Friday, November 21, 2014

Busy, busy...

I wish I could join Leo for a nap, but there is too much to do.  My dad is coming into town for a few days, so we are having our Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday.  I have a little cleaning to do, laundry and grocery shopping.  All of the Christmas decorations are down from the attic and we are looking forward to decorating next weekend.  I love this time of year!


Friday, November 14, 2014

Autumn Decorations

 I'm going to be putting up Christmas decorations in 2 weeks, 
so I thought I would share my Autumn decorations, before it's too late.

The burlap cutouts are from Hobby Lobby and I hot glued them onto ribbon. 

My mom painted the picture. 


I found a chalkboard picture on Pinterest that I liked and Grace drew it for me. 

 

 Front door wreath

Front porch table and yet another chalkboard!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 07, 2014

Pictures

Thank you for the warm welcome back and the encouraging notes in my last post.  
I thought I would share a few pictures that I have taken this past year...


My friend, Jenna and I hosted and Baby Shower Tea party this past February. 
We made chicken salad sandwiches, cucumber dill sandwiches, fruit salad, scones with jam and lemon curd and lemon bars. 

Tea favors for the guests.

We added a new furry friend to the family.  Natalie is technically Grace's dog, but I take care of her and spoil her way too much.  As you can see, she stole the Christmas elf, so she didn't get any presents last year!

Jenna and I went to lots of estate sales and I found things to add to my collections.
The ladies' pocket watch belonged to the little girl in the photograph.

A new vintage print for the living room (it doesn't look wrinkled in person).
The photograph is of my mom, a couple of her brothers and childhood friends.

I don't know why I love flower frogs so much, but I found all of these at the same estate sale.

My favorite thing to collect...old children's books.  

My favorite picture in my bedroom.

Finally, I discovered that Ebay is a great place to buy dried hydrangeas.  I got a huge box with an assortment of colors - blue, green, brown, and pink, for under $50.00.  I have them in almost every room of my house.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, November 03, 2014

An Update

Hello all,
I didn't mean to be gone for so long and I want to apologize for not writing sooner.  I've thought about this blog post for so long, hoping that the words would come to me, at the right time.  My blogging style is to post lots of pictures and write a short blurb here and there.  But, too much time has passed already, so I'll try to share my thoughts...

In June of 2012, Phillip and I separated after being together for 22 years, 18 of those years being married.  Just this past August 2014, after 26 long months, our divorce was finalized.

I'm not going to go into details, but I will say that it wasn't a case of "growing apart" or "throwing in the towel."  There was a major issue that after many years (all 22 actually) the damage was irreparable.

I feel like a completely different person from 2 years ago and I'm doing very well. Most importantly, I believe that I am right where God wants me to be and to quote one of my favorite childhood songs, "My life is in His hands."

My family has been a huge source of love and support.  Especially my parents.  They encourage and inspire me every day and I'm so thankful for everything they have done for me and continue to do.

My children (all teenagers now!) are also wonderful and of course, there have been many bumps in the road and things I never thought I would have to face, but considering everything that has happened, they are doing great.

We aren't exactly homeschooling...I'm never sure what to call it.  We have an organization here that offers homeschool classes in a classroom setting.  Each class meets 1-2 times a week and then the student brings home their homework to complete before the next class.  I don't do any teaching - I call myself a "homework supervisor"!  They also offer extracurricular activities like proms, homecomings, graduations, etc. so it's been a great fit for us in the past 4-5 years.

Grace is 16 and is driving!  She actually drives her brother and sister to their classes each week, so it's been a huge help.  I give her Starbucks money and she is happy. :)  She is getting all A's and will only have a few more credits to earn for her high school diploma, next year.  She also enjoys working at a small local grocery part time.

Emily is 15 and is looking forward to being 16!  15 can be such a hard age, sometimes. She will be taking some driving lessons soon.  She's about to get her permit - I had the wrong paperwork when we went last week.  She is also looking forward to working part time starting next summer.  She likes to play the guitar, singing and going antique shopping with me.

Benjamin is 13 and is very laid back and easy going.  He helps me out with things around the house and running errands.  He is doing great in school and just started guitar lessons.  He and I are fans of cooler weather, so we are excited that November is finally here after a hot Texas summer.

The kids and I are still living in the same house and this is a huge blessing and miracle.   Being from Canada, I didn't get a work permit until I was pregnant with Grace and by then, was fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom.  I have never worked outside of the home and thanks to my Etsy shops, I'm still able to stay home.

I'm looking forward to the future and am very thankful for this gift of a new beginning.  If you've made it to the end, thanks for reading and please be kind with your comments.

~Kelli Wilkins


There's a place at the end of the storm
You finally find
Where the hurt and the tears and the pain
All fall behind

You open up your eyes and up ahead
There's a big sun shining
Right then and there you realize
You'll be alright

There's hope in front of me
There's a light, I still see it
There's a hand still holding me
Even when I don't believe it
I might be down but I'm not dead
There's better days still up ahead
Even after all I've seen
There's hope in front of me
-Danny Gokey's "Hope in front of me"