Birthdays, First Day of School and More!

 Hello friends! :)

It has been a wonderful August. We've had super hot days as well as lovely comfortable days (like today....it's in the 70's with sunshine!). We've enjoyed slowness and busyness! Each day is different!

One exciting thing is that Xavier turned 16 in the middle of August! He had a cookout with some friends and had a really nice time! Chris grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and it was overall just an enjoyable evening! X is now anxiously awaiting me to take him to get his driver's permit! Ack! I feel like I was just doing this with Madelyn yesterday! Someone slow down the clock!

My sister, her husband and children moved to a bigger house this month as well. My mom was over there a lot to help....I drove over a few times when I could to help as well (She lives 45 minutes or so away...so it takes quite a chunk of the day to travel there and back....so I couldn't get there all the time). They are settling in well and I think this new house is just great for them! I am really happy for them!

While a lot of area public schools started today....my children actually began schooling last week. It is Madelyn's senior year. I'm not quite sure how to fathom that....as I feel like I just graduated (although we had our 20 year class reunion a week or two ago already! haha! Class of '99). Xavier is a sophomore and Jaxson is in 8th grade. As you can see below...Madelyn didn't want her picture taken on the first day of school....(don't all my children just looked thrilled to be back to the books? haha)

My birthday was this past weekend. I had a glorious day! Truly! I started out with a workout (as usual) but it was even better because Chris came in to lift with me. We try to lift together most Saturdays. I sure love my man! I workout every day....but getting to workout with your other half is *the best*!

We got some home projects done that day, the weather was amazing....then he took me to the next town over where we got supper, shopped at TJ Maxx for a little bit and then he took me to look for a bicycle at Walmart! I've been wanting a bike...not a mountain bike....but a road bike that I can go long distances on if I want and maybe compete with. We couldn't find one that was sized right for me or that I liked...so we'll keep looking. Honestly, the cruiser bikes are *so* cute and I would LOVE one of those...they have them in cute colors and a basket on the front! But I want something I can really move on...so those won't work for me, unfortunately!

38 doesn't feel too bad, I must admit. I thought getting older would be depressing....but it's really not! It's bittersweet to realize how the time passes quickly and my children grow and change so fast...but at the same time, I love how the Lord teaches me things as I age....I love to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Plus, Chris and I are so perfectly matched....I honestly praise God for him every.single.day. Our relationship grows and intertwines us so beautifully. I have been with him over half my life. There isn't anyone else I'd rather be with. *swoon*

The little cupboard in our kitchen that we have been using as an island for years worked well...but it always felt too low to me. I asked Chris if we could get a butcher block to put on top. Low and behold...he found the top to our old island in the garage. He sanded it down really well and it fits perfectly on top of our cupboard island! I am over the moon about it! It makes for a much nicer island! :) You can also see, in the background there, flowers and a gift certificate from my children (for my birthday). They all chipped in together and got me a gift certificate to get my nails done. I never spend money on that sort of thing...so they wanted to treat me! It'll be fun to get a little pampered!

Yesterday, we had a lovely time worshiping the Lord at church in the morning. Came home to have lunch and a nice nap. I got up and ran and did some ab work and then showered so we could head out to a game night with family friends of ours! We had such a great time! Lots of laughter, talking and fun (and the guys had a good time target shooting with their bows). So, so grateful for the brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord has put in our lives....it's so nice to have great friends with so much in common! :)

Today I have gotten my workout in this morning...now I need to go out and work on mowing the back yard....(Kids are working on their schooling right now!)...but quickly, I wanted to share a few of the new sticker listings in my shop! They are great for use in your planner, on your calendar and more! Since we are basically a single income family...this just helps me to earn a little extra to add to the budget each month. :o)

Thank you for visiting! I pray your August has been wonderful as well....although that's not meaning every day is perfect and glorious...but trying to find the joy in each day the Lord gives us makes for happier days, weeks, months and years!

I hope you will visit again soon!
Joyfully,
Katy

"Fairest of the months...

...Ripe summer's queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleam with sunny sheen

Sweet August doth appear."

~R. Combe Miller

Oh, how horrible I am at blogging now. It's a shame really...but to be honest, life is just a different sort of *busy* now that it wasn't when the children were smaller. Now my children are young adults and doing adult-like things....working, driving etc! I am still busy at home....mowing, keeping up with housework and cooking....as well as working out at the Y every day. I took the summer off from teaching spin (as the classes dwindle when the weather is nice) and will pick it back up again at the end of August. I have been personal training people at the Y through the summer....that has been going well. My 20 year class reunion is coming up this month and I've been trying to help get that ready and organized as well.

That top picture is one of my favorites. I don't even know who took it and how I came to have it....but it shows Chris and me...and my dad on the right. The year was 2000 (and look how cute my then-boyfriend ~ now/husband was!). We were at the public school to see my sister at her prom. I guess I love to look at that picture because I like seeing us young...and knowing that the Lord brought us together and has given me a lovely life with this man!

My Madelyn turned 18 last month! Yes, 18! If you have followed my blog from the beginning....you have watched her grow up! I still struggle to wrap my head around the fact that my little girl...my curly-haired sweetie is now 18 years old! The days turn into weeks...which turn into months and then years! Ack! Time just keeps rolling by ~ Xavier turns 16 this month and is eager to get his driver's permit! I'm quite glad Jaxson is still 13...I'm trying to keep him young! Not sure I can make that happen though! ;)

 Speaking of Jaxson....he has made this awesome gnome garden (by himself...I had nothing in this!)...

The little gnome items are so cute! He used sand dollars they got at the shore in Massachusetts (when the kids went there with my mom and my aunt) to make the paths. His flowers have been blooming and looking beautiful! 

Life hasn't been all work and no play...we have enjoyed fellowship with friends, picnics, swimming, and the like on the weekends! :)

We've been cleaning out our shed. It was in a terrible state of disarray and disorganization. Chris and I (with help from the children) worked hard to fix the roof, and go through stuff inside the shed (I have no pictures of it...but it is not exciting anyway!). It's a shed/work space. It's a great size so I will be using it when I make wreaths for the Cancer Society. Remember how I made them last year as a sort of apprentice? Well, the lady gave me the business so I will be *quite* busy this fall! I'm so nervous! I've ordered trees and supplies and feel like I am on top of things but it's still a bit nerve-racking!

As you can see in the pic above and the one below...my boys and I painted our garage! I got paint that was created to match the siding of our house. It looks so much better than the orange block it used to be (don't worry...I had Chris's "OK" to do it!). It was a lot of work but I'm so glad we did it. I repainted the trim white too. I also painted our front porch as you can see a couple pictures below...

I have been slowly getting ready for our new homeschool year as well...trying to make sure Madelyn will have all the credits she needs to graduate (as she is a senior this year)....and getting Xavier's credits straight as he enters his sophomore year. Jaxson is entering 8th grade so we don't have to worry about credits with his schooling yet. We'll probably start a year in the middle of this month.

AND....last but not least...I have some new script stickers in my etsy shop...(there are others in my shop as well ~ and planning more to come)...

 

I am still seeking to honor the Lord and glorify Him in everything I do. He is my all in all and He is always first and foremost in my life. He is so good.

I pray you are well! Thank you for visiting me here. I do always plan on blogging more....but the time just slips by much quicker than I expect. Until next time, Lord willing...

Katy

Planning in My Bullet Journal in February

Hi friends! Here's a quick look at how I have been planning out some of my days now in my personal Filofax bullet journal! I also have an Alice in Wonderland themed Plan With Me in my Erin Condren Planner that you can watch HERE if you would like! (It's not long). I am also on instagram now so you can see photos of home and my planners on there too (you can find my link to my IG account on the right sidebar).

Planning out my days really helps keep me organized and helps stop me from stressing while trying to figure out what I need to do in a day. If I have it written down then I know I will get to it! :)

Here's a look at the stickers I used for the Alice in Wonderland theme in my ECLP!

This week is going to be a busy one for me. I hope to post again soon though! I hope you all have a great week! Thank you for visiting me here! 

Warmly,

Katy

Linked up at: Strangers & Pilgrims

Personal Planner / Bullet Journal Plan with Me Video

Hello friends! :)

For those who are interested ~ I made another plan with me...this time in my personal sized planner. This one is sped up and I did a voice over for it. It is under 10 minutes long! :) If you enjoy it, I hope you will consider subscribing to my youtube channel. I hope to post more! Planning can be fun and I know I enjoy watching other people plan...so I thought maybe others would enjoy my videos as well..? We'll see...I am trying to get better each time I video! :o) I'm still such a goof and sound silly but oh well! Here's the video if you are interesed:

If you want to see how I plan in *pictures* you can see my previous post HERE! I have been keeping really busy with housework, homeschooling, exercise, my etsy shop and life in general! I hope you all are doing really well! It's getting late and I need to head to bed soon...so I hope you guys have a lovely rest of your week! Thanks *so* much for stopping by! 

Warmly,

Katy

Linked up at Strangers & Pilgrims

How I Plan in My Personal Planner

Last evening I was planning out the week ahead and thought I would *take you along with me*. I have shared previous posts on how I plan...and also some videos (you can find them linked in the sidebar). I have always used bigger planners (which I LIKE)...however, I wanted to try and downsize so I could have a planner that fit right into my bag for when I go places. I like to always have my planner with me. If I wasn't needing my planner with me, I would probably go back to the larger sized planners again! Then it could just stay at home! :o)

First, I want to say that planning/organizing your days does *not* have to be time consuming or expensive. You can get pre-printed pages (such as with the Erin Condren Planner or else inserts for your binder) and just keep running lists of the tasks you want to accomplish as well as appointments/special dates. Your planner has to work for you! Your planner doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to look like anyone else's. It has to be something that helps you and keeps you organized and less stressed so you can spend your day accomplishing what the Lord has for you...and not stressing about the next thing. A planner must be functional for you or else it is just a glorified scrapbook.

I have used pre-printed pages before (with the dates already on them) and they work just fine. However, I never found a layout that worked *just* as I wanted it to. I wanted to be able to customize it. That's when I discovered bullet journaling. I have done it for a while now. You can see previous posts HERE and HERE. It is a way for me to be able to create my own set up...one that works perfectly for how I need it to. I'll show you the set up that I use (that works for me) and maybe it will give you ideas that can work for you too! I found that in my larger pages I had wasted space...so I decided to see if I could make my system work in a personal sized planner (I only purchase planners inexpensively on ebay or if they are on sale/clearance on another site. They can be pretty pricey. I really only ever buy things that are on sale or clearance...ever! haha! I always try to find good quality things as decent prices!)

It's hard to see in the photos but the pages I have are a dot-grid. This helps to keep things neat and straight. I start out by using my ruler and drawing two straight lines horizontally. Then I write times from 5am to 9pm between them. (I used to free hand the lines and try to stay along the dots...but it wasn't quite neat enough for me...so I went back to using my ruler!). Then I draw a header of some sort...usually a banner with the day in it and the date below...

**By the way...I like to sit on the floor so I can have all my stuff out and around me when I set up my pages. The book I like to use to plan *on* is a Martha Stewart Homemaking book. It's nice and thick and just my go-to "table"! ;)

The next thing I do is place a TODAY sticker along the top and a TO DO sticker beside it. I draw lines down from the TODAY sticker to form a box. I put the weather at the bottom. This box is my place to mark events, appointments etc. in chronological order. I like to see things vertically. Under the TO DO list I just make a simple list of things I would like to get done for the day...

Here you can see how I started filling in my TODAY section. (Stickers aren't necessary...but they are fun and give it a little *something*!). I teach spin early in the morning...then we have our homeschooling and housework. There is some open space there that may get something added if necessary or may stay blank depending on Monday's responsibilities. Then I teach an evening spin class. (Many people don't know what spinning is. HERE is a description!)...

See how I like to have everything around me when I am planning?

Ok...back to the page...I filled in some of my TO DO List (I make an X over the dot when I have finished a task. I put half and X through it if it is partially done). I also filled in the weather forecast. Then, as another help I color code along the top bar under the date...with the times. I use green to mark off exercise times and orange or pink to mark off schooling times. It helps give a visual of my day at a glance. I may use blue to color code an appointment or purple for church. :)

I put my pages back into my binder and *voila* ~ All ready for the week!

Here's a look at the past couple of days...

Today and tomorrow (I don't really fill in my TO DO lists usually until the day before)...

At the bottom of the page I will decorate a little, mark a birthday with special stickers or keep track of the supper menu!

Monday and Tuesday...

 Here is my pre-loved personal filofax in gold. It's really pretty (the picture doesn't do it justice). I got it inexpensively on ebay (you just have to keep a watch out and find one cheap!). A simple binder will do, though, if you prefer. I'm telling you....planning truly doesn't have to cost you. It's adding the extras that can cost....

Top view...I did purchase the MONTH and TODAY dividers. I like to support small businesses on Etsy when I can. This girl had a small shop and I purchased them from her...but you could definitely make your own if you wanted to! You can use a laminator or even clear contact paper! The cute paper clip cupcake I made! Not the actual top part....I bought a few in bulk at wholesale price. Then I hot glued them to paper clips! I considered selling a few in my shop but the backs have visible clips hot glued to them and don't look *pretty*. I tried to put a backing on a couple of them but couldn't get the exact felt color to match so it doesn't look perfect. I didn't want to sell something that wasn't excellent...

So there you have it! How I plan! Katy Planning 101! If you need help being organized this year...I encourage you to keep a calendar and a TO DO list. Even if you don't keep it in a planner...maybe you just like sticky notes! Whatever works for you is what is best! Just help yourself stay organized, make it to appointments on time, and get those tasks accomplished! I am *far* from perfect....seriously....I'm even really far from excellent...but I *do* try my best with things and I have to tell you that checking things off as you get them done is such a great feeling! It pushes you to want to get the *next* thing done too! I will even admit: I write in things *after* I have done them sometimes (if it wasn't already on my list) and then check them off! It's a great feeling! Start this new year right and get organized!!! And if you *do* want stickers...there are a ton of great small shops on etsy! You can browse mine HERE.

You can watch this during a quick plan with me video: HERE

I hope you found this post helpful! If you have any questions...please comment below or email me!
Have a great weekend and week ahead friends!

Warmly,
Katy

Linked up at: Strangers & Pilgrims

Happy New Year 2017!

Happy New Year friends! I can hardly believe it is 2017! I remember being 17 or 18 and waiting for it to turn from the year 1999 to 2000 and for the whole Y2K scare! Ha! I must not have been too worried as I fell asleep before midnight even then! I have never been a late-night gal. 

We spent New Year's Eve day at my sister's home. Due to sickness we weren't able to get together with them on Christmas Eve (as per our tradition) so we got together on New Year's Eve instead. That evening we fellowshipped with friends and loved ones (fellow Christians and homeschooling family friends of ours). I didn't take photos of that...but we had a nice time. We had to head home around 9pm that night though because I was near tears from exhaustion (I had been up early, taught an hour spin class then we were at my sister's a good portion of the day and then to the NYE gathering with friends....I was just pooped!). 

I *do* have a few fun photos from the time at my sister's house. :) Here they are!

Madelyn had her hair braided by the *braiding-pro* Eloise (who isn't even quite six years old yet!)...

El did a great job! Goodness, I know *adults* who can't even braid! :)

 Xavier layed on my lap...

My aunt brought her dog, Spencer, (who my nieces LOVE) to visit! He was *such* a hoot sitting on the couch like this! I was so glad to be able to capture it on camera!

My three with my sister's three children (and the wee one in her belly will be added to this bunch this year! Yay!)...

Opening some gifts (look at Audra's little piggies...aren't they so cute!?)...

Eloise, Audra, and Aunt Ginny...

There's my guy opening one of his gifts!

Xavier wanted me to photograph Spencer laying between his leg and my aunt's. I went to snap the picture and Jaxson did bunny ears (and got *caught* by X at the SAME time!)!!!

My sister's family found this Darth Vader (from Star Wars) Snuggie for Jaxson...

Grammie got the girls mermaid tails...

X with another cute shot of Spencer...

 Jax got a face mask to match his Snuggie....so he is all warm and snug...in his *snuggie* teehee...

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while have watched my children (as well as my sister's children) grow up! Are you as amazed as I am at how fast they are growing!? I *need* time to slow down!

We are back to our routine again...which is nice. I like a nice rhythm to the days. We are schooling again, keeping up with housework and I even made some more stickers to add to my shop! I should hand draw some of my own stickers and scan them and make them into stickers...that would be cute. But as of now, I found and bought some *super* cute gnome graphics and made them into stickers! You can see them below or find them in my etsy shop (HERE).

Thank you for always visiting me here. I truly appreciate your comments and emails. :)

Here's to a lovely, God-honoring, Christ-exalting 2017!

Cheerfully,
Katy