Archives for November 2016

Wanted to stop in on this bustling Monday morning and share I am doing another 30 Days Of Bible Lettering challenge.  I did my first challenge back in July and loved it.  When I saw they we’re doing another challenge starting in November I broke out my little Moleskine Watercolor Notebook and readied my pencil and Favorite Pens.

We’re still early in November so if you want to jump in on the challenge there’s no time like the present.  Head over HERE and check out all the verses. Here are my Day 1-5 and you can follow along on Instagram too.

And don’t forget our LipSense fundraiser is still going on until the end of November.  You can read all about it HERE or just head on over HERE, pick your color, place your order and our family receives 10% of sales for our adoption expenses.  Easy easy.

Still praying wild, mighty, bold prayers for our little guy and his warrior heart.  We have been talking about him so much lately.  We simply cannot wait to get him home.  I need to hold my boy like today.

And I’ve still got stationary sets listed in MY SHOP.  Would love to mail lots of them out this week.  All the money will head towards our adoption fund as well.  And I’m still going to list some more key fob sets hopefully this week so keep your eyeballs peeled.  Perfect little gifts for Christmas.

Happy Monday!

 *amazon affiliate links

I wanted so many times this week to log on and type away.  So many feelings have stirred in me the past few weeks as I’m sure they did in you as well.  I’ve thought so much lately about how we treat, care, listen and love one another.  Social media has been a fire storm on so many different levels from Jen Hatmaker sharing her thoughts on homosexuality and marriage to this absolutely crazy election season which has pitted family against family, friend against friend and stranger against stranger.

I read an article about a week ago…I really tried to find it, but couldn’t.  I actually rabittholed into the actual article itself and didn’t even agree with everything the author was saying, but one of the first lines said this,

“Hell hath no furry like Christians tearing apart other Christians.”

It stuck.  It has stayed.  And I feel so shameful by how accurate that sentence is.

I’m not here to force my opinions on the election or Jen Hatmaker’s thoughts on homosexuality.  I’m not here to change anyone because SHOCKER ALERT:  I’m not in the business of changing anyone.  That’s Jesus’ gig.

Now granted I’ve only been reading the Bible for about two years now, but so far between Matthew and Exodus I have not once read that we as lovers of Jesus and followers of Christ are suppose to change others.  In fact, what I keep reading about is the insane, wondrous, unexplainable changing power of God Himself.  In fact, the number one job, as far as I can gather so far, as followers of Christ is to love.  To love love love love and leave the changing to God…to which He even says, “Come as you are.”

I am so broken over our world and my personal messed up self.  I believe God is on His throne and still reigns, but I also don’t want to dismiss anyone’s pain, hurt, suffering, fear and feelings of being isolated and oppressed.  My job…my call…what God has commissioned me to be in this world is love and light.

I haven’t been my best this week.  I might have gotten in a semi small fight with a stranger at the gym when she came bouncing in celebrating and cheering on Trump’s victory just as I received a text from Hudson & Solomon’s teacher to all her parents sharing how her first lesson of the day due to sad and scared 7 & 8-year-olds was how they are always loved, they always matter and they can change the world.

We can agree to disagree on so many many things.  It’s fair to say I might never meet another human who thinks just as I do, BUT we can still choose to respect one another. We can still choose empathy.  We can still choose compassion.  And we can still choose love.  No one makes those choices for us besides ourselves.  We get to choose.

My go-to these days is the Bible.  I’ve decided it has to be.  I’m choosing to take my thoughts and beliefs and ideas and feelings and line them up next to Jesus Himself.  Forget the rest of the world.  I need to do the hard work of really laying it all down and comparing to how Jesus really lived.  Do the things I hold so fast to line up to Jesus or not?!?!  If they do, then I know I am pursuing truth.  If they don’t, I’ve got major work to do.  And I’ve got to be willing and open to admitting my wrongs and asking Jesus to make those changes in me.

Lately I cannot kick these verses from my brain:

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”  John 13:34-35

How will the world know we love Jesus?  By the way we pick each other apart?  By the way we tear each other down when we don’t agree?  By the way we point out how wrong the other person is?  By the way we say we are right?  By the way we change others because we’ve got our shit together?  By the way we degrade or dismiss each other’s feelings?  By the way we insist we really know what’s best?  By the way we turn away those who aren’t the same or believe the same as us?  By the way we attack one another in Jesus’ name?  Nope.  Not even close.  God says it’s by the way we love.  That is how they will know us.  By the way we love.

Let’s choose different.  Let’s try and walk and live in a manner like Jesus did.  Let’s extend our hands.  Let’s close our mouths.  Let’s listen.  Let’s choose empathy and compassion.  Let’s tell each “Me too.  You are not alone.”  Let’s choose to love so fiercely and so crazy others can only, only, only see Jesus.

Happy Friday.

I’ll be honest, a lot of the time I still feel rather young/immature as I continue to get older.  Maybe it’s my tees and jeans coupled with my 12-year-old sense of humor.  Recently I decided I wanted to try and be a little more adult like.  I made a list of a few things I wanted to do which I thought would make me feel more like an adult…hahahahaha.  You guys, this is really how my brain works.  Here was my list:

1.  Buy real winter shoes.  No more Toms without socks serving as my winter foot wear.

2.  Stop over-drafting.

Dear Brian, (our friend/banker)

I’m sorry I text you at least once a month proclaiming I’m just bad at adulting.  Thank you for showing me grace & mercy.  We’re a mess and you’re the best!

Love, Laura

3.  Try wearing dresses.  This pretty much never happens and I thought dresses would make me feel more mature.  I keep hearing about these Lularoe dresses.

And 4.  Wear lipstick.  I own one tube of crazy bright coral lipstick for costume/dress up parties/Harper’s dance recital and that’s it.  Bless.

So when Carrie, a kind blog reader, told me she sold a little lip goodness called LipSense I was intrigued.  I like to share things I really do believe in and genuinely like so when she offered to send me some to try I felt it was my adulting destiny.

I went with a more neutral color called Cappuccino because baby steps people, baby steps.  Here is my first thought on this lipstick.  I put it on at 7:30 pm because that’s what normal people do at 7:30 at night.  I then proceeded to sleep in it, exercise the next morning in it and then showered in it and after all that the color was still on my lips. I don’t know much about lipstick because hello, lipstick newbie here, but I felt like that was a little insane for the color to last that long.

I have since been wearing it everyday and I really really love it.  It’s super easy to apply and the color stays on for so long.  I do have reapply the gloss.  And sometimes I just roll on some regular chapstick to give the color a more muted sheen instead of a glossy gloss.

So I dig the LipSense and was on board with a fundraiser for November.

Here’s how this works:

Just head over the Carrie’s LipSense website where you can check out all the difference shades.  I love that she shows you 4 different women wearing the same shade.  Then place your order and 10% of your order will go towards our adoption expenses.  That’s it.  Crazy easy.

Bonus:  If you purchase one of their 4 brilliant reds, $5 will automatically go towards our adoption.

This fundraiser will run for the entire month of November so super fun Christmas shopping option.  And as always, please feel free to share.  The more the merrier as always.

Carrie’s site provides a ton of information about LipSense, but if you have any additional questions please feel free to contact her HERE.

(all images were provided by Carrie)

And thank you to all the ladies who came out to the free Bible journaling class and to Rebecca for coming out and bringing all her Noonday goodness yet again.  It was too fun.  Don’t forget, you can still place your Noonday Collection order online HERE and our family will receive 20% of your purchase.  Abby Brosche will be listed as your hostess.  The last day to order online is this Wednesday, November 9th.  I might have picked up another strand of paper bead garland from Uganda and some awesome teacher gifts.

Hope you guys enjoyed your weekend.  I have a feeling this week is going to be good.

Happy Monday!

I started feeling bad last week and just kept getting worse and worse despite doctor’s visits.  Momma’s cannot be sick you guys.  It was a major downer of a week.  Halloween is my favorite holiday and I was laid up in bed.  I missed Harper’s parent/kid soccer game.  I missed parent/teacher conferences.  I missed Solomon and Amon’s last baseball games.  I missed the Bellevue/Nashville home sale to help raise funds for our adoption expenses.  And my birthday was Wednesday so we postponed it because I was miserable…minus some pickle and salsa verde flowers from JK to help make my day.  Josh Kelley did what he always does and took over everything and attended all the events and played nurse and Mom along with his regular working Dad role.  He’s the freakin’ jam!!!!

Despite knowing in the grand scheme all of these things and events really aren’t that big of a deal, I cried a lot this week.  I can’t remember the last time I was so sick and felt so bad…coupled with feeling like I was missing out on everything.  I cry-babied it up pretty good.  I let so many plates quit spinning. I dropped so many balls.  At one point I told myself this was by far my most unproductive week ever!!!!  As you can see, I’m an OCD multitasker who often wraps my worth and value up in how much I can control and what all I cross off my to-do list.

But you know what, despite me personally feeling like this week was a loss, it really wasn’t.  I rested.  I was quiet.  I accepted my limitations and help.  I swallowed my pride, wore my pajamas like it was my job and handed over thing after thing after thing and everyone survived.  Not only did everyone survive, but they thrived.  They had fun.  They were loved on and cared for still.  And the world did not spin off it’s axis and crash into a galactic black hole.

I feel better today.  I actually do not feel like death and it has been an insane spirit lifter.  We had some movement in our paperwork for our newest little guy and I cried so hard, jumped up and down with the kids and acted like we were the ones who just won the World Series.  Go Kelleys!

This morning I made myself get up and exercise my body…although I almost had to ask Alissa for mouth-to-mouth.  Josh Kelley and I had a 8am date in the immigration office.  I put on normal clothes!!!!  I fixed my hair and applied makeup.  I did not get sick from my antibiotic because I have finally learned how to time my meds with food consumption.  Gah!  I ate lunch with the littles and I am actually blogging.  I love you guys…I missed you.  And tonight, well, Josh and I are going to give my birthday another go with a little dinner date that does not involve ramen noodles out of a cup.

Although it wasn’t what I would have picked to make me slow down, I’m so glad God slowed me down majorly this week.  It’s always good to have your pride checked at the door and remember the world still spins when your to-do list goes untouched.  I do not make this world go round, the Creator of the Universe does that and I’m so glad.  He’s clearly more qualified.

I’ll be back on Monday with a new fundraising opportunity.  So excited.  And hope to see lots of you at the free Bible journaling class and Noonday event this Sunday.  You can check out all the details HERE.

Happy Friday!

Hey guys, I will not be at the Bellevue/Nashville home sale tonight. I am still struggling to get past whatever funk has invaded my body.  I hate to miss out on such a fun night of Christmas shopping and supporting small business.  Locals, make sure you check it out.

Sunday’s FREE Bible journaling class and Noonday Collection show is still on.

Probably my shortest post ever, but currently I’m posted up on the couch watching cartoons and parenting/monitoring two littles via snacks and the occasional “stay out of my face” cuddles.  Being sick is for the freakin’ birds.

Here’s to tomorrow…already 🙂 and maybe a body that feels normal again.

Happy Thursday.

So some kind of sickness has got me all kinds of down and out.  It’s yet to even be correctly identified and I’m now on my second round of meds.  Whatever it is it’s kicking my butt big time.  All that to say, I’ll probably be more MIA this week.

I did want to stop in tonight and thank you guys so much for such an amazing 2 weeks of Socktober…actually it was a mere 13 days.  We are completely humbled and grateful for all your help and support.  We’ve got a big ole’ check headed towards our adoption expenses plus 142 pairs of warm winter socks for our local Room In The Inn ministry.  Just overwhelmed with gratefulness.  I know We Help Two would love to partner with more people looking to help raise funds for good things in this world so check them out and get in on this sock action.

Just a real genuine heads up, since this sickness is being crazy stubborn in kicking it, I’m unsure if I will make the fun Bellevue/Nashville shindig.  There will be several other great companies there though, so a great night of shopping small business.  I will post for sure or not if I will be there with goods as we move closer to Thursday.  Really hope I feel better…this sickness is for the birds.

And Sunday is the free Bible journaling class and Noonday Collection show at First United Methodist in Gallatin.  I am ridiculously excited about this event.  Pretty confident I will cry 34 times, give lots of hugs and then cry 7 more times.  Rebecca is coming out with her Noonday…she’s crazy kind…you will love her!!!  If you can’t make it to the class, but still want to grab some Noonday…think Christmas party people…you can order online HERE and 10% of your purchase will go towards our family’s adoption expenses. (Abby Broche will be listed as your hostess.)  It is November 1st which means we can officially talk about Christmas.  No joke, Josh Kelley is putting up Christmas lights this weekend…he’s a maniac.

Noonday has a killer SALE PAGE right now and again, don’t me started on their WINTER/HOLIDAY line!!!!

We have another fun fundraiser we’ll be sharing with you soon.

For now, this is all I’ve got.  I’m off to bed in hopes that the morning will bring a much better feeling self.

Happy Tuesday night!