Events & Holidays
Fresh & Healthy: Having Fun with Produce
Fruit and Veggie Snack The girls have enjoyed helping pick vegetables and fruits from our garden this summer. They don’t get too excited about pulling the weeds but have gotten better at spotting produce and picking it. Once the fresh produce is washed they are always fascinated at seeing all the goodies spread out on the counter. Many times they pick a variety of pieces to eat at that time. One night as they were getting into their pj’s I put together a special fruit / veggie snack from the produce we had picked that day (see picture above). They giggled as they ate their special goodies from the garden and talked about how to grow food in a garden.
Smile – sliced Green Peppers
Nose – sliced Strawberry
Eyes – halved Cherry Tomato
Eye Lashes – cut up Purple Beans
It’s a simple way to get the kids excited about eating fruits and vegetables. I love surprising them with special treats and seeing their joy at getting something fun to eat.
Summer Activities: Greenville Drive Baseball Game (Take 2)
Greenville Drive Baseball Game - let's play ball! After getting rained out for the girls first Greenville Drive Game we decided to give it another shot and go again. The day looked like it may rain but ended up being beautiful. Since our first game was rained out we ended up being able to attend a double header. The girls did great and enjoyed watching the two games and the fireworks afterward. They had an amazing firework display following the second game.
Brina having fun at the Greenville Drive Baseball game! 
Karlie having fun at the Greenville Drive game. 
Greenville Drive Team Players warming up before the second game. 
Karlie and Brina watching the Greenville Drive Team Players warm up before the second game. 
Brina and Karlie wanted a picture with the "Cow" 
Fireworks after the Greenville Drive Game! 
Amazing fireworks! Family Recipe: Luscious Baked Chocolate Cheesecake
My mother in law, Kay, is a wonderful cook. I didn’t grow up making cheesecakes but have made a few since marrying into the family. Kay makes amazing cheesecakes, however, her Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake is my favorite! For those of you who enjoy chocolate and cheesecake this is a recipe you need to try, it’s delicious! Add a few fresh strawberries to the finished product and you have an awesome dessert ready for when guests arrive or to celebrate a special evening with your family.Luscious Baked Chocolate Cheesecake:
- 1/3 cup Margarine or Butter, melted
- 1/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 – 8 oz packages Cream Cheese
- 1 – 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 – 12 oz package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted OR 8 – 1 oz squares of Semi-Sweet Chocolate melted
- 4 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons of Vanilla
Preheat the oven to 300°. Combine margarine, crumbs and sugar; pat firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until the cheesecake springs back when lightly touched. Cool to room temperature. Chill. Remove the side of the pan. Garnish as desired. Garnish Ideas – chocolate curls, syrup, fresh strawberries, white chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, or anything that compliments the chocolate cheesecake.
Photo by CEThompson
Summer Activities: The Girls First Greenville Drive’s Baseball Game
Greenville Drive Stadium - Fluor Field We were able to get tickets to a Greenville Drive Baseball through a work contact so we decided to take the girls to their first Greenville Drive’s Baseball Game. The Greenville Drive is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox’s Team. Like with any outdoor event such as baseball you are subject to the weather conditions. The girls were super excited but after the game got delayed followed by wind, rain, hail, and thunder they had to cancel the game for the night. Although it was a fascinating experience watching the workers drag the huge tarp out onto the field the game being cancelled was a disappointment. The girls handled it fairly well and we were managed to squeeze in a few minutes of another special activity. We were able to get another set of Drive tickets for a double header so their first Drive game was postponed temporarily.
Having fun on the playground at the Greenville Drive Stadium! 
Saying "HI" to Reedy the Greenville Drive mascot before the game! 
You guessed it! The girls first Greenville Drive baseball game and was pouring rain and hail. The giant tarp was not coming off the field that night! 
Brina had a moment of sadness because it rained and the baseball game was cancelled. 
Daddy trying to cheer up Karlie despite her obvious disappointment that the game was rained out! 
Since the game was cancelled we managed to squeeze in ice cream sundaes and a little bit of play time at McDonald's indoor play area! Can you find them? (Hint - look at the ceiling) 
WAY up high! 
They like to be up in the high towers, can you tell! Fun Activities on the Last Few Days at School
I was able to go spend a morning volunteering at the girls school recently. Thankful that I have had a number opportunities throughout the year to participate in their classroom. One of the benefits to having twins in the same classroom is you don’t have to split your time between several different rooms. The girls LOVE it when Mommy hangs out with them at school and Mommy is excited they still want to have me be a part of their school group. The last several days of school are always busy with extra activities. One of the days I was able to help out with was their annual Field Day which is a full day outside competing in a variety of kid games.
Karlie working at a picture for one of her friends! 
Brina thrilled that Mommy is taking a moment to watch her draw while helping with their class! 
Karlie and Brina resting in between games on Field Day! 
Brina's turn to carry the bean bag in the relay for her team on Field Day! 
Karlie was one of the few kids that made it all the way hopping down and back without losing the ball between her knees. I was pretty impressed, probably couldn't do that myself! 
Brina doing the sack race, she was a trooper for her team! 
Almost to the finish line! Go KARLIE Go!!! It is hard to believe the school is done and they are out for the summer. We have many fun activities already planned for the summer and I know we’ll come up with even more stuff to do. They have already listed several things that we did last summer tat they want to do again (guess that’s good because last summers memories were positive)! Glad they enjoy hanging out with Mom because I love these months at home with the kids!
Summer Activities: Enjoying our First Juicy Watermelon of the Season
Thanks Daddy for the Yummy Watermelon! Yes I made the girls eat it outside, we know how messy they can get with this juicy treat! As a special treat Jake brought home a watermelon recently! It was our first watermelon of the season so we were super excited to dig into the juicy melon. The last watermelon I purchased wasn’t great but this one was AMAZING!!!! Maybe the key is to have dear hubby pick them out in the future.
Eating watermelon brings back memories…..the first few watermelons the girls ate were the sweet yellow watermelons because we got a bunch on sale at the local Farmer’s Market. When we gave them the regular “pink” watermelon for the first time they didn’t believe us at first that it really was watermelon because it wasn’t yellow! Every summer season we enjoy sharing our first watermelon together, this year we kicked off the season with a traditional seedless pink one. Maybe we’ll have to head to the local Farmer’s Market and get yellow to enjoy soon.
Brina munching away on the sweet watermelon! Too busy eating to even look at the camera! 
Karlie licking off her sticky fingers! Ummm.....Mom where's the napkins? She was more concerned about the mess she was making! Thanks babe for the delicious treat, it hit the spot on a hot day! All of us enjoyed eating our first watermelon of the season and are already looking forward to the next one!
One Stop Plus: 20 Piece Picnic Set 90% Off + Free Shipping ($3.99)
One Stop Plus has their 20 piece “Woman Within” Picnic Set for 4 normally $39.99 is on clearance for 90% + free shipping for a total of $3.99
To get the FREE Shipping Use coupon code: RD19755
Set of 4 place settings in durable plastic & stainless steel, great for your family or as a gift:
- 4- 10 inch Plates
- 4 Knives
- 4 Forks
- 4 Tablespoons
- 4 Teaspoons
UPDATE (6/2/11): This set is now listed as only 75% Off giving you a total of $9.99. It’s still available if you want it just not for the lower price it was yesterday.
Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – A Variety of Fresh Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Snow Peas, Pepper, Spinach, Zucchini, & More…Oh My!
We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden!
Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:
Our very first picks of Fresh Snow Peas, Cherry Tomato, Summer Squash and Banana Pepper! Even though it is only a handful of items (including our first tomato of the summer, ha) hopefully we'll have some more coming soon and throughout the rest of summer. 
Fresh Garden Vegetables - at least 5 Varieties of Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Zucchini, another Cherry Tomato, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sweet Basil (bagged), and Dill (bagged)! What are you eating out of your garden this week?
Bass Pro Shops: Free Family Summer Camp Events (Activities / Workshops / Crafts & More!)
Starting June 4th through July 10, 2011 Bass Pro Shops will be having Free Family Summer Camp Events.
There are plenty of fun activities, games, crafts, and workshops to participate in at Bass Pro Shops. Some variations may occur at the individual stores participating in the Free Family Summer Camp Events.
Free Activities (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 12 PM to 4 PM):
- Free Shooting Gallery
- Free Shooting Range
- Free Casting Targets
- Free Photo (on Saturdays & Sundays)
- Free S’Mores Cookout (Saturdays – 7 to 8 PM)
Free Workshops (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 12 PM to 4 PM):
- Archery
- Bird Watching
- Shooting Basics
- Camping Basics
- Plants & Insects
- Animal Identification
- Hiking Basics
- Outdoor Pets
- Fishing Basics
Free Crafts (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 2 PM to 5 PM):
- Camp Scene Doorknob Hanger – June 4 & June 5
- Camping Photo Frame – June 7, June 9, June 11, June 12
- Leather Keychain – June 14, June 16, June 17, June 18
- Paint a Wiggle Fish – June 21, June 23, June 25, June 26
- Design Your Own Birdhouse – June 28, June 30, July 2, July 3
- Stamping Fun Animal Tracks – July 5, July 7, July 9, July 10
To learn more information go to Bass Pro or to find a location near you!
Giveaway: $10 Baskin Robbins Gift Card
I am doing another giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!!! The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Baskin Robbins Gift Card! As a Mom of fraternal twin daughters I am always looking for ways to save a little extra while planing regular fun summer activities to do together as a family. One of our favorite special treats during the summer is to go out for ice cream. Baskin Robbins is a wonderful place to get a sweet summer ice cream treat for your family.
- 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 get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing one of your favorite flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream!
All comments must be made by June 30th at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing. On June 30th I will randomly draw a winner from those who have entered the giveaway.
