Kay Ellen

Mellow Yellow

I don't why but I have been singing "they call me mellow yellow..." music lyrics all weekend long! Ha-Ha

What's funny is this is such a crazy time right now, exciting and full with so many things to get done before my daughter graduates. I just re-checked my calendar it is less then three weeks away! I am pretty sure I am feeling the opposite of mellow this morning...hoping a little coffee , reading my devotion and making a new to-do list will help.    

With YELLOW still in my head, I decided to share a few photos that I have been posting on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Yellow Barn Love...

Baby Duckings so sweet...

A colorful corner in my shop...

A great deli in Lilac, California

Watering-can envy.... 

My Grandma Ruth's Cookie Jar... all dressed up for a tea party.

Have a great week! Sorry if the song is stuck in your head now. 

:Kay Ellen

Creative Thoughts & Props To Inspire

I am  a visual person...are you? Props, styling, and design have always been apart of who I am.

When I was young girl my sister Kim and I loved playing barbies in our outdoor play house. What I have come to realize over the years was I enjoyed setting up everything in the play house and making everything look fabulous but when it was time to play I didn't want to move anything around or play anymore. I loved the styling and completing the decorating more then playing. I guess I was playing but just in a different way then most kids. 

I share my silly little story because this coming Saturday I will be speaking to artful women who are coming out to Launch Your Creativity for encouraging words and practical resources. I personally draw from creative inspirations throughout my life, past and present to share with others. A wonderful opportunity to inspire each attendee as they take that leap of faith into the business world.  

Props in my hands, I will encourage each person that attends the event to go back home and re-create a story board that represents who they are now and their business goals for the future. 

This is going to be a special day to share ideas and creative thoughts to inspire. 

We should never stop learning, growing and pressing on towards our goals. 

:Kay Ellen 

Fall

The first sign a Fall showed up on my windsheild today. 

Hopeful for more signs of Fall to reach Southern California very soon :)

We had a scare this past week with my husband being taken by ambulance to the ER with an irregular heart beat. I stayed home with him for the past few days and only worked a few hours. We both went back to work today. Thankful he is feeling better.

A big thankyou to all my facebook family and friends for praying for him when I first got the call and of course all the support from our church staff.

Alot of work to catch up on this week.

I guess that's why I am wide awake at midnight! 

:KayEllen

Books

Back to school time has arrived at my house. The pile of inspirational vintage books shown above are from my collection ~~~ not text books:)

My son rents books for his college courses. The campus library has books available for students to rent if you are first inline to grab one off the shelf. The renting does curve the price downward but still very pricey! The books not including the cost of each course can range from 65.00 up to 125.00 per class. Talking to other parents with students in college agree that this is an average price for books but I think it is very high...I kind of freak out each semester my son blurts out the extra money he needs for books...What? How much?  

Why can't the college come up with a universal system for students enrolled to be able to download books at a lower cost online? Maybe some colleges are practicing this concept I sure hope so!!! So far it has not happened for my son. We have found a few good deals on Amazon to buy the books, but it just depends on the course subject.   

Any new parents out in blogland sending your kids to college make sure and budget for books because a full time student will spend an average of 500.00 or more for one semester.  Yikes!

I was remembering how I use to complain about all the books my kids would need for Junior High and High School~~~ well not anymore! 

This photo above is from Pinterest I love the inspiring images I have come across on their site. Check it out some time! 

I captured a fun photo with these two "back to school" young ladies.

My niece on the left and daughter on the right...reading my old weathered and worn books :)

Back to work, thanks for listening to my whining!

Sorry to my son for freaking out for another semester. Love you Kyle!

:Kay Ellen       

Smiling

The weekend is almost here...

What makes you smile?

I thought I would share a few photo that puts a smile on my face.

Let me know if you are smiling at the end of my post :))

Fresh cut roses in an old light bulb vase...

Taking a walk in a charming neighborhood...

Reading a good book...

Taking a hike or bike ride in the hills...

Dinner in the garden...

Witnessing a majestic sky...

A design job completed and my clients are smiling...

A cup of coffee and a beautiful view...

An old cooper door and weathered cement staircase...

Calling a friend...

Making music where ever you go...

Linking with Pink Saturday bloggers!  Thank you for stopping by...

Hope you all are smiling!

A special Thank you and smile~~~

Good News Now  just published and featured my blue gate photo!

:Kay Ellen

Artist in the Sky

An amazing sight all in one day! A heavenly artist busy at work from dawn to dusk.

What a beautiful sky in my neighborhood park~~~located in Riverside, California and such a memorable way to start the month of October! Fall has arrived!

Thank you GoodNewsNow for publishing my last photo shown on this blog entry!

Have a blessed week friends!

:Kay Ellen

Memories on Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's that make each day count...

Taking time to skip~~~

Piggyback hugs~~~

Lending a helping hand...

Making a splash~~~ 

Wheel Barrow rides!!

Jumping for Joy

It's OK to be silly...  

Special vacations... 

Celebrating Holidays~~~

Happy Father's Day to my husband...So many special memories to share of you being a great Dad!!  We love you!!

Kay, Kyle & Paige 

    

A Day to Remember

American Flags are Waving~~~

The home of free and the land of the brave! 

Memorial Day has arrived...

Honoring our soldiers that have died while serving our Country in the Armed Forces.

Taking time to visit our two Grandpa's grave sites at the Riverside National Cemetery.

Thank you for your sacrifice and bravery. 

We are truly blessed to live in the USA!!

Let Freedom continue to Ring!!! 

Cheering on~~~thousands of motorcycle's headed to the Riverside National Cemetery in honor of Memorial Day.

Thankful for our soldiers and very proud to be an American!

God Bless America!

:Kay Ellen & Family

A Fresh Start

Hello Monday!

A new week has arrived, and I have decided to look at Mondays with a fresh start!  

My fresh start includes watching everything I am eating. I have replaced my love of bread with an egg every day or two eggs if they are really fresh. Thank you Jenny for spoiling me with these fresh eggs from your ranch! Almost to pretty to eat!
 

Guess what? I am down 13 lbs!!  Yippee! It is a great feeling to see the scale numbers go down instead of up! 

This old scale has seen alot of ups and downs over the years~~~just like me, searching for better health and weight-loss. Temptations are everywhere! 

A big part of my new journey is writing everything down that I eat~~boy that has been a big eye opener!  I am planning my menu ahead of time so I can make better choices. I know it takes time but it has really helped me.   

Right now walking is my exercise of choice:)   

Each week will have it's challenges to overcome. For example, this week is already becoming a little complicated. I may have a root-canal :(  and I already have a planned "female" surgery on Friday. So guess what? My stress level just went up a bit! 

When stress has hit me in the past I would reach for a piece of bread. My comfort food!! Anyone else feel this way? Instead, now I reach for a piece of string cheese or I take my schnauzer for a walk, or read a scripture from my Bible. All three have helped me. 

I am thankful each time I learn how to overcome a craving in a new way. 

Please feel free to pass along any healthy habits that have helped you~~~ I would love to hear from you. It is great to cheer each other on!

It is never to late for a fresh start!

:Kay Ellen

Taking a Break

A cup of tea and a long weekend is in my future.  

Scheduled for a very routine"out patient" surgery in the morning. 

Time to slow down and take a break. 

Thank you for your well wishes and prayers!

See you soon :)

:KayEllen