Mom Heart Conference Here I Come

I just finished registering for the Mom Heart Conference in Dallas!  Im so excited an cannot wait to hit the road.  This event is put on by Whole Heart Ministries founded by Sally Clarkson (click here for her amazing blog) and her husband Clay.  Okay, for a little background...if you have never heard of these people before go to Amazon right now and order every single one of her books.  When you get to her books, you will see that every single on of them has a 5 star rating...and for a good reason.  She is an amazing wife, mother, and teacher to her children.  She has homeschooled all 4 of them for like 25 years and has only one lonely teenager left at home, yall she soooo gets it!


I began reading her books back in like 2005 when my girls were very young.  I was so inspired by her from the first line of the first book I read.  From then, I was hooked.  Some of her book titles are Seasons of a Mother's Heart, The Mission of Motherhood, The Ministry of Motherhood, The Mom Walk, and her brand new book releasing on January 19 Dancing with my Father...okay really do I need to say more??


She will be speaking in a few cities in the next month or so.  If you are near any of them I think that you would be blessed by what you will hear.  If by some chance you are going to the conference in Dallas, please let me know and lets make plans to meet.  I will be there with Kayce from Pastorette's Progress and we would LOVE to see you!!  By the way, this will be my very first time to ever leave my husband and kids to go anywhere.  I feel so sheltered, but I love it that way.  I am excited, nervous, scared, and anxious all at the same time.  I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store.


I told yall I had big plans for 2010..I quit school because of recess...because I don't play!


Keep warm yall and have a great weekend.

Raising Canes ~ Free Box Combo...WOW!

If you have a Raising Cane's anywhere even sort of close to you, I hope that you frequent it often.  If you don't...I'm so sorry!!  To me it is by far the best fast food restaurant there is.  My Baton Rouge Mommy just posted an offer for a FREE BOX COMBO when you sign up to be in the Caniac Club.  You can read all about it here, or just go to Raising Cane's and register for the club by clicking here and then clicking "sign up" at the top of the page.  It is self-explanatory from there and when its all done, a window will pop up with your special number.  Write it down and then go to "My Account" and you will get a page that says you have 1 box combo to redeem.  Print it, get in the car, and drive yourself to Raising Cane's pronto!


I see chicken fingers in my family's future tomorrow night!!



Enjoy and thanks to My Baton Rouge Mommy for keeping me up to date on all the good sales and freebies in Baton Rouge!!

100th Post and a new look!!

I'm so excited that this is my 100th post and have been working all morning to do the unthinkable.  I somehow created my very own blog background/header stuff.  How??  I have no idea, but as you can see the background part took a whole lotta skillz!!  And, with the help of some very smart folks like this and this...I have managed to pull it off.  I love it and am very proud of myself for figuring it all out, sort of...

Anyway, happy 100th post...I never thought that I would enjoy blogging as much as I do or that I would've "met" so many great gals that I could really be great friends with.  

...Now will someone please add graphic web designer to my resume...mmkkaayy thanks!!  

Welcome 2010...I have big plans for you

I am not a big resolution kind a gal.  Actually, I never make them because I know that I won't keep them.  But I do love fresh starts and new beginnings.  I love to see that blank calendar before me all ready to be filled in with goodness.  And I've got big plans for 2010.  2009 has left me in a funk.  Have you ever felt like you are just not you any more?  That is so where I am.  What happened to the me that had spunk, energy, motivation.   For the last several years I have just been feeling blah...like I am on the hamster wheel in Zhu Zhu land (which by the way are cheap junk...but don't tell my kids I said that).  I am naturally a creative person.  I am a scrap-a-holic, a craft junkie, and am completely obsessed with all things houses and decorating.  But somehow over the course of life I have lost my way.  I have turned in to someone I don't even recognize.  Someone who is stuck in the mundane routines of life, running on the hamster wheel, going nowhere fast. 

3 years ago I left my full time stay at home mom gig to pursue something for me...don't you love those statements that always bite ya in the rump?  I began a real estate career and was extremely successful.  I pounded the pavement, had a blackberry, great clothes, a date book (that I desperately needed to help me keep my head attached to my body), went to important sales meetings, and had many lunch dates.  To most people in the world...I had it all.  A successful career, a great family, a great home, everything.  


To me I was slipping away...some people say that women can have it all. I can't.  I was stuck in the moment and not being able to see the big picture at all.  Losing sight of who I was and what was important to me by the second.  The Kellye that was a full time stay at home, lounge pant wearing, car seat toting, wet wipe fanatic, schedule nazi...well she was all but gone.  


I didn't realize at the time how sacred the time raising my girls truly was.  How precious the opportunity was to be at home with them.  How priceless the bonding would be between us.  As they grew older, I began to wish the time away.  "Oh, I can't wait until she crawls, until she walks, is potty trained...sleeping through the night...not sucking a pacifier...front facing carseat...booster seat...kindergarten. And on and on.  Now my girls are 7 and 9 and I have hit all of the major milestones of childhood...we have permanent teeth, wear D.O. for our B.O. (when she remembers Lord help her), and can operate a microwave.  Now all there is to look forward to is BOYS, dating, cell phones, chat rooms, prom, cheerleading, driving a car and moving out.  Oh goodie!  I say all of that very sarcastically to make this point.  My life must go back to that place of priority.  God has put me on this planet as a wife to a wonderful man that I love more and more each day and to 2 precious girls that are on loan to me only for a very short time.  I must treasure these times, love to live in the moments and not resent the mundane routines, because those routines are what our families are based on.  They are what set the tone in our homes.  Those mundane routines are sacred and should be treated as such.  I must love my children where they are, not miss where they were or await where they are going.  There is so much to be done in so little time.
So far me in 2010 big changes are coming.  I have already retired from my real estate career and back home taking care of my family full time.  And I am determined 

that I am going to find myself again.  I'm going to prioritize, be intentional with my time, live with purpose, and find my creativity again.  I am very excited to get back to the me that I used to know...I really liked her. 

what brought all of this on?

Because during the holidays we did alot of this and it was wonderful...

and this...

...because its always fun to get together with old friends for no good reason.

And because family is the most important thing and 
by this time next year this picture will seem so far away.

And because I have the best friends in the whole world and 
I want to make time to enjoy them.

And because when you take time for life, you get to see this...

...and this

and even this...

...and you may catch a glimpse of the tetherball tournament going on
between daughter and dog.  The dog won...daughter says.


so how will i 
get it together again in 2010
 you ask?


I will purpose each and every day to make life beautiful...
the mundane, everyday boring routines are what make up life...
so lets make those beautiful too.


I will remember that "kids spell love...T-I-M-E."


I will give each and every day to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 
to do with me what He will.  I will allow Him to lead my path and stop trying to do this 
thing by myself.  And to rely on the Lord for his never ending grace and His 
absolute dedication to continue to meet me where I am.  To fill in the gaps for me
 when I fail.  To help me up when I fall.


And to get back to my creative ways...well, I had a little help with that....mmmkkkay!

You see my hubby took this $20 garage sale find...

and with this and his mad carpenter skills...

he turned this...

INTO THIS as a Christmas surprise for me!!!

And then he snuck this little darling in there too.

and this highly discounted Cricut (courtesy of Walmart day after Thanksgiving).



So I got the creativity part down.  Don't you worry about me!!


Happy New Year everyone!! And welcome 2010...I have big plans for you!!  Oh, and by the way...this is my 99th post...What can I do for my 100th!  Im so excited...any suggestions??