6 things to do for back to school shopping

1. Consider spreading your clothes shopping out through the fall. A few weeks after the school year starts all the stores have much better sales on clothing.
2. Make a list of what you need. If your child has tons of t-shirts and no jeans then you will know what to put on your list.
3. All of us are stretching our pennies as far as they can go, so don't feel bad if you need to shop at the thrift-store. Savers thrift-store has 50% off the entire store on Labor Day, Sep. 7, and they have two locations in the Treasure Valley; one in Boise, on Fairview, and one in Nampa on Nampa/Caldwell Blvd.
4. You don't need name brands, although wouldn't we all like name brands. There are lots of great t-shirts, shoes and accessories available for discount prices.
5. To give your child a completely unique style try making your own t-shirts, shoe design, friendship bracelets, even a duct tape purse.
6. Your can even craft up some school supplies before you head back. Try this personalized binder, a pencil topper or any of these cool crafts at about.com.

Summer zucchini recipes

It's the time of year when gardens are offering up their bounty and the zucchini is ready to harvest. Boise gardens can yield gigantic zucchini and it's time to use them to your advantage. Below is a yummy Zucchini Dinner Menu:

• Beef Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
• Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
• Grilled Zucchini
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Beef Meatballs

2lb. of Hamburger,1-1/4 tsp. Salt, 1/8 tsp. Pepper, 1 c. Rolled Oats, 2 eggs, 1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 chopped onion, 2/3 c. milk

BBQ Sauce

1 c. brown sugar, 1/2 c. BBQ sauce, 2 Tbsp. Mustard, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce.

Directions:

Mix together the Meatball ingredients. Form into 2" balls. Put in casserole Pan. Mix together all the Sauce ingredients, heat it up and then pour over the meatballs. Bake for 30 Minutes at 350 degrees.

1. Mix all meatball ingredients together. Form into 2" balls.

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole - click on the link to get this recipe from Allrecipes.com

Grilled Zucchini

Marinate 1/2 slices of zucchini in Italian dressing, then grill until lines begin to appear and they are still slightly firm.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 c. of butter, 1/2 c. veggie oil, 1-3/4 c/ sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 c. sour milk*, 2-1/2c. unsifted flour, 4 Tbsp. cocoa, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. cloves, 2 c. grated zucchini, 1 bag of chocolate chips.

1. Cream butter, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour milk; beat with mixer. Mix together all the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture; beat well with mixer. Stir in zucchini. Spoon batter into greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan; sprinkle top with chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 for 40-45 min. or until toothpick comes out clean and dry.

This really needs no frosting; it is moist and very tender

*To make sour milk, add 1 tsp. lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk. Let stand 5 minutes before using.

Skin softening oatmeal mask made at home

Your skin needs two things to look its best; oil and water. Your body makes its own oil, and you can hydrate your skin by drinking lots of water. But the summer months can be very hard on your skin; air conditioning and the sun can dry your skin out beyond your ability to internally hydrate it .

As a hard working Mom you deserve lots of pampering. But money and time can get in the way. A great way to pamper yourself is with an inexpensive home-made facial mask.

Oatmeal does wonders for the skin; it hydrates and softens, and its really cheap. To make your own oatmeal mask you will need:

• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats are the best, but instant also works.
• Coffee Grinder, Blender, or Food Processor.
• Washcloth to remove the mask.

1. For a full face and neck mask put 1/3 c. Oats into the Coffee Grinder, grind until a you get a soft, fine powder.
2. Add hot water until the consistency of oatmeal, about 3-4 Tbsp.
3. Microwave for about 5 seconds to "cook" the mask.
4. Apply to cleansed skin in light upward strokes, leave for 5-10 min.
5. Dip your washcloth into warm water and lightly lay on your face for 1 minute to steam and soften the mask.
6. Gently wipe mask away rinsing the washcloth often.
7. Apply toner and moisturizer as usual.
8. Feel your baby soft skin! Really.