Archives for March 2014

March 19, 2014 By 8 Comments

Wrestling

Lately my mind has been overwhelmed with wrestling different thoughts and ideas.  Don’t you wish God wrote out His desires clean and clear in the sky…that there was no questioning or trying to figure out…that you just knew exactly what He wanted.  My heart is stewing big time and I’m having a hard time putting it to sleep at night.  Sometimes I feel like you can look at a subject from a million different directions and still not know what to do…or the right or the wrong…or maybe there is some gray areas every now and then.

We want our kids to know about injustice and I want them to be world changers and not entitled and I want them to care for others and love God passionately.  How do we go about teaching them and training them in this way?  What are God’s deep desires in this area for His children?  I want to enable them when ideas pour into their little minds.  Harper recently decided she wanted to help with a project we’re going to start soon to help raise money to purchase tables and chairs for Ngungwane…our care point in Swaziland.  I laid in bed and listened as she emptied her thoughts out onto my listening ears.  I really liked what I heard and I encouraged her to think about her talents and how God could use her.  She decided she would make art 🙂 Of course she did.  So we’re working on that.  We want our kids to know without any doubt that God can use them…at any age…in any place…however He wants.

I’m wrestling hard with Proverbs 30:7-9.  So many big swirling thoughts.

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Desires are growing deeper and deeper that we must “go”.  I am hopeful I will make it back to Africa this year and maybe even a few other places.  How put out would you be if I called you up and asked you to watch 4 small children for an entire week?  What if I brought snacks?  And maybe a Kroger gift card?  Would you prefer cash instead?  What about cookies?  And maybe an entire gated area to put Amon in?  Would that make it easier for you to even consider our request 🙂

I have craft classes Friday and Saturday this week and as I prepare I find my heart stirring about what could come of these.  What could God do with a small group of random women crafting for a few hours each week?  What could He do with me…if I were completely willing and ready to give on so many different levels?  What could He do?  And the anticipation rises fast and hard and my heart swells just a little bit more.

And I’m reading this book and and holy crap.  Talk about wrestling thoughts…this book in insanely good and I just started it.  It has one of the best descriptions of grief I’ve ever heard…that when you lose someone who so deeply impacted your every single day life, it’s like you’ve been crippled.  You will learn to walk again, but you will always have a limp.  It also talks about so many other challenging things…things that make you want to change and move and act and that simply make you think…and hard.  So far…I highly recommend it.  I may have just purchased more copies to give away.

I know God is always working and moving.  I know He’s always leading us and stirring our hearts to love Him and others.  I know sometimes He just wants us to make a choice and act…to take a chance on Him and faith.

Happy Wednesday.

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March 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

6 Tips

#1:  If you spill what some would classify as a lot, of pure vanilla on your laptop computer keys as you are hovering over the computer trying to get a new recipe just right, well, soak it up as best you can with a paper tower and then enjoy how your keys kind of “crunch” when you type for the next few days.

#2:  Make these cookies today!  I may have turned over a slightly more healthy eating leaf, but I still firmly believe baked goods can change the world.  The other night I went in search of a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe and you guys…wowzers…I found it.  Healthy, totally delicious and I would gladly make a ton of these up to share with the world.  And easy.  Nothing super hard.

And here’s my tip inside a tip:  I let them sit out over night to firm up a bit.  But gooey or firmer, they are totally legit delicious.

#3:  Enjoy a movie night with your kids.  It could quite possibly be ridiculously cute when your smallest toddler child joins your big kids and later you will be really glad you took a picture.

#4: Speaking of that small toddler child who is definitely your busiest, most mischievous child to date…so yeah, when you need to get some work done and your husband is out of town and you’re parenting solo…God bless you single parents our there…truly…give this said toddler some crayons and a packing box and then you can whip out 24 key fobs and 24 name tags for your up-and-coming craft classes in no time flat.  #yourewelcome

#5:  Fill your cookie jar with THESE stat.  Like now.

And #6:  Come to a rockin’ Noonday party at our house next Thursday, March 27 from 6-8.  And if you can’t come then order some goodies online.  A little more information coming soon about what we’re going to try and accomplish with this party.  I would love to see you and hang out and talk and eat and drink and shop and be merry with you!!!!!  I think it is going to be entirely too much fun.  A total jam!  You should come.  Mark your calendars and invite a friend.  The more the merrier.  Send me a message HERE if you want my address.

Hope your weekend was fantastic.  Here’s to a great week.  Happy Monday!

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March 14, 2014 By 2 Comments

Thoughts On 21-Day Fix

Our 21-Day Fix challenge is up and I told you guys I’d tell you what I thought.  I’ve had lots of emails with questions so thought I would try and answer some here.

First, I really loved this program and no, I am not selling the program, so I have no reason to tell you anything other than what was the truth for me.  I have never done anything like this before and it won me over quite quickly because it’s kind of stupid proof…like I couldn’t really mess it up as long as I followed what it said.  It’s done the right way too.  You learn portion control and what good foods to eat…and there are a lot of foods you can eat…and you exercise.  It’s the whole shebang, done the right way.  I didn’t have to modify anything for our family dinners…we all ate the same stuff…just good, healthy foods.  I’m not the lady who can just not eat…I like food way too much, but this was good for me to see what my portions should look like and how many from each of the food categories I should be eating daily.  I’ve never eaten so many vegetable and fruits and proteins in all my life.  And you could still have a little treat every now and then.  It honestly changed the way I see food and shook up some of my food choices.

It made me realize all those years upon years of hating to cook and thinking cooking was so complicated, were crazy.  Dinner doesn’t have to be all difficult and hard and mixed with a million different things.  We’ve gone back to the basics and it has revolutionized how I feel about cooking and prepping food.  And it’s simple.  Not complicated.  And I need that.  The simpler the better.

In the end I lost some pounds and some inches, but more importantly I gained a new sense of control over the food I am eating and understand more that food is to fuel my body…it’s not a reward for a hard day or a coping mechanism or an emotional crutch…because that is exactly what I was treating it like.  I still fight those feelings a lot, but for the first time maybe in my entire life, I really am seeing the difference my mind set can make…and I really like how that feels.

And I feel stronger than ever before.  For the longest time I thought I wanted that “skinny” feeling…to be skinny or thin, but over the past 2 years I am learning that for me, I want to feel strong VS skinny.  I want to exercise not to get ready for swim suit season, but all year long because it makes me feel good mentally and physically.  I want Harper to see me working hard and eating healthy foods because it’s good for my body…not because I want to achieve an unrealistic magazine physique.  I want her to know that God looks for true beauty in her heart.  I want to fight all the negative self images the world is going to be throwing at my girl.  I want to combat first hand all the wrong images of what this world says is “beautiful” to Harper.  And that all starts with me…and how I view beauty and self worth and what healthy is going to look like to our family.

I have also completely enjoyed working with Marta.  She was amazing and kind and encouraging and all those wonderful things.  A delight.  And she shared recipes that are now staples in our home.  THIS POST she wrote about a week of her meal planning is great.  Breaks it down and is super simple.  Nothing complicated or hard.

So those are my initial thoughts since finishing the program.  Susan and I are really still doing it because we both feel like it was a lifestyle change instead of just a 21-day challenge.  The first 21 days were a huge part of it, but those days just set the stage for the permanent changes which I am totally diggin’.

Happy Friday!

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March 13, 2014 By 6 Comments

Oh Boy!

Hudson was frustrated with Sol and said, “Uggghhh, you are so…” and before he could finish his sentence Sol inserted, “Adorable?”

One night after baseball practice Sol ran around the back of Josh’s truck to get in on the other side and a car drove past just as he went around the back.  It almost gave me a heart attack and of course I went a little on the crazy mom side going way overboard with reminding him about cars and the park and how he’s small and drivers can’t see him and I just made him feel like he was in trouble instead of me just wanting to remind him because I thought he was going to get hit by a car.  He climbed in the truck in tears and as we drove down the road I said, “Sol you’re not in trouble.  It’s just if anything ever happened to you…” and before I could finish Hudson said, “You’d never forgive yourself?”

The boys got in the car after school one day and asked me a question, which I don’t even recall what it was, but it required some explaining.  After I explained whatever it was Hudson leaned over near Sol’s face and said, “Sol, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”  To which Sol leaned over close to Hudson’s face and replied, “Oh I’m thinking what you’re thinking.”  And I never even got to the bottom of what they were thinking.

One of the boys passed gas silently the other day while they were drawing and coloring.  I was sitting with them and said, “Whoa, what’s so smelly?”  To which Hudson piped up with, “It must be you because your stink is strong.”

And lastly, I made the unfortunate mistake of taking the boys with me to get a new bra at Target.  It had to be done…like I was in dire need.  There were no alternatives.  There was no waiting any longer.  I should also preface this by saying we have had lots of mammal and breast feeding conversations in our house lately because Harper’s class has been studying animals.  Therefore, lots of breast milk questions and comments.  And we shoot straight with our kids.  As we entered the dressing room I instructed Huddy and Sol to sit with their faces in one direction, while I did my trying on in the other direction.  Amon was a lose cannon as always.  Hopefully he won’t be scarred for life. Sol sat silently.  Hudson, not so much.  He asked all of the following questions: “Like if you had to feed a baby right now would your boobies still make milk?”  “Why are you putting back on that old dirty one (bra), when you just had on that nice new one?”  “Hey remember that time you”…and then went into graphic imagery about an unfortunate breast feeding incident when Sol was a baby.  He was relentless…would not stop…just kept ’em coming.  And the ladies in the adjoining dressing rooms all enjoyed a good laugh.  I cringed just a little bit more each time I heard the friendly snickers.

Aaaaaand, you’re welcome.

Happy Thursday!

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March 12, 2014 By 4 Comments

I’m Gonna Love You

“As sure as I live this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die – oh, baby”

The love I have for my kids is not perfect…it can never be because I am a flawed, sinful individual.  But I going to try my hardest to love them well.  And the love I have for them is ginormous and huge and giant and big.  My mom always told me, “You’ll never know how much I love you until you have your own child.”  And I listened and thought she was crazy.  And then Harper was born and one of the first things I told Mom was, “You were right.”  And then Hudson came along and then Solomon and then Amon.  And each time I was reminded of Mom’s words.  I told Harper this same thing as I laid in her bed with her the other night.  And she smiled her big toothless smile.  God allowed her to make me a momma and for me to grasp the love my Mom had for me.

I’m thankful for custom orders that ring true…that go straight to my heart.  I remember sitting and watching Mom and my Uncle David sing Randy Travis on his karaoke machine.  Some of my fondest memories are of Mom singing…alone, to me, in church or with her siblings.  Lyrics can catapult us back to just the right place in time…that special memory…and remind us of important lessons…like the grandness of our parents love.

Thank you Ashley for the sweet reminder.

Happy Wednesday!

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March 10, 2014 By 3 Comments

Couples Retreat

This past weekend Josh Kelley and I went away for the weekend with our couples Bible study.  You guys…it was so much fun.  We didn’t even go that far, but it was crazy fun to be with friends…and no kids.  Can I get an amen?  We stayed up late and slept in.  We did lots of nothing and yet, lots of somethings.  We hiked and played wiffle ball and played games and watched a super intense movie which I was super happy not to have to finish and cooked and shared meals and listened to far too much baseball talk between the guys and then one really intense conversation about the ultimate animal fight.  After lots of deliberation it was narrowed down to a gorilla, bear and lion being the top fighters…and some how a giraffe snuck in the mix, but only by default.  Sorry Brooke B.  It was fun and hilarious.  It was good.  It was just nice.

I was still on my 21 Day Fix so I was the really nerdy person who brought all our food and Josh was the supportive guy he is and ate with me.  I like him.  But this is one of the reasons I like these peeps, I didn’t really feel that weird at all.  They’re all nice and cool like that.

I actually didn’t have that difficult of a time sticking with it, but my friend Miranda does make these crazy good chocolate chip cookies which I adore and not only did she make them, but she made them extra large and I am a total sucker for a ginormous cookie.  I did think about getting up in the night and eating one, but then felt like that’s something a TV character would do or Papa Bear from the Bearenstein Bear books, so I opted not to.

And speaking of middle of the night…and sleep.  Josh and I got the bunk bed room.  Hot right?!?!?  And it was actually a triple bunk.  Now you’re jealous.  We tried sleeping in the bottom bunk together, but then I ended up wedged in the space between the wall and the edge of the bed.  And sweating.  I woke him up and asked him to move to the middle bunk and then as I listened to the bed creak and move as he climbed up to the middle bunk my mind went crazy thinking about what an unfortunate death it would be to be smashed by your husband on a couples retreat in a triple bunk.  Then I got a bit anxious and was up for another 30 minutes thinking about what exactly my obituary would say.  I did crack myself up a few times with some of my wording and eventually fell asleep.  I’m happy to report I survived the Triple Bunk Couple’s Retreat of 2014.  I should have an airbrush t-shirt made.

Laughing is one of my most favorite things to do and this weekend was full of laughter.  So many highlights…so many just hilarious things…like our friend Jacob trying to act out the word “moan” in Gestures.  Holy flippin’ cow.  Josh Kelley is still laughing about this one.  I’ll let you take a moment and think it over.  No words, no sounds, only actions and facial expressions…and the word “moan”.  I wish I had videoed it.

And Sunday we all went home and back to our kiddos.  I did text Ashley while we drove home and got her to tell me about what happened in the super suspenseful movie because I just couldn’t not know, but I did not want to watch it to find out.  I am the person who reads IMDB and every spoiler out there before I watch a movie or at the beginning of the movie.  I want to know what’s coming.  Ashley was my IMDB.

All the Kelley kids were happy to see us and we moved back into the routine of our life.  Josh and the boys went to baseball practice and Harper, Amon and I rocked a friend’s birthday party.  A workout with Susan and a yummy dinner of spinach and salsa omelets and bacon.  It’s nice to be back, but seriously, time away from our kids and with friends is crazy good.  I feel like it makes us better parents and people.

So do you ever get to get away…alone or with friends?  I’d love to hear about some of your favorite places to go or fun getaways…maybe you have some good tricks up your sleeve to share…like how to get someone to agree to take your 4 kids 🙂

Happy Monday.

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March 7, 2014 By 3 Comments

Insta 6

It’s rare a post contains pictures of all 6 of us.  So rare, like an albino polar bear 🙂  But today is your lucky day.

Dr. Seuss Day.  She wanted to be Daisy-Head Mayzie.  So simple.  So easy.  So perfectly Harper.

Lunch in the floor just has to happen sometimes.

We call it the parrot.  He’s been a good little parrot, but he’s starting to get big.

I realized the other day that come August Josh and I will be packing 17 lunches each week.  17.  We use these bento boxes from Amazon and I decided we were going to need more than our current 4.  Maybe I’ll start a Lunch Chronicles Series.

Such an intense drawer and colorer.  I think he’s going to be an illustrator when he grows up…or a gun salesman…or in the military.

Oh this one, he’s going to be a yoga instructor.  Fo shizzle.

Or work at Kinkos…only helping people turn the machines off…like he did with me the other day.  He’s a sneaky, smart one.

Or professional snuggler…which wanted to auto correct to smuggler.  He could maybe be a professional smuggler too.

Or tiny teeth model.

And Sunday ends our 21 Day Fix program.  It has been amazing and we’re going to keep doing it…with a few modifications…I need a few more calories for long runs.  I have learned so much and have made some permanent changes for our family.  It’s really exciting and fun.  And just so you know, this wasn’t your normal “diet”.  I’ve never done a diet, not because I didn’t need it, but because I like food too much.  So when I realized we still got to eat food and good food on this plan, I was in.

Oh and why yes, none of my plates match…at all.

So that’s it.  You can find me on Instagram at pitterpatterart if you want to follow along.  We have a fun weekend planned and I cannot wait.  Happy Friday!  Enjoy it!

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March 6, 2014 By 5 Comments

Before We Tackle The Day

Today is our first day back to school this week.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all snow days and that makes for lots of laid backness, but also lots of “I didn’t get much accomplished” ness too.  I made my list last night.  And it’s long.  I had a different post planned for today, but I just feel the need to tell you guys the randomness hanging out in my head.

First, thank you for being so kind with my honestly on healing.  The internet can be a vicious place and then it can also be such an uplifting and encouraging place.  Being honest isn’t always easy, but I feel it is very important.  I love our life, but I don’t want you to ever think our life is all rainbows and unicorns and lollipops.  It can be messy and hard and I am a big fat sinner, so you know how that can go sometimes.  Thank you for always being kind.  Kindness is such an incredible thing.

Second, my to-do list today is dauntingly long.  And embarrassing.  I put things like “shower” on mine.  This is to A) Try to actually make sure this happens and B) When it does, I can cross it off.  I like to cross things off.  Why does that little line make me feel so good?!?!  Sometimes I even will do something and realize it wasn’t on my list, so I go back and add it and immediately cross it off because, well, duh, I already did it.  #totalnerdalert

Third, I’m kind of tired.  Susan and I have been doing two-a-day workouts.  That’s what the last week of the 21-day Fix calls for, so I am super tired, but feeling really good.  And we keep forgetting to document our days in pictures.  We were so good at first and now we keep forgetting.  And I may have already eaten two Kind bars today.  I am so hungry and want to eat my arm off.  If you haven’t enjoyed a Kind bar yet, well then, when you find them in the store, you are in for a treat.

Fourth, sometimes my mind gets completely taken over by all the waiting and what ifs of life.  If only I could just snap my fingers and everything would fall into place and God would write His will for us in the sky…in rainbow cloud letters of course.  Wouldn’t that be grand?  Waiting is hard.  Not knowing is hard.  But I know my heart wouldn’t be conditioned as well as God would like it and I know my patience wouldn’t have a chance to grow and strengthen and I know my faith would waiver and I know sometimes God doesn’t write the answer in the sky, instead He gives you lots of answers and says, “Now you choose.  Make a choice.”  I’m trying to view this time…this wait…this not knowing…as God preparing us just a bit more.  He’s getting every last little detail in order before he says, “Okay.  Now you’re ready.”

Fifth, there are 2 spots left in my March craft classes.  One in the Friday night class and one in the Saturday day class.  I have a completely different list a mile long for the classes.  So many things to do and purchase and prepare and yet, so incredibly fun.  Thank you for this amazing opportunity.  If you are interested in one of the class spots you can read more about it HERE.

And sixth…I’m going to the dentist today…with Amon.  I always find myself is this very predicament.  Did I tell you about how he recently had to go with me to my gynecologist appointment?  Yeah.  No lie.  Hilariously hilarious.  I signed him up for toddler therapy on the way home.  I kid.  Maybe I should write an entire separate post for that one.  Maybe not.  Any how…it’s not my first time wrangling this adorable mad man at the dentist office, but still, I know one day I’ll go to the dentist alone.  One day!

Happy Thursday.

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