World's Okayest Mom & a FREE PRINTABLE

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I found this picture one day while I was searching for designs I could draw on coffee mugs. (Thanks, Pinterest!)

I found it inspiring.

That is EXACTLY who I want to be.

I am fully ok with the fact that I will not be a perfect mom.
I will not pretend to be.

I try recipes that don't taste right. Sometimes I forget that there is a load in the wash (for a few days). My house isn't dusted or vacuumed or disinfected nearly enough. I yell at my kids and then feel really bad about it. Patience is a virtue I'm still working on. I have emotional outbursts more often than I care to admit. I don't spend enough time actually playing with my kids. More often than not, by the time 2pm rolls around, I'm more ready for their nap time than they are.

Right now as I type, my 3 year old is in minute 42 of fake crying in his room because he doesn't want to nap.

But, I'm taking baby steps.

"Progress. Just make progress. It's okay to have setbacks and the need for do-overs. It's okay to draw a line in the sand and start over again - and again. Just make sure you're moving the line forward. Move forward. Take baby steps, but at least take steps…"
(Lysa Terkeurst in Unglued - Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions)

I have only been at this "being a mom" thing for a little over 3 1/2 years. Sometimes on really challenging days, I have no idea how I'm going to get out of my "funk," as I call it. That's why it's good to remind myself that...

"I have a choice to have destructive thoughts or constructive thoughts right now. I can wallow in what's wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don't feel good." (Lysa Terkeurst in Unglued - Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions)

I'm learning. I'm growing.

And, so are my kids.

In this moment, I'm hoping that by not giving in to the temptation to go talk to him about his fake crying, he'll start to grasp the fact that whining doesn't get my attention anymore.

As of two days ago, I announced to our 3 year old that my ears don't listen to whining. So far, so good. It actually allows me to not lose my patience. I simply remind him that I won't hear the whining. It's shocking how fast his words become intelligible.

Shocking.

Truth is, I want my kids to know that it's ok to make mistakes.

They see me do it e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.

That's why even before they can understand it, we started apologizing to them when we do something that deserves an apology.

By the way, there are not too many things that are more humbling than apologizing to a 3 year old (especially when you are apologizing for doing adult versions of the tantrums that the 3 year old usually throws).

We want them to know that even mommy and daddy do things wrong sometimes. Sometimes mommy and daddy need to say they're sorry, too.

How can our children truly understand and experience grace if they never get to experience giving it?

(By the way, the little mister is FINALLY asleep)

Apologizing to our children opens up the chance to have meaningful conversations with them about how we sin and God forgives us. We show them how we pray and ask God to help us to show patience, kindness, respect and gentleness to one another. We demonstrate that in and of ourselves, we will fail, but with God's help, we can succeed.

So, I wrote something on the chalkboard in our kitchen for a while as a friendly reminder to myself. It says, 'Be the mom you want them to remember.'

The mom I want them to remember is humble, willing to admit that she's not a perfect mom, but she's depending on God to help her to be the mom they need. I want them to remember a gentle mom who gives grace when she can and discipline when necessary. I want them to remember me pushing them to do their best and knowing that I'll be there loving them regardless. I want them to remember that I am a work in progress, just like they are, and that we can be a team - pushing each other toward the people God wants us to be.


So, I designed this little printable for you. If you feel the same way, download it. Print it out and put it next to the coffee pot. Save it as your lock screen on your phone or tablet. Let it gently remind you through the day that it's ok to fail because kids need to know their parents aren't perfect either. Let it remind you that you don't want to be remembered as the perfect mom, but instead the mom that was demonstrating humility, love, grace, truth, gentleness, patience, repentance,… Let them remember the real you.

*NEW* designs!
Both "mom" and "step-mom" are available in both colors.
All are set to be printed as 5x7s.

Download HERE

Or, you can still get the original (only available in "mom"):

Download

Feel free to leave me a comment! I'd love to hear your story!
-kt

MY Pumpkin Scones

Scones are kind of a big deal to my family.

They have been a staple at nearly every family function requiring breakfast. Or a mid-morning snack. Or a mid-afternoon snack.

And when we don't have them, someone is sure to ask why!

We even make different kinds.

My dad's famous (ok, well, they're famous in my mind since we used to sell them at the Burlington Chocolate Fest) Scotty's Scones were big, moist, and baked full of yummy things. Sometimes blueberries and cinnamon, sometimes cranberries, sometimes chocolate chips (my fav's!).

Grandma's scones, on the other hand, were carefully shaped into triangles and cooked up on a hot griddle. They were perfectly browned on the outside and warm and wonderful on the inside. She put raisins in her's, and while that was fine, once we started making them for ourselves, we switched it up to chocolate chips… or when we're feeling sassy, white chips and craisens. Yum. Talk about melt in your mouth!

Anyway, I've always enjoyed the pumpkin scones at Starbucks in the fall.

I mean, who doesn't?!

The problem is, the recipes circulating on the internet, Pinterest, etc don't do the real ones justice.

And, while I'm not claiming that mine are as good or better as theirs, I gotta say, THIS will be my go-to pumpkin scone recipe from now on.

I combined my dad's, my grandma's and my idea of what should go into a pumpkin scone and this is what I came up with.

(I just ate one and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!)  ;)

My Pumpkin Scones
     *makes 8

For the Scones:
2 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tarter

6 T cold butter

1/2 C pumpkin puree (slightly heaping)
1 large egg
1/3 C plus 1 Tablespoon half and half
2 tsp vanilla

*NOTE* If you want your scones a little more spiced, make your cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger measurements slightly heaping.
You could also use 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice in place of these four spices.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cut in 6 tablespoons of cold butter with a pastry blender (or stick the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor until crumbly)

Mix together the remaining wet ingredients and add to the dry/butter mixture until just mixed.

Pour mixture onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour on top.

Pat down into a flat circle (about an inch thick).

Using a large knife, cut circle in half one way and then in half the other way… do this one more time to make 8 equal triangles. (See picture)

Place on a greased cookie sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper.

Tip: I've found it's way easier to move them front he counter to the cookie sheet with a spatula!

Back in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown. Don't let them get too brown! Watch closely!



Now for the fun part.

Instead of plain frosting or a totally spiced frosting, I decided to go with Cinnamon frosting. I'm so glad I did. I just winged this and it turned out yummy. Just enough spice and paired with the scones, it melts in your mouth.

You can decide if you want it to be more of a frosting or more of a glaze. It's your preference.

For a glaze, mix together:
1 C powdered sugar
scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 T milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

For frosting, mix together:
1 C powdered sugar
scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

*Adjust measurements as needed to reach desired consistency and taste. Add more milk to thin it out. Add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Add a tiny bit more cinnamon (or any of the spices used in the scones) to make it have a little more of a kick. Or, for a plain frosting or glaze, leave out the cinnamon!

Personally, I store them unfrosted and make the topping as needed… that way you don't have to worry about the frosting melting off if you heat them up a little or thaw them in the microwave after freezing.

Light your favorite fall candle and enjoy!
-kt

The easiest, tastiest, most customizable soup… ever!

Here's the thing. 

Camp life means that you never really know if you're going to be home in time to make dinner. Or if your husband is going to be home in time to eat the dinner you make. 

Some nights are fine. Some are big question marks.

And, because we live so very far from where we grocery shop (about an hour and a half - one way), it is so helpful when a recipe makes extra that I can freeze for nights when dinner is awfully difficult to prepare.

This recipe is a winner.

Not only is it super easy and so delicious you'll think you're sitting at Olive Garden, but it's completely customizable for any dietary restrictions you might have!

It can be gluten free, dairy free, meat free, whatever!

And, it's still delicious.

Promise.

Make it without the noodles, freeze it, and then the only thing you need to have on hand is pasta to cook up! Simple, quick, and perfect for cool fall nights and cold winter nights!

(I also keep dinner rolls frozen for this very situation, although my husband likes Ritz and slices of cheddar cheese on the side.)

Hearty Minestrone Soup

1 T olive oil

2 diced carrots (I do 3 - we like carrots)

2 diced celery ribs (I cut them big because my family members pick them out)

1 large onion (again cut big to pick out)

2 chopped garlic cloves (honestly, I just use minced garlic)

1 can diced tomatoes and juice (I ALWAYS use 2 cans. Makes it richer)

1-2 bay leaves (I do 2 because of the extra tomato juice and I sometimes add more broth)

1 scant T dried sage

6-8 cups chicken broth (homemade - I'll post this recipe soon!)

1 can kidney beans

2 C kale, chopped

6-8oz pasta (could use gluten free)

salt, pepper, parmesan (optional)

Heat olive oil and garlic in large soup pot over medium/high heat and sauté until the garlic is lightly browned. 

Add carrot, onion, celery and cook until starting to soften. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add tomatoes, bay leaf, sage and chicken broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

Add bean and kale and simmer 20-30 minutes. Season.

Put pasta in bowls and serve soup over.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if wanted.

Serves 6-8 (supposedly - I fill up two large ball jars after we're done eating to freeze. It makes a good amount!)

       *adapted from www.dontwastethecrumbs.com

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

It's delicious!

-kt

S'more Pie

I'm making dinner for the JAW banquet tonight.

In other words, I'm cooking dinner for more than 15 people who are hungry.
All the time, hungry.

Camp life makes you very, very hungry.

So, I'm having 3 desserts.

Why not?!

(The JAWs are our Junior Assistant Wranglers. They are high school kids who come to camp for 3-5 weeks during the summer for intense training in teaching lessons, riding, and discipleship. They work hard and they play hard. On their last week here, we have a banquet for them. It's kind of a 'sending off' dinner and a chance for them to wrap up their session.)

When trying to decide on which desserts to make, I finally settled on one of them being a s'mores pie. I looked and looked and finally settled on this one because so many of them were actual pies, but THIS particular recipe looked like a s'more in a bowl.

Yes, please.

This is so easy, so delicious, and so so so much better than microwaving a s'more when you don't have a fire… this will be my new go-to in the winter when I just gotta have a s'more!

So, here you go!

Ingredients:
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used my food processor to crush my grahams)
1 tsp baking powder
7 oz marshmallow creme
8 whole Hershey's bars, unwrapped
1 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips

To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" pie pan.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until combined, then add egg and vanilla and stir together. Stir in flour, graham crumbs and baking powder.
Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie pan. Evenly spread the marshmallow creme over the bottom crust. Separate chocolate squares and place on top of the marshmallow creme.

This is where the Little Mister was happy to help; although, if you do have a 3 year old helper, you may want to open an extra bar. ;)

Place 1 cup of marshmallows on top.
Using the remaining crust, pat sec ions of dough on top of and around the marshmallows (they will still show through - I even left bigger holes than PW did). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool completely before cutting.

We're serving it with vanilla ice cream and the kids' choice of toppings, not that this will need it. :)

This recipe was originally found on the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog. To see the original recipe with more pictures and for a printable version, go here.

-kt

Camp Life… or how I'm crazy.

Wow. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything.

That'll will be changing… I have a few fun things up my sleeve.
(muah-ha-ha)

Anyway, the point of this post is to document the craziness that has been my last week.

Seriously.

This life I live.

Wow.

Don't get me wrong. We have our share of struggles, too. But, this is going to be a more uplifting post. God has blessed my week with some crazy adventures and opportunities this week and I'm so grateful. It was such an awesome mid-summer pick-me-up.

At this point of the summer at camp, most people are tired and busy and maybe even injured and we've been under enough attack that unless we're actively renewing our minds and trusting the Lord, it gets taxing. Thankfully, our staff is awesome and keeps encouraging one another. It's totally evident in the way they are open and vulnerable with our campers and we are seeing many choose to put their trust in God! So exciting!

SO, it's been an awesome week!

I'm only going to back-track as far as last Saturday.

Saturday: We ended a crazy busy week with a crazy busy weekend! Saturday morning we got up early to head 2 1/2 hours away to go to the hot springs in Ouray to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend. It was so much fun to have so many of the wranglers together to just relax and play on the weekend. They work hard all week and it was such a blessing to watch them just play.  :)  The hubby wasn't able to come because our truck is needing some repairs and he's working hard to get it usable for our family, but I had some wonderful friends and my awesome sister who took care of me and the kids so we got to go along!

Not that my town isn't, but this little town is exactly what I picture when I think of a tiny mountain town. It is tucked into a tight little valley so you are surrounded by mountains on all sides. The little street with the cute little stores and bed & breakfasts is super steep because it's built on a mountain slope. There are unique little restaurants and sweet little candy and coffee and ice cream places. There are also rental shops for your outdoor adventures. There's even a little pond where you can feed turtles. In one word: adorable.

The view from next to the hot springs. All the little shops are up the hill behind that apartment building.

From a few weeks ago

From a few weeks ago

(ps: I love instagram for this reason. I'm not going to bring my big girl camera to the hot springs unless I don't plan on swimming… but I always plan of swimming when we go there!)

We got home last Saturday evening, had the kids take baths, and fell fast asleep.

Sunday started the craziness that is a normal week here with church, bible study, lunch with the EQ department, meetings, registration, and the beginning of a new week with campers!

Monday: Some of you know that I've started doing Turbofire. It is a high intensity cardio workout that you can do in your living room. No kidding, one week in and I'm seeing results! In hindsight, I don't think I should've done it Monday morning, but I did. Later that evening, I regretted it.

Monday night I got picked up by some friends around midnight and we made our way in the dark to the Uncompaghre trailhead. I've been wanting to peak Uncom since I saw it from Redcloud Peak in the beginning of June. It just looks so cool!

We knew Monday night would be a pretty full moon and thought that would be perfect to hike by.

It was.

No headlamps or flashlights were needed and we scurried up the tallest 14er in this part of CO. Once you get to the top of Uncom you basically have to rock climb to reach the peak. Amazing.

At the top, my friends were kind enough to let me set up my tripod and experiment with taking photos in the dark. I used a very long shutter speed to capture these photos.

They even let me experiment with light painting! I hope to get more practice but here's what I got:

So fun!

Anyway, we got down off the mountain during the sunrise. It was beautiful. We met a few people starting their hike up on our way down.

I got home with just enough time to shower before the hubby left for work. By mid-afternoon I was dizzy from exhaustion, but it was so worth it.

Tuesday through Thursday: I spent these days doing all I could to fill in for our camp photographer who suddenly had to go home.

Let me just tell you, I love playing photographer.

I spent my days taking images like this:

The hubby teaching a lesson.

One of our adventure camp cabins when they did the high ropes course.

Our speaker for the week: BP (or the bald pastor)

Seriously, we get the best campers and have so much fun at Camp Redcloud!

At this point I have to give a special thank you to all my babysitters! This opportunity is so refreshing to my soul and I couldn't do it without you. Thank you for taking such great care of my kiddos!

Wednesday was awesome because I had my 1 on 1's and this week that included me getting more time to learn/practice the seven games with Ashes. If you don't remember Ashes, she's the one who did this when we were trying to trailer her in Grand Junction when she was being donated to camp:

She's spunky. She's fiesty. And, she's a little intimidating.

I don't know why, but I LOVE HER.

She kinda terrifies me, but I love her.

So, Becki is teaching me ground work so she will hopefully start to respect me more so that I can have more confidence with her. I'm VERY excited about how it's going so far. She was pretty stubborn when we started but by the end of it she was paying attention to me and moving how I was asking! Yea for tiny victories!

Then, Thursday morning, I woke pretty early to join some women out at camp for the 9 MILE RUN BACK TO TOWN.

Yes, that's crazy. I know.

I haven't been able to make it 2 miles on my own since we moved here. But, I ran all 9 miles (minus one stretch break and stopping once to remove my outer layer) thanks to the encouraging words from friends. I'm SO glad I did it. I feel very accomplished.  :) I will be doing it again… and again and again.

Friday: Our Fridays are pretty awesome. We get up and head straight to camp to see the horse show. This is a show that we put on every week when the parents come to pick up their kids so they can see how much they've grown while they were here.

And, I get to take more photos… like these:

Part of a race. They run their horses from one side of the arena to the other, dismount, bob for apples, feed it to their horse and ride back to the other side. First one back wins!

The Little Mister loves going to the show because he usually gets to ride after.

 After the show, we eat lunch with all the campers and families before they head home. It's a sweet opportunity to find out campers favorite time of the week and what they'll miss most. After that, we normally head to boss's house for our accountability time with the equestrian team. We get to check in with one another to find out how everyone did during the week: how they were/weren't trusting God this week, how their relationships are doing, etc. It's so great to hear about the awesome things God did during the week. We normally get home just in time for me to not want to cook dinner. :/ You know how it is…

Saturday: The hubby and I went up the Carson trail to the old Carson Townsite on Saturday with our JAWs (Junior Assistant Wranglers).  They stay for several weeks at a time so on the weekends they get to do fun things like an all day ride (like what we took them on), or rock climbing, etc.

I won't bore you with all the details of the trip, however, I will tell you that I'm sore from it because the horse I was on is BIG and while we were up at the townsite (it's an old abandoned mining town) we watched it SNOW on a few of the other peaks… no kidding.

 SEE?! Crazy, right?

Sunday: Yesterday was a normal, busy Sunday for us except that we also had the privilege of attending the baptisms of some of our friends. Pictured is our dear friend, Goose. We love her.  :)

And that, my friends, is a little peek into life in the mountains.

It's quite the adventure.

Hope all is well with you!
-kt

A Few Thoughts on Mother's Day...

Mother's Day is great. There is so much that moms do that they don't get recognized for. So many things that go unnoticed until she isn't there anymore or can't do all those things for a time.

Honestly, it drives me crazy when people take something and feel the need to make it about something else. I guess I just don't understand why people can't just leave well enough alone.

But, today is not one of those days.

There are too many women whose hearts break on this day.

Too many who had to say goodbye to their mom too soon.

Too many who desperately desire to carry and have and love their own baby and haven't had that yet.

Too many who have come to terms with the fact that they'll never have a baby and so they pour into other peoples' kids, via adoption, foster care, mentorship, etc.

Too many who have their own kids and still pour into other peoples' kids.

Too many who have even just lived authentic, caring, generous lives that touch another person deeply.

I've been blessed. Aside from the Little Miss' current seizures, I have been blessed with two beautiful healthy children and a loving, faithful husband. My kids cry when he leaves for work and squeal with delight when he gets home.

But, today my heart is with the others…

There are so many women who in one way or another have impacted my life and will therefore always have a special place in my heart.

They deserve to be celebrated this day, too.

So, (at the risk of getting too personal here)…

To my mother: obviously you deserve to be celebrated. You've demonstrated unflinching love and compassion. You would fight for us until the end. We know that. Every child should know this of their mother. I hope my children will know this and will be able to experience through me the same gentleness which I was shown by you.

Gayle: Oh Gayle. There was such purpose in your relationship with me. I appreciate how you went out of your way to make sure I knew you were always available to be with me if I needed it or if I had any questions. You were a safe place to show my lack of homemaking skills and you taught with a gentle dedication that made me feel important. Your hospitality is legendary and will push me on to show others the same kindness. How I miss Titus 2!

Lydia: You have sons. I was blessed to be a girl outlet for you for a time. You embraced my babies as if they were actually your relatives and loved me and my small family so much that I never questioned it. I felt safe coming to your home and able to be myself. Your advice was always timely and challenging. I'm so grateful for you.

Katie, Heather, and Megan: We became mommies together. No joke, I couldn't have done it without you and I miss you e.v.e.r.y d.a.y. Bleh.

Ashley: You are my hero. The way you love, respect and honor your husband is so inspiring to me. And, the way you love your children… gosh, you give me something to aspire to.

Holly: My Hollyberries. We do not talk nearly enough. You are a legend in my story. You are known here in CO as the girl who discipled me without me realizing it. You were the first person to show me what it looks like to be authentic, humble, kind, vulnerable and how to really care for someone all at the same time. Our time in college was too short. I hope you know that I consider you my Paul and I, your Timothy. I would not be who I am today had you not invited me to read that book with you during my freshman year. Thank you for loving me and for changing my life!

Kate: Today you should be celebrated. Every girl/woman needs someone in her life who makes her feel beautiful. You enable women to feel good about themselves. This is a noble thing… and something that is SO challenging. You demonstrate confidence and humility, grace and joy, all while being so authentic it's incredible. You are affecting so many lives. I hope you know what a blessing you are to so many women.

Now, please realize that if I didn't mention you, it is NOT because you have not meant something awesome in my life…. there are so many women who mean so much to me - aunts, grandmas (though if I write about them, I'll cry), sisters-in-law, my mother-in-law, the mothers of my friends growing up, bible study leaders, friends, etc. I just was thinking about this day and felt the need to tell these women what they mean to me.

So, celebrate ALL of the women in your life today, not just the ones who have given birth. We all play a part in each other's stories. It takes a village to raise a child… I know this from experience. I hope other women will come along side my kids and help me help them become the people they are meant to be. And, I hope I get to do that for other people's kids. We need each other. Single a woman out today who has made an impact in your life even though they are not your mom. Share the love.

-kt