Love2EncourageYou

FREEBIES, DEALS and Tutorial for Scrapbooking Fans!

2012-02-25T06:18:00.003-05:00

Hey Scrapbook Lovers: Cool Freebie, Mega Deal & Tutorial!

FREEBIE: Get this FREE Digital Scrapbooking Download!

TIP: Create smaller projects or add elements to a larger layout! These are 4" x 6" Photocards. Use them to create photos for printing, create postcards, or add to a larger layout and use as a photomat!

This Freebie is for Everyone! This is a .png file only, not a MyMemories Suite Template. It is usable in any software, but we highly recommend picking up your own download of the My Memories Suite V3 Software to use with these Quick card templates. (You can get the software at a great discount with a Free Bonus using our special checkout code: STMMMS98094. Check out details below!) These freebies include 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. The elements and QuickPages are .png and the papers are .jpg format. These Quick Pages will not autoinstall into the software itself, but are used by adding to your project as you would a photo, and then layering your photo behind the open box. From there you can add journaling, embellishments and more to truly personalize!! It's so easy to use the .png format Quick Cards in the My Memories Suite v3 Software! Have fun with your free gift!

TUTORIAL:

Check out this fabulous new tutorial showcasing MyMemories v3 on one of the most popular topics - How To Find Purchased Content in Your Software.

Per the My Memories website: "You can make a beautiful scrapbook an interactive memory experience for anyone who sees it. Use simple one-click options to enhance your scrapbooks, with music, narration, video, and even the Internet. Go beyond pictures by showing off video of the birthday party, or record a narration to capture the memories that pictures alone cannot. With My Memories Suite you simply don't look at a scrapbook-you experience it!"

I love this decription on how many wonderful uses you get with this software. There are so many beautiful templates and embellishments to choose from and yet it can go far beyond just making a gorgeous scrapbook! I'm planning ahead to Mother's Day and Easter as we speak and will be getting my kids in their best dressed poses to make some adorable Easter albums and photobooks for Mother's Day gifts for the grandparents. What new and exciting photo project are you planning for? Birthdays, Weddings, Baby Showers? There are so many moments in life that truly deserve to be treasured and kept in a fun and enjoyable album to look through again and again. Making it yourself is half the fun!

MEGA DEAL offering Limited Time FREE BONUS OFFER!

I hope you'll enjoy this Freebie today and consider taking advantage of the great LIMITED TIME offer My Memories is making available to our readers who purchase the software between February 25 and March 31 to receive an even BIGGER Freebie! Every Person who buys MyMemories Suite Software using our unique checkout code during this Special Limited Time Offer is eligible to receive a One Year RAKStar Membership - free!! That's a free HUGE Digital Scrapbooking kit every month - and it's MyMemories Suite compatible, so it's like getting a free software content upgrade every month!! Valued at $247.35!!! Everyone who purchases the My Memories Suite V3 during this limited time offer will receive the Free Bonus! After you make your purchase, just email me at love2encourageyou@yahoo.com with a copy of the receipt from the MyMemories Suite Software purchase. Receipt must be dated between (February 24, 2012 - March 31, 2012). I will forward proof of purchase to the proper rep at RAKStar and will email you with your gift certificate once it is received.

Here's a Coupon Code just for my readers here at Love2EncourageYou Blog! Take $10 off your purchase of the My Memories Suite V3 Digital Scrapbooking Software (reg. $39.97) and receive the One Year RAKStar Membership for FREE! (valued at $247.35) Click on this link to make your purchase:
http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software
Enter Code at Checkout: STMMMS98094

Thanks so much for stopping by today! We hope to continue offering these super FREEBIES twice a month from the My Memories Suite company. Each time they offer a new freebie, we will try to make it available to all of you, our valued readers! :)

May the Lord bless you richly my friends and keep you and your families safe, healthy and strong in His Word and in His Love. God bless!

Disclosure: Some posts on this blog may contain affiliate links like the post above.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Giveaways, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow Love2EncourageU on Pinterest!
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Google+!

Veggie Tales Ambassadors Needed

2012-02-23T22:01:00.000-05:00

Hello all my friendly readers!

I realize that not everyone is interested in the inspirational or Christian themed posts I share, but for those of you who are Christians and LOVE Veggie Tales stuff, you will want to read this!

Veggie Tales is currently looking for new Veggie Tales Ambassadors in the US areas below! If you are interested, please apply at www.veggietales.com/ambassadors!

St. Louis
Atlanta
Minneapolis
San Diego
Shreveport LA
Greenville SC
Birmingham
Jacksonville FL
Miami FL
Roanoke/Lynchburg VA

I am currently serving as a Veggie Tales Ambassador for the Central Florida area. I have completed my first event and it was so much fun! We had nearly 60 in attendance at our first Veggie Tales Premier Movie Event showing the new movie titled: Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men. This brand new Veggie Tales movie is due out in stores around March 5th.

They are so many reasons to consider becoming a Veggie Tales Ambassador. This experience has helped me reach out to residents in our local area that might not have a home church to attend and introduce them to Biblical principles. It's a great way to provide a free fun family activity for the local community residents to take their children to and share the love of God with them. We were able to give out balloons, stickers, coloring pages, activity sheets and even a few door prizes. Many families within our church helped volunteer their time and talent in assisting with the sound board and showing the movie, baking sweet treats to share, decorating for the event, and running the games and crafts suggested by Veggie Tales to coordinate with the film. The Veggie Tales Ambassadors program has a wealth of information to share with its helpers to make running one of these big events so much easier.

The Veggie Tales Ambassadors even offer a closed group community on Facebook where you can share and learn from other ambassadors in the program. It has been a great asset in providing extra details for the events, and additional ideas for games and crafts that others have thought up beyond what Veggie Tales originally suggested. This group of selected ambassadors have become a family or support group to one another as we all try to serve the Lord by offering these super-duper family friendly Premier Movie Events on behalf of Veggie Tales. Won't you join me? Go here to apply to one of the areas listed above that they are currently accepting applications for. Hope to see you on the Veggie Tales Ambassadors Facebook group soon! Blessings to all of you for your interest in serving the Lord in this unique way. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow Love2EncourageU on Pinterest.

The Joy of Reading: Free Kid's eBooks from Amazon's Kindle Store!

2012-02-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

The Joy of Reading: Free Kid's eBooks from Amazon's Kindle Store!

Find fun new children's stories to enjoy reading with the kiddos! I don't know about you, but I adore spending time with my children when they are just learning to read. Books come alive for them and each day reading with Mommy can bring a new grand adventure! My daughter is five years old and she never stops asking for me to read more books to her. Owning a tablet these days is pretty common it seems and having access to these free Amazon Kindle books for kids are a fabulous way to take the "dull" out of any rainy day and fill it with excitement. Switching up the reading style by using regular printed materials some of the time then using your Ipad or other tablet or laptop to read ebooks with your child can be a fun change of pace in the reading practice too. I have found that my daughter loves technology and especially playing on the tablet (like a Kindle Fire or Ipad). She wants to help read the words more often then when we are reading a regular printed book. She has a fascination for computers and electronic devices and as a mom I know I have to use any advantage I can get to entice her to practice her phonics and reading skills each day. Whatever works, right moms?

Try this new approach to reading with your little ones, and soon you can watch their faces light up each time you get one of my emails listing the latest cool kids books in the "Free" Kindle Book Store on Amazon.com! They will love choosing their favorite subjects and titles. I try my best to share the ones that get the highest review ratings or that I personally enjoyed reading with my own children. Have fun browsing and please leave me feedback in the comment section below if there is a specific style of book or subject type you're looking for and would like to see me highlight it in future posts about Free Kindle Books here at Love2EncourageYou. Thanks! Best of luck with your new style of reading adventures! :)

A Pocketful of Dinosaurs (A great way to learn about Dinosaurs!) (Kindle Edition) by Scott Gordon.

Jungle Fun (Big Beak Books First Learners) Kindle Edition. by Peter Lawson. 4.5 Stars.

Busy Machines (Big Beak Books First Learners) Kindle Edition. by Peter Lawson. 5 Stars!

Buster's On the Job (A Sight Words Easy Reader, Bugville Jr. #5) Kindle Edition. by Robert Stanek. 5 Stars!

Ava the Talking Kangaroo. Kindle Edition. by Matt Ballard. 5 Stars!

5 Level One Beginning Readers From The "I Love Reading" Series. Kindle Edition.

*For more information about children's ebooks and technology, check out Kids Corner @ Kindle Nation Daily for great book reviews from kids, parents and teachers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

Avon: Review and Giveaway! Win Mickey Mouse Jewelry!

2012-02-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

Avon with Cindy: Review and Giveaway!

Happy February! Everyone loves the opportunity to look and feel their best each day, but in the winter it's especially important to most as they don't get to be outside and get that coveted touch of color with an awesome tan, or enjoy the moister air of spring or summer as dry heat in winter can wreak havoc on skin and hair. Did you know Avon offers products with many different ways to enhance your health and beauty routine from make-up and hair to fashion accessories, clothing and more? Just imagine if today included Avon? What would normally be a dull, dreary winter's day, but now its an AVON day and you can start it off with a positive attitude and extra boost of self confidence! Start the day off right by having the scent of sweet perfume in the air, or after work you can come home to the luxury of a relaxing bubble bath waiting for you. How about putting on your best face using make-up in colors that enhance your natural beauty? Wouldn't we all love to have the confidence of healthy skin, hair and nails from using high quality products from a brand we can trust - what a marvelous day it would be! I'm ready to hear more about Avon products and what new and exciting things they have to offer, aren't you? Visit here if you'd like to take a quick skincare quiz.

Well let me introduce you to a sweet, energetic lady that fills the air with laughs and brings a smile to everyone's face..her name is Cindy. She is a wonderful Avon representative with her own Avon website to share the treasures of health and beauty products with all of you. Cindy is a lot of fun to work with and get to know. She has an answer to your health and beauty needs that can save a bundle on the pocket book too! Avon is something Cindy enjoys sharing with others as their catalog is full of not just make-up or beauty products, but so much more! They offer everything imaginable from shoes to toys to mascara or jewelry. You never know what might show up next, but you can trust Avon will do it with style and quality. Want to join Cindy's team and start your own Avon business? Just visit this link and when it asks for the ref code just enter: cindyk36

Thinking back, I remember my aunt used to sell Avon years ago and I loved it back then. It's absolutely amazing how far Avon has come over the years and what an incredible dedication to quality and customer satisfaction they've developed and maintained so well. Way to go, Avon!

I had the special opportunity to try some of these amazing Avon products from Avon with Cindy! I received a new mascara and a Mickey pendant (like the one we will be giving away on the blog!) I was so excited and grateful to try out the mascara (shame on me...I was so overdue to replace my old mascara. Lol!) and I knew this Avon brand was fabulous! I have tried Avon products many times before as they have always been some of my favorite nail & make-up products (especially when tight on my budget). The mascara's wand has just the right width between the combs to separate and help curl the lashes up when I apply it. It glides on nicely and seemed very waterproof even when I got teary-eyed at my mom's retirement party. I enjoyed wearing this mascara to my big, family event this past weekend as it made me feel bright-eyed and beautiful!

Avon brings value and beauty together at a whole new level! Want to try a cool virtual makeover? Click here to get started!

I adore this gorgeous Mickey Mouse pendant from Avon I received as part of my review! I have gotten so many compliments on it already! :) It looks adorable on and brings a smile to many kid's faces too! So flattering the way it lays around your neck. Some necklaces don't lay flat properly on my neck, but this one does. A fun and easy way to make your wardrobe a little snappier.

Did you know you can buy products at huge discounts through the Avon online website? Avon offers products in their outlet section that are for a limited time only while quantities last. You can snag some amazing deals there! Check them out here! You can get FREE shipping on all orders of $30 or more!

Right now they have Foot Works Watermelon Exfoliating Foot Scrub at a huge discount -

SAVE 60%! Regulary $5.00 now only $1.99 while supplies last! (per Avon description: Retexturizing formula containing watermelon extract and bits of watermelon seeds softens calluses and dry skin. 3.4 fl. oz.)

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright my fabulous readers, I'd like you to check this out: "Avon with Cindy" is a new Facebook Fan Page just created and we want to help Cindy kick it off in style by holding a Giveaway for two winners with two different special prizes! Prizes for the Giveaway are:

Prize #1: Mickey Mouse pendant necklace. reg $14.99 silvertone. 17" L chain with 3" extender (ONE WINNER)
Prize #2: Mickey Mouse stud earrings. crystal rhinestones in goldtone. pierced. adult earrings. not a toy. $4.99.(ONE WINNER)

Please go to the Rafflecopter form below to enter the Giveaway. You may have to click on the "Read More..." in order to see the Rafflecopter form. Please enter as many of the entries as you can as each one has a separate # of entries into the giveaway. You could end up with a ton of entries today! Following Avon with Cindy on Facebook, leaving comments about her Avon products you like, or making an order would really make her day! Let's show our sponsor some love and make this a super huge giveaway event! Best of luck to everyone in winning the cool Mickey Mouse Pendant or Mickey Mouse Earrings!

Contest Rules: Must be 18 years or older and you must reside within the United States of America. Two prizes - two winners. All entries will be verified. Once contest is over, winner will have 48 hours to respond by email after they are contacted. If we do not receive a reply within 48 hours, then we will choose a new winner. Please email if you are having trouble with the Rafflecopter form or have any broken links or other questions. I will be happy to respond within 12-24 hours.
Disclosure: I received a mascara and pendant in exchange for doing a review. My opinions are my own. I abide by ethical blogger standards. The Avon items in this giveaway are being offered by Cindy as an independent consultant and not by Avon directly. She will supply the prizes awarded and mail them to the winners. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook or Twitter.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ways to be a blessing at Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T15:06:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day can be such a memorable occasion. The romance and allure of someone special going out of their way to surprise you or bless you with a sentimental card, heartfelt gift or maybe even a romantic getaway! Well I have been blessed over the years to enjoy the other side of the coin...the blessing that comes from being a blessing to someone else at Valentine's Day who might otherwise not enjoy such a holiday on their own. Do you know anyone in your neighborhood who might be a widow or recently lost their spouse, elderly couple or single adult who don't have family in town, or maybe a friend who just had a tough break up with their boyfriend/girlfriend? What about your grandparents or great aunts & uncles being on the receiving end of a thoughtful gift, call, note or email...just because? How about your own mother or father as someone to surprise with an unexpected pinch of happiness to their day? There are so many reasons to think out of the box here and reach out even to total strangers that live in and around your own community...just to be a blessing from the Lord.

Ways to be a blessing at Valentine's Day:

We made a visit to a nursing home one year and brought a bucket full of single stem carnations and a group of the youth from church. The teens would go around and chat for a few moments with the residents there and hand them a gift of love from the Lord to bless their day and make a happy memory. The blessing in return was to know the youth were learning to give of themselves and think of others on a holiday like Valentine's Day besides the typical boyfriend/girlfriend routine. Everyone was truly blessed that day and were thankful to have been a part of that ministry outreach to the nursing home residents.

Another year at Valentine's Day, we took our infant son (about 4 months old at the time) to visit and cheer up the residents in the burn unit in a local hospital. We dressed up in red or pink colors and had the baby wearing a sleeper and hat with hearts all over it. These burn unit victims do not normally have such unexpected yet welcomed guests there and with still having them keep their distance, we allowed them the joy of seeing a little one all happy and bubbly with its cooing and babbling baby sounds that seemed to instill immediate smiles onto the faces of the burn unit residents. Their day was broken up with a sweet memory of baby giggles and we knew the hour we invested was well worth the time.

There are so many ways you can involve your younger children in reaching out to a neighbor, grandparent or friend on Valentine's Day too. Let them make a special craft with you but duplicate it several times allowing them to get it down to perfection with scissor skills, glue or paste, glitter and sticker application. This gives your child lots of great preschool or early elementary skills training for arts and crafts. It also ends up making several completed projects for you as a family to go around and deliver to local residents in your community or relatives you wish to be a blessing to on Valentine's Day. I've made tiny baby food jars filled with cinnamon hearts or red hots, and let my kids decorate the lid using construction paper and designing a sequins heart on top. With a pink paint pen we drew hearts on the outside of the jar and using a black paint pen wrote, "Be Mine". Sometimes we added decorative stickers for a special touch for someone who loved a particular cartoon character or something.

The options are endless on what you choose to make to be a blessing. The point is just to take the time to be a blessing to someone else in your life today. I trust you will enjoy the experience... and so will they. :) God bless you this Valentine's Day! Please comment below and share how you like to be a blessing at Valentine's Day! Can't wait to hear all your wonderful ideas!!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Giveaways, Freebies, Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

Valentine Card Tutorial & FLASH GIVEAWAY CHALLENGE!

2012-02-07T22:35:00.001-05:00

First, for all my readers who would love to learn how to create and print their own unique valentine cards for their kids to pass out to their friends or classmates in school, church, sports team, dance class, and more. Just check out this awesome DIY FREE TUTORIAL for using the Digital Scrapbook Cards to create your own special & personalized valentines!

LOVE2ENCOURAGEYOU BLOG is offering a FLASH GIVEAWAY CHALLENGE to any participants WORLDWIDE (ages 13 & older) that would like to WIN a FREE "Designer Pack" Digital Scrapbook Kit download from My Memories! Giveaway ends February 12 at 8pm Eastern time.

Prize includes: 2 Quick Pages, and all of the papers and elements used in creating them. The elements and QuickPages are.png and the papers are .jpg format. These Quick Pages are used by adding to your project as you would a photo, and then layering your photo behind the open box. From there you can add journaling, embellishments and more to truly personalize!!

We will be offering Freebies & Giveaways regularly for all sorts of different Scrapbooking Design Packs so you can start an album for photobooks, printing or on line viewing by using them!

We encourage you to pick up the My Memories Suite V3 Digital Scrapbook Software today so you can enjoy all of its many uses from Valentines Day cards to scrapbook pages to photobooks to videos! It will be the base software for you to use as you receive all these incredible Scrapbooking FREEBIES in the weeks ahead! The perfect compliment!

To make it even easier to get the My Memories Suite Software, I'm offering my wonderful readers an exclusive discount code from Love2EncourageYou Blog to get $10 Off the price of purchasing the Software (regularly $39.99) today so you can enjoy taking advantage of our FREEBIES and GIVEAWAYS for specialty pages and other goodies from the My Memories collection!

Love2EncourageYou Blog will be holding these FREEBIES from My Memories twice a month! GIVEAWAYS for the My Memories Suite V3 Software will be offered here every 3 months! You don't want to miss out on the weekly Freebie on their My Memories Facebook Fan Page either. We will share that link with you on our Love2EncourageYou Facebook Fan Page each week so you don't miss a thing. Be sure to like our fan page and follow our posts for daily & weekly updates! So many exciting offers to take advantage of! Get your copy of the My Memories Suite V3 Digital Scrapbook Software now and let the fun begin!

Here's My Exclusive Code just for my readers to take $10 Off!
Please enter code at check out: STMMMS98094
Use this link to make your purchase: http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software

RULES for the FLASH GIVEAWAY CHALLENGE:

Solve all 5 riddles in the Scavenger Hunt correctly to qualify for the PRIZE.
Please post a separate comment below for each riddle's answer and leave me your email address in the post so I can contact you if you are one of our lucky winners.
Have fun! EVERYONE who follows these directions correctly and solves all five riddles successfully will WIN a FREE download of the My Memories Designer Pack! There is NO LIMIT to the number of winners in this Flash Giveaway Challenge. Come on and give it a try! You could be a winner! :)

SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTIONS for FLASH GIVEAWAY CHALLENGE:

Where would you go on our blog if you wanted to advertise a giveaway link from another blog?
According to the sidebar of our blog, where can you sign up to make money on Twitter?
According to the sidebar of our blog, where can you go to get the best coupons daily?
According to the sidebar of our blog, to which 2 websites can you go to vote for my blog?
According to the sidebar of our blog, how can you earn a free $10 gift card?

Disclosure: Giveaway is open to worldwide (ages 13 & older). The giveaways are in no way associated with Facebook or Twitter. This post contains affiliate links. The sponsor, My Memories, has provided permission for Love2EncourageYou Blog to run these discounts, giveaways and freebie offers for our readers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Giveaways, Freebies, Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

My Publisher - FREE Photobook Offer!

2012-02-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

My Publisher offers this message: Use coupon code BABY25 at checkout when you purchase 25 cards or more and get a voucher for a FREE PHOTO BOOK. Hurry, offer ends March 31st!

Be sure to take advantage of this special offer from My Publisher and enjoy all those adorable memories captured forever in your own keepsake photobook. My Publisher does an amazing job on their photo products! :)

Please feel free to visit My Publisher at their Facebook fan page. Lots of neat extra info about how to make the most of their products. They allow customers to share testimony and even free tutorial videos on how to use the products. My Publisher's Facebook page offers exclusive special offers from time to time so like their page so you won't miss a single offer.

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Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product & Book Reviews, Giveaways, Freebies, Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow Me on Pinterest!

FREE Veggie Tales Spotisode Game App!

2012-02-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

Check this out! Just released! Veggie Tales Spotisode Game App. #4. Free Kids App available!!
This is SO cool! We are a Veggie Tales household big time and I can definately get excited about Free Veggie Tales stuff! We have raised all three kids on Veggie Tales and now I find it amusing that in this age of technology and mobile devices, Veggie Tales is now available for me to entertain my children with right from my EVO cell phone! Wow! Thanks Veggie Tales and Weeblets! Why not glance at some of these awesome screen shots from the app? Want to give it a try...now is your chance. The price is just right...its FREE! May only be available for a limited time though so hurry and take advantage of this incredible kids game app for Free!

See what I mean? Isn't it great? There are all sorts of fun things you can do with this Veggie Tales app from Weeblets. If you own an Android device, I highly recommend grabbing this free download while you still can! Enjoy!

iTunes launch is coming soon as well! Stay tuned for more Veggie Tales updates here at Love2EncourageYou blog! :)

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,
Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

Kingdom Hearts - Family Friendly 10+ Video Game

2012-02-03T19:31:00.000-05:00

Finding good "family friendly" video games have become a scavenger hunt in our household. We try our best every couple of months to search for the latest in fun, unique and family-safe video games that can either challenge our teen son's wit & skill, or delight and teach our five year old daughter.

One of our favorites (being Disney fans) is the Kingdom Hearts series which has colorful Disney characters mixed in with their own creative RPG game characters. This enhances my teen son's level of interest for a good role playing game and my preschooler's desire to watch big brother playing. It also satisfies the parents need to know she's safely watching something age appropriate like Disney characters as opposed to other things found in some video games.

My son loves the fact that the big boss characters in the Kingdom Hearts game are mostly Disney Villians, and he got to meet a lot of them at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year at the Magic Kingdom!

The newest Kingdom Hearts game coming out is for the Nintendo 3DS handheld system called "Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream, Drop, Distance" and offers a pretty cool preview video to watch at http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/12/20/kingdom-hearts-3d-jump-festa-trailer. This game is still RP (Rating Pending) but after watching it I think I would still consider it 10+.

The newest Disney characters being introduced for this game seem to include the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinnochio and the Three Musketeers. There are also some of the old favorites returning to help Sora such as Mickey, Donald and Goofy. The powerful Villian, Maleficient, from Sleeping Beauty is returning as well. What her role in the game will be this time, we shall have to wait and see.

My son warns that even though this game is completely fun and appropriate for just about any gamer age 10+, he recommends playing or reading about the stories of the previous Kingdom Hearts games before purchasing this one to play. This 3DS version seems to tie in all the games of the past to explain the Kingdom Hearts story and might be confusing if played first.

Final Fantasy enthusiasts may also enjoy this Kingdom Hearts game series as many of the characters are included as guests and some specific characters namely: Cloud Strife, Squall Leon Hart, and Auron appear as side kicks and/or bosses during these games.

"Kingdom Hearts Recoded" for the DS and "Rechain of Memories" for the PS2 are known to be much better game play than the original versions of the games. We also recommend purchasing Kingdom Hearts strategy guides for these games for added helpful info in navigating the game.

*Many thanks to my son, Joshua (14yrs), for his insight into the gaming world for kids! :) He is preparing to start guest posting as a voice for Christian teenagers on the internet.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

Awesome Valentine's Day Kids Crafts!

2012-02-03T01:40:00.000-05:00

It has been remarkable seeing all the high quality craftsmanship out there on the web these days! I am so impressed with all the neat ideas and fun things to do with my kids. I have been delighted to enjoy these special moments with my five year old and my fourteen year old and even the two year old little boy I watch sometimes. The crafts on the post today are ones I adore and think so highly of that I pinned them on my Pinterest board for Valentine's Day so everyone could have access to them. I wanted to share them with you my blog readers too so that you can enjoy trying them out with your children too. Have fun! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Awesome Valentine's Day Kids Crafts!

Source: ohhappyday.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Valentine Soaps from Snow White!

Source: ohhappyday.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Delicate Tissue Paper Roses!

Source: bhg.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Secret Message Valentines! Just what boys and little spys love to make! :)

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Princess Belle's Rose Bud Bookmarks to enhance storytime and encourage your little readers!

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Jack Skellington and Nightmare Before Christmas Fans will adore creating these awesome valentine cards of Jack's loveable face for their friends!

Much more Valentine fun with crafts, valentines ideas, and delicious Valentine's Day recipes to come! Stay tuned to Love2EncourageYou blog for some great giveaways starting this weekend too!

*Special thanks to ohhappyday.com, bhg.com, and family.go.com for their great wealth of information and fun ideas!
Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!
Follow me on Pinterest!

Valentine's Special from Bryton Pick!

2012-02-02T15:59:00.000-05:00

VALENTINES SPECIAL from Bryton Pick!!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VALENTINE OFFER!

3 BrytonPicks (For price of S&H)! Pay only $0.01!! SAVE $4.98

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**Announcing: Love2EncourageYou is now on Pinterest! (We're listed as love2encourageu) Please follow us on Pinterest and enjoy the fun!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

FREE Kindle Book Apps, Sample Offers & More!

2012-02-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

LOVE2ENCOURAGEYOU BLOG celebrates February (The Love Month) with more giveaways, freebies & deals than ever before because we love our fans & readers! Thank you for bringing us this far and we hope you'll stick around for an exciting change about to start soon as we transfer to our own (dot) (com) in late February or early March!! Woo-hoo! Big things on the horizon! Hope you'll be a part of the fun!

FREE KINDLE BOOKS for Kids:

The Top Secret Camping Adventure! 95 pgs. Five Stars!

George and the Magic Radio. 74 pgs. Four Stars!

Jimmy the Racing Frog! Highly recommended for homeschooling Science lessons. Suggested activities at the end of the book.

Kiki and the Cuckoo - Competition Children's book (Childrens character education book - Kindle edition) Five Stars!

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!! Amazon Kindle Store eBooks!

FREE Circle of Friends Cookbook: 25 of JoAnn & Vickie's Favorite Recipes!

FREE Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References)

FREE Holy Bible: HCSB Digital Text Edition

FREE Organize for a Fresh Start: Embrace Your Next Chapter in Life

FREE How to Sew: Basics

FREE Your Dream Wedding on a Budget: 47 Cost-Cutting Secrets from America's Favorite Wedding Planner (Workman Shorts)

FREE Samples & Offers:

"It's Your Birthday!"Celebration from Disney Jr.com! Your child can receive a FREE personalized birthday greeting from Mickey, Minnie, or Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) in an animated video greeting, phone call or both! Just sign up for a Disney.com account and subscribe to the Disney Junior "It's Your Birthday!" mailing list.

Have a very blessed day my friends! Share God's love with your friends, family and neighbors this month for February LOVE month! :)

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies, Deals & FLASH Giveaways not found on the website!

FREE PRODUCT OFFERS

2012-01-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

Want to give a lasting memory to your Valentine this year? Save up to 50% on photo gifts at Shutterfly.com and get free shipping on an order of $30 or more! Hurry! Sale ends February 1st.

FREE Amazon App for Kids: Action Potato! Rated ages 9 & up. Visit the link and download your free Action Potato game app today!

COUPON OFFERS:

Save $1 off Crystal Light
Free Lens Cloth and Cleaner just for visiting your local Walmart Vision Center. Print coupon and bring with you to store.

Do you love to try new beauty products? Then you need to head on over to your local Nordstrom's every Saturday to try their Free Sample Saturdays! This weeks featured sample is: Prada Candy Eau de Parfum. Visit your local Nordstrom store this Saturday to receive a custom sample of Prada Candy Eau de Parfum! They specify only One sample per customer. Hurry...they are available in store only and while supplies last.

DON'T MISS our Giveaways ending soon! Click the links below and enter for your chance to win some great prizes!

WIN a Digital Scrapbooking Software for your PC by My Memories!
WIN an Apple IPad 2 (16GB)!

FREEBIES & DEALS!

2012-01-26T19:46:00.000-05:00

Any Orlando area readers who would like a FREE Chick-Fil-A breakfast on Ground Hogs Day, February 2nd? Go here and register for your free breakfast option before they fill up! Make sure you print your reservation letter in your email once you receive it so you can have it with you on Feb. 2nd to claim your free breakfast. Who doesn't just LOVE Chick-Fil-A? :)

Free Amazon Kindle Books! The books below all received 4.5 - 5 stars from readers! Click on the title to go to the direct URL to get it Free for your Kindle!

These Animals... Don't Want to Wash! (The Book of Animals) (Bilingual: English/Spanish)
Breezy Meets the World (Breezy the Bird Series - Book 2)
Hal Junior: The Secret Signal (middle grade - science fiction)
Pedro The Ugliest Dog in the World

Complete First Year Adventures of Lass Ladybug

Click here to print a coupon for a FREE LARGE SOFT DRINK from AMC Theatres. (Thanks Coupon Cabin for sharing this great deal!) You must follow the link to print the actual coupon.

Free Neil Med Nasal Flo Neti Pot & two packets when you like them on facebook, complete a short survey & watch short video.

Product Review & Giveaway: My Memories Scrapbook Software

2012-01-17T15:02:00.001-05:00

Calling all scrapbookers, photographers, parents & grandparents, and anyone who is a lover of all things photo-friendly! Are you ready for a fabulous award winning digital scrapbooking product to try out and a super giveaway plus special bonus discount offer?!! Check out this review of the My Memories Suite V3 and enter the awesome giveaway this sponsor is providing!

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to review a fun and addicting scrapbooking software program from My Memories! This award winning digital scrapbook software is rated #1 by Amazon and Top Ten Reviews. What a delightful surprise when I started working with the software and found out just how amazing and easy it is to use! My Memories shares that anyone can use this software to create digital scrapbook albums, photobooks, cards, calendars, and gifts without having to buy expensive and complicated software. If you'd like to explore their site, you can find there are so many quality products made available at a great value for all your photo gift and scrapbooking needs. As I began searching through the My Memories Suite V3 software, I realized there are quite a variety of choices for layouts and backgrounds included and it's overflowing with options to be creative with. I definately found a few personal favorites. They even allow you to "save" them to a favorites section in each themed category! What a great idea! :)

Basically the process involves purchasing the My Memories Suite V3 Software and deciding if you will design your own template layer by layer or if you'd like to choose one of their themed templates. For my first try, I chose to use one of the My Memories templates called "Quilted Memories - Blue". I like the sharp, clean page with the color scheme they chose. There were 10 pages available to choose from in the Designer template I selected. Here I could either pick one page at a time and click "Add a page" or I could just drag the pages I like and add them to the custom page arrangement. It's all pretty easy to use and the directions are clear and straight forward.
Next I had to look at the list of the pages in the order they would appear in the scrapbook album and then click and drag them around to rearrange the order if I needed to.

Now onto the really exciting part! I got to pick and choose the pictures I wanted to use in each page of the template. :) They actually give you two choices for this part: 1) Pick and Click: individually select photos as you want them to appear in the album, or 2) Fast Fill: automatically arrange photos into the album and repeat as needed. I decided to choose the Pick and Click option. Next you can name your new album, and if necessary, change the location of where the album will be saved. Now you click create. Poof! Your album has been created, and you are ready to start enhancing the pages by adding your pictures, text, embellishments, calendar, background music, and so much more!

It was really neat to see my creations coming to life with my family's photos. Having the freedom to create my own photobook is just so cool and very addicting! I loved adding my own text in any font I had available on my computer. I think my favorite part was getting to play with the embellishments, background colors, and even adding swatches. Boy do I love those undo & redo buttons! This scrapbooking software is so user friendly and instantly rewarding! You've got to try it! :)

Speaking mainly from a scrapbooker or photographer's perspective, when I carefully choose pictures I wish to use in a scrapbook or photobook type of album, I want them to be displayed nicely - professionally. The creativity of the individual page designs are an important and thoughtful process to me. I would imagine they are for you too. I'm happy to say that My Memories Suite is a fabulous way to enjoy exploring your creative side and achieve that professional and yet personal look and feel that you desire for your scrapbook or photo albums.
Sometimes I enjoy working together with other scrapbookers so we can put our heads together on a group project such as pre-making a complete baby scrapbook album or a wedding album to present as a gift to the "mom to be" or bride & groom. These gifts are always well received and it makes me feel happy to bless someone with the time and effort I had to put into it for them. What themes do you like to use in a scrapbooking layout? Whatever your interests, you can probably find something that will fit the theme in this latest version of the My Memories Suite scrapbooking software.
Below is a tutorial video done on the My Memories Suite and it gives you a good idea of what the software is capable of. Enjoy!

Here's an opportunity to check out all the latest happenings with My Memories by visiting their Blog. You can also become a fan of My Memories on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Don't forget to click on the "Read more.." at the end of this post so you can see the Rafflecopter form for the My Memories Suite V3 digital scrapbook software Giveaway! Enter today for your chance to be the winner of this amazing software! Makes a super gift too!

Now since all of you are such wonderful fans and readers, as a surprise bonus:

I have a special code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite V3 Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!

(Please copy and paste this code to avoid errors in typing.)
Grab your special code and take advantage of this fantastic discount from My Memories! CODE: STMMMS98094

Go here to make a purchase and enter your code to save!

Disclosure: I was given a copy of the My Memories Suite V3 Digital Scrapbook Software in exchange for a reveiw. My opinions are my own. This review and some sidebar adds on this site have affiliate link code in it. The giveaway being provided in this post is in no way associated with Facebook or Twitter.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!
Many blessings,
Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREE Sample Offers for January 14!

2012-01-14T11:37:00.002-05:00

FREE SAMPLE OFFERS FOR JANUARY 14:

Hey Coffee Lovers! Why not sneak over to Star Bucks today and sample their free coffee tasting and vote for your favorite flavor!

Here's the info straight from the Star Bucks page:

Taste the Starbucks Roast Spectrum

Come to Starbucks for a free coffee tasting and vote for the roast you love most. We'll even send you home with a little something as a thank you.
US Event - Thursday Jan. 12 - Saturday Jan. 14
Canada Event - Thursday Feb. 9 - Saturday Feb. 11
You can go here to visit their site and get more info.

Thanks Moms Need To Know!

FREE SAMPLE of Kiehls Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution for Sample Saturday at Nordstrom! Per the Nordstrom Facebook Page: To receive this free custom sample, you must visit Nordstrom on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Only one sample per customer. While supplies last. No purchase necessary.

GIVEAWAY REMINDERS:

Don't forget to enter our latest giveaways on the site and get a chance to win a $50 Scentsy Gift Certificate or an Apple IPad 2!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

Escape to Downtown Disney & Free Offers List

2012-01-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hey there friends! How is your day so far? Anything special you've noticed God working on in your life or the world around you today? I bet He is working hard to bring blessings as we speak! :)

What was it like to try an hour in Orlando, FL at Legoland Store & Downtown Disney on a sunny day as a quick unscheduled pit stop? The pictures say it all. :) My son was inspired to crack open his new Lego game called Ramses Pyramid. He put this together in minutes and loved trying it out with his friends. The kids and I loved being out in the sunshine with the chance to take a break and get refreshed after a busy week of homeschooling. Gotta do this more often! Lol! My daugher kept wanting her picture taken by all the statues. The one of Woody and the Dragon are made of Legos!
What do you and your family do in your local area to take a break from it all? Anything free or cheap or super exciting you'd like to share with our readers? We welcome all your input on what your family thinks is fun and relaxing or a "breather" from the rigors of the real world and tons of schoolwork. Please comment below. :)

Just thought I'd share a few awesome freebies I found today and a few coupons and giveaway opportunities! Enjoy and have a super day!

Are you a FL resident and want to snag a great FREEBIE? Get a Free annual pass to Seaworld and Busch Gardens for your child 5 years or younger!

Coupon Alert! Check out this site for great daily coupon deals and drawings for gift card prizes to places like Barnes & Noble, Subway, Macy's and more. Current special is a coupon for 25% off your entire order at Ruby Tuesdays! Offer ends January 16 so hurry! Many other great coupons listed.

Send a friend a cute message and a free coke using the Coke Ahh Giver facebook app!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,
Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

Enter to Win an Apple IPad 2 (16GB) & Help Me Win a Kindle Fire!

2012-01-09T01:31:00.001-05:00

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY from Rafflecopter!

WIN an Apple IPad 2 (16GB) or an Amazon Kindle Fire!

I want to make 2012 a year where I come up with more ways to ENCOURAGE YOU and BLESS MY READERS through a variety of resources at my disposal. One of the ways I think its fun to be a blessing is to put the best opportunities in front of you to win great prizes that you may not have found on your own. I will also be sharing more devotionals that I'm inspired with by God's Word and personal experiences, sharing DIY (Do It Yourself) arts and crafts and homeschooling projects with step by step photo blog posts or vlog (video blog posts), and lots more in the way of coupons and freebies and deals. I may squeeze in a few mommy moments with the kids and share some cute photos of my little pumpkins too. :)
We have lots of great sponsors lined up already for you this month so we hope it will all be helpful info and enjoyable product reviews/giveaways. Thanks for making my first few months of blogging so much fun! I look forward to getting to know all of you more in the weeks ahead. God bless you richly and please don't hesitate to ask questions, interact and share what's on your heart with me and the other readers visiting here at Love2EncourageYou. We want this to become a family blog where everyone's comfortable sharing how God is working in their lives and bringing opportunities to serve Him. Share about your kids, your excitement on the job, whatever you like! :) We're here to listen, support, and encourage you.

So how would you like to be a blessing to yourself AND to me today? YOU CAN! Just enter to win the Apple IPad 2 (16GB) using the Rafflecopter form below and if you win and I'm the one that referred you, I win a Kindle Fire! Not a bad deal for both of us, right? If you would like the chance to win a Kindle Fire too, just blog about the Rafflecopter Apple IPad 2 giveaway like I am and you could have a chance to win it too! Instructions are in one of the choices on the Rafflecopter form. Thanks for entering and good luck to both of us! :) Counting on you parteners! You can do it! Please don't forget to tell them Rebecca H. at Love2EncourageYou referred you! You do this in the first entry. Thanks!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

*Disclosure: This giveaway is in no way associated with facebook.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Product Review & $50 Scentsy Giveaway

2012-01-08T23:59:00.001-05:00

I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to introduce to you today - a very smart, sweet and creative lady that I had the pleasure of meeting about a year ago by the name of Lynn Messersmith. She has a fabulous career working as a Scentsy Director and enjoys all the aspects of sharing this wonderful product with the world. I guess you can say she enjoys helping others make the world a sweeter smelling place!

Lynn recently shared with me her story of how she chose to join Scentsy and become a consultant. It is surprisingly similar to others I have heard before. She believed in the Scentsy products and business so much after just learning about it, that she signed up right there on the spot and started her own Scentsy business - before even owning a Scentsy warmer! She just loved the idea of Scentsy! She's now been a Scentsy consultant since August 2010 and became a Director October 2011! Congratulations Lynn! Hearing about her experience and that of others has convinced me that Scentsy, as a product and a business, are so overwhelmingly useful and worth believing in - that anyone interested should jump at the chance to join and become a Scentsy consultant. Why not love what you do and enjoy making money at the same time? It's easy when you can honestly stand behind the products you share.Working for Scentsy just makes sense. :)

Scentsy products as a whole are such a neat concept. The idea of being able to improve the mood of the day, or the scent in the air by the simple twist of a button as you turn on a Scentsy warmer and enjoy your favorite fragrance... now that's a gift! I would know...after three kids and loads of dirty diapers, being blessed by a cute device that safely warms scented wax bricks (without a flame!) and fills my home with the aroma of delicious sweet-smelling fruit flavors - that makes the Scentsy consultant my hero!

My delightful treat to share in a review with you today is the fun and adorable Cupcake warmer by Scentsy! This full size warmer boasts a pretty pastel pink and green cupcake shape that looks simply precious and has lots of warm light shining through the uniformly placed holes on the base when lit. The party atmosphere is ready with this warmer around! It's just so cute!

I got to try the scrumptious scent of the Snowberry Scentsy bar to place in the warmer and boy was it a hit! Just look at this beaming smile on my daughter's face! She absolutely loved the excitement of having our own Scentsy Cupcake warmer and enjoyed watching me open up the box and put a piece of the Snowberry scented wax brick in the warmer tray. She was so fascinated with the whole thing. She loves to smell yummy scents like her mom. :) Even the teen boys that come over to hang out with my son noticed the delicious fruity smell and wondered where it was coming from. My husband actually liked it so much that he announced ..."I'm activating the Cupcake!" Lol!

I highly recommend both of these products from Scentsy to enhance the scent of the air and the look of your home. They are eye-appealing and smell wonderful! Please stop by Lynn's Scentsy Store and see what you'd love to purchase for your home. You can also follow her on Facebook to receive updates on monthly specials or announcements on upcoming products being released. Here's her username: @4everflameless on Twitter if you'd like to follow her there too!

Thanks, Lynn, for a fun time getting to know you a little better and the blessing of trying out some of your awesome Scentsy products! Thank you also, on behalf of my readers, for the amazing opportunity to win a $50 Scentsy Gift Certificate to purchase Scentsy products from you!

Disclosure: I received free products in exchange for a review. My opinions are my own. I follow Ethical Blogger Standards.

SUPER SCENTSY GIVEAWAY! Enter to WIN a $50 Gift Certificate to purchase Scentsy products from Scentsy Director: Lynn!

RULES: Open to USA only. You must be 18 years or older to enter the giveaway. One winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by email. Once verified it will be announced on this post on the Rafflecopter widget. Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. You may need to click on the words, "Read more..." this will open the rest of the page and you'll see the Rafflecopter form. Please be sure you complete all directions carefully before clicking the green ENTER button. If you have any trouble, just leave me a comment here on this post and I'll respond back with how to help, or you can leave a message on the Love2EncourageYou facebook fan page with your questions. I try to check often. When you leave a comment, it gets sent to my email for moderation. I will see it and publish it once approved. Please note: any entries entered will be verified and if they did not follow directions before entering, it will be modified. ***If the "like the blog post" button does not work, please click here to go to the actual blog post on the Love2EncourageYou fan page and then you can "like" the post. Thanks!

Best of Luck to everyone who enters! It's a great prize! Hope you win!

Disclosure: This giveaway is in NO WAY sponsored by facebook!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
http://love2encourageyou.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

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FLASH GIVEAWAY! 1 Day Only! ICaughtSanta!

2012-01-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

Hooray for reaching 100 fans on our Facebook fan page for Love2EncourageYou blog! You guys rock!

Here is a FLASH GIVEAWAY for 1 Day Only to win a code for an iCaughtSanta Photo!

We have many more awesome giveaways coming up this weekend! We are kicking off the New Year with some Super Sponsors and lots of surprises! Stay tuned if you want a chance to win!

To Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter form below for simple and easy entries. Must be 18 or older to enter. Open WORLDWIDE!

Disclosure: This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)

Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review and Giveaway: I Caught SANTA!

2011-12-27T23:45:00.001-05:00

iCaughtSanta Review & Giveaway! 3 Days Only! Hurry & Enter for a chance to WIN! Ends 12/30!

I Caught Santa is a fun way to bring the mystery and magic of Christmas into your home in a new way. We were very excited to have the opportunity to try it out! :)
In three simple steps you can easily upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof, or share it via email, Facebook or Twitter. "Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when a child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos." - per iCaughtSanta.com

It was a lot of fun making a keepsake picture of our own with the I Caught Santa site. You can add borders, rotate the picture, zoom in or out, and even try out over 10 different Santa poses to insert in the picture until you find the one you like the most. They have Santa hanging something on the tree, kneeling down to pull a present out of his sack, boots only like he's coming out the chimney, and so many others. Check out our cute holiday photo with Santa caught in the act:

My daughter (age 5) was completely entertained by this! She thought it was so cool that mommy is friends with Santa and was able to get a picture and videos of him in our house on Christmas Eve! She adored the picture and just loved watching the videos they make using your holiday picture of your home with Santa dancing a jig around the house and eating milk and cookies. Too cute! There were five different videos to watch again and again! A big thumbs up for icaughtsanta.com! We love it!

Be sure to enter our Giveaway today so you don't miss a chance to be one of the five winners who will get to make their own I Caught Santa photo! We are also allowed to offer our readers a special discount code for 25% off your purchase of an I Caught Santa photo when you use the code: SAVE25. They do have other characters you can make pictures with as well from the Easter Bunny to Cupid, and even the Tooth Fairy! Visit their site now and try making an iCaughtSanta photo for yourself today!

Follow iCaughtSanta on Facebook!

Special thanks to iCaughtSanta.com for the gift of enjoying making one of these unique keepsake photos with Santa caught in the act. We truly enjoyed it.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)

To Enter the Giveaway to WIN One of Five Free iCaughtSanta photos, please leave a comment on this post for each separate entry. You can enter once, or you can enter once for each option listed below for a total of 7 entries. You must leave your email with each entry so I have a way to contact you if you're the winner:

"Like" iCaughtSanta on Facebook.
"Like" Love2EncourageYou on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
"Like" any review post or leave a comment on any review post, then leave a comment here to let me know which post you liked or commented on.
Follow me on Google Friend Connect in the upper right hand sidebar.
Click the Google +1 at the bottom of this post or any other review post.
Share this post on Twitter or Facebook.

*This Giveaway is open WorldWide. Must be 18 years or older. Ends December 30, 2011 at 11:59pm Eastern. Winner will be drawn through random.org. There will be a total of 5 winners in this giveaway! Tell your friends!
Disclosure: This Giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook or Twitter.

Ebook Review: Christmas in Guatemala 101

2011-12-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

Ebook Review: Christmas in Guatemala 101: Traditions, Fun Activities, and Recipes for an Authentic Guatemalan Christmas

Here's a fun ebook called: Christmas in Guatemala 101, to inspire new traditions and learn about the Christmas activities and ideas that others use to celebrate the holiday in Guatemala. Great for homeschoolers! You'll find so many neat ways to enrich your holiday experience by trying some of these Guatemalan traditional activities.

Christmas in Guatemala has so much to offer! This delightful holiday ebook written by Benjamin Barnett, provides facts and insights for an authentic Guatemalan Christmas that is sure to please a variety of ages. Let's take a look at some of the highlights:

This book is available in print, pdf, and Kindle format.
Mouth watering recipes with full color pictures!
Detailed instructions on fun to make crafts, activities and decorations for the Christmas season.
Vibrant pictures and descriptions of all the various celebrations and traditions that are observed in Guatemala.
Traditional hymns sung during candlelight processional. (written in Spanish and English)
Guatemalan coloring pages and printables like word searches and Christmas writing sheets.

Some of my personal favorite recipes from this ebook were the Bunelos. I can't wait to make them to eat during our New Year's Eve feast! The Dobladas also looked tasty and sound easy to cook. These are the types of recipes you just have to try and end up wanting to use again year after year!!

It's very inspiring to read about all the time, care and focus the Guatemalan families put on the traditional Nativity scene at Christmas. Each family made it a priority to get involved making one for their own front porch or yard or they contributed time, talent or financial contribution to helping the church or the entire town put a special Nativity display together.

The Adornos de Paja (straw ornaments), and the Corderos (lambs) made of straw and corn husks are two of my top choices for the decorations to try as a family at Christmas. As homeschoolers, we like a challenge, and these two sound so much fun to make and look fabulous when they are done!

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading through the Christmas in Guatemala ebook and hope you will purchase it for your own reading library and enjoyment of the holidays. It is packed full of over 150 pages of delightful traditions and family focused entertainment to make the Christmas holidays extra special "Guatemalan style".

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,
Rebecca (Faithflower)

Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

Review: Mixbooks Custom Invitations

2011-12-27T11:42:00.001-05:00

Review: Holiday Invitations by Mixbooks!

What an amazing product and company! I was given the exciting opportunity to create gorgeous holiday cards for invitations to a holiday party through the generous gift from Mixbooks in exchange for a review. Mixbooks has so many cool options for creating the perfect holiday invitation for your party! It's so easy to use and fun to see all the neat things you can customize using your own photos or adding their optional stickers or premade templates. The entire process was so fast & user friendly...I could make these for every occasion of the year!

We started out deciding on our theme. We wanted to make invitations that were Christmas in nature but also doubled as a party invitation to my daughter's 5th birthday. We found the perfect set with a cute holiday themed cake on the front with candy canes on top like candles. We added a picture of my daughter dressed in her favorite Princess Belle gown from when she got dolled up at Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique at Downtown Disney. We put that pic in the lower corner with details of the invitation above it. You can choose different fonts for the text, make them larger or smaller, center them, at extra details in different colors...the options are practically endless. The paper quality and feel of the invitations were of superior grade. The invitations and envelopes looked and felt fantastic and gave the appeal of regal invitations like those from a wedding.

I have never made custom invitations like this before, so this was a great experience for me. I had no idea how simple and easy the process was to create them and make them uniquely your own. I am overjoyed at how our holiday party invitations from Mixbooks turned out and everyone that received them has mentioned how they will be a wonderful keepsake to remember how my daughter looked at that age. Thank you, Mixbooks, for making this an extra special holiday and birthday for my daughter, Miriam. She loves her keepsake invitations! :)

I highly recommend Mixbooks to any of my readers. Their product, and communication with shipping arrival were both top notch! Check out Mixbooks on Facebook and Twitter! Why not see for yourself how easy and fun Mixbooks invitations can be? You can have your next party in style! Visit Mixbooks today!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)

Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

Support Half the Sky and Enter to win an Apple IPad2!

2011-12-12T17:15:00.000-05:00

Greetings friends!

I'm bringing you a wonderful opportunity to support a great charity called "Half the Sky" and a chance to win an IPad or $500 gift card to Best Buy!

I have many dear friends who have been praying about adopting a child over the years so the subject of adoption and helping ophaned children is always close to my heart. Half the Sky is a non-profit organization that provides nurturing care to China's orphaned children and they need help from caring people like you to support this great cause. Please stop by their website and make a donation today.

You can enter to win an amazing giveway by going through this blog: The Long Road to China. They are offering an IPad2/Apple GC or $500 Best Buy Gift Card to one winner from all the entries who make a donation of $5 or more to Half the Sky. If you cannot afford to give at this time, you can still enter the giveaway. Please visit the Long Road to China blog website and read more about Half the Sky and this unique giveaway to support this non-profit charity.
Thank you so much for thinking of others and supporting the orphans in China. Good luck in this amazing giveaway!!

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)

Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!

Product Review: Roots Only

2011-12-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

Ok ladies, here is a product I've definately been waiting for! An invention that helps you color only the roots when applying hair color, besides other helpful uses. It's called: Roots Only. This specially designed applicator comb is the perfect hair color helper for women who always need a hand dying their hair at home. I know I usually try to find a friend who can assist me as its hard when we get older or have a bad back to apply hair color effectively on our own. I don't have family living close by, so I have to either spend a fortune at the salon to have it colored (which ends up being once a year with my hair looking horrible the rest of the year) or I have to brave attempting to color it myself and hope I do it right. Now there's a solution to this dilemma...Roots Only! :)

I gave the Roots Only applicator comb a try and found it really simple to use! It works great with a variety of liquid hair products! There's really not that much involved at all. You just unscrew the cap and fill the bottle with whatever product you wish to apply. I'm so thankful for this invention!

Personally, I just love the story behind how this incredible product was born. I encourage you to visit the Roots Only website to read about the birth of this neat product idea. It's very inspiring!

Another helpful use of this unique applicator would be when needing to apply medicated shampoos on children for lice. The applicator can also apply liquid oils and other scalp solution products making the Roots Only applicator comb useful for just about any hair type. Our family will mainly be using Roots Only when applying medicated dandruff shampoos on a regular basis (with two regular dandruff shampoo users in the household), and of course for applying the bi-monthly hair color (for mom) to just the roots.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the way this applicator works using the hollow teeth with the holes at the end to apply the color or medicated shampoo right where you need it most. It's quick and easy to use. I love it! Visit Roots Only and learn more about this amazing product.

Check out Roots Only on Facebook and watch a video of the product in action! You can also follow Roots Only on Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a free Roots Only product in exchange for writing this review. My opinions are my own. I abide by Ethical Blogger standards.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Love2EncourageYou: Bringing encouragement, inspiration and motivation to lovingly care for our families within a budget, and educate our children within our homes. Christian homeschooling mom sharing insights from God's Word, Product and Book Reviews, Freebies and Deals and more!

Many blessings,

Rebecca (Faithflower)
Follow me on Twitter @Choosingtolive
Follow Love2EncourageYou on Facebook and get extra Freebies and Deals not found on the website!