Celebrate the End of the Month

My big girls are lying in bed next to me reading our favorite blogs when Alyn pipes up 'Mom, you haven't written in a while.' 

'I haven't? Like how long?'

Arly chimed in 'Like 10 days!'

I guess it's just one of those things. Every day is a blur. Every day is busy. And boring. At the same time. 

But I do recognize that this space isn't just for me and my thoughts and feelings. It's a space for my family to keep an open journal. A place where we can record memories and adventures and go back and see what our big events and every day life was all about. 

Which brings me to today. 

What an amazing day! For the past 6 1/2 years, I have fallen in love with the last day of each and every month. There are always new consultants joining our Scentsy team who are just finishing their first month of sales to get their first paychecks... Consultants who are celebrating their highest volume ever... Leaders who are reaching the next title in their business... And even reaching the highest title in all of Scentsy! 

That is the business side.

But what I love most, is women (and men) realizing they are capable of bigger things then they ever imagined. When they choose to be brave and embrace being uncomfortable, they can accomplish anything they make their mind up to reach. 

I've seen women go from giving excuses they didn't have time to do this wax thing, too busy.... To climbing the leadership titles all the way to the top! 

I've seen women gain a sense of individuality for themselves. They got to be them and not just be labeled by all the hats they wore for each role they play in the every day life. 

I've seen women take their skeptical husbands on free tropical vacations and share with their spouse exactly why Scentsy is amazing. The husbands are quick to jump on board and have a supportive role in the business. 

I've seen people get out of credit card debt. Take their families on vacation. Buy Christmas gifts without going into debt. 

I've seen people give. Give their time, efforts, resources and energy to organizations and individuals who need a servants heart to care for them. 

I've seen (and experienced) the best friendships come from being a part of the Scentsy Family. Working together to help build each other up and help one another become successful. I've seen women cheer and encourage each other to go an little further. We are a family that can celebrate success and praises and also pray and love through anything that comes our way. 

I'm so proud to say I'm a Scentsy girl.  I'm so blessed to celebrate end of month with my friends. And I'm so humbled to live life with some of my favorite people on this planet. 

Thanks to the $99 starter kit and a will to never give up. The Lord knew what our little family needed 6 1/2 years ago. I couldn't imagine my life without all the lessons I've learned and people I've met since joining. 

Every month, on the last day, I get to remember this... And celebrate this... And love this. 

Each and every step of this journey is amazing. 

(Inspired by Allison Dalke)

Overwhelmed in the Beautiful Mess

Last night I saw an Instagram post from Village Church AND I had a friend give a gently reminder about the 'beautiful mess' we all really live in.... And the highlights we like to share in our 'social world.' 

It's easy to clear a space and take a quick snapshot of your 'super cute, look how adorable my space is' area. 

I know.... Because I do that. All. The. Time. 

Friends, I live in chaos.  Each and every day, this is how it looks. I'm overwhelmed.... But in the most beautiful way. 

I had my dearest friend ask me today to sit down and write out my blessings... Each one. One by one. And I can't stop. I could never stop. My (our) blessings are raining upon us every single moment. Like that in a never ending storm. 

It seems that in sharing and showing my life behind the lens of this iPhone 5, I may have put on the 'I've got it all together - my life is grand - everything is planned and scheduled and organized... Seriously, it is!' mask. 

But it's not. It's crazy. It's messy. But it's beautiful. And it's us. And we love it. I love it. 

We share what we think others want to see. We share the photos of how we wish others to view us. It's just something we crave... To be wanted, to belong, to be admired. 

But in reality, we're a mess. Each and every day we struggle with what our back stages, our bloopers, look like... As we sit in the same breath comparing our 'zoom out,' to our friends' or even internet strangers 'zoom in' looks like. 

But even then, always, we are admired by The King; we belong to His Kingdom; we are wanted to do His work. 

It's not easy. But it's worth it. Very rarely do easy and right belong in the same sentence. Anything worth doing is hard. 

 

All of it is hard. Being a wife and mom, running a business around the world, home educating, church volunteer, friend, sister, daughter, coach and more... But these; These are my blessings. And this is why I'm overwhelmed. Because of the love. Because of the beautiful mess that it all fits in. 

My Monday Musings.

The happiest mail on the happiest of Mondays makes for the happiest of Jari! Thanks Allie! 

She Reads Truth bible study packets always make me excited to begin another round of digging in God's Word. 

I also had a very nice hour with a good friend who is quickly becoming a great friend. Thanks for the coffee date Katie! 

Alyn had declared that our days off (every Monday) is a day to let the creative juices flow and get our hands a bit dirty. We're calling it 'Make Something Monday!' That's right friends, we're going to make something pretty each and every Monday! It's our one day out of the whole week that we really don't have an agenda. It's the one day we can set aside our to dos and really just relax and enjoy the day together. Just us girls. It's the one day I get to be mom and not teacher. And I love it. 

We spent the afternoon making pretty things and decorating for Christmas! Yay! We've had our trees us since the 3rd and now we were finally ready to deck our Spry halls with everything festive! 

Arly, the girl who loves Pinterest, whipped out these chalkboard terra cotta pots this early afternoon. Once dry and chalk seasoned, they were ready to have a resident. That's when I realized that our succulents that were half frozen outside (oops) needed to transition from their summer home to their winter home. Aren't they adorable? I think so too. Now we can switch out what we will draw on them whenever we want. 

Avin thought it was beyond exciting to hang balloons on the ceiling! Not really balloons... But paper decoration balls from the dollar store! I'll share more on Instagram tomorrow. 

We ended the night with a late night chat with friends. I think we'll turn it into a monthly date. Dessert (or monster nachos) and some wine? ... Yes please! 

Conversations about parenting, change, birthday parties, persecution and the gospel. Is there anything better?

I'm going to bed with a full heart and motivation to begin my week well. 

Happy Monday to you! (Actually Tuesday now!) 

Sunday Selfies + Sunday 7

A couple little cuties hijacked my phone.... And took some precious photos. 

I just finished my Sunday 7. I need something to keep me on track. It seems that whenever someone asks me how I am, the first word that pops into my head is... BUSY. 

Every day has a to do list that is mega long. Most days I'm trying to play catch up from the days before... All the while the lists just keep growing.  

I'm sure we've all been there. Caught up in the every day chaos of the ordinary things that keep us busy. But there is something about this season that feels extraordinary. I don't know what it is... But I can feel it. I crave it. 

I've been luke warm in the ordinary for a long time. I feel a fire burning for the extraordinary. I feel the Holy Spirit working... So I will wait. And listen. And obey. 

And it's exciting. 

New tricks to remember

I can't believe how big this little one is growing. Friends, she is almost 2!!!!!

She has new tricks:

Going potty on the toilet!  She even goes poo every once in a while on the potty. I think I may have purchased our last case of diapers today!... And I also ordered a few packages of panties (Frozen and Minnie Mouse.... She is going to flip!)

Fake sleeping! She loves to come in our bed at night just before bedtime to read a book or two. But when it's time for her to get carried off to her own bed, she lays down real still and pretends to be asleep. Precious.... And sneaky. 

Talking! This little one is a jabber jaw... But comes by it pretty honestly. She is saying new words and phrases every day. 

I want time to just slow down a little bit.... That would be a miracle. (Hey it could happen... It has before!)

But what I really need to do is slow down in our every day to make sure I enjoy all the small things. I just want to soak it all in. Remember it all. 

Arrrr... BOOM! 6th grade Basketball Cheer

Unless you have been a coach for one your children's sports teams, I honestly cannot explain the joy it brings to your heart. 

I've played many roles for my kiddos. Mom, nurse, teacher, taxi driver, snuggler, therapist, servant, librarian, and so many more.... But I was never a coach for a sports team. (Or assistant coach ;)

Friday, Arly and her 6th grade teammates played their first basketball game. They played amazingly well! For having only three practices ever in her whole life, Arly caught on to the swing of the game super quick! 

Her team, "Pirates of Thunder," hustled up and down the court. They played as a team and all contributed to their win; 37-9. 

They have an incredible head coach who is so patient, kind and knowledgable. I'm honored that I get to wear royal blue and be a part of their team. I'm happy to jump in at practice while running drills (and be completely sore the next day) because witnessing your child learn how to play a new sport, be a team player, get nervous and have a blast is one of the best feelings in the whole world. 

(And now I'm going to jump on the treadmill, I need to be able to keep up!)

I smell Christmas!

To some, decorating for Christmas as soon as Halloween ends just seems crazy. But for me, it's the perfect time to start celebrating and transforming your home into a winter wonderland. 

Growing up, my mom and auntie would have Christmas trees up year round. There were snowman everywhere. It just seems normal to have it all displayed well before Thanksgiving. 

We are slowly pulling garland, trees, lights, wreaths, and nativity scenes from their hiding place since February. (I do leave them up until February!)

Not everything is ready to be hung or displayed at in our home.... Not yet anyway. Some of our goodies will be up in the University Center Ballroom this Saturday to create a magical Scentsy display. 

Joel and I have stocked up on our favorite Scentsy holiday goodies and we're ready to share them with all of our amazing customers and friends this weekend. It's a week long process making sure everything is ready to be showcased. We've never worked this hard on making sure all the details get our guests into the Christmas spirit. 

If you're around and looking for a show that's filled with Scentsy galore (my biggest stash ever!) and amazing handcrafted holiday goodies, come see us! It'll be a cozy grand time. 

(Those are all warmers searching for a new home!)

See you Saturday! 

Pirates of Thunder (missing the ball!)

Our sweet Arly girl has recently become a multi-sport athlete... From softball to volleyball and now BASKETBALL. Those who know me from my younger years, know this makes my heart do ladders! Seriously! I love it. 

Basketball was my jam. Space Jam that is! (Just kidding... I have never seen that movie and I'm sorry Michael Jordan, I never will). 

However, somehow I totally missed the ball. Literally. We don't own a basketball. We don't have a hoop (why would we without a ball?) I've never taught the fundamentals because I thought all these beautiful girls cared about was softball, skiing and sleepovers. We don't watch games on tv. Our girls seriously have NO IDEA what basketball really is all about. 

Until now. (Sweet KD kicks AJ! - it's all about the shoes!)

When friends ask you to be a part of your team because they know you would be great and have fun, you do it. You listen to them and trust them. 

And... When they ask you to help coach, you scream... YES!!!!!

That's right friends, I am helping coach Arly's 6th grade YMCA basketball team. 

Very much an assistant coach but I am loving that we get to spend this time together. I'm not going to lie, I was always a little jealous of Joel spending so much time with them on softball and not knowing much about that sport, it is hard to get involved. But basketball?! Remember.... My jam! 

The first game for the 'Pirates of Thunder' is this Friday and we couldn't be more excited! You get the name 'Pirates of Thunder' when 4 players vote for the team name to be Pirates and 3 vote for theThunder. Dalkes you'd be so proud that Arly voted for Thunder and is the proud owner of KDs.   

A little flashback for you... Our fun Quad State YMCA Champ photo from back in my day.... Oh how I miss these years. 

I'm so excited, honored and happy to be a part of Pirates of Thunder. Makes my heart melt. 

28 days later...

What a difference 4 little weeks can make!

You know when you've just had it... Like, had enough?! Enough being lazy! Enough puffing air! Enough with no discipline! Enough not caring!

That is me. I have just had enough living the way I was living. I was lazy, exhausted, cranky, achy. I was ready for a change. 

I started the middle of September after seeing my sweet friend Dawns weight loss journey. Now she was looking GOOD and I wanted to too! So I tried her no junk food challenge for 2 weeks. That was pretty simple... We don't eat a ton of junk food so I thought cutting it out would be a breeze. There were definitely some willpower needed though! 

 But really, I wanted to feel good. I wanted energy and not to feel like in was in my 70s every day. 

One of my best friends, Jenny, was starting another 28 days to fit (Arbonne style) that I had done before and it helped me get on track real fast so I started that program on Oct 6th (first photo above). 

The 28 days to fit program is not for the ill willed. It was tough... No sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no alcohol, no caffeine for 28 days! Whoa! For a wine drinkin', milk guzzlin', coffee chuggin' girl like me... It was hard. 

Hard. But worth it. (Like serving 50+ shots of espresso in an hour at church and smelling like coffee the whole day and almost eating your hands off hard!)

The whole point of the restrictions is to allow your body to detoxify itself... to go from an acidic unit to more of a base unit.  Then when you introduce these things back in, you can feel how they affect your body and being. 

Like I said, hard, but absolutely worth it. The proof is in the second photo. That was taken tonight... 28 days after my start date. 

But guess what?! I cheated... a few times actually. And every time I did, I felt like complete crap. Neck aches, bloating, almost like a major hangover after a fun size candy bar! 

But every day I told myself it was a new day. Start again. Fail forward. 

Just before the 28 days to fit started, I had committed myself to a 5 week exercise/devotional challenge with my friend Allison.  After witnessing my oldest sister Jackies beautiful transformation from exercising this past year, I was ready to get started. Honestly, that one is still the hardest. Exercising. 

I don't know why but I try to convince myself that I'm just too busy. Or I'll do it later. Then something comes up and it doesn't get done. 

Exercise is so hard for me to get my mind into it. But I'm getting there. I just need accountability with others. 

It's a continued journey. I'm inspired by the results. In 28 days, 4 short weeks, I lost 11 pounds.... And 8 INCHES OFF MY WAIST! 

Yay!

So I'll keep going. Slowly improving. Steady. Allowing myself a few treats and rewards but learning that everything had to be worked for... I'm not entitled to eat whatever I want and be lazy anymore. I need to stick with this for my families sake. I am a nicer, healthier person and I want to be around for a long time. When heart issues run in your family, and you feel like you're going to die every time you work out, you KEEP GOING. Slow and steady. One day at a time. And someday soon, you'll be running outside with your kids. You'll look & feel amazing for your husband. You'll feel confident in shorts for the first time in almost 2 decades. You might actually look forward to wearing a swimsuit again. 

A big huge thank you to my accountability buddies. Even if you didn't know you were one, each of you played a big role in helping me stick to my little journey the past 4 weeks and many more to come! Jackie, Dawn, Jenny, Allison & Natalie! THANK YOU! 

Happy Halloween!

Are you ready for cuteness overload?! 

Our Halloween was fantastic! Each year, the girls and I try to make semi-homemade costumes. This year might have been my favorite. Arly was the most adorable Cat in the Hat who matchd perfectly to Alyn, Thing 2. (Her friend Kaetlyn was Thing 1!) I knew that this was probably be the last year that I would get to choose a costume and Avin loves Curious George.... so what other character would make sense than the Man in the Yellow Hat? Paired with Molly the Monkey (Scentsy buddy) she was maybe one of the cutest little trick or treaters I have ever seen. 

We started the afternoon out at Dunrovin Ranch (where Alyn takes riding lessons.) 

As soon as we got home from the ranch we opened our home to 40ish of our sweet friends for some soup and delicious food. We live in the best Halloween neighborhood around so it just made sense to have everyone over for a casual come and go, visit, get warm, home base. 

Now it was time to show little miss Avin how to trick or treat. 

It was hilarious. At the first home, our neighbors, she got a treat. Then two. Then she just stood there... With no expression. She just waited. I told her it was time for the next one and she said 'More.' So he gave her more. I laughed. 

Finally she understand what she was suppose to do, and she got quite brave and started knocking on her own. 

We went to abou 7 total houses before her little brown sack was half full. I couldn't tell you how many m&ms she had but let's just say it was plenty. 

The big girls loved having their friends over. This was the first time we let them just go. I could tell they enjoyed the independence and it was nice for us too. We got to chat with so many friends. 

One last little bit of precious. She struck this pose all on her own. She melts me.