A Wise Woman Builds Her Home: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

I want to wish each and every one of you a glorious, blessed and Happy New Year!

2010 was full of good times. It was also full of hard times. We learned alot about ourselves through it all. The Lord was faithful to see us through it to the end. Now we plow ahead and prepare for the new, the fresh....

Welcome in 2011!

I believe the Lord will:

bring many lost to faith in Him
help us to have wisdom to serve Him faithfully
help and teach us to become better wives
help and teach us to become better mothers
help and teach us to be better homebuilders

and continue the mighty work He has begun in us as he continue to prune us and produce fruit in us for His glory alone.

There is GREAT HOPE that we have in Him
--not in our flesh, not in our strength, not in this blog or yours.
But to Him because with Him all things are possible.

This new year is no exception.

May we all bring Him great glory in 2011:

Shout with joy to God, all the earth

Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!"

So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you!

All the earth bows down to you ;

they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name!

Come and see what God has done,

how awesome his works in man's behalf!

He turned the sea into dry land,

they passed through the waters on foot---

come, let us rejoice in Him.

He rules forever by His power!

If you would like to be inspired for planning the New Year here are some past posts that might help:

Kingdom Notes: Planning for a New Year

New Year Vision

Also I wanted to share that recently, Doug Phillips, the President of Vision Forum, sent out a newsletter sharing the top three things to do before the new year and one of the most important things he shared was about forgiveness. He emphasized ending the year in forgiveness to those who have wronged you:

"Bitterness comes from being unwilling to forgive. Bitter people are small people. They are unsuccessful people. They are people who cannot move forward. They are people who believe that the personal wrongs against them are so great that they — the offended — are entitled to do to their offenders what they pray the Lord Jesus Christ will never do to them: refuse to forgive."

What powerful words that are sometimes needed to rebuke us from our carnality.
Words that are a great reminder to me
---we need to start the New Year off with a fresh clean slate!

If we have a grievance we must forgive.

Forgive as He forgave us---we will start the year off bringing Him glory!

I look forward to what this year holds--may this blog continue to be a place that encourages you and brings you vision and hope as we together embark upon this great and wonderful journey of biblical womanhood and motherhood...

SEMPER REFORMANDA!

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(UPDATE---There are two new images for buttons in the post below--the scrolls boxes are not yet made but should be up later today . In the meantime, you can simply copy and paste them and link them manually from your sidebar. Thanks so much! :))

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Buttons, Announcements and More...

What an incredible year it has been for A Wise Woman Builds Her Home!

The Lord has worked through many lives, especially my own, with this blog and I am grateful to see what He has done and what He will continue to do. It has been wonderful 'meeting' you all and sharing my heart with you. I have a few announcements to share:

We have been working on some new flair/buttons for you. Many of you have added the current button that is already available:

but I realize this might not be the best fit for everyone's blogs so we decided to make some more for you to choose from and some that are smaller that would fit in your sidebar well with your other buttons:

These two new images above will have a scroll box later today--in the meantime you can copy and paste this image and link it on your sidebar

Here are the banners and their scroll boxes :

My daughter, Naomi, spent alot of time working on these for you so be sure to copy one to put on your blog! We will put all of these buttons under the title 'Wise Woman Flair' for now on the sidebar so you can access them in the future. Also, if you do use one please leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can see how it looks--thanks so much!

Did you know there are also new items in The Wise Woman Shoppe? There are items for your iPad, Smart phones and more:

Thanks to all who made purchases there this past year!

I also wanted to remind everyone that my special holiday sale for Wise Woman Consulting--where I teach you how to monetize and advertise on your blog, for the month of December is still going on but will expire December 31st at midnight. You can lock in this discounted rate of only $50 now, just contact me at wisewomanconsulting@gmail.com or just leave a comment with your email. I am also offering payments for those who are interested--you can lock in this price with $25 and then pay the rest before we schedule our phone meeting. I am thankful to the many of new clients who signed up this month and very much looking forward to consulting with each and every single one you!

And if you didn't know and if you are able to---my favorite wholesome family resource site, Vision Forum is having a *special end of the year sale* with up to 70% off their inventory until December 31st! Large Family Logistics is only $10.80 at 55% off! That is a steal! I usually don't do any shopping after Christmas but couldn't resist this excellent sale and so today I placed an order for a few things (and so did my older daughter!)

Now with any size purchase they are giving away their brand new CD
Honorable Language, Peaceful Sibling and Gracious Wives
by Doug Phillips for FREE:

This looks like a good one--can't wait to hear it! Who couldn't use a little more honorable speech in their lives? So if you had your eye on anything this is a great time to pick it up.

Hope you have a blessed day!

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(If you do make a purchase at Vision Forum please consider doing it through our site by clicking on the links above. I am an affiliate for them and it would be a great blessing to us--thank you!)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Planning and Preparing for the New Year

This week I am busy preparing and planning for the New Year as I know many of you are. There is much that needs to be organized and simplified in the Fuentes household since the onslaught of the holidays and the whirlwind of birthdays in the last few weeks. I carefully wrote out a managing plan for the week of what needs to be done---tree and decorations down, goal planning, reorganizing school supplies, straightening up the school room (that we use mainly for crafts and projects) and reevaluating our school plan.

I try to reevaluate what is working in our school this year and what is not, since every school year is different and has different demands and sometimes different students. I ask some basic questions such as:

1. What is not working and why? What needs to change?

2. What methods work best with my family?

3. How can this run better-more efficiently?

4. How am I feeling about school? Am I looking forward to it? Do I need inspiring? What do I need to do to refresh my vision, strength and stamina?

A couple of things I am planning is devotionals for the children in having a plan of them reading through the Bible for the year. It is different for each child, sometimes they read through a year plan or a yearly Bible or sometimes with the younger ones I will have them work through a book at a time.

I am also working on book lists for the winter. There are some books on character, theology and classics that I would like my children to read but I need to be intentional in typing out this list and ordering books online or from the library.These things just don't happen on their own! I also need to remember to add in movies we would like to see and sermons we need to listen to.

I am also going to loosely plan in for the next six months some crafts, experiments, cooking, art and projects into their year.We are going to watch some of the new Homestead Blessings videos and acquire ourselves some new skills!

I am also thinking about music. A goal for us is that each child will learn an instrument--so my oldest daughter has in the past volunteered to teach her siblings piano. We also do some violin and recorder on the side. All of this is wonderful, but I am reminded that today I need to print out our daily schedule from last year where we have allotted times for these goals so that they would be met and not fall to the wayside. We also learn hymns as a family and sing them together so I also try to purposely plan that in but not all the time since we listen to hymns in our home. Without a good schedule in our home it is easy to let time get away from you and overlook all valuable skills that could be gained in the day.

Since it is winter we like to get everyone into exercising since in the winter months since we can't be outside much. We like to use video tapes or workout plans or use our indoor mini trampoline. I even have a children's workout video for the little ones that I am planning into their day so that they can get all that energy out that can accumulate.

A couple of my children need work with their speech--so I am going to plan that into my day about 15 minutes, along with my Bible verse binder that I need to update for memorizing after we do our morning devotional ! I am also thinking of multiple ways to get more reading out loud in this year. I don't try to plan this all at once or I will get overwhelmed. Instead I try to plan in categories. This way I am only planning a bit at a time---what I can handle and really focus on what I would like to see done in that category. If I don't do everything that I planned, that is fine because there is always next year and the next.

Today I will be a busy mother printing off all these lists today to order my home and school more efficiently so that we all know what to expect and the home can run more like a well oiled machine (sure, there will be glitches---but a plan is INVALUABLE!) Like I've said before and have written as a reminder on my calendar, the schedule is there to work for us, not US for the schedule! There is much freedom in knowing that and not becoming enslaved to thinking that you have to get every little thing done on your 'to-do list'. Life has to take place and is much more important than what we perceive needs to get done. Everyday I just ask the Lord to help me get done what He wants done and for me to be content with that. (Also note that this is what I am doing now that my children are older, when my children were younger it was different, maybe I will post about that later.)

I actually try to evaluate things often in our school. I am not afraid to stop things that don't work or switch curriculum in the middle of the year. I have also learned that scope and sequences vary from curriculum according to the different publishers so I shouldn't feel locked into what they are dictating. Remember we are homeschoolers and most of us have alot of freedom to operate our schools how we want them and are free from being told how to do it.

I am so grateful also to be home today and plan. I LOVE planning! Whenever I have to run errands and be away from the home it takes me awhile to get back into the rhythm of being at home and to get assimilated back into the flow of it all. I love being at home and being able to focus on what is needed there--it is my calling, I know I am needed here and am blessed to be able to fulfill it.

Are you doing any preparing or planning?

Also, what do you do to refresh your stamina for the school year?

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Lovely Scentsy Wickless Candles for Your Home

Scentsy Wickless Candles are perfect for the winter!

We love using ours and enjoy the wonderfully warm fragrances in our home during the cold winter months. Scentsy has a beautiful new warmer of the month--the Pinecone Warmer (pictured above and now three dollars off) that you will just love and make a lovely addition to your home for the New Year. For those of you who love bargains they also are having a closeout sale that you won't want to miss---be sure to check it out!

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Monday, December 27, 2010

A Wise Woman's Vision for Home Life

The beauty and power of homelife is hard to overestimate when "a wise woman builds her house" (Proverbs 14:1).

She builds investment and beauty and stability that would make a family say, "There's no place like home." God has appointed a home to be a center of the ministry of the church; a source of peace for all who enter there; a place of hospitality. The home is the fountain of society, and the spring from which flow the members of the church, the ranks of business and the citizens of the realm.

Please understand how important home life really is.

O daughters of Zion, see what a piece of heaven you can provide to the weary and lost of this world by making your home a rich and overflowing fountain of the love of Christ. See the importance of a rich home life that sends out happy children to the ends of the earth. See how being a keeper at home make you a key players in raising the next generation. Understand how you will be filling the earth with worshippers and providing the churches and towns and nations with the knowledge of God.

-Feminine by Design: The Twelve Pillars of Biblical Womanhood,

Pastor Scott Brown

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

A very special and blessed Merry Christmas to you all!

How I wish I could gather all of you, my dear readers, up and welcome you into my home!

We would have hot cocoa simmering on the stove and sing some carols

we would sing like we never sung before from the depths of our hearts

to glory in our King!

I would give each and everyone of you a great big hug and thank you for all the love you have shown me through the past year and I would share my heart with you
---and hopefully you with me!

I would let you know that you always had a friend here

---a friend who cares about you and prays for you.

May the Lord bless you all on this day!

And have a wonderfully blessed Christmas with your family!

-For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever should believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

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Reflecting on What Matters At Christmas

Two days ago I found out my grandmother died.

I was so heartbroken and stunned---we had planned to take all her great grandchildren to meet her next year, but now she will not be there. But I know the Lord has a greater plan through all of this. To teach us, to draw us closer together, to make us wiser, to trust Him even more than yesterday.

He is sooooooo good.

I am asking for prayers for my father who might not be able to fly in from across the world to see her funeral, and for the rest of our family (and especially extended) to have Christ's comfort during this time. Please know that they are greatly appreciated and very much coveted.

When there is death in the family it really clarifies what matters in this world.

There is Christ and there is your family. Both invaluable---
please, remember to pour all that you have into serving and loving both.

That is what I am reflecting on today.

And if you have the time, I also wanted to share this post from Mrs. White that she put up today, it will give us some perspective on the holiday and remind us to pray for others:

Mothers With Christmas Courage

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Secret to a Happy Home Life

What are some of the secrets of happy home life?

The answer might be given in one word—Christ.

Christ at the marriage-altar;

Christ on the bridal journey;

Christ when the new home is set up;

Christ when the baby is born;

Christ when a child dies;

Christ in the pinching times;

Christ in the days of plenty;

Christ in the nursery, in the kitchen, in the parlor;

Christ in the toil and in the rest;

Christ along all the years;

Christ when the wedded pair walk toward the sunset gates;

Christ in the sad hour when farewells are spoken,

and one goes on before and the other stays, bearing the unshared grief.

Christ is the secret of happy home life.

-JR Miller, Secrets of Happy Home Life, 1894

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Monday, December 20, 2010

Courageous Mothers Who Cared for Their Families

I recently have been reading through an online ebook that shared some interesting information regarding mothers during the Great Depression. These courageous women, during these trying economic times, who had families to feed and a humble home to take care of did not falter but did what they had to do to survive and keep their family together. There are two things I had read that just stood out in my mind and made me think about how ungrateful we are as a society today and I wanted to share them with you.

1. Some of the women faced such economic hardship during that time that they actually had to live with their families not in houses, but in chicken coops. Many families even used newspaper to line their walls to keep the cold out and their children learned to read from the newspaper that covered the cracks in the walls. What a contrast from homes we see in magazines today where we the homes are portrayed as picture perfect.

2. One woman who did not have enough money to buy food had wanted to plant a garden, but being too poor to afford to buy any seed that year---her garden was sadly empty and only wild weeds sprang forth. That did not daunt this women who knew she had a family to feed. Instead she gathered up those weeds and diligently began to can them. YES, I said CAN them for the winter.

Can you imagine what was going through a women's mind to have such hardship and then finding no other way to feed her loved ones that she had to can weeds? Would we even think of that today? How amazing that those mothers had so much foresight. Foresight that is often forgotten, despised and ridiculed in this generation. I wonder what was going on in her mind while she went through the process--she must have been grateful to God to know that her shelves were lined with food that winter to get her family through. That those jars were not lined up and empty. She must have looked at those rows of cans and instead of being angry with the Lord for not providing that she counted her blessings instead.

I think of the great mother heroines of the past and admire their strength. Back then you had to work hard or you didn't eat and mothers made sure they worked hard to make sure their families had food. They learned to stretch the food and didn't take what they had for granted. Resources were scarce and they lived by the motto: use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I believe many mothers are going through hard times right now and I think this story would encourage them---to know that other mothers came before them and had it tough, even tougher than what we think we might be going through. These mothers were relentless and with every fiber of their being cared for their families. They weren't concerned about keeping up with the Jones', or having the newest hairstyle or latest clothes (they really didn't, many of them made their clothes and their children's clothes from potato or flour sacks). They were just trying to survive.

There was even one account of a mother who was so poor and was given a bag of chocolate chips. She would make cookies from them and only put one chip in each cookie and made the bag last for months. Her children were just grateful to receive their cookie and didn't balk that there was only was chip in them, but instead were content.

So mothers, wherever you are today, I hope these little glimpses into others lives are an encouragement to you. I pray you are doing all that you can in your family---to hold it together, to love them, to care for them, to give them your best even when you think that there is not much to give them. Remember, that this is a lie from pit of hell to think that you cannot give anything to your children. A mother is the anchor of the family and when the father is gone all day she is the one who creates the home, cultivates it and nurtures and loves people there. She helps the fabric of the home to be strong with her unwavering fearless spirit, courageous faith and brings refreshing life to it, for if not for her a home would just be lifeless walls that echoes emptiness. She is the heart of the home. If it were not for these mothers who lovingly and purposefully sacrificed her life to this purpose her home would be broken and dysfunctional, the poor children left to themselves with the wicked world raising them. And know, that just like her-- you are the heart of YOUR home.

So take heart, mothers, and set your eyes on Him. Pick up your armor and put it on. Get about your work at home and be busy making it the most loving place on earth.

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Snowflake Tea Party

Lillibeth, of The Pleasant Times, is hosting a week long snowflake event and to kick it off she had a lovely snowflake themed tea---take a peek at all the sweet wintery loveliness:

The table is set in shades of white, with clear-as-ice glass and shiny china dishes.

The menu includes sandwiches, veggies, cookies and of course, tea.

The sandwiches are cucumber-orange. They are cut in a diamond shape, and each diamond is placed just so to make a 6-pointed snowflake.

These sandwiches are so very good, you must try one. Home-made bread is spread with neufchatel cheese, and topped with one mandarin orange slice, and a thin cucumber slice.

Icicle sticks are made from parsnips and turnips, and placed in a crystal sugar creamer. Snowy cauliflower and more sliced cucumbers are in the other dishes. On the left is our delicious sour cream dip (sour cream, dill, onion powder, garlic powder and salt, in that order and made to your taste).

And for dessert, you may have just a wee bit of each...

Snowdrift cookies (which are actually half "Whoopie Pies;" the recipe is from the new Martha Stewart holiday cookie magazine, with the banana omitted, we also recommend to cut down on the amount of sugar a bit.)

Snowballs and mini snowflake bites,

and these giant snowflakes, which can be sliced into smaller pieces. The snowflakes are sprinkled with coconut flakes, and some are sprinkled with an edible clear glittery product from Wilton.

And for the tea, we have a variety of winter-time favorites. We tried to think of ideas in our Test Kitchen of a change from the usual sugar cube. We bounced around various ideas, and decided on this one. We made a very thick paste of powdered sugar and cream, and piped it in snowflake shapes on a plate. Then we froze it. The hope was, that these little frozen snowflakes would float on the top of the tea for just a second before sinking to the bottom, but alas! it did not work that way. However, we still think it was a nice touch for this snowflake tea party.

The centerpiece is a beautiful footed bowl, ruffled at the edges, filled with our paper snowflakes and a battery-operated LED candle that has been glittered with Epsom salts! Surrounding that are some wee "snowballs" and buttons in shades of white (which have also been scattered on the table).

Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful ideas, Lillibeth!

~Visit her blog to view these gorgeous images up close~

AND

the winner of the New Leaf Publishing giveaway is Jennifer P
of Peterson Ponderings! Congratulations and have a blessed holiday!

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Christmas Gifts for Godly Husbands To Lead Their Homes

All men are leaders of their homes. Some are doing it well, while others are not. Some are second generation Christians having had a rich legacy built into them from the time of childhood--while others are from broken homes, in many cases without fathers. In any situation, we need to be patient with our husbands and do our best to encourage them in their roles, just as we would want them to be patient us.

I wanted to share with you some resources that have encouraged and helped our family in the past in understand the roles and positions of the this ever important role (you might want to consider tucking some of these under your Christmas tree!) :

Family Man, Family Leader

Biblical Fatherhood as the Key to a Thriving Family

What this country needs is a few good men — husbands and fathers who are willing to love and lead their households with manly resolve and godly vision. Family Man, Family Leader first presents the vision of biblical household leadership. Next, it addresses the many practical issues necessary for achieving victory as a man, from learning and acting upon God’s priorities, to decision-making as a father, to growing in oneness with your wife, to personal accountability before the Lord and victory over secret sins.

How to Disciple Your Family

A Plan for Generational Victory (Set of 10 DVD's )

Many Christian families suffer today because they fail to capture the hearts of their children. Too often they fail to communicate vision, convictions, and wisdom to their sons and daughters. In the battle between pagan culture and the Christian family culture, paganism often wins. The sad response is that too many Christian parents simply give up. Others set their goals so low that their best strategy is simply to see their children ‘survive‘ a little bit longer, or to lose the battle for the generations as slowly as possible. Douglas W. Phillips and Geoffrey Botkin gear these valuable teachings at equipping parents with helpful discipleship tools for passing on a legacy of godly experiences and wisdom to their children that they can build on as part of a long-term vision for generational success.
Watch video clips here.

The Visionary Father's Role in Home Education-CD

The Scriptures offer a powerful vision of what a father’s role is to be in discipling his children. Sadly, many men today are falling short in discharging their God-given duties as family shepherds. In this powerful message, Doug Phillips lays out seven critical components of a father’s role in home education. He is to be: 1) a vision communicator; 2) a Hebrew discipler; 3) a defender of the realm; 4) a household manager; 5) a discipline enforcer; 6) the family’s resident historian; 7) and the leader of family worship.
The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education is a great primer for dads who want to faithfully lead their families with vision.
Listen to a sample here.

Building a Family That Will Stand- (Set of 7 CD's)

Blueprints for Biblical Fatherhood & Multigenerational Thinking

God appears to be touching the hearts of a growing number of Christian fathers with a hunger to learn more about biblical manhood. This quiet revival is taking place in homes where teary-eyed fathers are standing before their wives and children, repenting for their lack of vision and leadership, and recommitting themselves to God’s priorities for men. With this revival comes the awareness that Christian men need to make dramatic changes in their lives; changes which reflect a biblical re-examination of the way our fallen culture approaches family, work, finances, education, citizenship, etc. The goal of these conference tapes is to encourage men to see “the big picture” of biblical manhood.

Listen to a sample here.

Father to Son

Manly Conversations That Can Change Culture (6 DVD's)

Fathers need to begin speaking to their sons. But the conversation can’t be aimless or trivial. Fathers need to talk in manly and specific ways about the duties of Christian manhood. Enter Father to Son, a six-part DVD series designed to provide fathers and future fathers with simple examples of manly discussion. Where does a dad begin? With the pressing issues that weigh on young minds, these informal, unrehearsed conversations between Geoffrey Botkin and his five sons show how it can be done.
Watch the trailer here.

The Heroism of the Fathers is the Legacy of the Son-CD

This one of my favorites that I always like listening to over and over!

What causes men to act with nobility and heroism? What is the link between fatherhood and leadership in times of crisis? In a never-to-be-repeated special evening dedicated to 150 years of heroic manhood, Doug Phillips answers these questions and presents the remarkable story of multi-generational fatherhood and Christian sacrifice from Teddy Roosevelt to Lord Baden Powell, from the Birkenhead to the Titanic, from 9-11 hero Todd Beamer to the remarkable story of home school heroes Joshua and Noelle Goforth.

Listen to sample.

iPod Nano: Fatherhood Collection

An iPod just for dads! Encouragement, inspiration, and fun-filled messages covering all sorts of topics on fatherhood, leadership, and vision on one 6th generation iPod® nano.These include 40 powerful, life changing messages by Geoffrey Botkin, Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham and more. This is great for husbands who love listening to messages and what a wonderful way to redeeming their driving time to and from work! There is also 5.57 GB of additional space! (8 GB total capacity). All pre-loaded iPod products come with back-up discs containing all of the available content. Click here to view some of the many titles it comes with.

These are excellent products that have greatly enriched our home, and not only has my husband learned from them--but it has give ME the bigger picture of what the home and leadership looks like and has helped me immensely in helping my husband lead better. The DVD sets are also wonderful because we were able to sit and watch it together as a family and it raised awesome discussion while mentoring my children--especially my young sons who will one day, God-willing, be dads themselves. I am so grateful to Vision Forum for carrying such high quality products for the family. Wives would be wise to invest in their family's this Christmas by purchasing resources that will strengthen their husbands in leading their homes!

So, dear readers, wherever your husband is at, I encourage you to love and respect him with all the strength that Jesus provides. Remember that he is a work in progress (just like you!) and pray that the Lord will do a mighty work in him and through him.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Olde Angora-She Seeks Wool and Flax, and Willingly Works With Her Hands

Olde Angora is back again and I am so glad Miss Miriam is because I love being able to have a chance to share with you what this young industrious homeschool graduate daughter is doing with her time---she is not idle at all--no, she is not! Instead she is busy---busy filling up her Etsy shop with little goodies for you and for me during the Christmas holidays! In the above picture you can see one of her warm handknit scarves--it is made from soft alpaca wool for only $11. Here is what she has to say about her work:

"I have always loved working and playing with soft wools and fibers, so it seemed perfect for me to become a spinner and knitter. My home is my place of work; it is wonderful to spin and knit surrounded by my parents and four siblings! I hope to specialize in angora yarns and garments, once I complete building my angora rabbit farm. My prayer is that I glorify God in all I do, and that I encourage others to draw near to Him.

She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands....She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.... Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. "

Proverbs 31:13,19,30"

Angora Lace Headband-$13
They were made from hand spun angora rabbit hair and hand knit in a " spider web " lace pattern. Their color is mostly silver gray, with a hint of brown ( the rabbit, Philemon, is considered a chocolate angora, but he has a lot of gray as well ).

She also hand makes slippers, shawls, headbands, crocheted bookmarkers, blankets, pillows, and handspun yarn. She has many special handmade items to choose from and many of her items are made from a variety of angora rabbit wool, alpaca and merino yarn--at affordable prices!

Hand Knit Neckwarmer-only $7

Here is a short scarf or thick collar that was hand spun and hand knit from a collection of scrap wool and yarn. It is 34" long and 8" wide. The middle is a periwinkle blue, and the ends are stripes of purple, pastel shades, pink, white, and gray. Women and girls alike will keep their necks warm in this colorful wrap!

Hand Crocheted Small Pillow-$5
This little white lace pillow is perfect for home decor, a gift, or even a doll! It is hand crocheted cotton, and is 4" by 4"

Cozy Baby Blanket-$10
Hand-knit in pastel blue, yellow, and green. 41" x 34". Cozy wrap for new baby and perfect for the winter!

So hop on over and visit Olde Angora, and maybe you will find a thing or two to cross off your shopping list!

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

For You They Signed and Life of Washington Giveaway!

I am a fan of the Boyer family (Rick and Marilyn, I even had the opportunity to meet them) who have 14 children and have enjoyed several books of their in the past. Now I am happy to announce that there is a new book that I can add to that list and that is the new release: For You They Signed. This book is for all you history buffs out there who just can't get enough of the great and courageous men behind the Declaration of Independence, their glorious pasts--and timeless nuggets leading up to the legacy they have left us. This book and The Life of Washington by Anna C. Reed (a reprint from the past) are excellent books for our families that help us learn about our historic paths and our priceless heritage in a fun and comprehensible way.

Here is a description about For You They Signed:

Marilyn Boyer has given all of us who love our country a real treasure. For You They Signed captures an important but little-known history of 56 brave men who risked everything so we could be free. Marilyn's easy to read, succinct summaries of the lies and faith of these forefathers will inspire you and enable you to poss on this rich heritage to your children. The questions after each chapter help you to make this party of your American history curriculum or an effective weekly evening study. This interesting and challenging, well-researched collection of biographies is truly inspirational.

--Christ Klicka

Here is a description from The Life of Washington:

"A rare faith filled historic biography of America's first president, George Washington. In this special edition of the vintage 1842 original, readers readers will go beyond todays simple footnotes to discover the man behind the title of "Father of our Country". From letters and personal accounts, a fuller and more accurate picture emerges of a man who lived by, and was led by a deep and abiding faith."

I am happy to help New Leaf Publishing announce their new "Exclusive Christmas Promotion" where this great set is usually priced at $51.98, it is now on sale for only $42.97! They also have some other great promotions going on such as these listed below that would excellent additions to your family's library:

The Children's Illustrated Bible plus Passport to the World--now only $32.97

Morning and Evening Devotionals by Charles Spurgeon plus Classic Journal

Life of Washington plus For You They Signed

We are having a fabulous giveaway of the books pictured above--all you have to do is leave a comment and email, if you don't have a blog! This is a great giveaway and really wish that each and everyone of you could win!

For extra extries (2 each):