Grand View Builders

What do you need for a truly spooky Halloween? A giant spider in front of your home! Make this one easily out of materials that you have around your home – it’s a great activity to do with your kids. Simple instructions listed below:

-Collect nine black trash bags and stuffing such as newspaper, left over packing materials, or even leaves.
-Fill one trash bag with stuffing and tie it closed to create the spider’s body.
-Hold the second trash bag on its side and fill the length with stuffing.
-Wrap the empty bag around the stuffing several times, so that it looks like a spider’s arm, and secure it with a tie. Repeat this for the other seven legs.
-Use a glue gun to secure the legs to the body.

Pro Tip: You can cut off the bottom of Styrofoam cups and glue them onto the body to make eyes.

We got this idea from MoneyCrashers.com – check out their list for more decorations!

The fact that 4th of July is on a Wednesday this year doesn’t mean you can’t still have some fun! Check out some fun things to do in the Houston area to celebrate!

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens will be having an Americana-themed festival with music, performers and costumed actors reliving 1776.

The annual Freedom Over Texas celebration at Eleanor Tinsley Park will feature Billy Currington and Sara Evans.

Burgers, Bourbon & Brews Bus Crawl will feature delicious food and cocktails around the midtown Houston area.

The City of Sugarland will be holding their own celebration – the Red, White and Bluefest over Oyster Creek Park.

Tomball’s July 4th Celebration will be a street party!

Friendswood’s celebration The Sounds of Freedom will be an all day event with food, fun and fireworks!

While you’re celebrating don’t forget to thank our military personnel who have preserved the freedom that we are celebrating today. Happy 236th America!

Lots going on around here during June! Check out our Red Hot June Sale! So many of our beautiful homes have had their prices slashed, check out the information below for more details.

Additionally, we’ll be doing our June Summer of Love Giveaways all month! Make sure you like the Grand View Builders Facebook page for a chance to comment and win tickets to different events each Friday! Our first giveaway for Free Press Summer Fest will be tomorrow!

Additional giveaways as follows:

Friday, June 8^th – 2 tickets to Moody Gardens (near GVB Community Painted Meadows)

Friday, June 15^th – 2 tickets to Bayou Wildlife Park (near GVB Community Hamilton Square)

Friday, June 22^nd – 2 tickets to Wild West Brewfest )near GVB Communities Lakes of Bella Terra and Canyon Gate)

Friday, June 29^th – 2 tickets to Six Flags over Texas in San Antonio – just for some fun away from home!

So keep in touch with us here on the blog, on Facebook and on Twitter, we’re in for a wild summer!

Memorial Day is an awesome holiday: The weather’s nice, the kids are out of school and the short work week means you have plenty of time to celebrate! Here are our picks for a fun Memorial Day Weekend 2012:

Chipotle Kid Power Festival and Swap Meet

Discovery Green will host a kid’s swap meet where your child can rent a booth and sell their favorite old toys. Teaching your kids entrepreneurship at an early age is something we believe in!

Memorial Day in the Woodlands

Fireworks, live music, vendors and more Saturday through Sunday at Waterway Square! Each night will culminate in an impressive Fireworks display!

Houston Zoo Memorial Day Free Day

You can celebrate the day with free admission to the Houston Zoo. With animals, attractions and a kid-friendly atmosphere, your day is sure to be filled with plenty of furry friends!

Kemah Boardwalk

Dive into summer, food and fun on the delightful boardwalk that has been entertaining families in and around the Houston area for eleven years!

Make sure to share pictures of how your family celebrated Memorial Day on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Mother’s day is the one day each year when we show our mothers just how special they really are. While older family members can help Mom by making breakfast or doing the chores around the house, if you have little ones, we suggest spending some time helping them make these crafts for Mom. She’s sure to love them!

This bouquet of flowers from Kaboose is a sweet reminder of how Mom helps her children grow each and every day. Best of all, these flowers will never wilt or die!

A jar of reasons to love mom from Better Homes and Gardens will warm her heart!

SheKnows recommends getting a parent or older sibling to procure the pot and then have a younger child decorate it festively with lots of colored yarn!

Making sure to thank Mom every day is important but showing her some extra attention on May 13^th by making these crafts will be fun for everyone! Make sure to post your pictures to our Facebook page. Happy Mother’s Day!

The summer is here, and it’s time to fire up the grill! We’ve selected some tips that you can utilize when you start grilling in your favorite outdoor places and spaces, like the backyards in your new Grand View Builders home.

-Always soak bamboo skewers in water before using them on the grill! To avoid soaking each time you need them, soak a big batch once for an hour or so, drain then freeze in a plastic bag. Now you have a ready supply for the season!

-If you don’t have a brush, ball up a piece of aluminum foil, pick up with your tongs and use to baste!

-Be delicate when applying a rub to your meat! The fibers of the cut could be damaged if handled too roughly which could ruin the texture and flavor of your meal!

-Don’t sauce too early! Leave basting to the very end of the grill time, especially with sugar sauces, which can burn quickly and leave a harsh taste on your meat!

-Avoid over marinating your food! If marinades contain enzymes they will break down the texture of the meat resulting in soft or mushy food.

-Rule of thumb: Bone in = indirect heat, Bone out = direct heat.

-Use a grill pan for fish fillets and chopped veggies to prevent them from falling through the grill grates.

-Make sure cutting into the thickest piece that you have on the grill does your meat!

-Rest your meat to allow juices to redistribute, ensuring perfectly cooked meat!

Be sure to upload your pictures to the Grand View Builders Facebook page!

Exercising anywhere is important to a healthy lifestyle, but did you know that exercising outside could also improve your health? Outdoor activities such as the festivals that we told you about back in April, can equal up to the 30 minutes of moderate intensive aerobic activity that is recommended in order to maintain a healthy weight which in turn, reduces the risk of heart and other diseases and also increases muscle strength and enhances overall well-being.

Since you’re already engaging in physical activities, this time of year is great for encouraging your children to participate in healthy activities that will turn into lifelong habits. Sports that are in season are fun to watch, but take your kids to the park to play baseball, softball, soccer and football which will also aid in the development of their motor skills. With the weather getting warmer you can introduce them to competitive swimming and there are always the old standbys of biking and running.

Although the every day 8-5 work schedule does not leave much time for exercise between cooking, cleaning, and ferrying children to lessons or practices it is important to ingrain the importance of regular exercise into your children’s psyche early on. Spend a weekend taking a family tennis class or taking a hike around wooded areas such as the ones that are built into Grand View Builders communities like North Pointe Trails.

Welcome the idea of exercising as a family and watch your family literally spring into spring!

Beautiful weather means getting to play in the great outdoors before the weather gets too hot to handle! Here are some upcoming events and festivals in Houston that you can enjoy outdoors!

Earth Day Houston

Discovery Green – 1500 McKinney, Houston, TX

April 7, 2012

10-4pm

Enjoy a festival that celebrates green living!

Screen on the Green – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Discovery Green – 1500 McKinney, Houston, TX

April 7, 2012

8:30pm

This children’s comedy plays at 8:30 but come early and enjoy some activities!

6^th Annual Midtown Art in the Park

1700 Elgin at Chenvert, Houston, TX

April 14, 2012

10-6pm

This event will showcase fine art, street art, studio art and more!

Kemah Crawfish Festival 2012

HWY 146 @ 3^rd Street, Kemah, TX

April 13-15, 2012

12-10pm

At $2 a pound for crawfish, this festival is sure to leave you feeling full!

San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment

One Monument Circle, La Porte, TX 77571

April 21, 2012

10-6pm

This annual celebration will dramatize the most decisive battle in Texas history

Whew! That’s a lot of fun to pack into one month! Thankfully, you have a wonderful and comfortable Grand View Builders house to come home to! Make sure to post your pictures to our Facebook page!

You know that your Grand View Builders home is built to be strong, now it’s time to make sure that the people inside are built strong too! We’ve already begun shedding the last vestiges of winter by organizing our homes as well as by giving them a good Spring Cleaning. Now, with the weather growing nicer every day it’s a wonderful time to begin reacquainting ourselves with the gorgeous outdoors! What better way than to have a picnic  in the park with some fresh fruits and veggies from your local farmers market?

Canino’s Produce on Airline Drive beckons us not only with their brightly colored store, but with their amazing selection of fresh produce! The family owned business has been serving the Houston community since 1958! Their produce list depends on what’s in season and can include, but is not limited to, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, jicama, peas, peaches, persimmons and more! After seeing the variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables in their online photo selection we wondered what took us so long to stumble upon this delicious find!