• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

Photos

Bonus Day

January 9, 2017 By kelly 2 Comments

After an icy weekend, we are enjoying a BONUS day at home today. Hooray for an unplanned, but very welcomed, three day weekend!  It hasn’t yet been warm enough to melt the ice, so there are neighborhoods and roads with ice patches and busing kids to school isn’t entirely safe across our county; therefore, we get a bonus day at home. No complaints here. I’ll take it because “snow” (ice) days are rare and having extra family time is never a bad thing.

We haven’t been out to play outside since Saturday. Honestly? Given the forecast prior to the event, we were hoping for LOTS of snow, but that didn’t happen. What we got was a layer of ice, a dusting of snow, and some more ice. This was the view from our front door Saturday morning:

As you can tell, it wasn’t nearly the accumulation we were hoping to get, but it was sled-worthy, so we bundled up and went out to play.


Mickey, Macey & Mariana with our sleds. 

Our lot ROCKS for sledding. Our front yard has a nice slope and our driveway is even faster when it’s clear. So, we had some good sledding run options. It was stinkin’ COLD outside, especially when the wind blew, but it was great fun too! I took two sledding runs myself.

My main “job” on days like Saturday is to take pictures when we’re outside. So, that’s what I did. I know my role, people, and I’m happy to fulfill it.

I’m not sure how long we stayed outside on Saturday, maybe just over an hour, I guess, but it was seriously fun. Yes, even this warm weather lovin’ girl can admit that. I’m fine with cold snaps and even an occasional snow, but I’m good with all of that being a novelty rather than a regular occurrence.

We haven’t left our house, except to briefly play in the front yard on Saturday, since Friday afternoon when we all got home early to stay put ahead of the “storm.” Cabin fever is somewhat starting to set in and I think we’d like to venture out today if we can, but we’ve also enjoyed our time. We have certainly eaten well (wink), we’ve watched movies and football, the girls have played games, we’ve all gotten in some extra sleep time. In short, it’s really been quite nice. And, to have a bonus day to enjoy that some more? Yes, please! I recently saw a sign that said “Time spent with family is worth every second” and I have to give that a big AMEN! Time ticks by so quickly and I am savoring every chance we get to make memories. Before we know it, sweet summertime will be here and I bet we’ll have “Remember when we got to sled in January?” conversations when it’s hot outside again. And, when we do…we will smile because the time spent together was fun and the memories are sweet.

Oh and the view from our front door? It hasn’t changed all that much from Saturday morning:

The road, thankfully, has mostly thawed, except in the cul-de-sac area, but our yard still has a good bit of ice. Not enough to play in anymore, but it’s still there. Hopefully, the sun will come out enough today to continue to thaw the icy patches on roads and driveways in our area. I suspect we will have a delayed start to school tomorrow and then the week will continue on as normal, but we will just have to see what happens. Either way, we’re going to embrace this bonus day and enjoy this time together. And, maybe, just MAYBE, we will get to get out for lunch today.

What are YOU doing this Monday? Whatever it is, I hope you have a truly amazing day!

Best,
Kel

 

Filed Under: Family, Photos 2 Comments

Recapping 2016

December 31, 2016 By kelly Leave a Comment

It’s a little surreal to me that we are in the final hours of 2016. I always heard that the years get faster as we get older and I am starting to realize just how true that is.

I decided to take a look back in photos from my FB and/or IG to reflect on 2016. I can’t come close to recapping a whole year here, of course, but this is a nice look back at 2016.

January: Macey made honor roll for seventh grade and Mariana got runner up for her Honoring Our Heroes Essay Contest entry written about our friend Anna:

February : Mickey turned the big FOUR-OH. And this isn’t the best pic, but it’s one from his actual birthday. The rest of the day I posted tribute pics for him.

March: Macey went on a youth retreat with our church student group, Mariana and I got to see our sweet Anna dance, I met Chewbacca up close and personal, and we celebrated our risen Lord and Savior at Easter.

April: Mariana sang The National Anthem at an Atlanta Braves game with her school chorus, we enjoyed a girls’ mountain weekend getaway, and I experienced one of the highest thrills of the year with my very first skydive!

May: was a bittersweet month. Our friend and former neighbor, Peter, passed away young and very unexpectedly. (The photo shown is Peter and his wife Wendie when they visited our house for a party several years ago.) Needless to say, that was shocking, tragic, and very sad. May also had bright moments such as Mariana turning 10 and having a ballerina birthday party, Mariana performing in her spring recital, and our family having our annual beach trip blast with our great friends, the Davis family.

June: Summer kicked off with a lot of FUN! Joyce, Dena and I went to The Grove’s Summer Party where we got rained on, but had so much fun, Macey went to camp (aka – her happy place), and Mariana went to her first week of dance camp.

July: Macey turned 13! A teenager in the house! We celebrated with a backyard birthday party complete with Moe’s catering and an inflatable water slide! She also had to have surgery to place three pins in her pinky finger which sustained a break playing four square at camp – of all random things. (And, no, this didn’t diminish her camp love – not one bit!). And, both girls got to spend time “down south” with Nana and Gran-Gran.

August: back to school time for both girls. Macey got her pins out the first week of school. And, Mariana officially started company dance.

September: Labor Day weekend we attended “guest camp” at Macey’s beloved camp and had a wonderful time! Macey and Mickey’s winning autumn soccer season officially began, Mariana walked in a local parade with school chorus and we spent an awesome week at the beach with Nana and Gran-Gran!

October: Mickey and Mariana attended their last elementary school Doughnuts with Dad together (sniff), we went on our annual trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and Mickey and I celebrated 15 years of marriage. And, of course, there was Halloween!

November: Macey’s team (coached by Mickey) won first place at the McDonald’s Cup Tournament, Mickey and I attended Mariana’s last elementary Thanksgiving luncheon, and we celebrated Thanksgiving with family down south.

December: one crazy busy, but totally wonderful month! I went to a Christmas tea with Joyce at her church, our sweet friend Dena got baptized,  Mariana danced as a snowflake and an elf in “The Polar Express”, we took the girls ice skating, Macey had her winter orchestra concert, we got a new kitten, and we had a truly AMAZING Christmas celebrating Jesus’ birth!

 

 

These are not nearly ALL the moments, but some glimpses into 2016 for our family. There were times of sadness, to be sure, but there were many good times too. Looking back on this year helped me to be reflective of the blessings 2016 held for us. It wasn’t always sunshine and roses, but God is good through it all.

Here’s to 2017, y’all. May God guide and keep us all through this new year and always.

Looking forward with expectation and hope,

Kel

Filed Under: Daily Life, Family, Photos Leave a Comment

December Photo-a-Day: Day 8

December 8, 2012 By kelly Leave a Comment

Today’s theme for the December I Heart Faces Photo-a-Day Challenge is “shopping.” So, I’m going to show you the way I do most of my Christmas shopping.

If you know me at all, you’ll know that I have a natural affinity for Target. I walk in there intending to pick up, say, body wash, and come out with a cart full of other stuff that I am 100% sure we NEED. I think they put some sort of hypnotizing music on in that store, or something. Seriously. Target is like a magnet to me…and my wallet. So, if I were to take a second photo of shopping, it would be Target bags. But, as it is, I don’t do the majority of my Christmas shopping there. Most of my Christmas shopping is done via Amazon through their amazing Prime program. (Read my glowing post about it from last year.) I tend to think of Amazon as the Target of online retailers. Pretty much, if you want it, Amazon has it. AND, it ships directly to your door. During this busy shopping season, that’s music to my ears! No crowds, no long lines, no tight parking space — just a few clicks and the next thing you know boxes show up on the doorstep. Brilliant!

If you don’t have Amazon Prime yet, let me recommend it again. You get free second-day shipping on Prime items, video streaming and instant Kindle book access. Seriously, check it out. This is something that we gladly spend money on each year because it ultimately saves us a bundle. We order so much from Amazon. We use Amazon for our own purchases, for shipping gifts all over the place, for ordering bulk items like toilet paper, for streaming videos online*, for Kindle books and more. I’m telling you all, it’s amazing! (*When I had the flu last year, I caught up on both seasons of Downton Abbey via Amazon! Season one was free and season two was a great price! All the more reason to love it!) Amazon Prime is one of our best purchases each year. Highly recommended for anyone, really. And, if you have small children, check out Amazon Mom  for great deals on baby and toddler needs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Amazon rocks!

So, there’s my photo-of-the-day combined with a consumer tip for you all. Happy shopping and HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Blessings,
Kelly 

Filed Under: Photos Leave a Comment

December Photo-a-Day: Day 7

December 7, 2012 By kelly Leave a Comment

Today’s theme for the December I Heart Faces Photo-a-Day Challenge is “the view from here.”

Mariana is home sick from school today*, so I have been in the family room having some chill time with her before it’s time to call the ped. When I was sitting on the sofa, Dasher came up to get some kitty snuggles too and he seemed to pose for a photo. So, I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a photo of him on the Christmas pillows on the sofa. And, he became my “view from here” moment for today.

It’s only fitting that Dasher should hang out on Christmas pillows since he is a Christmas kitty. When Macey was in kindergarten, she asked daily for a cat. So, it was decided that Santa would bring her one that year. MiMi (my sweet step-mom) knew that we wanted an orange tabby, so she found this beautiful boy at a humane society near where they live. She kept him for a few days and then I picked him up on Christmas Eve. How we kept him hidden in the basement, I’ll never know. He was in a little carrier all ready for Macey on Christmas morning. The poor thing had a respiratory issue when we first got him, so he had to have antibiotics and breathing treatments, but he was a trooper and sailed through it. Since day one, he’s been the best kitty ever. He is so laid back and easy going. He loves kitty snuggles and scratches behind the ears. He deals with me giving him belly rubs too. He is our buddy and we are thankful to have gotten him four years ago.

*Mariana will be going to the pediatrician today. She was home sick yesterday too. I think it’s “just” a virus – fever, sore throat, etc. But, since we are approaching the weekend, I’m taking the “better safe than sorry” approach and seeing the doc today. Our poor little girl is missing her first sleepover AND cannot visit her friend Bea, understandably. So, hopefully, she will bounce back quickly.

Hope you all have a great Friday,
Kelly 

Filed Under: Photos Leave a Comment

December Photo-a-Day: Day 6

December 6, 2012 By kelly Leave a Comment

I still owe days 4 and 5 of the photo-a-day challenge and I’ll get to those soon. On day 4, I had a wretched sinus headache. On day 5, I was bouncing back from said headache. So, here I am on day 6. Today’s theme for the December I Heart Faces Photo-a-Day Challenge is “a burst of red.”

I took this photo with my iPhone and used a bit of editing with the Camera+ app. So, while it’s not the best work ever, I think it captures the subject pretty well. This is a snowman ornament on our family room Christmas tree that happened to be near a red bulb. TADA…burst of red!!

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday. The weekend is almost here. WOO HOO!

Blessings,
Kelly 

Filed Under: Photos Leave a Comment

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 7
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

About me

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • What’s a 2 To Do? Part Five…
  • What’s a 2 To Do? Part Four…
  • What’s a 2 To Do? Part Three…
  • What’s a 2 To Do? Part Two…
  • What’s a 2 To Do?

Blogs

  • Kelly’s Korner
  • Mickey's Blog
  • Proverbs 31 Ministries
  • Think Inclusive

Copyright © 2023