A Giveaway on "She Does Hair"

Blackeyedsue over at She Does Hair is doing a Giveaway! Hurry over, because you only have until this Wednesday afternoon to enter. I love her blog. If you want hair-do how-to's, she's your gal. She does some cute do's with pictures and directions so we can try them out on our little girls. Be sure to check it out! Pin It

To Die For Whole Wheat Bread

My good friend Rebecca makes the most perfect whole wheat bread in the world. She got the recipe from her friend in Utah, and I got the recipe from her. Rebecca is known for her bread, and everyone who tastes it always wants the recipe. I make 4 loaves once a week. Usually the minute it comes out of the oven, the kids and anyone else that are over drops what they are doing to head for the kitchen for a hot steamy slice of bread with butter and maybe some honey or homemade freezer jam. Then we are usually left with just 3 loaves. (If I had a Bosch I would be able to make at least 6 loaves, but I've got a cute Kitchen Aid and can be happy with 4).
Why the juice cans you ask? They are my bread pans. The friend in Utah passed the tip along that baking the bread in the cans allows you to be able to fit many loaves in the oven at once. My kids love the "round" bread so much that the "can pans" are the only ones I use for our bread. Great tip! Fun bread!
There are 2 ingredients that you may not have in your pantry yet, but are a must have for this recipe... 1. Dough Enhancer (pictured) that you have to buy at special places- (I get mine at the Harvest House here in town.) I think a place like Trader Joes would have it (a store that we unfortunately do not have anywhere in Idaho). 2. Wheat Gluten (that I buy in the bulk section at Winco- you know, open 24 hours, bag your own groceries, huge bulk-food section- probably called something else in your town).

This bread is so quick and easy to make! After a few batches, you'll feel like a pro! Good luck and ENJOY! (Email me for advice or moral support if needed!)

Rebecca's Infamous Whole Wheat Bread

4 Loaf Recipe

6 c whole wheat flour
2 T yeast
½ c wheat gluten
-Mix for 1 minute
Add:
4 c HOT water (not hotter than 110 degrees)
-Mix for 1 minute
-Cover and let dough sit for 10 mintutes.
Add:
1/3 c olive or grape seed oil (canola works too)
2/3 c honey
2 T dough enhancer
1 T salt
-Turn on mixer and add 3-5 cups more flour, one cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides and isn’t super sticky. (Better to add too little flour than too much). Keep mixing (knead) for 7-10 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 170 deg. and grease pans.
-Lightly oil hands and divide dough into 4 equal portions, place into pans.
-Place pans into warm oven for 25 minutes to rise. Then without even touching the pans, turn the oven up to 350 deg. and bake for 20-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. ENJOY!

6 Loaf Recipe

9 c whole wheat flour
3 T yeast
¾ c wheat gluten
-Mix for 1 minute.
Add:
6 c HOT water (not hotter than 110 degrees)
-Mix for 1 minute
-Cover and let dough sit for 10 minutes.
Add:
½ c olive or grape seed oil (canola works too)
1 c honey
3 T dough enhancer
1 ½ T salt
-Turn on mixer and add 3-5 cups more flour, one cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides and isn’t super sticky. (Better to add too little flour than too much). Keep mixing (knead) for 7-10 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 170 deg. and grease pans.
-Lightly oil hands and divide dough into 4 equal portions, place into pans.
-Place pans into warm oven for 25 minutes to rise. Then without even touching the pans, turn the oven up to 350 deg. and bake for 20-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. ENJOY!

*Angela’s Little Tip- This can be easily converted into a scrumptious roll, cinnamon bread/roll dough just by adding the 3-5 cups of white flour at the end instead of whole wheat.  Pin It

"A Word to the Wise"

I love vinyl letters! I have several words on my walls (don't we all?) and I know of a handfull of women in my area that I could order them from. Vinyl cutters are everywhere now! I almost bought one myself.
But I have to order them from friends instead. One of my friends, Tiffany has a vinyl business called A Word to the Wise. I've ordered from her before and was happy with my stuff! My favorite vinyl word spot I have in my home is my mommy wall. Click here to see it. (I got that one and the laundry room one from Talking Walls.) Pin It

Busy Digging

I am not prepared with a good post right now, as we've been digging in our dirt a whole bunch this week! We were out front well after dark tonight transplanting bushes and flowers. I don't know too much about plants or landscaping, but I think our yard is looking pretty good so far. I think a few more hours of work and we will be done.

We took a few of our big, full grass bushes and sliced them in half to make 2 bushes. I am crossing my fingers that they will thrive just fine.

I have a curly willow tree out front that started as a branch from my brother's tree. We stuck it in the ground three years ago and watered it like crazy. Today it is huge! If you don't have a curly willow tree and want one, you can cut a branch off another tree, put into the ground with plenty of water and in a couple of years you will have a big, beautiful, shady tree. If you live by me, I'd be happy to cut off a branch for you! Pin It

My First Giveaway!

I am doing a giveaway through TipJunkie. Click on this button above and it will take you to TipJunkie for the details! My giveaway will be on July 21st. So exciting!! There are tons of mom-prunuers out there with some incredible items to check out. I wouldn't miss this giveaway! It will officially start on Monday, June 30th. Don't miss out!! Pin It

Parenting Breakthrough

Okay, if you are a mom and you don't have this book- it's a must read! This lady (Merrilee Boyack) knows her stuff. You can pick up a copy of The Parenting Breakthrough at any Deseret Book store or online, like Amazon. Merrilee is LDS (Mormon) so there are definately some religeous stuff in the book. But for the most part it's all about raising responsible kids, training them to be totally independant, self-reliant adults. Merrilee has a really fun, cute personality in her books. They are enjoyable to read! I highly recommend this book for all moms!

If you are also a wife, I recommend Merrilee's other book called "Strangling Your Husband is Not an Option". Good read!! Pin It

Tie-Dye for Disney

Here is a summer vacation tip that worked wonderfully for us last month! We took our family to Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days, and there were 7 of us. So my hunny came up with the most brilliant idea to keep us together in such a big place. We made our own matching tie-dye shirts to wear for each day at the parks.
To do this, you do NOT have to go buy a "tie-dye kit"- too expenxive! A $2 box of Rit Dye is all you need. And of course some T-shirts. I bought undershirt tees (the ones that come in packages of 3 or 5) for cheap.
I bought some Haines brand and some Cherokee (Target) brand. The Cherokee ones are actually much better in my opinion! The fabric is softer, thicker and a much better fit. Same price as Haines. Go Target!!
Now you need to get some laytex gloves and a big package of rubber bands. (I got those things and the Rit dye at Wal-Mart.)
Now just follow the directions on the Rit box and have fun! It is easy and doesn't take too long. You can also go to Rit's website for more tips. Pin It

Punch Cards

Oh yes! The Punch Card. How could I forget? This is one of my kids' favorite things. (And let me tell you- they sure do come in handy!) There are 16 boxes to punch on these cards. You can use them for anything from getting jobs done to going the extra mile, for good behavior or all of the above. It's not shown in this picture, but there are 2 lines- one for the child's name and another line above it to write down what they want for their reward when all the boxes are punched out. It gives great incentive! These cards are a magical tool in my home! -A must have in my book! Pin It

Printable Summer Activity Plan!

Last May (2007) I taught a little class on summer-time fun with your family. I created a word.doc that had a bunch of info about local places (Boise, ID area) to take your family and some events that take place during the summer here. (Those of you from here, just email me and I'll send it to you!) There is so much we can do and see and teach our children during the summer! Put your creative mind to the test! There are also lots of great ideas on the FamilyFun website!At the beginning of the summer, I sit down with the kids and we make a list of everything we think would be fun to go do together. We put the list up on the wall (or fridge), so when we are having trouble thinking of something fun to do we have ideas. I go to our local community websites and find out when fun community events are scheduled. I take a red pen and write them on the calendar so I can look up there and know exactly when and where. We don't attend everything, and maybe only a few things. But it's nice to have them in clear view just in case! This year I made a chart to keep our list on, that we can record notes on and remember for next year what we thought of each activity. This will also be a nice thing to have in our family scrapbook! I am posting this chart for you to print off. (I hope it works. If not, let me know and I'll email it to you.) Pin It

Bathroom Reminders

Anyone potty-training right now? Anyone have BOYS? Well boys, girls, potty-trainees, neighbor kids, husbands- whomever uses your precious bathroom. I've got another chart for you! It's called the Bathroom Reminder chart. (It's about 5x7".) I created this one a couple years ago, and it hangs on the wall right above my toilets- eye level to the kiddos of course! We periodically go over it in family counsel meetings to make sure everyone remembers to read and heed.

This last time we discussed the bathroom rules, we also went over toilet paper- how many squares are the appropriate amount for wiping little bottoms! I passed a roll of TP around to each member of the family and had each of us count out 4 squares so we could practice. Now instead of TP strung out on the floor (sound familiar?) or plugging the toilet with too much, I pleasantly hear little voices from the bathroom "One, Two, Three, Four..." YES!! We'll give it a week or so. It's all about repetition, right? :) Pin It

My Summer System

After months of studying, asking, reading and seeing- looking for the right "system" for my family; I finally came up with something that seems like it will be quite funcional! It took some long hours, but it will be worth it. I'm trying to create more order in my home. Things can get so crazy- especially in the summer-time with everyone home. But creating order in the home makes all the difference!
Are you pulling your hair out yet, and summer has only just begun? I will come to your rescue with a custom-made system for your family- that is, as soon as I get my stuff hooked up with Executive Homemaker. Stay tuned! Click on the pictures to see better. Pin It

Family Home Evening Wheel

I've always loved those fancy vinyl-lettering Family Home Evening boards with the pegs and tags. But I knew that not all my kids would be able to read it, so about a year ago I created this FHE wheel with pictures so our little non-readers could see what their job is. It has worked so well in our home! I sell these too. They are about 10 inches in diameter, complete with 6 to 8 FHE jobs, lamenated and magnets on the back for easy hanging. Pin It