build a menu review and giveaway!!

I have a fun February giveaway for you today! :D I always have fun sharing about real life moms who used their giftings and knowledge to build something that helps others! :)

These two sisters and moms, Karee and Lisa came up with a genius online system called Build a Menu that builds your menu based on grocery store sale prices! {Between the two of them, they have 11 kids so they know what you need to plan a menu, hehe!}

And even better than that- the recipes they have for you to choose from are simple, real-life recipes that fit your budget. I think that's one of my favorite parts because honestly, for me, in this season of life, I don't have time to cook fussy meals with 15 ingredients. :) And that's okay with me. I love simple right now!

You guys know my menu plans are pretty plain, but I was excited I actually made the four meals from my meal plan and stuck them in the freezer last night. I can't remember the last time that I made sour cream chicken enchiladas!! I think Rob will be so excited to have his favorite meal again. ;)

Now that Zane's getting a little older, I'm really excited to get a little more creative in the kitchen again. I haven't tried cooking any of build a menu's recipes yet, but looking around with the free pass they gave me to try it out, I was really impressed with the extensive choices they give you for menus.

the review

There are so many different menu styles to choose from! Most of their menu categories have two options- serving 1-2 or 4-6. I picked slow cooker to show you what it looks like. My favorite categories are probably dine on a dime and trim healthy mama! I also appreciate the manly meals one since I have some big eaters though. :)

When you've selected all of the meals you like for the week and see how much they cost, you can view your recipes all in one printable version:

And your grocery list is automatically built for you too {based on your store- Walmart, Kroger, Publix, etc., or any store}:

Since I'm just getting back into making more than beans and rice, I haven't used it to the full extent yet, but I like the idea of how it all works. I used to use other online planning systems when we ate regular-sized meals five years ago, and they were big timesavers for me. I think BAM is so much better than any other system I've used because they let you plan your meals based on store sales and actual prices, plus they give you so many different menus and you aren't tied to only one plan like some other websites.

The only thing that I don't know would work for us with this system {or any other one} is that we shop pretty much exclusively at Sam's Club for all of our groceries, which means we only go to a grocery store once every few weeks, so some of the menu items we might need wouldn't be available in bulk.

I guess if I could add one thing to their menu options to make it work really well for our family it would be a mostly whole foods Sam's Club large family option. But then again, we are probably a pretty rare case, so I'm not sure all that extra work would benefit them. :)

save money and help others

I have to say, I think this is the coolest thing about this company- they are giving part of every monthly subscription to orphan care!

from Karee and Lisa...

"We are thrilled to be able to donate a portion of every paid membership to help support Orphan Care Ministries around the world. Although we realize the need for helping people easily plan meals for their family while staying within a budget is important, for us, the true drive behind Build A Menu is our ability to be able to give back part of what we make.

Adoption is an issue that is very near and dear to our hearts. Between our two families, we have a total of 11 children and five of them are adopted. They come from Texas, Russia and China. They are precious to us in every way and if we could, we would adopt many more! There are approximately 147 million children worldwide without families and it is up to people just like you and just like us to help provide for the needs of these children."

That makes me so happy. :D 

the discount
A subscription to BAM is $8 per month {or cheaper}, but you can save even more money by using the coupon code SaveMeMoney to get ½ off your first month, making it only $4 to try it.  You can also follow them over on Facebook to get updates on the latest savings!

the giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a one-year subscription to Build a Menu {a $76 value!}! :D 

To enter, just hop on over and check out BAM, then leave a comment below telling me which meal plan you think would best fit your family's needs right now. {Please leave your email address as well, so I can contact you! :)} 

The giveaway will close Sunday night, February 9, 2014 at 11:59 CST, and the winner will be chosen randomly and emailed! :)


disclosure: I received a free pass in order to review BAM, and all opinions above are my 110% own, lol. :)

huge giveaway to holly lane designs christian jewelry :: 2 winners!

I think you're going to enjoy this giveaway! I had never heard of Holly Lane Designs before a few months ago, but when I visited their website I was really impressed by their unique designs! Their silver jewelry is beautiful, but what really stood out to me most about their company was the way they based their designs off of Scripture. Their mission is to spread the Gospel with their hand-crafted jewelry, and it's so thrilling to see how the purpose of God's glory can be the mission of a company today!

They generously sent me my very favorite item of theirs to review, this sterling silver birds of the air ring:

I loved the style of the ring- how comfortable and oversized and unique it is- but I love the Scripture behind it even more. It came with this verse inside:

Oh you guys, I'm am such a worrier. I hate that part of me. I know that worry is not believing my God is in control {and sadly, I think I can control it by worrying more?}, and yet it is still one of my biggest daily/weekly/monthly struggles.

God feeds the birds! I know this with all of me, but in the secret places of my heart, I sometimes fear He will leave me to my own devices. I know the truth of His Word, and it is that sword wielded by the Holy Spirit that makes the devil flee. Am I not much more valuable that the birds? What good does it do to worry about what man thinks of me, when the Lord is the only one I will stand before in the end?

I've only worn the ring on my right hand for a few days now, but like my wedding ring, it is a constant, visual reminder of the Love that has been shown to me. It stands out and reminds me before I even worry! A reminder of the words of Jesus not to worry has been so sweet. Scripture is AMAZING like that- just remembering its words brings life and peace because of the power of the Holy Spirit. 

I am so thankful for this little ring. It seems very well constructed, and I think it would make a precious gift. I actually like it so much my husband said he was sad he wasn't the one who bought it for me. ;) They also have lots of other items in the birds of the air collection too, if you're not a ring person. And of course, other themed collections too! ;)

about Holly Lane Designs:

Holly Lane Designs is a Christian jewelry company with the sole purpose of creating pieces to spark conversations about Christ and encourage those who wear them!

Hand-crafted from the highest quality sterling silver, every piece of Holly Lane Designs jewelry is paired with a Story Card™, a small printed note sharing the verse or sentiment that inspired the piece.

who's Holly?
Holly isn't a person, it's actually a place! Founded in 2003 by homeschool mom of five, Tiffany Scott, Holly Lane Designs began in a basement on a street called Holly Lane. Our jewelry is the fruit of Tiffany's creative passion and desire to serve God through her work. You can learn a little more about Tiffany here!

find them here
You can find their retail locations here, and sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Facebook to get notified about their sales and new jewelry! :)

the discount

Holly Lane Designs is offering 15% off for Biblical Homemaking readers! 

Use code: "BHBlog15" before February 28, 2014 to receive your 15% discount, and of course, you can always sign up for their newsletter to find out about sales exclusive to subscribers. :)

Right now they are also offering free first class shipping on all orders over $25 dollars! {No code needed, select at check out.}

the giveaway
Two lucky winners will receive a $50.00 gift card to www.hollylanedesigns.com.

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents, and will close Thursday night, January 16 at 11:59 CST. 

To enter, simply hop over to their shop and tell me the item you would purchase if you won in the comments below! :D 

{please make sure you leave your email address for me to contact you:)}

disclosure: I received the item above in exchange for an honest review- all opinions are 100% my own.  Which means I really and truly liked this ring and recommend it! :P

re-entering the PC world: a Staples back to school notebook package review

Since we’ve started back to school, I find that I spend almost all of my time at my new desk {more on that later!}during the day. I feel like I almost have a 9 to 5 job right now with homeschooling alone. I am adjusting to the long hours in front of the computer, and though I only have one hand 95% of the time, I am thankfully still able to use the mouse with it when the kids aren’t asking me questions. :)

Right around the same time we decided to homeschool again and use a video curriculum x 3, Staples offered to send me a back to school package to review! Perfect timing, no doubt {and we know who is in that business! :D}… since we could use the extra computer right now. They just asked me to try out their products and give my honest opinions about them. Easy enough, right? :) I was in!

I was sent this little wireless Western Digital router, a year of Norton Anti-virus, and an easy button, along with a laptop and a backpack:

Here’s the funny thing. I’m firmly in the Apple fangirl- make it easy for me-camp, and I have a super-technical husband {he does PC support for a living, basically}, which means I’ve never had to plug in a router or install antivirus software or learn how to use Windows  for 6+ years. :) So this whole review thing was fun for me because I’ve never done those technical things before! And when they sent me a PC to review, I was excited to try out Windows 8 and see how it compares to Apple’s OS these days.

I was sent the Toshiba Satellite L75D-A7283, a 17.3 inch laptop with Windows 8, 6 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB hard drive. Pretty spectacular specifications in the laptop world, I think. If I were to buy a comparable Mac it would be more than $2500, but this one was right at $400 after rebates and discounts. Kind of crazy cheap. It does have a cheaper AMD A4 processor though- a big difference from an Apple or nicer PC notebook.

Check out the size of this beast- that’s a regular pencil down there on the keyboard to give you an idea:

As a blogger, I have to tell you, I appreciate the large size very much. I’m used to working on a 13-inch high resolution monitor, so having 17.3 inches of screen real estate makes a huge difference to me. When the children use it for school it won’t matter as much to them, but it’s great for my almost 31-year-old eyes. I also really like the fact that it has very loud DTS speakers, so we can all watch videos together on special projects like animal research and science experiments {or watch movies in the car on long trips… ;)}.

Windows 8 didn’t bring me great joy, though. I am not a fan of their façade interface- it’s like there’s two operating systems, but the pretty side {the main menu} only allowed you to do half of the things you need to do- otherwise it takes you back to the old window style navigation on another old style Windows desktop. Very weird. It was almost like Microsoft ran out of time and money to complete it- either that or they figure most people will never need to add network printers, arrange secondary monitors, or add pictures to their computer? I know enough about Windows to get around mostly, and what I didn’t know my husband did, so I never had any real problems- it was just strange the way Windows 8 had lots of gaps in their “simpler” interface.

But I can’t blame the hardware for that. Toshiba seems to make quality machines, and this one is actually pretty nice. The case is pretty, the screen is glossy, and the raised keys are nice, and I’ve had no video problems with this one like I’ve had when I’ve tried to use HPs and Acers in the past. The battery is so-so, and twice it shut down on me without warning because it ran out after a few hours- I guess I’m used to a huge warning like I get on my Mac. :)

I deleted most of the original things on the home screen. I wasn’t fond of the live tiles, but I liked how everything I use is easily found with one Windows keystroke {see it down there by the alt key?}.

My very favorite thing about any Windows machine is this though:

Windows Live Writer is the best program for blogging- it allows you to blog offline, without a browser, which is a huge advantage if you’re a blogger going on trips at all. I am torn between PCs and Macs for this very reason. I like seeing the way my blog looks, and I’m typing in Live Writer as we speak. It looks like a Word document, but it allows you to format your posts exactly like it looks online {most of the time}- unlike my Mac where I have to be on the internet and use a browser and Blogger’s HTML online editor. I think it’s a huge win for PCs if you ask me. I really like this feature, and that’s what I’ve been using it for the most over the few days I’ve had it so far.

So, the Mac vs. PC battle feels like a toss up for me now. I’m really impressed with the Toshiba’s performance so far-it does everything I want to do like Evernote, emailing, picture editing, and blogging, and it plays our special videos for homeschooling- something my Macbook cannot do thanks to the BJU Press app that plays the videos.

Here are the pros and cons on this specific PC from my perspective…

What I love about the Toshiba Satellite L75D:

it’s huge!
it’s attractive- easy on the eyes.
smooth edged corners {my Macbook was very sharp}
the keys are raised and separated- gives you more room for your hands
Windows Live Writer is great for blogging on the road without internet access
the extra number pad is convenient.
great speakers- DTS bar is very loud
easy to plug in additional devices like mouse, CD’s, SD cards, software thanks to Windows 8
great resolution/screen space
the Windows 8 screen key is invaluable
the ports are on the sides- easy to access
it has a CD-ROM drive- something I haven’t had on my Macbook Air
cheap ~$400 range- the price for a comparable Mac would be $2700

what I don’t love about the PC:

the monitor out plug is right where the mouse goes
battery life is so-so
windows 8 isn’t intuitive- I had no idea how to close programs or shut down the machine and it takes way too much effort to do so
its occasionally sluggish- sometimes it takes a while for typing to appear on the screen
it’s heavy – around 6 lbs.
Microsoft office programs cost $$
the multi-desktop aspect of Windows 8- if you can’t find it in the new “simple” interface, it takes you back to the old style.

I was also excited to try the other items Staples sent along. Can a girl who has never touched one use a router out of the box? I wanted to see… :)

I pulled out the WD router, and used the installation CD right away to help me set it up.

I got this screen, so I followed the color coding and plugged it in to our modem.

Unfortunately, the WD interface failed me- I did what it said and it wouldn’t connect. But I refused to ask Rob- I was going to do it by myself. ;) Then I clicked down in the corner of Windows and said connect, and the Windows interface helped me out and told me what to do, and it connected instantly. :)

Rob almost couldn’t believe I could hook up a router when it was telling me it was broken. He forgets that I’ve been married to a technical support guy for 11 years. :) That and he didn’t know Windows told me to look for the PIN number. {brownie points for windows 8!}. So that worked, and the internet was back up very quickly. So far so good! I didn’t break the internet, and the router works great. I also installed Norton Anti-virus without a hitch. We’ll see how it protects, but I haven’t noticed it slowing everything down yet.

I love our new leather backpack too- it’s super comfy and a gender-neutral classic.

The boys can carry their work in it on the road, Rob can take it to work, or I can use it as a diaper bag/laptop/purse combo. I think it will be in our family for years. :) The brand is Solo, and it’s very well made- I just love real leather.

But out of everything, I think we all agree this has been the biggest hit for everyone at our house:

The kids press it after they finish each subject during school, and after I tell them to do something around the house now. It’s hilarious, but I love that it makes them excited to finish a task.  I would have bought one years ago if I knew the power it held. It’s like magic! ;) Goodness, I’m such a mom.

Thanks again to Staples for providing these items for us to review!

And…I’m giving away one magical easy button {I’m buying it for you because I love it so much!}.

Just leave any comment below to enter {with your email address} so I can contact you! The contest closes and the winner will be announced Monday, Sept. 30, 2013! {winner must be a U.S. resident}

Full disclosure: Staples.com provided me with these products for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

giveaway: Crunchy Mamas organic skin care product package {ends June 17}

disclosure: this is a sponsored giveaway and review for Crunchy Mamas- all opinions are mine! :D

If you follow over in FB land, I posted on the {bh} page last weekend how excited I was to receive this little package of organic skin care goodies from the Crunchy Mamas themselves- two sister mamas, Katie and Ashley, who wanted to make organic, chemical free products you could put on your babies without worrying about it.

And even a week later, I'm still excited about them! :) We've tried/smelled/rubbed them all on, and I've been very impressed!

I love their mission Ashley shared on their blog about why they make their products:

"Katie and I began this quest several years ago.  After becoming fed up with commercial products and their misleading labels, we began making our own toiletries and such.  Countless hours have been poured into researching the best oils for various products.  We felt we had a right to know exactly what was being put onto our precious babies, and you deserve that same right.  That is why we include EVERY ingredient on our labels."

You know that wholesome, deep herbal smell you smell when you walk into a health store that makes you breathe in really deeply and relax all of the sudden? I have no idea which herb that is? {clueless} but that's what these products remind me of- they all smell so good, and you suddenly feel relaxed when you rub them on. That sounds crazy, I know, but I need more of that in my life! :)

Here's what Ashley and Katie sent me to try out:

Their natural grapefruit hand sanitizer, their scab stick, two beeswax lip balms, a menth head stick {natural vapor rub}, along with their bug off and about to pop balms:

They all have their organic ingredients listed right on the package- and their main ingredients are unrefined coconut oil and beeswax. I rubbed the about to pop balm all over my belly as soon as I got the package open- it's not greasy, it smells awesome and it doesn't freak me out to rub it all over my belly like petroleum does for some reason.

Now I'm not a super-natural girl when it comes to body products {confession: I like sunless tanners, Bath and Body works and non-organic makeup}, but for some reason I refuse to put any lotion on or near my belly because they all seem so chemically laced. {and I still put lotion on the rest of my body. I know, I'm weird! ha!} I wasn't worried at all to rub their products all over everywhere though, and the about to pop balm felt so good on my stretching belly.

My husband used the scab stick on a knee injury already, and I use the hand sanitizer ALL the time now- it smells awesome- I like to spray it on before we eat and the smell of citrus on my hands is SO much better than the normal hospital smell.

The lip balms are super thick and smooth too, and glide on without clumping. Their lime lip balm makes me crave lime- it's the real lime smell- not that fake icky lime smell that you normally find in lip products.

I tried the Bug Off, and I didn't have as much luck with it as the other products- I liked the citronella and the lack of DEET, but we have major mosquitos at our house and they love this pregnant girl with a passion, so it only worked for about 20 minutes before it absorbed and I became a mosquito buffet again {seriously, I can't even walk from the car to the house without being bitten normally}. We don't have other bug problems like flies and chiggers so I can't say if it would work for those. I would recommend it for light use, or for use on the babies you don't want to spray with bug spray. {fyi: here's a testimony from someone who used it and had great success though. I might live too far south!}

I really was impressed with all of their products- the smell and feel of all of them especially! I am actually afraid I'm a little hooked on all of them! :) I can't believe they can make such good products homemade!

They have offered some deals for you guys too- they're giving away a package of these four products to one lucky winner!



And they're offering a special discount to {bh} readers through July 14. Use the one-time discount code BIBLICAL when you check out to save an extra 15% off your order!

To enter the giveaway, hop over to their shop and look around, then come back and leave a comment telling me the product you'd want to try most- preferably one I didn't mention already! :D {or the one you find most intriguing- they came up with the best names!}

You can also check out their facebook page to get to know these two sweet mamas even better, get more discount codes and find out about other giveaways!

The giveaway ends on Monday night, June 17, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

weekend review: fresh produce clothing

With the all of the original food diet talk around here, you guys probably already know I'm always excited to talk about fresh produce. :D This time it's a different kind of produce, though- it's the clothing version {which may be more fun than the food kind! ha!}!

When the Fresh Produce clothing company contacted me to see if I'd review a product of my choice, you know I was in! :D

They have a beachy, flowy casual style that is a little different than my usual thrift store choices, so I was excited to try out a new style for me! I shopped around their website and I fell in love with their maxi dresses! They sent me this maxi dress to try out for myself:

and here is the color I chose:  {I'm sneaking in a what i wore picture a few days early! hehee :D}

so did you know we have cat? Um, yeah, I didn't either. ;)

what i loved about it:

The dress was super comfy! I've never owned a maxi dress before, but I loved how comfortable it was! It was so loose and long which made it very cool and breezy. I think it will be very nice for the Texas summer! :)

I was impressed by the weight of the dress too- it was made of a very high quality fabric that was stretchy and soft. My husband loved it too, and I got a compliment on it at the very first place I went in it! So two thumbs up for cuteness! :)

what i didn't love as much:

I really loved the dress itself, but as you guys all know I'm a thrift store shopper. :) I've never bought a casual dress that was $89, so I probably wouldn't be able to buy it unless it were on sale.

Luckily, Fresh Produce does have good sales! They have a 50% off section, and only $8 for shipping in the U.S. {though they do ship to over 200 other countries!}

to sum up:

If you're looking to invest in high quality, comfortable, casual/beach-style clothing you might love Fresh Produce. :)

Oh, and if you liked their really cute maxi dress, they have a sale going on their website right now:

Buy One Get One 50% Off All Dresses! Enter coupon code LOVEMOM

see more fresh produce casual dresses and other casual tops and bottoms

monday giveaway: $15 Lilla Rose gift certicate + a thirty-one tote

I'm so excited to start Monday off with a bang! :D Free stuff makes Mondays rock a little more, doesn't it?

I think so!

I want to introduce you to one of my newest sponsors:

sweet Caroline Allen, from Lilla Rose and the Modest Mom!

Here’s a little more about her {I stole this from her blog because I love it and it sounds so familiar!}: “I am my sweetheart's wife and mama to five children age 8 and under. When I'm not homeschooling, cooking meals, changing diapers, or doing yet another load of laundry, you will find me here as I share my heart concerning modesty, femininity, and mothering.”

I think she’s so sweet! She’s super-talented too- she runs two shops and a blog, while keeping her full house running! :D

one of her shops is Simply Beautiful, a Lilla Rose business!

She sells these lovely hair clips that hold your hair without causing a hair headache- and even better, they look beautiful while they do it! :D They are known best for their flexi-clips that come in all sizes, but they also have hair bands, pins, and more to go with them. I just love these two flexi-clips:

So I was so excited when she wanted to send me one to try for myself:

It’s the large flexi-clip for thick hair. And the pin doesn’t come off, so I don’t have to worry about losing it. Yay!

It even came with visual directions:

I did the ponytail:

and the half- back:

This was my favorite way to wear it, because I do this with bobby pins all the time:

So much easier!

I loved it!! I have very thick hair, so regular spring clips don’t work very well for me. They won’t stay closed. But this flexi-clip went right over my hair, and it stayed in place. And my favorite part- when I go to take it off, my hair doesn’t get stuck like it does in a ponytail! I was thrilled with it!!

 

Caroline also runs the Modest Mom! She’s such a talented lady!

If you’re looking for anything from skirts and blouses to beautiful nursing covers and lovely belts.

 

My favorite item is the sailor skirt:

I could so see it with a cute mustard tank, layered with lots of fun beaded necklaces and a funky vintage hair scarf or this lilla rose hairband:

so much fun! :D

I’m so excited- Caroline has graciously offered a fun giveaway for you guys!

She’s giving away $15 worth of products from Lilla Rose! :D

 

you can win one:

$15 Lilla Rose gift certificate

 

and I couldn’t resist adding this beauty to go with that {because what girl doesn’t love some sweet accessories!}… so you’ll get the shopping money

and this lovely thirty-one tote!

 

 

Yay for Mondays, right? :D

 

Simply enter by answering this question in the comments:

what’s your favorite {can’t-live-without-it} accessory?

 

The giveaway closes on Sunday night, April 29, at 11:59 p.m. CST and a winner will be chosen Monday morning! Giveaway is for U.S. and Canadian residents only. :D

Good luck! :D