Friday Five: The LOVE addition

Since Valentine's day is right around the corner, I wanted to do a special Love addition. 

Here are my top five gifts for Women:

#1: All in Good Taste by Kate Spade. 
All women love Kate Spade! This book has home decor ideas, fashion designs, recipes, and Kate's famous quotes.

#2: Kendra Scott earrings.
I am in love with these, I have eyeing them for a while now! These are a great, affordable gift item for that special someone.

#3: Trendy Tee's.
This pretty much sums up my life! This is perfect for that coffee loving women in your life.

#4: Ugg Slippers.
For those women who love to lounge and relax, These adorable slippers are perfect and they are oh, so cute.

#5: Versace Perfume.
I got this for Christmas and it smells divine. I highly recommend this for anyone your trying to impress!!

What is on your Valentine's wish list?

Linking up with Karli from: Sept. Farm. 

Grease is the Word- and a NEW LOOK!

Don't you just love the new look? Thank you Erin!!! You can check out her Blog and amazing work here. Since the Blog has a new look, I thought we could take an old look at 15 year old Kelsey.

In honor of the amazing Grease Live show that aired earlier this week, I thought we would have a blast from the past. I bring you Grease from 12 years ago! The students I teach were not even alive during this grand production. WHAT?!? Yes, that is me playing Sandy in 2001 **insert hair flip**. This is one of my favorite musicals and it was an honor to play such a great role alongside my very talented besties.

I grew up in the theater performing musicals. My very first musical was "Velveteen Rabbit" when I was eight years old. From that day on, I never left the stage. There is nothing like hitting center stage with the bright lights shining on you while you sing your heart out in front of thousands of people. It is a rush!

Although I am not performing musicals anymore, I am on the stage everyday as a first grade teacher. I am performing lessons and take a grand bow at the end of each tiring day. Sometimes I even get applause. You can take the girl off the stage, but you can never take the stage out of the girl...or something like that.

Being in musicals and performing has changed my life. After my first play at eight years old, I continued performing 2-3 shows a year until I graduated college. I made life-long friends that I cherish more then they will ever know. I was changed, molded, and shaped by performing and it has made me the person I am today.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity and blessing of being in theater at such a young age. I hope my children can love something as much as I loved performing.

While we weren't rehearsing, I remember sitting in the theater prank calling bowling alleys, playing "big booty", standing on the counters singing at the top of our lungs, crying together, laughing together, and playing truth or dare- you know, typical teenage stuff. We didn't have a care in the world... TAKE ME BACK--

I want to say thank you to everyone who laughed and cried with me for 21 years of my life. Thank you for listening, dancing, singing, performing, encouraging, and always believing in me. I love you and miss taking that bow on stage with you. I hold those moments near and dear to my heart. We may never perform together again, but we can escape back to those days together and reminisce. I mean look at how young we look!!!!

Thank you blogging world for this trip down memory lane! This musical-loving performer appreciates you for reading and enjoying these photos. If you didn't laugh at least once, there is something wrong with you. I mean these are straight outta da millennium.

What were you doing 12 years ago that might have changed your life?

Craft Fail!

So I have this grand idea in my head that I am so creative and talented, I see other people do it so I totally can, right? Wrong! I recently got one of those cutting machines, and I truly love it don't get me wrong; however, no one told me how hard these things are to manage and how much patience one needs. If you know me, I have as much patience as my first graders.

I have grand dreams of creating this...

Or this...

I mean, someone made these so why can't I? I wanted to make a special card for one of my friends so I prep my machine, read all the directions, and I am actually being very patient. My end product...

THIS:

As you can tell, I am totally on the same level as the other crafty-women! I was totally going for the "sunbeams shooting out from the ladies drinking tea" look. 

After a lot of face-to-palm and laughing I decided to take a break (4 cards later...eh!) and admit I am a crafting wanna-be. 

This is my next attempt at a craft. I mean how adorable is this! I can do this right? Or will this be another crafting fail Blog post? 

Any tips on how a non-crafting girl could make this would be appreciated!

I hope you had a good laugh (I know I did). Any tips or advice for this non-crafty girl would be appreciated. May all your crafts be easy and sunbeam free!

Friday Five!

CURRENTLY...

Favorite Pandora Station:
Did you know there is a "Spa" station on Pandora? Well, there is and it is amazing! I poured myself a bubble bath with lavender essential oils, a glass of wine, and drifted away in my kindle. Thank you Pandora for creating stations that make you relax and drift away like a queen. 

Favorite Devise:
Jeffrey got me a FitBit for my Birthday and I am obsessed! I consistently check my steps a

nd calories. I find myself walking in place just to reach "step goals". AND... for anyone that has a FitBit, how oh how do you read 10,000 steps? I celebrate 5,000 when my wrist buzzes!

Favorite Oil:
I have been defusing the "Breath" essential oil each night and I can tell a HUGE difference in my sleep patterns. Since Jeffrey is away, it is hard for me to sleep. Once I started defusing, it got a lot easier. Even my Fitbit agrees. I went from over 20 restless points to like 7!!! HIGH-FIVE on sleeping! Now if only they could create an oil to make getting up at 5:00 am easy.

Favorite girly item:
I have been using the heck out of my Nume curling wand and I am officially obsessed! It came with five different wands so I am always switching and changing curl types. Want to know the the best part? Ok, ok, i'll tell you... it LASTS ALL DAY!!!!!!!!!! Can I get an Amen?!? My hair is so thin and just plain yuck! I have never found a curling iron that keeps my hair curly until now! This is a BIG deal for me, if you couldn't tell.

Favorite Student:
I know, I know you aren't supposed to have favorites, but this sweet 1st grader painted me an amazing picture of my puppy, Roxie, for my Birthday! How can she not be your favorite? God has blessed this cutie-pie with a big, artistic talent. Now that I have boasted on her, I can go back to making all ten of them my favorites (most of the time *wink-wink*).

What are some of your current favorites?

New Hobbies

A lot of people have been asking me about what Kombucha is and how I make it. Here is my 2 gallon glass jar with my scoby, whom I have named Seymour! I ferment my kombucha in the jar for a week. 

Here is a better picture of Seymour. He has gotten so BIG since I first got him!

When I cannot brew another batch of tea for a while, I store Seymour in 2 cups of tea and place him back into my container, covered by a breathable cloth until next time I make tea. It's like a pet.

Once my Kombucha is ready, I bottle the tea and let them carbonate for 3-5 days before I drink them!

If you haven't had the chance to try Kombucha tea, I highly recommend it! 

I am feeling 29!

Wasn't I the CUTEST baby ever!

This is the last year in my twenties. Excuse me while I scream in shock. Where, oh where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday I was seven years old performing in my first play! Yep, that is me in the cute pink dress! 1999 Kelsey was so cute! 29 year old Kelsey is pretty cute too, I guess.

I am on the 3rd row 5th in from the right!

A lot has happened in the past year for me! I was able to check a lot off of my 30 before 30 list. YAY! There are still a few more to go, but I have another year all you nay-sayers!

28 treated me very well. Jeffrey and I spent an entire year in our home here in Charleston (that's 2 years in one place...high-five) and have fallen completely in love with the city! Our favorite thing is to run at the beach and then jump in the water and play (where else can you do this?? Charleston is the bomb!).

I have a new job teaching 1st grade at a Private Christian School and I love it!!! Christ-centered education is the best education. I am loved and spoiled everyday. I wake up smiling because I get to work at such an amazing school. Thanks 28, this was a great milestone.

Look at that sas! 

Jeffrey and I traveled a ton this past birth year. We went to California and Vegas with little trips along the way. All in all, 28 was great, but 29 is going to be even better! I have high expectations for you 29! It is the last year of my twenties after all.

I have so many things to look forward to in this golden year of 29! Just to name a few: Jeffrey and I are going to IRELAND and ENGLAND in September for 10 days, Texas in April and New York (these are just the trips we have planned)! We are beyond excited. I have a wonderful job I love and Jeffrey is already excelling at his new job. Y'all, they are already talking about a promotion! God willing we are going to move closer to my job and our church soon, and we have high hopes for a big-bright future.

God is faithful and keeps his promises, what a wonderful gift and reminder as I enter the last year of my twenties. So, here is to me and making myself the best I can and doing "life" the best I can. Here is to 29 and the best year yet. I cannot wait to see what God has in store. Y'all I can feel it, it's going to be good, oh so delightfully good!

Please check out my cousins in the background! Gotta love 90's fashion!

What goals do you have? What advice would you give this 29 year old? AND... Have you ever had the clarity from God that something is going to be good?

cheers!

Why Dad's are the best!

I mean, look at this face! 

Today is my Dad's 60th BIRTHDAY! Mr. John Ross has graced this Earth for 60 years... what a lucky Earth this is! My dad is the best and has always been there for his little girl! Here are my top five reasons why little girls with good dads are SO (times a million) lucky.

1. You can dance on their feet! Why exert all of your child-like energy when you can stand on your dad and make him do all the work? Thanks dad for never saying no or turning me away. You stuck your feet out and let me dance on them all day!

2. They are goofy! Mom's, your funny and all, but dad's, there is something about them that is so funny! My dad would always make me laugh. Not like a little giggle, but a gut-wrenching, bottom of your stomach laugh until you cry!

3. They play with you! No matter what it might be, sports, tea-party, dolls, or feet-dancing, my dad did it all. Dad's are the best at getting on a kids level and playing.

4. You are their princess. I get teary eyed every time I think about my dad seeing me in my prom dress or wedding dress. He was so proud and had tears in his eyes. When your dad tells you you're beautiful you remember every second of that moment.

5. They treat you like a princess. I loved getting roses and cards from my dad. He was my first love and always showed me how a girl should be treated...spoiled! I cherish every card, rose, candy, saying, and hug I have ever gotten from my dad!

This is a girl that loves her daddy!

Dad, you are the best! Thank you for letting me dance on your feet, for making me belly-laugh, and for treating me like a princess. Happy Birthday!

-Kelsey