Gift Giving

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Winners of the Torani Flavored Syrups!

    I decided to have the girls each draw a name for this giveaway so there are TWO Winners of the Torani Flavored Syrup Giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to Lynette

    and

    CONGRATULATIONS to Renelle

    for winning a

    FREE Bottle of Torani Flavored Syrup!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway

    Enjoy Your Next Cup of Coffee!

    An email will been sent to the winners with more information on how to claim your prize.*  A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Torani for teaming up with Blessings Multiplied to do this giveaway!  Don’t forget to enter our CVS Gift Card Giveaway this month as well!

    *Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced.  Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.

  • Review & Giveaway: Torani Flavored Syrups

    As the weather gets cooler you may enjoy a hot cup of coffee to help jump start you on a crisp morning even more or a cup of hot chocolate by the fire with the family as you relax together on a cold evening.  Of course you may be in an area that is warm and would rather grab a smoothie or an iced coffee.  The secret ingredient behind those amazing coffee shop drinks that you and I enjoy so much in the syrups they use to flavor them.  Torani flavored syrups are made in the USA and are used at restaurants and coffeehouses in more than 40 countries around the world.   The best part is you can get these amazing flavored syrups and make your favorite drinks at home!

    I was thrilled to hear that SheSpeaks teamed up with Torani and they were sending me some Torani Flavored Syrups to try!  I received the Salted Caramel and Peppermint flavored syrups.   They are AMAZING!  I have been having fun trying out a variety of fun recipes both Torani’s Recipes and ones that I have come up with myself.   Torani offers over 120 Regular and Sugar Free Flavored Syrups which are the perfect compliment to your favorite Coffee, Espresso, Hot Chocolate, Lattes, Smoothies, Teas, and many other drinks you enjoy.  I have even used Torani Flavored Syrups in a few recipes while I was baking and they turned out delicious!  Our favorite baked goods were Torani Salted Caramel Syrup in our Banana Bread and Torani Peppermint Syrup in our Brownies!   Torani Flavored Syrups will add an extra special touch to your next party celebration!

    The Salted Caramel and Peppermint Syrups were awesome!

    • Flavored Coffees / Espresso Drinks
    • Italian Sodas
    • Flavored Tea, both hot and cold
    • Flavored Lemonade
    • Flavored Sodas (or Pop as we say in the Midwest!)
    • Cocktails
    • Mocktails
    • Flavored Energy Drinks

    Our family tried a variety of delicious recipes with our Torani Flavored Syrups!  The ones from Torani’s recipes are awesome so if your interested in getting started that’s a great resource.  Here are two recipes that I came up with that were raving hits with our family:

    Delicious Holiday Hot Chocolate!

    Rich Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe

    • 1/2 cup Mom’s Hot Chocolate Mix
    • 1 cup Milk
    • 1/2 tablespoon Torani Peppermint Flavored Syrup
    • Cool Whip
    • Crushed Mint Candies
    1. Heat the milk to near boiling, add the Hot Chocolate Mix, Torani’s Peppermint Syrup and stir until blended.  You can add more Torani Peppermint syrup if you want a stronger peppermint flavor.
    2. Pour the Rich Peppermint Hot Chocolate into mugs.
    3. Top with cool whip and crushed candies.

    It is a perfect blend of chocolate and peppermint for those cool evenings.  The girls loved having this as a special treat and it was great for a relaxing evening with family and friends!  I look forward to serving it even more as the Holidays approach.

    Delicious “pick-me-up” Smoothie!

    Salted Caramel & Chocolate Coffee Smoothie Recipe

    • 1 cup Milk
    • 1/2 cup Coffee (cooled)
    • 1/2 tablespoon Torani’s Salted Caramel Syrup
    • 1 tablespoon Chocolate Syrup
    • 1/2 cup Ice
    • Coop Whip (optional)
    1. Put the Milk, Coffee, Salted Caramel Syrup, Chocolate Syrup, and ice in the blender and mix until smooth.  You can add more Torani Salted Caramel syrup if you want a stronger caramel flavor.  Pour into a cup, add cool whip, and enjoy!

    This was an awesome recipe for an early morning or mid afternoon pick me up, plus it allows you to use up that extra coffee still left in the coffee pot that no one finished that morning!  Since we live in South Carolina we still have some warmer days so we were able to try a mix of hot and cold recipes with our Torani Peppermint and Salted Caramel syrups.  Salted Caramel syrup was my favorite because it blended well with any hot beverage or cool smoothie.

    A great Christmas or Hostess Gift!

    Not only are Torani Flavored Syrups a wonderful addition to your pantry they are the perfect gift to give family and friends for birthdays, Holidays or any other special occasion.  Torani Flavored Syrups make the perfect hostess gift for all those fun Holiday parties coming up.  I love that that Torani Flavored Syrups are both tasty and practical for my family and to share with others.  Torani gives your drinks that extra authentic coffee house flavor that you can make in your own kitchen so you don’t have to pay full price at your local coffee house.

    SheSpeaksbutton

    As a special treat from SheSpeaks and Torani if you order from the link on the left you can get 10% off your order!

    • Click on the picture above (it takes you to Torani’s website)
    • Order the Torani Flavored Syrups of your choice
    • At checkout enter the code shespeaks for a 10% discount

     

    Torani Flavored Syrups can be found at many retail locations or online.  Torani Favored Syrups are available at select:

    Torani has many flavor syrups available to choose from.  I am looking forward to trying more soon, trying to decide which one is next (White Chocolate, Eggnog, Pumpkin Pie, Raspberry).  You can check out more reviews on the Torani Syrup Flavors to get an idea of what everyone else is enjoying!

    Giveaway

    As a way to say thank you to my readers and to share a taste of the Torani Flavored Syrups with you I am doing a 48 hour giveaway!

    The winner of this giveaway will receive a FREE Bottle of Torani Flavored Syrup!  I will be sending the winner a coupon for a free bottle of Torani Flavored Syrup so he/she can pick out their favorite flavor to try or use it to buy a gift for a family member for the Holidays!  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  You can sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite flavored drinks!

    All comments must be made by November 16th at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.

    Make sure to follow Torani on Facebook and Twitter using #SSTorani hashtag to learn more about Torani and become eligible for more prizes.  To learn more information about how SheSpeaks works and get involved sign up for free today.

    As a member of the SheSpeaks Blogger Society, I was given samples of this product to write an informed review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.  I was not paid to write this post.  A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Torani for providing the samples to review and the coupons for the giveaway!

  • Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

    One box ready to be opened by a girl and another one for boy!

    Every year our family and our church participates in the Operation Christmas Child.  Our church collects items for Operation Christmas Child throughout the year.  Each month they have an item or two that they request donations for and in late October they have a big Operation Christmas Child Packing Party.  The girls enjoy donating items throughout the year but they really look forward to packing the actual boxes.  We were not able to go to the church’s big packing party (the girls were very disappointed) but we were able to have a packing party at home. We had so much fun doing it I totally forgot to take pictures of the process!  I was simply amazed at how many items we were able to get into the boxes.  Our kitchen table was full of goodies and we were able to get almost everything into the boxes.  The children getting these boxes will be very surprised at all the fun stuff the girls included.

    How did we do it?

    • We collected items throughout the year to put in our Operation Christmas Child Goody Box (toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, toys, trinkets, notebooks, books, socks, shirt, sunglasses, crafts, etc…)
    • Once our OCC Goody Box was full we donated any extra items to our church’s packing party
    • Throughout the year during the girls devotions we talked about helping others, Operation Christmas Child, and prayed for the children who would receive their boxes.
    • The girls saved some of their money to purchase a few specific gifts for their child
    • We prayed for the kids who would receive their boxes and went to the store to pick out items for them.
    • We set all the gifts out on the kitchen table and packed as many gifts and treats that would fit into the boxes (the boxes barely closed with all the items).
    • The girls proudly carried their boxes into church so they could be sent to their kids.
    • We are continuing to pray for the girl and boy who will receive their boxes in the next few weeks.

    Brina picked out items for a little girl and Karlie picked out items for a little boy.   This activity provided many great opportunities to show the girls what it is like to give to others, pray for people who we will probably never meet, to share, and many other learning moments.  The girls enjoyed donating to the church’s packing party throughout the year and it gave us an chance to discuss giving each time we donated items.

    They love putting together their individual child boxes.  I am amazed at how much thoughtfulness they put into each item they pick out for their kid.  Even though we may never know the full impact their gift has on the recipient it is a true blessing to see them desiring to give generously to others without any expectation of getting anything in return.  I pray that Operation Christmas Child will be a blessing to many children this Christmas Season and for many years to come.

  • Compassion International: “One Meal One Day” Event on November 9, 2011

    On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 Compassion International holds an event called One Meal One Day.  Skip a Meal and Change Your World.  Have you ever gone a full day without any food because you have nothing to eat?  There are people all over the world who are go  hungry every day and this is a great opportunity for us to help.

    What To Do?

    • Step 1:  Skip 1 meal on November 9, 2011 and donate the money you would typically spend on a meal (or more)
    • Step 2:  Engage Others – encourage others to participate in the event with you (both before the event day and the day of the event) by going without lunch and donating to help others around the world.
    • Step 3:  Feed Hungry Children – Compassion International uses your donation to feed children and train parents on the benefits of a healthy nutrition.

    Why Should I Do It?

    • You get to help others in a tangible way (food for those without any), plus you may have an chance to show the love Jesus with those around you.
    • Youth, parents, and people around the nation are experiencing what it feels like to be hungry and sharing the challenge with their churches, passing out empty paper bags at school, and inviting their friends to skip one meal and give $5.
    • When friends, family, or co-workers ask you why you are not eating lunch you have the opportunity share about the event and what Compassion International is doing to help starving people around the world.
    • Once the donated amount is collected you send it to Compassion International so they can help feed children in poverty countries.

    What is Compassion International?

    • For over 50 years Compassion International has diligently worked to free children from poverty in the name of Jesus Christ.
    • Compassion International works in 26 developing countries and with more than 1.3 million children who are living in poverty.
    • While Compassion does help meet the physical needs of children they also minister to them spiritually.
    • Compassion sponsored children have more opportunities for education, medical assistance, and physical benefits (such as food and water) while hearing the message of Jesus.

    For more information about Compassion International and the One Meal, One Day visit their website.  Our church youth group is encouraging everyone in our church to participate.  Jake and I decided this is a great way to help others and are participating in this event.

  • Magazine: “Fun for Kidz”

    Our girls love getting magazines and goodies in the mail.  My parents ordered the Fun for Kidz magazine for the girls a few months ago and they always look forward to getting it in the mail.  The magazine has a variety of stories, puzzles, crafts, recipes, science experiments, and fun stuff for the kids to try.

    This week we did a couple of the science experiments / activities that were listed in one of the magazines.  We made homemade “telephones” for the girls that they were reading about in the magazine.  Another fun activity we did was cut a hole in a piece of 8×11 paper that was big enough that we could fit through (even Daddy could fit through the 8×11 piece of paper once it was cut, pretty funny).  They thought it was hilarious and once again they had a blast doing some of the activities in the magazine.

    The magazine is great for either boys or girls ages 5 to 13 years old.  It becomes even more fun as they learn to read and are able to do some of the activities, puzzles, and silly stories or jokes on their own.  The magazine is smaller than a regular magazine although it is more like a pamphlet / book with heavier pages.  There isn’t a huge amount of colorful pictures but it is packed full of fun information and activities that the kids will enjoy.  A subscription would be a great birthday, Holiday or just for fun gift for kids.

    The best price I have found for the Fun for Kidz magazine is through Ebates.

    • Login or open an account for Ebates
    • Search for ValueMags
    • Click on the ValueMags discount link (currently offering 51% back on magazine subscriptions)
    • Once you are on ValueMags website search for Fun for Kidz
    • Order your subscription and you’ll receive your 51% back Ebates check in the mail

    Ebates has always been really good about sending our rebate checks.  It is like a traditional rebate but you don’t have to send in a form and it is automatically done online through their website when you order.  You can get Ebates on many other online retailers.  If you are shopping for Holiday, Birthday, or other gifts check to see if you can get extra money back by shopping through Ebates.

     

  • Giveaway: $10 CVS Gift Card

    I am doing another giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 CVS Gift Card!  As a Mom, wife and homeowner I am always looking for ways to save a little extra when buying items for around the house and for my family.  It is a great time of year to pick up a few extra items at your local CVS to keep you family healthy especially during the Holiday Season.  If you shop at CVS regularly and use coupons you may be able to stretch this gift card over several trips.  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  You can sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite items you like to get at CVS’s!

    All comments must be made by November 30th at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.  On November 30, 2011,  I will randomly draw a winner from those who have entered the giveaway.

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Lowe’s Gift Card Winner!!!

    The name has been drawn for the giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to Kathryn

    for winning a

    $10 Lowe’s Gift Card!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!

    An email has been sent to you with more information*

    Enjoy Your Next Trip to Lowe’s!

    Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced tomorrow morning)!!!

    *Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced.  Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.

  • Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (October Update)

    October is my ninth month tracking my Creative Cash.  What is Creative Cash?  Creative Cash is finding ways to come up with extra cash to share with others as well as work on our current goal.  I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is important to save money for our family by using coupons and buying items on sale but to earn a little money to help with the extra expenses and to share with others.  The extra amount I bring in on top of the work is what I call “Creative Cash” which means finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already.  I plan to continue this goal for the remaining months of the year.  Despite the many financial obstacles that we have faced as a family we have been blessed with so much.  My husband and I believe it is important to be accountable with our finances and give to others.

    Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire month through various endeavors.  As it comes in the money is placed into our savings account and withdrawn at the end of the month so it can be split.  It is my goal to make at least $100 extra a month to help with our goals as well as share with others.  At the end of the month the money will be split 50 / 50 with half going towards our current goal we are working on (which at the moment is paying down debt) and the other half going to charity.

    To be honest October was not as great of a month as I hoped it would be, however, it was better then September.    Although life is still busy we are at least home more now giving me the flexibility to focus on this goal as well as other ones.  I anticipate November being another busy month with upcoming Holidays and I hope to come closer to meeting this goal.  Thankfully I was able to save some extra cash even though I did not reach my my goal of $100.  I want to share with you the ways we did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully we can be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:

    • $13.19 – Items sold on Ebay (after fees):   The all the items sold were coupons.  I encourage you to look around at some of the coupons you get the mail, newspapers, magazines, in your stockpile, or other places and if you will not have the opportunity to use them then consider selling them for a little extra creative cash.
    • $6.59 – Recycled Items taken to the scrap metal company
    • $28.99 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned  (rebates, returns, cash back,  extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.

    It was a harder month to set the extra aside because it was very busy and I was not able to participate in as many extra creative cash activities.  The good news is despite the crazy schedule I was able to get a few dollars of creative cash and almost met at least half of my goal.  October’s “Creative Cash” total was $48.77 which means $24.38 extra that goes towards our current goal (saving for 3 to 6 month Emergency Fund) and $24.39 goes towards charity.  Although I didn’t hit my $100 goal this month I am happy that I was able to contribute something this month and every little bit helps us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way.  I have a plan of action on ways to earn creative cash in November so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another month where we can get closer to our goal and share with others.  Each month I do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically in October.  I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help our family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to us.  I hope that we have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well.  Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it!  Do you know of another way to earn creative cash?   I would love to hear your ideas!

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

    Photo by StopNLook