First Ever Giveaway!!

Whoo hoo! Last week, I reached 100 followers! When I started blogging, I never expected anyone but family and friends to read my blog. But I'm thrilled to have made so many new friends and I want to show my appreciation!

So, I'm giving away a $10 Hobby Lobby Gift card!! If you don't have a store near you, you can shop online. You can find supplies for just about any craft project you can imagine, as well as ideas and tips to spark your creativity.

Just as a side note, Hobby Lobby is a Christian company. The music played on the store's sound system is Christian music, usually orchestrated hymns and worship songs. I often find myself humming along as I shop! The stores are closed on Sundays so employees can spend time with their families and at church. Take a look at their Statement of Purpose. How often do companies give God the glory for their success?

Now on to the details:

1. To enter, leave a comment on this post, telling me what craft you like to create. If you're not crafty, don't worry. Just tell me that!

2. For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway and provide a link so I can verify. Leave this in another comment.

3. This contest starts right now and will close at midnight (Central Time) on Friday, April 9, 2010.

4. The winner will be chosen at random by me. Please leave a way for me to contact you. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, then another winner will be chosen.

5. This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

Thanks again for following my blog. It's been fun!

Menu Plan Monday - April 4-10

Wow! This weekend just flew by! Easter is over and spring has sprung! We had the teens from our church over tonight for some fellowship, and now the house is quiet again. Tomorrow we're having some overnight guest coming, so I'm trying to keep the menu simple.

Here's what is coming up:

Sunday
Pork BBQ

Monday
Pasta and meatballs, cheesy garlic breadsticks

Tuesday
Beef roast, potatoes, green beans

Wednesday
Grilled hamburgers on soft sandwich rolls, chips

Thursday
Chicken & dumplings, mashed potatoes, corn

Friday
Pizza

Saturday
Leftover buffet

Stop by tomorrow for my first ever giveaway! I'm celebrating 100 followers and you can be part of the fun! I'll post more details tomorrow.

Have a great week!

For more menu planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Mondays. If you don't already plan you menus weekly, let me encourage you to try it. It will help you stay organized and stay within budget when you shop for groceries. Give it a try this week.

Thankful on this Good Friday

Thank You, Jesus. One day I'm going to thank You in person.

Friday Follow...first one in April!

It's Friday, so it's time once again to do some blog-hopping and meet some new bloggers. I've been blessed to find some interesting blogs that have encouraged and entertained me. Why don't you join in, too?

I'm really close to 100 followers, so if I reach that magic number this week, I'm going to host a special giveaway! Don't miss it!

Also, did you do anything fun for April Fool's Day? Tell me about it in the comments. Here's what I made for the kiddos - Sweet Sushi! I got the idea from Family Fun!


Anyway, if you want to join in this week's Friday Follow, just follow the instructions below to get started. Happy Friday!

Soft Sandwich Rolls

I've really been trying to make as much from scratch as I can. I needed some sandwich rolls to use in making some chicken sandwiches, so I came up with this recipe. They turned out soft and delicious. You do need to plan ahead with this recipe, because it requires two risings.

Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 TBSP honey
2 1/2 teas yeast
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cups flour (I used half white, half wheat)
1 teas salt

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Stir in the yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. It will bubble up and smell yeasty. Shocker, huh? Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball, about 5 minutes. I use the Kitchenaid for this, but you can do it by hand. Cover and set in a warm place to rise until double in size, about an hour.


I can't believe I waited until the dough rose to take pictures! Anyway, divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each into a ball, then flatten into ovals with your hand. Place on greased baking sheets.



Cover and let rise until doubled in size.


Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. I brushed mine with a little butter after taking them from the oven.


These were really tender and tasty! They would be perfect for hamburger or hotdog buns. Just divide into smaller pieces and shape accordingly. This recipe would probably yield 12 buns.

The secret to juicy hamburgers

Hubby bought a book on grilling a few weeks ago and has treated us to some fabulous dinners as a result. This weekend we tried blue cheese burgers. Yum!

But the simplest thing he's learned about grilling hamburgers is to add water when mixing them up. For each pound of ground beef, add 2-3 TBSP of ice cold water. And season them lightly with a little salt and pepper. You don't need fancy seasoning blends that are expensive. Just salt and pepper. We've tried this method several times, and each time, the burgers were fabulously juicy!

We use ground chuck or regular ground beef. Lean ground beef will leave you with dry burgers because of the lower fat content. And be sure not to overcook them. You want the burgers to be done, of course. But depending on the thickness of your patties, cook for 5-7 minutes per side. You don't want charcoal burgers!

Happy Grilling!

For more great tips on everything from laundry to Easter crafts to homework, visit Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

Dino fun

This is what you get when you take my husband, add some Legos, a dinosaur diorama and a dinosaur digging kit.