simple hit counter

Cloth diaper giveaway!

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Thanks Mama on their blog!  There are 10 ways to enter so do as many as possible to really increase your odds of winning.

They’re also having a great sale on Thirsties, and shipping is always free on orders over $60.

I couldn’t help but notice that they also carry my favorite-ever baby carrier, the Ergo, at a competitive price. It’s not cheap, but so worth it! I love mine, and it’s so ergonomically well-designed that my skinny 8yo can adjust it to fit herself in seconds, and can carry the 35 lb. boy in it with ease. It’s truly amazing!

Too many temptations?  Use the code below to save 5% on your order and remember that orders over $60 get free shipping.  Be sure to tell them KimC sent you.

5% off promo code: mama

Do deer knock on *your* front door?

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Early this morning, I heard a conversation that included several different children – older children – saying things like this:

“Of course deer come up on our deck!  We hear them tap-tapping around on the deck.  Last night one was bumping on the door.”

“Mom, you knew that.  I told you I saw one last year!”

“So did I!  You weren’t surprised when I told you.”

I’m not sure what to think.  Our deck is completely railed, and 12-14′ off the ground.  It is accessed only by a single staircase.  Wouldn’t that smell like a trap to any self-respecting deer?

Of course, the deer around here are rather tame.  Some of the neighbors feed them, so they are used to human presence.  They do come into the front yard and watch us.  Sometimes they wave and say hi.  I’ve seen them in the chicken house, helping themselves to the laying mash.  They’re really not concerned about us unless we head straight toward them.

Rupert in arms

My mom even has an adopted orphan buck.  He shed his baby spots long ago but still sneaks into her house at every chance, not convinced that his bottle-fed days are over.  He also plays with the highly territorial family dog, and chews on bones.  Deer bones.  Rupert is not your average buckling.

But does that mean that the unnamed whitetails around our property are bold enough to wander the deck at night, peeking in the windows and knocking on the front door, asking to use our restroom?  And exercising the courtesy to abstain from our 40 lb. box of apples that was out there last night?  Do deer do these things?

I’m not sure about this.  Would you buy the story?

Homemade sausage seasoning

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Over the summer, we found lean delicious pork loin on sale for just $1/lb several times.  Each time, we bought 50-100 lbs. and ground  it 15# at a time into the best homemade sausage ever.  In the search for the perfect seasoning, I developed this recipe from a combination of several others including these.  I’m finally saving my personal recipe here so I don’t have to recreate it every time the need arises.  Ironic since we’re down to our last 15 lbs.  Maybe it will go on sale again next summer.  mmm, sausage.

I’m sure it would be great for seasoning ground turkey as well, so maybe there’s a use for it while we’re waiting for the lil spring piggies to grow.

Breakfast Sausage Seasoning

seasons 5 lbs.

  • 2 Tbs. salt
  • 2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 Tbs. sage
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp. cayenne (we like ours on the spicy side, but we try to keep it tame enough for the chilluns)
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 1/2 Tbs. sugar

Just combine and mix thoroughly into ground meat.  Tastes best if you let the flavors blend a bit before cooking and serving.  We bag ours and freeze.

We’re eating this today as biscuits and gravy.

Stirring up trouble…

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

I just added this little gem to my Frugal Quotes generator:

We live in a strange society.  The Bible says that debt is a curse and children are a blessing.  But we apply for a curse and reject blessings.  Doug Philips

You can see the script in action here, but if you want my script on your blog just pop over to Frugal Hacks and look in the sidebar to grab the code.  Once installed, it will show any of over 100 different random quotes about debt, frugal living, and other wise and witty bits of financial advice and commentary.  As I add new quotes on my end, they will show up on yours too.

script provided by Frugal Hacks

Cool, huh?

Ultrasound

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

I’ve had several emails asking if I got an ultrasound.  No, I didn’t.  Actually, I didn’t have the option yet.  My initial visit with the new midwife was a consultation; I don’t think I get to make the decision about whether to have an ultrasound until I’ve signed her contract, for entirely understandable reasons.  I imagine lots of new clients would come for the ultrasound, then never show up again.

However, my sister just announced that she is pregnant!  Although we carpooled and visited midwives from the same distant office in the past, my sister is also considering a newer closer midwife – and it’s not the one I visited recently.  Hubby and I are thinking seriously of scheduling a consultation with the other midwife too, in the hopes that Steph and I can carpool to checkups as we have in the past.

There are two other reasons I’m considering a consultation with the other lady: she’s even closer than the one I visited already, and the lure of an ultrasound is no longer a strong factor.   Now that I’ve looked the chance of an ultrasound in the eye and found that I’m entirely unsure as to where I stand, I can choose a midwife without being unduly distracted by that possibility.

Another Vision Forum clearance sale. Because you don’t have *everything* yet.

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Go ahead. You know you want to.  Just go window shopping.  Or just place a little order.  Eat just one Ruffles potato chip.

He’s back!

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

My hunney was gone for nearly 2 weeks – the longest we’ve ever been apart - and now he’s back.  :D

I can’t stop grinning.  :D   See? 

Can you tell we like each other?  :D

Cocoa mix – from scratch

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

There are plenty of recipes out there for hot chocolate or cocoa mixes – by the way, does anyone know the difference between hot chocolate and cocoa? – but this is just what I mixed up to speed the process of making it from scratch.  It’s so simple, the only reason you might want a more complicated mix is if you don’t want to keep fresh milk on hand.

Cocoa from scratch Mix

makes 60-70 servings

  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • opt: 1/2 cup instant coffee

Mix and store in a jar.  To make cocoa, put one heaping teaspoon in a mug.  Add just enough water to moisten.  Stir to make a paste and microwave 15 seconds.  Stir in1 cup milk and microwave to desired temperature.

See?  What could be easier?

70% off for you, and a guilt trip for me

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

I just thought you should know that Vision Forum’s latest sale features 40 DVDs for $119.  Don’t want all 40?  It’s not advertised, but individual items and sets from this sale appear to be 50% off.
I must be a bad warehouse manager’s wife, because I didn’t even know Vision Forum had that had that many DVDs.  How many of these have you seen?

I guess we need to watch more TV.

Forty DVDs for 70% Off!

Includes the following items and sets:

• What is Biblical Femininity? (DVD)
We Cannot But Speak (DVD)Ray Comfort is amazing, convicting and entertaining.  Not an easy combination, but he does it well.  Our whole family enjoys his presentations.
• Providential Nexus of Jamestown and Plymouth (DVD)
• The Promise: The Beauty and Power of the Fifth Commandment (DVD)
• Training Dominion-Oriented Daughters (DVD)
• Foundational Elements of a Godly Estate (DVD)
• The Culture Wars (DVD)
• The Person of Christ (DVD)
• You May Not Take Our Guns (DVD)
How to Disciple Your Family: A Plan for Generational Victory (10 DVDs)We were there when this set was filmed!  Can you see us?  Way up in the balcony – look for the pregnant lady with the swollen ankles.  They were huge.  I bet you can see them.
• Christianity & Western Civilization: Tracing 500 Years of the Influence of Christianity (10 DVDs)
Reformers and Revolutionaries (10 DVDs)Is it just me, or does Oliver Cromwell bear a striking resemblance to my own handsome hubby?  Look at the box – right side, bottom row.  Who knew Oliver Cromwell was so good looking?
• Darwin vs. Calvin: The Battle of the Millennium (DVD)

Big family photos; and family comes to my rescue once again

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Sunday night, we drove 85 miles for a complete family get-together.  Even our Tennessee sister was in town with her husband and 2 children.  Mom and Dad, all 14 sibs, in-laws and a soon-to-be sister-in-law and 23 grandchildren were there.  Hubby was the only one missing since he’s out of town, but we’ll photoshop him in.

The last time all the grandchildren were together, there were something like 17.  We obviously need to do this more often.

We visited and ate; then we ate some more.  After a dinner of spaghetti, the children were still miraculously clean so we took some group photos.  Try to imagine that!

We started with the full group photo, taking plenty of pictures on 3 separate cameras in the hopes that somebody would capture one shot where nobody was blinking.  But we didn’t stop there.  That was just the beginning.

We did pictures of Grandma and the grandkids; Grandpa and the grandkids; Grandma and Grandpa and the grandkids; Grandpa and the grand-sons, Grandma and the grand-sons, etc.  You get the idea.  It was a riot.





Look how young my mom looks here. Can you spot the mother of 14 and grandmother of 23?



There are only six boys, but when it came time to take pics of just the grandsons and grandparents, the fidgeting never ended. And I don’t just mean the kids.











The girls did much better.



No, wait.  They didn’t.

We took pics of Mom and Dad with their 14 offspring.  Hey Jonathan, cute.  Real cute. Kaitlyn had to use some mad photoshop skilz to make this photo presentable.  I think you know what I’m talking about.  Kyle, you had a hand in it too.  Don’t think we didn’t catch you.

Mom with just the 10 girls; Dad with the 10 girls, Mom with the 4 boys…after all the permutations we could think of with that particular group, we did a few pics with just the 10 sisters and (I think) some with just the 4 boys.



All my sisters waiting for the pregnant lady to get out of the bathroom. See what a big spot they saved me? Nice, girls. Are you trying to tell me something?



We all took turns blinking for the camera, see?






Can you spot the grandma in this one?



Finally, we were done.  We visited and ate some more.  Then it was time to go.  Since it was night and we had a 90 minute drive, my brother told me he and his family would follow us home just to make sure we didn’t have trouble along the way.  The kids wanted to know what sort of trouble we could possibly have.  I smiled and shrugged.  ”Oh, I don’t know.  Flat tire, maybe.  We won’t run out of gas since the tank is full, but it’s good that Kyle is looking out for us while Dad is gone.”

A few minutes down the road, Kyle called to apologize.  He had forgotten that he had to go home a different way to pick up a cousin.  He couldn’t follow us, but we had plenty of other family heading in the same direction.  I assured him we’d be fine and kept driving.  Why would I worry?  Our van is older but has given us very little trouble over the years.  I drove all the way to Missouri last summer with the children.  Tonight we were just going 85 miles south.

Not 5 minutes later, I glanced at the dash and realized the van was overheating.  We passed a clock and thermometer: 26 degrees.  Ironic, no?

I called Dad, who was just a few minutes ahead of us in his big van.  He started making calls to see who was still behind us while I coasted into a gas station.  I checked and found we were low on coolant so I bought a jug of premixed antifreeze, hoping that would prove to be the only problem.

While I was adding it, Tennessee sister and her family pulled in next to us.  We could hardly cram into their single extra seat, but it was nice to see family.  We chatted a bit while she nursed her baby, and I went back into the gas station for a second jug.  While I was paying, I ran into my 11yo brother, 14yo sister and Mom.  They had come back to see if we needed help.  I had family coming out of the woodwork.

With the radiator filled and the reservoir topped off, I started the engine again.  It had cooled a bit in the last 20 minutes but as I watched the heat began to rise again.  The van would have to stay.  Dad and Kyle would bring the flatbed trailer up tomorrow to get my van.

We emptied the perishables and valuables into my sister’s trunk and piled the children into Dad’s 12 passenger van.  It was a bit crowded but not too bad since they only had 3 of their children riding with them.

On the long trip home Dad commented that he had been kicking himself for driving the van when he could have driven Mom’s smaller vehicle and saved on gas.  Now he understood.  God knew we’d be needing the extra seats on the way home.

My blog is funny

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

I can say that in all modesty because I have no memory of most of my posts from more than 2 weeks ago.  Reading my ancient archives is like discovering a stranger’s blog – a very funny stranger.  I wish I was as funny as she is.  Wait – I am.  Here’s proof: a post titled I am funny.

Anyway, I was reviewing my recent post about our water woes and one of the related post listed at the bottom was about the time a fire hydrant exploded in the bathroom.  I don’t remember it, but that Life in a Shoe lady sure makes it sound funny.  Wish I was there – oh, wait.  I was. The Thankful Thursday Thirteen followup to that particular incident was even funnier.  And I made reference to the Great Poop Flood of ’99, which all of our readers really should know about.  Why?  It’s not very funny, but it’s a story we tell surprisingly often.

And then I started perusing the gone awry category for more funny stuff and found this.  My, oh my.  A poor memory can be a grand blessing.  I wonder what else I’ve forgotten?  It’s a good thing I keep a blog.  Oh – and look.  This isn’t the first time I realized that.

Silly me

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Sometimes my pioneer spirit gets the best of me.   Minutes after I hit the publish button on my post about our frozen pipes, hubby called.  ”Why didn’t you ask your brothers to come fix the pipes for you while I’m gone?  The men at church offered to help with any needs, too.”

My defense was that I didn’t really consider it pressing.  I was going to see my brothers at the big family gathering later and I would have talked to them then.  I doubt that we could have help for the asking, but I didn’t see a need for anyone to crawl around under the house until the weather warmed up a bit.

No sooner had I hung up from talking with hubby than the phone rang again.  It was my brother.  ”Mom said your pipes froze.  We’re gathering parts for you.  Tell me what broke and we’ll be right over.”

After an hour and a trip to the hardware store, the pipes were fixed.  They found 2 more breaks in addition to the 2 that I knew about, but these guys know their stuff.   They didn’t turn the valves back on, but everything was fixed.

We all gathered at Mom and Dad’s house for a late Christmas dinner, where the plumbing was still under repair.  The cold water was running again, so dinner went smoothly.  With 40 or 50 people in the house, most of whom are children, toilets can make or break the day.

We headed home at 7 to take some much-needed baths and get ready for the Sabbath.  When I went under the house to turn the supply to the water heater back on, I got my shower early.  Another broken pipe, previously unsuspected.

I hated to call the guys and ask them to work in the cold and dark, but I knew if we left the water off we would wake to more frozen and burst pipes, and all their hard work would be undone.

They concurred, and said they’d be right over.  And they were.  Brothers are a wonderful thing.

Water woes, 2010

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

We made it through my birthday without the traditional freezing of the pipes, but 2010 is a new year with troubles of its own.

We woke up Friday to dry taps in the tub, and only cold water in the kitchen and bathroom sinks.  We’re hardy, pioneering stock so we didn’t panic.  We heated water on the stove for dishes, and to thaw the chicken waterer.  No baths, but we got by.  We figured if the pipes didn’t thaw by Saturday, we’d take baths at Grandma’s house nearby.  It would work out fine since there’s a huge family gathering at their house anyway.  We’re all going to be there – most of the 14 siblings plus offspring and spouses.  We’ll just bring some clean clothes and towels.  One of their bathrooms is under construction so they only have one right now, but we’re all family.  We can make it work.

By Friday night, the hot water in the tub had begun a slow trickle – hurrah!  But we had a new problem: the drain had frozen.  Water was coming in, but none was going out.  This was a problem.  We couldn’t take baths like that.  We couldn’t even leave the water dripping overnight to keep it from freezing again – the tub would fill and overflow.

There was no way around it.  I had to go outside and do the hair dryer thing under the house.  The temperature was 20 degrees and falling, so I bundled up.  I headed out with a hair dryer and an extension cord, impressing upon the children that if they loved me someone would be out to take my place in 10 minutes.

When I got down there, I was greeted by a rushing geyser.  The cold supply to the washer had burst.  I found the cutoff valve (my very smart hubby built cutoff valves into every part of every pipe where we might need them!) and took care of that.  No laundry until we fix it or until hubby is back in town.  Good thing we were caught up on laundry.

I got back to my original purpose, thawing the bathtub drain.  Two children joined me (they do love me!) and the process went surprisingly quickly.  We had an open drain in less than 10 minutes.  Hurrah!  Baths!

Somehow, nobody took a bath last night.  Not one.  What were they thinking?  I’m afraid to peer too deeply into those recesses.

Somebody who shall remain nameless swears that she left both the warm and cold water dripping, but this morning the hot was frozen again.  Worse yet, when I went under the house, I found another burst pipe.  This one was right at the first elbow coming from the water heater.  I had to shut off the supply to the water heater.  No hot water til we fix it or til hubby is back in town.

Now we were back to plan A, right?  Baths at Grandma’s?  No.  I called Grandma, and all of their water is frozen.  They have no hot or cold running anywhere in the house.  They are using a 55 gallon drum of water they brought home last night.  They have 7 children living at home, plus – remember this part? – a houseful of company today.

Now we’re up to Plan C: Heat water on the stove for baths and dishes.  Small people can bathe in an 18 gallon rubbermaid tote to conserve hot water.  Hair might get washed in cold water in the sink.

Country living at its best.

To see, or not to see? That is the question.

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

People have always asked if we find out the gender of our babies before birth, and my answer has always been the same: “No, because I’ve never had a midwife who did ultrasounds.  I would love to if I had the chance, but I just can’t justify the extra cost.”

I always thought people who didn’t want to find out were a little weird.  Who wouldn’t want to know?  It would make it so much easier to plan ahead for clothes and accessories.  You could name your baby way ahead of time and talk about it/him/her without the awkward pronouns.  What’s not to love about knowing ahead of time, except for the cost?

Tomorrow I visit a new midwife for the first time.  She has an ultrasound machine in her office.  The cost of the ultrasound is included in her price for prenatal & delivery.  At 20 weeks, people tell me I should be able to find out what we’re having.

And to my complete shock, I suddenly understand why some people don’t want to know.

I feel like I’m being offered the chance to peek at my presents before they are given to me.  ”It’s ok,” the voice in my head whispers.  ”It’s not really cheating.  Everyone does it, and nobody will mind.  You’re expected to do it.  Who wouldn’t?  Why wouldn’t you?”

But I feel like the delivery itself will be anticlimactic if the baby and I have already met.   It will become simply something to be endured, instead of the price and prelude to meeting our newest baby.

And because the thought is lurking shamefully in the back of my head, I have to admit that I’m afraid it might be easier to be disappointed if I see a little girl in an ultrasound.  At the moment of delivery, there is no way to be disappointed.  I will have a sweet, precious new baby in my arms and at my breast.  But at the halfway mark, with 20 weeks to go, maybe there is a chance of disappointment.  I might have to put on a brave smile and say that I’m grateful while inside I’m making emotional adjustments to the notion that my boy still doesn’t have a brother.

I’m sure this falls under ovarian guilt.  I just want to be sure I’m as thrilled to meet this new baby as I have been with all the rest – and I’m suddenly unsure if that would happen in an ultrasound.

We didn’t forget. We just procrastinated.

Vision Forum Deal of the Day: save 40-90%!

Remember this drawing?  Thank you to everyone who entered and helped spread the word about the conference.  A couple of people have asked if we chose the 3 winners yet.  Well, now we have.

Here they are:

celee, on December 12th, 2009 at 10:51 pm said:

I was really hoping we would be at this conference, but my husband had an out of town wedding this weekend. He pastors a small Reformed Baptist church and we are trying to move in this direction. It requires so much more of the parents that he is struggling with how to implement family integration in our church. I frequent the NCFIC website and hope we can go to the family conference next year. An added bonus would have been going to the creation science museum. Alas, it will have to wait.


Amy W., on December 15th, 2009 at 7:49 pm said:

We really would have liked to have been at the conference, but it didn’t work out.
I posted on my blog a link to the blog page for the NIFIC and the preorder page and also the link to the conference info.
I also linked back to you!


Okay, I linked to the blog from Twitter (I’m @sarahmaeblogs)

Out of the Emergent Church – A Testimony http://bit.ly/5ihwkv (thoughts?)

Congratulations, friends!  Just email me your full name and shipping address to receive a free copy of the audio album from the recent Sufficiency of Scripture conference!