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Hey gals! I have been so blessed to bump into many local readers in the most random places as of late – from the Oregon Zoo to my local Burgerville restaurant. So, I think it is high time for a fun meet-up play date! If you are local to the Portland, OR metro area, we would love to invite you to a play date/picnic at the park!

When: Friday, August 3, 2012
Time: 10-12noon
Where: Ventura Park (SE 115th & Stark St) – we will meet at the playground on the west side of the park
What to bring: A picnic lunch and any questions you would like to ask! I thought we could just have a fun and casual Q & A time on all things related to homemaking. If you have kids, please bring them along and they can play together while we fellowship!

Let me know if you are able to make it!

We are excited to bring to you today another awesome giveaway from one of our favorite family owned and operated natural skin care companies, Graham Gardens. I have been a long time fan of Graham Gardens and they have been a faithful sponsor on and off for several years, and they have been delightful to work with. We abs0lutely love their wonderful array of natural soaps for everyone of our family and lotion bars that are so refreshing to the skin, and natural baby care products that work wonders on caring for baby rashes, dried skin, and other ailments. I have been perfectly satisfied with every product I’ve tried.

Their soap line works beautifully for shaving, lathering up, and shampooing, with the unscented avacado and oatmeal bar being perfect for the most sensitive skin of our babies. The bug bars are a perfect natural non-gooey preventative for the summer mosquitos. And if you are out in the garden, love to camp, fish, etc. you shouldn’t be without the hand repair creme, a refreshing moisturizing creme that heals the dry skin resulting from these activities.

Today, we are offering one “Summer Essentials Skincare Kit” (retails at $136) to a special winner, which includes a sampling of many of the products I shared about above. This kit includes the following, as pictured above:

2 BugBars (natural bug repellent)
3 Bars of our Wholesome Soap (your choice of any scent)
1 Lip Balm (any scent)
1 Healthy Skin Salve
1 BabyBird Tailfeathers Zinc Cream (scented or unscented)
1 BabyBird Body Oil (scented or unscented)
1 Original Butter Bar (your choice of any scent)
1 Gardener Hand Repair balm
1 Scrubby Body Salt (any scent)

TO ENTER:

1. Visit Graham Gardens and check out the lovely array of natural skin care products. Pick out your favorite item and share with us why you chose that item. Or, if you have been a previous customer of Graham Gardens, share with us what you have purchased/liked and let us know in your comment.

2. For a second optional entry, sign up for the Graham Gardens newsletter (on the left hand side of their homepage), and stay informed on exclusive sales, offers, and updates. 

Check out Graham Gardens on Facebook for further fun!

Giveaway will close on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 8:00pm PST.

Giveaway is now closed.

And the winner is…

Sue – (guillermoandsue@…) who shared: “I recently purchased the soap sampler from Graham Gardens, to get a feel of their products. I really loved the lavender & coconut soap bar (so far!) When I run out of the samples, I hope to purchase the full bar for our family! I also loved how they send the soap bundles in a carefully wrapped package with little candies strewn about. And a coupon for the next purchase! I was so excited about their products & service, I shared with my sister! “

Oopen to US participants only.

Winner will be randomly selected and contacted on the Wednesday following the completion of the giveaway. The end of this post will be updated to announce the winners. 
Email subscribers: You must click through to the original post on Passionate Homemaking to be entered into this giveaway.
No purchase necessary.

One out of seven people in the world are hungry. Women around the world are forced to put their children to bed hungry every night. Many times these children sleep on dirt floors. For most of those children, there is no hope that they can go to school the next morning. Can you imagine your child hungry and lacking hope for tomorrow?

Trades of Hope is a unique business structure that helps partner with these women. Some have been forced into the sex trade. Some have been acid attacked. Some are just in the unfortunate circumstance of being born in a desperately poor country. Each of these beautiful women has a gift.

They don’t want charity, they want an opportunity! They have handcrafted unique works of art that Trades of Hope is marketing on their behalf giving them the opportunity that they need to improve their own lives and the lives of their children. It is sustainable, long term, multi-generational change!

There are two wonderful ways you can support this ministry as a business model. You can help support your family, while helping a family in Haiti, Uganda or Peru by joining the Trades of Hope Team of like-minded, motivated women!  Become a Compassion Entrepreneur promoting Fair Trade products by women around the world, and you earn an income.

And secondly, by purchasing any of the lovely assortment of handcrafted jewelry, scarves, journals, bags, candles, and other home decor you are helping to support impoverished women around the world.

Today, we are excited to give away a few items that have been handcrafted by these precious ladies around the world. We will have three lovely winners, one for each of these prizes that are being offered.

1.  Multi strand silver necklace from India (pictured at top of post – $20 value)- This beautiful necklace is simply stunning and classy. Through the sale of these necklaces,  children in three poor villages in India can go to school.

2. Capiz Feather Earrings from the Philippines (pictured just above – $16 value) – I am in love with these earrings. They are beautiful and large, and very elegant. Help abused women in the Philippines gain opportunity.

3. $20 gift card  - the final prize is a $20 gift card for you to use on any product of your choice!

It has been awhile since I have shared a family update with you all, so I thought it was high time. Spring has been gradually peaking through the clouds here in the Northwest. We have had a few days of glorious sunshine which is a blessing after months of indoor cold rain weather. Spring brings beautiful colors and allergies all in one. The springtime has included celebrating my son Titus’ third birthday, hosting a baptism at our home in our backyard hot tub, hosting Easter dinner with family and friends, celebrating Lent and Easter in our home with passover and other fun readings and activities, starting some flower and veggie gardening in our backyard, spring walks, and a weekend getaway to the Oregon Coast to rest, walk on the beach, play games, and simply be together as a family.

We are in the final stages of launching my husband’s new business, but I believe the end is in sight. We can finally tell you all what he has been working on! The business is called Bourbon and the mission is to provide mobile websites for small businesses – restaurants, retail stores, etc. Aaron has set up the launch page for the business, which you can view here. We are super excited and praying fervently that it would take off over the next few weeks. Our prayer is that it would be able to financially support us and give our family more freedom to start serving more actively in our church and missions. It has been an intense 4+ month period as he has been working days and most nights. It has certainly been taking its tole on our family, but by God’s grace I am holding on and trying to enjoy the ride.

We have been prioritizing our family and keeping our schedule pretty free and simple. My blogging has been minimal as you might have noticed. I have felt bad for all the times I have had to say “no” to various invitations, but I know it is paying off in the long run.

During this transition, I have really been seeing the value of just being a helper to my hubby. As wives we play such an important role in keeping our men going strong. We can tear them down through discouraging words, or we can help them flourish and succeed through loving support and cheering them on in our words and actions. Guys seem to be pretty simple. They need us to believe in them. I have been amazed at how just a simple text message or email expressing my love or telling him how proud I am of him sometime during the day can make a world of difference on his spirits. It’s easy to forget about our men while taking care of the little ones around us…but honestly, when we plant those seeds of expressing love and admiration, our love will only grow and flourish all the more. Write him a note, make a love message board that you can update regularly, plant post it love notes in his car, on his desk, or wherever he visits frequently. Let him know you are behind him…and you might just be surprised at the results. Care to join me in striving to just write or speak one little message each day to encourage our men?

Enjoying our first passover meal

My sister, Christa, and her fiancé Dan

My younger sister got engaged in early February so we are in the preparation process for a wedding in mid-June. I’m so excited! We are all involved in the wedding, so I have been searching high and low finding appropriate attire for all of us. In my spare time, I’m planning a shower and will also be hosting the rehearsal dinner. It has been a joy doing some spring cleaning here and passing on some household items to help my sister get started well.

Eden girl has an awesome army crawl mastered and is cruising around all over the place at 9 months of age now. Karis is starting Kindergarten work, and my Titus man is my sweet helper watching out for his sisters (amidst some challenges with his potty training ). They all keep busy taking walks with Daddy, unloading the dishwasher, reading lots of books, playing dress up, and romping around outside as sunny days start peeking through the clouds. We are looking forward to a full summer with my Karis girl turning 5 this week (which we are celebrating with a small mommy/daughter tea party), Aaron and I celebrating our 6th anniversary this month (which will include a day outing to the Columbia Gorge – yah!), my sister’s wedding, summer outreach projects in our community, and a family vacation to the beach! Praise the Lord. He is good.

Springtime Reading

What have I been reading lately?

Books on my nightstand over the last few months have included: Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, and Madam Bovary (which I am currently reading) as I continue in my goal of reading more classics to further my own personal education (thanks to inspiration from The Well Educated Mind). I have also been inspired to more intentional generous living through the life and testimony of Katie Davis in her book, Kisses From Katie and her adventures in her early twenties adopting and caring for children in Uganda. I want to be active in the care of orphans and children around the world. I want to be able to live a radical life of generosity in all that I do. Such an inspiring story!

I also have been reading off and on Comforts From the Cross and Overcoming Fear, Worry and Anxiety, which are both by one of my favorite authors, Elyse Fitzpatrick. She has such a powerful way of turning my heart and mind back to the truths of the gospel. Highly recommend her books! Aaron and I are reading The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller and this book is by far the best marriage book we have ever read. It is so rich, meaty, thought-provoking, and challenging us in the truth of the beauty of God’s design for marriage.

The Thankfulness List continues…

I am continually working on my thankfulness list…one by one God is continuing to draw my eyes to focus on the beauty around me. I forget about it here and there, but each time I come back to it, my soul is encouraged and lifted up to rejoice in the goodness of the awesome God that I serve. Here is a sneak peak at some of my recent blessings…

1151. The delicious meals concocted from leftover ham
1156. The delight of bare feet on sunny days
1158. The warmth of socks on freezing toes
1162. Diapers drying in the sun
1164. Overflowing laundry baskets displaying we are well clothed
1165. The blessing of one stop shopping at consignment sales to cloth all the kids for the next season
1167. Baby girl sleeping in my arms
1169. Daddy cuddled up with kiddos reading the Bible
1170. My daughter’s delight in reading The Boxcar Children together
1172. Tickling fest with little underarms, feet, and bellies
1176. A good classic movie to enjoy with the kids
1178. Creating a garden space for my little ones
1180. Spring robin birds created from sweet foot prints
1186. The simple joys of making new friends through hospitality
1188. Buttoning up three little jackets

Thank you so much for all your continual support of this blog! I want to give a hearty thanks to our faithful sponsors – Paula’s Breads, Sweet Bottoms Babys Boutique, The Fertility Flower, Savvy Teas and Herbs, and the Willow Store. These companies have supported us for multiple months at a time and it has been such a blessing working with these awesome people! Check them out!

May the Lord richly bless you all!

I recently was blessed to sample a few products from Jenuinely Pure, one of our April sponsors. This company offers a full and simple line of all natural skin, body, and home care products that are wonderfully safe for your family. The owner, Jenny, shared the following:

“My name is Jenny Drew and I am a proud wife and mother of three, a committed follower of Jesus and the creator of an all natural skin & body care company called Jenuinely Pure. About 4 years ago, after struggling to find products that were safe to use in my home and on my children, the Lord gave me the vision of creating a company of 100% natural products that are truly natural, safe and effective. Whether you or your children have a skin issue like eczema, dermatitis or acne or you’re simply looking for a natural alternative to cleaning or body products, come check us out! We’re sure you’ll find what you’re looking for and will love our products. All of our products are handmade in small batches with mostly organic ingredients, nourishing botanical extracts and NEVER any fragrances, parabens, sulfates, triclosan or any other yucky stuff…NEVER, EVER, EVER. We promise! We believe what you put on your body is as important to what you put in your body. Make the switch today to truly natural products!”

I personally sampled the all-purpose cleaner and foaming hand soap which both come with large refill options to save you money and cut back on waste in disposing multiple containers. I love finding an all-purpose cleaner that I can use on all areas of my home – keeping my cleaning bucket simple! The citrus smell is simply wonderful and works effectively on scouring any surface in your home – toilets, windows, floors and all! With the gallon refill, you are looking at around $3.70 per 18 fl oz of cleaner. I also love the hand soap option that gives a soft smooth lather without the antibacterial ingredients of standard soaps on the market. With the gallon refill jar, you are only spending $2.68 per 8 oz of hand soap! They also have soap nuts which are an excellent laundry solution that we have used for years.

Jenuinely Pure also has a full line of natural facial products to help whatever skin ailments you may be dealing with. You will find toner, moisturizer, astringent, and multiple other products for all your needs. I personally am a simple gal and only use soap and water on my face, but if you do have skin issues that you would like some natural care for, you won’t be disappointed with their selection. All ingredients are fully disclosed so you can buy with confidence and support this sweet family business.

Jenuinely Pure would like to offer 3 gift certificates today to 3 unique winners of $25 each for you to use to sample any of the products of your choice!

Get 15% off your order for the month of April by entering PH15 at checkout. During the month of April they are also doing a special on shipping: Free shipping for orders over $100 and $5 shipping for orders over $50 (in the continental US and Canada).

TO ENTER:

1. Visit Jenuinely Pure and browse their product line. Come back and share your favorite item in the comments below and why you would love to try it.

2. For a second optional entry, sign up for the Jenuinely Pure newsletter (sign up through the link on their homepage), and come back and let us know in a second comment. Stay informed on future sales and specials!

Giveaway closed.

And the winners are…

Colleen – (colleen.wachob@…) – who shared: “I have been wanting to start some more consistent skin care and would especially love some natural cleanser and moisturizer. This looks great!”
Julie F. (mizswanky@…) – who shared:”I would love to try the facial scrub…really the whole face line!”
Amanda P (amanda@balanced…) ”I’d try the Soap Nuts! I’m making my own detergent now, only because I can’t find anything close to me that is natural enough….but I’d rather just not. ”

Giveaway open to US, Canadian and International participants.

Winner will be randomly selected and contacted on the Wednesday following the completion of the giveaway. The end of this post will be updated to announce the winners.
Email subscribers: You must click through to the original post on Passionate Homemaking to be entered into this giveaway.
No purchase necessary.

Women of God magazine was launched by Trillia Newbell this last year with the vision and mission to provide real life encouragement for real issues for women of all ages. It was birthed out of a desire to provide a web site that featured Christian writers, bloggers, and musicians. It is not a news source, but rather a place to gather as real women to address real issues, around their motto: “Real women, Real issues, Real God.” You will find a wealth of stories about women who have had real struggles, real battles, and the greatness of God displayed through them. You will also find interviews with the authors of wonderful books, fun recipes, tips for the home, and even fashion suggestions.

Some of the recent features on the site have included one family’s journey to become foster parents, learning how to include your kids in the kitchen, fashion tips from a fashion blogger, grace to live intentionally everyday, articles on homeschooling, working from home, and interviews with godly women such as Rachel Jankovic (author of Loving the Little Years) and much more grace filled articles to inspire and encourage you in your womanhood.

Today, we are excited to give away three wonderful books that have greatly impacted my life! Trillia has recently interviewed each of the authors on WOG magazine to hear more of the heart and mission behind these beautiful books.

1. Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman (check out WOG review & personal interview here!)
2. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (check out the WOG review & personal interview here!)
3. Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick (check out the WOG review & personal interview here!)

TO ENTER:

1. Visit WOG Magazine and check out the wonderful content. Come back and share in the comments below your favorite feature on the site. Let us know which of the three books above you would especially like to receive if you were to win.

2. For a second entry, sign up for the WOG newsletter (located at the bottom of the homepage). Let us know in a second comment below.

Giveaway Closed.

And the winners are…

Mandy (j3amh5@…) - One Thousand Gifts
Colleen (colleen.wachob@…) - Grace for the Good Girl
Tiffany – (tblaskovich@…) - Because He Loves Me

Giveaway limited to US participants only.
Winner will be randomly selected and contacted on the Wednesday following the completion of the giveaway. The end of this post will be updated to announce the winners.
Email subscribers: You must click through to the original post on Passionate Homemaking to be entered into this giveaway.
No purchase necessary.

There has been a mixture of sweet and challenging moments this month at our home. As I mentioned previously, we have had a few bouts of sickness and I had some very difficult nights sleeping as insomnia has plagued me off and on over the last few years. I have been crying out for grace to embrace each moment no matter how weary and tired I am. I am desperate for God’s continual grace. I feel so blessed to have such a peaceful infant in my little Eden Joy. She is nearly 6 months old but has been the most joyful and laid back baby I have ever experienced. She is a true delight in her sweet smiling easy going nature. Most of the time she sleeps through the night, which provides sweet relief to me. My other sweet babies are growing well…Ty loves to sing and help Mommy. Karis is continuing to love learning and we have been reading through the Little House on the Prairie series and truly loving it.

We are going through a lot of transition as we welcomed my hubby back to work at home on his new business launch. It has certainly taken some adjusting. We set up his own little desk space in the basement with a room divider to give him a little more privacy. Now I just have to learn not to interrupt him. With all our toys and school materials in the basement as well, we are learning to protect his work space. We also welcomed my cousin to live with us this month, to help provide a bit more income and cover some of our ongoing expenses. It has been very peaceful having her live with us thus far…so we are thankful for God’s multiple provisions.

We are doing well dressing ourselves to begin our day and the kids are joining in on the challenge! It is very helpful for getting me started well for the day. I am finding short moments to take prayer walks and get fresh air and exercise on a regular basis while the kids rest. It does wonders to my joy and constitution. If you are feeling weary, tired, or depressed, I recommend you stop, get out and get some fresh air. I can testify that it will encourage your spirits immensely. Even 5-10 minutes is so sweet.

January Reading

I was blessed to receive a Kindle Touch this month so I am finding myself being able to read so much more in each little spare moment. I love it! I find such joy and encouragement in seeking to invest at least 30 minutes in reading each afternoon during my daily pause and before I go to bed at night.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett – I was so greatly moved by this movie so I knew I had to read the book, and I have certainly not been disappointed! I couldn’t put this book down. I love hearing from the perspective of these sweet black ladies serving in the South before the civil rights movement. It was challenging and beautiful and brought tears to my eyes multiple times.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian – I have LOVED this book! Such a powerful refreshing read on living in light of the gospel. We need to be washed in the gospel daily, hourly, moment by moment. It was a challenging reminder that I have been redeemed. I am “In Christ” and therefore do not need to struggle with my identity, comparison, fear, or condemnation. The more I seep myself in the truth of the gospel the more joy we will truly experience. Highly recommended!

I started participating in the classics book study group (with other friends in our church) that I had determined to participate this year to complete my goal of reading more classics this year (thanks to the inspiration of the Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer). We read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and found it quite intriguing. Now I’m on to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte! It’s so cool that you can read so many classics for free with the Kindle!

My Thankful List

Even in the struggles and pains, there are so many glimpses of sweet graces in my everyday life. I am continuing on my journey to reach 2,000 gifts by the end of the year. I still need grace each day to be faithful in looking for the gifts that each day brings. I am loving the Joy Dare thanks to Ann Voskamp and highly recommend you join us in this pursuit! Here are some of the sweet blessings I experienced this past month.

Kombucha is a favorite family drink at our house. It is an easy to make, refreshing, and nutritious fermented beverage! It is a great alternative to the corn syrup packaged beverages that stock the shelves at your local grocery. I have been making it off and on for a few years now, and my husband still frequently requests it. According to Cultures for Health, “A Kombucha starter culture (aka Kombucha scoby, mushroom, mother) consists of yeast and bacteria existing in a symbiotic relationship. When combined with brewed tea, sugar, water and allowed to ferment for 5 to 30 days, the resulting Kombucha tea beverage has a slightly carbonated zing and is packed full of b-vitamins.” Kombucha is a probiotic rich beverage that is not only delicious but is also gluten-free, dairy free and vegan.

I recently purchased some store bought kombucha at my local health food store. I was blown away to discover that it cost $2.50 per pint (on sale, mind you!) for this beverage! To make your own kombucha it costs less then $1 per gallon! All’s you need is your own kombucha starter (which keeps reproducing itself indefinitely with proper care), tea bags, sugar, and filtered water. I have just began exploring with all the different flavors you can make by adding fruit after the first fermenting period. The flavor variety seem endless (pear, mango, raspberry, and more)!

Cultures for Health is a wonderful local company that offers a wide variety of culture starters to help you make your own yogurt, kefir, butermilk, and kombucha, in addition to a supply of various books, resources, and equipment for your healthy kitchen.

Cultures for Health would like to give away three kombucha starter kits for three special readers to enable you to make your own kombucha. This starter kit includes a dehydrated culture and a plastic mesh strainer ($16 retail value).

They also offer a free e-book guide called Learn to Make Your Own Kombucha which every individual who enters this giveaway will receive your own copy! There are a wide assortment of thorough how-to videos available at Cultures for Health as well.

To Enter:

1. Visit Cultures for Health here and enter your name and email address.

You will be entered into the giveaway and also receive a free copy of the ebook on How to Make Kombucha. You will be subscribed to their newsletter which will keep you posted on wonderful how-to’s and discounts for making your own wonderful cultured products. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Giveaway Closed.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

Amy Auchenback – Amyauchenbach@…
Terri Robinson – robinson.terri@…
Brittany Johnson – eviejeanable@…

Giveaway limited to US participants only.
Winner will be randomly selected and contacted on the Wednesday following the completion of the giveaway. The end of this post will be updated to announce the winners.
Email subscribers: You must click through to the original post on Passionate Homemaking to be entered into this giveaway.
No purchase necessary.

Cultures for Health would also like to offer our readers a 20% discount off Kombucha Cultures & Kombucha Starter Kits. Enter coupon code: KOMBUCHA at checkout. Code expires on 2/19/12.