Easter Wreath

I just finished my first Easter craft of the season and was so excited that I had to post about it!!

After looking at the Easter decorations at Target and realizing that I have absolutely no decorations of my own, I decided to start collecting some! This idea came to me while I was wandering the holidays aisle...

It was so simple to make!

All it takes is some hot glue, some plastic Easter eggs, a few buttons, letters to spell "Easter" and a few sheets of cardstock!

Here's how you do it:
First you find a circular object to help guide you and hot glue one row of eggs in a circle. You can make it as large as you like.
Then, take your cardstock and cut it into strips about 3 inches long by 3/4 inch wide. Hot glue to strips together and play "connect the dots" on the back of your circle of eggs covering the entire back circle with strips of cardstock to reinforce the eggs.
Next, you glue on a top layer of Easter eggs, alternating them and/or patterning them however you prefer.
Finally, add your buttons and/or letters however you like! My buttons and letters were things I had laying around the house so they didn't cost me anything. Likewise I had the cardstock paper and the hot glue, so this wreath cost me a total of $4.97 for the eggs! (I bought a pack of 70)!
I was going to add a cute bow to the bottom but it just appeared to busy with the ribbon I had so I just left it as-is.

Now that my front-door is festive, I just have to worry about the rest of my house, lol!

Happy (sort-of, almost) Easter, Happy Spring!
-Kristy

Helpful Dryer Filter Hint...

This is definitely a must read...every homeowner needs to know this!

I was reading some helpful tips for ordinary things around the house and stumbled upon this little treasure. Apparently your dryer filter doesn't actually get clean just by you cleaning all the lint off it. Who knew? And not getting your filter really clean could result in a dryer fire...and nobody wants one of those!!

Here's how you check your filter to see if it is clean and safe. Pull the filter out of the dryer and run it under water. If it looks like this picture below you've got to get ready to scrub...

Here's what's wrong with this picture. The water is pooling on top of the filter and very little is actually draining through. Now your dryer vent is a screen...water should run straight through it!

Why does this happen, you ask?

Apparently when you put dryer sheets in your dryer, a film builds up on your vent, making it impossible for water to run through, or anything else for that matter; thus, making it more likely to start a fire in your dryer!

How do you get rid of this film?

That's an easy question...you simply scrub it with hot, soapy water just like you would wash your dishes! If the film is extremely thick you might have to use a "scrubbing agent" such as a brush or sponge to help cut through that film.

You'll know that you were successful when water can pass through the screen uninhibited!

What helpful household hints can you share??

-Kristy

Challenge

A little background knowledge before I begin this blog:

Growing up in middle and high school I was blessed to be part of a youth group that was regularly challenged to examine our lives and determine if we were, in fact, living up to what God had called us to be. Numerous times we were encouraged to give something up, or sacrifice for a period of time in order to spend more time with God. Many times, I found myself drawing closer to God because of such challenges.

During this period of my live I made a choice, a decision, a commitment to make every aspect of my life about God. At this time in my life this included things like friendships, school sports, school work, being a daughter, sister, friend, etc. I never realized how big of a deal this decision was, nor how thankful I would be, years later, looking back on that choice I made. 

Because I was challenged to be "sold-out" to Christ I approached my late teenage years seeking God's will for my life, instead of figuring out what "I" wanted to do. I felt God leading me to make decisions like working as a camp counselor at an all girl camp focused on missions, applying to a Christian college, graduating from high school a year early, traveling overseas as a missionary, etc. Never once did it even occur to me that I had another option from following God's will. It was what I wanted to do. It was what made me happy and I didn't want anything else.

From there I came into my twenties, now an "adult" and facing life in the real world. I graduated from college with a degree that God led me to, moved back home and started teaching (one of two things in life I begged God to not make me do)! Again, I entered this phase of life with the mindset of "What is God calling me to do" rather than "what do I want to do." Again, there wasn't any other option. Following God's will was the only thing I wanted. It was still what made me happy. It was (and still is) all that I live for.

Finally, the next phase of my life brought me into transition with my job, buying a house and getting married (quite possibly God's greatest blessing yet, outside of my salvation)! Once more, my driving force has been seeking God's will, not my own. Only in the last few years, as I have "grown up" so to speak, have I realized that there is even another option out there, following my own selfish desires, which I can praise God that I still have no interest in. 

I'm sure you're probably wondering why I went through that explanation and what it has to do with the "challenge" that my blog title indicates above. Please hang in there as I try to explain the answer to that question as briefly as possible.

This morning in church we were challenged with the idea of the practice behind "Lent." Now, I am not Catholic, nor have I ever been, so please understand that I am not trying to explain a practice of Catholicism that I have no experience with. I am merely using this as a point of reference for the explanation of a challenge that Shaun and I have taken on and are eager to share with you.

Back to the challenge...

This morning we were challenged to consider sacrificing something during this season of Lent in order to point to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us in dying on the cross. As I listened to the lesson this morning I was once again reminded of the challenge that was presented to me as a youth. The idea of giving up something isn't nearly as important, in my humble opinion, as the idea of freeing up time each day to spend with our Savior. The entire idea behind this is becoming more like Jesus, by way of spending more time with Him.

As a youth I remember giving up things like soda, candy, instant messaging (I'm sure some of my current youth will call me "old" because of this...lol) and other things that, at that time, were important to me. Sitting here now, it isn't a specific "thing" I want to give up this year. I don't watch much T.V., my diet is free of soda and candy and the computer isn't a huge time waster anymore but I had to figure out something. I wanted so desperately to re-live the experience of sacrificing for my Savior. I'll explain what Shaun and I chose to sacrifice in a few minutes, but first I want to make the connection with my earlier explanation.

The reason I am writing this blog and perhaps the reason I am so passionate about this is because of the impact it made on my life. If I hadn't been encouraged to spend more time with my Savior I don't think I would have ever understood the idea of "complete surrender"and been able to apply it to my life in terms of life choices and decisions, etc. I wouldn't have been encouraged to take my relationship with Jesus to the next level and, perhaps most importantly, I would never have discovered that the relationship I have with Jesus isn't about me and acknowledged that instead, it's about everyone else in this world who needs the touch of a Savior. It's about the 1.68 billion people in the world who have never heard the hope of Jesus. It's for the youth that God allows Shaun and I to work with so that we can pass on to them the importance of living sold out for Jesus. It's for my students sitting in my class that need to know that someone loves and believes in them. It's for the strangers I meet in Target (I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague) or the new friends God places in my life for a season. It's for THEM, because of HIM!

And it is for the "THEM" and because of "HIM" that Shaun and I have chosen to take part in this time of sacrifice for our Savior. We have each chosen a certain time of day that we are going to devote to spending time in God's word. We selected a time of day because, in our past experiences, we learned that tasks such as T.V., computer, video games, etc are easily avoided and we don't want that to be a weakness. We know that in anything we do for God, satan is going to combat us and try to make us fail. We didn't want to give Him that option. We are giving up a certain time of the day, each day instead. For me, most evenings I am home alone and while I am waiting on dinner to cook, or on Shaun to get home, instead of getting on pinterest or Facebook I am going to open my Bible. In return, Shaun typically stays up an hour or two after me each night as it takes him time to wind down from work. He usually uses this time to catch up on video games or play on his iPad. He is going to use this time to pursue God's word instead of these other activities.

In order to take this as seriously as possible we have also each selected several books/Bible studies to aide our time in the Word so we can challenge ourselves to walk closer with God each day. Shaun chose the book "My Life, His Mission" as he is currently seeking God's will for his life in reference to a career. He also chose "Life on the Edge" - a guide to raising up a generation for Christ as he pursues God's will for our youth ministry and how we can best reach the teenagers He has entrusted us with.

I chose "He Chose the Nails" by Max Lucado as a way to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for me, along with one of my all time favorite books "The Papa Prayer" as I seek to further my prayer life so that I can be effective in praying for my husband, family, future children, youth, and students. My goal is to intercede for those that God has brought into my life.

With all that said, the purpose of this blog is to share what God has laid on my heart in reference to drawing nearer to Him. I want to challenge everyone reading this to be encouraged to seek ways you can draw nearer to your Creator! 

I will leave you with this:

Sometimes I hear people talking about how they have a "life verse" that has shaped who they are and what they are becoming...a Scripture verse or passage that has encouraged them in some way. I don't know that I could choose just one verse in particular to be a "life verse" for me, but I do know that the verse I am about to share has followed me in life and seems to show up every now and again as a fresh challenge and reminder to me. From my days in youth group, to days as a camp counselor, a college student, a missionary and now a teacher and wife, this verse has been one that I have gone back to in every season of my life. (The message in this verse appears in two different scripture references that I am aware of so I am going to share them both here...)

2 Samuel 24:24a

But the King replied to Araunah, "No I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

1 Chronicles 21:24

But King David replied to Araunah, "No I insist on paying the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

Wow. What is my sacrifice costing me? Am I giving up something that is of value to me, or am I offering my God that which costs me nothing?

Am I willing to surrender it all, every area of my life, every breath I take, to the lover of my soul?

I pray that we would all reflect on that this week!

Blessings!

-Kristy

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!!

This recipe is a new favorite in our home, for sure! Although my mom reminded me that it isn't all that new... apparently she used to make these when David and I were kids! Who knew mom's were that creative before pinterest! lol

Anyway, I "re-discovered" this recipe on pinterest and had to give it a try last weekend when Jillian, Katie and Mary were over and let me tell you, it was a hit! 

Katie!

Jill!

Mary!

My super helpers!

If you haven't thought through how to make these yummy treats yet, let me tell you how it's done!

1. Follow the cupcake recipe on the box for putting together the cupcake mix.

2. Stand up your ice cream cones in the holes in your cupcake pan. I was surprised at how nicely they stood up...once the mix is in them I didn't really have any trouble with them falling over.

3. Pour cupcake mix into each cone, filling it about half full.

4. Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box.

5. Let them cool.

6. Frost, decorate and enjoy!

Crispy Rice Treats...as opposed to Rice Krispy Treats!

This recipe is a common one, but is highly favored among the youth that frequent our home. We dubbed the name "Crispy Rice Treats" because I bought the generic version of the cereal at the store and it started out as a joke, but it stuck. Now, when the youth come over they ask for "crispy rice treats" every time!

There's not a whole lot to this blog, other than to document this recipe that you can find on any bag of marshmallows or on any box of rice cereal...but it's a favorite in our home (and I have a picture of the last batch we made on our girls day)!

Mary, this blog is for you!

Here's how you do it...
One box of crispy rice cereal
Two bags of small marshmallows
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a pan over medium heat. When the marshmallows are melted add in the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and stir in the crispy rice cereal and spread in a pan. Let it cool for a couple of hours and enjoy! It makes a TON; however, they never seem to last long around our house!

It should make two full sized baking pans or four 8x8 pans.

Here's a picture of half of our latest batch...

And here's my super cute models, chefs and certified taste-testers...

You can also make these in the microwave, in single serving sizes.
Here's how:
Melt a small dab of butter and a handful of marshmallows in a cup in the microwave then stir in the crispy rice cereal. Let it cool off and enjoy your single serving sized treat!

Happy snacking!
-Kristy

Get Rid of Sinus Congestion and Pressure...The Natural Way!

So this week I have been battling a sinus infection. I mean the kind where your head feels like it's going to explode, face feels like it's been beaten with a hammer, etc. Sunday night I was in so much pain I couldn't fall asleep so I did what all insomniac's do and researched. I looked up ways to relieve sinus pressure and congestion the natural way without taking more medicine and I found some pretty great ideas! I partnered these great ideas I found with desperation and came up with this all-natural remedy. I'm sure i'm not the first person to think of this because, looking back, I see that it really is a matter of common-sense but either way here's how it works:

What I discovered in my research is that the culprit behind all that nasty sinus pain is often none other than dry sinuses that swell when they get too dried out. This realization reminded me of using a humidifier; however, since it was late at night and I was in no condition to drive to the store and buy one I had to get creative. I took a large bowl and filled it with water and heated it in the microwave until it started boiling then I got out my trusty bottle of peppermint essential oil and added about 20 drops until I could smell the peppermint without having to put my face right up to the bowl. Next I put a towel over my head and the bowl and sat for about 10 minutes breathing in my peppermint essential oil scented water until I could feel my sinuses clearing.

When I was finally feeling well enough to head to sleep I placed the bowl on my nightstand, next to my bed, and it helped me breathe better all night long! Just one more use I've found for peppermint essential oil! I'm starting to think that $6 a bottle is more than worth it!

I would love to hear any home remedies you use, or any other recipes you've discovered for peppermint essential oil!

-Kristy

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

One of the things I promised myself and my husband that I would do this year is to work harder to cook more at home; meals, snacks, etc. So what better way to keep myself accountable than to post new recipes on my blog! (Not to mention it gives me a place to find the recipes myself when I lose them in my kitchen lol)!

The first recipe I am going to blog is chocolate no-bake cookies! (For those of you making headband holders out of oat cans, this is a perfect recipe for putting those unused oats to good use!)

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 tbs cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbs vanilla
3 cups oats

Directions:
Mix sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute then add the peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Lay out sheets of wax paper and drop small spoonfuls on the wax paper. Let them cool and set, then eat and enjoy!

The fact that I don't have a picture of these yummy cookies speaks for how wonderful they are! They were gone before I had a chance to snap even a single picture!

I would love to hear quick and easy snack recipes that you make for your family!

-Kristy

Homemade Body Wash...finally!

I have been searching for a homemade body wash recipe that works for weeks now and I have finally found one! After a ton of failed attempts I am so happy to share this successful recipe with you all!

Chances are I am going to keep playing around with it until I find a slightly cheaper, slightly suds-ier recipe, but this recipe works great as it is!

Here's the recipe:
1. One bar of Dr. Bronner's eucalyptus soap. I bought mine off ebay for $3.99 and chose eucalyptus because it has a "clean" scent that both Shaun and I could use.

2. Grate one half of the bar into a pan and melt over low heat. Once it melts allow the soap to boil for 4-5 minutes. (I had to add in a little water as I went along to help it melt without burning.)
3. Add in about 1 1/2 c water and a few drops of essential oil if you'd like. Mix thoroughly.
4. Let sit over night.
5. When you go to stir your soap in the morning you will notice that it has turned into a gel-like consistency. Mix with a whisk and return to stove to boil.
6. Boil for 4-5 minutes again, adding another 1 1/2 c water as it cooks. Once it is mixed and has finished boiling, remove from heat and stir every few minutes until it cools.
7. Pour soap mixture into a pump bottle until it is 3/4 of the way full. Finish filling the pump bottle with water.
8. Store the remaining mixture in an air-tight container and store at room temperature.
9. One or two pumps on your shower pouf and you are good to go!

Here's a picture of how much soap one half of a bar made. I used some empty oxy-clean containers (left over from making laundry detergent) to store what was left over.

Since I made this recipe I have discovered that Castile soap can be purchased at Wal-Mart for around $3 for a 3-pack, so next time, in order to reduce the cost I plan on using that soap. In the mean time I still have half a bar of soap left from the original recipe and it's looking like the batch I have will last quite a while.

I would LOVE to hear any homemade soap/body wash recipes you have!

-Kristy

Headband Storage...in style!

Here's another simple, smart, pinterest inspired idea!

Since headbands seem to be all the rage these days, I find myself accumulating more and more of them every trip to Target and; therefore, faced with the delima of "where in the world am I going to store all of these?"

If you've been asking that question too, you're in luck! Here's a quick and easy answer to your question...and cute too!

All you need is a large oatmeal container (you can buy them at wal-mart...check back for the blog on "oats" recipes) and some decorating supplies (construction paper or material)!

Empty the oatmeal container and get your supplies set out. I used fabric, but if I had to do it again I would probably choose paper. Measure and cut your paper/material and glue onto container. I used elmer's spray glue, but it caused my fabric to wrinkle a little so I'm thinking a glue stick for paper or hot glue for material would be much better choices.

After you attach your material or paper, add the lid back to the top and let it dry. Then add your headbands! I am actually using the inside of the container to store all my many pairs of sunglasses and am using the top to hold out two of my sunglasses that I wear most often.

Here's how mine turned out...I will probably be making another one eventually because the material definitely wrinkled and made it too thick to add ribbons, bows or other cute things!

Happy crafting!

-Kristy

DIY Homemade Swiffer Refill Solution

This has got to be one of my favorite recipes yet! I know, I know, I say that all the time, but this new recipe has me excited!! I mean, my floors are spotless, my house smells amazing AND each refill bottle costs me LESS than $1!

Here's how I figure that one out...
Ammonia @ Wal-Mart $2.12
Pine Sol @ Wal-Mart approximately $3.00

One 48 oz pine sol and one 64 oz ammonia will make over 6 refill bottles of floor cleaning solution!

Here's the recipe...and how to get it in the swiffer bottle!

1. Take your old swiffer bottle out of your swiffer, and turn it upside down into a cup of boiling (or really, really, really HOT water) for about 1 minute. See below.

2. Use your pliers to start twisting the cap, if the water is hot enough it should come off relatively easy. Once you get it started, finish twisting with your hands so you do as little damage as possible to the top. Twist the top off and rinse the bottle out with hot water.

3. Get your funnel out and pour in 1 c of pine sol (I used the traditional scent), 1 c of ammonia (I used the fresh scent, it is close to scentless...I mean it still smells like ammonia, but it doesn't conflict with the pine sol smell) and 3 1/2 c water.

4. Screw your top back on tightly and put the container back in your swiffer and WA-LA! Just like that, for about $1, you have another bottle of swiffer floor cleaning solution! So easy!

I went ahead and wrote the recipe on my bottle so I would have it handy for next time. As long as the lid survives coming on and off, you can use the same container as many times as you'd like! When it starts wearing down just ask a friend to save you one of their old swiffer bottles when they finish with it!

Happy (cheap) cleaning!

-Kristy

A Valentine's Craft for My Students!

It's that time of year again...and this year, as a wife, I have to plan Valentine's Day for more than just my 20 sweet students, SO I searched for a practical, inexpensive and easy-to-make craft/gift for my students and here's what I came up with!

Last year our school sold these melted crayons and yes, even my 9 and 10 year olds were absolutely crazy about them, so I took this thought and paired it with some of my pinterest finds and created something I think my students are going to love!

As a 4th grade teacher our big push is writing and one of the things I always tell my students about their writing is that it needs to be "colorful" and it needs to reflect and/or impact the world around them. I also am constantly trying to help my students understand that they have the opportunity to leave their mark on the world. With that said, I thought the world-shaped crayons partnered with the saying "Color Your World" was the perfect match for my kiddos!

How did I make these, you might ask?? Check this out...

1. Unwrap several boxes of crayons. (Depending on how many you want to make will depend on how many you should unwrap...for 19 of my world-shaped crayons I unwrapped approximately 3 boxes, or 72 crayons.)

2. Place all of your unwrapped crayons in a zip loc bag and seal it. Place the bag of crayons into a second zip loc bag. Seal this bag as well. Then go find your hammer...that's right, not only is this a cool craft but it's a really practical stress-relief as well!

3. Hammer away! Just be careful not to rip the bag. Even being gentle I tore a couple small holes in my bag.

4. Get out your muffin/cupcake tins (no need to line or grease the tin, the crayons will come out easily) and pour the broken pieces into each cup, adding more pieces for a thicker, sturdier crayon and less pieces for a thinner crayon. I filled mine a little less than half way. This will make the crayons last longer and they will not easily break.

5. Pop those muffin tins into the oven at 250 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

6. Let them sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to an hour.

7. Then flip over the muffin tins and tap the bottoms of each tin lightly with a hammer. I laid down a beach towel on my counter to ensure a safe landing (and no broken crayons, lol)! My crayons really didn't turn out this brown, I think it's just the coloring of my counter top that is making them look that way.

8. Finally, trace your circles on cardstock and cut them out. One dot of hot glue will secure the crayon to the cardstock, then add whatever words you'd like!

That's right, it's as simple (and fun) as that!

-Kristy

Homemade Stain Remover!

My latest adventure in homemade, natural cleaning products comes in the form of stain remover! I don't have children yet, but I do have a husband who works at a restaurant and comes home with grease stains quite often, and let me tell you I am SO thankful to have found something that works on those though stains!

I was so excited to test out this new product that I completely forgot to take before and after pictures, but believe me, it works like magic! I even tried it on some old dirt/grease stains that had been washed and dried a ton of times and it even helped fade those set-in stains! As far as "new" unwashed/dried stains, this completely removed the ketchup stain from Shaun's shorts!

Here's how you do it:
2/3 c ammonia
2/3 c Dawn dish soap
6 tbs baking soda
2 c warm water

Put it in a spray bottle and shake well. You will need to shake the bottle a little before each use to "re-mix" the baking soda, but if you add warm enough water when you initially mix the ingredients most of the baking soda will completely dissolve.

Spray onto the stain and rub fabric together then just toss in the wash! If it's a really tough stain, some of the research I did said you could try these other tips:

For grease stains: Rub the stain with chalk. (I haven't tried this one yet but I am definitely going to try it as soon as I can remember to buy chalk!)

For tough stains: Pour baking soda over the stain and add peroxide and mix to make a paste. Rub the paste into the stain. Wash.

Happy stain-removing! I would love to hear from those of you who have kiddos (or incredibly clumsy husbands lol) as to how this works for you and, as always, I would love to hear any homemade recipes you have for cleaning supplies!

Stay tuned for homemade swiffer bottle refills, homemade soap and a Valentine's Day craft for my students!

-Kristy