The Waves of the Sea

September 11, 2013 by Kat

It’s Kat’s Life – The Waves of the Sea

Although it seems I completely disappeared from the blogging and social media scene altogether this summer, I hadn’t. I may have seemed checked out, but honestly I have never been more checked in. Checked into the Lord (His word and His will), checked into my marriage, checked into my children, checked into my friends, checked into the amazing world around me and spending lots of precious time by the sea. I will be updating over the next few weeks and sharing what all I’ve learned and experienced over the past few incredibly meaningful months.

Filed Under: Happiness, It's Kat's Life, itskatslife.com, Kat Fell, Katherine Fell, Life, Love

Going back to Cali…

July 9, 2013 by Kat

Back to Cali for another incredible wedding… Some of our good friends, Brent and Holly, had a destination wedding in Newport Beach California over the 4th weekend. How much more fun could that be? The rehearsal dinner, on the evening of the 4th of July, consisted of all family, wedding party and out of town friends. We kicked off the wedding festivities by boarding a bus headed to the Newport Harbor. Everyone boarded the massive paddle boat fashioned after something you would see headed down the Mississippi River, pictured below. We cruised the harbor for several hours, there were drinks, food, music and great times with good friends. Brent was our last groomsman to get married so, we were exceptionally excited to see these two tie the knot. They also went with us to the last So Cal wedding the previous October. Two So Cal weddings in a year, does it really get any better than that? We finished the evening by anchoring the boat in the harbor and watching the fireworks over the water, a great way to kick off the wedding weekend and celebrate our nation’s freedom!

Filed Under: Happiness, itskatslife.com, Life, Love, Weddings

Finding Peace and Rest

June 24, 2013 by Kat

Over the past 7 weeks or so, there are have been a number of changes in my daily routine. I have spent less and less time on social media, blogging and watching television, I have gotten up super early (even when I don’t “have” to) and have gotten to the gym daily before my hubby goes to work. For anyone that has known me any length of time, you will automatically almost think I may have completely lost my mind. Not only have I spent the past 7 weeks deeply rooted in God’ word, early in the morning before anyone in my house is awake, but I also added getting up even earlier to do both my prayer and quiet time, as well as my workouts. This former night owl, is no longer such, most days I can hardly stay up past about 9:30 or 10pm. 5 am has never been my preferred time, but there is truly something to be said about getting up early, digging into the Bible and crunching out several miles before the day has officially begun. Change is never easy, nor is taking the first step, but keeping at it is so worthwhile. “Life is so much brighter when we focus on what truly matters.”

Filed Under: It's Kat's Life, itskatslife.com, Kat Fell, Life, Peace, Rest

Ozery Bakery Morning Rounds: Delish!

May 18, 2013 by Kat

Ozery Bakery’s Cranberry Orange Morning Round Breads

There’s a new favorite food around my house. We are absolutely obsessed with Ozery Bakery’s Morning Rounds. Have you heard of them, better yet, have you eaten one? One bite and you will totally be hooked – we all were in this house. So far we have eaten two out of the three flavors – we ate the Cranberry Orange first and I thought no way could I like the Apple Cinnamon any better, I was wrong. I loved them equally. They have no fake ingredients, are a healthy choice and are so versatile. Here’s a blurb directly from their website with more detail about their amazing little products. We honestly usually heat them in the toaster oven and serve with a little butter and honey or peanut/almond butter. They are pure goodness!

____________________________

You can even use Ozery Morning Rounds to make French Toast – they didn’t last that long in our house, but next batch, I will certainly make some.

Start your day off right with Morning Rounds, the fruit and grain bun that will make you want to ditch those unhealthy doughnuts, muffins and pastries. We only put in what’s delicious, like pieces of real apples, whole oats and seeds. With Morning Rounds, breakfast and snacks are a no-brainer—the hardest part is choosing one out of our three delicious flavors.

Morning Rounds are crafted with care in small batches, and contain absolutely nothing artificial.

FREEZE FOR FRESHNESS!
Morning Rounds contain no artificial preservatives. If you don’t eat them by the “best by” date, FREEZE for freshness. HEAT in the oven at 400° F for ONE MINUTE for fresh-baked flavor, or THAW at room temperature to enjoy later.

____________________________

Comment below – I’d love to know what you think about them, their sweet little company or if you want to know where you can find them.

Filed Under: cooking, It's Kat's Life, itskatslife.com, Kat Fell, Katherine Fell, Life, mommyhood Tagged With: breafast, food, healthy

Blog of Note I HAD to Share

May 17, 2013 by Kat

A sweet neighborhood mom friend of mine wrote this post regarding Mother’s Day and the truth behind what most mothers feel. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you Robin for writing such a poignant piece on the reality of what Mother’s Day should mean. Love, love, love it!

Her original post can be seen here, but I copied her article because I couldn’t wait to share it. Go show her some love. ~Kat

http://printjunkie.tumblr.com/post/50257845923/the-mothers-day-secret

The Mother’s Day Secret

My goal for motherhood is fairly simple: I want my children to walk through life secure in the knowledge that they are precious and loved. A child who feels love gives love to others. Teens who know their worth can say no to peer pressure when I’m not around. A young person will have the courage to really go after their dreams. An adult will do the hard, but right, thing and raise their own family with love. An on it goes…

But I knew all that before I had kids. What I didn’t know was how incredibly easy is to love your children. How that love can overwhelm you in weirdest places – church Christmas pageants, swim lessons, the restroom of Target. Usually the most public and embarrassing places possible. I will just tear up, and my kids will look at me all worried, and they too young to explain that I am overwhelmed at the simple joy of them. The very fact of their sweet existences.

Is every moment like that? No, of course not. Do I get frustrated, stumped, and tired by them? Lord yes. But I get why older people always swoon over my kids. Because I have feeling you forget all that. And, if you do remember the hard stuff when you get older, I think it becomes inconsequential. Because all those teary-eyed moments were the good stuff. The stuff we hang onto. I think that’s what they mean by their admonishments to cherish these years.

And I do.

Before I met my husband and had my kids, I wished for them. On every penny I threw into a fountain. On every star. At every birthday. And here they are today knocking themselves out to give me the perfect Mother’s Day, complete with enough quiet time to write this post. While I do love and certainly appreciate all the little gifts of Mother’s Day, the fact that this day is mine to celebrate at all is what makes it for me. That I have the responsibility of loving each of them is my gift.

That’s the secret of all mothers, I think. The depth of our love is really known only to us, no matter how much or how many ways we try to convey that love to our children. They will never really know or understand why we started crying when they sang, or clapped, or pooped in that Target potty. How that was our good stuff. But mostly they don’t know how their love filled us up so as mothers we suddenly became women secure in the knowledge that we were precious and loved, how amazing it was, and how they did it naturally – without any goal-setting at all.

naptimedesign reblogged this from printjunkie and added:

Love this Robin – I feel the same way and yet in the daily chaos we forget this idea of what really matters.
naptimedesign likes this
printjunkie posted this

Filed Under: daily chaos, Life, Love, mommyhood, Mother

Birds & Renewed Joy

May 16, 2013 by Kat

I woke this morning heavy hearted after the weather events here in North Texas. I am reminded each morning no matter how terrifying a night of bad Texas storms can be, that the sun will rise again.

Scriptural quotes for reassurance:

Luke 1:78 (NIV)”because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven”

Lamentations 3:23 (NIV) “They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”

Confessions of a Closet Birdwatcher: I always thought “bird watching” was for the birds. I couldn’t believe people actually spent time doing that. Over the past 6 months, I put a wasted bird feeder that is supposed to hang on the window to good use. The feeder will not stay on a window even when empty. One day, I placed it on the corner of the patio loaded with bird seed and believe me when I say, “feed them and they will come”. I now see birds of every shape and color and some days the Morning Doves come in droves. I counted 13 at one time. Both the Cardinal and the Dove remind me of God’s mercies that come each morning. They are beautiful reminders of His grace and mercy. No matter how undeserving we think we are, His grace is always abundant. No matter how bleak a situation may seem, He is always present.

If you feel so led, to assist with the Disaster Relief here in North Texas – donate to the Red Cross.

Filed Under: bible, Happiness, Life, Peace, truth

Marriage Advice from 1886

May 15, 2013 by Kat

I just had to share this when I came upon it. Funny how we think times have changed, but really nothing changes much at all.

Marriage Advice from 1886

Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger.

Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.

Believe the best rather than the worst.

People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them.

Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.

Please hand this down to your children and children’s children: The more things change the more they are the same.

– Jane Wells (1886)

Filed Under: Happiness, It's Kat's Life, Life, Love, Weddings

Best So Cal Wedding Yet (And Another One to Go)

January 29, 2013 by Kat

This post was borrowed from my other blog, but what an incredible time, what incredible memories and we just found out our friends, Brent and Holly will be getting married in So Cal this summer, so Yahoo, we will be back in So Cal again very soon!

In early October, we went to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend of ours and former TCU swimmer, Ryan and his fiancee Emily. We were warned that high-heels need not be present or welcome, the setting of the wedding was in a canyon, which included rocks, cacti and snakes. You can imagine what I and the other girls in our Dallas crew were imagining. The news of the venue definitely changed what we planned on wearing. I do have to say since the creation of Pinterest, I have never been to or seen such an amazing wedding, decorated, planned, designed and crafted entirely by the bride and groom. No detail was left untouched and most everything was Eco-friendly, re-purposed or handmade (all things I adore and one more item that inspired my 2013 challenge). I made every attempt to photograph every detail, but I fear I still could never do this wedding justice. The photos need little explanation, but the event was incredible. We all had a blast and the Texas crew certainly made our mark in So Cal!

Filed Under: Happiness, itskatslife.com, Kat Fell, Katherine Fell, Life, Love, Pinterest, Southern California, Uncategorized, Weddings

Inspired Mothering

May 12, 2012 by Kat

“Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were an hour, I would die for you. This is the miracle of love.” – Maureen Hawkins

Anytime people talk about their children being “accidents”, or even my own parents talking to my sister and I about how they didn’t plan on having children, I always come back to this moment of thought – I prayed to God for my husband, I begged God for my children, one at a time and no matter how rewarding or difficult. I think back to the times when I would have given anything to have them and that moment shortly after they were born when someone said, “it’s like no feeling you’ve ever had – you would jump in front of a moving train for them…” and as hard as some days can be – I certainly would do just that. Mothering is not for the faint of heart, I have been in the trenches and seen brighter days, but would I change any of it? Not a chance. Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Filed Under: blondie, family, Katherine Fell, Life, Love, Maureen Hawkins, the dude

If I Had My Life To Live Over

April 11, 2012 by Kat

Erma certainly had some great words to live by and thankfully I found them years ago.

If I Had My Life To Live Over

by Erma Bombeck

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back.
© Erma Bombeck

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone