Family

  • A Spooktacular Halloween

    Monster bags, note, and goodies on their bar stools at breakfast.  They were excited to see a little treat waiting for them at breakfast.  These bags were too cute, the package came with a variety of eyes and mouths that you could put together in any combination.

    Here is a picture of one of the pancake, sausage and bacon Halloween monsters the girls ate for breakfast.

    Jake even got festive Halloween sprinkles on his toast!

    Karlie’s goody bags to share with her class are all packed and ready to distribute!

    Brina’s Halloween class goodies are packed and ready to go!

    Teacher Halloween Gifts

    A monster and note waiting on Karlie’s seat when I picked her up from school.

    Brina had an orange monster and note waiting on her seat in the van when I picked her up from school.

    Our little Dancer and Superwoman!

    The girls were super excited to have the opportunity to meet up with their cousins (we were able to capture a picture of the adorable blue crayon….there was also a cute little monkey that joined us that evening)!

    Every day for the month of October the girls got a little treat in their pumpkins (if they did well at school, after school activities, and at home).  On Halloween Day they got their last little goodies.  Some of the items they received were Halloween socks, Halloween Underwear, books, glow sticks, crafts, and more!

  • Recipe: Apple Pie

    One of the best parts of Fall is the delicious food, which includes APPLES!  If you want to make a homemade apple pie or need to use up some of those apples here is a great recipe to use.  You can get a pie crust from the grocery store or make my Great Aunt Noami’s Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust.  The only thing I should have done with this pie is put some foil over it to keep it from browning so much, it still tasted amazing!

    Apple Pie with Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust:

    First is the pie crust (if you are using store bought or another recipe skip this step).  This recipe makes crust for 2 pies (top & bottom).

    • 3 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Shortening
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Sugar
    • 1 Egg, well beaten
    • 5 tablespoon Water
    • 1 tablespoon Vinegar

    Mix flour, shortening, salt with pastry blender.  Combine egg, water, and vinegar then combine with flour mixture.  Mold into 4 balls chill awhile then roll out for pie.  Balls will keep up to 2 weeks in refrigerator for additional pies.  Yields: 2 double pie crusts

    If you want to just do enough for 1 complete pie crust (top and bottom) cut the recipe in half.

    Apple Pie Filling

    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 6 cups thinly sliced and cored apple

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a pie dish.  Mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour.  Stir in apples and place into the pie crust.  Dot with butter and cover with the top crust.  Cut a slit in the top of the pie to let the steam escape.  Seal the top crust to the bottom one by pinching the edges together.  Cover the edge of the crust with a strip of aluminum foil.  Bake pie for 50 minutes or until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the top.

  • Giveaway & Review: “Say Anything” Game by North Star Games

    I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a Say Anything Family Game by North Star Games!  As a Mom, wife and friend I am always looking for ways to entertain my family and guests.  After playing Wits & Wagers  (see my review) and Wits & Wagers Family (see my review) both are from North Star Games I received Say Anything to check out.   My family gives Say Anything game a big thumbs up!  I know you will enjoy this one!   This game has become a favorite with our family.

    Enter the Giveaway (up to 4 entries per person)!

    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.  Put a separate comment for each way you follow Blessings Multiplied (Email, Twitter, or Facebook) plus an extra entry for your bonus answer!   Each comment counts as an entry into the giveaway.

    All comments must be made by November 30th at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.

    More information about “Say Anything” game:

    Say Anything is a great party game to play with your family and friends!  You will find yourself laughing as you read the wide variety of answers to each question.  The game is made for 3 to 8 players and takes about 30 minutes to play.  I would recommend if younger kids are playing that they are able to read and write answers independently (otherwise they may need additional help).  The game is recommended for ages 10 and up.

    1. Ask any question from the card you draw, such as “What’s the best movie of all time?” or “If I could have a BIG anything, what would it be?”
    2. Everyone else writes an answer and turns it face-up.
    3. Secretly choose your favorite of these answers. Then everyone tries to guess which one you picked.

    Where do I purchase “Say Anything” for myself or as a gift?

    This game would be a perfect game to play during the upcoming Holidays or to give as a gift to family and friends!  You can purchase this game on Amazon or at major retailers like Books-A-Million, Target, or local game stores found on North Star Games retailer locator.  To learn more about the game and those who created it you can visit North Star Games website.  You can get the most update to date information on North Star Games by following them Facebook and Twitter.

    *A special thanks to North Star Games, specifically Dominic Crapuchettes and Luke Warren, for the providing this game for the giveaway!

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 10 Free Points

    You can receive another 10 free points from Pampers with a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    • Use Code:  FBHA012PR46DY12

    (Expires 11/06/12 at midnight CST) 

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!  For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

    Green cat with a “K” on it….wonder who that one is for?  We also found a purple cat with a “B” on it too! 🙂

    While Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa were here visiting we made some delicious rice krispie treats.  I made regular rice krispie treats and cut them out with Halloween (pumpkin, ghost, and cat) cookie cutters then the kids and Grandmas decorated them.  It was a lot of fun making these tasty treats together.

    Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treat

    Someone ate a Black Cat…….Karlie!

    Brina enjoying one of the rice krispie treats after she finished helping decorate!

    Colorful pumpkin!

    Spooky green rice krispie ghost!

    Decorating rice krispie treats with Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa.  The decorating team was MUCH faster than the cookie cutter, ha! 🙂

    A plate full of decorated rice krispie treats!

    Another tray full of pumpkins, ghosts, and cats…….

    After the girls got a chance to taste test one cookie we sent some of the treats home with the Grandmas, 1 went into each of the girls lunches for the next day, and the rest we brought to Community Group to share with friends.  This was a fun and easy Halloween activity for everyone to do.

  • Family Activities: 3 Big Pumpkins with 6 Different Faces!

    One side of the pumpkins had a Mr. Potato Head type face on it! Karlie’s “serious” pumpkin, Grandma Penny & Great Grandma Willa’s “silly” pumpkin, and Brina’s “puppy dog” pumpkin! This side of the pumpkin took a lot less time to do.  It was super easy and if you don’t want to mess with carving or cleaning out a pumpkin this is a great alternative. The girls loved picking out the pieces for their pumpkins and designing a face.

    We were super excited to have Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa come visit us for a few days in October.  During their visit we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun activities.  One of the activities was carving pumpkins!  The girls had a blast hanging out with both Grandmas and have a lot of great memories of their time with us.  Thankful that they were able to come visit us.  🙂

    The other side of the pumpkins had the carved version on it which was perfect for the evening.  Karlie’s “scary” pumpkin, Grandma Penny & Great Grandma Willa’s “cat” pumpkin, and Brina’s “happy” pumpkin sitting on the front porch.

    The PROCESS……

    Scooping out the pumpkin seeds

    Gross……slimy pumpkin hands!

    Karlie designed her own “scary” pumpkin face complete with eyelashes!  She drew her face on a piece of paper and Jake helped her transfer it to her pumpkin.  So proud of her scary pumpkin!

    Brina wanted a “happy” pumpkin!

    Trying to get Skip-A-Doo to pose with them in front of the pumpkins…..ha!  Skipper wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but I have to give them credit for trying to get her to cooperate for the picture!

    The girls had a lot of fun doing the pumpkins with Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa.  They thought it was neat having a “2 sided” pumpkin with different faces on each side.  The jack-o-lantern that they carved was their night pumpkin and the silly faces were their day pumpkins.  We used the pumpkins seeds to make 3 Seasoned Pumpkin Seed recipes.  Did you carve or decorate pumpkins?  I would love to see your pumpkins, feel free to post a link to your pictures in the comment section below!

  • Leaves + Pumpkins + Ghosts = Oh My….It’s Halloween

    Karlie and Brina raked up a bunch of leaves to “stuff” the pumpkin!

    What a difference a year makes…..so much has happened over the past few months it is hard to believe it is Halloween again!  I like to think that I have learned all the lessons I need to know by now but I find myself still trying to balance this thing called life.  At times I am torn between having fun with my family and getting things done on my never-ending and always-growing “to do” list (does anyone else struggle with this or is it just me?!).

    Sometimes the best way to get things done is to have fun doing it with your family.  For example, you can make raking leaves a game by seeing who can stuff their “leaf pumpkin” the fullest or fastest!  You get to have fun with the family plus you get a few extra leaves off the yard all at the same time.

    Last year it was much warmer for Halloween so the kids spent almost all their free time outside playing.  Only a few days ago we were wearing shorts and it was 80 degrees outside, but with the storm up north the wind has picked up, leaves are raining down on the yard, and there is an extra chill in the air.

    Two little pumpkins for my sweet “pumpkins”!

    They got these cute little pumpkins from a fall activity we did with a group of friends at a local farm.  Since these pumpkins were too small to carve we made delicious Pumpkin Dip and a small batch of Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds!

    The girls made these easy “Banana Ghosts” to take in their school lunches!

    It was cute hearing them giggle as they put together their little ghosts.  We took 1 banana, cut it in half, the girls put a dab of peanut butter (or soy butter) on it, adding raisins for the eyes, stuck a straw in the bottom and put them into bags for their school lunch.  The straw was a fun addition because the ghost would “move” (in slow circles) when they held it up which added to the excitement.  Sometimes it’s the simple things that you already have in your kitchen that bring the widest smiles!

  • Family Activities: Fall Festivals

    Jake on the spinning teacup with the girls!  The last time I went on this ride it made me so sick and dizzy I thought I was going to throw up in one of the girls pumpkins full of Halloween candy!

    One of the fun activities our family enjoys participating in every Fall is the local festivals!  The girls love getting a chance to go for a ride on carnival rides, hayrides, bouncy castles, check out ambulances, firetrucks, helicopters, pet farm animals and more (for free)!  They always have a blast at this event!

    Here are a few pictures from one of our favorite fall festivals that we try to go to every year at a local church in our area.   Although you do get a bag of candy the highlight is the fun activities (not candy).  If you are looking for a safe place to trick or treat for Halloween check to see if any of your local churches do a  “Trunk or Treat” event.

    Off they go on another ride!

    Going UP……..

    Jake and the girls flying by me on a chair swing!

    Brina flying down the slide!

    Karlie zooming down the giant slide!

    All of us went on the Thomas the Train ride together!

    Checking out the inside of the ambulance!

    They had a lot more activities going on that I didn’t get pictures of like face painting, hair glitter, carnival games and more!  Do you have fall festivals in your area that your family always looks forward to attending?  What type of activities do they have at the festival?

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was another fun one! Our Community Group did our first overnight camping trip.  We had a lot of great food and fellowship.  The kids had a blast and wanted to know if we could do it again this weekend!  🙂  Although they will probably have to wait a while longer I am thankful that they got to hang out with friends, meet new friends, and created a lot of great memories.  Hopefully this week I will be able to tackle more items on my list!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily – didn’t get to read on the weekend during the camp out
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family – Camp Out Adventure!!!! 🙂
    6. Attend Parent / Teacher Meetings for the Girls

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t drink enough the last couple of days with all the camp out preparations and cleanup
    3. Finish reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine – excellent book
    4. Finish reading Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith (I got a pre-release copy to read) – great book
    5. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith – working on it
    6. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – staying on track

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Start tackling my Fall Organizational Schedule – got a few items done (need to tackle a couple more this week)
    4. Pay all upcoming bills – have a couple that came in the mail during the camp out adventure so they were put on my desk until this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Write and Send Out Alms & Legs Ministry Team Email
    4. Community Group Camping Adventure

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van – was able to set aside a little bit extra this month to put towards the van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – working on it

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Celebrate Halloween with the Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Finish reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
    4. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Project (Focus – Office / Garage)
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Finishing cleaning up from Community Group Camp out
    6. Put away all the Halloween Items

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming (November) blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Schedule November work dates

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

  • Local Activities: “Dine Out for Mom” Event on Thursday, October 25, 2012

    There is a special event going on tomorrow, Thursday, October 25, 2012 called Dine Out For Mom which is a part of the Let There Be Mom organization.  As a Mom with small children it is important for me to remember that life is precious, sweet, and short.  We never know what joys and trials life will bring our way.  You may know of a friend or family member that has gone through serious illness and given only a short amount of time to live.   This event is to remind us to celebrate life, create memories, cherish our family, and help others because our life here on earth is not forever.

    What is Let There Be Mom? It is an organization that provides help to Moms when they or their spouse is diagnosed with a serious illness.  How was it started?   “Let There Be Mom” comes along side the family going through this difficult time to preserve memories.  They do this through a variety of services tailored to meet the needs and wishes of the individual families. Some examples of ways you can get involved – photography, scrapbooks,  journals, videos, meals, errands, special events, care packages, family cookbooks, and many more wonderful activities.  The Dine Out For Mom event tomorrow is designed to help raise funds for this great organization.   When you eat at one of the participating restaurants they will donate a portion of the proceeds to “Let There Be Mom” so they can continue to help families that are losing a loved one.

    Take some time out of your busy day to meet a friend for lunch or take the family out for dinner.  What a great way to spend time with those you love while helping a wonderful organization that is committed to preserving family memories.

    For more information about the “Let There Be Mom” organization, their services, and how to get involved please visit their website.