Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

Daily Life

Good Enough for Target…

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Is it just me, or do you ever have those mornings where you just can’t find a darn thing to wear that you like and feel good in, even though you have a closet full of clothes? Just me? Nah, I didn’t think so. We’ve all been there, right? Especially us ladies because, let’s be honest, this is a girl talk here.  Whether we are at “fighting weight” or if we have some excess baggage, there are just days when the we have that busted-can-of-biscuits feeling when getting dressed. What’s with that, seriously?! This was my morning…

  • Get up, get breakfast ready and on the table thanks to the help of my awesome husband. (Seriously, we have a morning routine that rocks!!)
  • Pack snack for our third grader, get her ready and out the door she goes with Daddy so he can take her to school on his way to work.
  • Toss a load of the dog’s blankets in the washer because, YUCK, they reek!
  • While the washer is going, make middle schooler’s lunch and check emails, etc.
  • Throw the dog’s linens into the dryer and rush up to take a shower.
  • Here’s where the crazy hits. Today is going to be unseasonably warm, so I wanted to dress appropriately. Grab a pair of cropped jeans and…oh no…it’s a busted-can-of-biscuits day. Awww man!! So, I think maybe I’ll find a long top and make it work. Only, shoot!, all the long tops I have really look better with open toed shoes and since I’ve had zero time to do my toes OR have them done, that’s not an option. Plan B, a cute tee and scarf with the cropped jeans. Where’s a black tee? Every mom has a black tee she can go to, right?! Evidently not a short-sleeved one for this mom. Throw on a cute crochet top, NOT HAPPENING. Find an orange-ish tee and decide it’s okay. It’s good enough for Target after carpool and that’s all I’m really after at this point in time. Only, crud, it’s apparently lost its shape after a few washes. UGH. Ditch the cute cropped jeans and go to my favorite pair of ripped jeans that I cuff at the bottom. Again I say…good enough for Target.
  • Not feeling like a fashionista, I head off to the carpool and then to Target. While in Target, my ever faithful Google Calendar app texts me and reminds me that I’m working the front desk for my volunteer shift today at middle school. EEP! I forgot because it’s a new day for me. Throw it into high gear and Target and dash home because, seriously, the ripped jeans and crazy tee that were Target worthy are NOT middle school front desk worthy. Not even.
  • Get home and grab an old faithful, but still CUTE and well structured, black layered t-shirt dress, iron that right quick, throw on a scarf and some boots. Ahhhh…now, I feel like ME. And, that’s good enough too.

So, does that resound to anyone? Do you just get it SO wrong some mornings despite your best efforts? And, you just think, after a point, whatever you have on just has to be good enough for the carpool…or Target…or the grocery store…you get the drift. (No offense to Walmart, but I’d say most of us wake up and roll out of bed Walmart worthy. Can I get a witness? I mean, no one ever made a website about the People of Target, so clearly we are doing okay there.) Those days can just make you feel like a SCHLUMP, can’t they? I know because I just went through it myself. You just find yourself feeling ick and you truly want to go to the store where you are least likely to see anyone you KNOW and just want to get in and out of there so you can skitter on back home. I get it and I lived it today. But, let’s be real here, we all do it. So, go to your normal store. If you see someone you know, don’t be mortified because we’ve all been there. Even the most put together of us has felt that way at some time or another, I’m sure. Being on point all the time is just too much. Every so often, we just need to give ourselves a schlump day and let it be. I tried not to let mine define my morning. In fact, I’m probably going to put those holey jeans back on because they are comfy and I am all about some comfort today. Sure, I like the dress and boots, but comfort is the name of the game for the rest of this day.

You know what’s ironic about my schlump morning? Thirteen years ago, on this very date, I was a bride. All dressed up and done up to the nines. All aglow with wedding and marriage happiness. Today, I’m a happy, blessed and BUSY wife and mom. Today I’m not decked out and I’m not in any finery, for sure, but I’m sure happy where I am. Oh yea, I felt like a sausage this morning for a little bit and I truthfully didn’t want to see a soul I knew at Target, just keeping it real, but it’s better now. When I look at my life on the whole, I see happiness and that’s what matters most. And now, here’s to a HAPPY 13th ANNIVERSARY to my sweetheart and to putting the busted-can-of-biscuits morning behind me to focus on a great day!

Kelly

PS: A wedding photo from October 27, 2001. I sure do love this man of mine!

noses_wedding

11 Random Things About Me

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My sweet friend Cheryl who blogs over at Live Fit Daily must have known that I needed a big kick in the blogging booty because she just tagged me in a really cool past that encouraged me to participate and post also.

The following is the lowdown on this post. Thanks, Cheryl, for the tag which really was a good encouragement for me.

Post these rules:

  • You must post 11 random things about yourself.
  • Answer the questions set for you in their post.
  • Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
  • Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.
  • No stuff in the tagging section about “you are tagged if you are reading this”. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 Random Things (that you may or may not know) About Me:

  1. When I use eggs from the carton, I have to situate the remaining eggs so that they “balance” in the carton. It drives me crazy when eggs are all messed up in the carton.
  2. I have a preference for even numbers. I don’t know why, but I do. Go back to the egg thing — an  uneven number of eggs in the carton makes ‘balancing” it difficult. Even numbers are just more friendly. Or, that’s my theory, anyway. 🙂
  3. I am a born and raised country girl and I am proud of that. My grandparents live on 50 acres and many of my fondest memories involve being outside on their land. Riding our horse, learning to swim in their pond, rambling all over the place on ATVs and more. Country living definitely has its appeal and has a place in my heart forever.
  4. I can pinch with my toes. If you don’t believe me, ask Mickey.
  5. I moved to the ATL area by myself in 1998 with very little cash on hand and no savings account to back me up. I made it. I had help along the way from awesome family, friends and employers and I MADE IT.
  6. I have to sleep under covers – even if it’s hot. I like my covers piled on and I prefer the room to be cool so that I can be snuggly warm underneath them.
  7. I get teary any time I see my girls in a school activity or performance. When I see them day to day at school, I’m fine, but let them get some kind of award or have a performance and the knot in my throat is crazy big.
  8. I have never figured out how to make a proper omelet. I want to know how, but I cannot get it, for the live of me.
  9. I laugh like a hyena at any commercial, video or show with animal humor. The AFLAC duck still slays me.
  10. I read all three books of the Hunger Games triology and I don’t get all the fuss. It was well written, but the subject matter is crazy dark and I just don’t get the mass appeal. (No one throw rocks at me.)
  11. I am late starting dinner because I have been working on this post. LOL!

My questions from Cheryl:

  • If you could only eat one food in life, what would it be? Are you kidding me?! Yikes. I guess I would have to say pizza because I could at least vary toppings, maybe? That’s a hard one.
  • If you could pick, what town would you live in? Love the area we are in, actually. Don’t want to move from this area. But, if we moved somewhere big, I’d probably pick San Diego for the climate.
  • Salty or sweet?  Another difficult one. I like a good combo of the two – my favorite movie theater snack is popcorn and Goobers. Mostly, I choose sweet, but there are times when I just “need” some good old salty chips.
  • What is your current favorite blog or website? Facebook is the one I’m on the most.
  • Do you like your pictures in black and white or color? While I do like black/white photos, I prefer color because that is how the photographed moment happened. I also prefer very minimal or no editing at all. I like photos that are natural.
  • What is your favorite way to exercise? Lifting weights, actually. I love knowing I’m getting stronger and building muscle that burns calories. Favorite group class is ZUMBA!
  • The Today Show or Good Morning America? Used to be Today Show, but now it’s GMA, if anything.
  • When it’s all over, what you like most to be known for? I want people to see my faith in God and my love for my family and friends above all else.
  • Name a concert that you have always wanted to be on the front row for. Well, we’ve been front row a couple of times. I’d LOVE to be front row when Garth Brooks goes back out on tour in a few years.
  • How many hours of sleep is perfect for you? 9-10, no joke.
  • What is one thing you could never give up or live without? (besides your family) I think that faith and friends also fall under “given”, so I’m going with music. I just love music. It inspires me. So, that’s my choice.

My questions for you…

  1. If you drink coffee, what do you take in it? And, if you don’t drink coffee, WHY NOT?!
  2. What was your first automobile?
  3. If you could win any all-expense paid vacation to take next week, where would you go?
  4. What is the last movie you saw?
  5. If you had to choose ONE of these, would you live in a place where it’s always winter (cold!) or always summer (hot!)?
  6. What is the first word that comes to mind when asked to describe yourself?
  7. What is your favorite song right now?
  8. If you won a big sum of money, what is one charity that you would donate to immediately?
  9. Which flavor of Girl Scout Cookies do you prefer?
  10. Recommend a book to me.
  11. Paper or plastic?

Tagging the following:

 

 

 

It’s Tuesday?

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Today is one of those days that just doesn’t feel like the day it is. Since yesterday was a holiday, today feels more like a Monday than a Tuesday. How many of us are dealing with that today? I had to stop a few times and remind myself that, yes, today is Tuesday. Not Monday. Okay, I’ve got it. For now. And, just watch — tomorrow will feel like Thursday. Ha!

Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. We didn’t have much going on around here and, actually, it was a nice change of pace. Mariana was fighting off a cold, so we basically laid low and had family time at home. The girls had a play date yesterday with a friend’s kids and they had a blast!! Her daughter is in Macey’s class and her son is also in kindergarten, like Mariana, so it was perfect. I need to be better about planning play dates for the girls because they LOVE them and it’s always fun to have friends play over here.

I think y’all should check out Three Little Pixies on Etsy. Liz has some amazing and beautiful hand-made keepsakes, y’all. I’m angling to win this “You are My Sunshine” necklace on her Facebook page. When Macey was a tiny baby (wasn’t that just yesterday?), I used to try to sing “You Are My Sunshine” to her and I would choke up and cry. I just love that sweet song and it took me quite awhile to be able to sing it to her without being a sniffling mess. (Note: I’m not getting any contest entries by posting this here, but I did post on FB, Pinterest and Twitter to enter the contest. I just so happen to adore her creations, so I wanted to share the link.)

Not much else going on today. It’s somewhat of a dreary day here,  but at least it’s not frigid or snowing, so…no complaints from me.

Have a great remainder of this Tuesday, y’all…
Kelly

Natural Consequences

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First of all, I wanted to offer my heartfelt THANKS to those of you that posted on my FB, left a comment here, texted or emailed to let me know you are praying for my Gran and family. That means a lot to me. I truly believe that there is power and peace in prayer, so I appreciate every prayer offered by friends and family.

Now, on to today’s blog post. Natural consequences.

Mickey and I have been working on teaching the girls about natural consequences. We believe that this is a good method of teaching valuable life lessons – when taught within reason, of course. For instance, we are teaching them that if they don’t eat what they have for meals, they will probably be pretty hungry when the next meal rolls around again. This teaches a few things, actually. One, Mama is not a short-order cook and this is not Waffle House. If you don’t eat what I’m serving, well, you’re going to have to wait until the next meal to see if you like that one better. We’re also teaching the girls how blessed they are to have three good meals (not to mention snacks) per day. This seems to be working well because although neither of our daughters are what I would label as “adventurous eaters”, they will definitely try what we are having at mealtimes. To be honest, I don’t cook much of anything that is extravagant anyway. So, when I prepare a meal, I expect them at try it and I always make things that I truly believe our whole family will like. If they choose not to eat much of it, then they know that they won’t get anything until it’s time to eat again. To me, that’s a good natural consequence. They certainly won’t starve, right? It’s all about keeping things within reason. We wouldn’t turn them loose into a crowded parking lot in some ridiculous effort to teach them the natural consequence of THAT, but we will certainly use natural consequences when appropriate.

As simplistic as this seems, as I was thinking recently about natural consequences, it occurred to me that God lets us operate on natural consequences as well. The choices we make that are of this world warrant us the rewards or consequences of the world. If we choose to do that which is right and faithful, the reward is our’s. If we choose to deviate from the path of faithfulness, we suffer the consequences. Pretty simple, right? I think that on the surface, it seems simple, but, like anything with faith, it goes far deeper. Because God allows us free will, we have these choices to make and we aren’t always going to make the right ones. Try as we might, we are all bound to fail in our humanness. It just happens. Just like we do with our children, God allows us to experience natural consequences in life so that we might learn and grow. However, while we are training our children to eventually be independent of us, God is always calling us to drawer nearer to Him and depend more fully on Him. Even when we fail Him, God is always faithful to us. It’s out of love for us that He allows us to make choices and give us opportunities to learn and grow from the choices we make.

Using natural consequences as a parenting tool is a model that we feel will benefit our girls in many ways. We want to instill an anchor of faith for them so that as they grow and make choices in their lives, they are equipped to make faithful decisions for themselves. This won’t always be the case, but as long as we have taught them well, they will have a faith basis on which to grow and learn. So, while it starts with something as simple as choosing to eat a meal and be thankful for it, hopefully this will bloom into life lessons that carry them through with faith.

Blessings,
Kelly

 

Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Proverbs 22:6

 

He’s Always There…

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“ I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 NASB

 

 

 

Today, I was listening to Hillsong United’s Aftermath CD. (Side note: if you don’t have it, get it. It’s amazing.) The song Aftermath was on and I heard certain parts of it with new clarity today.  The whole song is powerful to me, but the part that really struck a chord with me today were the lyrics “And, I know you’re with me. Yes, I know you’re with me here…” 

Who else out there is like me and knows in your heart that God is truly always with us, but, yet, we don’t really stop to think about that throughout our days? God is as present as the very air we breathe and sometimes, I shamefully admit, I don’t embrace His presence as constant. When times are hard, I’m known to rely on His presence more. Our family went through some mighty struggles in September of last year with the loss of my step-dad, my step-mom starting chemo and my granddaddy having major heart surgery. I can say with absolute conviction that especially during those times I relied greatly on the presence of God for sustaining grace and strength. But, why is it during those times when I embrace Him the most? I am not so foolish as to think that I don’t need Him every second of every day. So, why then, do I often live without acknowledging His presence in my every day life? I’m ashamed to admit that I go through this, but, frankly, I do. Instead of acting like God is right with me with every breath I take, I tend to fall into the needing of Him in tragedy rather than seeking His guidance in every day. And, that’s a staggering realization that I know I need to work through because I know for certain that God desires a relationship with me just as He desires a personal relationship with all that are His. This relationship shouldn’t be one-sided or one where I call out to Him only when I am faced with trials and burdens. I should walk with Him daily, so that His presence shines through me and into all that I do.

My desire is to have a closer and more personal relationship with my Savior. I am always a believer, but just believing isn’t living out the calling God has for my life. He has set me apart and that’s how I know I should live. I can only do that through close connection with Him. If I find that I am not feeling as connected with God, it is always me that has moved. God is faithful, steadfast and true. He is unchanging and everlasting. While I am humanly flawed, I know He’s patient and that I’m always a work in progress.

While it seems simple to say that I know God is with me daily, my prayer and goal is that I would live this out in my life. He’s not just the God of comfort, but also the God of guidance and truth. I can only achieve my full purpose in life through His grace and I can only do that through connection with Him. I’m thankful that I’ve been convicted, yet again, of how to better live for Him and through Him.

Amen.