Peaceful Housewife Gift Certificate Giveaway Ends Jan 26 2015

FTC disclaimer:  I won a giveaway for some Peaceful Housewife laundry detergent.  I loved it and asked if she wanted me to hold a giveaway.  No other compensation was received for this post.

Recently I won a giveaway sponsored by Peaceful Housewife.  I know I love trying new products, and I wasn't exactly sure what or who Peaceful Housewife was -- but I entered and I won.  I decided to order some laundry detergent.  I am allergic to many laundry detergents.  I itched constantly when I was in college until I figured out my mother always used powdered detergent and I had been buying liquid.  Then I had to go with the lightest scents I could find.  I'm getting married in May, and the detergent that doesn't bother me is not good for my boyfriend.  I could just picture me someday having to do laundry and having to keep track of socks and keeping laundry not just separated by color but by person.

I was so thankful when I realized that the Peaceful Housewife laundry detergent was the answer to my problem!  Not only that, but I actually can have scented detergent now.  (I started out with French Vanilla.  Next time I order, I might try peppermint!)  There are a variety of scents.  Plus, it's easy to use -- just a tablespoon in the washer, and you're good to go on most loads.  I did put my detergent in a pretty jar as the bag it was shipped in was a little hard to navigate as I'm clumsy, but the end result was turning my laundry detergent into a beautiful decoration in my laundry room!

The cleaning supplies sold by The Peaceful Housewife Store are all natural and eco-friendly.  I like they are also hypo allergenic.   She also sells other products such as furniture polish, lotion bars, soaps, scrubs, and more.

And right now, to celebrate the new store, there is a 30% off coupon!  Just enter coupon code HOORAY at checkout.   This code expires January 25, 2015

 

Jenny from Peaceful Housewife has graciously offered one of my readers a $15 gift certificate.  You will be responsible for shipping charges.

The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email or another winner will be chosen.

And now for the giveaway:

Entry-Form

Using an iPhone App to Succeed at your New Year's Resolutions

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post from U.S. Cellular.  All opinions are my own.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 

As I write this, we are almost two weeks into the new year.  I've heard much about resolutions.  I'm not one to make them, although this year I made goals for this year.  They were mainly financial, organizational,  and weight loss related.  (I have a wedding dress I need to fit into by May.)  Of course those can cover nearly everything in life.  I've been sitting down and breaking these larger goals into smaller ones so I can accomplish some each week.  How is it going?   Not bad. One thing my fiance and I want to do is read a book together each month.  We're right on track for January's book.  I haven't started writing my ebook yet, but I'm right on track with that as well.  As for fitting into my wedding dress goal?  That one needs worked on some, and organization?  I'm having the house remodeled, and it's hard to be very organized during that, so I'm currently working harder on some other goals and leaving that one to be tackled when time is better.

One thing I am thankful for is how smart phones have made life easier.  From being able to connect with family and friends, texting photos, and for some of my friends, just taking their U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s to the park so they can be with their children while answering e-mails for their home business.  U.S. Cellular's 4G LTE service makes this possible as it is ten times faster than 3G.

Today, I'm going to discuss apps that can help all of us reach our new year's resolutions.  (Or as I call them goals because I see goals as something that can be revised and I don't give up on them.)

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Let's first discuss my goals and how I can use my U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s to help me accomplish those goals.

According to a 2014 U.S. Cellular survey, 43% had a new year's resolution to save money.  One app that is useful is the Mint Bills (formerly Check) app.  This free app allows you to link bills, bank accounts, and credit cards so you know exactly how much money you have.  The app also will set up reminders so you don't about paying a bill, and also you can set up automatic payments.  How are my goals going thus far of saving money?   Not well at all thanks to a cold spell where the water pipes froze then burst.  There will be a large bill to replace the water pipes, but unplanned emergencies happen, and it's now just a matter of continuing to decrease spending and increase savings.

I work at home,  and that means I have to be very wise with time management or I could spend the whole day playing games on my cell phone.  (I still play them, but I only play them during breaks from working.)  One app that is helpful to keeping the day on schedule is called Any.do .  You can create lists of things that need done and their order of importance.  You can set alarms (is it time for my break yet where I can line up candy?)  It is even possible to synch your phone's schedule with your laptop.  So how is this goal going for me?  I'm pleased with my progress so far this year.  I think breaking my larger goals into daily do-able parts is helping a lot.  (As well as setting alarms so I can spend time with my games AND get my work done as well.)

I think the most common New Year's Resolution is losing weight.  I have used my U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s in the past for weight loss.  Everything from geocaching for exercise to tracking calories. Another great app that is also free is Runtastic Six Pack.  You can create a virtual personal trainer to work out with you right on your phone.  I know compared to some personal trainers I have worked with, I'd much rather have a virtual one.  Ha ha!  Your virtual personal trainer will even show you the proper way to do new exercises.

Also, the Up by Jawbone Fitness band synchs to your U.S. Cellular iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. It can help you track what you eat, exercise, sleep patterns, as well as daily activities.  It even has an idle alert that will tell you when you've been sitting too long.  How handy is that?  How are my goals going in this area?  Well, let's just say trying to live a week with no water isn't exactly a perfect time to lose weight since I can't wash any produce and am trying to only eat things that don't dirty dishes.  Once my water starts working again, though, I'll be right back on it.

Another resolution many people make is spending more time with friends and family.  An app that is helpful for that is the GroupMe app.   This allows you to make categories of people so you can text them all at once.  I can see this being very handy for me this year with one of my categories being "bridesmaids".  How easy would this make life being able to share videos, events, photos, and texts with a whole group at once?

I am so glad to see the year 2014 over.  I'm looking forward to this new year, and I think it's going to be one of my best ones ever.  By not giving up on goals and keeping going when I don't always accomplish what I wish I would have is certainly one way to do that.

Book review: Madness, Miracles, Millions by Joseph Semprevivo and Larry Semprevivo

This review contains affiliate links.

As someone who grew up in a home where my parents owned not one but two small businesses, I have always enjoyed books where people discuss where the journey of business owners.  So when I had a chance to review  Madness, Miracles, Millions I expected it to be a good book.  It is short
, at 140 pages, and it captured my interest so much I only put it down once -- and then picked it up again the next day.

This books starts out with a tragedy.  In fact, much of the lives of the Semprevivo family is one bad thing after another.  This is a story about how hard work can turn your circumstances around -- and how what you worked for can be reduced to ashes quickly -- and how hard work will turn your circumstances around again.

When Larry Semprevivo gets his arm hurt in a printing press, things look hopeless.  In addition, many of their family and friends have nothing to do with them anymore.   I was in a similar situation in my life last year, but I loved how the book put it -- it gets rid of everyone in your life who isn't someone you can depend on -- basically helps clean house of your relationships.  That one paragraph of the book was, to me, worth reading the entire book!

You can watch the book trailer here:

Book Review: Angels and Saints by Dr. Scott Hahn

FTC disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All Opinions are my own.  This post does contain affiliate links.

Angels and Saints: A Biblical Guide to Friendship with God's Holy Ones by Scott Hahn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I went through RCIA, the one topic that we didn’t get to cover well was saints.  I was excited to find out that Scott Hahn has a book called Angels and Saints, A Biblical Guide to Friendship with God’s Holy Ones.

I am a big fan of Scott Hahn, and I highly recommend his books and this one is no exception.  As someone who grew up Protestant, this was one of the more difficult teachings in Catholicism for me.   As is true of all of Dr. Hahn’s work, he explains so well the teachings of the Church that you either agree with him or at least understand where the Church is coming from and why they do the things they do.

One thing I really liked about this book is how Dr. Hahn talked about how we honor our loved ones who have passed away and then relates it to how we view saints.  Too many people I have cared about have passed away this year.  When I visited my mother’s freshly covered grave, I talked to her as if she was right there and could hear me.  Therapeutic?  Yes, but also who is to say she isn’t able to listen.  If we reverence the place where our parents are buried, shouldn’t we also reverence relics of the saints as they have faith we can only pray to have.

Dr. Hahn also discusses angels and their place in the world.  So many people in my life have passed away this year and with every person I have heard “Heaven gained another angel”, yet that isn’t scriptural although it may be a good thought.  People don’t become angels when they die.  In this book, angels are discussed and their role in the heavenly realm.

I feel like I lost so many people this year, but at the end of this book Dr. Hahn discusses when he met his (then) soon to be wife’s extended family and realized they would become his family as well.  He compares that to the saints.  We are part of the family of God, and St. Francis is part of our family of God just the same as our brother in law is part of our earthly family.  By realizing the richness of those who have gone before us, it can encourage us to live our lives in the way that we should.

I really enjoyed this book.  As I always say with Dr. Hahn’s books, it took me a while to get through because there was so much I wanted to consider and ponder.  I recommend this book for any Catholic, as well as anyone who wants to understand why Catholics believe as they do.


You can purchase this book here:

Observing Advent -- for the first time

In the non-denominational church I grew up in, Advent was never mentioned.  When I started going to a Nazarene Church, the Advent candles were lit by people who attended the church.

But I never realized it was a time of longing for hope.

Yet O Come, O Come Emmanuel is my favorite Christmas Carol.  Or is it?  It's an Advent song.

I haven't been able to put up a Christmas tree this year.  There is come remodeling being done on the house.  So it's been a forced waiting on Christmas.  Advent.  Waiting.

O come, Thou Day-Spring from on high

And cheer us by thy drawing nigh

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee O Israel.

Death.   We often don't think of it in relation to Christmas.  Yet, that's what I associate with all of this year.  My mother passed away, my grandfather-in-law passed away, 3 church leaders of mine from the past, two neighbors, and yesterday I lost another friend, making it three people I went to school with who passed away this year.

Everyone who is born will die.  Including Jesus.  In this season we are waiting for our Redemption and our Hope to arrive, because as our Hope, we had to suffer for us.

Right now I'm waiting.  For Hope.  Maybe for the first time this year, Easter will be the time I recognize that hope.  My grandmother passed away on Easter 1995.  Easter has always been wrapped up in death for me.  Maybe I can turn that focus to Christmas.  It's more appropriate with the Slaughter of the Innocents.  

Waiting on hope.   And waiting.  And waiting.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Book Review: Chocolate Covered Cashews

Most of my posts contain affiliate links.  What this means is that I receive a small commission for you starting your shopping here at NO cost to you!  Thank you for your continued support.

Chocolate-Covered Cashews caught my eye because I thought it was going to be about the big surprise that Wiley Baxter had one day.  He received a phone call finding out he was the father of twins who were in their 30s.  With a story like that, I expected it to be focused mainly on this huge revelation and how it changed his life.  However,  this took up only the first few chapters and a mention of the end.

This book was more like sitting down with someone and them telling you their life story.  It could have used a lot more editing, because even with this being a mere 66 pages, there could have been several pages less if there were unnecessary words left out, examples being "The next day in the evening" instead of "the next evening" and "someplace called Kings Dominion" where "someplace called" is not needed -- it seems to diminish the experience instead of just using the proper noun.   He stated that he was very sad the day his brother died.  That is a common emotion when a family member dies, and I didn't feel it needed to be told.  Because I love English and grammar, the writing style bothered me.  While for a personal letter it would be fine, I expect a book to be a bit more polished.

There were a number of stories that I think could have been left out entirely.  His sister having a Beatles wig when they were kids was irrelevant.  Also, the mention at the end of his daughters, he says that one of his daughters quit having contact with him.  There was no explanation of why.   Since his daughter is living and has children, I feel like this should have not been included or this book should have only been available to people who know him.  As a stranger, I felt like I was being given information that should be reserved for family.

This book could have been interesting.  If the final book would have been a rough draft, I would have said it has potential (except for the most interesting part being at the beginning.  That might work for Frantz Kafka but not for Wiley Baxter.) I would have recommended this book either be a memoir in a bit more chronological order or been a book about learning he had twin daughters.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html; : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tightening the Belt Financially

Most of my posts contain affiliate links.  What this means is that I receive a small commission for you starting your shopping here at NO cost to you!  Thank you for your continued support.

I know it's unusual to see a post about frugality this close to Christmas.  Most people wait until after the holidays to start saving money and trying to cut back.  Possibly we would be the same, but right now it's a time of high spending for us and we're trying to save all we can.

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

It is less than six months until the wedding.  (Talk about expenses.)   Plus I decided it was time to do some major renovations on the house.  When I won a bad kitchen sink contest, I don't think that's being wasteful.  The living room carpet is about 60 years old.  The entire house is paneled.  I would like to get the house looking a little more 2000s and a lot lets mid-century retro.  (Which would be cool if it was the neat designs of mid-century!)

My fiance and I have started reading The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness.  In a way this feels odd to me because I've always been good at managing money.  But I also know it's time to cut back.

I'm going to have to be a "spending saver" for a while.  Flooring for the house.  Drywall.  Wedding expenses.  But I'm going to try and cut back in other areas.

One thing that I'm cutting out is my rather regular fill up of my soda mug.  I found a 100 ounce refillable mug a while back.  For under $1.50 I can get it filled with Diet Pepsi.  (Love that stuff.)  But if I did that every day for a month, it would cost over $40.  I need to get myself used to drinking water, but for now I'm making iced tea.  A five pack container of generic Crystal Light costs about $2.50.  Because it makes five mugs, that's about $15 a month.  I'm still spending money, but less than I would be otherwise.  And that $25 I save?  Two months of that and I have saved enough for a high end can of paint for the house.

Over the next few months, I will be spending more money than it cost me to get through college back in the 1980s/1990s.  But I want to make wise decisions about how I spend my money.  I feel like so many of these house repairs are needed. This was a fixer-upper when my parents bought it and while they put $10,000 into it in the mid-1980s, not too much has been done since.  It's also been difficult living in the same house after both my parents passed away.  (I helped Mom out the last few years of her life.)  By painting the rooms, making things more "mine" will help me realize it's now my house and I can let my personality show through.

I'm excited about fixing up the house -- and terrified of the cost of it.  But I know it will be worth it in the end.