Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Boospire has moved!

Hello to all of the awesome Wonder Women and Supermen who follow our blog.  We just wanted to let you know that we have moved our blog to a new address.  We will still have the same great content, but it will be easier to get to.  Our new web address is boospire.com. We love all of our followers and hope that you will sign up as followers on our new blog.  We look forward to seeing all of you there!

The Boost Team

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Today's Quote

When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.
      ~Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers from the child's television show, which I loved.)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Vacation Lodging (Part 2)











      We posted an article a few weeks ago entitled "Vacation Lodging" ( See post here ) where we were talking about how affordable it is to rent a condo or house instead of a hotel room as an option for vacation lodging. Now that we have gone on some of the vacations we mentioned, we thought it would be fun to follow up on that post with some pictures so you can see what amazing accommodations are available at very affordable prices.  We were able to rent this house(in the above pictures) for 3 nights and 4 days for only $77.00 per person.  We couldn't have asked for more comfortable accommodations!

     We rented the condo in the pictures below for only $75.00/night plus a one time cleaning fee of $62.00.  It was very comfortable for our family because we had a full kitchen with fridge, dishwasher, stove and microwave, big screen tv, washer and dryer, king size bed and sofa sleeper, and a private deck. We also had access to 3 pools, hot tubs and playgrounds for the kids.







We hope this information helps you to plan amazing vacations with your families!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Today's Quote

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour(1) as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
       ~St Mark 12: 30-31

(1) Spelling copied from the King James Bible

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Affirmation of the week

God is my source and supply for all material and spiritual substance.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Banana Bread

                                                                                                                                                                1/3 C.  Butter
2/3 C.  Granulated Sugar
2  Eggs (slightly beaten)
1 C.  Mashed bananas
1 3/4 C.  Flour
2 tsp.  Baking powder
1/2 tsp.  Soda
3/4 tsp.  Salt
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Cream together butter and sugar
  • Add eggs and bananas
  • Mix together thoroughly
  • In separate bowl mix together: flour, baking powder, soda and salt
  • Pour into wet ingredients
  • Stir only until mixed thoroughly. (Do not over stir)
  • Scoop into a greased bread pan
  • Bake for 1 hour on 350 degrees
  • Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan
Yield: 1 Loaf

This recipe can easily be modified to make it much more nutritious.  This makes it great for a snack to send to school or to have prepared when the children get home from school.

 These are our suggestions:
1. Raw cane sugar can be used in place of the granulated sugar.
2.You can also use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, but you would want to use a little less whole wheat flour because it is heavier than white flour.
3. We also like to use sea salt and aluminum free baking powder in all of our recipes.
4. Use organic eggs instead of regular eggs

* Note:  Costco is a great place to purchase organic eggs, raw cane sugar and Aluminum free baking powder at affordable prices.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Today's Quote

Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision.  They have to have the skill and the will, but the will must be stronger than the skill.
       ~Muhammed Ali

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Saying Good Bye to Summer Fun

Summer officially ends on September 21, but  Labor Day weekend signifies the end of the summer season because it is the last big holiday weekend of the summer.   Gone are the hot summer days spent working in the yard, going camping, swimming, and taking early morning walks.  Gone also are the long summer evenings spent sitting on the porch swing while the children play night games with their friends. This always makes me feel quite melancholy. This Labor Day weekend was no exception. I was feeling a little blue.

I woke up today to a cool fall morning and was surprised to find that I was actually feeling a little bit of excitement. The crisp air made me want to start a fire in the fireplace to sit by while we enjoyed a cup of coffee.  It made me want to set out all of my fall decorations and turn on my Scentsy warmer to make my home smell like cinnamon and cloves. I realized that, even though, I love summer TREMENDOUSLY, the change of the season can be very invigorating and give a jump start to the soul.

I started thinking of all the wonderful things that Autumn brings that I don't get to enjoy any other time of the year. I  remembered how much I love feeling the cool breezes that comes through my bedroom window at night, and the wind blowing through my hair when I go for a walk. I thought about how exhilarating it is to sit under the quaking aspen trees and watch their golden leaves glisten in the sunlight as the branches blow in the wind before the leaves break off, swirl in the breeze and fall to the ground. I could almost smell the aromatic scent of the forest that is a mixture of the wild flowers and plants drying in the fields and the leaves that are starting to decay on the ground. It made me feel refreshed!

So, I guess the time has come to trade in my shorts for long pants, my flip flops for shoes and socks, and my sleeveless shirts for long sleeves and jackets. I will set aside my long summer nights, and enjoy wrapping in a light blanket while gazing at the beautiful Harvest moon.  People say, "All good things must come to and end". I say, "It isn't the end. It is just the beginning of a new, wonderful season in my life".  I am ready to continue on my life's journey!

~Elizabeth



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Today's Quote

Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.
       ~Josh Billings

Monday, September 5, 2011

A Great Birthday Photoshoot Idea

I am a bit obsessed with pictures. When I have a baby I do my best to get their pictures professionally taken within a couple of weeks of the birth, around three months, six months, nine months, and a year. After that it gets way less, but still. I like to do my kids pictures at least once a year.

In keeping with my photography OCD I had my baby's pictures taken when he turned one year. My friend is a photographer so she came up with an idea for a darling photo shoot. She got two pieces of white beadboard, one for the base and one for the background, and I made and decorated a cake. We let my son eat/demolish the cake, which we set on the beadboard, and took pictures. Super easy and super cute. She did it with her son when he turned one year, and we did it with mine for his birthday. I love the pictures. I think it's darling. I thought it was an idea worth sharing. Here are a few pictures from the shoot.

And before he demolished the cake we took a few pictures with his singing doll. This was one of his birthday presents. Obviously, he loved it!



Sunday's Quote

We had a few technical difficulties so this quote is coming a day late... but here it is!

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
      ~Psalm 55:22

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Affirmation of the Week

I am willing to release the need to be unworthy. I am worthy of the very best in life, and I now lovingly allow myself to accept it.

              ~Taken from You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay

Friday, September 2, 2011

Make Your Own Tile Coasters

I stayed at my mom's house last weekend. While we were having coffee Sunday morning she mentioned that she wished she had some coasters but every time she went to buy them, she was put off by the prices. I mean, seriously, $20.00 for a set of four seems a bit much. So, while surfing the web I found a tutorial for homemade coasters. Lightbulb moment! "I'll just make Mom some coasters!" I thought. And that's what I did. They were super easy and they turned out darling.

Homemade Tile Coasters

What you'll need:
4 tiles - $0.16 cents at home depot
scrapbook paper in whatever style you choose
Mod Podge - $6.00 at hobby lobby, but I used a coupon so I got it for $4.00 or something like that. I think you can get this at any craft store
Clear spray paint - $4.00 at Home Depot
16 felt circles or squares - $3.00 at Home Depot BUT I saw them at Joann's today for $6.00 and it looked like there were a lot in the package. So, you may want to price them out.

Total cost: Somewhere between ten and twelve dollars. However, the mod podge I can use for a ton of other crafts since I barely used any of it, and I have left over spray paint. I can make a few more sets of coasters if I want. So, one time investment of $12.00. Future cost for more coasters, probably closer to $5.00, maybe even less. Cheap, original, and fabulous!


To make the coasters take one tile and trace it onto the back of your scrapbook paper (If you want the sides of the tile covered with paper, you'll need to make the square bigger and you may need to trim the corners. I just traced it to the size of the tile. It was easy and still worked great). I used one style of paper for all of mine, but I think it would be fun to use different coordinating styles to create a set.
After you trace the square cut them out then cover the top of one tile with mod podge. I stuck my hand in a plastic bag and wiped it onto the tile because I didn't have a paint brush. It worked pretty well. A paint brush would work as well. After you cover the tile put one of the square of paper on top of the tile, line it up evenly with the edges, and smooth it out.
It should look like this:
Repeat this step for all four tiles.
After I'd glued the paper to my tiles I put some mod podge on my finger and smoothed the tiny lip of the paper over the edge of the tile. Like this:
I didn't leave any mod podge visible. I made sure it was all wiped away.
The following step I did but I did it too late. So make sure you do this. After you get all your paper on your tiles, wipe mod podge over the entire thing. Mod podge is a glaze so when it dries it should give it more of a glass appearance. I did this after I applied a coat of paint. I think it would have worked better before I applied the paint. After you apply the mod podge, let the tiles dry and then take the project outside or to a well-ventilated area such as an open garage.

Here is a tile with a coat of mod podge on top of it. The tile to the left is drying. The tile to the right I had barely applied before I took the pic.
Paint all of your tiles with a coat of clear spray paint. The can said to keep it sixteen inches or something from the surface you're aiming for. I didn't. I was more like four inches from my tiles. I wanted them to look like they had a thick glaze so I applied a thick coat of paint. It seemed to work.

I let the first coat of paint dry for twenty minutes or so... until it felt dry when I touched it. Then I applied a second coat, this time thicker than the first. I also sprayed the paint around the sides of the coasters. The can was probably two inches from the tile. I wanted a good, thick coat because I didn't want to run the risk of the paper coming up or something silly like that. Again, I let it dry for a while. The can said twenty minutes, but I put on a thick coat so I let it dry a little longer. Just to be safe. :)

When that was done, I stuck the felt pads to the bottom of the coasters. They were pre-sticky so I just peeled off the backing and stuck them in the corners.
Ta-Da! My coasters were done.

These coasters were ridiculously easy. If you want some fun coasters, definitely make some! It was well worth it and they were cheaper than I was going to get at the store. If I ever get wood furniture (mine is tile right now) I'll probably make myself some.

Oh. P.S. Don't do this:
See, sometimes I'm a bit of a ditz. I was thinking, "Okay. The paint is clear so it should be fine to paint my tiles on the cement. It'll dry clear. No one will ever know." Yeah... not so much. Now I have four perfectly square spots on my cement. Whoops.

P.P.S. Here is a link to the site where I found the original coasters. They used smaller felt pads so their coasters didn't stick up as high. I like that better. When you're looking for them, look for the smaller ones :D

Thursday, September 1, 2011