Weekend Bliss

 

May your weekend

 be filled with slow starts,

quiet moments,

and glimpses of glory.

May you linger long over ground beans,

 connect with those you hold dear,

& find a trail that leads to adventure.

May troubles and disappointments roll right off you.

May joy abide in you.

May peace be your companion.

May you savor the last full summer weekend

and linger in her fading light. 

Sweet blessings to you,

 my friend.

Ready or Not...

I am getting this post up a bit late

{what's new??}

but wanted to share with you our first-day-of-school photos

and

give you a little update.

And I also wanted to put this up

so that I could feel as though

I did something for me,

that I love 

and reminds me of my former life. :)

Goodness...

where has the time gone?

How are we headed to 

high school,

middle school,

AND elementary school this year?

Seems like just yesterday we were headed

out to MOPS 

and I was packing diapers and bottles

and double checking to make sure I had matching socks on.

No small feat in those early, sleep deprived days.

And now...

big kids.

And I truly love it.

The older they get, the more I enjoy them.

Yes, we have bumpy days and teary moments,

but by and large, they are becoming wonderful people

who I really like to spend time with.

Speaking of time,

adjusting to being a working mom has been challenging.

I have spent the last 16 years feathering my nest

and making sure home was a 

calm, clean, organized haven to come home to.

These days we leave by 7,

arrive home near 5,

and are out the door again for a 'Back-to-{fill in the blank} night.

I miss my kids,

I miss my cowboy,

I miss long walks with the dog.

I miss my measuring spoons - 

I miss being home.

I could go on and on but I might short out my keyboard

with exhausted tears.

While I desperately miss home,

I love my job.

I walked through the doors the other morning and worship music

 was blaring from the Worship Center,

people were gathering to pray

and peace reigned.

{AND  I get paid to be here??}

And just down the hall are roughly 300

middle schoolers who need to be loved on

and cared for and shown the right way to class.

They need copies of schedules,

and help with jammed lockers,

and maybe a kleenex or two.

{volleyball cuts were made today :( }

They need to know that someone is there to greet them

and say how glad they are to see them.

Bless their hearts,

 they are a mess!

Precious messes

 and I get to love on them 

and help them

 and love on their overwhelmed mamas, too.

{I can relate} 

Well, off to pack lunches and move laundry

 and maybe sneak a moment

or two with the cowboy

before it is time to start the whole thing over again!

Blessings,

{K} 

Post Olympic Goodness

The Olympics went out with a bang, no?

I've never been a big fan of

the closing ceremonies,

they are usually from a culture I cannot relate to or appreciate.

London's closing ceremonies weren't

an exception to all things of

Olympic wierdness,

but I reasoned that at least I could understand

the lyrics of the songs,

and therefore I liked them better than most others.

And speaking of music,

I was shocked to see the current state of George Michael.

Goodness,

time has not been good to that man.

VERY SAD.

While the Olympics were actually on,
 I was most interested in the swimming

and gymnastics, 

but definitely not the men's synchronized diving.
Synchronized diving??
Men's??

Really??  

When did that sad event become Olympic?

Have I been living under a rock?

Well,

at least I had my own little version of the Olympics around here.

I didn't have to pay out the wazz

for plane fare,

converge with thousands to get the best seat,

or

buy cheesy souvenirs that will collect dust

in a box for the next 30 years.

I had front row seats to the most exciting events and got some great shots

of my favorite athletes...

While there were no fancy prizes given out

{just cheers from mom and dad}

they're all gold medal winners in my book!

Blessings,
{K}

beauty {101}

7th grade starts in just a few days

&

I knew the question would be coming...

"Mom, do you think it would be ok if I wear make up this year?"

Her daddy and I talked it over

 {I knew it would take a bit of talking, he would keep her little her whole life if he could}

and we decided she was ready to dip her toes 

in the world of cosmetics.

Enter our morning at Sephora...

Oh, it's a world of all things colorful and fragrant

and right up her tween alley.

We had the greatest artist 

who totally understood

sweet, fresh, 

and clean.

We spent nearly an hour there

after her appointment

and took our time perusing 

the store for their suggested items.

We also came across a few other

great products that we couldn't add this time, 

but trust me, 

we'll be back!!

I am a complete sucker for 

amazing packaging

and Philosophy has some of the cutest things I've ever seen.

They even have a line called 'Amazing Grace'.

Gracie got the biggest grin on her face when she came across 

the whole line with her name plastered all over it.

We brought home a combo perfume/lip gloss from that line.

Of course we had to stop and have a bite to eat...

Mediterranean, our favorite!

I took the opportunity over lunch to talk about true beauty

and some of my own beauty tips.

I didn't want today to be just about her pretty face.

1.  SMILE!!

It's free - be generous

2. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

You can have a runway model with a frown and a bad attitude and she won't be all that stunning.

You can take a 'Plain Jane' with a cheerful heart

and a great smile, and suddenly she's gorgeous.

3. PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES

4. TRUE BEAUTY COMES FROM YOUR HEART

5. MAKE UP WON'T MAKE YOU BETTER - it only enhances what is already there

We also covered the other beauty basics:

You can never rink enough water,

exercise keeps you healthy and strong,

use spf {after 20-30 minutes to get your daily vitamin D and a little sunshine on your shoulders},

nails are important - learn how to give yourself a mani & a pedi

and so on and so forth.

We returned home to a dad who was all ears and eyes and a bit of humor too...

We had one of those days where I was so grateful

to only have one girl to focus on.

I think she was too, as this is what she spent her afternoon doing - 

A little middle school sass thrown in for good measure

She has thanked me at least ten times

and told me how much today meant to her.

I couldn't agree more.

Changes

I added this beautiful leather cuff bracelet

to my ever growing collection

earlier this summer.

{jewelry, it's an addiction I tell ya!}

I wish I could tell you where I found it

other than 'somewhere on etsy'.

I had been looking for just the right cuff with just the right

word/saying for months.

And then I landed on this one

and fell in love.

I don't know if you can fully

read it or not but it says,

"just when the caterpillar thought her world was over,

she became a butterfly."

It perfectly sums up where I believe I have

been for the last several months.

The Lord has been up to a mighty work in my life the last

few months, and I naively thought it was all about weight loss.

In February I committed to a healthier

lifestyle and gave weight loss a good try.

{I'm not known for sticking to my guns in this area}

I originally hoped to loose

20 pounds.

To date I have lost 30 pounds

 and have become a foodie and exercise junkie.

Who knew I had it in me??

Certainly not moi!

Then waaaay back in May

a job found me.

As I was walking in the cross walk.

To pick up my middle schooler.

Just crazy

as I had applied for a job at my kids' school months earlier

 and had resignedmyself to the fact that I wouldn't be working there

this coming school year.

I just wasn't in the cards, or so I thought.

Long story short, the principal

of the middle school grabbed me and told me I was an answer to prayer.

She wanted me to be a part of the middle school staff

and work in the front office.

All the pieces fell in to place

and I will be there this coming school year.

I am thrilled to have a job and yet conflicted at the same time.

For the last 15+ years I have been a stay at home mom.

And a very content, happy one at that!

I fully believe that having a parent who is 

passionate about home and being fully present in their role,

is the greatest gift a child can receive.

                           I have loved {almost} every minute of being at home with my kids.

LOVED IT!!

But it is time for me to leave home and supplement our income.

It is time to take the burden of raising a family
 on one paycheck

 off of my sweet man's shoulders.

He has been a trooper for so long

 and graciously

 allowed me to live out my dream of staying home with our kids.

Now it is his turn to live out his dream

of working for himself.

So this fall will be a crazy one for our family

as we all adjust to having a working mama.

I started work just yesterday

and bravely wore my cuff bracelet,

proudly telling my story to anyone who asks

about the engraving on it,

of how a gracious God has taken this caterpillar out of her

cocoon and readied her wings to fly.
My world isn't ending...
just beginning a new chapter.

His hand has been evident in every move that made this job

possible - in ways that I could never manipulate,

all the way down to the timing of cataract surgery

that allows me to really see my new computer screen

in my new office

at my new job.

30 lost pounds + clear vision + the perfect job

=

one butterfly ready to take off. 

I'm not sure how working full time will impact this blog.

That remains to be seen.

So we'll just take it one day at a time,

see how it goes

and give it my best shot.

Thank you all so much for hanging in there 

with me.

You all mean the world to me and I so appreciate

your stopping by to check in on me.

xo,

{K}

Belated Birthday Wishes and One Proud Mama

This is SO long overdue it is almost silly.

But it comes with the most sincere intentions 

and best wishes for your 14th birthday.

14.

You are an amazing 14 year old.

You very nearly stand  6' tall and are one of the kindest people I know.

You are ridiculously handsome,

{the above picture is testament to that!}

a terrific big brother,

a great runner,

an excellent student,

and you have more on the ball than most boys your age.

Indeed, dad and I are so blessed by you!

Now,

if you don't care to hear a proud mama go on and on, 

feel free to check out right here.

If you are up for it, then by all means,

continue on

{but you've been warned}

This past school year you graduated from 8th grade.

And, like most schools,

 there is an end-of-the-year awards ceremony.

This year you took home the top prize.

The most prestigious award.

And every bit of it was well deserved and hard earned.

This award highlighted:

academics

athletics

leadership

involvement

and

character.

It is voted on by all the school staff and administration and hands down,

 you were chosen as the 8th grade boy who stood out among his peers

on each of these criteria.

The award you were handed was called 'Most Christ Like'.

And in true Luke style,

you stepped up and received your award with humility,

embarrassed to have

 so much attention focused on you.

And I cried my eyes out. 

So proud of you,

so very proud of you.

High school starts in just a couple of short weeks

and you will be off on a new adventure.

A great adventure.

Continue on the path you are on. 

Stand tall and proud and rise above the crowd.

Serve as an example,

make good choices,

live out your convictions

and live filled with the holy spirit.

I love you, bud!

Happiest 14th birthday...

it's going to be a great year!

XO,

Mom

 

I Can See Clearly Now {almost!}

See this lovely bowl of summertime sweetness?

ME TOO!!!

Thank you all for your sweet, encouraging words and your prayers.

The Lord came through in a mighty way for me this morning

as I had the greatest peace about my eye surgery.

His faithfulness amazes and humbles me...

every time.

The surgery went well,

about 40 minutes 

{compared the the standard 10-15 minute cataract surgery}

It was comfortable, but not completely pain free.

That was to be expected, as the amount of work to do was huge.

But, tonight I am singing the praises of Valium

and one great God!

My first post-op visit was this afternoon and when the doc checked my vision

I could actually see!

My vision isn't quite clear,

and probably will take a few weeks to

come to a place of stability,

 but I can see faces and numbers and prints

and on and on!!

We are continuing to pray that my autoimmune system stays quiet

and won't perceive a threat in that eye and do a major

freak out in the form of swelling.

On a completely seperate, but kinda related note

the issues with Photobucket worked themselves out

and I can post some of my recent faves...

that I can actually see...

because God and Dr. Kumar are

 just. 

that. 

good.

feeling poorly

summer reading list... more on that later

football camp

THE best cookies... EVER!

more to come...

Thank you again for all your prayers!!

XO,

{K}