Thrift Schooling

We are not big cake people when it comes to birthdays around here. It's fun to make, the kids love blowing out the candles and the whole nine yards. It's just, it takes forever for the leftovers to be eaten in our house. Odd, I know. Cake just isn't our thing. So for the past few birthdays, we've tried some different approaches! For my birthday, the kids and my husband created a beautiful fruit cheesecake. Much more delectable than the standard box cakes!  For my three year old, we did  make cupcakes, but they were in ice-cream cones, so we had no problem gobbling those right up! My husband requested an apple pie, super easy and gone that evening!  when my son asked for a Pacman cake I kept looking around Pinterest for ideas. Some were elaborate, some simple. I chose to stick with the latter!  All I did for the above cake was take a sugar cookie recipe and cooked it as a large cookie, on a pizza pan. I doubled the cook time, and it turned out perfect! Then, ...

Every child has a dream. I love listening to the hopes, dreams and aspirations of my children as they dream big. Of course each day is different. One day it's the desire to travel to Australia and see a kangaroo. The next day it's the hope to work in a Lego factory! Keeping hope alive in the hearts of young children with serious medical conditions in the United States is what Make-A-Wish does each year thanks to the help of over 25,000 volunteers! Make-A-Wish has been turning dreams of young children who are fighting life threatening illnesses into a reality since 1980. Providing these dreams helps to give these children a renewed strength to be able to fight against the odds! Parents have even testified that experiences such as these help to strengthen the entire family! Over 226,000 wishes have come true thanks to those at Make-A-Wish!  This month, February 1- 28th, 2014 Purex brand will pay $.05 per bottle sold of their laundry detergent to Make-A-Wish for the first ...

Do you ever wash your clothes only to take them out of the dryer, fold them and go to put them away only to find out that they smell musty and unpleasant? Well, I just recently tried Purex Crystals in my laundry and was pleased with the results! The scent I received was Fresh Mountain Breeze and let me tell you, it was not overwhelmingly strong, just a hint of freshness! The crystals keep your linens, towels or baby clothes with a long-lasting freshness! It is a natural formula that is safe for your family and the environment. Located in the fabric softener aisle, this enhancer goes directly into your washer, top or front loader, with your clothes. It's not a tablet, or ball but simple crystals that look similar to bath salts. If you want to add an extra touch of freshness to each load, Purex has provided you with a great natural product! Try it out yourself!  Purex has provided Thrift Schooling with 3 coupons for me to give to you! Enter in the Rafflecopter form...

The Blacksmith Meet Noah.   "I live in Virginia on a small farmish piece of land with my wife and children. We are trying to live completely off this piece of God's creation. So we live here, grow our food here, teach our children here and now work here. The Items we create here are aesthetically pleasing and intentionally useful. A picture is nice but it is even better when it covers a hole in your wall. I enjoy reworking things considered worthless, making them beautiful and useful again!" ~ Noah V.   NV Able Items Noah creates all of his beautiful creations by hand, in his shop, located in Southwestern Virginia. Blacksmithing has always been a passion of his. Developing work from discarded materials continue to provide him with new challenges and a sense of adventure. Whether it's a knife made from an old railroad spike, or a rustic spoon from old rebar, Noah delights in making something beautiful, creative and useful, from old materials! ...

So what do you think? Like it? The new site that is. I know that if you've visited here in the past you might have wondered for a minute if you were even in the right place. I'm still Thrift Schooling, just trying a new look for the time being! When you first entered the site since the "remodel," you probably saw the screen asking you if you'd like to subscribe. Please do! If you haven't already, there is a place to do so on the upper right sidebar. I appreciate my subscribers and would love it if you'd join. So my giveaway page has been awfully quiet recently, but that is about to change. Two region specific giveaways are listed now if you want to check that out, and more are in the works! Tomorrow, I'll be giving away an Etsy item valued at $100 and some laundry coupons are coming up within the week! Feel free to check back often over the next week or so. And, on Monday, the winner of my Lego Kidsfest giveaway will be announced! That's all th...

 ENTER TO WIN  A FAMILY FOUR PASS TO SAHARA SAM'S OASIS!!! Sahara Sam's is making a splash with families in West Berlin, NJ! Offering state of the art indoor and outdoor water and ropes course activities, the whole family will have a blast throughout your visit! Read My Review  HERE ! a Rafflecopter giveaway Saraha Sam's has recently announced  a brand new theme park opening soon....  Diggerland !!! Ride in the bucket of a tractor, dig with a real, full sized excavator, fun for everyone!

This question may have an obvious answer. Yes, of course my resources line up with my vision! But sometimes the agenda of the world can creep into our lives without us even knowing it. Which I think is why so many youth that are raised in good, Christian homes end up turning from the faith as soon as they move out on their own. What went wrong? We all have a vision or reason to why we homeschool. We all have specific morals, attitudes, principles and beliefs about themselves and the world around them that we hope to instill in their little hearts. But we can teach, and teach and teach, to no avail if we allow the little foxes to come in and spoil the vines! The best way to ensure that our vision is made clear is to be aggressive and proactive about what we allow to enter our home and come into the hearts and minds of our children. Then, when we go out and about participating in the activities outside the home, it will be clear and concise as to what is clearly expect...