Gidget Goes Home

Fun Fiction: Once Upon a Prince {book review}

gidget — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:59:04 +0000

This is one of those reviews I couldn’t wait to bring to you. I’ve read a few other books by Rachel Hauck and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. Once Upon a Prince is an entertaining read– a modern-day fairy tale that’s romantic but not too cheesy, spiritual development in the hearts of the characters, but again, not too cheesy like so many Christian novels tend to be.

One of the fun things about this book was the kingdom that Ms. Hauck invented with such imagination, and all the royal ways of life and characters. I loved reading the Princess Diaries books and the movie The Prince and Me has always been a favorite girly indulgence and this book fits along in the same fun genre of stories where modern life and fairy-tale romance collide.

I’m definitely hooked on the series and look forward to reading the next books.

About Once Upon A Prince: The Royal Wedding Series Book One

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.

It’s the ultimate choice. His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own?

Meet Rachel

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of Carol Award winner “Sweet Caroline”, and RITA Finalist “Love Starts With Elle”, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, “The Songbird Novels”. She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pets. Rachel earned a degree in Journalism from Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan. She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now sits on the board as an Advisor.

Find out more about Rachel on her website.

There’s also a fun Facebook party coming up to celebrate this book, including a Kindle giveaway.

Enter Today to win a Kindle Fire! – 5/6 – 5/27!

Thanks to Litfuse for providing the review copy of this book!

Fun Fiction: Once Upon a Prince {book review} is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Happy Mother’s Day!

gidget — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:27 +0000

Wishing all you mamas a restful, special day with your loved ones. I’m off to church, maybe the beach, and out for some good burgers for dinner.

Today I’m thankful for little treasures, but also for my mom, mother-in-law, our birthmom, and also the women who have encouraged me in walk with the Lord like a spiritual mama.

And for those of you who long to be a mama, but aren’t yet, I empathize with you, I’ve been in that spot, I’ve felt that pain.

Can I just encourage you to be a spiritual mama to whoever the Lord has put in your life? You probably don’t even know the blessing you already are in the life of a younger woman, a niece or nephew, or a friend’s child. Embrace that role as someone who can encourage, love on and minister to that young one in a special way that only you can do.

xoxo

Happy Mother’s Day! is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

10 on 10: May 2013 and yummy creamy curry chicken & kale

gidget — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:59:06 +0000

I love Fridays. We’ve finally gotten in the habit of grocery shopping every Friday morning; sometimes we walk and today was one of those days. It was perfect coastal walking weather. In the afternoon it was homeschooling, cleanup, a bit of downtime, creative time, and then dinner prep, where an experimental dish turned out delicious and we had lovely friends over and enjoyed our newly redone patio for a backyard dinner, which is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

Here are my 10 on 10 photos, along with the tasty dinner recipe. I’ve been playing along with 10 on 10 for a while now, and it’s been such a treat lately to be connecting more with its sweet founder Rebekah on Instagram. She recently got a makeover by Oana as well and I love the new look of her blog!

dessert was Healthy Chocolate PB fudge– soooo good! so easy!

sweet friends holding hands!!

Creamy curry chicken & kale (paleo/gaps-friendly)

Ingredients:

half a bunch of kale
half a large onion
3 patty pat squash or 1-2 small squashes
around 2-3 pounds of chicken thighs (2 packages from TJ’s is what I used)
1/2 cup mayo (I get homemade from my food co-op)
1/2 cup organic sour cream
curry powder to your liking
1/4 cup organic half ‘n’half
olive oil
garlic, salt & pepper, paprika

1. Slice onions & squash and wash/dry and rip up kale.

2. Toss veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic to taste in a 13 x9 pan. Add some paprika too!

3. Lay chicken out on top.

4. Whisk or stir together mayo, sour cream, curry powder and half’n'half to your desired consistency.

5. Spoon over chicken. Add a bit more paprika– I took this photo before that, but you can imagine how pretty it looked. Cover with foil and roast in preheated oven (450*) for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until done and nice and bubbly. I don’t have a photo of the final product but we all loved it. Yum!!

Happy weekending!

10 on 10: May 2013 and yummy creamy curry chicken & kale is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Giveaway winner and my first Simple Mom column post!

gidget — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:42:35 +0000

I’m not very good at follow-through in the blogging realm– that’s one of things I want to improve upon. So for the those of you who follow me on Facebook, sorry that this announcement is a couple of days later than I thought it would be. It’s weird, I was sorta having an unintentionally intentional aversion to getting on the computer (hence my out-of-control email inbox!).

Partly I think I needed to detox a bit from my blogging “job” ending and partly I was just living life– throwing a bridal shower, singing at church, celebrating a certain little girl’s 6th birthday. It’s been a crazy busy fun week around here.

So. Without further adieu, I’d like to congratulate Abby, who said she loves my tutorials (thanks, Abby, I hope to bring more of those your way in the future!). I’ve sent an email so let me know if you don’t get it. Abby won the fabulous collection of goodies; if you didn’t win, be sure to revisit my friends and sponsors who donated to the giveaway!

I loved reading through all of your comments and am really excited about what the future brings here at Gidget Goes Home.

Today, I have my first sewing column post up at Simple Mom. It’s a simple project, one that’s been loved on for about three years in our home.

There’s just something so sweet about a toddler and her baby doll (or his, for that matter; my son loves his doll and animals, too).

When we were first preparing to bring home baby number two, I decided to make a baby carrier for my daughter who was just over two at the time. I had loved wearing her in my handmade mei-tai, a gift from my sister-in-law, and decided to draft a simpler version for her to use with her favorite doll, Molly the Dolly…

Head to Simple Mom to read the rest…

Giveaway winner and my first Simple Mom column post! is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Relaunch Giveaway!

gidget — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:48:30 +0000

I thought it would be fun to put together a giveaway package that includes a variety of goodies, several of which are labors of love made by real-life friends and family members. Thanks for helping me celebrate the relaunch of Gidget Goes Home.

I thought I might review each one of these items separately… but then I thought about it again, I realized you probably didn’t want seven separate blog posts crowding your inbox or reader, so I’m going to squeeze them all in here for ya.

The important thing is that these are all things I love, which is why I’m celebrating the relaunch of my blog by giving them away to a lucky reader.

In this little gift package of love you will find something for him (thanks to the awesome hubbies out there!), for the home, for the kids, and of course, for you, lovely lady (since I’m assuming most of my readers are women). You will also find three of my favorite eBooks, two of which are not part of the gigantic sale going on right now, but which will complement the other 97 nicely.

This is a long post, but trust me, you’re going to want to see what these goodies are all about!

For her: Sarah Undercover

I’ve always been a journaler. My husband isn’t too happy about the storage tub full of old journals taking up precious space in the garage, but I can’t part with them; they are part of me, of my story. Nowadays, I don’t journal the same as I used to, although I miss writing out my prayers and thoughts like I used to (back when I had all the time in the world for that sort of thing!). For now, my journals serve as more of a brain dump, recipe file, and collection of sermon notes, prayer requests, favorite verses, dreams and big ideas, and sketches– the stuff of life you might say.

For a couple of years, I used Moleskines, and now have moved on to a beautiful handmade journal made by my good friend Sarah. When we first met, I was thrilled to hear that she had an Etsy shop (kindred spirit!!) and was greatly impressed by her handiwork. Sarah collects vintage maps and papers and other lovely embellishments that she uses as she hand-sews her journals together.

They are so beautiful, and well-made at that. I have the aqua-colored one pictured– she made it just for me and used a map of Hawaii on the inside cover (which I love, because David and I honeymooned there). The royal blue one pictured will be the winner’s journal– it features a map of the west coast (represent!) on the inside cover. Visit the Sarah Undercover shop to see more of her creations.

For him: Fifty Five South

Fifty Five South is the clothing line designed and screen printed by my talented brother, Alex. He makes men’s and children’s t-shirts, and men’s crew neck sweatshirts as well, printed with his own designs and photography.

I’d tell you which one was my favorite, but I really love them all. If you’re looking for a guy gift, you can’t go wrong with one of these. My husband David has the top two shirts. As for the children’s line, any kiddo would look adorable in one of these hip prints. Hallee has the birdie shirt.

Visit Fifty Five South for lots more tees & sweatshirts, and know that if you buy a shirt from Alex it comes screen printed with love in Costa Mesa, CA. Today, I’m giving away the choice of one men’s shirt.

For the home: Mr. B’s Luminaries

These beautiful, wonderful-smelling candles are hand-poured by a friend of mine, Shem; we serve together in the church worship ministry and I had the super-fun honor to have my recording debut singing a few background vocals on his forthcoming album (I’ll let you know about it when it releases!).

But back to candles for now… Shem’s company, Mr. B’s Luminaries is really just getting started, but I can already see that it’s going to be successful because of the quality of the candles and ingredients and the lovely and hip branding. I really love the different jars and the stamped tags.

It doesn’t get much better than this, as far as I’m concerned: scented with %100 essential oils, no fragrance oils, organic and biodegradable soy wax grown by farmers in the U.S.A., no paraffin wax , no GMOs , only ingredients from Fair-Trade suppliers, hand-poured in small batches, made with the finest ingredients. The winner today will receive the candles pictured, three scents in a variety of jars.

For the kids: Squooshi

It’s not often these days that a baby/kid gadget comes my way and finds me smitten. But after discovering a love for applesauce pouches and planting one in Gigi’s lunch every time she goes to school and taking them on the go with the kiddos all the time, I often wished I had a reusable version. I didn’t like the cost of the pouches or the waste involved, but convenience was winning that battle on a weekly basis.

When I was giving a chance to review the Squooshi pouches, I jumped at the chance, hopeful. And indeed they were exactly what I was looking for! These refillable pouches are easy to use and surprisingly easy to clean. I simply fill them up with applesauce — often flavored with cinnamon or even blended with berries and spinach– and we’re good to go for over four times less the cost of the pouches I was buying regularly before. I love the cute designs and colors and so do my kiddos; I’m sure yours will too if you win the set– if you don’t have kids, I’m sure a little friend, niece or nephew would love them as a gift.

**eBook #1: Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas**

Since Renee is one of my favorite bloggers, I wasn’t surprised at how much I loved her book, Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy Moms. This quote sums up what I took from it: “I’ve come to describe what I do simply as creative living, not defined by any one craft or activity but an overall approach to life”– and that’s really become a mantra for how I live my life.

You can read my full review that I wrote up last year to see what other nuggets I took from it, but you can trust me when I say that this book will encourage and inspire you in your creativity.

**eBook #2: Healthy Snacks To Go by Katie Kimball**

This eBook is one of my favorite digital cookbooks. Katie’s granola bars are a family favorite and since we went grain free we have discovered her amazing power bars (reverse engineered LaraBars) and her coconut flour muffins, which we’ve already made countless times.

I can’t recommend Healthy Snacks To Go {affiliate link} enough.

**eBook # 3: Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom**

I’m going to take a stab in the dark that at least a few of you readers arrived here because of my DIY Diaper Sprayer Post. If you are a cloth diaper-er, Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert will be an invaluable diapering companion, and if you’re interested but unsure about taking the cloth diaper jump, this book will give you everything you need to know to decide what will be best for your family.

I’ve been cloth diapering off and on for five years, and I’m still learning– and I’m stoked on a particular simple tip I found in Erin’s book that I never thought of before. I love that cloth diapering doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and Erin gives so many options for how it can be done, that there really is a method for anyone whose interested. I personally am looking forward to going through Erin’s “challenges” that she presents to see if I’m taking proper care of my diapers and if there’s any solutions that will help our issues. I also love all the quotes she includes from real-life mamas about their diapering experiences.

And now for the fun part…

This giveaway has now ended!

Today one lucky winner will win:

one men’s t-shirt (design of your choice) from Fifty Five South
one handmade journal from Sarah Undercover
three candles from Mr. B’s Luminaries
one set of Squooshi pouches
one copy each of the following eBooks
~ Nurturing Creativity
~Healthy Snacks to Go
~Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert

Woohoo!! That’s a lot of fun (and useful, and beautiful!) stuff. Just enter with the rafflecopter widget below. You’ll start by leaving a comment on this blog post (mandatory entry, answering this question: What’s one thing you like or that you want to see more of on Gidget Goes Home?) and then go from there if you want extra entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to my pals for donating these items for giveaway. Some asked me to do review (and provided a sample); others were simply companies I wanted to support by showcasing them for you because I already loved them.

Good luck and thanks for reading!!

Relaunch Giveaway! is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Patching a hole and preserving a bit of time

gidget — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:52:02 +0000

I don’t think I’m the only mom who feels the rub that comes from packing up one size of clothes and moving on to the next. Their clothes aren’t just that which covers their body, but often grow to become part of their identity, who our children are.

So many of my own childhood memories actually stem from photographs and I think that’s one of the reasons why I love documenting life so much.

A simple tank top that I love, isn’t just the cheap shirt that I got on sale at Old Navy anymore, now that she’s been wearing it for a year. When I see it, my mind flashes back to images, photographs of her wearing it, and what was going on at the time.

When I see this shirt, I think of the photo on our fridge and of her going to VBS last year at the church where she would soon start kindergarten (where her charter school meets), a five-year old on the precipice of Something Big.

So instead of just tossing the hole-y shirt into the giveaway pile, I took a few minutes to put a simple patch on it, knowing that it would bring a smile to her face and preserve her wardrobe, and maybe time, a bit longer.

Just a bit of Heat’n'Bond cut in the shape of a heart, pressed first to the wrong side of a scrap of fabric (that was, I might add, a mama-made dress Gigi wore as a baby).

Heart cut out, paper peeled off, and then adhered over the hole, pressing cloth/mat to protect the glitter and sequins…

a simple 15-second press job and the heart is on.

A quick zig-zag for security…

A beloved shirt and a bit of childhood preserved… for now.

P.S. Ten-inch long braids sit on our counter, chopped and waiting to be mailed in by donation, happily given up by my sweet girl, who doesn’t miss the tangles, and who saw first-hand the difference hair makes after her granpa went through chemo and beat leukemia. I heart my girl.

P.P.S Relaunch giveaway still to come this week!

Patching a hole and preserving a bit of time is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Big news: Blog relaunch, giveaway and fabulous eBook sale!

gidget — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:01:51 +0000

I’m excited to announce that today I’m officially relaunching the blog with my new design! I still have more tweaks and little updates to do as I have the time, but for now, I’m completely smitten with the new look of Gidget Goes Home. I hope you love it as much as I do.

If you read this in a reader or in your email, be sure to visit the blog to see the beautiful artwork created by the lovely Oana Befort. She was wonderful to work with and I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect finished product for my little corner of the internet. Over the next couple of months I still plan to reorganize some of my posts and categories to make things even more useful and inspiring for you, my lovely readers.

I’m so grateful for those of you who are new around here, checking things out after we closed the doors of Simple Homemade, and I came home to roost here again; things really do come full circle. I hope you’ll stick around and keep reading.

I feel excited for the fresh vision I have for blogging here. I hope you when you come here you’ll be encouraged in one of three major categories: contentment (in the gospel), creativity (whether that applies to food, fabric or even simply words), and community.

Now, let’s celebrate!

Starting tomorrow, I will be revealing some fabulous and fun items that I will be sharing a brief review about over the next few days. Stick around until Thursday, when I will be then offering a fabulous giveaway where you can win a gift package including items for her, him, the home, and the kiddos, and a handful of my favorite eBooks as well. I’m thrilled to be giving away a few of my favorite things as we celebrate my relaunch.

Wait, there’s more!

This sale has now ended!

I couldn’t possibly have planned a more perfect time to be sharing with you the fabulous eBook bundle that will be available for just six days starting today. The Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle seems like the perfect collection to be promoting as I relaunch my blog which centers around the home and all that that entails.

On Friday I will share with you some thoughts on the books in the bundle that I already have as well as which ones I’m most looking forward to reading. But for now, read on to see what is included in this awesome sale.

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!

More than anything, our goal for this sale was for it to be, well… ultimate! We firmly believe that you will not find a more comprehensive collection of homemaking resources anywhere on the web, and particularly not in this price range. For this low price, you gain access to every single one of these resources, so that you can customize your own collection to contain exactly the ones you want and know you’ll use.

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

To sweeten the pot, we’ve also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers, giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free!

What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to any of the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below.

PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

Each The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection comes with more than $140 of FREE Bonuses from 10 companies that we know you’ll love. More on these bonuses below.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS and Jami @ Eat Nourishing ($20.00)

Seasonal Menu Plans on a Budget: A Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours by Diana @ My Humble Kitchen ($4.99)

Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)

The Curative Kitchen by Susan @ Handy Pantry ($20.00)

Pregnancy & Baby Care

First Bites by Hilary @ Accidentally Green ($9.99)

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)

Stress-Free Baby Shower by Sara @ Your Thriving Family ($4.00)

Unbound Birth by Jenny @ The Southern Institute ($2.99)

My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy @ Simply Designs ($9.99)

My Buttered Life Baby Edition by Renee @ Made On Hard Lotion ($5.00)

The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Rachel @ The Minimalist Mom ($5.00)

Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide by Angie @ Redeeming Childbirth ($3.99)

Holidays & Special Events

Festive Traditions by Jill @ Modern Alternative Kitchen ($7.95)

Holiday Mixes: Gifts in a Jar by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)

Flourishing Spring by Michele @ Frugal Granola ($5.95)

Family Camping Handbook by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($6.95)

Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda @ Oh, Amanda! ($7.99)

Plan a Fabulous Party by Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect ($4.99)

iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide by Alli @ Alli Worthington($9.97)

Spiritual Growth

Pursuit of the Proverbs 31 by Amy @ Amy Bayliss ($3.99)

The Best of Visionary Womanhood by Natalie @ Visionary Womanhood ($5.00)

God’s Word in my Heart: A Scripture Memory Learning Guide with Verses {all 4 versions} by Jenn @ The Purposeful Mom ($3.99)

Kept: a 13-Week Inductive Study on 1 Peter by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($4.99)

Love Like Him: an 8 week Inductive Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 by Lara and Katie @ Quench Bible ($2.99)

Marriage & Romance

Rekindling Romance by Jason & Jami @ A Biblical Marriage ($4.99)

Good Wife’s Guide by Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife ($2.99)

31 Days to Build a Better Spouse by Ashley @ Ashley Pichea ($4.99)

31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila @ To Love, Honor and Vacuum ($4.99)

Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair by Amy @ Amy J. Bennett ($4.99)

Motherhood

The Heart of Simplicity by various authors @ The Heart of Simplicity ($9.99)

True Christian Motherhood by June @ A Wise Woman Builds Her Home ($7.00)

Hula Hoop Girl by September @ One September Day ($4.99)

When Motherhood Feels Too Hard by Kelly @ Generation Cedar ($4.97)

Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Days ($4.99)

From Cube to Farm by Heather @ From Cube to Farm ($2.99)

4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions by various authors @ 4 Moms, 35+ Kids Parenting E-book ($7.99)

That Works for Me! by Kristen @ We are THAT Family ($8.00)

Health & Fitness

100-pound Loser by Jessica @ Muthering Heights ($4.99)

Honoring the Rhythm of Rest by Danielle @ Domestic Serenity ($2.99)

42 Days to Fit by Brandy @ The Marathon Mom, Emma @ Real Fit Moms and Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($4.99)

Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home ($12.95)

Personal ePlanner by Jennifer @ ListPlanIt ($5.00)

Beauty

Frumps to Pumps by Sarah Mae @ SaraMae.com ($4.99)

The Cottage Mama’s DIY Guide by Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage ($4.00)

Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($3.99)

The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley @ The No Brainer Wardrobe ($7.99)

Embracing Beauty by Trina @ Trina Holden ($9.00)

Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose by Kristen @ The Frugal Girl ($3.99)

Working from Home & Blogging

Your Blogging Business: Tax, Talk and Tips by Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger ($4.99)

The Bootstrap VA by Lisa @ The Home Life {and Me} ($12.99)

How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home by Jacinda @ Growing Home ($4.99)

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi @ Life Your Way ($12.00)

Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging by Rachel @ Small Notebook ($8.00)

Ecourses

Learning in Love: The Preschool Years by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)

Homeschooling from the Heart by Renee @ FIMBY ($7.99)

Grocery University by Carrie @ Colorado Bargains ($24.95)

Vibrant Living Strategies for Moms by Lisa @ Well-Grounded Life ($59)

You Can Do This! The First Five Steps to a Real Food Kitchen by Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers ($5.00)

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28′s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

Big news: Blog relaunch, giveaway and fabulous eBook sale! is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Homemade springtime strawberry fro-yo

gidget — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:45:36 +0000

I live in an area that’s known for it’s strawberry growing. This is the time of year when strawberries are on sale at farm stands in abandoned dirt lots and we start getting baskets of those juicy little morsels in our CSA box every week. I may be biased but I think the berries from our farm are basically the best, although the other local growers produce pretty darn sweet ones as well. Over the years my kids have enjoyed visiting our farm for tour day and getting to go pick their own basket-full.

I just can’t seem to buy a clamshell of strawberries at the grocery store, convenient as it is, when I know I can drive a few miles farther, down to my favorite farm stand, and get fresh, unsprayed berries grown just about ten miles away.

They are so sweet this time of year, that in fact, you barely need to sweeten them to use them in a dessert. I mean seriously, why waste your time with strawberry-flavored candy when the actual fruit is so. darn. sweet.

Since Friday nights are dessert night in our home, last week’s basket of CSA strawberries (okay, and a couple more from the farm stand) went directly into this no-guilt treat. How no-guilt is it, you ask? Well I may or may not have served the leftovers to the family for breakfast, I’ll say that.

This is definitely a spring/summer dessert. Don’t bother making it when strawberries are out of season; their seasonal sweetness is what makes this so special, and why the tanginess of the yogurt is balanced out so nicely.

Homemade Springtime Strawberry Fro-Yo

makes just over a quart

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and cut up

honey to taste, under a 1/4 cup is enough

1/2 teaspoon vodka (optional)

1 cup kefir (or whole milk yogurt)

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (I prefer Meyer)

a nice splash of heavy cream (about a 1/4 cup)

1. Once your strawberries are rinsed and cut up, drizzle them with honey and add a bit of vodka if you desire and let them stand at room temperature and macerate for about an hour, stirring periodically.

2. Purée the strawberries, kefir, lemon juice and splash of cream in a food processor, blender or glass bowl with an immersion blender.

3. Refrigerate the mixture for an hour. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. I thought the texture was perfect after letting it sit in the freezer for another hour or two before eating.

If there’s any left, by all means, serve it for breakfast or a healthy treat. Just let it sit out on the counter for a little while before you scoop it.

What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries?

Homemade springtime strawberry fro-yo is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

7 books I’m reading (yep, all at once)

gidget — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:57:35 +0000

Last week, I threw out my back and was laid up for a couple of days. It was hard (thankfully I had the help of my dad and others during the day, dealing with regular kiddo duty), but there was one little silver lining…

I got some serious page-turning time in! It’s amazing how just a few days of quality reading can get me fired up again to dig into my reading list and the stacks of books lying around waiting to be opened.

Here’s what I’m currently reading, because it’s virtually impossible for me to read only one book at a time. (These are affiliate links, fyi.)

1. Bread & Wine ~ This is my bedtime/relaxing time/dreaming time book right now. Full review to come.

2. The Gospel Centered Woman ~ Even though I already reviewed this book, I’m still digesting it. It’s a great quiet time companion; I’ve been trying to read it in the morning when I’m up before the chaos.

3. Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe ~ This is my afternoon quiet time book, or my read whenever I can book because I’m really just soaking it up. It’s just what I need in the season I’m in. My good friend Amber is ordering a copy so we can start going through it together for mutual encouragement.

4. What it is is beautiful ~ This book of poetry is written by my friend Sarah Park (you may have seen her poetry published on Simple Mom, and it speaks to me, as a mother of small children, in simple kindred-spirit ways.

5. A Gospel Primer for Christians ~ We’re reading this as a church and it is chock full of nuggets of gospel truth. The premise of the book is the importance and benefits of preaching the gospel to ourselves, a theme that has come up in both book number two and three on this list.

6. The Well-Trained Mind ~ This is my basic homeschool guide. I’m planning out first grade right now and I love Susan Wise Bauer’s explanation of the Classical education model and also am so thankful for this anthology of resources and scheduling guidelines.

7. Nurture by Nature ~ A mentor friend recommended this to me and I’m finally dipping my toes into it. I tested my own personality recently and came out as an ESFJ so I’m anxious to read more about personality types and see how it applies to my family and parenting.

I love this quote recently penned by Emily Freeman (a fellow multiple-book-reader), about all the books she’s currently reading at once:

“They talk with one another in my head and help me find my own voice in the midst of the conversation.”

Yes! That’s how I feel, too. Plus, I need the variety so I can choose the genre that fits my mood or the amount of time I have.

P.S. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but… I sure do. Love these particular ones.

Are you a multiple-book-reader? What are you reading right now? I’m always on the lookout for more literary goodness.

7 books I’m reading (yep, all at once) is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

How we roll: upside down & backwards homeschool planning

gidget — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:21:54 +0000

I thought it would be fun to share how things have evolved during our first year of homeschooling.

While I started out with the intentions of following my own detailed lesson plans, things have actually shifted quite a bit. We’ve basically given up on Five in a Row– I loved it but struggled with the motivation to fit so many lessons into our days.

I was a teacher before I had Gigi, did you know that? I taught college-level Spanish at Cal State Long Beach. So I’ve done my fair share of lesson planning over the years and it’s something I enjoy.

But when the reality of having a one-and-a-half-year old and an almost-three-year old set in I came to realize that not only could we flat-out not do formal school lessons in the morning, but we also weren’t really getting to much of detailed plans.

So now we’re simply doing what I affectionately refer to as upside down and backwards homeschool planning.

My plans went from something crazy-detailed like this:

To something simple like this:

I now have whittled our plan down to the basics: reading, writing, math, and devotional, and anything else is extra. She gets also gets science, Spanish, art, drama and chess once a week each at school so I figure she’s at least brushing the surface of those subjects which is fine for kindergarten in my opinion.

Instead of planning ahead what pages we’ll do in each subject, I note down after the fact what we accomplished. It varies based on time spent on it and most importantly, on Gigi’s energy and focus level, which are both challenged in the afternoon. (My notebook also often includes random words written down for Gigi to copy.)

This helps me not feel overwhelmed by planned lessons left undone, but still gives me a running record of what we’ve done so that at the end of the month I can write up my summary and gather samples to turn in to our EF (educational facilitator).

It’s sort of homeschool survival mode, but that’s just the season we’re in. Next year, when we’ll be diving into a classical education for Gigi and the little ones will be so many months older, we’ll try to gradually add back in doing school in the mornings.

But right now, I’m enjoying the freedom to do what works (that’s one of the benefits of homeschooling after all!) and to fill our mornings with playdates, lounging around and things like this:

and this:

I’d love to hear how you plan your homeschool days if you are a home educating family. I’m currently in planning mode for next year so I’m on the lookout for new ideas, methods and tools!

How we roll: upside down & backwards homeschool planning is a post from: Gidget Goes Home

GIDGET RECOMMENDS: {a few of my favorite eBooks- these are affiliate links}

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler
Healthy Snacks to Go: 20 Real Food Recipes
Simple Blogging: Grow your blog with less time on the computer.
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: a cloth diaper guide

Gidget Goes Home

Gidget Goes Home

Fun Fiction: Once Upon a Prince {book review}

Happy Mother’s Day!

10 on 10: May 2013 and yummy creamy curry chicken & kale

Creamy curry chicken & kale (paleo/gaps-friendly)

Giveaway winner and my first Simple Mom column post!

Relaunch Giveaway!

For her: Sarah Undercover

For him: Fifty Five South

For the home: Mr. B’s Luminaries

For the kids: Squooshi

eBook #1: Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas

eBook #2: Healthy Snacks To Go by Katie Kimball

eBook # 3: Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom

Today one lucky winner will win:

Patching a hole and preserving a bit of time

Big news: Blog relaunch, giveaway and fabulous eBook sale!

Now, let’s celebrate!

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PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses

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PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

The fine print:

This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!

Homemade springtime strawberry fro-yo

Homemade Springtime Strawberry Fro-Yo

7 books I’m reading (yep, all at once)

How we roll: upside down & backwards homeschool planning

**eBook #1: Nurturing Creativity by Renee Tougas**

**eBook #2: Healthy Snacks To Go by Katie Kimball**

**eBook # 3: Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom**