Seed Starting Giveaway

Last year I teamed up with Plantation Products to bring my readers a giveaway, and I'm thrilled to say that we are once again partnering up this year! Today I am happy to host a wonderful seed starting giveaway featuring items from their NK Lawn & Garden line of products. One lucky reader will win a 7 pot seed starter kit and ten packets of seeds!

I was provided with a seed starter kit and seed packets for review purposes, so over the weekend I got to planting some asparagus and pepper seeds. What I really like about the seed starter pots is how much room there is for each plant to grow. The individual pots encourage root growth and since they are made of all natural fiber, the pots can be planted right into the ground once the seedlings are ready to go outside.

The best thing about the seeds, in my opinion, is how they are foil packed and hermetically sealed for freshness. This keeps the seeds viable and allows for higher germination rates because the seeds are less impacted by changes in temperature and humidity during storage.

I also appreciated how much information is provided on each seed packet. I could easily see how many plants I can expect to grow from one packet, and get detailed instructions on how and when to plant in my area. I found this so helpful since I am still fairly new to gardening and at times unsure of what conditions each individual plant needs to grow and thrive.

Gardening items from Plantation Products can be found at major retailers like Walmart and Lowe's in the lawn & garden section. Next time you're shopping, I would highly recommend stopping by the garden section to browse the available products from Plantation Products. Let me know if you pick up some of their items!

I think it is also important to note that Plantation Products does not sell any GMO seeds. You can read their GMO policy here for more information.

To enter the giveaway for one 7 pot seed starter kit and ten packets of hermetically sealed seeds as shown above, use the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway open to US residents only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Tammy

Moonshine Sweet Tea Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Moonshine Sweet Tea to see if I'd like to give their black tea concentrate a try. I had entered a giveaway for their product on another blog and didn't win, so I was really excited to try out their tea and also give a free 33-ounce bottle away to one of my readers!

photo courtesy of Moonshine Sweet Tea

When I first learned about their product, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a tea concentrate. Their tea is brewed so strong that only 2 tablespoons per 8 ounces of water results in a glass of delicious sweet tea! I grew up on sweet tea and still make it all the time, so I know what good sweet tea tastes like. And this stuff is good! It's so handy to be able to make a glass of tea quickly when I don't want to take the extra time to brew and sweeten the tea myself.

Moonshine Sweet Tea is based in Austin, TX where they brew the tea one batch at a time with the same recipe as their founder, Leo, used when he started making the tea back in 1940. The tea only has three all natural ingredients - black tea, water, and pure cane sugar. Nothing artificial here!

Leo, the founder

Moonshine Sweet Tea products can be found at any Whole Foods store in Texas. For those of us not in Texas, their tea is for sale on Amazon here.

I enjoyed their tea so much, and once the tea was gone I found another use for their bottle. I'm always trying to repurpose items whenever I can, so I used my bottle as a bud vase for some pretty flowers. The label and typography is so cute that I couldn't throw out the bottle!

To enter the giveaway for your chance at winning a sample of Moonshine Sweet Tea concentrate, use the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents! The giveaway ends this Friday. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
~Tammy

Disclaimer: I was given a free sample of tea, but no other compensation was received. All opinions stated are my own. 

Fresh Eggs Daily Book Review AND Giveaway!

If you follow any chicken themed blogs, chances are you've heard of and visited Fresh Eggs Daily written by Lisa Steele. Lisa focuses her posts on natural methods to keep your chickens healthy and happy, and has become quite the expert on the topic. So much so, that she wrote a book about it!

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Lisa's book to review and I am so excited to tell you about it. Just as the title suggests, the book is about raising happy, healthy chickens naturally. In her years of keeping chickens, Lisa has discovered that herbs, greens, and flowers play a very important role in maintaining chickens' health. Over the past several years, I have been more interested in preventive care and treatment for myself using natural remedies like herbs, so it only makes sense that I would extend this to my chickens as well!

Fresh Eggs Daily is very well written and easy to read, with loads of beautiful photos that Lisa took herself. The book is organized to take you through how to use herbs in your chicken coop (I can't wait to try out the lavender mint coop refresh spray!) and also how to feed herbs to your chickens. Lisa guides you through the summer and winter months to show how to be sure your chickens stay healthy with the changing weather.

I appreciated the section in the appendix with a long list of the health benefits of common herbs, weeds, and flowers. One list is organized by plant name, and another list is organized by the benefit provided. This way I know exactly what to reach for when I notice a specific problem. So handy!

I believe this book is essential for any chicken keeper. Like the old saying goes - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you can head off potential sickness in your flock using common herbs and greens, why not give it a shot? It's much better than treating with harsh medications after a problem creeps up.

I would encourage all the chicken keepers out there to get their own copy of Lisa's book right now! You can purchase the book on Amazon by clicking here.

Lisa has also generously provided a copy of her book for one of my readers. For your chance to win a free copy of Fresh Eggs Daily, enter using the widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
In addition to my giveaway, many other bloggers are participating in a virtual book tour with more chances for you to win a copy of the book. Visit all the other stops along the Fresh Eggs Daily Blog Tour to read some more great reviews and to enter to win a copy!

Week One

October 14th
Louise's Country Closet & Natural Chicken Keeping

October 15th
Farmhouse38

October 16th
The Nerdy Farmwife & Lessons Learned from the Flock

October 17th
Colored Egg Homestead & Our Neck Of the Woods

October 18th
Let This Mind Be in You & Sunny Simple Life

Week Two

October 21st

1840 Farm

October 22nd

Timber Creek Farm & The Land of the Sweets

October 23rd

Happy Days Farm & Fresh From Home

October 24th

The (Mis)Adventures of a Born Again Farm Girl

October 25th

The Anderson Family Farm Project

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Fresh Eggs Daily for review. No other compensation was received and all opinions stated are my own.

Etsy Shop Grand Opening & Giveaway!

I am very happy to announce that I have created an Etsy shop to sell my prints online! I have really been getting into photography over the last year since venturing into the world of DSLR cameras, and it is now one of my favorite hobbies. I love to take photos of anything and everything around our homestead, but my favorite subjects are animals (if you've been keeping up with this blog, you probably already know that!). I've received positive feedback on my photos, so I thought I would give the option for others to purchase prints of my favorite shots.

To celebrate my shop's grand opening, I'd like to give away one 5x7" print to a reader (open to residents of the US and Canada). To enter, all you have to do is visit my shop here and leave a comment below, letting me know which photo you would like if you win the giveaway. The drawing will be open until midnight CST next Wednesday, August 14. I will contact the winner via email so please be sure to leave your contact information in your comment (if you'd like to enter without posting your email publicly in a comment, feel free to enter by sending me an email at tdbarani@yahoo.com).

I will also be giving away one 5x7" print on my Facebook page, so if you'd like another chance to win head over there and comment on my giveaway post. You can find the Facebook page here.

Good luck and thanks so much for your support!

~Tammy

PS - Don't forget today is another installment of the Homemade Living series I'm participating in with five other bloggers. Meg, Staci, and Amber are up today sharing their posts. Next week I will share a post for the series along with Daisy and Mary.

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED***** The winner is Heather. Thanks to everyone for entering!

Perennial Seed Giveaway

Earlier this spring, we teamed up with Plantation Products to give away some seed starter kits and I am thrilled to say that they have provided me with another starter kit along with some awesome perennial seeds to give away!

Included in the prize package is one Jiffy seed starter tray with 25 peat pellets, one set of plant labels with a Ferry-Morse marking pen, and six packets of Lilly Miller perennial flower seeds. The Lilly Miller brand, established in 1885, is a subcategory of Ferry-Morse Seeds and is a proven premium line guaranteed to grow. The products are mostly carried in stores west of the Mississippi for the home gardener, but no matter where you live you can go to the Lilly Miller website here, type in your zip code, and all the vendors in your area that carry Lilly Miller products will be displayed.

My favorite thing about the Lilly Miller seeds is the one-of-a-kind illustration on each packet. They are all so beautiful! I also love the fact that they are perennial seeds. As long as you get them started and in the ground by late summer this year, they should come in wonderfully for you next summer and every year thereafter. We've really come to love perennials and I can't wait to add more to my own garden!

Entry Rules
To enter the perennial seed giveaway, please head over to Ferry-Morse's Facebook page here and give them a like (if you're not following my page on Facebook yet, feel free to click here and give me a like as well).  Leave a comment below to let me know you'd like to be entered in the drawing (US residents only). Don't forget to leave your contact information so I can get a hold of you if you are a winner.

Plantation Products was kind enough to send me two sets of perennial seed packets, so in addition to the grand prize winner, a runner-up will also receive six seed packets! I will use the random number generator to pick the winners at 11:59pm Central Time on Thursday, June 27th and will announce them here on Friday the 28th. You have two chances to win, so go ahead and comment below to let me know you want to be entered into the drawing. Good luck!

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****
1st winner - Amanda from Wildly Simple 
2nd winner - Misty

~Tammy

Disclaimer: I was provided with the items for the giveaway, but no other compensation was received for this post.

Feathered Friend Friday: A Broody Hen

Earlier this week, I went out to the coop one evening to gather eggs and let the chickens out to free range for a while. When I was checking for eggs, I saw that one of our hens (Ellie, our light Brahma) was sitting in a nesting box. I immediately thought she might be broody, because she always lays her eggs in the morning, so it seemed strange that she would still be in a nesting box when it was in the evening.

My suspicions were confirmed when I approached the box and this happened.

Broodiness is a very strange thing, and one the hen has no say over. Every so often, forces beyond her control will compel a hen to sit on a clutch of eggs and hatch them out. She becomes very protective of her brood and will scream and bite if you come near her babies. This is just instinct of course, and I'm not mad at her for biting the crap out of my hand. She's just doing what any good mama would do.

As you may remember, we currently have five baby chicks inside the house right now, but we have decided to go ahead and let Ellie hatch out some of her eggs. We put several more eggs under her to get a good mix of chicks and give her a better chance of hatching some out successfully. It's clear how much she wants to be a mama, and I just can't bring myself to crush her dream again (she went broody last year and I broke her of it because we didn't want chicks at the time - it took her forever to forgive me!). So we will keep you updated as things progress, and hopefully in several weeks we will have some mama and baby photos to show you.

I also have an awesome giveaway for you today! My sweet friend Jackie from Born Ambitious. Born Imaginative. recently sent me two of her cute handmade drawstring bags. I mentioned in her post about the bags a few weeks back that I loved the ones with chickens stitched on the front (go figure) and she graciously sent me one to keep for myself, and one to give away to a lucky reader!

This is the bag you will receive (as modeled by Penelope). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to let me know you'd like to be entered into the drawing. US residents only please. I will pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 7 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be announced next Wednesday the 8th.

Head over to Jackie's blog for more details on her handmade bags and see how you can order some of your own. She has a stockpile going right now with lots of fun designs so you're sure to find something you love. Check it out here and look around her blog a bit while you're there. The photos of her adorable kids will grab your attention and her delicious food will make you want to stick around and come back for more. If it's your first time paying her a visit, let her know I sent you! She'd be so thrilled to meet you.

~Tammy

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****

The winner is...
Staci from Life At Cobble Hill Farm. Congrats, Staci!

Shared with From The Farm Blog Hop 

And The Winners Are...

A big congratulations to the two winners of my seed starting giveaway -

#1 Tomato Starter - Meredith at ImaginAcres
#2 Tomato & Basil Starter - Alicia at Eco Friendly Homemaking

Thanks to everyone for entering! Next time you plan to start seeds, don't forget to pick up some peat pellets to make it easier :)

~Tammy

Seed Starting Giveaway!

For the past few years now, David and I have really been getting into starting our own seeds. It can be expensive to buy seedlings, and we wanted to know where our seeds were coming from, so we decided to start as many of our own seeds as possible. There are different ways to start your seeds indoors, and we've found that the best method for us is to use peat pellets. A few years back we bought a set of pellets with a "greenhouse" to start our tomato seeds, and we have been getting refill pellets every year because it is such an easy and hassle-free way to get our plants going.

First of all, you cover the pellets in water until they soak up all the moisture and expand. Then you can plant your seeds and place the lid on the greenhouse to allow the seeds to germinate. Once the seeds begin to sprout, take the cover off and put the seedlings near a bright window or under a light (14-16 hours a day is recommended) and wait patiently until it is time to harden them off. We already started our tomato seeds for the year and have been rewarded with some beautiful new seedlings!

We have found peat pellets to be especially useful over the years, so I thought I would share this seed starting method with you and give you the chance to win some pellets for yourself! The nice folks over at Plantation Products have generously provided me with enough items to give away to two lucky readers.

The first winner will get a greenhouse seed starting kit along with 2 packets of tomato seeds, 1 roll of jute twine, and 1 set of garden markers. A second winner will receive a greenhouse starting kit, 2 packets of tomato seeds, 1 packet of basil seeds, and a set of garden markers.

To enter, simply leave a comment below (US residents only - sorry to my readers outside of the states!) and let me know if you've ever started your own seeds indoors. Please also include an email address so I can get your shipping information in case you are one of the winners. I will pick two comments at random this Wednesday, April 17th, at 11:59pm Central Time, and will announce the winners on Thursday.

Good luck!

~Tammy

Shared with The Backyard Farming Connection Hop 

* I was provided with these items to give away to my readers, but received no other form of compensation for this post.

Once Upon a Flock: Review and Giveaway!

I have been following Lauren Scheuer's blog Scratch and Peck for a while now, and have always adored her posts featuring charming illustrations of her flock of chickens. I was so excited when I heard the news that she would be publishing a chicken memoir complete with her own photos and illustrations! I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Much to my delight, Lauren reached out to me asking if I'd like to receive an advance copy and host a giveaway on my blog for her new book. I jumped at the opportunity!

Once I received my copy in the mail, I dove right in. Immediately I knew Lauren and I were kindred spirits. Her love and dedication to her chickens is apparent from the very beginning, especially when she writes about her dear hen, Lucy, who is afflicted with a neurological disease and needs special care. When Lucy eventually has the desire to become a mother, Lauren goes above and beyond to make that dream come true for her sweet hen, even when things don't go exactly as planned.

I loved the story of Lauren's cute terrier, Marky, and how he learned to watch over the chickens and keep them safe from predators. I've learned myself with our dog, Duchess, that chicken guardian dogs are worth their weight in gold!

Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down and finished in a couple days. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I loved it so much that I told David he had to read it. He was off school one day last week so he picked up the book and finished it off in just a few hours! He told his grandma about the book and she wanted to read it as well, and she also read it in the course of an afternoon and really enjoyed it.

If you keep and love chickens you will definitely find a little bit of your story in Lauren's book, and if you don't keep chickens, you will be delighted and intrigued and probably be convinced to get a flock of your own. Chicken owner or not, you will love this charming tale of Lauren and her flock of chickens.

If you'd like the chance to win a copy of Once Upon a Flock, simply leave a comment below. I will pick one winner at random at 11:59 pm central time on Friday, March 22. US residents only. If you can't wait to read the book, you're in luck because today is the official release date! You can find it wherever books are sold. Get your copy today!

~Tammy

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made and the opinions are my own.


*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****

The winners are...


smallfarminwoods and OSOTM! smallfarminwoods - please email your full name and mailing address to me at tdbarani@yahoo.com so we can send your copy out to you. Congratulations and thank you to everyone for entering this awesome giveaway.

Eco Natural Soap Review & GIVEAWAY!

I was recently contacted by Alicia Hicks with Eco Natural Soap asking if I'd like to do a review and giveaway of some of their products. I hadn't heard of their company before, so I immediately went to their website to check it out. I was amazed at the selection and happy to see the tag line "Products made with pure, natural organics."

For the past few years, I have been trying to transition our body and home care items away from those full of chemicals to natural, organic options, so I was thrilled to try out several items from the shop. Alicia generously sent me two bars of soap, a lip balm, a facial balm, and a body balm.

That night when I received the package in the mail, I used the facial hydration bar to wash my face before bed. I have been using bar soap on my face for a while now, and find most to be quite drying. I was overjoyed after using the bar because my face felt so hydrated and smooth. I followed up with the facial hydration balm which made my skin feel even more fabulous. The balm is so concentrated that only a pea-sized amount is needed for the entire face. At this rate, my container will last forever!

The following morning I used the spearmint lavender bath & body bar in the shower and all I can say is WOW! The scent was so invigorating and pleasant. I used a loofah along with the soap which produced a thick, luscious lather. I truly felt like I was at a spa!

My hands have been really dry lately with the cold winter weather, but the dry skin balm totally cleared that up. I just rubbed a very small amount on my hands and my dryness totally disappeared. It left my hands feeling so smooth and supple with no greasy feeling whatsoever. And the citrus sunrise scent was totally intoxicating; it smelled like I had just zested a whole bag of fresh lemons!

I have been using the organic lip balm nonstop since receiving it. I love how rich and hydrating the balm feels. I haven't had to worry about dry, chapped lips ever since (David has been using it as well!).

Eco Natural Soap is generously gifting one of my readers their choice of any two bars of soap, one body balm, and one lip balm (US residents only). All you have to do is visit their website  at http://econaturalsoap.com/, choose which items you love the most, and let me know in a comment below.

If you are a follower of my blog, let me know in a separate comment for another entry, and if you like Eco Natural Soap on Facebook (go here and be sure to let them know I sent you) tell me in another comment for an additional entry. That's up to three entries per person! Please make sure to include a valid email address in your comment(s) so I can contact you if you are the winner. Giveaway ends on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be chosen at random via random.org and I will announce the winner on Saturday, January 26th.

Just in case you can't wait to purchase some of their items, Alicia has graciously offered all of my readers a 15% discount on any and all of their products with no restrictions and no minimum purchase. Simply enter coupon code tam150125 at checkout to receive the discount. You may use the discount code as often as you like until the end of the day on Friday, January 25th, 2013. 

Good luck!!!

~Tammy

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED***** Winner is Jessica Lane from Barefoot By The Sea!

Shared with Katherine's Corner 

*Disclaimer: The products photographed and listed above were provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions stated herein are my own.