September 18, 2015 By 7 Comments

Handlettered And Things

You guys I am falling harder and harder for some hand lettering.  It’s challenging not only physically, but creatively too.  I practice a lot and still have quite a ways to go, but I so love it.  It makes my heart flutter and my mind race.  After practicing and getting ready to actually make that first permanent mark onto a canvas my heart races and my hands clam up.  I am literally the world’s biggest creative dork ever.  It’s so true.

A friend recently asked me to do some lettering for some shirts and it was like a giant compliment…she actually trusted me with this task…like thought I was capable of actually pulling it off…it made me giddy.  I’m crazy excited to see them in real life.

I’m still taking orders.  Shoot me a message HERE if you would like to place an order.  I have customers already thinking about Christmas.  Whoa!  I can’t believe we’re already nearing the end of 2015…crazy town.

Septmeber’s Bible journaling class officially got the boot 🙂  And that’s okay.  One thing I’m learning is to be okay with public “failure”.  September just wasn’t our month and that’s okay.  I’m still scheduling classes where I come to you…small groups, women’s events, parties, etc.  Let me know if you are interested.  All the money from these classes goes directly towards the Ngungwane playground fund.  And we’re still working towards an online class.  I promise I will let you know asap when we’re ready to go 🙂

The Ngungwane Playground Fund is still moving along.  Consider helping us spread the word or join in on the fundraising.  You can make a tax deductible donation HERE.  You can also help by purchasing the Ngungwane tee from Sasquatch Design Society.  And in October and November we’re going to be hosting Noonday Collection and Timbali Crafts parties…just in time for Christmas.  It’s going to be too fun!  Purchasing with a purpose at it’s finest.  I can’t wait.

And now wee ones are stirring, big kids need to be picked up and Sonic happy hour is calling our name.  Hope your weekend is amazing.  Soak it up.  Party on party people.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 7 Comments
April 3, 2015 By 4 Comments

A Rather Lengthy Final Call

**Along with 500 other random thoughts I’m writing today, this is also the final call for the Swaziland trip.  Come next week we are booking flights so we’ll be legit.  If you are wanting to join our team the time has officially come.  Speak now or forever hold your peace…or message me HERE

**I’ve been missing Florida and my Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom.  It’s easy to let the world melt away when we’re in their home and our feet in the sand.  Right before we left to drive home I noticed all our water bottles ready to go…I lined them up neatly.  Being a family of 7 has been crazy amazing and crazy hard.  Our time with our littlest is dwindling.  Her parents are working so hard and their hard work and love are paying off.  In one hand we hold joy for how God redeems & brings about hope and in the other hand we hold tears because we love this little girl and we love her family and it will all just be kind of hard.  Sigh.  We’re learning the ride of foster care.

**They received a prize at school for selling candy bars and then got it stuck in the corner of the wall.  They sure do fight hard, but they sure can work together and love hard too.  Being brothers and sisters is grand.

**Lots of sweet little boy pictures as of late.  They are wild and crazy and sweet and fierce and kind.  Geez.

**Order, orders and more orders.  4×12 canvas, name pillows, tooth pillows and key fobs, oh my!

**I visited Thistle Farms this week with a friend.  It about cracked my whole heart right open.  Love and community at it’s finest and rawest and realest.  If you have never heard of Thistle Farms or Magdalene please, oh please check them out.

“Magdalene is a residential program for women who have survived lives of prostitution, trafficking, addiction and life on the streets. Thistle Farms is our social enterprise.”

We got to sit in on their mid-week meeting and then have a tour.  It absolutely blew me away.  Afterwards I was able to learn more about some needs, so April’s Bible journaling class fees will go towards purchasing items to assemble welcome basics for the women entering the Magdalene house.  If you would like to attend the journaling class just send me a message HERE.

**And I have been ever so slowly making my way through Romans.  It totally had me stumped big time…why so many confusing words and concepts in Romans?!?!  I was limping my way through it at a snail pace…partly because I just didn’t understand like any of the words and the other part because after I realized I didn’t understand any of the words Satan used this to make me not want to open my Bible.  I don’t like not understanding.  I don’t like feeling intimidated or not good enough or not smart enough.

I have a lot of insecurities.  Every day I battle so many of them…I don’t feel like enough.  I feel left out and like an outsider.  I feel like I’m too weird or quirky.  I feel like I’m not pretty enough or how I think far too frequently about how my thighs smoosh together.  I feel easily judged and I judge too easily.  My house is dirty.  I eat my emotions.  My clothes are plain and simple.  I haven’t had my hair done in, hmmmm, I might be closing in on a year.  Geez.  I’m not business savy enough and I can’t make pretty dinners.  Most days I feel over my head…completely overwhelmed and unequipped…and full of anxiety.  I’m this big sinner who just messes up all the time and honestly, some days I just feel like too much of an outsider.

While I was in Florida, I told my Aunt Linda how I just did not understand Romans.  How I wasn’t getting it.  She then pulled out this lovely Message Bible with commentary and light broke through.  I loved every single bit of it.  Right there on the beach my big take away was we’re all a bunch of misfits, none of us good enough on our own, but God, well He’s the God of the insiders and outsiders and He’s going to use us and be mighty in us no matter how unequipped or too messy we feel.

Pieces of Romans from The Message:

“…became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.  When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do, but on what God said he would do.  He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.  The same gets said about us when we embrace and believe the one who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.  The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with Him.”

The hope in Christ is insanely wonderful.  He takes me when all I feel like is an insecure misfit…an insufficient sinner and says, “Hold up.  Wait a minute.  I have a plan and it’s good and brings Me glory.  I made a promise to finish you out to completion.  I have set you right.”

On this Good Friday I am so grateful I can plunge deep into God’s promise and come up strong because of a risen Savior.  God takes all my insecurities and makes me absolutely good enough, loved and cherished because of Jesus.  This is hope at it’s finest.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , 4 Comments
March 13, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Queen Of The Random

*It’s Friday.  Big kids have a sleepover tonight.  The 2 littles have an evening date with Big Daddy and Nene.  Josh Kelley and myself will be rocking on with Francis & Lisa Chan.  Then we’ll set up tables in our downstairs along with a whole slew of random chairs.

*Today I am making the following:  Gooey Butter Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies (Duh!), my Aunt Tootsie’s homemade chocolate sauce <—-it’s becoming an addiction and a bunch of key fobs.

*Yesterday was busy and I never made it to the store. Last night I went shopping alone from 9 to almost 11 at Target and Kroger. Swoon. I planned on getting popcorn and sharing with no one since I was alone, but when I checked out the concession stand was closed. I apparently was the last person in the store. They even turned the lights out.

*I got a lot of work done this week which was really nice and refreshing.  I’ve struggled with balancing the family growing to 7 along with work.  Completed and shipped orders makes me feel kind of proud.

*We talk about death probably a little too much around here.  My kids may be a little too comfortable with people dying.  While we were pulled over for a funeral processional the other day Hudson yelled from the back seat:  “Which car has the dead body?  Did we miss it already?”  Geez.  And then there was the following death deep thoughts before bed courtesy of Hudson:

Hudson: Would you be naked if you came out of your tomb?

Me:  Hmmmm, well I don’t know.

Hudson: Well, you’d definitely have some weird stuff on you.

It all makes perfect sense.  We’ll pay for therapy later 🙂

*And I’m having an April Bible journaling class!  Eeeek.  I’ll post all the details on Monday so check back if you are want to join in.  I’m still so excited.  Like a big kid.

Now I’m off to claim this day, fix 2 littles lunch and eat some cookie dough.

Have an awesome weekend.  Happiest of Fridays.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , Leave a Comment
February 6, 2015 By 3 Comments

Let’s See…

So officially there have been no random posts this week, so why let a week slip by without one!?!?!

Amon’s speech has come leaps and bounds lately.  It seems like everyday he is saying something new and coming up with these wonderful little sentences.  This morning as he looked me squarely in the eye he said, “Morrow I want a choc-kate donut…with pinkles.”  Translatioin: “Tomorrow I want a chocolate donut…with sprinkles.”  It was the cutest thing my ears have ever heard.

Josh Kelley and I don’t watch TV hardly ever.  Not that TV is bad or good or whatever, we just have zero time…and no cable…or netflix…or any of those other TVish services.  A few weeks ago he came home from the library with the first season of Sherlock.  And then the world began to spin out of control.  You guys, it’s so good.  Luckily there are only like 3 episodes for each season, but we’re binge watchers which may be worse…Or maybe better…I can’t quite decide.  For the first season we sat down on the couch after everything was done for the night…around 10pm and then we binged on all 3 episodes putting us going to bed in the AM hours.  So we still get all our stuff done we just forfeit sleep.  Who needs sleep anyways?!?!?  We just got season 3 yesterday from the library and I am fully prepared for those dark circles under my eyes to darken.

My bestest friend Ashley, who is a Noonday ambassador, is having a sample sale on her Facebook page HERE.  Everything is 50% off.  So many great items.  This is one of my favorite Noonday bracelets…I still wear it all the time…only $12.  What?!?!?!  Check her album out.  And if you can’t view it, just friend her so you can shop.

 We haven’t done birthday parties in several years.  We decided this year we’d do small parties for the kids again.  Solomon is typically very decided about what he wants when given a choice about something…never much wavering.  And then we told him he could have a small party and the dude just could not decide.  It was quite hilarious.  Finally he settled on a sleepover with 4 of his friends…well 5, if you count Hudson.  They are both over the moon excited.

We were at church a few weeks ago and they had a big sundae bar set up for everyone…ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, m&ms and cherries.  As Sol stepped up to the table to make his, he turned to me and said, “This is what I want for dessert at my party…but with brownies.”  Brownies in little jars are now awaiting their owners and their topping choices.

Our kids have been crazy about the frozen water in our wagon.  Every morning they all get dressed as quickly as possible and then spend the remaining time breaking all the ice.  Kids are so weird and extremely interesting to me.  Baseball bats take on many different roles around our house.  And Hudson’s face kills me as he stares all satisfied at his broken piece of ice.

And now I have to exit and make some homemade chocolate sauce.  It’s kind of the only way when you have 2 homemade recipes from by 2 of your aunts that are both equally delicious and it takes about no time at all.  Bring on the sundaes.

Hope your weekend is grand.  Enjoy it and thank you so much for reading!

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , 3 Comments
September 19, 2014 By 9 Comments

Too Many Thoughts, Not Enough Time

It’s Friday and I am crazy excited the weekend is here.  We have a very rare weekend lined up to celebrate Josh Kelley’s birthday.  I cannot wait.  I also have about 5 bazillion thoughts going through my head and heart today…and not just today, but this entire week has been so crazy thought swirling.  I’m not typically an emotional gal.  I take that back…I wasn’t before Mom died, then I got all crazy emotional about just about everything…I suppose death will do that…then I headed back to my more unemotional state. Clearly I thought you needed a little back story on my emotions.  Ha.  Anywho…this week I have been back on the tear train.  Case in point:  While walking at the park with a friend she told me a sweet story and I started to cry.  <—– that is not me.  I don’t cry while getting a power walk on, but alas there I was getting all teary.  So it’s been a weird week, but weird in a good way.

Today I’ve spent almost the whole day cleaning out our house again.  Purging and purging and purging.  Every week I feel God peeling away my fingers and loosening my grip and I’m pretty sure we’re keeping the thrift/help center shop down the street in business.  We’re on first name basis now.  We are loving our house and new school and really all my past small house frustrations were really heart problems.  Satan was feeding us lies…the world was chanting in our ears and he had us hook, line and sinker.  And then we started hearing God more clearly every day…I am enough.  The end.  So we’re resting in that.  He is enough.  He is all we really need.  Every week I take a sweep through our house and more stuff goes out the door and it’s incredibly freeing.  We are a work in progress always…we will never have it all right, but I am so glad God is working on us…together as a family.

On a completely different note…does anyone else like Luna bars????  These are a recent discovery of mine and I may have intense text sessions about the different flavors with my friend Merf, but Holy cow!  I love these.  If you know horrible things about them like that they are made of rat feces, please do not tell me.  I don’t want to know, but what I do want to do is make out with each flavor.  So flippin’ good.  They are suppose to be good for you, but I’m always a skeptic…crossing my fingers I’m wrong…and for no rat feces.

Oh and you’ll never guess what happened this morning which made me curse like a sailor!  You may remember we recently got a new couch and I put fierce rules into action about ZERO eating or drinking on it.  Like ZERO.  Like if I see you even lean against the new couch with a food or beverage item I will taser you.  It’s serious.  Well dang it all if Amon didn’t finish his yogurt, but secretly hold some in his mouth, then went and stood facing the couch and then sneezed blowing strawberry yogurt all over the couch.  WHO DOES THAT?????  He is the strangest child.  Why hold yogurt in your mouth…why not just swallow it.  He’s been doing this with some foods and water lately.  I don’t get it.  Our new couch officially has it’s first stain…and multiples because it was a legit sneeze.  Yogurt everywhere.  I’m still trying to work my stain remover magic, but it’s not looking good.

There were so many other things I was going to write today, but it’s already about time to get in the car rider line.  Last thing though, we are still working towards our 5K goal for the American Heart Association.  You guys have given so generously so far and we are almost to $1400.  If you would like to still donate please head over to Amon’s page and use the “give now” button to make your donation.  Also for donations of $15 or more I’m sending out “thank you” key fobs.  After you make your donation just GO HERE and send me a message with your name and mailing address.  I would love love love to send out more key fobs.  We have until October 4th so time is closing in.  And please feel free to share Amon’s page and his story.

Okay that’s it!  Short and sweet and random.  Here’s to a great weekend.  Hope everyone enjoys it.  And thank you guys for stopping by and reading.  You are crazy nice.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , 9 Comments
August 15, 2014 By 2 Comments

Friday’s Ramble

Amon and I just got home from dropping the big kids off at school.  So far we are loving our new school home.  God keeps confirming in our hearts this is in fact the place for us at this time.  We did have one minor set back in a not so kind worded lady in the lunchroom, but that’s life, so we’re all working through the drama.  A firm reminder to all of us how important our words are…once they have left our mouths we cannot take them back so will we choose to build people up or tear people down?!?!  A good reminder for all of us…children and parents alike.

With the absence of the big kids during our days the house is so quiet.  And honestly Amon is a little lonely.  He spends the first 10 minutes of our return home just wandering around asking where Harper, Hudson and Solomon are.  It’s adorable and pitiful all smashed together.

This morning I get to blog like this:

He misses them.

On the blog agenda for today is simply instagram pictures.  My mind is a little all over the place with a million and one thoughts, so I’m going mindless and simple for today.  Do you have instagram?  Want to follow along?  You can find me at pitterpatterart.

Side Note:   In the time I wrote the above paragraph Amon asked 10 times over, “Dat?” pointing to his own picture.  I replied answering each time the same, “That’s Amon.”  To which he replied with, “Ohhhhhhhh.”  Shocker.  End Side Note.

Okay, back to the task at hand.  Have you guys heard of ACuppaKim‘s mug swap?  If not, you’re missing out.  I didn’t sign up in time last year, so this year I was on it and made it in.  So excited.  I got my mug purchased along with some fun goodies to go with it, packaged and all mailed off this week.  Crossing all fingers and toes my mug makes it in one piece.  I bubble wrapped and added crinkle paper and wrote “fragile” 8 times around the box.  I’m a bit hopeful.

We’re a game family.  Our top games currently are Jenga, Uno, Mancala and Mr. Mouth.  Josh Kelley and myself may be accidentally passing on our competitive nature.

Anytime we have the opportunity to get together with our friends to celebrate anything with no children around is kind of a great night.  I love our kids and I love our friends kids, but I love when we get to talk and connect just us adults…even better as couples.  Last weekend we celebrated the soon arrival of baby Olive with a little couples dinner party.  Adults only.  It was straight up divine.  And our friends Jason and Jessica’s house is amazing!

Tall trees.  Comfy oversized quilt.  Ice cream cones.  And school talk.  Perfection of an afternoon.

These two are killing my heart lately with all their grown-upness.  They are my two most favorite 5-year-olds in all the world.

Have you seen the new Noonday fall line?  Wowzers.  Love it.  I now have a long list of purchases I will be needing to make.  If you want to order something head over to my best friend Ashley’s page and check out the new collection.  She is one rockin’ Noonday ambassador.

Also I’m having a Noonday party in September.  More details to come, but it’s going to be awesome.  Ashley’s driving in from Florida to host my party and is also hosting some more parties for other ladies while she’s in town.  If you’re a local Nashvillian and want to host a party where woman can purchase amazing goods to help empower woman around the world Ashley will be here the 2nd week in September.  Ashley is your girl.  The sweetest.  The nicest.  The most fun and sincere.  The best.  Or if you are a Floridian and want to host a party (depending on where you live in Florida) Ashley is your girl too.  The sweetest.  The nicest.  The most fun and sincere.  The best.  Do you feel the love I have for this lady?!?!?  Do you feel the love I have for this company?!?!?  They are both the real deal, super legit, total world changers.  Shoot her an email at ashleymills.noonday at gmail dot com if you are interested.

And oh the home changes and prep we have been doing around the Kelley casa.  We’re sitting tight, loving on our house and being open to whatever God has planned for us…all 6 of us.  I have had the greatest peace and assurance and have been frequenting Home Depot.  It’s my current home prep jam and the Kelley kids dig it too.

Hope everyone has a crazy good Friday and a wonderful weekend.  Enjoy it.  Peace out!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , 2 Comments
January 10, 2014 By 6 Comments

Photo Overload

Fridays are always good days.  Especially when you have 2 little boys who are wildly excited about having their first friend sleepover with them.  They are already making their game plan which has included playing war, playing with their guns and then setting up a war scene with all their army men.  I kind of see a pattern.  So, like I said, Fridays are always good days.

And now I present to you a crap ton of pictures.  Most are Instagram.  You can find me on Instagram at pitterpatterart.  I continue to urge Josh Kelley to join in on the fun, but he continues to deny.  He’s not such a social media lover like myself 🙂 but I digress.

Two of my goals for 2014 are to have more date nights with the mister and to give climbing a try.  So far we’ve had success.  And climbing is way too much fun.  Totally wish I’d given it a try already.  We’re on an every Thursday night schedule for January and it’s beyond lovely.

We welcomed the New Year in with sparklers and a movie…and in the same PJs all day.  We kind of went all out.  Can you tell?

Mancala is my fave.  My Aunt Linda taught me how to play when I was little and I played it over and over and over again every time we went to visit.  When we were there at Thanksgiving she taught Harper…and life came around full circle.  She even sent Harper home with her own set.  And now we play almost every night.  It’s kind of the greatest thing ever and it makes my heart all happy like.

These two almost everyday at some point take my mind far into the future when they are little old men together.  It’s the sweetest.

Remember out new curtains that are really a shower curtain cut in half?  Yeah, so they are not nearly as good as our other curtains when it comes to playing hide-n-seek.  Sol didn’t have a chance.

What?  You wanted to see more random sleeping Amon pictures?  Well you’ve come to the right place.  A long Target trip proved to be just what this little random sleeper needed.  None of my kids ever, ever, ever did this.

I was working on a blog post at like 9:00AMish and he crawled up in my lap face down.  Next thing I heard was snores.  He does sleep at night.  And he does take a nap.  I don’t get it or understand it, but it’s really the funniest thing.  You never know when he’s going to fall asleep.  It’s like an on going game.

And #nopantsforlife

Tomorrow is a big day.  Huddy and Sol got hair cuts last Saturday and tomorrow it’s Harper and Amon’s turn.  Amon’s first haircut.  Goh!!!!!  I’ve already packed one thousand dum-dum suckers to try and keep him semi un-crazy and still.  I called in a friend to take on this grand task.  I figure if it goes horribly wrong she will still love us.

I like to purge.  I want our house to only hold things we love or need.  Last night I told Josh Kelley I was feeling smothered and I needed to clean out.  He was not surprised.  I started with my shoes 🙂

She.Is.My.Sanity.  The. End.

Maybe not The.End The. End because she also makes to-do lists.  And includes getting dressed.  And I like that.  And I like her.  Now, The.End.  For realz.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , 6 Comments
October 18, 2013 By 4 Comments

9:12 am

It’s 9:12 am at the Kelley house and I’m rambling today…rambling like a fool.

*I may have, just maybe, fallen asleep on our couch for approximately 3 minutes and 14 seconds.  The boys were all sitting at our kitchen table playing play-doh…including Amon, who really just stands in a chair and looks around while throwing the cookie cutters all on the floor.  Huddy and Sol have been given strict instructions not to give him play-doh.  When I woke up startled like someone was about to murder me I quickly realized Amon had been eating this said play-doh.  How did I come to this conclusion, well A) I saw him shoveling the play-doh in his mouth, B) There was evidence on his face, particularly the corners of his mouth and C) Huddy said, “He’s been eating play-doh.”  Guilty.  Seriously guilty.  Apparently teal play-doh is super yummers.

It only took me 15 horribly blurry and fuzzy pictures to get these two.  I gave up.

*I keep forgetting to show you guys my new business card.  Dana over at Lifelines Designs does all my digital artwork for me…business and personal.  She’s done every one of my many business card designs, return labels, Facebook and blog buttons, gift card designs, etc  and she’s done tons of Christmas cards, birthday invites, Gotcha Day announcements, thank you notes, etc as well.  She is seriously the best…my total fave.  I trust her judgement and she makes things awesome and she’s fast.  Please check out her SHOP HERE and her FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.

Thank you Dana…as always, you are simply greatness.

*Last night I searched Etsy for waaaaay too long looking for Amon a cute banana shirt.  It’s lame, I know, but he digs bananas so very very much.  No luck.  Still searching.

*I bought ingredients for Bunny’s Cake.  Unfortunately it’s for a family and not us.  I kind of want to make one now for us and then re-buy the ingredients and make another one for next Friday.  Bunny’s Cake is magical and it makes me think of Mom and all my aunts. You should really just go ahead and make it…then proceed to send me email after email after email telling me how happy you are I shared this recipe with you and how it changed your life and how you think it’s kind of like manna from heaven.  Although my brother Chris would argue and say manna is really more like angel food cake, but I digress.  Make Bunny’s Cake and you can just thank me later.

*Speaking of cooking…even though I am normally really terrible at it…baking and cooking are different in my personal opionion…I made this Slow-Baked Mac & Cheese and yeah, ummmm, it’s totally delicious.  Amon ate it like he eats bananas.  We are actually not a big mac & cheese family…not for any particular reason, just none of us have ever been big fans…some of us have texture issues…but this stuff was amazing.

*I’m preparing to leave for Swaziland soon.  I am insanely excited/kind of freaked.  I’m traveling alone…and that makes me a tad nervous.  The team I’m meeting up with I do not know and I just found out I’m the only girl on the trip.  Just little things, but I’m excited and I know this is where God has put me and lead my heart.  I know it.  Several of you have asked about sending donations with me which is incredibly sweet.  I have quite the list, but the major thing our carepoint needs right now as far as supplies is pencils.  Lots and lots of pencils.  When it was asked how many to bring, they said as many as you can.  So if you would like to send something to Swaziland for these amazing kiddos, pencils are a grand idea.  Shoot me a message and I’ll let you know where to send them.

Oriental Trading got quite the hit up…not all pencils, but bubble wands and wooden Christmas ornaments and bead necklace kits too.  My agenda for the trip is literally to meet families and hang out with the carepoint kids all day long.  I’ll also be learning new ways to come along side these incredible brothers and sisters in Christ.  I’m over the moon about what God may have in store.

And now it’s 10 am.  Why yes it did take me 48 minutes to right this little post.  It quite possibly could be because I have had to stop a million times and pull Amon down from the table, stop him from turning the bathwater on (a new little lovely trick which I loathe), out of the toilet, out of the laundry room and get him out of the laundry basket which he got himself trapped in.  So maybe it wasn’t a million, but somedays it sure does feel like it.  Glad it’s Friday.  Peace out.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , 4 Comments
Next Page »