If you wanna read Jenna's blog, go to http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com
Wanna check out the event? http://www.motherearthnewsfair.com

Backyard Chickens

So...I kinda want to have a garden, and I also think I want chickens next Spring.  Very lofty goals for someone who can't keep a plant alive (I had a houseplant that I named Seymour, who thrived until I forgot to water him for weeks on end), and whose pets own her, and not the other way around.
However, the idea of growing my own fruits and veggies, and having my own eggs, sounds so divine.  I'd have lots and lots of help with gardening and growing my own produce, so I feel okay there, if nervous.  In the meantime, I share this with you, per friends' recommendations, if any of you have the same crazy chicken fever as I do:
Backyard Chickens

I'm SO There....

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic states, you should consider going to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pa.  It is a HUGE event chock-full of vendors and exhibits encouraging self-reliance, a DIY attitude, organic and natural living, emergency preparedness, and so forth.  Plus, they will have amazing speakers, like Joel Salatin and the beyond inspiring Temple Grandin, animal rights activist and spokesperson for autism awareness (she is autistic herself).  (I linked the miniseries based on her life.)  I'm not able to make the fair on the day she is speaking, but if I did, I'm pretty sure I'd pass out at her feet from the exposure to sheer awesomeness and inspiration.  :)  There will be kids' activities, too, and loads of yummy, healthy food vendors and products for sale.
The fair page can be found here. 

I Am a Moms Meet Ambassador

If you are interested in discussing parenting topics centered around eco-friendly and natural issues, or are wanting to try samples of eco-, natural, and organic products, I encourage you to find a Moms Meet Group near you.  Moms Meet is sponsored by Kiwi Magazine, and is an organization of mommy groups who meet to discuss ways to change our families and planet for the better.  I am a Mom Ambassador for our area, which means I will be creating and leading a Moms Meet group for our local region.  If you are interested in finding, or starting a group, click the link below:

A Combo Entry: What We Store And How We Prep (Cereals), and Bargain-hunting For Books

This will be a two part entry because I want to keep up with the "What We Store and How We Prep" series in this blog, but I also want to explore how we can snag inexpensive books, for those of us bookworms on a budget.
One of the more "silly" things we store in our food supply is cereal.  Any parent can immediately understand why.  For the whole family, cereal is yummy, has a decent shelf-life, can be filling, and is relatively easy to stockpile, if you know what you are doing. 
Right now, we have nine boxes of cereal on hand.  Some are Cheerios, seeing as I have itty-bitty kids in the house, two are Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, some are organic granolas, organic raisin bran, and all natural, un-frosted wheat squares.  There are an additional two opened boxes of Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters and Cheerios on the top of our fridge.
For those of you who enjoy the comfort of cereal as much as we do, here are some tricks of the trade:
1) Shop with coupons when your supermarket is having a combination sale.  For example, my store will run sales where you can get $6.00 off instantly when you buy four boxes of cereal at full price of a certain brand.  Say, it's Kellogg's this week, and each box at regular price runs $3.29.  Times that by four, and you get $13.16, minus the $6.00 off sale, and that takes it to $7.16.  Add a coupon to the mix.  Most cereal coupons give you so much off of multiple boxes, which, in this case, you are buying.  If you have a coupon for $2.00 off of three boxes, take $2.00 off of $7.16, and you just scored four boxes of your favorite brand name cereal for $5.16.  If your grocery store doesn't do this, look for some that will.
2) Warehouse clubs often have great deals on "staple" cereals, like Cheerios.  We buy the most commonly used cereals in our home this way.
3) Check scratch and dent grocery stores.  I get organic cereals at a local discount grocer for $1.75 a piece.  Even if they are a month or so past their best-by date, they are still good.
4) Bulk food stores often have plain cereals, like corn flakes and such, and even generic Lucky Charms, for bulk, but are stored in plastic bags instead of boxes.  These too can be a good deal.
5) If you like organic cereals, but not the price, sometimes, if you look diligently, stores will occasionally put them on sale if you buy multiple boxes of a brand.  These sales are worth the splurge if you are into organic food, and will often make the organic cereals competitive.  I recently caught Kashi cereals on sale for $2.00 a piece if I bought three.  That is cheaper than the generic line of non organic cereal.  But, you have to look for them.

Now, onto another subject dear to my heart.  Books.  Lately, I have been devouring all the wonderful books I can find.  I unfortunately love the splurge of a brand new book, and my bank account has taken a bit of a hit as a result.
That being said, I love used books, too, and have recently been enjoying books via my Kindle Touch as well.  You can find both for cheap or free, with work.
For your Kindle: There are many resources for FREE Kindle books.  Books on the Knob is a link that I have posted on the list to your right, and they will showcase free books worth mentioning.  Also, there are lots of lists that can be emailed directly to your email account (though I don't often have the time to look at those as much), such as EReaderIQ.  You can look under the Kindle Store (Amazon)'s Best Sellers lists, and they will have the Top 100 Best sellers for various genres of free books that you can peruse.
Hard copy books: Check out yard sales, thrift stores, and library book sales for treasures that often cost mere cents.  Today, at my local library, I bought two self help books, a book on training a household dog, and a book about the Apollo space missions--for $1 TOTAL. 

Hopefully, you've gained something from these tips.  Happy shopping!

Little of This, Little of That...

A lot of random thoughts are brewing today...we'll see where they take me.
Animals.  I've had animals on the brain a lot of late.  We still have our foster kitty, renamed Sunflower (or Sunny, for short).  I renamed her something more positive than Crybaby was, and I swear her personality has brightened under the name change.  She has a propensity for searching out sunbeams and laying in their path, and since I call her "my little sunflower," she started answering to that, and it stuck.  We've dealt with a few minor health issues along the way, but she is adjusting quite well to our family.  Even the dog plays well with her (most of the time).
As I've mentioned, I volunteer at a local animal shelter.  Our main mission is to save as many lives as we can, so we can match adoptable animals to potential forever homes.  However, as with anything in life, there is occasional loss.  During my shift yesterday, I spent some time helping with some sick kittens in our kitten nursery.  Our shelter director was called out on an emergency, and we were unable to euthanize a very ill kitten, and a volunteer was holding it and attempting to comfort it as much as she could.  I felt compelled to take a turn with the kitten.  I wasn't sure why, but it made my heart ache, so I took over the duties with this little kitten.  It was not easy.  The kitten was in respiratory distress and suffocating on fluid.  I held it in a blanket, as close to my chest as possible, up against my heart, as I caressed its fur, tiny head, and ears, and attempted to make it as comfortable as possible.  It passed away snuggled against my breast.  I spent a lot of the evening angry--angry at pet owners who refuse to care for their animals, who don't spay and neuter--and I tried to figure out why it was so important to take a turn with this kitten.  It dawned on me.  As hard as it was, it was easier to give something of myself, even if a little, than to walk away.  It made me sick to think that the kitten was there, and I had to give something.  It would have hurt more to walk away.  I have dealt with dying animals before, but this one affected me so much more. It was one of the most difficult and yet moving experiences of my life.

On to more positive subjects.  Lately, due to some questions I have about things, life, and whatnot, I have been investigating alternative means to peace and health in my life.  We have been eating healthier foods, less meat, and less dairy.  I have been doing extensive research into natural remedies, homeopathy, herbal cures, etc. for minor health concerns.  When my church stopped funding for our counseling sessions, I started looking for different ways to reflect, meditate, and to find peace in our lives.  We have been spending more time outside, taking in the natural world around us.  I also experienced my first reiki treatment.  (A good source for information on reiki can be found here.)  I am blessed to have a friend who provided this service to me.  It was a wonderful time for me to reflect and to ponder about my goals, my concerns, and so forth.  I had this image that I was shedding this skin of negativity as I listened to the music in the background.  When the session was finished, my friend asked me a lot of questions about my life that were spot on--she noted that I am often too hard on myself and that I have my expectations too high when it comes to where I feel I should be, and she said that she felt the need to express to me to work toward balance and being fair and kind to myself.  She also noted that my healing colors were purple and green, which I have found myself drawn to of late before my session.  It was a great experience, and I'm not sure I have ever so deeply meditated in my life.  My friend also shares a similar religious background and understood where I was coming from when I expressed a weakness in my testimony lately, and was so willing to listen to how I felt, while supporting me in my questions and needs, as well as my desire to reconnect to my spiritual foundations while staying true to myself and my heart and what I feel is right.
So, what else have we been into?  I've been enjoying the summer spending time with my family before I go back to the grind of teaching.  We've been playing a lot in sand, and in water, reading stories together and watching movies.  I admit to a growing frustration with my teething infant's lack of desire when it comes to sleeping, but we're managing.  I'm preparing for a course redesign this semester, mandated by my department--I, along with two other adjuncts, will be testing out a new design for our freshman composition courses, and in some ways, I'm grateful because I felt I was starting to develop a rut when it came to my teaching/curriculum.  The hubby received his HAM radio license, and I've enjoyed seeing him get so excited about this new hobby in his life.  It especially proved valuable as a radio service during a massive storm in the area which did extensive damage to the region and has left tens of thousands without power (called a "super derecho," a violent and destructive wind and thunderstorm that was in a arc shape that spanned several states).  The radio enabled us to stay connected to weather service updates during moments of unreliable power, as well as emergency updates, thanks to diligent amateur radio broadcasters.  The storm was so bad that it took the neighbors' staked, full sized trampoline out of the ground, down the hill through our driveway (and over our car--sigh), and across our street into the next neighbors' yard.  (Our car is OK--nothing a trip to the body shop won't fix.  I will show a pic of the trampoline's landing spot.)
Well, that's about everything that I can think of.  Now, if you'll excuse me, this sleep-deprived mama is going to search for rest.  Good night.  (Also, planning on getting back into our "What We Store" series soon.  Keep an eye out.)

BTW, we need to mow our lawn.

Excited to Share Some Blogging News....

I can finally share this. I'm guest blogging at Pantry Paratus, an awesome blog/knowledge base/online store for all things relating to self-sufficiency, particularly relating to the kitchen. I'm so excited! Check it out! http://pantryparatus.com/blog

What We Can Learn From the Great Depression

In an effort to try to encourage myself to take on a more frugal, self-reliant lifestyle, I have been researching accounts of the Great Depression. What a truly humbling experience this has been for me. I read the stories and see the photographs, and my heart becomes full. Knowing how the American people suffered reminds me to count my blessings that my choice to become provident is just that--a choice--and not something that I have been thrown into in an attempt to survive. I encourage you to take some time to find out more about this period of time in our history and to see what you can learn from it, and I pray that it will help motivate me to create a more self-reliant and humble lifestyle for our family.

DIY: Mandarin Orange Zest

In my quest to achieve frugality, I'm *attempting* (and often failing) at trying to waste less. And, seeing as I am now addicted to those darling Cuties mandarin oranges, I was excited to find a blog post that talks about how to turn those peels into fabulous mandarin orange zest. Orange zest brings such life into foods and sauces, so I'm totally stoked to try this.
How to Dry and Use Mandarin Orange Peels

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency, Part Two

Earlier today, I posted a link to a list of 38 principles to self-sufficiency, that I found on The Survival Mom, and I wanted to do a self-assessment of where I am at, and where I need to be.

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

by Don McAlvany

This list contains some challenging, provocative thoughts and some real pearls of wisdom. Leave a comment and let me know which principles hit home with you and if you have any to add to this list.

1. Change the way you look at everything. Rethink your entire lifestyle. I am such an emotional shopper--really, I'm just an emotional person. In addition to this, I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others and their possessions, and I also am trying to learn how to "save for a rainy day," which is hard because I don't tend to save $$, period. So, my foray into this is taking my newfound passion for food storage and emergency preparedness, starting there, and using it to then build up to other things, like monetary savings, home improvements, and the big ticket items. I am a creature of habit and routines, and trying to change how I look at things and reconsidering my entire lifestyle is something that I am working on (a couple years ago, I didn't really have food storage, and I laughed at 72 hour kits), but is very hard for me, as well.
   
2. Develop discernment about people. I tend to have a decent intuition when it comes to allowing people into our lives, or whether to avoid certain individuals, but I do make mistakes, and I need to make better assessments so our family can be surrounded by people who will support us, love us, and lift us up, rather than bring us down.
   
3. When you invest, invest first in the right people. For a long time, I have always enjoyed spending time with people who were right along with me--shop-a-holics, people drowning in debt, like we are (though we're working to get out of it), and I am finding now that I am miserable around some of those individuals. I also am hurt that some make fun of our goals. If you can't accept me at my worst, you certainly don't deserve me at my best.
   
4. Look at yourself honestly. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Strengths: I can be good at judging situations. I feel I am good with words. I am a champion bargain huntress. I am passionate about developing a self-reliant attitude. I have a fun sense of humor. I try to share my mistakes so that others learn from them. Weaknesses: Impatience. An inability to see the big picture at times. A short fuse/temper. I'm a world class procrastinator. I get discouraged easily. I sometimes struggle putting others' needs ahead of my own.
   
5. Seek the counsel of others you trust. I think I am doing a good job, or at least a better one, when it comes to this area.
   
6. Find like-minded people who can be part of a mutual support group and who you can cooperate with. I feel like I sometimes struggle finding people with the same goals and passions. I do have them, but I also feel like some in my life are poking fun at our goals, or think we're being too cautious or silly. I would love to find people as interested in "prepping" and self-reliance, particularly in our own age group.
   
7. Find alternate methods for doing everything. Very difficult for someone who loves routines and falls back on habits. But, I am attempting to remedy this, and I have loved ones who are helping me, especially my husband.
   
8. Develop an instinct for what doesn’t feel right. No matter how good something looks or sounds on the surface, go with your gut feeling, your instinct, your intuition. I trust my intuition, and I feel I am doing well with this principle.
   
9. Eliminate non-essentials from your life. Eliminate all time wasters and money wasters, and things you don’t need, i.e. clothes, furniture, junk, etc. Eliminate television from your life. What do you mean I need to give up my T.V. and my Facebook? I don't know if this is something that necessarily needs eliminated from our lives, but I definitely wonder sometimes if I spend too much time on the computer, and might have what is termed a "computer addiction" because I sometimes feel like I HAVE to check my mail or my Facebook account, even when I don't really have anything new to see. We are working on purging out things we do not want anymore.
   
10. Simplify your lifestyle. Learn to say no to things or activities which do not make you self-sufficient. Doing this. It's a struggle. I am worried I am losing friendships as a result, but my family and our goals come first.
    
11. Develop physical, mental, and spiritual discipline. When it comes to physical discipline...well, let's just say I had a goal to exercise three times a week starting this year. I have purposefully done one exercise session. I am also a snacker and need more control in this area. Mentally, I am working on this, but it is hard. I have needed to seek outside help. Spiritual discipline is a hard one for me because I feel sometimes as though I am so different from my fellow church members when it comes to my views on life, politics, current events, etc, and I find that it can keep me from church at times, which certainly doesn't help me develop spiritual discipline when I am struggling in my relationship with my God and my Savior. I need to work on this.
    
12. Learn to treat everything as if it were irreplaceable. Working on this.
    
13. Buy things that will last, even if they cost more. We started doing this with our first child, when we realized we were buying cheap items over and over again. Spend more on something nicer, and you don't have to buy it again.
    
14. Acquire tools that do not depend on electric power. I don't know where to begin on this goal. I need to do some research.
    
15. Learn to spend time alone with yourself in total silence. Think, reflect, reminisce and plan (or strategize) in silence. Doing this. I am learning to love my quiet moments of meditation and reflection, especially when you work part-time and have two children...these moments are sacred.
    
16. Learn to spend time with your family without any superficial entertainment and distractions. Need to work on this. I constantly feel like we have to "do" something in order to have quality time together.
    
17. Learn something from every situation you are in. Everything you hear, see, touch or feel has a lesson in it. Learn a principle from every mistake you make and from everyday life situations. I do try to live by this principle.
    
18. Make sure your trust is in the Lord and not your own preparedness. Pattern your preparedness according to the guidance of the Lord. Listen to what He puts in your heart. Don’t use only your reasoning power. I do trust the Lord and his guidance and plan for my life. I might struggle sometimes feeling a spiritual connection or peace, but I know He has me in His care.
    
19. Learn to enjoy simple pleasures from the smallest things. Have a measure of joy and happiness that doesn’t come from creature comforts or entertainment. I am trying to do this. I watch my children and see the joy they derive from such simple pleasures. They are an example to me.
    
20. Store up memories for times of isolation or separation from your loved ones. Doing this via blogging, Facebook, photos, etc.
    
21. Establish priorities for all areas of your life, including relationships and current and future needs. Set goals for areas to become proficient or self-sufficient in. Set a schedule or a timeline to reach those goals based on the money and time you have available. We are trying to do this as a family. We struggle at times, but we are trying.
    
22. Examine the concept of civil disobedience from Bible times throughout history. At what point should the people of Egypt have said no to killing the male babies in Moses’ day? At what point should the people of colonial America have said no to King George? At what point should the people of Germany have said no to Hitler? At what point do we say no to the despots of our day when they take over our money,property, guns, our children and our freedom? Decide what is your choke point. When do you move toward civil disobedience? For many throughout history it was when evil leaders handed down edicts that were directly contrary to God’s Word or commands. Don’t set your choke point too early or too quickly, too late or never. Think through and calculate a strategy. Then never look back. This is such a personal question. What might be important to me might be contrary to someone else's beliefs. I try to follow my heart and the guidance of the Spirit, and I rely on my conscience and strive to think about my loved ones in all that I consider when it comes to the world around me.
    
23. Learn to ask the right questions in every situation. I'm great at asking questions and getting the answers I need, so this is a strength of mine.
    
24. Bring orderliness into your life. If you live in disorder, it will pull you down and break your focus. Think focus vs. distraction. Eliminate the distractions from your life. Working on this, but at times, I feel my life is so chaotic with everything that we try to accomplish. I need to keep trying.
    
25. Self-sufficiency or survival principles are learned on a day-to-day basis and must be practical. I spend time every day researching ways that we can accomplish our goal to become self-reliant.
    
26. Always have more than one way to escape, more than one way to do something. Have a plan B and a plan C. This is a concept we are just starting to put into practice. I recently attended a fire safety class, and the local fire chief admonished us to plan two exits out of every room in the event of a fire. I think that is applicable to life as well. In every situation, try to have a back-up plan. It also would help to eliminate discouragement when things don't quite go your way at first--you have a fall-back plan.
    
27. Every day life, and especially life during a crisis, requires up-front systems and back-up systems if the first line of defense, or the up-front system, fails. Researching this, on so many levels. Hence, our passion for preparedness at this point in our lives.
    
28. Real education only takes place when change occurs in our attitudes, actions, and way of life. How very true. Dave Ramsey allows people to share their experiences in his debt-reduction books, and I remember a woman talking about bankruptcy, and how the first time was hard, and the second bankruptcy was a bit easier, and then the third, and it was the fourth bankruptcy that made them realize that this wasn't a grand fix. They needed to completely change their attitudes, their habits, their way of life, and their goals. Once they did that, they completely got out of debt and no longer rely on credit. But, THEY had to completely change EVERYTHING.
    
29. Wisdom is making practical applications of what you know. It is not enough to know everything you need to know. It will only serve you and others if practical application is made of that knowledge. It's like the hubby says about shooting--you won't know how to shoot that gun and handle it safely if you only go out with it once a year. You gotta keep up the skill level, so safety and correctness become habit.
    
30. Fix in your own mind the truth about your capabilities. In a crisis situation, this will keep you from being too cocky and will provide you with confidence. I'm pretty sure I won't be feeling too cocky in the event of a crisis. I actually worry about the opposite problem--being too panicked and unsure of myself.
    
31. Decide ahead of time, before a crisis arrives, how you will react in a given situation so that you are not swayed by the circumstances, the situation or your emotions. That is why we are working on these goals--so we won't be swayed by emotion and can think rationally in an emergency.
    
32. Beware of being spread too thin in your life. Decide on the few things in life that you must do and then do them well. Think focus versus distraction. Make sure that unimportant, non-essential distractions don’t keep you from achieving your important objectives. I need to work on this.
    
33. Learn to quit wasting things. Be a good steward of all that God provides. I can be so wasteful. I need to value and take care of all that we have.
    
34. Buy an extra of everything you use regularly and set that extra one aside for the time when such items may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Doing this. Yay!
    
35. In every situation, train yourself to look for what doesn’t fit, what’s out of place, and what doesn’t look right. I think women excel in this capacity, don't you?
    
36. Teach your children, and learn this yourself, that you are not obligated to give information to a stranger. You don’t have to answer questions that are none of their business, not even to government officials. AMEN!! I need to stop being so willing to give up my info for freebies, though.
    
37. Sell or give away things you don’t use or need. Consider giving away or selling half of your stuff, the non-essentials. Simplify and streamline your life, lifestyle, and possessions. We are working harder to give, rather than toss our unwanted items.
    
38. Find someone who lived through the Great Depression and learn from them. Find out how the became self-sufficient, how they made do with very little, and how they found joy and contentment in the midst of hard times. Will do!
    

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

I LOVE this blog entry on The Survival Mom:
38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

This is WONDERFUL!!

If you have read my previous post, you may find this interesting. Absolutely wonderful.
Mitch Mayne

What We Store and How We Prep: 72 Hour Kits

(Our 72 hour kit is growing...I think we need a second tote!!)

I have posted about this subject recently, but one of the ways in which we are attempting to become more "prepared" is by creating a 72 hour kit. My husband has been wanting to work on this project for a while as a family, and I kept stalling because I thought it would be too time-consuming, too expensive, unnecessary, yadda yadda. I made up a lot of excuses.
But, thanks to a few minor emergencies, and the realization that I have more to care about than simply myself, I managed to get inspired after doing some searches on Pinterest, and found a post that encouraged me to get started. I modified the list a bit, since we have an infant in the house, as well as a dog, and I tweaked some amounts to work for our own family, but the premise is still very much the same.
Our kit isn't complete, not by a long shot, but we're getting there. I still need to pack food for the baby and the dog. We need to add in some lists of important information, phone numbers, etc, as well as adding in some money and change. I need a few more various supplies, like a spare leash for the dog, a copy of his rabies certificate (in the event a shelter requires one), matches, bug spray...you get the idea. There are some small gaps to fill.
But the thing that intrigued me the most is how much of the stuff we already had on hand, since we believe in buying in bulk and stockpiling. And I think that preparing our 72 hour kit has inspired me to stockpile even more. Last night, I managed to snag 8 hand soaps and 10 boxes of bandaids to stockpile, and we went to Sam's Club to get things like regular soap and toothbrushes. The hubby wants to get some MREs to put in so we can have meals that are more filling. I think that, with any kit, there are always things you can keep adding. We have added a lot since my last post on this concept. And there's still plenty more that can be done.
We also have an unfulfilled goal to create a kit for each car. We have a semblance of one in one of our cars, but it's a bit pitiful. Our idea list is:

In addition to two car roadside emergency kits with jumper cables and such—

-a small first aid kit for each car

-spare shoes for me

-a blanket or space blankets

-clothing for kids (pj’s) and pants for me

-diapers/wipes/underwear for Goob

-a couple portable baby food containers, granola bars, and a baby spoon

-four bottles of water per car

-flashlight per car

-very basic tool kit

-duffel as containers

We contemplated getting premade 72 hour kits for both the home and the car, but at the end of the day, we actually felt it was cheaper to raid our stockpile first and make our own, than to add to an already created kit. The kits for the cars are our next priority, and we need to get started on them.

What do you have in your 72 hour kits, if you have them?

Holy Freebies, Batman!!

Maybe there is something to this freebie thing....
In one day, I scored the following:

-2 Bath and Body Works travel sized products worth $10 total--you can find the source for this coupon here. I printed one for me, and one for the hubby so I could get two items. Expires on 2/20/12.

-Purex Ultra Packs sample--found here.

-2 copies of Consumer Action Handbook--this is a government produced publication that tells you filed complaints with product brands...could be useful...I ordered one for me, and one for the hubby. Found here. Order processed.

-Free 12 month subscription to Ladies Home Journal—unknown if I will receive this. You can try it HERE.

-Destination Weddings and Honeymoons subscription, digital, received--from www.valuemags.com

-Parenting: The School Years (12 months digital subscription)—received, from here.

-More magazine 12 month hard copy subscription—processed. The details are here.

-Marie Claire magazine digital—received

-Food Network magazine digital—received

-Nylon digital magazine—received

- Cosmo digital magazine—received

-1 issue Reader’s Digest humor magazine digital—received

(I found the above 5 on SlickDeals' Freebie Forum under "Free Magazines." The site in on my link list.)

-2 humorous birthday cards from cardstore.com. Promo code MCSFC0212. (Expires TODAY.)

I am not going to turn this blog into a site purely on deals and freebies. That's not the point. My point, however, is this.... We live in a "I want this now" kind of society. We want what we want, when we want it, doesn't always matter the cost to ourselves, our financial peace, our families, etc. And even when we attempt to be frugal, we occasionally want to splurge. I know I do. But, I am learning a few things:

1) I DON'T have to have "it" right now, whatever "it" might be. "It" is just stuff. Things aren't important. It's not worth it to spend the rest of my life in debt and losing sleep at night because I just HAD to have this or that.

2) Splurge. Everyone needs to once in a while. But, look to find ways to spend little on those splurges, and see if you can find them for free. Case in point--I LOVE magazines, but I hate paying money for something that is predominantly advertising. I never knew how many free mags I could get online, without giving them info about accounts, and without getting a bill. Sure, maybe some are digital, but it's FREE, and it's a SPLURGE, whether or not you physically spend money. I got $10 of Bath and Body Works stuff today for FREE--just by doing a few minutes of research online.

Find new frugal ways to have fun.......you never know, it might just be free!

I Heart Ink Garden

So, I am contemplating starting a super small business, and I wanted to get some business cards to be able to market it, but didn't want to spend a lot of cash (who does)?
I saw a promo code today for 100 free business cards, either one or two sided, on Raining Hot Coupons, and found the cards I was drooling for--I had looked on VistaPrint, which I have heard oodles about, and really didn't find the right thing that struck my fancy (plus, their free cards carry ads...lame).
I made my card, looked at it a bajillion times, and I submitted my order. Then, I looked at it for the bajillion and one-th time. I realized, somehow, my English professor self missed a typo.
Ever though it was only $4.99, I panicked. We are rationing money, and I didn't want $4.99 going into business cards that weren't going to work. Their policy online states that they don't allow order changes once submitted, so I thought I was doomed--and called Customer Service anyway.
I was surprised to get a human--not an answering service--on the first ring, and Angela settled everything for me, and she says the order is canceled. It's still listed on my bank's online information, but it takes the bank a long time to fix errors on cards, so we'll see. If that goes through OK (which I think it will), I will be singing Ink Garden's praises even more--I will sing them anyway, seeing as it was my fault, and they still attempted to fix the issue anyway.
I think the offer for the business cards is for a limited time, so hurry over to Ink Garden, with my blessing!
(This post is NOT sponsored by them...I just was majorly impressed today.)
UPDATE: Even though the typo was may fault, they are giving me a $16.98 gift certificate, when my original order was only $4.99!! FABULOUS!!!!

On Doomsday Preppers....

Apparently, there is a new show on the National Geographic Channel called Doomsday Preppers, documenting the lives of "preppers" who take emergency preparation to societal extremes.
I admit, I have not watched the show (yet). But it has garnered a lot of attention, particularly now that our country has experienced several natural disasters (like Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, flooding...), and the assertion that Rand Paul made a while back stating that the government supposedly finds a few months' food storage to be terroristic activity (I'm not buying it, but he said it, and it caused an uproar).
I am not, in any way, shape, or form, prepared for a catastrophe. I don't even have completed 72 hour kits. We don't have a back-up heat source. In the event of a tornado, we would likely become, to use the academic term, screwed. For a long time, I laughed at the ladies of my church who pushed food storage and at the time found it to be antiquated knowledge from a bunch of women who were running scared and living still in the Great Depression.
And then, I became a wife. And a mom.
I didn't grow up with traditional "food storage" in my home. Preparing for, buying, and maintaining a food storage is hard on a tight budget, and our family home was very small. But, that motivated me to start one of our own, and it has become my passion. I'm not the type to keep tons of wheat on hand. If we had to rely on wheat, we'd die. Simple as that. But, we do have some on hand that we are learning how to grind into flour. We keep several months worth of canned goods, pastas, meat, flours, sugars, and baking mixes on hand. We have #10 cans of staple items around for some semblance of a long term food storage (it's meager, but would be good for a couple months, I would think). In the event of an emergency, knowing I could feed my family is something that is priceless to me.
I will never be the type to hoard ammo, or build a fall out shelter, or cry and wail in the streets waiting for doomsday. That's not me. But, we do occasionally go without power here in the sticks for a few days, and we have been snowed in for a week...small things happen. And that is what I want to prepare for, for those moments where we don't want to leave our home and want to hunker down. I am hoping to dedicate myself to my husband's goals of creating 72 hour kits and carrying emergency ready-to-eat meals if we need to leave our home for whatever reason.
On some level, I am discovering a passion for being a (small scale) prepper.
Maybe those featured on the show are extreme. I haven't seen it, so I can't judge. But, I don't get the ridicule of those who have food storage, or water for an emergency, or things "just in case." Even I have been made fun of for our small provisions. My thing is, in the event of an emergency, even if someone chooses to live in a fall out shelter, if they are one less mouth/family to feed and for the government to worry about, what is so bad about that? I hope I can dedicate myself and learn to cultivate this passion I have for being prepared.
Some interesting info I found today:
Emergency Food for Babies
Freezer Bag Meals
One Year Food Supply for One Adult
Stocking Food for Small Spaces and Budgets

The Creator of This Blog Must Have Been Inspired By My Kids...

I love the blog Sh*t My Kids Ruined. So. Very. Much. I'm not the only one with broken mini blinds and 2 year old Vaseline grease spots on my walls.

Sopapilla Cheesecake...Om Nom Nom....

Bless you, Pinterest, for introducing me to Sopapilla "Cheesecake." It was creamy, decadent, warm, gooey, and all around wonderful. And now, I am sharing it with you! (The original recipe can be found here.)

Sopapilla Cheesecake
Ingredients:
-3 cans crescent rolls
-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup butter (melted)
-Cinnamon & sugar

Instructions:
Unroll and spread 1 & 1/2 can crescent rolls on bottom of ungreased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with mixer on medium speed, until creamy/mixed. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Want a Kindle For Free?

OK, maybe you all know this, but if you don't...if you're like me and counting pennies, you can download a free Kindle app from Amazon for your PC, which means you can then get Kindle books from them onto your computer--and loads of the books are free, or you can get whatever ones there you want/would work with a normal Kindle. It's basically a Kindle, but installed on your 'puter, and it's totally free and legit from them...without having to buy the device itself. Directions are on their website! I got loads of free cookbooks, self-help, classics, parenting books, etc. for free...some require a Prime membership (which I don't have), but loads of others are free with no strings attached! I found the directions in the Kindle Store at Amazon.com. Look for "Kindle for PC" under the "Buy a Kindle" menu on the left of your screen. That will take you to an install screen/directions. Newspapers, magazines, and blogs are NOT accessible via this PC version, but still........ If you have a tablet PC, wouldn't that be cool on it?

My First Attempt at a Real Birthday Party...As Opposed to a Fake One?

OK, I am NOT crafty or artistically inclined.
You hear people say that all the time, but let me illustrate:
Once, while threading a needle, I stabbed myself in the chin.
I have both stapled my finger and glued my fingers together.
While drawing a picture for some little kids at an after-school program several years ago, Yasmin, age 6, raised her hand and asked if I was OK. She was really concerned. I asked her why, and she informed me, "You draw like a crazy person."
Need I say more?
But, I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug, so armed with that and a love for my kids, I decided to throw my first "real" birthday party for my son's fourth birthday.
I made a rainbow candy tray (not pictured) by layering various candies of each color of the rainbow, thanks to Pinterest inspiration. That was easy peasy.
I attempted to make a caterpillar cake with cupcakes. I got the inspiration from Pinterest, but the craziness is all me. My sister in law thought it was an alien. So, I suck at cake decorating, but the kid loved his cupcakes, so that is all that matters.
I made a fruit tray to look like a rainbow, complete with clouds of marshmallows, and a pot of "gold" (bananas.)
I made marshmallow pops from, you guessed it, Pinterest. Place a marshmallow onto a toothpick, dip in melted dipping chocolate, coat with sprinkles, and place on wax paper in the fridge for 10 min. to harden the chocolate.
I'm not blogging this to brag because, quite honestly, my final results were very, very, VERY novice, at best. But, I am PROUD of myself. This is completely out of my comfort zone. Seriously. And when my little guy said, with the sweetest voice, "I LOVE this," as he looked at his adoring family and all that was waiting for him...well, I wanted to melt into a Mommy puddle.
So, it was a very (odd-looking) success. I might post more pics at another date. We shall see. That is, if I don't end up committed after someone looks at my end results. ;)