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Big news in Mom Blogging circles lately is this announcement.

In February 2009, new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) take effect.  more here

Now while we are still waiting on updates, it has been stated that at least all items manufactured prior to Feb 2009 will be exempt. The new law is intended to reduce lead levels in children’s items. It was thought at first that it would close all used clothing and consignment shops including Goodwill and those like it.

Now we are waiting to hear about Book Publishers. If not changed this would put small publishers out of business.

I will keep you posted on what I hear but you can also keep your eyes on it here. CPSC which is the same place you check for recalls.

We finally have  a voice!

I ordered something online a couple weeks ago for my son that should have been here a few days ago. I have been calling my post office daily waiting for it’s arrival, and finally today was the last day of the allotted days for it’s expected delivery. But it still wasn’t  here. So I called the company …. and got the run around. Then I called back and got a supervisor and got more run around AND he wouldn’t tell me his name.  I finally told him, ” I am an unhappy customer and you can make me happy or I will tell everyone about it.”  No response.  I also asked for his supervisor, he said he couldn’t give me that info, then I asked for the owner of the company’s name and he wouldn’t tell me that either, I reminded him it would take me about 10 minutes to find it. No response. According to his information I could expet my package a full 22 days after I placed my order, for an in stock item that was supposed be shipped within 24 hours and that I had gotten a confirmation email for that said it WAS shipped on Dec 26th,  from New Jersey.

Are you catching my frustration?

So I tracked down the CEO’s name and # and left a voice mail telling him that I was a preachers wife from TN and probably what they considered a “little person” to them, but that it is the “little people” that keep consumerism alive and well in America and that I was going him a reasonable time to get back to me and make this right or I was gonna talk, by way of socal media.

Boy did that work. They called back, admitted their service was unacceptable and bent over backwards to make me happy. And it because of that I am not telling you their name.

Go God! Go Twitter!

By the way that is biblical, always go directly to the one who has wronged you and give them the opportunity to make it right before going public.

Us Momma’s have a VOICE! Did you know that I think it is 90% of purchases in America are made by women? I don’t remember where I read that statistic, but it was recent, if anybody knows tell me and I will state it here.

These are of course not the Pearly Gates of Heaven, but that is what they reminded me of when I saw them all lit up, they are at least 12 feet high.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

When you enter his gates are you going to be singing His praises? Or are you afraid it will be only to hear, “depart from me?”

Spend a little time getting to know HIM.

See more Word Filled pictures at The 160 Acre Woods

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according to my Wordless Wednesday picture, it looks like someone around here has sticky fingers

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So, what Works For Me This Wednesday? I despise dirty showers, and especially soap scum, and it is even worse in a fiberglass shower or tub. Hubby and I have gone round and round with this problem for 20 something years. He likes bar soap, I like anything that does not leave soap scum. Well, it must have been a divine thought, about a month ago, I remembered thinking that Ivory Soap didn’t leave soap scum. And it doesn’t! Easy clean shower! Now that works for me.

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My Tackle it Tuesday, and lately monday and wednesday and thursday and every other day project is to understand the ins and outs of proper bogging. You can teach an old dog new tricks but it sure does take a little longer. When I started blogging it was really just an easy place to write. I have always written in small chunks much easier than big chunks. If the goal was attainable before somebody’s next “need” I could do it. So writing in bite sized posts works well for me. But now that folks are actually reading along I figured it was time to learn what I was doing. I found out that as far as structuring things I have made lots of mistakes. I knew how to put together web pages long ago and can do that fine but blogging is a whole different thing. It makes a difference how your post titles are laid out, it makes a difference if they do or do not have dates, it makes a difference that my blog used be addressed with a www. it makes a difference that I don’t focus on one particular direction but include so many categories. All those and about a thousand other things make a difference if I want to do things right. To the average person sitting at a computer I am very easy to find online. But as far as order that google likes things in, I am a mess. Not that it matters eternally but hey as long as we are here we might as well do a job right . So I have been studying, and studying, and studying. And I would love to share some of the sites I have learned a TON from. In no particular order these are probably the best, Problogger.com, DailyBlogtips.com and BloggingBasics101.com . There are lots of other great ones, but these offer lots of info that is easily understood and are clean. I have a three strike policy on yucky words, and some days I am less tolerant, I for one do not think an unclean mouth is necessary, ever, period. So, today I have been reading about Google’s webmaster tools. Boy do I feel dumb. Some days I can grasp anything and some days I can just not get it at all.

Dining On A Dime

Here we go.  How would you like to win this book, Dining On A Dime, the print version?

My friend Tawra Kellam is known as the all time queen of frugality. Her books give you tips you never thought of and she was quite a help when we were planning my daughters wedding last year. Her mom, Jill Cooper writes with her, and they are a wealth of information. So, as a warm up for the Big Bloggy Giveaway Week we will be having Jan 26-30 we are going to give away 1 of these books. But it will only last until tomorrow night, I am encouraging you to move fast here. The early bird gets the worm you know .  This is also good practice for all the giveaways Jan 26-30 since I run all mine contests pretty much the same.  Winner will be announced Friday morning.

Tawra and Jill are also having an incredible sale, that ends tomorrow, take a look.

Ok here goes, with this contest, sorry but this one goes to a US address only.

1. visit the site here, come back in a comment and tell me your favorite item from that site.
2. if you share about the contest on your blog come back and leave another comment telling me you shared and the url.
3. you may comment again for another entry if you subscribe to my feed
4. you may comment again for another entry if you use the “share this” link and tell me where you shared
5. you may comment again  for another entry if you follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/pennyraine
6. you may comment again for another entry if you add me as a friend on facebook, Penny Raine
7. you may comment again for another entry  if you add my button to your blog and link it to my blog, you may use this code    

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 If you follow through with numbers 3-7 you will already be ready for the Big Bloggy Giveaway at the end of the month!

And….. here are two more places having a contest to win the same great book! Yes you can enter there too .

http://quiverfullfamily.com

http://pawpawhollerhome.com

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for those of you that get the feed that usually is emailed a little after 9, I just wanted you to know I have lots coming up today including a very short spontaneous give away, so stay posted throughout the day, and I will also tell you what I have been up to this morning

Well, it has been a few days of 2009 here. 5 to be exact. Long enough to consider and ponder. What are my plans personally? Well I have several different areas in my life and each has different plans. But overall it all boils down to te same thing. Live, love, and bask in the goodness of God. But for the sake of order, and God loves order, I will attempt to put things in a readable list.

1. Spend more time loving my children and cherishing each moment with them.
2. Write things in a more thought out way, or reorganize after I ramble.
3. Organize my life more from my prayer closet.
4. Be slower to speak even when it is coming from God.
5. Put the behind the scenes of my blogs in order.
6. Learn more.
7. Overcome this extra weight with prayer.
8. Write the book on parenting that the Lord put on my heart years ago that I have been putting off until at last one of my children was grown. It is time.
9. Enjoy sitting still holding my grandchild, I have a hard time sitting still.
10. Learning to sit still.

Hmmm, what are your goals? Thoughts? Plans? Is God in the center of it all.

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 My Simple Woman’s Daybook For Today… Jan 5, 2009

good morning dear April!

 Outside my Window…  it is foggy, and peaceful

I am thinking… about life

I am thankful for… my children, my home

From the kitchen… I smell pancakes cooking, probably with fresh butter and blackberry syrup

From the learning rooms… I need to replace the cdrom on one of the school computers

I am wearing…  cozy jammies
I am reading…  lots of sites about blogging, time to get my act together, more on Tuesday
I am hoping… to find a treadmill for free

I am hearing…  daughters talking
I am creating…  a legacy for my children
Around the house… things have been quiet but are now moving

One of my favorite things… my life
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…  lots of plans, planning a baby shower for my daughter, planning to get my blogs in order, planning some giveaways, plan to exercise, plans to plan

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…  how is this for a hungry crowd waitng to be fed? and this is only half of them.

hungry horses