Gift Giving

  • Swagbucks: Mega Swagbucks Day PLUS 100 FREE Swagbucks for New Members

    Today (Friday, September 30th) is Mega Swagbucks Day for current and new members!  You can earn some large swagbucks today.

    If you have not sign up yet this is great time!  NEW Swagbucks members can get 100 Free Swagbucks just for signing up!

    When you Signup enter the Code:  BIGTIMEBUCKS

    Bonus 100 Swagbucks Code Expires on Monday, October 3, 2011.

    It’s a great time to sign up to Swagbucks and get started.  I have been a Swagbucks member for awhile now and have earned a variety of  FREE Gift Cards and a variety of other gifts through Swagbucks.  My favorite way to redeem my Swagbucks is with their Gift Cards including Amazon, Restaurant, and Store Gift Cards.  You can use the gift cards to buy something for your family or use as a gift.

    If you want to learn a little more about Swagbucks and how to get started or examples on what the Swagsbucks can be used for check out the posts below:

  • Book: “You Were Born for This” by Bruce Wilkinson

    I recently finished the book “You Were Born for This”  Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles by Bruce Wilkinson.  In his book Bruce shares several stories of how God was able to use him to encourage believers as well as lead others to Christ.  He goes through ways that you can be guided by the Holy Spirit to deliver a miracle to another person.  There are four main parts to the book:

    • Welcome to Everyday Miracle Territory
    • Four Keys to a Life of Miracles
    • How to Deliver a Miracle
    • Three Keys to Special Delivery Miracles

    Bruce Wilkinson puts in a number of examples and stories of how he was used to deliver a miracle.  Included in the back of the book is a Epilogue with more stories from readers of his book.  If you want to go through the book with a group he provides discussion questions for either a four week or seven week study.

    I thought the book had a lot of great reminders of how important prayer is in our life and to be in tune with the Holy Spirit because you never know when you have the opportunity to share with someone.  Bruce also addresses that we often fear speaking directly to a stranger about something personal and will question the prompting we feel or justify a reason for not stepping up with excuses such as “Who Me?” or “Do What?” or “What Will They Think?”

    The author gives several step by step ways to learn how to act on these miracle missions from prayer, having the heart for people, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you, and taking risks of faith.  I think we all have those moments when out of the blue we think of someone and fail to act on that prompting only to find out later that the person was going through a tough time; what an amazing blessing of encouragement we could have been if we had just called, written that letter, emailed or stopped by to see them.  Wouldn’t it be great living a life full of sharing blessings with those around you.  We do not know what the person next to us is going through at the moment.  A simple question like “I really want to help you.  What can I do for you?” can open the door for you to encourage someone.

    A handful of my favorite  quotes from the book:

    “I’ve noticed something reassuring. When we ask to be sent by God, He matches each of us with people we can help.”

    “A nudge is an inner push that directs us toward a person, a place, or an action.”

    “During a God arranged encounter you will know what God wants”

    “Knowing that we are sent, we take deliberate risks that place us in complete dependence on God for a miracle.”

    Rate my review & be entered into a giveaway: I reviewed this book for “Blogging for Books.”   By rating my review, it allows me to choose another book and enters you in a GIVEAWAY!   The rating is a two step process.

    Step 1:  Rate my review below (select the number of stars, enter your email, and hit submit).

    Step 2:  Check your email account for a message from Blogging for Books and click their link to verify your email.

    Once you rated my review AND confirmed your email, you will automatically entered in a giveaway for this book by WaterBrook Multnomah!!!  They will pick one person to receive a copy of the book for themselves!  WaterBrook Multnomah will contact the winner directly.

    Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Book: “Space – The Ultimate Guide To The Universe”

    One of our girls loves planets, space and astronauts.  A family member gave her the “Space: The Ultimate Guide To The Universe” book a few years ago and it has been a huge hit!  It has been carried all over the house and gone on several road trips with us.  The book has pictures and information about space travel, astronomy, universe, solar system, stars and galaxies as well as posters of the universe and glow in the dark stars.  It has a lot of information packed in the variety of descriptions and colorful pictures.  The recommended age for the book is for 8 and up but if you have a child that loves space, astronauts, and planets then I would recommend it for them even at a younger age.  You’ll have to read it to a younger child but if they enjoy space as much as Karlie does then it will be a hit, not to mention educational!

  • Gift for the Teacher on the First Day of School

    Over the summer we picked up goodies for the teacher.

    Items we packed in the goodie bag for the girls school teacher.  We did get a list of items that she requested for the classroom and added a few more to fill up the bag.  The girls had a lot of fun picking out the items and packing it up.

    • 2 boxes of Kleenex
    • 1 bag Animal Eraser
    • 1 Notepad
    • 1 pack of 3 reptile Sticky Notes
    • 2 packs 8×10 Filler Paper
    • 18 Glue Sticks
    • 2 bottles Germx
    • 1 box 24 Crayons
    • 1 package Fall “Reward Sheets”
    • 1 package “Certificate of Recognition” Sheets
    • 1 bag Candy Bracelets, Rings, and Lipsticks
    • 2 boxes of pencils
    • 2 pencil containers
    • 2 Spiral Notebooks
    • 2 Capsule Animals
    • 1 Mini Story Book
    • 5 Clip Bracelets “Kids Doing Good”
    • 4 Sandal Notepads
    • 1 package Highlighters
    • 1 box Paperclips
    • 1 package “Great Work” Certificates
    • 1 package “Star Student” Certificates
    • 1 package “No Homework” Certificates
    • 1 package “Free Time” Certificates
    • 1 package “Note From Your Teacher” Rocket Postcards
    • 1 box Bandaids
    Teacher goodie bag ready for the first day of school.
    Rocket Postcards for the teacher!

     You can probably guess which one of the girls picked out this goodie to put in the bag.  They were very excited to put together items for the teacher.

    Teachers goodie bag

    The teachers goodie bag was ready and packed on the first day of school complete with a note from us.

    Thankfully most of the items we found on clearance over the summer, from the Dollar Tree, or had in our stockpile from shopping at a variety of stores. So far the only item(s) that we have seen come back home from the goodie bag has been two band aids from Karlie’s nose dive on the playground the first week of school.  Luckily it was just a surface wound.  The teacher already sent us a note thanking us for the items, which was really nice too.  Did you send your teacher any goodies?  If you did what did you put in the bag or box?

  • Book: “Farms ABC: An Alphabet Book” by B. A Hoena

    We read this book “Farms ABC: An Alphabet Book” by B. A. Hoena to the girls when they were really little and after the Grandparents were here visiting us from Kansas a couple weeks ago the girls picked this book out again from the library.  As we were reading it again I was impressed with how well the author incorporated many aspects of farming / ranching into the small book.  It is an excellent beginning readers book filled with information about farms (including Irrigation, Oats, Tractors, Planting Seeds, Repairs, Harvest and more).  The author goes through the alphabet highlighting each letter and describing the highlighted word in more detail.  In the back they add additional fun facts about farming for the kids to read.  For example:  “A dairy cow produces about 100 glasses of milk a day” and “Did you think that only cows eat grass?  Wheat is a type of grass that people eat.  It is used to make bread.”  Our girls know their ABC’s already but were fascinated by the pictures and descriptions.  This book would be a great addition to your library especially if you have  family in the farming business or your little one is fascinated by farm animals and equipment.

  • Magazine: “Family Fun” Magazine

    We have been receiving the “Family Fun” Magazine for awhile now and love it!  The girls have enjoyed picking out a variety of crafts and fun activities from the magazines.  Each issue contains information and “how-to” demonstrations on crafts, recipes, activities, parties, family friendly articles and much more.   If you are looking for a great family magazine packed full of ideas for the kids check this one out.

  • Giveaway: $10 Walmart Gift Card

    I am doing another giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!!!  The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Walmart Gift Card!  As a Mom of twin daughters I am always looking for ways to save a little extra when buying groceries, school items, household supplies and more for the family.

    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.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite supplies you like to get at Walmart!

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

  • CONGRATULATIONS to Our Staples Gift Card Winner!!!

    The name has been drawn for the giveaway!

    CONGRATULATIONS to Adriana

    for winning a

    $10 Staples Gift Card!

    Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!

    An email has been sent to you with more information*

    Enjoy Your Supplies

    Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway!!!

    *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.

  • Summer Activities – A Hammock Full of Memories

    Swinging and relaxing for a few minutes in the Hammock!

    A few months ago for Mother’s Day Jake gave me a hammock!  It wasn’t until this Summer that I realized how much the gift meant to me.  As a family we have spent some wonderful time together talking, laughing, reading, and just relaxing together in the hammock.  Jake hung the hammock in the shady part of our yard near the jungle gym, swimming pool, and where I can see the majority of the yard, house and driveway.

    Karlie hanging out with us on the hammock!

    Once Karlie was done swimming she ran inside the house to change so she could have some relaxing time on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  I cannot count the number of times she has fallen asleep on the hammock as we enjoy time together.

    Brina loving the extra time talking and relaxing with Mom, Dad and Karlie.

    The girls love getting a chance to swing on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  They have a blast talking about anything and everything.  It is a great location to have some heart to heart as well as reminisce about all the fun memories we have together as a family.

    Skipper, our faithful guard dog while the family enjoys time on the hammock.

    After Skipper has made a complete loop around the entire property she will settle down at a spot right next to the hammock.  She occasionally will look at us but for the most part she is checking out all the activity in the woods and creek area.  Although she has never been on the hammock she seems to enjoy it when the entire family is outside nearby.

    A moment of rest.

    Every once in awhile when we are on the hammock the girls will fall asleep.  It is such a great place to spend a few moments together.  Life has a way of getting so busy that we need some time to stop, focus on each family member, enjoy being outside and relax.

    A peaceful view of nature!

    This is the view looking up from the hammock.  You can enjoy the beautiful trees, baby blue sky, and white puffy clouds floating by.  Just looking up and watching the leaves rustle in the breeze and the clouds drifting by makes the time relaxing even better.

    I have gone out many times over the last few months to relax, read, think, pray, do my devotions, write, brain storm, or hang out with Jake and / or the girls.  I am thankful for a thoughtful husband who gave me a gift that not only helps me relax but to slow down and enjoy a few precious moments with him and the girls.  Our hammock is so much more then just a hammock it is full of relaxing moments sharing memories together as a family.  Sometimes it is the simple things in life that make the most treasured memories for our children.  I am already looking forward to watching the leaves change colors as we move closer to the Fall season.

  • Book: “Who Do You Love?” by Margaret Wang

    Several years ago my parents gave the girls  Who Do You Love? by Margaret Wang and they still love it.  I have read the book to them many times and now they can read it on their own.  The book is encouraging for the kids because it goes through the variety of people in their lives that love them.  This is a terrific book especially for younger kids as they are learning about the family members, (including siblings, parents, and grandparents).  When the girls were little after reading the book we would talk about their grandparents and share memories.  It is now great seeing them read it together and share memories with each other.