Friday Faves- The Best Show Ever

Okay, the other night I got into bed really late and my husband had already fallen asleep watching TV. Jon and Kate Plus 8 was just starting. I ended up staying up 2 hours longer to watch 2 episodes of this awesome show. (I noticed last week that one of you had this show as one of your top ten faves. It's my favorite TLC show, but I just don't spend a lot of time watching TV and don't get to see it often.)


Anyway, isn't Jon and Kate Plus 8 the best show ever? It gives me feelings of comfort, humor, empathy, and most of all- gratitude. Gratitude that I don't have 8 children, 8 children under the age of 7, or 6 three-year-olds. Can you imagine? I love the Gosselin family! Jon and Kate crack me up. The kids are so cute, and so real! I can relate so much to Kate as a mom in some ways. She's amazing, and so down-to-earth. She inspires me, and makes me feel so blessed to have only 4 children!! I have a little girl that is just like their strong-willed, drama-queen Maddy, so it is comforting to see others deal with some of the same issues that I do. If you have never watched Jon and Kate Plus 8, record an episode and see it. If you're a mom you will love and appreciate this show!

My top 5 fave cable/satelite networks are Discovery Channel, Discovery Health, TLC, HGTV and National Geographic.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS AND/OR NETWORKS?

I got this comforting quote from an email of an associate of mine, just the other day.

"Everything will work out and be okay in the end; and if it's not okay, it's not the end."
Eva Conde

Now keep your chin up, and go take on another great week!

Tuesday Tutorial- Sack Lunch

It's that time of year again- packing lunches for the kiddos before they leave for school. Last week my friend, Andrea told me a great tip that I had never thought of before.

She said that if you put frozen grapes in the lunch box, they will double as an edible ice-pack to keep the lunch cool. Yeah, that sounds way cool! I'm going to have to try that this week. Thanks for the tip, Andrea!
Another tip I learned from my friend Katie. How to make non-soggy PB&J sandwiches. Simply spread the peanut butter on both pieces of bread, and the jam won't soak in and make the sandwich soggy. Thanks Kate!

I don't know about you, but putting lunches together every morning (for me) gets old really fast. I run out of lunch ideas. I worry if my lunches are nutritious enough, or if my kids really will eat everything I send for them.
I found some sites online that have some good ideas and tips on sack (or box) lunches. Here they are for you to check out... Be a WAHM, Scribbit, Meal Makeover Moms, and Family Fun

What do YOU do to make your kids' (and/or husband's) sack lunches more interesting and edible?

My Town Monday- Graples

If you live in my town and you haven't been to Graples, you are missing out big-time! You won't find prices like these for home decor anywhere else!

Graples is only open on Thursdays from 10 am to 7 pm, unless you go to one of their seasonal Saturday open houses. The fall open house is next Saturday, September 6th from 10 am to 3 pm, so mark your calendar!

Admission to get in to this open house is a new or gently used children's or teen book. Every time they do an open house, Graples chooses a charity and finds out what they need the most. The charity they are helping this time is the Hope House. It is a place where children go when no one else wants them (like failed adoptions, etc).

Go check out Graples this Thursday! You'll be addicted your first time in. Don't forget to bring a new or gently used children's or teen book to donate on Saturday the 6th! Click here for the fall open house flyer and directions to Graples, and here for the Graples website to learn all about their store! Have a great week!

Friday Faves- My Top Ten

As I was thinking about what my favorite thing is for this week, I decided that I would start a Top Ten Faves meme. Now you will know more about who I am and I can hopefully be invited to your blog to get to know you better too, and see things we may have in common!

1. Fave Shoes- My Crocs (comfy & easy to slip on)
2. Fave Room in my House- My Bedroom (Romantic & Relaxing) and my Craft Room
3. Fave Soda- Dr. Pepper
4. Fave Treat- Warm Cinnamon Rolls or Chocolate!
5. Fave Pastime- (What's that?) Blogging, Blog-jogging, Doing something creative, Reading my Family Fun magazine.
6. Fave Household Chore- Vacuuming (inside) and Pulling Weeds (outside)
7. Fave Car- Honda Odyssey and VW Beetle (my dream car)
8. Fave TV Show- The Office and Biggest Loser (no time for any others)
9. Fave Store- Target, Other Mothers, Graples, Real Deals, Wally World (Walmart), Costco, JoAnn Fabs
10. Fave Time of Day- Night time (after kids go down), Bedtime (for me)

Now just copy/paste these Top Ten Faves into a post on your blog and change the answers to your own. Leave a comment on this post so I know where to find you. I will come read your faves and leave you a comment too!! If you just read this, consider yourself tagged. :-)

A Thought for Thursday

Here is a cute article I found in the Ensign magazine this month, written by Wanda I. Allen. It made me think about how I handle different situations with my children. I need to stop and pay more attention to the little things, and see through the messes into the pure heart of a child.

(Click on article to make bigger.)



Now enjoy this short read, enjoy your children, and go take on another great week!

Tuesday Tutorial- Blogging Tips

Just a year ago this summer, I didn't even know what a blog was. I'd heard the word, but never paid too much attention. My sis-in-laws were talking about their recently created blogs at a family event, so I thought I'd listen up and find out what was so cool about blogs. They encouraged me to try it, but I was very skeptical. They seemed to enjoy it so much that I finally "dove in" and created my own blog on August 29, 2007. I have loved every minute of blogging and also "blog-jogging". I have learned so much from it, and have met so many neat women all across the country and beyond.

I've had many girlfriends get interested in blogging and ask for tips on how to start one, how to make it cute, add things, etc. I've enjoyed helping them get started and watching their blogs look more and more awesome as they get the hang of it.

I love getting tips and info from other bloggers, and enjoy their creativity! There are several places to go to get blogging tips. Some of my faves are Blogger Buster, Blogging Basics 101, and always my favorite- TipJunkie.

Do you have a favorite place you've gone for help with blogging? Please share!!

My Town Monday - Cheerleaders & Yogee's

If you are from my town, have you been to Cheerleaders Sports Bar & Grill? It opened this spring here in town, on Eagle Rd and Ustick. It is not a chain or franchise. Rod and I decided to give it a try recently, because we had a coupon for a "buy one entree/get one free" from our free "Town Planner 2008" calendar.

I was a little skeptical at first, thinking it was going to be like Hooters. But it is actually very classy, and the servers wear black/white striped referee shirts. If you sit at the booth tables, you have your own little TV screen at your table with 9 different sports channels to choose from with a touch screen. (Rod thought that was pretty awesome!) It's a fun atmosphere and a lot like The Ram. And the food was really good! We were impressed and will eat there again.


After eating dinner at Cheerleaders, you can walk over to Yogee's for dessert (if you're not too stuffed). Rod and I just discovered this one when we were out with some friends a couple weeks ago! If you haven't tried this, you're going to have to stop by next time you're over that way. You can go around and self-serve sample all the frozen yogurts before choosing one. Then you can sprinkle on whatever toppings you like. The price of the treat depends on how many ounces it weighs. They also have Gelato ice cream, which is to-die-for!

Have you been to either of these places?? What did YOU think?

Friday Faves - Date Night Dinner

Keeping on the marriage subject, I thought I'd post about my favorite date-night with my man. I totally agree with Cathy's comment on my last post about weekly date nights- alone together, no kids alowed. Very important! I always look forward to my date nights alone with Rod.

So what is YOUR favorite thing to do on a date night with your man?? My all-time MOST fave thing to do on a date night is going out for dinner. What woman doesn't love being served a warm, delicious meal to eat- (un-interrupted), and be cleaned up after? And not only the eating part, but being alone with your man to actually talk without little people pulling at your apron-strings. We also love to go out to eat with other couples, and of course girls nights out!!

Our top 2 favorite restaurants to go on a date night are:


Texas Road House- a steak house. They seriously have the best ribs, rolls, and dinner salads we've ever had. And the rolls are not only "to-die-for", they are also complimentary and keep coming if you want more. I could eat a whole basket of them with the cinnamon butter that comes with it, and call it dessert!
Oh, and Texas Roadhouse steak seasoning is the best! You can buy a container of it for $3 there.
Also, they sponsor the best golf tournament every year. Rod never misses one of their tournies. He actually won first place at it this year, a couple weeks ago!! He came home with a huge trophy, some great prizes and a goody bag from the restaurant.


On the Border- a Tex-Mex type of place. They have the best chips and salsa! I love their 3-Sauce Chicken Fajita Burrito. But everything on their menu is "to-die-for"!!

What is your favorite date-night or girls-night restaurant???

A Thought for Thursday- Marriage

Since my husband and I are about to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary (on Aug 16th), my thoughts for Thursday are about marriage.

On my MSN browser this week were some marriage tips that I agree with 100%. There were two different articles: 8 Marriage Ruts and What Happy Couples Know. I enjoyed reading them, and I hope you do too.

My marriage is not perfect by any means and I'm no expert on the subject, but with one word I can tell you mine and my husband's biggest success secret in keeping our marriage strong and healthy.

~SELF-LESS-NESS~

We took a marriage class when we first got married (at our own free will), and the first lesson was what stuck with me the most. The instructor had us all tell him what things cause divorce. We ended up with a big list on the board, a few of which were money problems, poor communication, infidelity, in-laws, and so on. When we were done listing these things, the instructor drew a big circle around the list and at the bottom wrote in big letters the word "SELFISHNESS". Doesn't it make perfect sense that selfishness is the root of all of these causes of divorce?? Self-centeredness is a natural human feeling. Most of us were born with it, but as we grew up and matured, we have learned to combat it in the real world.

Then we get married and we have a partner that we are working with as a team. "ME" becomes "WE" and WE have a future full of dreams, responsibilities, and family. WE must be thinking of "HE" (and visa-versa), to continue to build a strong WE.

Whenever Rod and I have rough days in our marriage, I always ask myself... "Am I being selfish?" (And sometimes even "Is HE being selfish? YES!") {{giggle}} The answer is always YES! (It may be just one of us, and sometimes it's both.) But it is a dangerous, dark place to be for too long. Once you realize it, own up to it and SNAP OUT OF IT! It's okay to apologize and admit you are wrong! It's what creates humility in our character, and strength in our relationships. Reflect on your wedding day, or the day you brought a new baby into the world together, or something special he has done for just you.

Now think about HIS love language, and do something selfless for him- just for him. Then see what happens! When we serve one another, I guarantee we grow in love for them- real, unconditional love. And what goes around, comes around!

Now, go love your husband!!

What is your marriage strengthening secret?

(Please leave a comment or email me!)

My New Look!!

As you can see, the Creative Homemaker got a face-lift! As we all know, about a month ago I tried to do my own blog makeover. I liked it fine, but there were some things that I couldn't stand. The words in my post box and sidebars were touching and crouded. Also, the Homemaker girl on my header had a sleevelss dress on- not something I'd wear, personally. And I needed a linky to share and some sidebar titles. Who did this, you might wonder??





That would be Leelou! Go check out her blog and look at all her fab blog layouts. Then if you see one you love, it's yours! For FREE!!! She also takes orders for custom headers and complete blog makeovers for a very resonable price! She is actually so popular now, that you have to wait to get on her waiting list. (But it's worth the wait.) You can subscribe for updates on that. For now, you can enjoy her free layouts!





And check out my LINKY!

You can copy/paste it from the top right corner of this blog. :)

If you love my new look, leave me a quick comment!! In fact... I CHALLENGE you to leave a comment this time. I NEED MORE COMMENTS because I LOVE them! I know you visit me becasue my counter (on the left sidebar) proves it. SO what are you waiting for?? I want to hear from you!. It will only take a second, and I don't even make you type in a funky letter security code. If you leave a comment on this post, I will come visit YOU and leave YOU and comment of appreciation within the next 24 hours. I want to see all of your cute blogs! Remember, your comment does not have to be long- even one or two words. Just DO IT! I want to see how many comments I can get today. Oh, and don't forget to take a LINKY!! Have a great day!!

Tuesday Tutorial

How to Make a "Tag-Along" Blanky or "Taggy Blanky"

1. First you need to cut two 12 1/2 inch squares of fabric- preferably something soft and cozy. I like to do them with cozy flannel on one side (the kind that you'd use to make silky PJ's) and that really soft baby-blanket fabric (forgot the name of it) on the other, for contrasting feel. You can use whatever soft fabric you like.

2. You will need coordinating colors of ribbon, cut into 4" strips. I do 5 ribbon tags on each side of the blanky, equaling 20 strips. I usually do 2 different patterned ribbons cut into 6 strips each, and 8 of a solid color.

3. Lay the sturdiest of the fabrics down, right side up. Fold the ribbon strips in half and pin them to the edge of the fabric, with the folded part toward the middle. Pin the first 4 in the middle of the four sides first, then do the 2 on each of the outside corners.

...Then pin all 8 of the solid-colored strips in between.

4. Now sew around the edges of the square to attach the ribbon tags, and take out the pins.

5. Take the other 12 1/2 inch square of fabric and place it right-side down on top of the tagged one, and pin it together (with the tags inside).

6. Sew around the outside, starting in the middle of one of the sides. It's best to sew over the stitch that holds the tags in place (use as a guide). Sew all the way around the square, leaving about a 3" opening (for turning it right-side out). Don't forget to back-stitch at start and finish!

7. Trim around the edges and cut a diagonal edge on the corners (as shown).

8. Turn right-side out, making sure to square off the corners. Iron it flat.

9. Top-stitch around the edges to give it a finished look, and trim any excess thread. You are done!! Enjoy!

Please email me with your tips and/or tutorials. I'd love to feature YOU on the Creative Homemaker!! TheCreativeHomemaker@gmail.com

My Town Monday

Summer break is rapidly coming to an end, and it's a bitter/sweet for me! I am getting really tired of my kids bickering all the time, so it will be nice to get them back to school and into a fresh new routine again. But part of me doesn't want the relaxing feeling of summer to end. I love having my kids safe at home. School will sure be nice though! I'm ready.
We only have TWO more weeks of summer before school starts, so let's make the most of it!! You may already know a lot of this info, but here are a few ideas to finish summer off with some fun family time in my town:

Settlers Park Movie Night
Fri Aug 15- Water Horse
Fri Aug 22- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (Veggie Tales)
Fri Aug 29- Spiderwick
*Movies start at dusk. Admission is FREE

Other Movies
Overland Park Cinemas- $1 admission every Tuesday
Edwards Theatre (free family movie on Tues & Wed mornings?)

Fountains/Splash Parks
Settlers Park (Meridian Rd & Ustick)in Meridian
Down-town Meridian (Main & Idaho)
Center on Grove in Down-town Boise
Heritage Park/Gazebo on old State St. in Eagle
Merrill Park in Eagle River Development (off Eagle Rd)
Ann Morrison Park in Boise

Swimming Holes
Sandy Point (on the way to Lucky Peak)
Eagle Island State Park ($4 parking fee)
Lake Lowell (in Nampa)
Black Canyon Reservoir (small parking fee)
Boise River (Barber Park- to float river)

Swimming Pools
Borah, Fairmont & Natatorium 384-4486
Ivy Wild Pool/Park in Boise 384-4486
Lakeview Pool/Park in Nampa (Garrity & 16th) 468-5858
Meridian City Pool at Story Park (1st & Franklin) 888-4392
Roaring Springs Water Park in Meridian (Overland & Meridian Rd) 884-8842

Western Idaho State Fair
August 18-24 a the Fair Grounds (Glenwood & Chinden) in Garden City
Monday Aug 18- Family Day. No alcohol!

LDS Temple Open House in Twin Falls, ID
(Here's your chance to see the inside of an LDS temple!)
Open to the public through Sat Aug 16. Admission is FREE.

Have a great rest of your summer break! Please leave a comment of feedback on some of these activities!

Friday Faves- Sprayway Glass Cleaner

I have been doing a lot of deep cleaning lately, because our home just went on the market. I ran out of my favorite glass cleaner on Monday. So for the last few days until now, I've felt anxious every time I would walk past a window or mirror in my house. I finally made it over to Walmart and picked some up. Whew! The finger prints were driving me nuts! The name of this product is Sprayway Glass Cleaner, and you can find it at Walmart and Target.

This stuff is the best in my opinion. It sprays on as a foam, is streak-free and makes window/mirror cleaning a breeze.

I also use it on my stainless steel appliances and it takes the finger prints right off to a lustery shine.

I use it on my water/ice faucet on my fridge.

And even on other fixtures, like this hard scum.


I was recommended this stuff by a lady at a photo/framing shop about a year or two ago. It's what they use to clean the glass on their picture frames. After finding out about this stuff, I went straight to Target and bought some. I haven't gone back to Windex since.

What is your very favorite cleaning product?? Please leave a comment on this post and share!

This is one of my very favorite quotes from Marjorie Pay Hinkley.

"As you create a home, don't get distracted with a lot of things that have no meaning for you or your family. Don't dwell on your failures, but think about your successes. Have joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."

Now go take on another great week!

My New eBay Store!!

Come see my new eBay store! I sell mostly children's clothing, name brand, new and used. I also have a few misc. items on there right now. We put new items on daily, so you might want to bookmark this and visit often!

Another Wheat Bread Recipe

My sister Amanda emailed me her wheat bread recipe after seeing mine here on my blog. Her's is not whole wheat, but I'm sure you could use all wheat flour if you wanted. I use brown sugar instead of white. This recipe is so quick and easy, and super delicious! It turns out nice and moist too. Mmmm, I just made some today. Give it a try. Let me know which of my wheat bread recipes you like the best!

Amanda's Wheat Bread
5 c warm water
3 T yeast
1 c sugar (I use brown)
1 1/2 T Salt
1/2 c oil
6 c wheat flour
5 c white flour

Combine water and yeast and 1/4 c. sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until moist. Let sit for about 20 minutes and then dump into 4 bread pans (or juice cans). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. You DON'T have to knead this dough!!

Blogging Basics 101

Laurie at TipJunkie posted her Talk to Me Tuesday feature today and interviewed a really neat woman/mom-prenuer named Melanie who's the fab author of THREE blogs! She has a blog called Blogging Basics 101 with all the info you can imagine for blogging. She has a linking category, so you might check that out too!

Tuesday Tutorial

How To Link to Other Blogs or Sites in Your Posts
I've been asked by a few others how to link to other blogs in a post, so here goes:

-First, go to the other blog or site, select and copy the address above. If you are linking to a specific post, click on the title of that post, then select/copy the address above.
-Come back to your blog and click on New Post.
-Type up your post, then highlight (select) the word, title or phrase that you will be linking from.
-There is a little green spot on the tool bar with a paperclip on it (in both the Html and Compose boxes). After highlighting the word in your post, click on that green dot. (If you are in the Edit Html box you will hear a little sound and will have to go to the top and click on temporarily okay to whatever... then click on the green dot again and paste the web address where it say's http://). And make sure you don't have http on there twice.
-If you are in "Compose" you can just click on the green dot and it will let you paste it with no problem. Wallah! You've got links!!





Recipes are tutorials in a sense, and I found an awesome recipe on an awesome blog that I want to take you to!! Ann has shared a recipe she got from her friend for Homemade Granola Bars. Yum! I can't wait to try these out. Thank you for sharing this, Ann!! Click here for the recipe.

My Town Monday

I'm excited to tell you about Mindy's Pie Pantry, a local woman who is amazing in the kitchen. My sister knows her personally and has tasted some of her infamous pies. She says they are to-die-for!

You can order her pies through her website, and they are very reasonably priced! She also started doing cooking camps for kids this summer, and has had a lot of fun with that. She is doing one more camp this Tues through Thurs the 5th -7th. I don't know if you can still sign up, but you may want to go check out her site for more info!

Don't worry if you miss out on the camps this summer, because she is going to be doing an adult "perfect pies" class, and some fun Halloween baking classes for the kids this fall!! So keep checking Mindy's website for more details.

PS- Sorry no post on Friday. It got to be a bit of a stressful week for us, and Friday was just not working for posting. Thanks for your support! Have a fab week!