Events & Holidays
Song: “A Mother’s Prayer” by Celine Dion
In celebration of Mother’s Day this week I picked out a song about Mother’s. This song is about the prayer of a Mother for her children as they grow up. I am thankful for my Mom and everything that she has done in my life. She is still an encouragement in my life.
Being a Mom is one of the most rewarding yet challenging roles I have in my life. The girls are an amazing blessing, however, I find that they tend to stretch my character a little bit too. It is my prayer that I will be the best Mom I can be for my children and that they will not only see past my faults and failures but more importantly that they will learn to rely on Jesus (who never fails) for their strength and portion every day.
Giveaway: Autographed “Born Again” CD by Newsboys
I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied! The winner of this giveaway will receive an autographed “Born Again” CD by Newsboys! Jake and I were able to hear them live in concert. It was so neat hearing them sing then meeting all the members of the band. They have a lot of great songs on this CD including – Born Again, One Shot, Way Beyond Myself, Impossible, Build Us Back, Escape, Miracles, Running to You, On Your Knees, Mighty to Save, and more (a few links to the songs on YouTube are included for you). Here’s how to enter the giveaway:
- 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. Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email or like on Facebook.
- You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing what type of music you enjoy the most.
All comments must be made by May 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.
Easter Celebrations
It has been a super busy 2012 with all the traveling and activities. I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, but I have been a little behind with my blog updates. Easter week we spent part of our time in Charleston since it was the girls Spring Break and the other part in Greenville. Here are a few highlights from our 2012 Easter Celebrations:
Easter Eggs being dropped by a Hot Air Balloon at Rock Springs. It was fascinating to watch all the eggs falling from the Hot Air Balloon.
We were in Charleston the week of Easter so we went to an Easter story time at the small “village” library in Mount Pleasant. It was a cute little library and the people were super sweet. The girls loved listening to the librarian read Easter stories!
Our neighbors brought over these super cute Easter goodies for the girls when we got back from Charleston. It was a little toy and candy combination which was a huge hit with the girls. It had a bunny rabbit on a bicycle carrying an egg full of jellybeans. Thankful for our neighbors, it was a thoughtful gift. The expressions on Karlie and Brina’s faces in this picture crack me up!
Easter basket goodies! Some fun socks, games, candy, and goodies to celebrate the Holiday.
Trail of Easter Eggs from their bedroom door through the kitchen all the way to the table. The girls were so excited to discover them that morning. You know your kids are getting older when they “ask permission” before picking up and opening the trail of Easter eggs.
Neat craft the girls did in Sunday School. They took a bowl added some dirt, used a twisty tie and sticks to make a cross, a rock, and half an Easter egg. They planted grass seeds in the dirt too. It was a wonderful Easter craft for the kids! Both girls could explain the significance of the cross, tomb (egg), and the rock. The girls loved this activity and I give whoever came up with this idea a double thumbs up!
Karlie on focused on hunting Easter eggs
Brina found a blue egg hidden in the grass
The extra special “car” eggs had a surprise in them…..loose change!
We had fun coloring eggs together as a family on Easter Sunday, here’s one carton full of eggs we did. Thankful for a time to relax and enjoy some time with the family while celebrating the Easter Holiday.
Memories of the Blue Lobster Named “Tsunami”
“Tsunami”
A long time ago before children and large pets……Jake and I lived in a little apartment. Our apartment was home but there really wasn’t a lot to it. We had a hand-me-down love seat from one of my clients who was upgrading her furniture, a bed, and a few pieces of other miscellaneous furniture. When a group of friends came over to our apartment the first year or so of our marriage we would sit on the floor and eat because we didn’t have enough chairs for everyone. Gradually over time we accumulated more pieces, most items were hand-me-downs or second hand items, but neither of us were picky.
The biggest piece of furniture I have ever bought personally was for Jake. One year I saved for several months to buy Jake a 72 gallon bow-front fish tank for our anniversary. He was thrilled. Thankfully fish were pretty easy pets. One of the most “unique” pets we owned was a blue lobster for our fresh water tank. It was so exciting to finally get one! On the way home from the pet store I was holding our new blue lobster in my lap when Jake went around the corner to our apartment I forgot to hold onto him and he went tumbling down my legs and to the floor thus resulting in his name “Tsumani”.
A few days ago Jake and I were discussing pets which brought me back to the many fun memories we had picking out and finding our first few fish. As I continued to think about the fish tanks and various fish “Tsunami” came to my mind. He was pretty neat looking in the fish tank and for the most part did really well. The other fish in the tank figured out that it is best to give him some extra space otherwise he might “snap his claws” at them. In the picture above Tsumani’s tail was tucked under his body but when he was stretch out he got up to 6 inches long.
Having a blue lobster was a great conversation starter. We got a lot of different reactions to seeing it in the tank. If you are looking for a unique addition to your fresh water fish tank you might enjoy one too!
You are loved more than you will ever know….
I’ve got a “crush” on you!
Sweet treat for my man
I discovered these cute “pop” love notes from Darling Doodles and have been enjoying adding these love notes to my stash of ones to give to Jake! He enjoys drinking Orange Crush so when it goes on sale I try to get a little for him. This particular love note was a great one to give to my man – I’ve got a “crush” on you!
This was a surprise I had waiting for him one day after he had been away on a work trip. Always love having a little surprise waiting for him when he gets home after being away. I make sure the surprises are different and are placed in random places too which gives an extra variety. These love notes have been a great addition and been a lot of fun to use!
I’ve got a “crush” on you!
Review & Giveaway: Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler
I am thrilled to introduce you to the new Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler that I have recently received PLUS I will be giving away 1 of the Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler’s to one lucky reader (details below)!!! It includes everything you need for your waste and recycling in one container for your kitchen. Even though we have only been using it for a short time our family has enjoyed having a specific spot to put all our recycling materials. The recycled items are contained within the Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler so we don’t even have to see them until we are ready to take them to recycle. I am very excited to be giving one of these great Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recyclers to one of my readers!
Here are some of the benefits of the Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler:
- Keeps recyclables off the counter by giving them a place to live in your kitchen
- The bottom tilt out bin holds a standard 8-gallon trash bag AND features LinerLock™ bag management, so your bag stays put and does not slip
- Both the top bin and bottom bin have convenient handles when needed to transport recyclables to wherever your recycling is stored for pick-up or transport
- The 2-in-1 Recycler fits more recyclables while using 25% less floor space compared to typical divided containers
- Made with recyclable materials and is recyclable
The Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler has quickly become a hit with my family. My favorite part about this great product is that it takes up less floor space and contains all the recycled material in one spot. The recycled items are out of sight until it is time to take them and Rubbermaid has made it easy to transport the items with the handles.
Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler details:
- Two unit bin 2-in-1 Recycler
- Contain trash and recyclables all in one location or sort your recyclables
- Sleek design blends into kitchen décor
- Features LinerLock™ bag management in lower bin
- Removable lid
- Fold-away handles
- 5.8 gal sorting bin
- 7.4 gal tilt out bin with Liner Lock™ handles
- Total capacity = 13.2 gal
- Perfect for multi-stream or single stream recycling
- Suggested Retail Price is $39.99
I encourage you to check out more information on Rubbermaid’s 2-in-1 Recycler if you are interested in finding a nice solution for your recycling needs. These Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recyclers would make a great birthday or wedding gifts for family or friends! The Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler can be purchased at Rubbermaid’s website or at your local Meijer store.
Giveaway
As a way to say thank you to my readers and to share Rubbermaid’s great 2-in-1 Recycler I am hosting a giveaway!
The winner of this giveaway will receive:
- 1 Rubbermaid 2-in-1 Recycler (see picture and details above)
Here’s how to enter the giveaway:
- 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 or like on Facebook.
- You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your best recycling tip!
All comments must be made by Monday, April 30, 2012 at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.
More information about Rubbermaid and the 2-in-1 Recycler can be found:
*I was given this product for free 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 Rubbermaid for providing this 2-in-1 Recycler to review and for the giveaway for my readers!CONGRATULATIONS to Our “Wits & Wagers Family Game” Winner!
The name has been drawn for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to
Ashley Genovese
for winning a copy of
Wits & Wagers 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 Playing Your New Game!
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.
You learn something every…..
Book: “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The girls and I just finished reading the Children’s Illustrated Classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. They LOVED it! It was a good story with enough of an adventure to keep them asking me to read “just one more chapter tonight, please Mom”!
The story is about a little girl from India named Mary Lennox. She was spoiled by everyone and had very little interaction with her parents. When her parents died she was sent to live with her Uncle in England, Lord Craven. Her Uncle was a sad man who was still mourning the death of his wife from 10 years ago and really did not want to have anything to do with Mary other then to make sure she had the food and necessities she needs. Mary learns to love life in England and has grand adventures exploring the manor’s gardens. As she continues to explore outside, learns how to garden, and meets new friends Mary was able to keep more then one hidden secret that took those living in the large manor by surprise.
The girls really enjoyed having me read this book out loud to them. The pictures and story really came alive for them as we processed on through the book. If you have you girls (or boys) and you are looking for a good book to read to them you should check this one out!
