Team Koontz

It has been another one of those crazy weeks!!  My mind has been here, there and everywhere and my body is struggling to keep up!  I will be glad when I look at my calendar and it's BLANK!  Only 9 days of school left, only one baseball game left, scouts is winding down, Awanas is almost over, dance recital in a few weeks...then we can relax, right??

In between all the family stuff, I have been crafting like a crazy woman in my spare time (hahahahaha).  I have my first craft show coming up in a few weeks so I have been trying to build up my inventory.

When the King and I were at White Lake a few weeks ago I saw some cute Triathlete t-shirts Team Koontz needed.  When we got home, I started looking online to order them and found them for $15.  Not a bad price, but I needed three!!  And I'm cheap :-)     

 I found an awesome deal on shirts from Hanes.com (3 shirts for $12!!).  I used freezer paper and my awesome Silhouette to cut out my pattern.  After the pattern was in place, I used Fabric Paint to get the desired look.  They aren't perfect, but I think they turned out super cute!  And I only spent a total of $18!

A Week of Firsts

What a busy week!!  Every night we had something going on:  Cub Scouts, Meetings, Baseball, Church, Dance...shew!!!  I even had to break down and buy TV dinners for the kids (gasp!!). 

Amidst all the craziness, our sweet baby has had a big week of firsts.  It is hard to believe he will be 8 months old next week.  Sniff, sniff :-(

First bath in the big tub!

Loves to splash!!

 

First attempt at crawling, but can only scoot backwards

First time he figured out how to get his knees underneath him.  He was so proud of himself!

First time that he can sit for a long period of time by himself and play with his toys.

First tooth is starting to work its way out.  Hope it pops through soon!

What a blessing this little guy is!!  I just want to squeeeeeeze those little chubby thighs of his.  And I do :-)  Quite often! 
  

A Quiet Whisper

Decisions, Decisions...I have been wrestling with the decision to take on the large role of MOPS coordinator for next year.  I am hesitant to do it because the women before me have been so awesome and I just don't feel I can fit in their big shoes!!  I doubt and I fear my capabalities...

I've been praying and waiting for a sign (possibly a 2x4) to make it clear as day that this is where God wants me to be.  While I've been waiting for a large booming voice, a song on the radio or a scripture to jump out at me with the answer in bold print, he has been whispering to me quietly.  Working on my heart and calming my fears and doubts.  Reminding me that he would put the words in my mouth and be right beside me guiding me and holding my hand!   

My Excuses Fears and God's Answers:
1.  I do not like to stand in front of people and talk: 
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  Phillipians 4:13
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone".  Colossians 4:6
2.  I'm not equipped to lead the steering team: 
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ".  Galatians 6:2
3:  It's completely out of my comfort zone: 
"For we walk by faith, not by sight".  2 Corinthians 5:7
 4.  I will mess up and scare everyone away ( I know that's silly but it's a genuine fear!!):
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose".  Romans 8:28

Tomorrow is our last MOPS meeting of this year.  We are all a little sad when a year ends.  It's such a wonderful ministry and I have been so blessed to be a part of it.  I look forward to next year and with God's guidance and strength, it will be just as awesome as this year!!

I am going to write all these verses in my prayer journal to remind myself that God is by my side, to calm my fears and insecurities and to have FAITH!

 

 

A Mutual Understanding

I have an awesome husband and we have come to a mutual understanding.

He understands my need to be crafty and never complains when he comes home to this:

He simply smiles and asks what I've been making.  Such a good man :-)  But just to clarify, he doesn't come home to this every day!!  I do like to keep a very clean and orderly house (well, as much as possible with 3 kids!)  

In return, I understand his need to push himself and train for races.  He just finished a really big race this weekend (a half-iron man at White Lake) and he placed 3rd in his age group!

Crossing the finish line and realizing he beat his time from last year and had a personal record!

On the podium receiving his award

So proud of him! 

It's such a blessing to have a husband that understands what makes me tick.  Creating makes me happy.  Just like being an athlete makes him happy.  We have a mutual respect of one another and that has really helped us have a strong marriage.

Hmmm, do you think I earned any brownie points to use towards my next "creativity" bonanza??  Hehe - I'm just kidding :-) 

Blessed beyond measure...

Two peas in a pod

Two peas in a pod?  Nope!!  It blows my mind seeing the difference in personalities in my children, especially when we are doing simple things - like bead crafts! 

Miss A can sometimes be a lot little OCD.  Notice how she is pulling out the yellow beads?  She meticulously separated and then carefully placed them on her pegs.  And did I mention she's a little bit headstrong independent?  It took her f.o.r.e.v.e.r!  But at craft time - forever is ok!!

 
D-rod is the opposite of OCD!  There is no rhyme or reason to his design.  He picked whatever color his little fingers landed on.  He was done in less than 5 minutes.  But, he could tell you a fabulous story about his creation.  The characters and story line he concocted while using a simple little craft project was great!

Miss A and D-rod are both super kids but they are NOT two peas in a pod.  As a parent, it's hard to deal with opposite personalities.  As kids, it's hard to deal with opposite personalities!!  God made us all unique and in his image.  

Jeremiah 1:5  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

The greatest gifts of all

Mother's Day was a wonderful day!  Our sweet baby boy was dedicated at church and we spent the evening with my family.  Surrounded by loved ones - I wouldn't want to spend "my" day any other way!

My gift from my sweet husband was a little delayed in arriving.  I knew it would be well worth the wait :-)  Alas, it arrived today!!  I'm pretty sure I squealed when the mail lady pulled up.  I may have even hugged her...or not.  But the thought did pop into my head.

A gorgeous Jo Totes camera bag!!!  It was definitely at the top of my wish list.  Good job sweet husband!

Even though this gift is fabulous and I am so (so, so, so) excited to start carrying my camera around in style - the best gifts I received were from the little people in my life.

Sweet little handprints, fingerprints and smiles that light up my life.  Too soon their little hands will be as big as mine and I will no longer get handprint flower pictures for Mother's Day :-(  I will always treasure these precious little mementos from the best gifts of all.  My three little gifts from God.

Blessed beyond measure!

Hidden Treasure

I'm cheap thrifty.  I'm ok with that and I'm not ashamed to admit it :-) 

Miss A and I went to Goodwill this week and had some great finds!  Like this picture for only $1.

 

 

Isn't this beautiful!  It will look great in my living room.

Just kidding!  I needed a frame to make a ribbon organizer and this was perfect!

Anna spotted a "special find" buried under a bunch of books and puzzles.  It was a Littlest Pet Shop habitat for only $2!  They sell for $25 (or more) at the store.  It was in perfect condition and with a thorough wipe down with a Clorox Wipe, it has provided several hours of entertainment.

She did need some of the pets to go in her "shop", so she emptied her piggy bank.  We took it to the bank and "fed" it to the coin machine.  This doesn't look like much, but it was over $30! 

You never know what kind of hidden treasures you'll find at your local Goodwill!!  I love a good deal and was thrilled when I walked out spending only $15 (Miss A's Littlest Pet Shop, my frame, and 3 pairs of name brand shorts in awesome condition!!). 

All you need is a little patience.  Have fun looking for hidden treasures!!

Cereal Boycott

I have declared a cereal boycott at our house.  Hopefully, there won't be any uprisings in the Kingdom :-) 

The King and Miss A love granola mixed with yogurt (they call it a "daddy snack") and eat it every. single. day...Therefore, we go through a box (or more) of granola a week!!  The granola of choice is almost $4 a box and the box is shrinking!!

The solution:  A super easy granola recipe that even I can't mess up!!

Lazy Granola
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
7 cups oats (old fashioned, not quick cooking)

1.  Mix Brown Sugar, oil and honey in a small saucepan.  Bring to a low boil.
2.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
3.  Pour over oats in a large bowl.  Stir until well coated.
4.  Spread oats in a 9 x 13 pan (I used two large pans to have a thin layer on each).  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
5.  Take out and stir.
6.  Return pan to oven.  Turn oven off.
7.  Go to bed :-)  Wake up to a delicious, cinnamon-y sent wafting through your kitchen!

So yummy and much more budget friendly!!

I keep it in a cereal tupperware and so far, it has stayed really fresh.  The best part - I don't have to pick out the things that Miss A "not like".   

Enjoy!


 

The Queen's Top 10 List

I love being a mother.  It's truly the best job I've ever had.  Dylan always asks me what the best part of being a mom is.  Everything!  But the question got me to really thinking.  So, in no particular order...

The Queen Mother's Top 10 List Why Being a Mom ROCKS!
1.  You get a front row seat to watch your children grow and soak up all the knowledge they can.
2.  Watching them terrorize interact with each other. 
3.  You are the most important audience member for impromptu "magic" shows and "comedy" shows (even though they are not that magical or that funny - but shhh, don't tell Dylan!!)
4.  It's amazing to watch the world through their eyes and to experience their childlike faith.
6.  Having a good excuse to get treats from Dunkin Donuts or Cold Stone Creamery :-)
7.  Weed Flower bouquets, pictures, and all the kisses you could ask for!
8.  Celebrating the small successes in life (like potty training and sleeping through the night - woohoo!!)
9.   Realizing my parents were right and that they were hard on me "because they loved me" (again, this can be our little secret - no need to admit that to them, wink wink!)
10.  Being given this precious gift from God and entrusted with raising them into God-loving, successful members of society (no pressure, right??)

I could go on and on!!  Like I said, it's the best job EVER!


What's your top 10 list?  I challenge you to come up with the Top 10 reasons you love being a Mom, Dad, Wife, Husband, etc.   It really makes you stop and think about things and to reflect on what truly makes you happy.

When you are armed and dangerous with an arsenal of positive thoughts, you can pull them out when things are rough and remind yourself that we are all truly blessed beyond measure.

Biggest Disaster Ever (or at least for this week)

My best friend is allergic to corn.  So she was pretty excited when she came across a recipe to make strawberry fruit leather aka fruit rollups without the junk. 

We had fresh strawberries in the fridge that needed to be used up so I decided I would give it a try.  I was excited because I knew the kids would love it since I won't buy fruit them roll ups.  I was pretty sure I was going to be up for a "mom of the year award" in their book. 

Let me just say, if there is an award involved, it would be the "biggest disaster ever award"...

Things got off to a good start.  I boiled down the fruit and it was beautiful.  A deep red color and it smelled so good! 

The next step calls for the blender.  I got the fruit in the blender and the lid put on but the devil apparently the lid wasn't sealed completely.  Turned on the blender.  Strawberry explosion.  Strawberry fragments everywhere.  My cabinets, the floor, me and to top it off I got a pretty bad burn on my arm.  Yet, I was able to control my tongue for the little ears in the room.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  Which can be translated into many different things :-)

Moving on, I got things cleaned up, sprayed Oxi Clean all over my clothes (the best stuff EVER!!) nursed my burn and poured my fruit into the pan. 

Magic Potion

Apparently, I had chosen a warped pan so all the fruit was leaning to one side.  At this point, I am thinking "oh my goodness" in several different languages...Finally got it in the oven in a non-warped pan.  Set the temperature at the lowest setting and let it cook for 6 hours.

I thought surely, all the disasters are over.  WRONG!

Take it out of the oven and Dylan is chomping at the bit to eat some.   Recipe calls for buttered parchment paper but all I have is wax paper.  I figure it will work just as well so I had sprayed it down with cooking spray.  Lesson learned...

It won't come off the wax paper...So we just looked at it and then threw it in the trash. 

No "mom of the year" award for me but I am nominating myself for "biggest disaster ever" award :-)

Hubby suggested I just cut up the strawberries and freeze them next time.  Good idea.  

Appreciate your teacher!

I'm a teacher's wife and I've worked in the school system as a teacher assistant.  I can first-hand appreciate all that teachers do and don't get recognized for!! 

That is why teacher appreciation week is SO important!  There are a ton of good ideas at Skip To My Lou that help get the creativity juices flowing.   So grab an idea and show some appreciation.  You have time, there are still two days left in the week!!

I did this project for Dylan and Anna's teachers.  They loved them and it was so quick and easy! 

They are also getting oreo truffles, but we ate the leftovers before I could get a picture :-)  You can find that recipe here.

Oreo Truffles

A favorite go-to recipe of mine for gifts or a special occasion.  They are delicious and so easy!!

Oreo Truffles
1 package of oreo cookies (the mint oreos are really yummy as well)
8 oz cream cheese, softened (you can use light if you want to cut calories :-))
16 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate

1.  Mix cream cheese and crushed (fine crumbs) oreo cookies together
2.  Roll dough into 1" balls, put on wax paper
3.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes
4.  Dip balls into melted chocolate
5.  Refrigerate another 30 minutes until chocolate hardens

Makes:  1 for me, 1 for you 4-5 dozen

9.12

“We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail.” 
George W Bush 
October 2001

WE GOT HIM!   Justice has been served.  In the early morning of May 2, 2011, the Navy Seals took down Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist and to people in the USA, the most evil man in the world.  

It's hard to believe that my children were not alive or even a blip on my radar when 9/11 happened.  The celebrations over his death have been widespread and I can't help but reflect on that horrific day that happened almost 10 years ago.

I recently heard on the news about a 9/12 movement.  It's a movement to get our country back to how we were the day after 9/11.  We fell to our knees when the terrorists killed innocent Americans.  We all prayed to God.  Our faith was strong.  Our communities were united.

The months and years have passed and the country has fallen back into complacency.  Our communities are not united.  Our faith is wavering.  We aren't on our knees daily.

What a country we would be if we were the same country we were the morning of 9/12 - without a major crisis to motivate us. 

Something to think about...






 

One Sweet Minute

We were issued a challenge at church this morning.  Stop everything you are doing and be still for 1 sweet minute, and repeat this 5 times a day.  Do you know how hard it is to stop, be still and do nothing for 1 minute??  It seems like an eternity!!  I struggle every day to get a few moments alone with God.  I'm going to have to set a timer to go off as a reminder and even then, I'm sure I will have a little person following me or trying to talk to me.  If I can show my children the importance of being still and knowing God, then hopefully when they are older, they will have developed this good habit and not struggle as I do.  What awesome things could happen if 1000 people prayed to God for 5 minutes a day!  This was our challenge and I am passing on the challenge to whoever else may be out there.  Now, stop reading this and be still for one sweet minute :-)