It's Me Kelli!

It's time to get this blog back in action!

What better way to get things going again than to talk about...well, ME!  I thought I'd share some random facts about me for any newbies or for those who would like a refresher :)

First and foremost and am a child of God, wife to my best friend Rondell, mother to Jamison and Caleb, daughter, sister, friend...  I work in my local municipal court as a secretary and love to make cards in my spare time.  I also love YELLOW, pens, notebooks, and anything to do with organizing (though I'm still very much a work in progress).

I love pizza...like LOVE pizza.  I would eat it everyday if I could...though I will say not all pizza is created equal.

At night I have to sleep with my socks off.  I've tried to sleep with them on and I just can't do it.

I am my mother's only child, but I have a brother and a sister from my dad & Renee (stepmom)...it's like the best of both worlds :)

I constantly leave cabinet doors open and it drives Rondell crazy.  I don't know why I do it.  I have to consciously think about closing them.

I cut off all of my hair after I had Caleb...because really, there's just not enough time in the morning.  I don't regret the decision.

I'm neither an early bird or a night owl...though I will say I do prefer the quiet of the morning.  But I like to sleep in and on more nights than not I am asleep by 10:00...unless I'm sucked into a good Words With Friends match.

I have met some of the coolest people on this blogging journey :)

I will take an ice cold Coca Cola over a glass of wine any day!

I don't like to shop...are you still there?  I like cute things, but when it comes to shopping I lose interesting.  Typically if I find a shirt that I like I buy it in a few colors.

I like to be outside, but I'm not outdoorsy.  Vivienne always makes camping look cook, but I just don't think I could do it.

I have to have a cup of ice water on my nightstand when I go to bed.

And when I go to bed I typically look through the guide on the TV for a show that I'd like to watch, but then 9 times out of 10 don't even end up watching it because I fall asleep.

I get excited when I see pictures of people's Bibles that are written in and loved over.  Gives me chills each and every time.

I also want to be baptized again.

I want to learn to can, and sew, and french braid.

I love being a mom and wish often that I was able to stay home with them.

I once swam with a dolphin during my first visit to my now favorite place...Destin (pictures coming this week from our recent trip!)

I love pizza...did I say that already?

That's me...in a nut shell.  Anything else you wanna know?

Come Visit...

I'm over here today...

My New & Improved Yard!!!

I love a well-maintained home.  I don't need to have anything fancy or something so elaborate, but when we do things to maintain our home it just gives me the warm and fuzzies.

While we were in Florida we had two major projects done at our house...we had a new driveway and walkway put in and we had someone come and Spring Clean our yard.

We have had plans for over a year to have our driveway redone because it was broken and had started to sink a little lot.  We had to gun it to get into the garage because of the bump that was created from the driveway sinking.  We also needed to have our walkway redone because it had also sunk.  Luckily, Rondell's uncle does this type of work and he was able to do it for a reasonable fee :)

Another thing we pondered this year was to have someone come to our house and Spring Clean our yard...rake really well, edge the beds, and clean up the weeds.  I just happened to mention this to my neighbor Lyndall who then told me that she does just that!  She agreed to work on our yard while we were gone...what a blessing.

I have talked about what my yard used to look like here.  Over the years we have tried to keep up with the yard and we have done a descent job, but we were ready to take it up a notch...and take it up a notch she did!!!  Just look:

 She edged...she mowed...she weeded...she mulched...we love her!  Here you can also see the new walkway and part of the driveway.  

Here's a before shot.  You can see the how the walkway is lower than it should be and that caused people to have to take an extra big step to get up onto our porch.  You can kind of see the driveway and how cracked it was...we were always afraid that someone was going to fall (I actually did a few times).

 Another shot of her edging and mulching work.  You can also see where our driveway now properly meets the garage...no more bumps before pulling in (which we are still kind of trying to get used to).  Also, the bare flower bed used to be the home of a HUGE hosta that Lyndall divided and put in the back (you'll see that in a sec!)

 Look at that beautiful smooth driveway!  Disregard that it's time to mow :) 

She made a much more defined space around our mailbox post...something my mom was going to do this year.

More great edging!  This area is on the corner of the house.

 I once did a post here about how the side of our house was overgrown with weeds and bushes.

 Now it looks like this.  Lyndall cut down a ton of bushes that we had growing on the side of the house.  It looks SO much better now and it's a little lighter in the basement because there aren't any bushes blocking the windows.

 She had to put down some grass seed in front of this bed because the grass was dead due to the overgrown bushes.

 She edged behind our deck and cleaned up my decorative grass (I'm not sure the proper name...brown thumb!)

 She did an amazing job behind our garage.  It was covered in weeds and just needed some edging and TLC.  She turned over the soil, edged and mulched...and this is where she put the divided hosta the used to be in the front.

This part made me gasp and almost brought a tear.  She landscaped this area that simply looked pitiful before.  Now it has definition and looks absolutely gorgeous!

So there you have it...my new and improved yard that I'm just in love with.  It is so refreshing to have some things checked off of the To Do list.

I am grateful for Lyndall and Uncle Larry for all of their hard work!

Now I just have to decide what flowers to buy :)

April Instagram Photo A Day

First, I just have to tel you how excited I am that I was able to create a collage!!!  I used Picasa and it was a bit time consuming & it's not perfect but I'm so proud of it.

Second, I'm so excited that my friend Amy told me about this Instagram Photo Challenge.  It was a lot of fun to capture these little moments (and give into my obsession with Instagram!).

Third, ENJOY!

1. In my kitchen. 2. I love colored pens. 3. Cards I need to send. 4. I love this girl. 5. My tiny devotional...I bought a few for some friends. 6. My traditional Good Friday fish lunch with my mom that I forgot to take a picture of...these were the condiments. 7. Checking out my yard. 8. Gift card from a sweet friend. 9. People say she looks like me. 10. Cold outside. 11. The plate from my morning bagel. 12. Bath time. 13. Found some extra change in my desk drawer. 14. Feeling gloomy. 15. Not-so-good sunset shot. 16. My favorite - sunflowers. 17. Blah...Diet Coke. 18. Look at all that hair! 19. Post it. 20. It's supposed to be 'ringtone' - love Draw Something! 21. Sun tan lotion for Florida. 22. Snacks and supplies for the trip. 23. Caleb's idea of veggies - "it has corn in the name Mom." 24. My friend fixed my swimsuit for me :) 25. Checking out the prep for our new sidewalk. 26. Gray skies. 27. Destin, Florida. 28. At the pool. 29. Mmmm, burgers. 30. A little bummed from reading The Hunger Games.

Stay tuned for May...

Where Have I Been?

Here:

We have been on vacation for the last ten days (and preparing for vacation before that)...in our Happy Place...DESTIN!

I debated about whether or not to blog while on vacation and decided just to sit back and enjoy the time with my family.  I did take quite a few pictures and uploaded a few to Instagram, but for the most part I was computer-free.  I did get a chance to catch up on over a week's worth of blogs last night (though I didn't leave comments...sorry!).  I was up until after 1 a.m., which for me is VERY late :)

I'm going to take a day or two to regroup and then I plan on getting back on this blogging bandwagon...it's been too long.  I have my April Instragram pics to share, a Destin post, and I have to show you some home improvements that we had done while we were gone!

So...what have you been up to?

Totally Random Tuesday!

Hello Friends and Happy National Cheeseball Day!

I thought I would pop in and share a little randomness with you today.  How's your Tuesday so far?  I still think I should have Mondays off to get readjusted from the weekend...I don't think my boss would go for it though :)  We had a really good weekend which ended with spontaneous cook outs because the weather was so beautiful.  Rondell and Caleb went to Rondell's friend's house for a cook out (while I was hosting a Tastefully Simple party) and Jamison and I went to the neighbors who were having a small gathering.  It was wonderful!

Jamison had a friend over on Saturday while Caleb was at a birthday party.  She and Hannah had such a nice time and it was so sweet to hear all of their giggles.  I even treated them to some chocolate chip cookies which were a big hit :)

My last two BSF lesson have been on the Book of James and let me tell you it is eye-opening.  There are so many points in that book to meditate on and apply to everyday living...how I speak to others, where to look for wisdom, and my prayer life.

One of the many verses that I took away from reading James is James 5:16:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  

I have friends who do not live close to me, but are suffering and I battle at times thinking that my prayer isn't enough for them...that I want to be able to physically be there for them during their time of trial.  But this verse gives me peace to know that the prayers that I lift up for them are powerful and that they do have an impact.

Oh and you should read this post...lots of food for thought.  

Raise your hand if you love this store.  I don't visit TJ nearly enough and each time I do go I wonder why I don't go more often.  I ran in the other day to get their sparkling apple and cranberry juice (yum!) and picked up some sunflowers for just $3...can't beat that.

Well Friends I hope you are having a great start to your week.  It's supposed to be sunny for the next few days and I will be enjoying each minute :)

When I Grow Up...

I want to me a mom like this lady!

I can't even begin to tell you how thoughtful my mother is...

She knows me better than I know myself...

She knew I loved suncatchers before I knew I loved suncatchers...

She recognizes my love for paper towels and brings them to me often...

She makes the BEST Easter baskets...

She can tell at the very beginning of a phone conversation that I have a cold...

She is so very helpful with all of my gardening needs...

She loves on my kids and spoils them rotten...

She makes time for us every Tuesday for some quality time (and a little NCIS watching)...

She even somehow knew that I was thinking about buying a red Pandora charm to remind me of her (she LOVES red) because she recently bought me these:

Just cuz!

I want to be that for my children :)

I love you Mommy!

miscellany monday

~ Hi Friends...how was your Easter?  I did my best to absorb the Truth of all that He did for me (and you!). Our pastor talked about the fact that Christ is seated at the right hand of God...SEATED.  His work is already done...what a blessing!

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2...emphasis mine)

~  The other weekend I got together with some ladies from my BSF group.  Now, those of you who know me well may or may not know that I do not have a thing for animals (gasp!).  I'm allergic to cats and just overall animals just don't do it for me.  BUT, my group member has this cutie patootie and I could have put her in my pocket and taken her home with me!

~ We are Kool-Aid drinkers.  When my aunt used to watch my kids she would make Kool-Aid and ever since then we've been hooked.  It takes me back to my childhood a little bit.  

The thing is...I like my Kool-Aid sweet!  So, if you are ever at my house and you're trying to avoid sugar or you have diabetes you might want to stay clear of the Kool-Aid :)

~ The kids had their first swim lesson this weekend and they did really well.  Caleb cried for the first two minutes, but the instructor was very patient with him and he calmed down pretty easily.  Jamison jumped right in and loved it...she even put her face in the water!
So proud of these two :)

We went to my in-laws, in-laws (are you following me?) yesterday for dinner and they had a little Easter egg hunt.  Here's my little man with his loot...why does he continue to grow?

Joining in with the wonderful Carissa today!

Announcing...

The newest member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc - My brother Evan!!

Evan and his biggest supporters...his parents (my dad and Renee!)

 This past Saturday the hubby and I hit the road for Ohio University to see my brother's probate show.

 Evan is in the middle.

They put on a great show...filled with skits, dancing and showing all of the things they had to memorize.

I am one proud sister of all of his hard work and effort :)

CONGRATS EVAN!!!

Things I'm Lovin' This Thursday!

INSTAGRAM!

You guys I am totally hooked!  These pictures are so much fun to create...just look how green my grass looks in this picture :)  I really enjoy keeping in touch with people through their pictures.  You have to check it out if you have an iPhone.

I am really enjoying this new blog...Beautifully Rooted.  It is filled with Truth and encouragement from various ladies...ladies who are being transparent and sharing their hearts.  You should go and check it out.

Reading this book with Jamison.  Did you read this as a child?  I LOVED this book when I was in elementary school.  It is filled with fun poems and silly stories.

Finally, I'm loving my planner today.  With things coming up here & there and planning a vacation it really comes in handy for me to get things out of my brain and onto a piece of paper.

What are you lovin' today?

Is This Thing On?

1.  It has been WAY too long since my last blog post.  There's no good reason either...just wrapped up in life I guess.  But I miss blogging, so here I am to jump back into one of my joys in life :)

2.  My new iPhone arrived last week and so far I really like it.  I decided to check out Instagram and I can see why people are hooked!  It is a really fun way to take pictures & then share them with others.  I played around a bit with it this weekend...and even have a few followers.

Mr. Caleb eating his favorite pizza.  He was a little sad because his sister got to go to a sleepover on Friday so I took him to get an individual pizza to cheer him up.  I think it did the trick :)

I took Jamison to get her ends trimmed this weekend...my sweet girl has SO much hair!

3.  The weather around here has been CRAZY.  We had 80 degree weather last week...we even had to turn the air on for two days and had a slip & slide date with the neighbors.

Rondell got out yesterday for the first mow of the season:

But as you may see by his sweatshirt it has cooled off quite a bit from last week...there's even a frost warning for this week.  Crazy Ohio weather!

4.  FINAL FOUR baby!  The Buckeyes took down Syracuse over the weekend and are now headed to the Final Four.  It was a really good game (though I must confess that I missed the first part and didn't turn it on until my dad called me to remind me...bad alumni)

Joining sweet Carissa today to randomly update you on the happenings in our hood :)

miscellany monday

Hello Friends & Happy Monday!  I'm here again to join Carissa and share some random tidbits :)

*  I have decided that I need my weekends to be three days instead of two...one day to play, one day to be productive & one day of rest.  Anybody with me?

*  Over the weekend I tried to do Ten on Ten, but as the day went on I realized that I missed two hours.  I am a little bummed about it because I love doing it, but another Ten on Ten will come along or maybe I'll just do a day in the life post one day.

*  This picture does represent part of my day on the 10th...I am getting rid of my Android phone.  I have had serious problems with these phones and have had to replace it 4 different times with various versions.  I finally called Verizon customer service, explained my story and asked for an early upgrade.  The supervisor approved the request and my iPhone is one the way.  I know the iPhone is more reliable and it is probably what I should have gotten in the first place.  Lesson learned.

*  Once again our house was invaded by cookies (this is Jamison last year before sorting all of her orders).  This year we had even more cookies because I am the Cookie Mom for the troop and had to pick up everyone's orders and sort them.  Luckily Rondell, Jamison, and another GS mom & her daughter helped me sort all of the orders for the other girls...I couldn't have done it without them.

Now most of the cookies are gone and our house is somewhat back in order!

*  I went to a Pampered Chef party over the weekend and had a good time (we made a chocolate/raspberry cake with chocolate sauce & raspberries and it was SO good...and I'm not even a big chocolate fan).  One of my neighbors was the hostess.  

We have had two new couples move onto our street recently and it has been fun getting to know them better.  They both have kids who are about Caleb's age so we've had a few play dates recently...along with my immediate neighbor who has kids the exact same age as my kids.

One funny thing that makes me giggle is the fact that all 4 of us moms are all left-handed...crazy :)

*  The temps are supposed to be unseasonably warm this week and I plan to get out there and enjoy!

What are you up to this week?

Sunday Dinner

So while I am still on my quest to PURGE, there are a few things that I would like to implement.  One of those is to always have a nice Sunday dinner as a family.

We do not get an opportunity to eat as a family during the week because of Rondell's work schedule and by the time I get home from work I don't usually have time to make a big meal, so it's important to me for us to have a nice dinner together on Sundays.

Typically we eat together on Sundays now, but sometimes it's rushed or something simple.  I would love to start spending a little more time in the kitchen on Sunday, creating a wonderful meal for my family.

This past Sunday I asked Renee (my step-mom) for her spaghetti sauce recipe.  Usually I use Ragu (and one time an off brand...which I will never do again), but I wanted to try to make the sauce myself.

**This is the only picture (Rondell didn't get back from the store until later so some of the items are missing and since his trip was so delayed we didn't end up eating this meal till Monday...I am a work in progress)**

The sauce turned out pretty well(though not quite as good as Renee's).  I used:

1.5 lbs of ground chuck
1 onion (ooh, and I was so excited because I had some chopped onion in the freezer...really came in handy!)
**brown hamburger with onion**
1 large can of tomato sauce (28 oz...though I think I will use more next time)
1 can of tomato paste (+ a can full of water)
Soy sauce...enough to change the color from bright red to a darker red (I think this is what makes hers stand out from other sauces)
Seasoning (Italian, salt, pepper, garlic season, onion powder)
Simmer
Enjoy!

Here are a few other "Sunday" recipes that I would like to try:
Pulled pork
Spaghetti pie
Chicken enchiladas
Chicken chili

Are there any "Sunday" recipes that you'd like to share?

Friday Daydreaming - True Friends

I'm joining Becca again this Friday as I ponder friendships and reminisce about the last trip with some of my dearest friends (minus Melanie).

Me, Tanysha, Anita, & Tara (sorry for the bad picture quality)

Here's Melanie...she was there in spirit.

These girls are so dear to my heart and I miss them terribly (we all live in different cities now).  We have all been friends since our younger years (Anita, Tara & I have been friends since middle school and Tanysha joined our posse in high school.  And Melanie and I have been friends since THIRD GRADE!).  

In 2009 we all got together in Atlanta.  We saw the sights, ate good food, played Uno, and laughed endlessly.  There's nothing like girlfriends who love you unconditionally!

This picture reminds me that it's time to plan for another trip :)  

My Bible Journey

Hi Friends!

You may or may not know this about me but I have a thing for Bibles.  Yes, I love the Bible because it is the Living Word of God, but I also just love the physical Bible.

I maybe have mentioned on here before about how I love to see Bibles that are loved on, meditated over, written in, & cried over.  Recently on Facebook Kay Arthur posted a picture of her Bible and it was so cool.  For me there's just something encouraging about seeing a good Bible shot.

Apparently I also like to collect Bibles.  Well, not really, but my Bible preference has changed a little over the years and with each stage has come a new Bible.

Here's my pile:

On the bottom is a Bible I received from my pastor when I graduated from High School.  I used this Bible for quite a number of years (though there was that time in college when it didn't get used as much as it should have).  I loved that it was a Study Bible because it helped me to understand Scripture better.  It also had a lot of room for me to take my own notes.

Then, a few years ago I decided that I wanted a cute Bible, but one that had enough room to write in because I like taking notes in my Bible.  I chose the purple Bible pictured above and at first liked that it had sporadic devotionals geared towards women.  This Bible worked for a little while, but I didn't care for some of the devotions that it included and I missed having a Study Bible.

Then about two years ago (or so) our lead pastor started using the ESV Bible for references during his sermons.  I was intrigued by this version and the fact that it is a more literal translation.  The fact that it is more of a challenging version makes me concentrate more on the wording.  I started with a pocket ESV Bible.

Last year I ordered the John MacArthur Study Bible.  I loved all that it had to offer, the study notes, the charts, the maps, etc.  But there was one thing...and this is where I may lose you...it was a hardback.  I can't explain it, but it wasn't the same.

So...recently I got the soft cover version of the John MacArthur Study Bible (actually Rondell bought it for me for Valentine's day).  It is a perfect fit and I can tell we are going to have a long-lasting relationship...the Bible, me and my Sharpie pens :)

Do you have a Bible journey?