Here’s something new and fun!  We’re gonna have a contest! 

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up soon, we’re all gonna need to eat pie.  Need to I say. 

As I was trying to make a couple of apple pies recently, I finally admitted something to myself:

I am Pie Crust Challenged.  I have not been blessed with the gift of pie crust making.  I fail as a pie crust maker.  Pie crusts are not my friend.

And besides that, I don’t have very many recipes for pies. 

But I figured that somewhere out there someone has been blessed with The Gift of  Amazing Pie Crust Making.

And I just bet that each of you have a favorite pie recipe or two. 

So here’s what you’re all going to do:

You’re all going to get busy making pies.  And taking pictures of your pretty pies.  And then you’re going to send me your recipes and your pretty pie pictures. 

Then, I’ll work to put all of your recipes and pretty pie pictures into an ebook which will be FREE for everyone to download and enjoy!

AND, while the recipes are coming in…I’ll try making as many as I can and have a big pie party with my friends and we’ll choose a Oh My Word This Is the Best Pie I’ve Ever Eaten Pie.  If YOU are the one who has sent in the recipe for the OMWTITBPIEEPie (see previous sentence), you’ll win any three packs of downloadable recipe cards from the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.  These recipe card packs are loaded with great recipes AND are super cute.  (Char designed ‘em.)  And they are a perfect idea for a great inexpensive gift for many, many of the people on your list.  (Print them, package them, perfect gift.)

And, if you can send me a recipe for an awesome pie crust that uses real butter and whole wheat flour…I will get on an airplane and come to where you live and kiss your shoes.  The ones on your feet. 

Okay, not really.  But I would SO send a cyber kiss to your cyber shoes.  I’ve received emails from several of you who would love a whole wheat pie crust recipe, so others would like to kiss your shoes too.

I’ll settle for a pie crust using butter and unbleached white flour.  And some tips for making them pretty. 

Great Pie Quest Contest Recap and Rules:

1.  Send me your pie recipes.
2.  Send a picture of your pie if you can.
3.  If you are an awesome pie crust maker, share the love.
4.  Your pie recipe will be a part of a contest to see which pie is the OMWTITBPIEEPie.
5.  If your pie is the OMWTITBPIEEPie, you’ll win three downloadable recipe card packs of your choice.
6.  ALL of the awesome pie recipes you send will become an ebook that will be free for you and for everyone so that we will never want for great pie recipes again.  (I’ll credit you for your pie recipe in the ebook, by the way.)
7  Please send recipes that do not use ingredients like shortening, margarine, corn syrup or any other no-no ingredient.  If it calls for “regular” sugar, that’s fine…but if you have great pie recipes using rapadura or another ”natural” sugar, rock on.  (I am so not cool enough to say “rock on”.)
8.  Send me as many recipes as you would like, but be sure they are tried and true and your favorites.
9.  Cheesecake counts.  Oh, it counts.
10.  Send me your recipes and pictures by Saturday, October 18.  I will then work to put them into an ebook by the first week of November.

Because GUESS WHAT?  The first week of November marks my One Year Website-Aversary!!!  And all that week we’ll be celebrating with free stuff and sales and giveaways and all kinds of fun.  So, start looking forward to that…and get busy making pies and sending me recipes!!

Ooh, what should we call our ebook????

Congratulations to the winners of my giveaway!

Joy the Lymeade Lady

and

Diana the Forgetful One

I’ll be sending those stamp sets out to you right away!  Enjoy!  And, thanks to everyone who signed up to win!

First, I finally put a search box on my site for you so that if you’re looking for say, my whole wheat pretzel recipe…you just type the word “whole wheat pretzels” into the box and it’ll find the recipe link for you!  You’ll find it on the left hand side of my blog, right under all the categories.  No, your other left.  Yep, you got it.  Now you can search to your heart’s content.  It’s about TIME I did that, huh?

Second, after peeling 300,000 peaches (give or take) to freeze for smoothies, I finally took Lindsay’s advice and just left the peelings on.  And guess what?  The peelings just blend right up into the smoothie and you can’t even tell they’re there.  They’re more nutritious that way of course.  And, oh my word, does the freezing process ever go faster!  Now if you’re canning them, you’ll need to peel them, but if you’re freezing them, for the love of all things sane, just slice ‘em and flash freeze them.

Third, I have no idea what I used to do with my time before I began canning and freezing and fruit leathering.  I don’t remember my life before this fall harvest.  I think I remember something about cooking a meal without having to step over boxes of apples or scooting jars out of my way so I could mash some potatoes.   And  I wish I had a dollar for every phone call I’ve gotten asking if I need any more apples.    Ooh, better yet, I wish I had a dollar for every APPLE I’ve had in my kitchen during the last few weeks.  It has been some year for apples around here.  Wow.

Fourth, the past few weeks, I’ve been reading Little Britches to the boys.  Have you READ that book?  It is SO good.  I fell in love with the family and how the daddy and the son worked so hard together…and it made me want to buy a ranch and some horses and go back in time 100 years (but I would, of course, take my computer and electricity with me).  Anyway…when we got to the last two chapters…it got so sad and I could not read it anymore because tears were streaming down my face and my voice was all messy.  I handed the book to Matt and he finished reading it to us.  It was all I could do not to sob loudly as we sat around the table and listened.  I’m still not over it.  Oh, but it was a good book.

Fifth, there is a big chorus of crickets blessing my home.  (Do you all have tons of crickets too, or did they all decide to move into my house?)  They are singing so loudly right now I can hardly concentrate to write.  I don’t mind them too much (because I’d rather have crickets than say, termites) but I do wish I could turn their volume down.

Sixth, I’m going to start doing product reviews on my blog.  Because I have a bunch of stuff that I’ve been thinking about that I want to tell you about and brag about to you and encourage you to have.  (Like a blender.  You should all really have a blender.  Between making applesauce, fruit leather and lots of smoothies and milkshakes…I been using my blender three times a day.  I highly recommend blenders.)  But seriously, I’m excited to start recommending other useful kitchen tools and homemaking helps.  If you have a product from your home business or etsy shop or whatever that you’d like me to review…email me!

Seventh, I could continue to be random and write about the little lego people on my steps just asking to be stepped on or something like that, but the crickets are distracting me.  And really…I should go start getting busy with those apples again.  Anyone have anything random to share?  Hopefully I’ll be able to hear your comment above the Cricket Sing Along…

Did you know I used to be a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator?  Yep, I used to sell rubber stamps and accessories like crazy.  About the time I was pregnant with Malachi and beginning to homeschool a little more heavily…I decided to give it up.  But, I still think it’s fun to stamp and make cards and I still have a ton of stamps.  A TON.

While I was cleaning out my guest room/office a while back…I came across a few brand new stamp sets from my saleslady days.  I just don’t need them.  Do you want them? 

I thought you might.  So I decided…let’s have a giveaway why don’t we?  Then, you and your family can sit down together this fall and create some wonderful cute cards and gifts to encourage others.  You wanna?

I’ve got two sets here to pick from. 

I’ll be randomly drawing two winners on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 5:00 pm Friday at noon, CST.  I’ll let the first person I draw pick out which stamp set she wants, then the second winner can have the remaining set.  Ooh, how fun! 

Leave a comment and tell me why you’d like to win these stamp sets.  What kind of ministry might you do with them?  How might you use them to spend time with your children? 

I think I’ll pull out some of my other stamp sets now and get busy.  Just looking at these makes me want to create something!

***Thank you all for participating!***

I have made a decision.   

I have decided that I’m not doing a very good job any more of keeping up with all of your email questions.  Or the questions you ask in your comments.  (Yeah, you’ve noticed that haven’t you?)  Well, sometimes I keep up with the questions, but I don’t keep up with my children too.  Or the dishes.  Or sleep…

KEEP THE QUESTIONS COMING!!!!!!  But I’m going to handle them a little differently!  Instead of trying to respond to each of the emails, I’ll put the questions into a folder and then pull them each out as soon as I can and feature them on the site.  Because many of you have similar questions…and even if you don’t, I bet you wouldn’t mind hearing how I’d answer anyway. 

If you’ve asked a question and I’ve never responded…so sorry.  I’m trying to get to you!!!  I really, really, REALLY love receiving email and comments from you!  You make my day!! 

So, keep the questions coming, and keep coming back here to check for your answer!!  And if I’m taking too long to answer, email me again. 

Ask me anything.  (Okay, except I don’t share my weight with anybody.)  (And I’ve already told you I’m 35, so that’s not exciting anymore.)  (I know, bummer, what else is there to ask?!)

I’ll bet you’ll think of something!

Ask away!!  laura @ heavenly homemakers dot com

Hope to hear from you soon!

And I’ve got an answer coming up ready to post really soon about weaning yourself away from couponing!!  See, I’m already on it! 

Announcing the winner of HeavenlyHomemakers new ebook “Fill ‘Em Up!” givaway…MaryBeth at Four Silly Sisters!  Congratulations MaryBeth!

And congratulations to the rest of you…because you can now purchase this great new ebook…filled with recipes and coordinating Bible lessons…for half price!  “Fill ‘Em Up!” will give you and your kids the wonderful experience of cooking together and discussing God’s word together…at the same time!  What fun!

The cost for “Fill ‘Em Up!” will normally be $6.50…but from now until Thursday night (Aug. 7), you can purchase it for only $3.25!!  Don’t miss out on this great deal!

AND…while you’re in the HeavenlyHomemakers Shop…be sure to check out all of our Kids Character Charts, which are 10% off until Thursday!  These charts have been a wonderful way to help us use scripture in the character training of our boys.  You should see their faces when we tell them something like, “Justus, you just helped Malachi and we didn’t even have to ask you to do it.  You’re really showing the fruit of the Spirit in your life.  Go upstairs and put a fruit on your tree!”  And his face would light up and he’d race upstairs to pick out a fruit for his tree knowing that Mama or Daddy had just caught him being like Jesus.  These charts have made a big difference in the lives of our boys.

Introducing a brand new Kids Character Chart (the one we’ll be using with our kids beginning this school year)!!!!  “Be Imitators” is a super fun new chart featuring none other than “taters” (potatoes!)…helping kids understand the importance of being an “Imi-tator” of God.  Read more about it and take a peak at it here…and be sure to look at all of the downloadable Kids Character Charts to see which one might fit your training needs the best!

AND…one more thing!  The Prayer Journal Kits are being discontinued.  There are only three left…so hurry, because once they’re gone, they’re gone! 

Okay…that was a lot of information…so let’s review!

Prayer Journal Kits being discontinued, only three left, hurry if you want one!

Kid Character Charts 10% off with a brand new one “Be Imitators!” to check out!

And…the new ebook, “Fill ‘Em Up!” is half off through Thursday! 

How exciting!  Enjoy your time cooking with and training your kids!

I have finished another e-book!!  This is actually the very first ebook I started writing (many, many months ago!)…then I put it on hold….and I’m excited to tell you that it is now FINISHED!!

I am so excited to be launching this ebook, called “Fill ‘Em Up!”

“Fill ‘Em Up!” is written for parents or teachers of children ages 4-18 (give or take!).

It contains seven recipes….and each recipe is accompanied by two Bible lessons (one suggested for use with children ages 4-10, the other suggested for use with children 11-18).

While you spend special time cooking and baking with your kids and filling their tummies…you also experience the joy of discussing God’s word together, which will fill their hearts with His wisdom.

Thus the name…”Fill ‘Em Up!” 

These tried and true recipe/lessons have worked well for families, as well as groups of children and teens.  What a fun way to study God’s word together!

To help you more fully understand what ”Fill ’Em Up!” is all about I am offering everyone a free download of the one of the lessons in this book!  Please feel free to download it here, read through it and try it out!  Let your friends, family and youth workers know about it! 

AND…sign up here to win the entire ebook!  Leave a comment letting me know how you would use this ebook…and on Friday at 5pm CST, I’ll let Random.org choose a winner. 

At that time…this ebook will be available in the HeavenlyHomemakers Shop for HALF OFF!  I’ll be sure to let you all know about the special sale! 

But for now…until Friday evening…sign up to win “Fill ‘Em Up!” and be sure to download the free ebook sample here!!!!!!!!!!!

Hurry!  The HeavenlyHomemakers new E-book Half Price sale ends tonight!!!!

Grab “Think Breakfast…Outside of the Box!” and “Have Your Fruits….and Veggies Too!” for either $2.97 each…or $5.00 for the package.  A GREAT deal!!

Don’t miss out!!

My friend Niki wrote a very nice blog post about my site today over at My Journey…

I wanted to make sure and tell you about it so that you could go over and sign up for the HEAVENLY HOMEMAKERS E-BOOK GIVEAWAY she’s having!!!! 

But also, I just can’t get over it because the write up about my site is just so, so nice. 

But anyway…go…GO…sign up to win a free Heavenly Homemakers E-book! 

The winner of our giveaway…and recipient of “Have Your Fruit…And Veggies Too!” and “Think Breakfast…Outside of the Box” is Jennifer H! Thanks SO much to everyone who signed up! What a fun week!

AND NOW…

Both of these books are available for purchase in the HeavenlyHomemakers Shop!!

And they are being offered for a CRAZY LOW introductory price!!

Now through Thursday, May 22…you can purchase these books for half price!

Each book will regularly sell for $5.95. Get them each now for only $2.97!!

OR…

Purchase them both as a package for only $5.00!!!! That’s WAY LESS than half price!!

Don’t miss out on this great deal!!

Have your Fruits…and Veggies Too! AND Think Breakfast…Outside of the Box! e-book package for only $5.00!!

Enjoy fabulous new breakfast ideas…and wonderful new ways to eat plenty of fruits and veggies…for only $5.00!!

Sale ends Thursday….HURRY!!