Gift Giving: Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
Our family enjoys taking Christmas goodies to our neighbors every year around Christmas time. Since several of our neighbors are watching their sugar intake (due to diabetes) I wanted to find a gift that would be both practical and fun for them without all the sugar. Yes, the gift I eventually settled on last year did contain sugar but they didn’t eat it. The gift kits were a big hit and the best part….it’s super easy (you even may have all the ingredients in your kitchen). Several people have asked me for the recipe since last Christmas so I wanted to share it with you too in case you are looking for a homemade, inexpensive, and practical gift to share this year.
Putting together gifts for neighbors and friends
You could give away just the jars of Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub. I decided to do a Moisturizing Citrus Scrub Kits for our neighbors and friends. Each kit contained:
- Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
- Hand Soap
- Lotion
- Note from our family with instructions on how to use the items in the kit
Ingredients in the Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
The olive oil helps moisturize your hands while the lemons and oranges add a clean citrus scent. The sugar and salt help exfoliate any dry skin and freshens the appearance of your hands.
Moisturizing Citrus Hand Scrub
- 3 cups Sugar
- 2/3 cups Kosher Salt
- Zest from 1 large Lemon
- Zest from 1 large Orange
- 2 cups Olive Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Pure Lemon Extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Pure Orange Extract
Gently wash and dry the fruit. To zest the orange and lemon use your cheese grater and turn it to the side with the small openings/blades. Grate the orange, turning it frequently. You just want to take off the colored part of the peel (so try not to get too much of the white portion).Now that you have your citrus zest put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Scoop into a mason jar. Put lid on and decorate as you wish. The recipe makes enough for 2 pints (fills two – 1 pint mason jars).Optional: If you would like a milder scent you can remove or reduce the amount of extract from the recipe. Also, if you would prefer only doing Lemon or Orange instead of both just double the amount it calls for in the recipe and eliminate the other citrus ingredients. You can add extra zest into your mix if you like too (see the first picture on this post, the one of the left has extra zest in it).
Moisturizing Citrus Scrub ready to be put into the jars
Filling up the mason jars
Our note included in the the gift to our neighbors and friends!
The red ones all ready to be delivered! You can see our “blue” note in the back of the kit. The note also contained directions on it. I taped on the note on the inside of the package.
The white ones are ready now too! All we have to do now is load them up and deliver them.
It was a lot of fun putting these together for friends and neighbors. Our family did a large batch and made 10 mason jars full. Several people have asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here for others as well. If you are looking for a practical and unique gift this is a great one that worked well for us.
Local Charity: Country Santa
Some items the girls picked up themselves last year to donate to Country Santa
For the past few years our family has donated to Country Santa. The girls school is a collection point so it makes it easy for us to drop off the fun toys the kids pick out to donate. We believe it is important to help those within our community (specifically kids in this situation) who would otherwise not have a Christmas or gifts to open for the Holiday Season.
There have been years within our own family when Jake was out of work and funds were really tight. We really didn’t have a lot in the budget to buy gifts for our kids. Thankfully, the girls were younger so they didn’t notice that gifts that were under our tree were mostly from family and friends (not us). We were able to give them a couple small gifts that we were able to get for free (using coupons or finding deals).
We made sure that the Holidays were cheerful for the kids and we focused on the many blessings we had in our lives, the true meaning of Christmas, and made sure to spend quality time together creating wonderful memories even during a stressful season. We really didn’t have any extra cash to buy gifts for extended family and friends so we just didn’t do it (and prayed that everyone understood).
Whether you are barely making ends meet or have extra this year there are ways to make the season a time of celebration for your kids. If you live in our area and truly don’t have any extra you may qualify for this neat program. If you are fortunate enough to have a little extra this year maybe you can donate to Country Santa or another similar program to help those less fortunate right within your own community. You may be a huge blessing to some young kid this Christmas Season!
Some of the goodies we have picked up for Country Santa this year. The “monster feet” just make me smile! 🙂
Here is a little bit more about Country Santa
It all started with one first-grade girl, shortly after Cox and his wife Nell moved from Greenville, SC, to tiny Pumpkintown in the northwest corner of the state. The girl arrived at school needing new shoes, and Cox, a water-waste equipment sales engineer, heard about her plight and brought her a pair. It was then that he noticed the tattered condition of her doll. So that Christmas, a replacement doll, the biggest boxed doll I could find, says Cox – arrived under the girl’s Christmas tree.
The next year, with names provided by the elementary schools, Cox provided toys to 10 children. By the fifth year the list had grown so long that Cox began soliciting toys, new and used, from the area’s more fortunate citizens. He signed up volunteer elves to help deliver them.
In 1986, he built a 900-square-foot warehouse to store toys, which are gathered from collection points throughout the year. The Country Santa building is also where all the toys are bagged for delivery. Before the Country Santa building was built, Cox’s home doubled as Santa’s workshop. Toys were stacked in every room in the house.
Country Santa doesn’t limit the gifts to one toy per child. Each child get several toys. Cox says “he try’s to give about $50.00 worth of new toys but some maybe used. He if has to give used toys, they have to be in excellent condition.
Cox draws inspiration from his own youth. When he was 10, his dad walked out on the family, leaving his mother to support Buddy and two older sisters in the rural South Carolina town of Cross Hill. “She got a job as a bookkeeper, making $50 a week,” Buddy says, and “I know she struggled to put something under the tree for us at Christmas. I realized parents can hurt when they can’t give their kids something”.
To learn more about Country Santa or how to get involved you can go to their website.
While it breaks my heart to think that a kid would have a Christmas without a single present under the tree (if they even have a tree) I know that it is impossible for me to find and help every single one which is why giving to a local charity is important. If everyone who can gives a little extra it really could go a long way.
I love that the girls participating in the giving and are excited about doing it for children they will most likely never meet. We don’t know who is actually getting our gifts, but we pray that God brings them to the place they will make the most positive impact. Brainstorm and consider ways your family can be a blessing to someone else this Holiday Season.
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!
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.
Halloween Candy Buy Back Programs
Hope everyone had an amazing Holiday. Halloween is a great time to create memories with your family. The Fall Festivals, pumpkin carving, hayrides, dressing up and candy…..sometimes too much candy. Every wonder if you’ll be able to eat, share, or giveaway all the candy before the next Halloween hits!
Dentists all over the country are participating in a Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. They buy the kids Halloween candy then donate it to the groups that send it to those in Military Service.
- Example: Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry in our area (1334 South Hwy 14, Simpsonville, SC 29681 / Phone: 864-297-5585) is Buying Back Halloween Candy and giving the kids $1 per pound ($5 max per child) and a Treat bag. All the candy will be donated to our Troops Overseas.
If it is something you interested in participating in you can read more about on the FAQ page and search for locations near you!
Photo by Rochelle
Gift Giving: “The Graduates Survival Guide” by Rachel Cruze (Dave Ramsey)
Do you have a family member or friend who is graduating from High School this year? Are you looking for a unique gift for a reasonable price to give them that can help for many years? You can order “The Graduates Survival Guide” for $19.95 on Dave Ramsey’s website.
“The Graduates Survival Guide” includes:
- Quick Reference Book (132 pages) – Question & Answer Format that includes information and resources about:
- Balancing a Checkbook
- Credit Cards
- Debt
- Part-Time Jobs
- Collision and Liability Insurance
- Student Loans
- Giving
- Compound Interest
- Saving
- And Many More Valuable Resources
- 4 Track DVD – information and discussion on college topics:
- College Life
- Marketing & Debt
- Practical Saving
- Navigating Academic – schedules, classes, internships, and goals.
- And More!
- Commemorative Gift Case – that holds all the goodies for your graduate
Description:
“The Graduates Survival Guide” is designed to prepare graduating seniors for college. Rachel Cruze’s “The Graduates Survival Guide” is for graduating High School Students as they step into the next phase of their life as a freshman in college. The guide is humorous and informative. The DVD about college life has helpful tips and stories (regarding schedules, finances, eating out, college life, roommates, and more) from Rachel Cruze, Christy Brown and Jon Acuff.
More about Rachel Cruze:
Rachel Cruze was taught the basic principles of money at an early age. She is part of Dave Ramsey’s team and has traveled across the country to speak to young adults at high schools, colleges and youth conferences about finances. Some of the topics she discusses with teenagers is how to budget, save for cars & college, and giving.
The Best Stuff in Life is FREE!
I have come to learn that most treasured things in life really are “free”! You cannot purchase these items and they come spontaneously and sincerely from the giver. They are little wonderful gifts to those on the receiving end. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day to day life and not realize that some of the best stuff that we can get in our lifetime is free. These simple acts of kindness can be a huge blessing to us on a tough day. As a Mom I am thankful for girls who freely and generously shower me with these blessings quite frequently.Here are some of the BEST things in my life that are free:
- A hug from a child
- Word of encouragement from a friend
- Smile from a stranger
- A handful of freshly picked dandelions, weeds, or flowers picked from the yard
- Simple act of kindness
- A handwritten note in the mail
- And Many More Special Blessings
I can think of so many more amazing blessings in my life that a free yet have a positive impact on my life as well as on the lives of others. Another thought to consider is……how often do I give these gifts to others? Often times it is when you demonstrate to your children, family and friends these blessing that you’ll see the ripple effect and eventually the other side of it.
What are some ways you are a blessing to others? Does it take much time or cost you too much to make a positive impact on the lives of the people around you?
Living on a Budget: Creative Cash (March Update)
Last month I began a monthly challenge called Creative Cash. Creative Cash is finding ways to come up with extra cash to share with others as well as work on our current goal. I am working part time, a stay at home Mom, and wear many other hats from day to day, however, I feel that it is important to save money for our family by using coupons and buying items on sale but to earn a little money to help with the extra expenses and to share with others. The extra amount I bring in on top of the work is what I call “Creative Cash” which means finding ways to make money creatively or with items and talents I have already. I have tested this goal over the last couple months as I am challenging myself to make my life more simplified. I plan to continue this goal for the remaining months of the year. Despite the many financial obstacles that we have faced as a family we have been blessed with so much. We believe it is important to be accountable with our finances and give to others.Explanation: The creative cash will be made throughout the entire month through various endeavors. As it comes in the money is placed into our savings account and withdrawn at the end of the month so it can be split. It is my goal to make at least $100 extra a month to help with our goals as well as share with others. At the end of the month the money will be split 50 / 50 with half going towards our current goal we are working on (which at the moment is paying down debt) and the other half going to charity.
March was a great month and I was able to go over my goal of $100 (although not quite as good as my February Creative Cash since I didn’t have a bunch of coupons saved up). I want to share with you the ways we did it so if you are looking for ways to make a little extra creative cash for your family hopefully we can be an inspiration in getting your creative juices flowing:
- $85.92 – Items sold on Ebay: The majority of items sold were coupons (I did sell a small office supply that I received free after rebate for about $8 of the amount sold). I encourage you to look around at some of the coupons you get the mail, newspapers, magazines, in your stockpile, or other places and if you will not have the opportunity to use them then consider selling them for a little extra creative cash.
- $30.00 – Items sold on Craigslist: I sold lawn care items/tools that we were no longer using. We had really good luck on Craigslist again this month, it can be hit and miss on Craigslist depending on the week and what people are looking for on the site.
- $6.40 – Other miscellaneous amounts earned (a rebate, return, cash back, extra money, etc…) that was added to my stash for the month.
March’s “Creative Cash” total was $122.32 which means $61.16 extra that goes towards our current goal, paying down debt and $61.16 goes towards charity. It was exciting to go above the $100 goal again and to know it helps us get a little closer to our goals as well as helps others along the way. I have plan of action on ways to earn creative cash in April so stayed tuned, hopefully, it will be another month where we can get closer to our goal and share with others. Each month I do a variety activities to accomplish this goal, the items above are just the ones I did specifically in March. I look forward to sharing more of the things that work well for our family as I do them in the upcoming months.
I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to find ways to help our family as well as invest in the lives of others is important to us. I hope that we have been able to encourage you to find ways to come up with some creative cash for your household as well. Obviously, each situation and family is unique so decide what works for you and go for it! Do you know of another way to earn creative cash? I would love to hear your idea!
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Photo by StopNLook
Love It – Purple Heart Necklace
My Purple Heart Necklace, beautiful reminder of the blessings in my life! Thanks Handsome! My husband has known for years the impact the Little Purple Flower had on my life. We were dating at the time the incident occurred and he was delighted to see God use such a beautiful reminder to encourage me. Since that time Jake has on numerous occasions surprised me with a gift that had a purple flower or something similar on it as a reminder of how much He loves me. The gift is also a visual reminder that God daily gives me the many blessings I have in my life.
On Valentine’s Day my husband and I celebrated together at Winter Jam 2011. When I got up to go to the restroom before the concert started I came back to a small package on my chair. He gave me a beautiful purple heart necklace (totally surprised me) as a way to remind me of His love and the many blessings in our lives as a couple. I had no idea that he was even saving his money to get me such a sweet surprise.
He had been looking for the perfect necklace for awhile until he found the purple heart which he thought it would be a perfect fit for me. For those of you who know me personally I am not a glamour and glittery type of person. I grew up with three brothers on a farm and was more of a tomboy than a princess. I can count on one hand the pieces of jewelry I wear regularly. Every single piece I wear daily Jake picked out on his own for me (most of them were surprises too). I wear my watch, engagement & wedding rings, and my heart necklace he gave me for our 7th anniversary every day. The only other time I wear different or more jewelry is for a special event or Date Night when I an extra necklace, ring, or bracelet. So needless to say I was shocked to receive a necklace on Valentine’s Day and my heart about burst with love for him when I realized it was a purple heart meant to remind me of the little purple flowers in my life.
I am surrounded by many blessings in my life. Some days I have to look harder to find those blessings but they exist no matter how big or small. I am thankful for a God who extends love and grace to me every day. A husband whom I adore and kids that bring so much joy and laughter into my life. The best part is they all love me despite my imperfections and crazy days. Thank you babe for reminding me of the MANY blessing in my life. I am thankful for the amazing gifts God has given me!
“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!
Recipe: Friendship Bread
A friend, Jan Thornton, gave me my first Friendship Bread at my bridal shower and it was delicious. I have always wondered about the starter for that recipe then a couple years ago Jake’s cousin Mandy gave me another starter recipe. Here’s the starter recipes as well as the steps you need to follow to make the Friendship Bread:- 1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 cup warm Water (approximately 110 degrees)
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup granulated white Sugar
- 1 cup Milk
Dissolve yeast in water and let stand for 10 minutes. In a non-metal bowl combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in the milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover the bowl loosely and let stand until batter is bubbly. Do not refrigerate batter.
- Consider this Day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature or store in a ziplock bag.
- Day 2 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 3 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 4 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 5 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 6 – Add 1 cup of Sugar, 1 cup of Flour, and 1 cup of Milk and Mix in a Non-Metal Bowl
- Day 7 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 8 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 9 – Squeeze Bag
- Day 10 – Add 1 cup of Sugar, 1 cup of Flour, and 1 cup of Milk and Mix in a Non-Metal Bowl
Scoop out 4 (1 cup) portions for of the starter mixture and put each cup in a separate ziplock bag. Give 3 of the bags to friend and keep one for your family. With the left over starter mixture add the following ingredients:
- 1 cup Oil
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
Mix together thoroughly then add the remaining ingredients to the mixture:
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 large box of Vanilla Instant Pudding
- Optional Items to Add – 1 cup nuts, Chocolate Chips, Coconut, Raisins and more!
Mix the dough thoroughly then divide into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
Once you have made the starter (the 1 cup you kept for your family) you can consider it Day 1 and proceed to Day 2 the next day. One of the problems I encountered the last time I did this recipe is that before long you have more Friendship Bread then you can give away. If you are getting too much and want a break from doing Friendship Bread for a couple weeks you can freeze the starter batch measured out into 1 cups for later use. The frozen starter bread will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using. This gives you the ability to always have it to restart but also an opportunity take a break for a little bit too! Just remember to pull it out and start the process since it takes several days if you are planning on using it on a specific day! You’ve hear the saying that “Good things come to those who wait…..” this friendship bread is so delicious it is always worth the wait!
Photo by Binder of Daemons
