Happy Father's Day to my Man

Thank you for making all my dreams come true Joel. First by making me a wife and being a great husband, and 2nd by making my quiver full! :-) I love our life together and wouldn't trade it for anything. You are such a great daddy! Thank-you!

To My Husband,

When I watch you with our children,

my heart swells with gratitude and pride,

I find myself standing back and watching,

admiring you for playing the role of daddy so well.

I feel so blessed to have a husband like you.

I am so thankful that my children are blessed

with a father as caring, thoughtful, and supportive as you.

It is something I wished I had.

It must be my heavenly father watching over me.

He knew we would compliment one another,

so He blessed us with each other.

On this Father's Day, here is a prayer for you;

I pray for continuous blessings from above

For God's guidance, protection, and strength,

For health, long life and prosperity for our days.

I want to thank you for always putting your family first.

We love you from the bottom of our hearts

Happy Father's Day Babe!

Kids Pictures 5, 3, and 3 months

These photos of Abby were taken by my cousin's wife, Sara. She doesn't do it professionally but she could. She has a very creative eye for pictures and poses. I know I have said this before but I am sooo thankful to have all these budding photographers in my life. I LOVE pictures and have them hanging all over my house and it wouldn't be feasible to be getting them done all the time at this point so I love working out and trading services to do it. I am very blessed!


This particular photo is going to be made into an 8x10 and hung on my wall- I don't know if it should be this one or the next one down though. Any suggestions? This one is more vibrant.....

Natural beauty

This is just a fun Abby

I just liked this one because of the little foot up

This one is beautiful-- another framed one!

The pictures from here down were taken by Dana Johnson http://www.danajphoto.com/ She is very good and professional and reasonable. I highly recommend her for any and all photo occasions. Check out her website to see her work. The kids love her and she is very patient and kind. She truly did an amazing job!








Love it!

I love this one!











This is classic Emily-- It is an 8x10 framed in my home

I love this one too....

and this

He looks like an angel to me in this- which is fitting since he is my angel baby!

little porcelain baby

This stunning photo is one of my all-time favorites! I want to enter him into a baby contest

My 3 amazing children

In love with my little boy

This is such a sweet picture that truly depicts his personality--- chilled!

This and That

I thought I better post some pictures from our last several weeks.

The new fav. around here is the slip n slide. In fact- the other day I got it out and 2 neighbor kids came and joined the girls on it. Several more just stood on the sidewalk and watched- (their mom's told them they couldn't join in)... The next day I had the neighbor kids asking again if I would get it out. It's a hit! As a kid wouldn't that have been fun. Somedays I wish I could go back to being young and carefree and everything was so much fun.

My baby is 5 months old! Isn't he adorable? I just love him to peices! He is always happy! Seriously

We went to Chuck E Cheese last week to celebrate Abby's friend Sofia's birthday. They had so much fun there. Abby asked if she could have her next birthday there. :-) Neither of my girls had been there before so it was a fun new place.

Joel treated me to a day off, well almost.... I had a work meeting in the morning and I had to work that night and I still kept Kenan for the day but.... It felt like a break. He took the girls to the MN zoo where they all had a blast.

Joel is such an amazing Father! I am so thankful for him.

My little gymnast. Her last class is this week and she has come such a long way. The teacher's tell her she has natural ability and I believe it. She is doing great!

Uncle Caleb and Auntie Danie showed up at our house and suprised us. It was great! They came and spent the night so we got to catch up on one another's lives and spent some quality time together. The girls don't see Uncle Caleb much so they really enjoyed getting to know him more. They kept comparing him to Uncle Jonah and were lovign the fact that Caleb played with them. Come back again soon you guys!

My friend Kara came out to visit with her two (almost 2) children. The girls had lots of fun playing with Maida, who is Emily's age, and Skogen who is 1 1/2. I love having visitors.

Kenan had his first taste of anything other than breastmilk a few weeks ago. We started him off with applesause, then sweet potatoes, then green beans and today he gets peaches. He has also been eating frozen mangos in those awesome baby net things they make. He gums them to peices and loves them and gets mad at me when I take it away.

Abby loves to help me feed and asks each time if she can do it. She is such a great helper and loves her baby brother soo much!

Introspective

Lately I have found my self doing lots and lots of soul searching. I'm not necessarily liking all the things that are coming to the surface either. I don't know if it is mid-life crisis already or what but both Joel and I are wondering about our future and we are a little worried. I really felt like I'd be farther in life by now. Not necessarily financially- but I thought we'd be more secure. I feel like we should know what we want to do and what God wants of us. Life feels up in the air and not at all secure. Joel's job is somewhat dead end in that there is no room for advancement. He is as high as it goes so now we are looking into schooling options but along with that comes how to pay for it. I am a stay at home mom and that isn't going to change. That is a priority for us. Sure, I can help out by doing some evening things like waitressing and Wildtree but my job is firmly planted in raising our children and being available to them.

Life wouldn't necessarily be any easier if I worked full-time anyway. I just had a friend call me who is a mom to 2 and works full-time and her husband works full-time and they are really struggling to make it. I think the struggles just come regardless of what you choose to do.

The more I bring this to God and ask why- the more I keep feeling He is using this. Maybe financial hardships are going to be what Joel and I bear. Maybe we will never have much, maybe we will always live paycheck to paycheck (gulp). If that is what God wants for us then I want to do it. If he wants to teach us some lessons so we can teach others- I guess I have to be fine with that. The other thing I am realizing is that even though life looks dead-end right now it doesn't have to be. Maybe I am going to really take off in Wildtree and my part-time income will provide it all. Maybe, someone will see some potential in Joel and take him and train him for a job we never dreamed. With God all things are possible and I am really clinging to that.

Then, along with all this introspective comes a much more personal aspect also... Where I thought I would be spiritually and why am I not there? Why can't I seem to get this whole self-control and kindness thing down.... and gentleness.... and love.... and patience.... and joy.... and goodness....It seems I need a lot of work. Sometimes when I talk to God and ask him how to change He is just so quiet. I think He is wanting me to go outside my box and figure it out. Lately I have been feeling like I need to be around older women- women who have walked this road and gotten through it, women- who despite the struggles stayed home with their children because they felt God calling it on their lives. Women- who love their husbands, even when it is difficult who make do with nothing to get by and always chose joy. I need to find myself some of these ladies to learn their wisdom and secrets.

So- that is what has been going on lately. Lots and lots of soul-searching and it will probably continue until I find the answers I am looking for and feels God's peace in all issues.

Now- I am off to dress the 18th barbie.... My 3 year old wants to play 12 dancing princesses but she can't count. :-)

Wildtree Wednesday

This is what your average tasting looks like. We have 10 awesome oils:
Basil Pesto: sweet basil and garlic- awesome on veggies, pasta, marinades, great mozz. salad

European Dipping Chili: chili peppers and garlic- awesome on pasta, panini, saute shrimp, chx.

European Dipping Garlic: garlic-awesome to baste turkey or chx, brush on oven roasted potatoes or veggies, a panini- also great for dipping bread right out of the bottle

European Dipping Tuscan: Italian herbs- awesome to baste poultry, baste on oven roasted potatoes or veggies, panina, or a calzone for traditional flavor, or right out of the bottle with bread (my mom's favorite.)

Hickory Smoked Grilling: hickory smoke-awesome on meat to grill or veggies

Jalapeno: jalepenos-awesome to toss with veggies and grill- adds the zip of jalapeno to any dish

Natural Butter flavor: Butter taste derived from coconuts- contains no dairy- awesome on popcorn (a family favorite), great to saute with, fry eggs, potatoes, and raw veggies. Use in baking wherever you would use butter.

Natural: pure grapeseed oil/no flavor: Great for baking- doesn't have the pungent taste of olive oil.

Roasted Garlic: Garlic-awesome oil- a family favorite, use wherever you want the subtle taste of garlic, delicious in home-made salad dressings, marinades and brushed on meat before grilling

Zesty Lemon: Lemon- I have been loving this one on any and all veggies that I roast, steam, grill. It has such an awesome flavor. It is also great on chicken or a light marinade for shrimp.

Remember the health benefits of Grapeseed Oil from this post? http://kopkies.blogspot.com/2010/04/wildtree-wednesday.html

When you come to a party or host your own you will get to try all of these awesome oils and get a bunch for free. In fact, you could get every single one of these for free.

Not to mention the amazing food! We make a varied selection at every party. We always have the amazing Alfredo and the hearty spagetti sauce- but we mix up the dips a bit. At this particular tasting I have our new smoked mozzerella and tomato blend, our new garlic galore, our red bell pepper and guacamole. I also have our heavenly chocolate mousse blend which truly lives up to it's name. We also had the strawberry cheesecake blend and the new minestrone soup. It was all so good!

Not only do you get tons of free products with your party but if you get 500 in sales (a very easy thing to do, in fact most of my parties reach that), you get the special for the month. This month it is an additional 10% in free products. That's huge. It means you make 1.5 X the normal amount. Next month you get a huge grilling bundle. They are truly a great company and I am grateful it fell into my lap.

stay tuned next week for a first ever Wildtree Giveaway......

Giveaway

I've been back in touch with an old friend from high school and she writes a very honest blog about following God and wanting him in every area of life.

She is having a give-away today for a fruit of the spirit bracelet. What a great reminder to wear each day to practice: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I know I sure need help in remembering to behave that way. I want it to exude from my being and there are so many of them I need to work on. Even if I don't win the bracelet I am going to figure out something to be my visual reminder to practice the fruits of the spirit.

To enter to win go to http://fillmythrist.blogspot.com

Wildtree Wednesday

After a 3 week break.....I'm back! Tonight I am showing you our hearty spagetti sauce blend. It is the easiest homemade spagetti sauce you will ever make. You simply add 1 TBLS to a 28 oz can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes or your own canned tomatoes. At under a dollar a serving it is your cheapest spagetti sauce too. There is no sugar in the ingredients and we like our spagetti sauce a little cheaper so I simply add some raw cane sugar to mine. There are so many different things to do with our spagetti seasoning. I included a few recipes at the bottom but as always, feel free to go to www.wildtree.com for more recipes and ideas. Spaghetti Sauce Seasonings- 2 Oz Jar $7.50 or 5 Oz Jar for $15.00

Product Description: Why Pay Outrageous Prices For Prepared Sauce Loaded With Fats And Preservatives? Contains Just The Right Herbs And Spices. Add 1 Tablespoon Blend To A 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes For A Great Tasting Sauce. Personalize By Adding Onions, Mushrooms, Meatballs, Peppers, Olives, Olive Oil Or Whatever.


Hearty BBQ Meatballs
Provided by Elizabeth from Louisville, KY
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Wildtree Hearty Tomato Sauce Blend
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix the beef with egg, bread crumbs, Hearty Tomato Sauce Blend, and salt. Roll into balls, or use an ice cream scoop to make meatballs. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking time.
WILDTREE TIP: Can be served with Wildtree Toni's Over the Top BBQ Sauce.


Caprese Salad
Provided by Marlene Spiegel from ORLANDO, FL
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 roma tomatoes, sliced
2 balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tablespoons Wildtree Hearty Spaghetti Sauce Blend
2 tablespoons Wildtree Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 sprig fresh basil

PREPARATION:
Layer tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle with spaghetti seasoning and pour vinaigrette over the top. Garnish with fresh basil.Calories 100; Fat 6 g; Saturated Fat 2.5 g; Carb 7 g; Protein 4 g; Fiber 2 g; Chol 10 mg; Sodium 330 mg

Roles

Time just gets away from me over and over again. There are always so many things vying for my time. Sometimes I feel there are so many roles I play.

As a mother of 3- I have someone always in need....need to be fed, put to sleep, wiped, read a book, snuggles, played with, ect....

I'm also a wife so I have all the jobs associated with that- care for my husband's needs, cook, talk, bills, time spent shoulder to shoulder with him, ect....

As a friend the needs are different- it's more of a listening ear and time spent together, companionship and someone to feel comfortable with... I am so thankful God gave us friendships.

I am a worker- right now doing lots of things....I'm a waitress and I try to be the best witness I can to some people who really need to know God.... Wildtree- which is a little different role but still takes up my time and thought power nonetheless......

Then there's still daughter, sister, auntie, granddaughter, niece, cousin....out of all these things the one that I should be paying the most attention to often gets put to the bottom of the list.

Daughter... not just any daughter... but God's daughter. Shouldn't that define who I am more than everything else above... If that does define than that should be my priority. He trumps it all because He paid the price for me in blood. It is so hard to wrap my little mind around how great He loves me and how great of a sacrifice He made. How great He loves each and everyone of us. It is incomprehensible.

I am so blessed to have all the different roles that I do but I still struggle with spending the amount of time I should with God. As I pointed out above there are so many other hats I wear that it is just hard to find time to be a doting daughter... Coming from a family where my dad was a workaholic and never around it is hard for me to understand that God really wants to spend time with me and is sitting there waiting for me. I find it is hard to trust Him sometimes. I am learning to tell him this and trust Him with my misgivings and see what he shapes them into.

Now I'm off to find out how to add a few more hours into my day..... :-)