Proverbs 22:6 and Homeschooling

I have had a few people inquiring about the name of my blog.  Proverbs 22:6 reads:  "Train up a child in the way he should go,  And when he is old he will not depart from it".  My husband and I feel it is very important to raise our children in a Christian environment and raise them biblically.  We are also home schoolers and base our education of our children the same way.  I felt it was only appropriate to name my blog to let others know how I feel.

Joplin, MO Tornado Fundraiser: Scentsy

A woman I went to high school with is having an online fundraiser to raise money for 2 families that suffered losses in the recent Joplin, MO tornado.   She is donating her commission of her Scentsy sales to two very deserving families.  Click on the link to find out more about the families and how you can help out and purchase some wonderful items:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658140544#!/event.php?eid=123198687762720

Thank you so much and thank you to Jill for being so caring.

Crockpot Potato & Chicken Deliciousness

I love cooking in the crockpot.  It is a great way to cook a good meal for you family without all the fuss and hard work.  It is great to just put all the ingredients into the crockpot and forget about it until it is time to eat and here is one of my family's favorites.

Potato & Chicken Deliciousness

2 cans of chicken

3 cans of cream of chicken soup

2 tsp. dried chopped onions

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 c. crushed cornflakes

3 cans diced potatoes

Place all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low 4 hours or on high for 8 hours.  Either way it will turn out delicious.  We always serve this meal with some biscuits.


Now for a real treat:  Here is a link to another blog that has over 100 crockpot recipes on it.  Here is the link, be sure to check it out.  Over 100 crock pot recipes on Smockity Frocks

3D rendering of our school house

Here is a 3D rendering of what our school house will look like when it is finished.

In the lower left hand corner (the black object) will be our fish tank.  Lower right is my desk.  In the upper right where the 2 brown book cases are will be the reading area and we will have a rug and bean bag chairs there.  The upper right area will be the computer corner. 

Uses for toothpaste: What bright ideas!

Times are hard and money is tight so I thought that today I would tell you about a household product that you probably have in your home now that you can use in other ways.  Toothpaste!

1. Holes in your walls:If you have white walls with holes in them, use white toothpaste to fill in the holes.
2. Bug bites:  Mint flavored toothpaste is great to use on itchy bug bites.  Just dab a bit on and experience some relief.
3. Dingy headlights:  If your headlights are dingy, rub white toothpaste over the lens and buff off.  
4. Blisters:  If you have a blister, apply a bit of white toothpaste overnight and the blister should dry up.
5. Crayon marks on your walls:  Dampen a cloth, apply some white toothpaste and scrub the area.  
6. Scuff marks on your sneakers:  Use an old toothbrush and some toothpaste and you can brush off the scuff marks with relative ease.
7. Smelly hands:  If your hands smell from onions or fish or some other stinky thing, just scrub your hands with toothpaste and it will remove the smells.  I would recommend using lotion afterwards though to rehydrate and soften your hands.
8. Scratched DVDs or CDs:  Put a thin layer of white toothpaste on your scratched disks.  Gently buff them out with a damp cotton cloth and they should work better.  This will work with most minor scratches but not for deep scratches.
9. Dirty or dull fingernails:  Just scrub them as you would your teeth and they will appear brighter and shinier.
10. Pimples:  If you see a pimple coming up, rub some white toothpaste over it before you go to bed and it will help.

Cheap flea killer for your dogs

Hi, everyone!

I did animal rescue for about 15 years and have learned a few tips and tricks.  One thing I learned is a cheap way to get rid of fleas on your dogs.  Blue Dawn dish washing detergent will kill the fleas on your dog and does not harm your dog.  It will not keep fleas off but will kill all of the ones on your dog.  Just be sure to purchase the old style blue Dawn.

Free Samples & Reward programs

Hi, everyone.
     I am a huge believer in receiving free samples in the mail or free items.  Currently there are several email lists that I belong to and a list of websites I visit on a daily basis.  By doing this, I receive 2-3 samples in the mail every day, every single day.  It may not seem like much but do this routinely and it really adds up.  Many of these will send you coupons also ($1.00 off, for example) and full size products.

• http://yesall4free.com    I am signed up for the emails.  I got a daily email and it leads me to the website and the website has about 10 free samples listed on it.
• http://www.walmart.com     Once there, type "free" into the search engine.  Once that page pops up there is a link for "free samples".  Pick out the ones you want and order them.
• http://www.mypoints.com    I have been a member of this site for over 10 years and earn at least $50 in gift cards from Walmart every year.  I have NEVER made a purchase.  I just click on email links or take simple surveys for them.  
• http://www.startsampling.com      Another place to see a list of free samples available.
• http://www.houseparty.com   This is not a sample site but at this site you apply to host a party.  If you are chosen, they send you every thing you need to host the party.  Your requirement is to host the party and tell how your party went.  We have received free food, dishes, games, etc. just by hosting various parties.
• http://www.allyou.com   A link for free freebies.  
• http://www.usagold.com  SMOKERS:  offers you free monthly coupons for money off their products.  Must be an adult to receive them.

       If you know of any more, please post a comment.  The ones listed before are ones I have used for years with little or no hassle.

       Hope they are beneficial to you.

A light Summer Pie

This is a great recipe to enjoy on a nice summer evening.  It is really light and fluffy and goes down great with a tall glass of iced tea.

Summer Pie

1 sm. pkg. strawberry Jell-O

2/3 c. boiling water

1/2 c. cold water

8 oz. Cool Whip

ice cubes

graham cracker crust

 Pour envelope of Jell-o into a bowl.  Stir the boiling water into the Jell-o and continue to stir for 2 minutes.  Take a 1 cup measuring cup and add in the cold water and enough ice to equal 1 cup.  Pour into Jell-o and stir until the ice melts.  Fold in the Cool whip and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove the mixture and spoon it into the crust.  Refrigerate another 4 hours and then enjoy!

Laundry: Country style

     We live in the country and do not have "city" water but have wells.  The problem with our wells (and we have 3)  are that they tend to dry up rather quickly.  Because of this, we can not use or washing machine.  I got really tired of going to the laundromat so I began doing some internet searching for ways to wash at home.  I'd give about anything for an old time washboard but the set-up we have come up with works pretty well for us. 

     My husband Ron can bust out a load of laundry (gather, wash, rinse, and hang up) in about 30 minutes.  We combined several other people's designs and came up with our "washer".  It is a red plunger attached to a mop handle that is threaded down a hole in the lid of the 5 gallon bucket.  My husband cut 3 quarter sized holes with an exacto knife on the plunger.  He then adds a 1/2 bucket of clean water, 2-3 Tablespoons of laundry detergent, and then begins to move the plunger up and down and in circular motions.  He double rinses the clothes in 2 wash tubs and then hangs them out to dry.  We let them dry in the sun until they are almost dry and then we bring them in and throw them in the dryer for about 15 minutes to soften them up.  I will NOT go to a laundromat again!  :-)
     If you have any questions or comments, we would gladly answer your questions and appreciate your comments.

Little School House in the Woods

We are in the process of building our very own school house and are absolutely thrilled.  My husband and our 2 boys (age 13 & 6) are helping with the building.  Ron is teaching the boys basic use of the tools, construction techniques, and math (measurements, fractions, angles, etc.). The building itself will be 20' x 16'.  We are so excited and will post pictures regularly to show our progress.

Welcome!

Dashboard

Hello and welcome to my blog.  Please take a look around.  I will be making posts on a daily basis and will blog on homeschooling, home life, country life, budgeting money, and everything in between.  I hope you will stop by regularly.