Growing up I was never really taught the value in saving money for the future. I mean I knew it was a good idea to save for the future, I just never really was taught the particulars. I'm 36 years old and while I do have a Life Insurance Policy, I don't really have a plan for emergencies, retiring, weddings, colleges, etc. The Life Insurance I do have, I got out of panic after my first husband passed away. I did NOT want to leave my family high and dry if something happened to me. I wanted to make sure that my girls could have everything they needed if by chance something happened to me too. My first husband did NOT prepare very well for his death, he always made it seem like he did but he absolutely left us gasping for air. I made a vow to myself and for my girls that I would NOT do the same to them.

Wednesday I met with a Financial Advisor to start planning for Emergencies and Retirement. BIG TIME Adulting right there! I wish I had started this when I was younger, when I could make the MOST money and SAVE the most money, before I had dependents, a spouse, and a mortgage. I wish I had known how to make my money WORK for me so that I didn't have to work my life away. You know the phrase "Ignorance is Bliss"? Well, when it comes to your future and financial planning, Ignorance IS NOT Bliss. Thankfully, my Financial Advisor is a gem and believes that we can still make my dreams come true and thankfully I am starting now and not in my 50s. Better late then never I guess!

So, I guess the moral of the story and well the point of this random ranting is to get a financial advisor as soon as you are making money, and LEARN how to save and to make your money help you live comfortably in the future!

Have a great day dear followers!

Welcome to March!

When I think of March, I get a tingling hope of Spring. This past week has given us a glimpse of Spring with new life. Two of our does freshened, each with a healthy set of twins.

Mary cleaning one of her kids

Ruby cleaning one of her kids

 The first doe, Mary, one of my first two originals, freshened with a buck and doe. Ruby followed the next day with a beautiful set of twin does. Thankfully, I was able to be present for their births. Ruby did wonderful delivering her first doe, but the second one took her sweet time and then ended up being stuck in the wrong position. I had to reach in and rearrange her a bit so that she could make her grand entrance into the world. As nervous and impatient as I get around kidding season it also gives me feelings of joy, hope, wonder, amazement, and awe. I can't put into words how blessed I feel to witness these births and each time it is so special to me.

Mary and her kids

Ruby and her kids

I am eager to for Spring to get here, as we have decided to once again raise a small flock of chickens for eggs and this year will dabble in raising meat rabbits as well. Our garden last year produced so much that I had wished I knew how to can. This year my goal is to do some research and learn to can so I can save our harvest and lower our grocery bill. I am also very excited for the apple trees to fill once again. I found an awesome recipe for apple pie last year and it tasted especially divine using our very own apples. We also have a cherry tree, which I didn't take advantage of last year but I hope to figure out something to do with the cherries as well.


What are your plans for Spring? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it, plus I'd love some tips about raising rabbits!

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

It has been a month since I started my Cize & Shakeology Challenge Pack. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, I didn't know if I was doing the right thing, I felt guilty about taking care of me, but I was excited. I was excited I finally decided to take control of my life, my health, my fitness, for my family.

This excitement quickly diminished after the 2nd week. I was in pain. My body felt broken. I felt defeated. I didn't realize how much abuse I had put my body through until the pain came screaming back at me during each workout. I tried pressing on, no pain no gain right? But it got worse. I had to stop, I missed a day, then tried again... it was bearable so I did the workout again... next day I skipped... next day I skipped again... next day I could workout again. I felt like a failure like my body was completely betraying me. I wanted this to work so bad that failing this so soon was depressing.

It took me a couple days to realize that I wasn't failing. I was listening to my body and doing what I could. I was doing something, which was more than I had been for the past year. I was still drinking my Shakeology every day. I was still watching my portions every day, I just couldn't perform the workouts every day.

Thankfully, I had a check up with my doctor scheduled last week. I told him everything I was doing as well as my concerns. Evidently, exercise is the best thing I can do
right now. We discussed some options for the pain and I was sent home with a new outlook.

Failing would have been throwing in the towel and stopping everything. Failing would have been taking steps backwards instead of keeping the pace and trying to move forward. Failing would have been not seeking my doctor's advice. Failing would have been hiding behind the keyboard and keeping this confession to myself.

And despite it all when I stepped on the scale I was absolutely shocked that I had lost 10 pounds.10 pounds, just doing what I could do!

So today, this is my confession but it is also my hope that it becomes your inspiration. Keep it up and fight the fight. You are winning even when it feels like you are not. You are winning by just doing!

This experience has reminded me so much of what I need to do in my faith and my relationship with God. Some days I get so caught up in what I am not doing, what I should do, that I forget to remember what I have done and what I am capable of doing now even if there are things I can't do or that I don't know. God sees my efforts and knows my heart. I just have to keep up my fight for him and search for him.

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

Okay, so maybe I have left you all hanging a bit too long. I am so sorry about that. For those that are still here with me THANK YOU! I greatly appreciate your faith in me and my return. As the year is ending I have decided that I need some changes in 2016.

In my house the moral behind James 2:17 keeps popping up. Not just once but many times this past month the concept of "faith without works is dead" has been brought to my attention. I have faith in God that I can do anything with His help, if it is His will. I know that He only wants good for me. Good for me is... feeling good, having energy, being healthy, and helping my family financially. Even though I have faith I can have all these things I didn't really know what to do to achieve them therefore I was doing nothing.

I recently reconnected with a long time friend. Through her help and guidance I have found a program that will help me reach my goals. 2016 is my year! It is my year to renew my mind, my body, and my faith.

Sound like something you need? Want to know my secret?

I have decided to become a Beachbody Coach. I am plugged into a great group of Christians and I am ready to be healthy and full of energy again.

Want to learn more about Beachbody? Feel free to check out my site: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/coachkelc
Or shoot me an email at coachkelc at gmail.com

I am always looking for new friends to join my Beachbody Team! Keep coming back because I plan to show my progress here on the blog!

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

This past week was rough, not for me but for Big Sister. I got word Wednesday that their grandmother, my late husband's mother, had passed away. She is in school now, 1st grade, and I was unsure how she would take the news so I waited to tell her until Friday after school. I knew she would be upset, but I don't think I was ready for questions and her fears.

Let's rewind for some back story... When Little Sister was born, my mother-in-law had moved in to help with Big Sister while I adjusted to the new baby. She actually was there a couple months earlier because I had been put on bed rest. Even though it wasn't the plan to begin with, she ended up staying for a year. Big Sister got very attached to her and even after she moved back to her apartment, almost 3 hours away, the girls loved to visit and were always sad to leave when we had to return home. After my husband passed, she was diagnosed with cancer. She went through Chemo and beat it, however she during that time she also suffered from a busted ear drum. I can't even begin to imagine have to live in a state of constant dizziness. She went through Physical Therapy and did very well, at one point she was even back to driving again. She had a scare where they thought her cancer was back, but it wasn't, however she busted the other ear drum and was back to square one with the dizziness and Physical Therapy again. She was placed in a Nursing Home to go through through Physical Therapy again. This brings us up to recently. The girls went to visit her while she was in the nursing home, unfortunately while there she had difficulty breathing and was taken to the hospital. The girls were traumatized and Big Sister even asked her if she was going to die. They were able to visit her in the hospital when she was stable and doing much better. It reassured them a bit, but they were still upset to leave her.

Well, she got pneumonia and went down hill in the hospital. Next thing I hear is she wasn't going to make it through the day and then the call came in she had passed. I decided to tell the girls separately so that I could be able to comfort them completely without having to divide my attention between the two. Big Sister was the first to be told the news.  I began by telling her that her grandmother had done worse in the hospital and before I could even get the words out Big Sister asked if she was dead. I desperately wanted to say no but I couldn't lie, but I had to pause for a minute before I said yes. She cried and cried. Once I calmed her, it was time to tell Little Sister. I was surprised when I got absolutely no reaction from her. I don't know if she just doesn't know how to process death, her sister was 4 years old when their father passed and had emotions toward that but here she was 4 years old and nothing.

We went to the viewing and again Big Sister was just completely in tears. She didn't want to leave the casket. She kept saying "I didn't want this to happen" and "I will miss her." I was also very shocked at how curious she was about it, asking why she was cold and hard. Its like she was trying to figure out the difference between someone being alive and someone being dead. And then she asked me if I was going to die. I try really really hard not to lie or even tell a half truth when they ask the tough questions. I told her yes, one day I will, hopefully when I am very very old. She asked if she was going to die, again I gave her a similar response and explained that eventually everyone dies when God decides it is their time to go home to him. She has asked me several times more after the viewing if I am going to die, each time I hate to tell her yes but I give her the same answer. Little Sister, on the other hand, had no response to her grandmother. Not one tear, reaction, or questions. She seemed to just accept it or maybe she just hasn't processed it yet.

This morning going to school I sent a letter with her for her teacher. I don't really know how well she has processed everything and I don't know how it will affect her while she is away from me. I have heard about children having behavior issues, or bowel issues when going through a loss so I wanted her teacher to be prepared for anything. I do expect her to be emotional sometimes, she has such a big heart and just LOVES everyone. I always tell people she is so special and how I wish I was more like her. I am pretty sure that God gave her to me more so I could learn from her and not so much for her to learn from me.

Well, it is about that time. Time for Big Sis to get off the bus. This is where I must leave you for now. Hopefully, I can continue to write on a more regular basis. Until then, please stick with me dear followers!

So much has happened in the last year.  I don't know where to begin.

I started dating again. And I met someone. We plan on getting married. I will admit I was a little lost for a while after my husband passed. When I first started dating it was weird and it felt like I was cheating on him every time I went on a date. Kissing was also a little weird as well. I had been so used to kissing the same person for the last 10 years that I really wasn't sure how to do it anymore. It was like I was a school girl again, trying to figure out how to kiss.

It still is weird to think about being married again, but also a relief that I can share my life with someone again. I know that God is all one needs, but I also believe that God wants me to have a leader in my home to be a provider, a comforter, a friend, for me and a father to my girls. They love him, he is great with them, and he loves them as well. What more could I ask for?

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, we had to move from our farm. We had built a brand new house and moved in just 4 days before my husband passed away. It was hard for me to leave, the house was built FOR ME and everything it was, was for our family's future. But, now I know it was for the best. It was a move that needed to happen. My daughters are much happier at our new home and although we are currently renting and will possibly move again, we are in the right place this time. I feel at home here, in this area, in this community.

We moved back to the area where my mom and sister live. It has been amazing being close to them again. I didn't realize how much I missed my family until I came back to this area. The girls love playing with their cousins as well, its like they have been close and played together their whole lives. I think it is just amazing how resilient and go-with-the-flow kids can be.

There is so much more I need to add, and hopefully in the coming weeks I can start keeping this blog up a bit better than I had been!

So, if your still out there dear followers, please stay with me!