Where I've been

I have been slightly overwhelmed by events as of late and thus somewhat paralyzed when it comes to my blog and Face book. I am so grateful for my new job and receive it as a gift from God's hand, yet I also find myself in the middle of a whole new set of major transitions...

For those of you who don't know, I will be working for a speech, language, and learning clinic in Dallas as a Speech Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) specifically in home health speech therapy for low-income Spanish speaking families. I am working on my Spanish and thrilled to be doing what I went to college to do!

On the flip-side of this, I am sending all three of my children to school on Monday for the first time and trying to make sense of my current and transitioning role as Mom, wife, and full-time speech therapist. I am having a hard time falling asleep due to the swirling responsibilities in my head and my tendency to "have to have it all figured out NOW!" I sway toward the "more intense than I need to be" side of things anyway, and I want to let it go...

Because the reality is, God has blown me away with an amazing job and will equip me moment by moment. I know that as I walk this path, He will illuminate the next step, and I will learn how to do this "new normal" in increments and with practice. That's where I've been lately.

Some quick updates I'll post on FB too:

Waiting for the Back to School parade through our neighborhood put on by all of the teachers at our elementary school.

At Emma's Back to School Party today... We made earrings, and beaded bookmarks, ate pizza, and decorated our own cupcakes.

Electric guitars, dogs, and hair

O.K., a lot seems to be going on all at once - this is a quick sum up...


Abby is now a teenager! She hit the thirteen mark last week, and all she wanted was an electric guitar. Much of her family pitched in to her already saved up money and... TA DA!





Truly, this is a gift from the Lord who delights in His children. It was an AMAZING deal on a very gently used guitar the band members from our church said was a great one (and NOT one we'd be able to find at her price point). She has become quite the guitar player, and we are so happy for her .



We have a wonderful new doggie which we also gratefully acknowledge as a gift from God. We have a beautiful, gentle 2 1/2 year old English Springer Spaniel named Shawnee that was given to us. She loves all of us and is pretty near perfect!





Abby and Emma, believe it or not, had their very first professionally-done haircut today! I've always cut it, and this is way better...






And here is sweet Grace working hard on a nature drawing of the flowers on our front porch.

O, and I am hoping to land a teaching or speech therapy job in the fall. We'll see how all of that goes, but I'm currently taking classes in an alternative certification program for Early Childhood through 4th grade with ESL and applying to all of the area public school districts. I'll keep you posted...


Emma and I head to camp next week - Emma as a camper and me as a counselor - Firsts for both of us. Should be exciting!

Cow Appreciation Day

For all of those within my readership who are not fortunate enough to live near a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, I am so sorry. We are seriously celebrating living back in the land of Chick-Fil-A (the home of the original chicken sandwich), and today was quite the party. Today, you see, is Cow Appreciation Day at your local Chick-Fil-A. If you walk into a Chick-Fil-A restaurant in a cow costume you made yourself, you will receive a free combo meal of your choice.

Vibe, the jr. high youth group at our church, had a cow-costume-making-party on Wed. before youth group started, and they met at a local mall all decked out in their costumes today for the big event. Yes, Grace and I had to participate too, because the #1 combo is so worth it!

Watchersee Glasses

IF NO ONE IS READING THIS, I TOTALLY DESERVE IT!

I would have given up on me too, if I were you. BUT if you are reading this, you are certainly SOMEBODY and I thank you for your commitment.

Abby has been at her first ever youth camp (first ever anykindacamp other than hanging out with the fam while her dad has been camp speaker) this week. She's coming home tomorrow night, and we can't wait to see her. She's been gone since early Sunday morning, and I know she's had an amazing time; I just can't wait to hear about it.

Sweet Emma has missed her sister terribly (which I LOVE) and has planned a whole big party for Abby's homecoming. She has totally taken this on herself and spent her days planning, making a shopping list, creating decorations, centerpieces, planning the menu, and tomorrow she'll be making dinner and dessert.

And Grace is learning to swim! She's swimming back and forth between me, Emma, and Greg with no floatie at all and doing a fabulous job. I breathe such a huge sigh of relief once a child of mine can read and swim. We are so gettin' there!

Quote of the day from Grace this morning while cutting paper with scissors:

"I'm going to make some watchersee glasses with bender sticks on them."

Love it.

How many minutes of fame?

O.K., so I am practically famous - and I'm feeling pretty excited about it!

The truth is we have introduced 5 new blends on our website (as of this morning), including Sunshiney Day, and Greg wrote a website blog post about them - and well, I'm in it. Yep, I am pretty excited.

And, for any of you who know my Dad, he is the one who turned our amazing blends into accessible products on our website. He did an awesome job (and it was a lot of work)! Thanks, Dad.

Check it out; I know you'll love the blends; tell us what you think!

Top Picks

KELLY'S TOP RANDOM PICKS:

Creative inspiration - Soulemama blog at http://www.soulemama.typepad.com/ I love this blog; just check it out and see if this woman's creativity and authenticity doesn't inspire you to look at the world a little more artfully. My sister first told me about this, and an artist I've recently learned about also links to it.

Thought provoking artspeak - David Taylor's blog (someone we met in college and is now a sought after conference and retreat speaker and writer on Christianity and the arts) http://artspastor.blogspot.com/ His wife Phaedra (an artist) has an excellent blog also http://phaedrajeanartmachine.blogspot.com/

Morning Devotional/Prayer book - Face to Face Volume One Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship by Kenneth Boa. There are so many nuggets in here, especially for those desert times when intimate worship is hard to find. I have found this book completely refreshing when everything is swirling around me.

Coffee - My current favorite Mark's Brothers Big World Coffee is our new Sunshiney Day Blend. It makes me happy. We don't have it launched on the web yet, but you can let us know via email on our website (or just plain email), if you'd like to order some. It is fabulous according to me.

Church - Okay, I know everybody loves their own church, but I really love ours -Chase Oaks Church. It has been a wonderful place to call home since moving here to the Dallas area. Today's message was powerful, and I highly recommend it if you have a little time. Several of our pastors and others just returned from a trip to Ethiopia, and I think you will be more than inspired by their story... http://www.chaseoaks.org/whats-happening/sermon-series/

Wrinkle Cream - Hey, "random" is right in the title. I'm really excited about my new wrinkle cream, because it's working really well and it didn't break the bank. Every person I've asked if I look 23 has said, "Sure" or "yes," so there you have it, pretty amazing. I bought it on my mom's recommendation; thanks, Mom. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream spf 15

Time of Day - evening when the sun and shadows dance beautifully between 7-8:30. Get out of the house during that time and watch while you go for a walk or jog. Be amazed at creation and let yourself be nurtured by it. That's what happens to me, anyway.

Thanks for indulging me, Happy New Week!

Girls Night Out

Emma and I just returned home from a stellar Half Price Books outing. Emma's reading teacher (whom we love) gave her a $10 gift card to Half Price Books to buy books to add to her classroom library.

What a cool thing to do.

In fact, Mrs. Parsons will do that for any child in her class who brings a note from their parent saying "I would love to go to Half Price Books and buy books for you."

We had a blast picking out some faves and finding the best deals possible. We bought SIX wonderful books in great condition for $9.33.

Here's our list:
A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

We both left on a treasure hunt, bargain book finding high - all giggly and proud of ourselves.
Thanks, Mrs. Parsons.