Just In Case They Didn't Know

Did you all know that I have the most INCREDIBLE friends ever?   These wonderful ladies are always there for me and don't even think twice about it.  Just last week they took me out for my birthday.  We watched a great movie, had some yummy drinks, and shared some great conversations.  It was just what I needed to take my mind off all knee and arm pain I've been dealing with.

But my awesome friends didn't stop there.  No, they decided to put together a meal schedule to help me out in the evening.  By the end of the day, standing and cooking is about the last thing I want to do.  Now all I have to do is open the door and accept their wonderful meals graciously.   For some reason, I have a very difficult time asking for help.  I don't like to put others out and just try to do it all myself. So I am extremely grateful that they came up with this on their own and didn't give me a choice.  My friend M called me and said, "I have some great news and you can't say no."    Thanks M, J, V, J, S, M, E, and B!!  You Guys Rock!

Do you have some special friends in your life that you just couldn't live without?  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Wizard Of Oz

My friends and I took our 6 girls to see the Wizard of Oz on the big screen yesterday.  Our new theater in town was screening it for only a dollar.  Having a very timid four year old, I hesitated a bit before deciding to go.  But in the end, I figured we could just leave if she got too scared.  Now the theater gets some big pluses and some ginormous minuses (spell check didn't catch ginormous...who knew it was a real word???)  All six girls had a great time.  This was a big plus for the theater.  It was nice to let the girls have the whole movie experience, but for only a fraction of the cost.  They got to talk to together, laugh together, exchange silly bands, and eventually enjoy the movie.  Overall in their books, perfect!  Now comes the minuses.  My poor friend, M, seems to forget to remove the sign she wears that states she would love poor service every time we go to this theater.  No matter how often we remind her to leave the sign at home, she still wears it.  She has been to this theater over 10 times, and each and every time she has received very bad service (except for the one time she told the waiter she was expecting bad service, then he took good care of her.).  The theater is actually a Drafthouse which serves food and drinks at your seat.   You order at your seat and they bring it out to you.  Typically she either gets her food an hour later than everyone else or it is the wrong order and she has to start her order all over.  Either way, her food is always cold.  Poor M!  Do you enjoy taking your kids to the movies?  Is it too much of an ordeal or worth it?  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Fun With Sidewalk Paint!

Yesterday, a bunch of moms and I took our kiddos over to destroy decorate our friend's driveway.  She actually invited us over to make our own sidewalk paint and a real big mess.  I'm not sure if I could have been so brave, but we all had a lot of fun.  To start our fun, the kids mixed 1/4 cup of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together.  Once they had it all mixed together, we added some food coloring.  It was that simple! 

 The kids used foam paint brushes for their masterpieces (although some of the younger kids were content with just pouring all of it out at once).  When they were done with their painting, they had fun at the water table, blowing bubbles, and sneaking inside our patient friends house.  Thankfully, my kids are a bit older and I didn't need to chase them everywhere.  And to our brave friend...Thanks for having us all over!

Relay for Life: Recap

The Relay for Life event was amazing! Not only did the remarkable ladies in my group and I raise about $1,600, but the area as a whole raised $284,953! What a great achievement for such a small community. That huge number wasn’t even the greatest news of the night. A fellow Mom’s Club Member has been fighting bravely against breast cancer. And when I say bravely, that is a huge understatement. At the start of our walk, she announced that she was officially cancer-free!! Lisa, you are an astonishing woman. I’m so happy I’ve had the chance to meet you!

This year was our first year to participate in Relay for Life as a team. The theme of the Relay was Mardi Gras, so everyone had a lot of fun decorating their tent. The awesome people from Country Bob’s donated 500 free bottles of their delicious All-Purpose sauce to the Relay participants. They also gave away three prize packs to some lucky winners ( I hope you all are enjoying your new cook book and sauce)! We even had the concession stand put out some bottles for people to put on their hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken.

Our tent site was designed to give mothers with small children a break. We had a changing station (with free supplies), a feeding station, an art table, and free snacks and drinks for the participating children. I was so happy to see so many children participating in such an important event. We even won the Rookie Team of the year for our fun tent site! To go along with the babies, Mardi Gras, and Country Bob theme, one of my teammates made a cut out picture of a baby holding Country Bob sauce. It was a big hit. Everyone wanted to stop and get a picture. Check out some that we took of ourselves.

Thanks to all of you who supported us this year for Relay. We truly appreciate your generosity. A special thanks to Country Bob for the donations. The sauce was a big hit! And a HUGE thank-you to all my teammates. It was so wonderful to have such a great group of ladies to work with. We Rock! :)

Blogs, Blogs, Blogs

When I started blogging 6 months ago, I had no idea how big the blogosphere was. I thought my journey was going to be fun, but lonely. Of course, I knew my parents would read and maybe a few close friends would humor me, but I thought that was about it. How surprised was I to find that there was an entire world living in cyberspace. A world full of friendly bloggers from countries everywhere. These past six months have been so much fun and I’ve loved getting to know you all while reading your blogs. There is such a vast variety of blogs to explore. I am always learning new things and gathering fresh ideas. I’ve discovered there are Book Blogs, Inspirational Blogs, Cooking Blogs, Review Blogs, Mommy Blogs, Crafty Blogs, Business Blogs, Writing Blogs, and Funny Blogs. I can’t really decide which type of blog I love the best. I learn so many tidbits from each of them. My Book Blogging friends are always there with a new book recommendation. Between them and my mom, I am never without a good read. My Inspirational Blogging friends are always there to brighten my day and to remind me of an important Bible verse. My Cooking Blogging friends…well…they may have contributed to a few extra pounds on my hips, but it was worth it! I love all the great recipes being shared. Hopefully, you’ve all tried a few of mine too. My Review Blogging friends, especially Survey Junkie, have been so helpful in sharing insight into the review/giveaway world. I am so glad that I’ve had an opportunity to add it to my blog because it is so much fun. My Mommy Blogging friends have been there to show me, that it is not just me. There is a whole world of moms out there that are sharing in the same joys, fears, fun, and frustrations. My Crafty Blogging friends never cease to amaze me. I’ve always thought I was creative, but boy was I wrong. These ladies are outstanding. My Business Blogging friends are inspirational. They have shown that you can take a dream and make it a reality. My Writing Blogging friends give me hope. My dream is to one day have my stories published for the world to see. My Writing friends are facing the same ups and downs. Although many have yet to be published, some have seen their dreams come true. And finally, my Funny Blogging Friends are always there to share a laugh. Do you have a favorite type of blog? A blog that you just have to share? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

**Don't forget to check out some of links in this post.  There are some great blogs out there! :)  If I didn't link up to you, it doesn't mean I don't love you, just that I ran out of room.

Girls Night Out!

Last Saturday, a few of us girls went out to celebrate our friend’s birthday at P.F. Changs. I had never been there before, but everyone I know is always raving about it so I was really excited. Unfortunately, we had to drive an hour to get there, but it didn’t seem too long with all the girl chatter going on. If you have not been to P.F. Changs, I really recommend you giving it a shot. Every dish that went by our table looked and smelled absolutely delicious. There were of course so many great items to choose from, but in the end my friends and I decided to just order a bunch of appetizers to share. We ordered crispy green beans, crab wontons, spicy shrimp, and…..LETTUCE WRAPS! I was so excited to try the lettuce wraps because I had been hearing about them for so long. Everyone assured me they were the absolute best thing in the world. Now I will admit, they were pretty good (maybe not the best thing on Earth, but close). But they just couldn’t compare to the dessert that followed our meal. Our waiter, who looked and sounded like Seth Rogan, brought out a display of about 8 different cakes in shot glasses and I had to stop myself from drooling (over the cake, not the waiter). All the choices looked so good that I was tempted to order one of each. They were only tiny little things, right!?! In the end, I ended up ordering a lemon cake and a carrot cake. Each little shot glass had only about three tiny bites, but each bite was beyond delicious. If you get a chance to go to P.F. Changs, don’t forget to save room for dessert. You will not be disappointed. Where did you go on your last girl’s night out? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Chris Brogan Challenge : A Community I Love

As I was sitting in a lonely hotel room, waiting for my husband to get out of work, I was searching the web for new ideas for my blog. During my search, I came across a guy named Chris Brogan, author of Social Media 101 and coauthor of Trust Agents. Mr. Brogan had made a list of 100 blog topics that he hoped “I” would write about. Many of his ideas fit me perfectly, while others I’m not really sure what they are. In all my boredom, I decided to challenge myself to write about all 100 of his topics. This won’t be easy, since some of the topics are a big question mark to me, but a little research never hurt anyone. Figuring in the fact that I don’t write real posts on the weekend, this challenge will be 100% successful if I complete it in 20 weeks. So let’s begin…Day Four – Topic Four(keeping up)!

Community is a perfect topic for this week’s celebration. Every year, our community celebrates the Apple Blossoms, by throwing a week long festival. The community comes together for dances, luncheons, a marathon, a carnival, a circus, and of course parades. There are so many activities that I don’t even know all of them yet. I’m fairly new to this area, but each year I learn of new activities that are mainly family oriented. I believe that this festival is not only a good way to bring the community together, but it is also a great place for local businesses and artists to make people aware of their products. This year’s Apple Blossom festival was kicked off with a wine tasting festival on the downtown walking mall. Different vineyards from around the area were there to showcase their wine. And to my kids’ delight, there was homemade kettle corn! And as if it couldn’t get any better, this year’s Grand Marshall is Val Kilmer. I imagine there will be more ladies buying front row seats to the main parade.

I am also proud of how much our community gives back. There are many various charitable groups that make a big difference right here in our own backyard. I have been fortunate enough to participate with several of these groups. Last year I was a part of an all woman’s build with Habitat for Humanity. With the help of some trusty contractors, we were able to build a home for a single mom working hard to give her daughter a better life. For the last few years, I was also able to help the Salvations Army soup kitchen my donating and cooking meals for the homeless. Currently, my friends and I are working to raise money for cancer research with Relay for Life. Although our group is small, the community as a whole has already raised about $73,000! Talk about making a difference! What do you love about your community? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Birthday Weekend and New Web Domain!

This weekend I celebrated my 32nd 29th birthday. My birthday weekend started with my awesome friends taking me to the movies Friday night. We saw Date Night and laughed until our sides hurt. I know it didn’t get very good reviews, but I would definitely recommend seeing it. It was Steve Carrel and Tina Fey in their funniest performance ever. My birthday weekend continued with my parents visiting and taking the kids and I out for lunch on Saturday. We went to a delicious Japanese Steakhouse and had the whole restaurant to ourselves (they must have cleared it out for my birthday)! Then on Sunday, my wonderful brother and beautiful sister-in-law surprised me with my own web domain! YEAH! No more blogspot (no offense to blogspot, but it is just a really long URL to type)!!!!! So if you want to join me for our daily latte, just visit me at www.betweenthelines-kel.com. Of course if you forget, it will automatically redirect you. So, no worries! Speaking of, no worries…. I finished up my birthday weekend by going to the Outback with my husband and kids. YUM!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did!

Finding Friendship

We are surrounded by people from the very moment we are born. In the very beginning, the world revolves solely around our parents. We need food, they provide it. We need love, they unconditionally give it. We need shelter, they cover us. But from the time we enter the toddler stage of life, we begin searching for that person or persons we can call friend. There are many types of friendships in the world and most of us have experienced them all. Many friendships develop due to proximity. When you see the same people at school or work every day, you are bound to pick up some friendships. However, many of these friendships fizzle out when you no longer see each other every day. Some friendships develop over common interests. Perhaps you go to the same church or play on the same sports team. These friends may be great and very important in your life, but perhaps only for a season.


Although I could spend pages writing about the different types of friendship that I have observed, that is not the point of this post. This post, dedicated to my close-knit group of friends, is about finding true friendship. Friendship that is strong. Friendship that is forever. I have had very few forever friends before this point in my life. Maybe only enough to count on one hand, if you don’t count my family members. That is not to say that I don’t treasure each and every friendship I’ve had, have, or will find in the future. But the groups of ladies that I have by my side now are truly awesome. And I hesitate to use awesome because it just doesn’t seem to be a strong enough word. My friends are always there to talk to, laugh with, or cry on. They are only a walk, phone call, or text message away. They never judge and completely accept me for who I am. I pray that each and every one of you who reads this post is blessed with at least one friend who fits the above description. Without my close family and friends I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Thanks ladies. You are the best!

A Gaming Family

Gone are the days when video games were geared towards just the boys. My husband, of course, still owns some of the traditional shoot’em up games, but the majority of the games we own are family friendly. The Nintendo Wii has revolutionized the way we play video games. No longer are we confined to playing with just a few fingers. Wii has introduced us to a whole body gaming experience. Among my family’s favorites are Wii Resort, Wii Fit, Boom Blocks, and Dance Dance Revolution. Not only are these games fun (especially with a little added competition), but they also have the added exercise element that helps keep our family active. If you like to have game night with your friends, Kabooki would be a great game for you. Kabooki, a fun team game, is made by the creators of Cranium and shares many of the same categories.


If you have a PlayStation, Buzz is another great game to play with friends and family. Buzz is a trivia game that uses wireless controllers (included in the game package) to answer the questions. The numerous categories and humorous characters keep the game interesting and fun. Plus, if you ever do get through all the questions, you can simply download new categories from the PlayStation online store. Another family favorite for the PlayStation is Rock Band. Although Rock Band doesn’t seem like it would appeal to the female population as much as the male population, we love it. Rock Band is another PlayStation game that you can download new songs from the online PlayStation store. Adding country songs has definitely made it more appealing to my girls and I.


What gaming system and games are popular in your house? Do you love the competition or just the fun of it?


Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Giving Back

Donating money is probably the first thing that pops in your mind when thinking of charity. And although most of us would love to give to help a good cause, the money is not always there. Over the last couple of years, I have discovered that time given is just as valuable as money. There are numerous places that are always looking for volunteers. The Salvation Army soup kitchen, for example, is always looking for help preparing and serving meals (especially at dinner). There are countless people depending on the Salvation Army and you could be the one to feed a starving child just by donating a few hours of your time. Habitat for Humanity is another important organization. It is intimidating to picture yourself “building” a house, but with a bit of instruction and a little perseverance, you could be the one to give a family their first home. Locks of Love is a special charity to me because I was able to share the experience with my daughter. Supporting Locks of Love takes nothing but your own generosity. You could be the one to give a little girl her self-esteem back.


This year Disney is attempting to open our eyes to the world of volunteering. As if volunteering wasn’t a big enough reward, now Disney is offering a free day at the park for anyone giving a day to one of their chosen charities. If you go their website, http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day , you can search for local participating charities. If there are none close to you, consider making a blanket for Project Linus. Most chapters are willing to accept mailed in blankets as long as comply with their chapter’s regulations.


If you have any questions about the charities listed above, please feel free to ask. I also am supporting Relay for Life. If you would like to make a donation or help raise funds, please email me at betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com.


Happy Volunteering!

Oh She's That Friend...

Deny it if you will, but we have all had “that” friend at some point in our lives. The friend that is needy, possessive, or always right. The friend that you are embarrassed to admit you let walk all over you. The friend that always turned everything you said, no matter how polite you were, into something negative. If you are one of the lucky few who have been spared, keep your radars up because they will find you (or unfortunately, you may be “that” friend).

What does it mean to be a true friend? How much of yourself should you give? These basic questions were at one point in my life easy to answer. Growing up, we are taught to be kind to others. Treat others the way you want to be treated. However, when we actually do grow up, things get a little more complicated. Especially with “that” friend.