Archives for March 2019

I love to share things I really legit love.  I’m not a sponsored blogger so if I share something on here you can bank on me actually using, eating, loving, etc it.  I only share things I really really enjoy.  I haven’t done a favorites post lately so thought this would be fun.

1.  The Pied Piper Creamery:  I adore ice-cream.  It’s easily one of my most favorite treats to eat.  The Pied Piper Creamery is a local ice-cream shop in Nashville.  They make all their ice creams in house and they are phenomenal.  I will never forget the first time I went YEARS ago.  My friend Alissa insisted we go and it was fantastic.  The shop is right down the street from Harper’s middle school and our kids freak when randomly I surprise them with ice-cream after school.  My favorite flavor consists of vanilla ice-cream and chunks of Twix, Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, Snickers, M&Ms and Reece’s Pieces.  Yeah, it’s amazing!!!!!!!!  Hudson steers clear of dairy, but he loves their fruity sorbets.

2.  Twin Snakes:  These have been an on going candy obsession in our house for a while now.  Every single person LOVES them and I gift them to people all the time because they are so good.  One gummy snake is sweet flavored and the other is sour.  It’s the perfect combo and with flavors like blueberry & blackcurrant they are just so freakin’ tasty.  We get them at Target, Kroger and Walmart.

^ Harper tore her snakes apart and rainbowtized them. ^

3.  Thieves Laundry Soap:  I have always been very anti oils because I just thought there is no way they are really this cure-all people claim them to be.  About 6 months after Everett died I was desperate to try and lift the mood in our house.  DESPERATE, I tell you.  I ordered an oil kit and the rest is kind of history.  I still don’t think they are a cure-all…no way…but I have seen the positive affects of certain oils on our family.  I also don’t believe every oil works on every person.  Lavender didn’t help Amon or Leo sleep, but cedarwood was a different story.  Anyways, I still have meds on hand, but understand oils are just another tool in my toolbox.  So to cut to it I got a free container of Thieves Laundry Soap and I LOVE IT!!!!  I really didn’t think I’d like it better than the homemade kind I’ve been using, but after 2 weeks of laundry and 4 cases of the flu I’m sold.  I also diluted the original bottle turning 1 bottle into 3 so I’m anxious to see how long it lasts because as a family of 9 we do a ton of laundry.  I’ll keep you posted.

4.  Tiny Teardrop Cut Out Necklace:  You know I’m a Bottle of Tears fan…and a Lindsey fan…and when this showed up in our mailbox I gasped.  I LOVE IT!!!  Like haven’t taken it off since I received it.  Lindsey’s entire shop is insanely beautiful and makes walking with your hurting, grieving and sad people easy when you feel like you have no clue what to do.

5.  Advocate Like A Mother Tee:  Littlest Warrior is another awesome shop on the inter webs.  I love their IG and their podcast as well.  As a mom of 3 special needs kiddos their content is helpful and encouraging and a reminder we are not alone.  Josh Kelley got me their “Advocate like a mother” tee for my birthday and it’s perfection.  I wear it all the time!!!

 6.  Five Point Pizza:  If you are from Nashville or ever in Nashville please eat Five Points Pizza.  It is hands down our favorite pizza in Nashville.  Favorite, favorite, favorite.  The slices are huge!  Their lunch specials are killer!  Their Mediterranean salad is crazy good!  Their garlic knots…I can’t even!  And they bring the kids pizza dough to play with while we wait for our food!  Just the best pizza in Nashville.

7.  Not having the flu:  In our house anymore. 🙂

8.  And Five Daughter’s Maple Glaze Cronut:  This is not your average donut and therefore it does not have your average price tag.  Definitely a special splurge, but Five Daughter’s maple glaze cronut…croissant + donut…is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.  It’s true.  And while I’m at it let me just go ahead and say their Purist, Chocolate Sea Salt and Vanilla Cream are on that list as well, but if I had to, had to, had to pick just one it would be the maple.  Absolutely outstanding delicious treats and now it’s all I can think about.

Winter turned the big 5 at the end of February and I’m just now getting around to documenting it.  Life has been crazy town with a whole bunch of sickness coupled with spring break.  We are all pretty thrilled school starts back today and we can settle back into our normal routine.

Winter turning five felt important and big and special.  We’ve celebrated every birthday with her, but this one was her first as a legal Kelley.  As always we let the birthday kid take the reigns and plan away.  I love letting their minds and imaginations run wild dreaming up their perfect day and Winter did not disappoint.  She has been making birthday requests for at least the last 6 months.  It became an on going joke among our family how Winter was making yet another birthday plan and we were all anxious to see what would make the final cut on her actual birthday.  Josh Kelley and I started taking bets. 🙂

The basics she covered quickly…donuts for breakfast, pizza for lunch and Arbys for dinner.  She was very excited about our new confetti cannon tradition, but we wouldn’t tell her when it would happen.  As soon as she blew out her candles that morning Josh shot it off and it was hysterical.  She didn’t see it coming at all.  We also brought back our birthday door tradition just for Winter.  A rainbow streamer door greeted her first thing on her birthday morning.

The details were much harder for her to nail down.  She chose 1000 different birthday party themes.  Several months ago I bought her a cute brown skinned mermaid at Target and she was smitten.  She’s never seen The Little Mermaid, but it was instant love with this mermaid.  Representation matters and Winter is the perfect example of why.  She notices skin color and hair color all the time.  When she sees a doll or toy or book that reflects her she always tells me in an excited tone, “They have brown skin just like me.”  She notices and I always want to make sure she finds herself in books and movies and toys and in her surroundings and everywhere.  All thanks to that beautiful brown skinned mermaid doll she finally decided on a mermaid party.

I wanted mermaid party supplies that reflected Winter too.  I was bummed to search and search the internet to find very little available.  And then Target went and did it again making the sweetest mermaid party supplies with a brown skinned mermaid.  Winter went crazy upon seeing the fun supplies.  We had a big mermaid balloon too, but it popped before it made it home.  Alas.

Our family gathered along with one of Winter’s favorite neighborhood friends and celebrated our girl.  Her birthmom was unable to make it this year, but we facetimed with her later and Winter spared her no detail and showed her all the fun things she was gifted.

There was pizza and veggies and fruit and candy and cookies and funfetti cake and ice-cream.  She opened presents and played her heart out.  All the laughter and all the fun.  And Josh Kelley stealthfully snuck another confetti cannon into the kitchen and when we finished singing happy birthday to Winter in our dining room he shot it off again scaring most of the adults and a good chunk of the children nearly to death.  I laughed so hard I cried.  He is my favorite dad around.

She was celebrated so well by all those who love her.  Despite yucky rainy weather our people showed up to love on our girl.  And she felt it.  One of Winter’s love languages is time and touch.  Her love tank was filled right up with all the time spent with her and all the snuggles and hugs she received.

For a special birthday snack for her class she asked for chocolate cupcakes and mermaid tale rings.  Thank you Amazon for always having those semi quirky items.  Mermaid tale rings it was.  Anything for the birthday girl.

After everyone left she played with all her fun new toys and we got Arbys for dinner.  As we all ate together Winter found a fry that looked just like a lower case “e” and we all breathed in a deep breath and talked about Everett.  No matter the occasion…no matter how joyful the day is…we are carrying him, missing him and longing for him.  Our grief is always there…maybe not at the forefront of every single special day, but at some point on these extra important days it will come out and we will all recognize it…see it…affirm it in each other.  No matter how alone we feel in our grief some days, we always know we understand each other in our little family.  “Me too.” is exchanged a lot among us and our sadness.

This kid.  I just don’t have all the words for her.  She is the fiercest child I have ever met.  She is strong and fiery and the most loving all rolled into one little human body.  She has experienced so much loss and heartache and yet lends her love to anyone who needs it.  She is loved by so many and I know some of the best parts of her come straight from her beautiful birthparents.  She lacks zero in the self-confidence department and I adore that about her.  She is beautiful and tough and she believes this about herself…I hope she never loses that.  Winter went and made our family better…yet again.

Gosh, we just love her to absolute pieces.  We celebrated the heck out of this kid because she is worth every ounce of celebrating.  Happy 5th birthday Winter Lee!  Thank you for making us the luckiest.

1. Valentines has come and gone, but it’s always one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with the kids.  I actually got a stomach bug on Valentines Day this year…come on…nothing’s sexier than puking your guts up for 12 hours straight.  I had planned a fun celebration before I got hit with the bug so Josh Kelley and the kids enjoyed their heart shaped pizza, fun brightly colored bottled sodas and angel food cake with strawberries, whipped cream and heart sprinkles while I stared on in straight jealousy.  I was crazy bummed to miss out.

Every Valentine’s Day I give the kids the same thing…books and beans.  Josh gets them something on his own…usually fun candy and cards.  They love it and I always have fun picking out books for each of them.  This year every book was a hit.  Must reads!!!!!!

My Heart

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop

True Colors

The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade

The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

2.  Leah, Ashley, Alissa and I also went out the weekend before Valentines for RosePepper’s Galentine’s special…chips, salsa & quesso, a ton of tacos and two pictures of margaritas.  It was Sunday night dinner perfection.  We hit up Jeni’s Ice-cream afterwards too and all was right in the world.  Leah and Alissa are the queens of finding amazing food options and deals…Ashley and I are just along for the ride. 🙂

 3.  If you have not read The Hate U Give I cannot recommend it enough.  I feel like it should be required reading for everyone in middle/high school and all adults.  Such an important piece of literature.  Harper is almost done with it and she has deeply enjoyed the read as well.  It has spurred on many good, much needed conversations.  Author Angie Thomas recently released her second book On The Come Up and came to Nashville on her book tour.  Jen, Campbell, Harper and I snagged up tickets and made it a night out.  We got dinner at The Nashville Farmer’s Market and then headed to hear Angie speak at The War Memorial.

It was so good.  Angie was incredible and bold and honest and I filled a piece of paper in the dark with her words.  Two things she said that struck my heart the hardest:

“There are more books published with animals and trucks as the main character than black kids.  That’s not okay.”

and

“Racism is not an issue for black people to fix because we didn’t create it.”

For me as a white privileged woman, listening and learning from other races, identities and cultures is key.  I will never ever come close to understanding the depth and magnitude of how racism impacted and still impacts others’ lives.  I have immense privilege and I know there is so much work to be done.

4.  Our local elementary school participates in Jump Rope for Heart each February.  As mom to 3 heart warriors, it’s easily one of my most favorite things they do.  Every single year I walk into their gym and want to burst into tears immediately if not sooner.  I always cry watching Amon jump his sweet little heart out.  He feels so seen and recognized because he understands what this is about…his heart & his brothers’ hearts and the research that has changed and will change so much for them.  This year when I left with Leo in my arms, I felt Everett’s absence so heavily.  I was grateful for my role as their mom.  I was a puddle over the way each of my heart boys love.  I was ready for some chocolate and a nap.

5.  I look for pieces of Everett everywhere.  Basically I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for rainbows and hearts and so are our kiddos.  We are not a “Don’t mix the play-doh” kind of family..far too tired for that battle…so when I came upon this giant beautifully mixed rainbow play-dohness I

1) Though of sweet Everett and how he should be playing here with us

and 2) How I’m glad were cool with the mixing of dohs. 🙂

Aunt Jen’s Valentines ^ …swoon

Amon’s waffles ^

Harper’s strawberry slice ^

6.  My girls.  Gosh, do I ever like them.  They are too much fun and a lot of sweet and spicy.  They fight hard and love harder.  Winter knows exactly what to do to push Harper’s buttons and half the time Harper falls for it completely.  Harper also tells her almost daily, “You’re my girl.” and Winter smiles the biggest googly eyed smile back.  They make this family even better.

7.  My new most favorite oil blend.  Smells like straight up spring and I’m 100% here for it.

And 8.  Leo sleeping, Leo in his face masks and Leo in surgical gloves will never ever ever get old.  It just won’t.  It’ can’t.  Leo for president!

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