Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

Kelly

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.

 

My Goals for 2012

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y’ALL!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided that this year I’d rather set goals for myself that to come up with a list of resolutions. I thought that 12 goals for 2012 would be attainable, but challenging in all the right ways. As I started to think about these goals, I thought it would be really cool to come up with goals that challenged me and helped me grow as a person in three ways – mind, body and spirit. So, here’s my list:

Mind

  • Read more – I absolutely love to read and I always have.  Lately, I haven’t done as much reading as I like to and I’d like that to change in 2012. I won’t set a number for myself, but I will definitely make sure I read more. There are classics I’d like to read in addition to more recent books. I can’t wait!  I’d like to share book reviews on the blog as well.
  • Photography – I have really gotten away from having a camera in my hands like I used to and I miss it. Photography is something I enjoy, but a variety of things have pulled me away from doing much with it the last several months. I’ll remedy that in 2012.
  • Back to School – I started taking online classes in 2010 and finished two semesters (with three As and one B). This school year I have taken time off from my own classes to focus on being PTA co-president at the girls’ school in addition to other commitments. So, this will come later in this calendar year, but I will get back in school again for myself.
  • Blog More Often – It goes without saying that this little blog got neglected for far too long. I’ll work on that in 2012.

Body

  • Improve overall fitness–  I’d like to drop a few pounds, sure, but rather than focusing on any numbers, I really just want to focus on the big picture of better fitness. This means getting to the Y more, running more, etc.
  • Try new fitness classes – I really REALLY like going to Zumba. It is so much fun! So, I want to do that more regularly, but I’d also like to try some other classes and find another one or two to do regularly. Spin has always intimidated me for some reason, so it’s on my list to try. Might as well go for it, right?
  • Run a Half Marathon – Right now, the plan is to sign up for the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I’m pretty sure that’s the one I want to be my first half, but we’ll see. At some point this year, I definitely want to run a half, so training has to start STAT.
  • Keep my fingernails in good shape – This seems like a simple thing, but let me say that habits are HARD to break. I’ve always been a nervous nail-biter and it’s a habit I detest. Gross. I have grown my nails out many times, but when they start to break I give up. Well, they are growing out again now and I plan to get semi regular manicures to keep them up and looking nice.

Spirit

  • Read my Bible daily – I know that being in the Word is one of the best things I can do for my faith walk. I shamefully admit that too many days go past without me picking up the Bible. So, I plan to read my Bible daily. I have also purchased One Year Daily Insights (co-authored by our awesome pastor, Ike Reighard) and I think that will be a wonderful daily read in addition to my Bible.
  • Maintain a Family Thankfulness Journal – We want to teach our girls to find things to be thankful for each day. We are blessed beyond measure, even on days when things don’t go quite right, and it will be a nice reminder to think of something each day that we can all offer thanks for.
  • Be a Giving Family – We want to be the kind of family that finds ways to give whether it’s through our time, talents or finances. There are many ways to do this and I want us to explore ways to give through this year. One idea off the top of my head is instead of birthday presents from friends at the girls’ parties, we can collect books and toys for the children’s hospitals in our area. We are also praying about becoming a foster family. There are many ways to give and we want to live that out.
  • Volunteer Through Our Church – I have been wanting to volunteer in the church nursery for ages and due to various circumstances, I haven’t gotten to…yet. But, I will. Our church is very active in our community and I want us to find ways, individually, and as a family to work through the church to connect and get to work.

So, those are my 12 goals for this year. I definitely thing some challenges are presented, but I feel up to the challenge. I can only see how attaining these goals will work to the good in my life. I’ll post and update on progress and such.

Here’s to a great 2012…
Kelly

Happy Mother’s Day

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Today has been a great Mother’s Day for me. I “slept in” and got up at around 7:45am. Mickey and the girls gave me a great new flat-iron which I have really been wanting and was HAPPY to receive! I was taken out to breakfast at one of our favorite places. We went to church and, as usual, the message from our amazing pastor was just wonderful. I chose to spend time cleaning out our nasty vehicles this afternoon after lunch, so I am happy to report that my Explorer is quite the clean machine right now. Mickey took our girls to the pool this afternoon while I lazed around and watched last week’s Grey’s via DVR. Then we had a delicious dinner followed later by homemade brownies for dessert. Now, obviously, this is the abridged version of the day, but it highlights the best points and that’s the main thing. It was a really good day. At the end of a day like today, I am tired and happy all at the same time. These are the good times.

I feel so blessed to be a mom. It’s a dream come true. I know I’m not always the best mom in the world, but I always love my girls more than life itself and I am always and forever grateful that God chose me to be their mom. I’m also thankful for my awesome husband because without him, I wouldn’t be a mom at all, let alone a stay-at-home mom. I am grateful for the blessings and opportunities of motherhood. My prayer is that our girls will grow up knowing they are loved most of all by the God that created them and entrusted them to our care. I also pray that they will be secure in their faith and in themselves as a result. As one of our pastors at church likes to say, I hope that learning about faith now places an “anchor in their hearts” to keep their paths steady on Christ their whole lives long. When I am sometimes asked what I do, I don’t ever say I am “just” a mom because it’s more than a “just” statement. I’m a mom and it’s a dream come true. I could not be more thankful.

I know that today is a hard day for some people and my heart goes out to those of you that are hurting today. There are those that have lost their moms, those who have strained relationships with their moms or those who really never knew a mom. There are also those who want more than anything just to be a mom and haven’t gotten that chance as of yet. For those, I hope that today wasn’t a hard day and that some joy found its way to you on this day.

Blessings,
Kelly

MaceMallows

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Macey has to do an entrepreneurial project at school. She has to come up with something homemade to sell. So, she decided on marshmallows. Homemade marshmallows, of course.  When she told me about it, I was pretty excited because I love to cook and create new things in the kitchen. I also enjoy working with my girls in the kitchen. So, I set about to find a great recipe for homemade marshmallows. My old friend Google led me to The Smitten Kitchen blog where I found a great recipe along with helpful notes for making delicious homemade marshmallows. Score!!

I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up the various ingredients. When I got home, Macey and I got to work in the kitchen. These marshmallows are really easy to make. I’m glad I had the recipe notes from The Smitten Kitchen because that prepared me for the mess.  Macey couldn’t do everything, but the recipe had plenty for her to assist with in the kitchen. She helped grease and sugar the pan, she measured and poured, etc. We had a great time creating these marshmallows together.  I really couldn’t get over the simplicity of making them. By my own admission, I am not the most talented cook in the kitchen when it comes to candy. I can create all sorts of wonderful dishes and I enjoy baking too. It’s just that I have never found my niche with confections. Fortunately, making marshmallows is significantly more simple than making, say, divinity candy at which I abysmally failed at my first attempt. (oops) Making marshmallows was definitely easy and definitely messy. Macey and I would both agree, however, that the mess was worth it. The clean-up was actually a good bit easier than I anticipated. Just be ready to use HOT water to get the remaining marshmallow “goo” out of the stand mixer bowl. (And, a shout-out of THANKS to Mickey for helping us clean up after the preparation.)

We made the marshmallows last evening and let them set overnight. I cut them this morning and, of course, we had to taste them. Well, to be perfectly honest, we tasted the “goo” last night once the marshmallows were poured into the pan to cool and set. So, we already knew it was good. However, I must say that they got better once they cooled and set. Oh my good gracious, they are fantastic!! My friend Jamie said the following to me in a blog post: “And be prepared to never want to buy another store marshmallow again. Homemade ones taste exactly like store bought ones, only fresh. I can’t explain it, but you’ll understand when you eat one!” Jamie…you were RIGHT! I may never buy store-bought marshmallows again. These were incredibly easy to make and they taste amazing! YUM!!

Macey has decided that her marshmallows will be called MaceMallows. How cute is that?! We now have to come up with cute packaging and a label for them. She will take them in next week and I think I am more excited than she is! I am hoping to get by Michael’s today to find some fun options for her MaceMallows. This school project is definitely one that we have all gotten to enjoy!

I will take a picture of her MaceMallows soon to share. I tried taking photos with my iPhone this morning, but they didn’t do it justice. So, I’ll get out the “big” camera later and see what I can do. 🙂

Happy Thursday,
Kelly

PS: The recipe can be found by clicking through to the springy, fluffy marshmallows blog entry for The Smitten Kitchen. I am so glad I found this blog. I have bookmarked and will be checking back frequently!

Spring Fashion: Wedges

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Admittedly, I am not the most fashion forward person in the world. I’m not going to be one of those that pushes the envelope of style, but I certainly enjoy great clothes, shoes and accessories. This spring, I think my favorite fashion item are wedges. Oh my word – they are everywhere and there are some great ones to be found! My favorite thing about wedges is that they give me some height while maintaining comfort. I’ll be the first to admit that stilettos are not my thing. I can’t cram my poor toes down into some pointy shoes with high heels. I mean, I could, but it wouldn’t be pretty. Believe me. Wedges are the perfect solution. Height AND comfort all in one awesome shoe! Who wouldn’t love that?!

I got these Bjorndal “Manchester” wedges recently at Rack Room Shoes:

I don’t think the photo does these shoes justice. They are SO much cuter in person. The color is a nice neutral. They are amazingly comfortable. I can literally wear them all day and not have any issues. If they made these shoes in every color, I’m sure I would have every color they made. That’s how great they are.  If you are looking for a great pair of wedges that go with practically everything – look no further.  These will be getting a lot of wear this summer.

Another cute pair of wedges I got recently came from Payless.  Yes…Payless. Have y’all seen their shoes for summer? CUTE!! I am hard on shoes, so I don’t often spend a ton on them. It makes no sense for me to drop big bucks on shoes that I am going to have to replace by the end of a season in all likelihood. So, yes, I even buy shoes at Payless. And, I like them. Don’t write them off – they do have cute shoes. Like these Montego Bay wedges in pewter:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously…how cute are those?! They go with so many things AND they are pretty comfortable too. I got them last Friday and I have already worn them twice. I’m a big fan of these fun shoes.

I’m currently on the hunt for some great black wedges. I haven’t found any in person yet that I just had to have. This is probably great news to my husband. 😉 I’m a woman on a mission and I *will* find cute black wedges soon. It’s a must. I have decided to wear dresses often this summer, so what better compliment to a cute dress than cute wedges? If you all see any cute ones, post some links. I have to try on most shoes these days, so I need to be able to try them on, of course. But, it never hurts to “window shop” online.

Happy spring,

Kelly