KellyStewart.org

Last month was a busy, but fun month for us.  We finished up some projects in the house, which makes my heart SMILE! We were able to lay the flooring in the playroom and my soon to be office and Jason also put up the baseboards and quarter round.  It looks sooo good! I sold our couch on craigslist, but haven’t found a new one yet, so we are a little makeshift in the playroom! Oh well! I am super excited to move into my office and have a dining room soon. We are re-routing our cable and internet and once that is done, I am moving into my own separate office. This will be great for my homestudy appointments, since we meet at my office/home once.

So what was the reason for our frenzy of project finishing you ask??

Our dear friends, the Robertsons, were in town and we decided to have a Shrimp Boil to celebrate.  They are living in Houston and only get home a few times a year, so we asked some of Jason and Matt’s old college buddies, along with their families, to come and join us for a fun evening of food and fellowship.  Our turnout was low, but we still had a blast.  It is amazing to me to think that I have known Matt for around 15 years and Heather for around 12 years.  I love that we have been apart of their story from the beginning.  Matt was Jason’s college roommate and they worked together, as well. Matt continued to work for Jason’s family’s business well after college and we have been able to stay connected through marriages, babies and distance.  When we moved away to Cleveland, years ago, they were some of the few to come visit us….I guess we need to return the favor!

One of our greatest joys was seeing Matt become a Christ-follower when he, Jason and Melvin were golfing. To watch how he has grown in his relationship to Jesus, is leading his family and pouring into the lives of others, brings sweet tears to these eyes.  They were the first to have a baby of our crew and they blessed us by naming Andrew after Jason (Andrew is his middle name and Bradley’s as well.)  We have watched Heather grow from a teenager into a beautiful woman who loves her man, her children and Jesus.  As they struggle living far away, I have seen God work in them anew, as they seek to find His place for them in Houston. I have seen how He has provided amazing friends for Heather that I know are supportive of her and Matt.

To me, this is a relationship that is all about doing life together….even though we rarely are.  It is about investing for the long haul.  I am so thankful for their friendship and that we can truly be real with Matt and Heather. I am praying BIG, GOD sized things for them, no matter where they live.

I went really basic on the tables since we would be putting the food right on it! This is a cute little tray I found at Goodwill for 1.99!

The wind drove me crazy and kept messing with my table! Loved the daisies and bandana mix….

The Amazing Shrimp Boil…love this meal

This was about the only pic we got of even a few of the kids…they ran, explored, jumped, played basketball, rode….

I am loving our yard…after all the work, it is worth it!

Mollie loves the four wheeler…she just needed some steering assistance.

Matt, Jason, Philip

Zan, Heather, Me

We had such a great time, catching up and watching our children play…8 between us!

We really enjoyed a relaxing evening with our friends. It has been so long since we have entertained and I was reminded how much I love having people in our home.

This house is FINALLY feeling like home!

Last week we had our VBS style emphasis at our church, Lifepoint.  I helped coordinate all of our preschool workers and student volunteers. This year we opened up Pre-K to the community and had a great turnout! I got to love on some babies and toddlers, which was good. I am content in being able to love on them in doses and hand them back to mommy or daddy! We had around 800 kids on our two campuses and raised around $3800 for Haiti relief.

I love that our church focuses on children and students. I love that our kids worship with music that speaks to them, their age and their generation. The message is not watered down, which many often confuse with a hipper style of music or the use of lights and motions.  Our kids are learning to worship in spirit and truth and that following Jesus is about giving Him your life, not just a moment, a prayer or an acknowledgment.  They are learning what it means to follow Christ.  Last week they learned about Heroes in Scripture and their example. I am doubly excited to see our middle and highschoolers serving.  This week is possible because they sacrifice time at the pool, with friends, or hanging out in front of the tv for time spent investing in the lives of preschoolers and students. They are growing because they are serving Him.  Such a blessing to watch them grow in their journey with Jesus by being His hands and feet.

Emery was  on the praise team again this year and she did a great job!  It is so cute to watch her and we know that she is learning that leading others in worship is a privilege and that her role is to simply point others to Him.  No focus on self or on being the center of attention….at least that is our prayer.  Bradley was able to be in worship this year.  He came home singing some of the songs and talking about what he was learning, as well.  He told us all about, “the woaves and the fish.”  The girls were also able to invest in our neighbors this week. We don’t have many kids in our neighborhood, which is very evident in the summer.  Our neighbors had their nieces visiting and they came for two days.  The girls were so excited to be able to invite them. We are praying that they get to continue to see these sweet girls in the weeks to come!

Sunday, Parker and Emery had their good friend, Peyton, over for the afternoon. They played and hung out in Parker’s room and spent sometime outside. Jason and I were talking in our office and watching them play. We noticed that they had gathered their bench, two plastic bins, which they covered with a paint tarp and set it up at the end of our driveway.  I thought, “how cute, they are playing restaurant!”

Little did I know….

We walked outside and I heard them talk about having customers…..again, I am thinking RESTAURANT. Jason and I wander back inside and Parker comes in and shows us her sign that they had been showing passing cars.

It read….

Will Dance or Sing for Money

I wish I could adequately describe Jason’s face…he was truly at a loss for words! He informed Parker that “we didn’t, we don’t, umm….that’s not really appropriate.” I later found their list of songs they had written. They had a secular and a Christian set list.

Secular included: You are my Sunshine

Christian: Every move I make

So you be the judge: Innovative, Entrepreneurial or 8 year olds gone wild?

Right before school got out last week, LuLu called to see if we wanted to skip the last half day and meet her at Myrtle Beach.

We didn’t have to think twice.

We took off after school on Wednesday and headed east. We drove to Columbia and got there about 1:30 am.

We were a little tired, but sooo ready to see the beach!

We had a great long weekend and stayed through Memorial Day.  We went to the same place we went to three years ago and had a great time visiting with “The cousins” which are LuLu’s amazing cousins. They are such precious people who love all over my kiddos and are just a pure joy to be around. You can see pictures from our last trip with them here.

We also got to spend some amazing time with our dear friends, the Swaffords. April called me on last Monday and said, “Guess where I am? The beach!” I said, “Which one?” and she replies, “Myrtle” to which I say, “SHUT UP, we are going to be there Thursday!!!!” I have no doubt God was all over this one in allowing our families much needed time together! We were phone tagging each other to figure out when we could do a weekend together this summer and low and behold….He already had it worked out!  April wrote about our time together, as well!

My precious girls. I am so proud of all they accomplished this past year. They are now a 3rd and 2nd grader!

Also, as my public service announcement, Landsend tugless bathing suits are AMAZING for girls! Modest, cute and no tugging!

Suits have been very hard to fit my girls and these worked great!

Bradley did a lot of this….

and this…

and he refuses to be left out of this….

I did a lot of this…..

Emery did a lot of this…..

and this….

and of course, this…

but, she really loves to do this….

Parker spent a lot of time doing this….

she also enjoys this….

and just being able to do this….

and this….

And, together they really love to…..

kid around…..

We were able to take some cleaned up beach pictures….

and I even got one with my man…..with whom I share a love of the beach…

This past weekend, Mom, Kim and I headed out to Atlanta for a little girls Get-A-Way.

It has been a while since it has been the original Bradley chicks, so it was high time to plan a trip.

We decided to go to the Beth Moore Simulcast which was being hosted at First Baptist Church Woodstock, GA and it was

just what we needed to plan around.

On Friday, the girls had Grandparents Day at school.  LuLu had come in for a few days and the girls LOVE being able to share their school

with their GP’s.  They show off some cool things they have learned and enjoy time with them.  I love that our school does this, even if there is a push for the GP’s to

donate money!!

We left after eating lunch and headed south.  We rolled into our swanky Embassy Suites and were pleasantly surprised with our cool suite.

We dropped our stuff and headed to the Ballard outlet and  you know it….IKEA.

We pause for a moment of silence to honor my most favorite place to buy stuff for our home….

Now, we spent a few mindless hours walking around and a few hundred dollars later, exited.

I bought these for our hallway project….more to come on that at a later date.

I also got this and this for outside.  They are a lot larger than they appear. Excited about all the things I can do with these.

We then went to eat at Pappasito’s. I adore this place.  Their tortillas are hands down, the best I have ever had.  It was fun to take Mom and Kim.

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We were up bright and early and headed out.

It was POURING…so we stopped to get an umbrella.

Thank the good Lord for Navigation….that’s all I am saying.

We were early birds.  Seriously early birds.  That is the way we roll for some members of my family.  While I am not ALWAYS late, some members of my family like to point out that I am not ALWAYS on time, either. Some members of my family, on the other hand, are especially fond of punctuality.

Trust me, I am reminded A LOT that I don’t always arrive on time.

Anywho, we were at the Beth Moore Simulcast for her new book

So Long Insecurity.  I have not read the book, but I am a big fan of kissing insecurity goodbye.

I am a girl.

I have insecurities.

Shocking, I know.

Let’s just say, I sooo needed to hear this.  She talked about 6 Signs of A Secure Woman.  She based most of it out of Ephesians 4 and looking at the demon that is insecurity.  Insecurity is, in its most basic form, making it all about OURSELVES.  Insecurity keeps us chronically self-aware…and honestly….how gross is that?

We are caught in the Am I’s….

Am I smart enough, cool enough, skinny enough, Am I witty enough, Am I saying the right thing.

Yet, a life controlled by the Spirit curves out to serve others, love others, forgive others…to Magnify His Glory.  We are so esteemed by our Creator that we don’t focus on ourselves, but rather on Him.

There was so much meat that I can’t wait to read her book, look at myself through His Word and be transformed.

Because it matters to me, my faith and my ministry.

But it also matters for my girls.

To raise them SECURE in His love, His Grace, His AMAZING journey for them.

It matters to every woman, to every mom.

This is a battle we ALL face and I am so sick and tired of being told what I am supposed to be as a woman, a mom, a daughter, a wife by our twisted culture.

The only measuring stick I am to hold to is that of Christ.

I could be the skinniest, most beautiful, talented, confident, witty, woman on planet Earth, but I would still be a quaking mess of fears without recognizing who I am as a Daughter of the King.

I am WORTH it to HIM.

I am PRECIOUS to HIM.

I am BEAUTIFUL to HIM.

I am IMPORTANT to HIM.

I am DESTINED for An ABUNDANT LIFE through HIM.

Needless to say, I could go on and on.  As someone who has worked with teenagers most of my adult life, these are things I have known and said for years, yet it is sooo good to be reminded that I can be enslaved to my own self and be hindered in by obedience to the life God ordained for me.

I don’t want to miss His plan.

After the simulcast, which over 300,000 women heard about finding their security in Christ alone, amazing, we headed to the hotel and then to a local mall and the Container Store.

To me the Container Store is the Pottery Barn of organization and IKEA is the Target…..I am more a Target girl myself.

We ate a Maggiano’s and picked up Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

I soo gained weight this weekend, but I am secure in the knowledge that my pounds do not determine my worth!

We relaxed at the hotel and the next morning headed back to IKEA to pick up a few last things and to Atlantic Station.

All in all, it was a refreshing, relaxing weekend.

And when I got home, I came home to a clean house, happy kids, folded laundry and homework done.

Can I get an amen??

My man is a-may-zing.

A perfect ending…..

I recently decided to give this book review thing a try through booksneeze.com

This book by Lis Wiehl, is the second in her Triple Threat series. The book is based around three women, a federal prosecutor, an FBI agency and a journalist, who work together to solve the latest crime!
In Hand of Fate, a popular and controversial radio talk show host, receives a package of poisonous gas, not only killing him, but causing wide-spread panic in the city of Portland.
I enjoyed the book and thought it was a good read. It had suspense, action, a little love interest and of course, some surprises that kept me engaged. Their are also Christian influences in the book so you don’t have to worry about a lot of “trash.” I didn’t read the first book in the series, and didn’t feel lost while reading this second book.

If you enjoy reading I encourage you to check it out!

A free copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

What a crazy week we had last week. We helped out some friends and kept their kiddos a few days, kept my niece over the weekend and the kids were out of school! Not to mention that Emery got strep throat. Needless to say, we had a packed week and weekend. On Friday, we took the kids and Lauren, my niece to lunch and bowl. This was one of the best things we have done in a while as a family. The kids did great! Bradley actually was beating Jason and I through the 7th frame. I kid you not! I think that says a lot about Jason and my skills as well as Bradley’s!

Friday night Jason and I went to Romance and Roses, which is an annual night out for married couples. I LOVE that our church is actively involved in strengthening marriages.  I can’t say enough about what a blessing it is to be on a staff that values our marriage and seeks to protect the relationship that Jason and I have with each other.

So, come Sunday night, it was all about celebrating as a family!  I will be honest, I am not a big fan of  V-day.  But, it does make for an easy family night!

Parker helped me get ready by cutting out a lot of hearts…she also set the table for us!

This is an easy night to decorate for…just throw out some red and call it done! I used red hots, red candles, heart plates

and white serving pieces.  I also picked up some fancy glasses at the Dollar Store. Such a big spender, I am!

For dinner, we had heart shaped pizzas from Papa Murphy’s and breadsticks.

Here are the fancy glasses with cherry 7-up added. Yes, we had several spills….

For dessert, we had Red Velvet Cake Balls

…they have the face only a mother could love,

but were yummy….I am laying off the cake balls for a while….they do too much damage to the ol waistline.

maybe they were a little messy….

We also had chocolate covered strawberries…white chocolate and dark chocolate.

Emery had been battling strep throat, but her meds kicked in and she was able to

join us at dinner.  She is such a trooper..

Next, we all wrote out things we loved about each other.

I helped Bradley a little…

He liked that Emery plays with him, Parker helps get him breakfast,

dad plays wii with him and how his mommy loves him.

This was really cool to hear what the girls wrote.  It is also fascinating to see how they listed

things about their daddy that they loved and just said I am the best mom or that I love them……not sure what all

the psychology of it means, but it is interesting none the less.

The look on their faces when reading their notes and hearing what others said about them is priceless…. (even with a low grade fever)

Jason had also written out scripture on love on some of the hearts. So, we read them, talked about them and how we can live it out….simple devo.

Next, we played a little game of pick up stix, conversation heart style.

We used some sticks and tried to see how many we could pick up in 30 seconds.

This

was harder

than you

might think (check out the tongue for concentration)

Then we tried to use our hearts to make sentences….yeah, not so much!

Afterwards we dumped out the hearts and let the kids build away.  Emery make a city with hers…

and Parker just kept stacking hers…

I hung our hearts in the window to help remind us about loving each other

and about loving Jesus….

Another one in the books…..

Here is our Valentine’s Family Night from last year…in case you needed any ideas!

We had our third family night this week and it was good.  It had been a really taxing day for me, and I was not looking forward to all I needed to do once we got home from school, but we did it!

We decided to have a Valentine’s Day celebration.  This was an easy one, because there are tons of websites, blogs and magazine articles related to crafty ideas focused on the Day O’ Love.  Heaven knows, I am not a Creative Guru, and our motto is “Originality is Obscurity of the Source.” (Rick Jenkins)

I decided to make a fancy dinner, decorate with red and watch our wedding video.  Our children have never actually seen it, and honestly, it had a been a while for me, as well.  Parker’s verse at school this week was 1 John 4:12, “No one has never seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”  So, we talked about it at the table some.

How pretty are these strawberries??

How pretty are these strawberries?

Check out that technique of dipping the strawberry into the chocolate!

This is so simple to do, but looks super fancy!

Our table, before I added the chargers, dishes and food.

Our pink drinks, to add to the look of love.

Our fancy dinner consisted of baked spaghetti, garlic toast,

strawberry applesauce and our drink!Again, be in awe of how good these look, especially in a footed pedestal server.

I also through in some Ritz/Peanut Butter crackers, dipped in chocolate!Eating her dessert!

Bradley went for the crackers.Loving the strawberry after declaring she would not like it.

Also, take note of the future orthodontic work that will be needed!!

During dinner, the girls told us what they love about each person in our family and a way they could show that person love this week.  Emery said she loved my hugs and kisses, which is funny because it such a game to see if she will let us kiss her!  They also loved that Bradley is wild, yet that is what they also get tired of after he tries to tackle them (out of his love for them) all afternoon!

Here are a few things I learned after watching our video:

1. 1997 Video Technology- NOT SO GOOD.
2. My music, while progressive at the time, or so I thought, included an organ.  Why?
3. My bridesmaids were hot!
4. I still get chills watching it.  Such an amazing day.  I have no doubt that I got a much better man than I deserved.
5. I would wear my dress again, which is no easy thing to say 12 years later!
6. It is a little confusing to an almost 3 year old to watch his parents get married. He kept asking “Where I are?”  Try explaining you were not born yet to an almost three year old!
7. Favorite Line- Parker says, “I didn’t know LuLu had those kind of clothes!”

All in all, it was a good family night!  What have you done with your family this week?

The Stews have been quite busy lately.

Last weekend, we went to Knoxville to visit the grandparents and for me to have a visit with a family who are adopting.

About a year ago, I started working part time for an agency that completes a homestudy for families who are wanting to adopt. This is one of those things that God has
completely took be surprise. I was set on one path, but as usual, He has another plan! Needless to say, I am loving working with families who are
adopting. If you have any questions about adoption, please feel free to ask me. I would love to answer your questions!

So, while we were in, we had a blast. The reason I chose this weekend, was so my sweet man could go watch some VOL basketball. He LOVES UT basketball.
They were playing on Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, so we took the kids out of school and headed to Kville.
Jason was able to go to both games and I actually went with him on Saturday. It was so fun! It had been awhile since I had been to a game, so I was pumped.
They introduced the new football coach while we were there, Coach Derrek Dooley. His kids are just darling!
We won both games which made it even better!

Friday night we went to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

The kids had fun. They were funny, but it is sooo cheesy.  My favorite part, without a doubt was the mascot Big G.

It was really cute!

We also went to see Grandad at work. He is a bailiff for one of the judges and wanted us to come by! Bradley had a blast. He got to experiment with the xray machine and made many friends in the process!

Last night, I was able to take the girls to see 101 Dalmatians, The Musical.  Mom, Kim and I got season tickets to the Broadway series at TPAC.    They decided not to go for various reasons, so I took the girls. I will be honest, I was not looking forward to it.  It was raining, it started at their bedtime, I had to drive downtown and I was tired.  But, we persevered and they really enjoyed it.  Beauty and the Beast is coming in June and we are planning on taking all the girls!

Here are the 2 pictures we took before we left.  As you can see, I am taking my time in decorating the hallway!  I also have very few pictures of me with my offspring.  Ohh, the trials of motherhood…

fun times with my girls…

So there is a snapshot of what we have been up to…

I am planning a family night this week.  Anyone want to join me??

So, I found these at the Dollar Tree….

So I decided to make them a little cuter, by using this

I took the paper out and cut it to size

And played around with the fonts, until I found what I liked and printed

an example.  I discovered my paper was tooo dark, so I improvised and ended up with these….

It was easy and I knew I could make some even cuter using my mother in laws Cricut machine!

SO i went back and bought 10 more!

If you happen to get one of these, forget that it only cost $1 and love how cute it is!

I am linking up at A Soft Place to Land, DIY Day!