encouragement

UPDATE :: The giveaway is done and the comments are now closed. Congratulations to our lucky winner, Amy {I wouldn't press your luck and buy a lottery ticket or anything . . . those odds aren't quite as good as these were!}


Encouragement. It's a theme in my life. A favorite of mine. I love to be encouraged and I really love to encourage others. One of my very favorite verses is I Thessalonians 5.11.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (I Thess. 5.11)

There are many different ways you can encourage those around you. Many are free. Some may cost a bit, monetarily, but I have found it is almost always money well spent! A unexpected phone call. A note in the mail. A kind word. Surprising someone with a few of the cookies you just baked. A little gift out of the blue. Letting someone know you were thinking about them. Sharing a memory that you have of someone. Making something just for them. Remembering important days in their life.

I recently received this plaque from DaySpring and I love the verse that it highlights. Who wouldn't be encouraged by that reminder? Plus it is adorable. It will make for a great daily reminder hanging in our girls bedroom. I want them to know and take to heart that the Lord will strengthen them and help them to be able to do things that they could not do otherwise.


DaySpring's theme for June is "Encouragement is a powerful thing". How true that is! Dayspring has many small {and big} things available in their online store that would be a great choice when you want an uplifting, encouraging gift or card for someone special. From jewelry to cards to home decor. From books to artwork to blank journals.

DaySpring has generously sponsored a giveaway for my blog readers. How fun is that? The prize is a $20 credit to their online store (the winner will be responsible for paying shipping). So, for a chance to win, let me know your favorite way to encourage those around you and I'll draw a random winner from all entries on Wednesday the 22nd. So enter soon!

Note :: the FTC says that I need to tell you that this post is sponsored by DaySpring. They gave me the plaque free of charge to review and are also supplying the $20 prize. All thoughts expressed and the opinions stated are my own. So there you have it!

online shopping

If you do much {or any} shopping online, and you haven't heard of Ebates, you really need to check it out! My friend, Sheridan, turned me on to them and I haven't looked back! I don't do tons of online shopping {I don't do tons of shopping in general}, but when I do, I always go through Ebates. Ebates is a site from which to launch your online shopping. Start at ebates.com and then enter the store or product you are shopping for. They will hook you up with coupon codes, free shipping offers and all sorts of good stuff, plus link you right to the actual shopping site and then give you cash back based on the amount of your purchase and the cash-back offer from that particular retailer {lots of them are up to 10% cash back!}. Then every few months they send you a check for whatever amount you have built up. A little fun bonus money . . . who doesn't like that? Anyway, if you are at all interested, check it out here. All you have to do is create an account {that will take approximately 4 seconds of your time} and you're ready to go. Also, each day they have a featured store that is their daily double and if you shop at that particular store on that particular day you get double the cash back.

Also, if you are a diaper user {well, not you personally, but maybe a smallish person who lives at your house} another site that I love is diapers.com. Diapers.com just recently teamed up and has a sister site called soap.com where you can get lots of cleaning and household products as well. So, even if no one in your house wears diapers, they still have some stuff you most likely DO use. I just placed an order today for dishwasher soap {we run our dishwasher every single day -- often twice a day even, so we go through that stuff like crazy}, some bar soap from which I make homemade laundry soap and some diapers too. Their prices are pretty decent and they take coupons {you mail them in ahead of time in big batches even, if you've got lots, and then they automatically credit them to your account when you put that item in your shopping cart. You don't even have to remember that they're there!}. Plus, they have free shipping on any order over $49 and their orders ship with amazing speed. {I placed a diapers order one night after the kids went to bed -- probably 10ish -- and a big box of diapers arrived at my house the next afternoon. Amazing! I've never placed an order that hasn't arrived at my house the very next day. It kinda freaks me out a little, but I won't complain}. Plus they are an ebates site, so not only am I able to use my coupons, get free shipping, save a trip to the store, not have to haul big packages of diapers from my van -- along with all my kids -- get my order next-day and save myself a headache . . . I also get cash back in my ebates account with each order.

Anyway, why all this hype and plugs for ebates and dipaers.com? Well, first of all, I think it could be beneficial to you. And secondly, both sites give referral credit . . . and who doesn't like that? If you sign up at diapers.com or soap.com, they credit my account $5 when you place your first order, plus they'll give you 15% off of your first order too. A win-win if you ask me. {just use the referral code KIRB6444 at checkout on either site or click on the banner on the right side of the blog}. Plus, if you sign up for ebates using the link in that first paragraph, I'll get a credit on my account too. So, thanks!

I've been using both these sites for quite a while now and love them. And I'm usually a skeptic about such things. So, if you are interested, check into it. If not, you've probably already quit reading by now.

Have a great day!