Gift Giving
CONGRATULATIONS to Our “Say Anything” Game Winner!
The name has been drawn for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to
Theresa
for winning a
“Say Anything“ Family Game by North Star Games!
Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!
An email has been sent to you with more information*
Enjoy your family game night!
Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this 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. The actual gift may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 29 & 30)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
How is it the LAST DAY of this activity already?! It is hard to believe we just finished our last day of our November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days because it went by so quickly. Doing this project these last few weeks have been a great blessing and wonderful experience for the whole family. It was awesome seeing how doing the activity made us think more about being grateful and expressing our thanks to people around us.
Many of the people were family, friends, neighbors, as well as people we interact with regularly while some we had met for the first time (store clerks). The purpose of this activity was to focus on being thankful and to be a blessing to the people around us. It was an activity that had a positive impact on our lives. There were several times I walked away from a task feeling more blessed, it’s amazing how making the choice to positive and grateful to others can uplifts your spirits too.
I have so much to be thankful for not only during this Holiday season but throughout the entire year. May I continue to express thanks to those I encounter throughout my week. Several of the days we actually did several thankfulness activities (a few we listed, but most we did not). After the first week we had thanked over 30 people already (we have a big family) so it was neat seeing how many people we could touch with words and gifts of thanks throughout the month. I hope that this activity will continue to be on our minds for a very long time as we interact with people from day to day.
Day 30
Who: Strangers
The girls and I had to make a couple quick errands after school, including a stop at a store. We had the opportunity to help an elderly lady put some items into her cart. She was in a hurry, but was having a hard time getting the items she needed at the store. It was neat seeing the girls take initiative and help others from opening the doors, helping people get stuff from the shelf, and stepping aside so those in a hurry can pass. We even let the person behind us go ahead of us in the line. Sometimes taking a few minutes to show appreciation and kindness can make a big difference in the lives of others.
Day 29
Who: Bank Teller
Today we didn’t have a lot of extra places we needed to be but we did make a stop at the bank. The girls wanted to deposit the money they had earned over the past month into their savings account. Usually I try to go through the drive-thru at the bank because it is much quicker, but the girls like to bring in their money and watch the teller count it out. Plus, I needed to put items back in our safety deposit and make a deposit as well. Today we smiled, sincerely thanked our bank teller for helping us, and ask her about her day. Sometimes we get so busy with our lives and are in a hurrying to get to the next place we barely smile or talk with people that we encounter regularly. Taking the time to smile, be pleasant, and ask about someone else’s day doesn’t take any extra time but can be a great encouragement for them.
Day 28
Who: Jazz Instructor
A few months ago I got a Living Social deal for the girls to take Jazz lessons. We were within a couple miles of the studio several times a week already so we decided to try it out. They LOVED jazz and look forward to it every week. It is great exercise and has taught them some neat skills. In the spirit of the Holidays (Thanksgiving) the girls wrote their instructor a note of thanks and I picked up some sweet treats for them to give to her. She makes it a lot of fun and both of our girls really enjoy going to her class!
Celebrating Another Year!
When I came home one day this tower of goodies from Harry & David was sitting on my front porch from my Mother-in-Law! The girls were thrilled to help eat the goodies with me! 🙂
I recently celebrated my birthday (on Thanksgiving Day). The year flew by so quickly it was hard to believe I was yet again celebrating another birthday. I have so much to be thankful for in my life. What a wonderful day to celebrate and reflect on the many blessings over the past year.
Cute candle from Karlie
The night before Thanksgiving we had a Game Night with some family and friends. That night my sweet husband brought out an ice cream cake to share. I am not one that thrives on big celebrations and being put in the center of the spotlight so this was the perfect way for me to celebrate with close family and friends.
Brina ready to play the new game (In A Pickle) her and Karlie got me for my birthday.
On Thanksgiving day we had an amazing dinner and relaxed playing games (even a new game the girls picked out for me), reading books, and having fun together. It was so sweet getting the phone calls, texts, birthday cards, and other goodies to remind me of yet another great year.
My Handsome Man reading the directions so we can play the new game!
Then this week once life had calm down (a little bit, maybe) a great of girlfriends got together for a Girls Night Out to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to get out for a little bit and hang out with friends. Thankful for the neat people in my life.
Thanksgiving morning opening my gifts from the girls.
They had a blast picking out their gifts and wrapping them all by themselves!
It is my hope and prayer that this next year will be another year packed full of great memories. May God use me to make a difference in the hearts and lives of my husband, kids, family, friends and people I encounter from day to day. Even though I am another year older I feel like I still have so much to learn. May it be a year of learning, growth, and wonderful experiences!
Love It – BluApple
I am very excited to share with you a little item that has saved me a lot of time, energy, and money over the past year while helping our family eat healthier! I have been asked many times how I can purchase marked down fresh vegetables and fruits without them going bad within a day or two…..well, I am going to share my little “secret” with all of you. If you love to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, but wish they would stay fresh longer I have stumbled upon something that will really brighten your day! 🙂
When I got the BluApples I was a little skeptical, to say the least. How can these little blue apples really help extend the life of my fresh fruits and vegetables?! Do they really work? Is it worth the cost? And many more similar questions.
I waited for a few weeks and found an amazing deal on these little BluApples. I was able to get these free (only had to pay $3 shipping). Unfortunately, I haven’t seen that deal again otherwise I would stock up on some for my family and friends. Either way these little apples have more than paid for themselves MANY TIMES OVER!
Our family loves to garden, buy fresh fruits and vegetables, however, when our fridge is full of produce sometimes fruits and vegetables would go bad before we had a chance to eat everything. The BluApples extend the life of our fruits and vegetables (even ones that I buy which are already on the “edge”) for weeks! These BluApples really do preserve the produce and help the items last much longer!
I used to clean out my fruit and vegetable drawers out about once a week. Now I do it once a month and sometimes longer because the items in the drawer are staying fresh. Enough of my raving, here are some more facts about this neat apple:
- 2 Bluapples – Last for 3 Months Each – Additional Absorber Refills Available Separately (Our BluApples lasted longer than 3 months, typically lasted 5 to 7 months)
- Prolongs freshness and storage life of fruits & vegetables
- Made In USA
- Put in refrigerator crisper drawers
- Place in the fruit bowl on the counter or anywhere you keep fruit
- Pays for itself dozens of times over in the the first year alone
- Extend storage life of your produce (up to 3 times longer)
- Average household can save up to $600 per year
How Do The BluApples Work?
- Ethylene gas is given off naturally by fruits and vegetables as a signaling mechanism in order to coordinate uniform ripening. However, once concentrated in your refrigerator or other storage areas, the presence of ethylene gas continues to speed up ripening and hasten spoilage.
- The BluApple is designed to provide effective ethylene gas absorption for three months in a typical home refrigerator produce bin or storage container.
- The active ingredient does not “wear out”, but continues to absorb ethylene until it has reached its capacity.
This would be a wonderful gift for any cook in your family. It really does WORK (and BluApple is not paying me to say it either). Your Mom, wife, sister, friend will probably come back to you in a couple months thanking you again for this gift. Hey, they even make you a special meal out of some the fresh produce just to say thanks!
You can pick up the BluApple Ethlylene Gas Absorbers – Starter Pack of 2 – Refrigerator Fruit & Vegetable Preserver on Amazon for around $9.95 with two packs of or many major retailers. If you have a Swagbuck Amazon Gift Cards you can even get this it for free! You’ll love it!
“Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love! There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun. I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list. It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!
Colortime Crafts and Markers – Promo Code for 15% Off All Orders
Are you looking for a great gift for a budding artist? Do you have a little one who loves to color? Colortime offers a large assortment of items to color from shirts, pillowcases, tote bags, backpacks, bandanas, headwraps, and more!
If you are looking for a neat gift for a kid or want to do a fun craft for a group of kids (Girl Scouts, Birthday Parties, Sunday School, VBS, etc…) Colortime has the perfect product for you. The kids can use their markers to color a variety of fun items.
Get 15% off all orders using Promo Code: 15USFG
Since 1990, over 5 million children and adults have loved creating t-shirts, pillowcases, backpacks, tote bags, bandannas, and more for parties, slumber parties, and scout meetings with our permanent fabric markers. We have provided our customers the opportunity to entertain their guests with a creative activity that becomes a permanent keepsake. Also, we are a licensed vendor of the Girl Scouts of America. Check out our wholesale program, great for your organizations.
More fun stuff from Colortime
- FREE Downloadable Coloring Pages from Colortime
- Join Colortime’s Birthday Club to get special incentives
Below is a great Christmas craft you can do with the kids!
Make sure you get 15% off your order by using Promo Code: 15USFG when you check out at Colortime!
A special thanks to U.S. Family Guide and Colortime for sponsoring this post. Any specific product information was provided by Colortime and U.S. Family Guide, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own. Blessings Multiplied will be receiving a free craft for this post.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 28)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 28
Who: Jazz Instructor
A few months ago I got a Living Social deal for the girls to take Jazz lessons. We were within a couple miles of the studio several times a week already so we decided to try it out. They LOVED jazz and look forward to it every week. It is great exercise and has taught them some neat skills. In the spirit of the Holidays (Thanksgiving) the girls wrote their instructor a note of thanks and I picked up some sweet treats for them to give to her. She makes it a lot of fun and both of our girls really enjoy going to her class!
Day 27
Who: Clients
I am thankful for so many things in my life. One of the fun activities I get to do throughout the month is work for various clients on projects. Some of the people I do work for on a regular basis while others are more on a project by project basis at various times throughout the year. While I do get compensated for the work I do, there is a lot more to it, I really enjoy the people that I have had the privilege to work alongside. It has been neat getting know them and their families better while helping them tackle business projects. I am thankful for my clients and their willingness to let me be an active part of their lives and businesses. Today, I wrote a “I’m Thankful for you….” note as well as delivered a special treat for the ones I help regularly.
Day 26
Who: Waitress
Our family doesn’t go out to eat very often (we typically eat meals at home or take a lunch to work / school) so it is a real treat when we can go out or meet a friend for lunch. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch today, it was wonderful having a chance to catch up for a little bit. One of the jobs I had in High School and College was waitresses. I loved doing it because it was great exercise, I got to meet a lot of neat people, and it helped pay the bills, but it was lower paying and at times exhausting. After working at a couple different places over the years I have learned to appreciate those in the restaurant industry. As a way of showing my appreciation and thanks to the person serving us today I gave a generous tip at the restaurant, hopefully it will be a blessing to the person waiting on us.
Way to GO!
So proud of my man! XO
My husband has to travel occasionally for work since he has teams he manages in various areas. Sometimes the traveling is due to speaking engagements as well. Earlier this year he had to travel for a Technology Summit speaking engagement where he was a keynote speaker.
I am so proud of him and thankful for all his hard work! He is a great provider for our family. God has truly blessed us with many great opportunities.
When he came home from this speaking engagement I had a case of Orange Crush waiting for him in the fridge. On the carton was a note from me “Jake, Way to Go on your presentation! I love you! XOXO – Bridgette”
Taking the time to pick up a special item, write a note, or some other activity to show appreciation for someone only takes a few minutes of your time, but the positive impact of your action is usually much greater. Spend a few minutes coming up with a way to show someone you love how much you appreciate them today! You and the one on the receiving end will be blessed by this thoughtful action.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 27)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 27
Who: Clients
I am thankful for so many things in my life. One of the fun activities I get to do throughout the month is work for various clients on projects. Some of the people are work for I do work for on a regular basis while others are more on a project by project basis at various times throughout the year. While I do get compensated for the work I do, there is a lot more to it, I really enjoy the people that I have had the privilege to work alongside. It has been neat getting know them and their families better while helping them tackle business projects. I am thankful for my clients and their willingness to let me be an active part of their lives and businesses. Today, I wrote a “I’m Thankful for you….” note as well as delivered a special treat for the ones I help regularly.
Day 26
Who: Waitress
Our family doesn’t go out to eat very often (we typically eat meals at home or take a lunch to work / school) so it is a real treat when we can go out or meet a friend for lunch. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch today, it was wonderful having a chance to catch up for a little bit. One of the jobs I had in High School and College was waitresses. I loved doing it because it was great exercise, I got to meet a lot of neat people, and it helped pay the bills, but it was lower paying and at times exhausting. After working at a couple different places over the years I have learned to appreciate those in the restaurant industry. As a way of showing my appreciation and thanks to the person serving us today I gave a generous tip at the restaurant, hopefully it will be a blessing to the person waiting on us.
Day 25
Who: Ministry Team Leaders
There are some people within the church and community who spend a lot of their time and energy helping others. They are involved in several ministries and their dedication to the body as well as outreach shines. I am part of a ministry at church called Alms & Legs, we do multiple activities within our church and community from providing a food pantry for people in need, clothing, helping with bills, repairs, free GED tutoring, Operation Christmas Child, Heart of Christmas, Shoes for kids in need, and many more activities. The person who leads this group has a real passion for others and it shows. I feel like it is important to say thanks to those in ministry leadership positions because they volunteer to do the work and often go above and beyond in their service to others. Today I wrote a note of thanks to the person (and her family) who leads this great ministry. She does a lot to make this ministry a success so we can make a positive impact on the lives of many within our body and community.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 25 – 26)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 26
Who: Waitress
Our family doesn’t go out to eat very often (we typically eat meals at home or take a lunch to work / school) so it is a real treat when we can go out or meet a friend for lunch. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch today, it was wonderful having a chance to catch up for a little bit. One of the jobs I had in High School and College was waitresses. I loved doing it because it was great exercise, I got to meet a lot of neat people, and it helped pay the bills, but it was lower paying and at times exhausting. After working at a couple different places over the years I have learned to appreciate those in the restaurant industry. As a way of showing my appreciation and thanks to the person serving us today I gave a generous tip at the restaurant, hopefully it will be a blessing to the person waiting on us.
Day 25
Who: Ministry Team Leaders
There are some people within the church and community who spend a lot of their time and energy helping others. They are involved in several ministries and their dedication to the body as well as outreach shines. I am part of a ministry at church called Alms & Legs, we do multiple activities within our church and community from providing a food pantry for people in need, clothing, helping with bills, repairs, free GED tutoring, Operation Christmas Child, Heart of Christmas, Shoes for kids in need, and many more activities. The person who leads this group has a real passion for others and it shows. I feel like it is important to say thanks to those in ministry leadership positions because they volunteer to do the work and often go above and beyond in their service to others. Today I wrote a note of thanks to the person (and her family) who leads this great ministry. She does a lot to make this ministry a success so we can make a positive impact on the lives of many within our body and community.
Day 24
Who: Mailman
We have lived in our house now for ten years and during those ten years we have had the same mailman. His name is Sam, he has two black labs, and he only lives a few streets away from us. How do we know all this information about our mailman you ask? Well, first we try to make a point to talk with him whenever we see him and leave random gifts / notes of appreciation for him during special Holidays. We figured out where he lived, quite by accident, when we were out going to garage sales one Saturday morning and happened to go to one at his house! He stays busy delivering mail so the best way to show our thanks for all the mail he has delivered to our house is to stick a note of thanks and goodies directly in our mailbox for him to pick up when he drops off the mail that day. We try to do something little around the Christmas Holidays for him as well. It only takes a few moments to write a note of thanks and/or put something nice in the mail yet it brightens the day of the person who comes to our house almost every day to deliver our mail.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 22 – 24)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Note: Thanksgiving week I had to group a couple items together into one day since we had a full schedule and we were seeing some of the people we want to thank on the same day. Although in the list they will be separate. Thanks!
Day 24
Who: Mailman
We have lived in our house now for ten years and during those ten years we have had the same mailman. His name is Sam, he has two black labs, and he only lives a few streets away from us. How do we know all this information about our mailman you ask? Well, first we try to make a point to talk with him whenever we see him and leave random gifts / notes of appreciation for him during special Holidays. We figured out where he lived, quite by accident, when we were out going to garage sales one Saturday morning and happened to go to one at his house! He stays busy delivering mail so the best way to show our thanks for all the mail he has delivered to our house is to stick a note of thanks and goodies directly in our mailbox for him to pick up when he drops off the mail that day. We try to do something little around the Christmas Holidays for him as well. It only takes a few moments to write a note of thanks and/or put something nice in the mail yet it brightens the day of the person who comes to our house almost every day to deliver our mail.
Day 23
Who: Mommy’s Helpers / Store Clerk
I didn’t really have anything that I had to have on Black Friday so I didn’t even venture out of the house until almost 11 am and even then I only went to a couple stores (mostly to the pharmacies to pick up health & beauty deals to re-stock our family with toothpaste and such). One of the girls decided to go with me to one of the stores to help. She pushed the cart through the store, helped me pick out the items, and was a good sport. Now that it is the colder weather our lips tend to get more chapped and one of the items that we picked up for free was chapstick (which my litter helper was really interested in what I was going to do with it). After checking out and saying thank you to the store clerk (and asking her about her family) I gave my helper the free tube of chapstick. She was soooo thrilled with that tube of chapstick it totally made her day! Later at another store I had two helpers. That store was offering a free candy bar so I had my two helpers pick out 1 candy bar that they could split, they picked out mint M&M’s to share. Even the little stuff can mean a lot to people when we take the time to say thanks and show appreciation.
Day 22
Who: Family
I have so much to be thankful for in my life. Not only was it Thanksgiving it was also my birthday. It was a perfect day of celebration and relaxation, just what I needed. I spent the day having fun with my family. The food was great, we played games, read books together, and had a blast. Sometimes the best thing you can do to show appreciation to people is to spend quality time together which was my primary focus for today. I did call, text, email, etc…..several other family and friends to wish them Happy Thanksgiving but otherwise the day was spent focusing on having fun with my family.
