November 12th & 13th

November 12th: I'm thankful for my new hobby. It's so much fun ... I'd love to bake some cookies for you. :) Here's my favorite picture (thanks again Jenny!):

 November 13th: I'm thankful for my wonderful cousins! We've grown up almost as close as sisters & I love it! Here's the latest picture from Laurie's baby shower before Ellie arrived! I know we're missing some, but rest assured, Courtney, Caroline, Elizabeth, & Alice were greatly missed!

thanks

November 11th: I am thankful for my new phone ... it works ... it doesn't cut off ... it's cute ... you should call me!

Catching up my thankfulness ...

November 8th: I'm thankful for my great kindergarten team! I absolutely LOVE the girls I teach with. I know that some days can be difficult and with assistants there are 14 of us (that's a lot of women) but I'm truly blessed to work with each of these ladies (and one man!) Here we are on the book character parade day!

November 9th: I'm thankful for my sweet little doggy ... Lily. She's so loving, all the time, no matter what I do. She greets me everyday with lots of kisses and can't wait to get in the bed to snuggle at night. I hope to be able to love unconditionally like her one day. (Even if she is a dog!)

November 10th: I'm thankful for pain in my thighs ... weird? NO ... I've bee working out on a regular basis with my friend Ansley! Her husband helped us out & kicked our butts! I've lost 8 pounds so I'm very proud of myself. I owe a lot of it to my workout friend. So yes, I'm thankful for pain :)

Yes, I know there are a lot of Halloween pictures ... those are the most recent!

Thankfulness continues ....

November 6th: I LOVE MY SISTERS! We have millions of pictures, but this is the latest from LifePark's Trunk or Treat!

November 7th: Life Park! I grew up at FBC Mt. Pleasant and met the Lord on one of their youth retreats to Bonnie Doone. Recently they opened Life Park as a second campus ... it's been amazing! I can't come close to explaining to you how wonderfully God has blessed me through this situation. I'd love for you to visit with me! (click the picture to see the website)

I'm still thankful!

November 3rd: I'm thankful for sunrise ... hot or cold, the beach is the best place to see it! Sunrise is a great reminder of God's great faithfulness! (this picture is from 8th at IOP)

November 4th: I'm thankful for shelter - I love our house! (here's a picture from last winter's snow)

November 5th: I'm thankful for my cousin's new little girl! Ellie! She's beautiful ... God is good!

I'm so Thankful!

I saw a challenge on Facebook ... list one thing you're thankful for as a count down to Thanksgiving. I'm accepting the challenge, so here goes (yesterday & today): 


November 1st - I'm thankful for my wonderful husband David!

 

November 2nd - I'm thankful for my family!

Now, check back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and so on until November 24th!

What Teacher's Make

Sorry about the language, but the message is powerful. It's not about the money ... it never has been and never will be.


I love what I do!

now taking orders!

So my life has been consumed with a few things ... cookies being one of them! Here's the latest:

 This picture is prettier than mine (thanks Jenny)

 Here's the invitation that the cookies matched.

For my friend Valerie's son Kolt's first B-Day - 

they matched her decorations!

These were for my friend Winnie

As you can see I've been busy baking ... Halloween cookies and a Mad Hatter Party bunch of cookies are coming :) I am also now taking orders, so if you have a special occasion I'd love to help you out! Contact me at kdfraylick@gmail.com for details!

YOU!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You-er than You.”
                                                                              ~Dr. Seuss


Who are you? Do you love you? I love being me! God created you for a purpose, for a reason. He has a plan for your life. He has a perfect will that you fit into.


"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11


I don't know why this has been on my heart, but it has and I wanted to share it with my blogging world friends. Recently I got a hair cut ... really a hair chop. If you know me, you know that the fact that I can't put my hair in a ponytail is a big deal. As silly as it is, this triggered an inner-reflective-moment. So, I realized that I needed to look at me, what I've become, and where I'm going. My conclusion? I love me ... I'm glad I didn't settle for anything less than I deserved in my life ... I love the blessings God has given me ... I am thankful for the trials God has pulled me through ... I've always told my true feelings to those I love because I know that truth is important. I've loved wholeheartedly and been loved in return. I've loved wholeheartedly and not been loved back and it's alright.  


How about you? Do you know truth? Do you know life? Do you know the way? I'm praying for you. I'm praying that God works in your life. I love you ... in different ways, but I do ... I love my friends & family and I want you to have the same peace that I have. Even when you're at a crossroads (like I am) and you're not sure what's next in life. 


"Jesus answered, 'I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." John 14:6

It's been a while ... I've been baking :)


I've also been CRAZY at school ... but I love it!


Here's a few pictures:

Busy Bees for my class 

The "Bird" from our small group

Crosses with and "iron gate" look

my favorite one of the group

He's so good!

For my assistant's son ... he's a Sophomore there!

Thanks for a great friend!!

playing around at 11pm

For my sister ... Happy House :)

More to come ... I have a pic from a 1st birthdday, some to make for a baby shower, and a youth group! This new hobby has been fun!!

Cookies ...

Hello Blogging World!


Being at home all summer has been a wonderful rejuvenation time for me (refer to previous post as to why I'm re-stating this to myself daily!)  I've been able to organize my house, vacation with family, and spend all kinds of time with people I love! I've also missed ... I'm scared to say it out lout ... being 'busy' with something. Since I was feeling slightly bored I decided that I might could make cookies ... cute decorated sugar cookies.


I found this blog: for a lady who calls herself the Cookie Mama. She's really good and you should totally check her out! After looking at endless amounts of cookies I decided that I'd try. So, I've spent a couple days looking at recipes, researching icing, and spending a little dough (har, har) on supplies. 


Here's what I've learned/accomplished ...
1. I found a GREAT sugar cookie recipe that doesn't change shape very much when it gets baked.
2. I've got a good handle on "flooding." That's the way you ice the cookie to look perfectly smooth.
3. I've started figuring out royal icing ... it's kind of a royal pain in the butt ... but I think with practice I'll get the hang of it. (Good thing powdered sugar is cheap!)
4. David needs to be the photographer because these pictures are a little dark.


Here you go:

Those are the monograms of some awesome chicks ... my mom, Courtney, Caroline (sisters), and Beth (momma's bff).

Daddy's initials.

COMbat softball stuff for David ... my child husband.

Some fun random stuff ... hearts, a turtle, polka dots.


So as you can see, I'm a NOVICE! Icing will take practice. I didn't want to try really cool designs until I got the hang of it ... which I really don't fully have yet. I did however mix three of my favorite colors to try out first. The cookies, by the way, are delish if I do say so myself!  So be on the lookout for holidays and fun stuff ... I might just come with a basket full of cookies!

Frazzled Teacher

School starts in two weeks and this is how it makes me feel ...

Lost in His Love

Sometimes old hymns touch my heart ... 

I don't know why ... 

I cried while singing this in my car tonight ... 

we serve a wonderfully loving God ...

I long to be lost in his love! 

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song, 
praising my Savior all the day long; 
this is my story, this is my song, 
praising my Savior all the day long.  

Perfect submission, perfect delight, 
visions of rapture now burst on my sight; 
angels descending bring from above 
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

1 John 4:8

my tripple vacation is over ...

Hello ... I've been on a two week hiatus and LOVING every minute of it. During these two weeks I've managed to accomplish three vacations! (and you thought teachers weren't productive in the summer, ha!)  I spent a week at North Greeenville College with he youth of our church at M-Fuge. It was a great learning experience with a wonderful speaker - Jason Young.  Then I went on to Lake Jocasse with my family - was nice to go back after two summers off. Last, I went to Myrtle Beach to tag along on the last day of my cousin's vacation - kinda like old times!  Here's a few pictures ...  getting my hair "corn-rowed" at the mission site in greenville, new tube trick that my sisters and I accomplished this year, and a fiddler crab from a cast net that Travis caught trying to fish for flounder in uncle Kerry's boat.  Lots of stories, lots of fun, lots of sun! Now it's back to reality - well, it will be in a month!

I just spent a week in Florida! It was very relaxing and a wonderful start to summer vacation. Yes, I've technically "started" summer vacation already, however, this was the first official trip (of 4!). Here's a list of what we did, in case your curiosity is running:

1. Sitting at the beach for extended periods of time.

2. Snorkeling in Key Largo at John Pennekamp State Park

3. Went to a casino: Isle at Pompano Park - no I didn't win millions! I did come close once ($30!) but then I lost again.(I'll write about that in a later blog ... it was an experience all on it's own!

 

4. Sat by the pool & tiki hut for extended periods of time (with frozen goodies in hand!)

5. Went offshore fishing with two local guys on a boat called Lady Pamela II.

Cameron (David's cousin) caught a massive Warsaw Grouper:

6. Shopped at Bass Pro Shop. (Daddy would have been in heaven!)

7. Went to my first MLB game: TX Rangers & FL Marlins - Rangers won and I got on the big screen!

I think that's about it ... although there were probably things I've missed. What I enjoyed the most (since I'm doing this whole diet thing ...) was watching the sunrise over the ocean in the morning. I got up before most everyone else - unless George (David's dad) was going golfing - and went for a long walk on the beach. The sand there, by the way, is almost impossible to walk in so rest assured I got my exercise in!  Anyway, the sun was amazingly beautiful coming up over the ocean. I have, on occasion, done this at home too, however, the long narrow beaches in FL had a different look. Everything seemed 'flatter' and more spread out. I think it was because the beaches are longer there than in SC, but whatever the reason, it was simply amazing. God's faithfulness is like the sunrise - breathtaking, consistent, and timely. What a great reminder! 

Diet is Not a 4-letter Word Anymore!

So I'm on a new journey ... Weight Watchers. No, I'm not going to the classes where you sit in a support group and weigh in in front of your fellow fatties friends. I joined online! It's really easy to keep up with everything there ... you just plug in the numbers. What you weigh, what your measurements are, what you eat - and the computer adds it all up. Last week I got started and was given 25 points and I lost 5 pounds. YAY!! This week, since I lost weight, they lowered my points. I'm OK with this though because I'm ready to be skinny.


Skinny and Kristen have probably never been in the same sentence together (me Kristen that is.) However, I'm determined. You see after I got married I gained ... are you ready for this? ... 20 pounds. YUCK! David is the chef around here, so I'm blaming him. Anyway, what I really want (besides skinny really)  is to be healthy.


I don't know if you've followed my blog much, but if you have you've noticed all the "pregnancy woes." Well, my doctor told me that the weight I've gained has probably added to my complications. So, he put me on birth control (to make everything regular) and said, "Is there any reason I should know about to explain the 20lbs in the last year?" I wanted to crawl in a hole, but instead I tried to laugh it off. I'm pretty good at cracking jokes on my self.. My rebuttal? "Oh yes sir! I know exactly why I gained that weight  ... I ate. Anything I wanted, whenever I wanted." I even shrugged my shoulders and said, "My bad!"  He laughed - only a little. So I'm on birth control to regulate myself, and I'm on a diet. The first time in the history of my life that I'm not dragging my feet about it! I guess it's not a four-letter word for me anymore. My complications? It wasn't PCOS so the metformin didn't really do anything for my hormones except make me a little crazy, and the dysplasia is not going away which means "Girl Doctor" visits every 3 months (an you thought your life was hard!) As you can see, the focus has switched from BABIES to HEALTHY.


I'm so thankful that God granted me a little bit of patience (refer to previous blog) with this prior to my last doc visit, or I might just be really sad. You know, God's pretty big, pretty smart, and pretty right - all the time. If you don't know him, you should. If you are scared, don't be. If you're doing things alone, you don't have to. I don't know where I'd be in all of this without him. Where are you? Hope you have a blessed day!

I'm Not Pregnant :)

I have the most amazing cousins ever! We recently had the opportunity to get together to see Elizabeth (3rd from right) and her family one more time before they left for Japan. Her husband Ben is in the marines. I'm so glad we got a good picture before she left!  We, the cousins, are at the time in our lives when we are having our own babies. Family get-togethers are revolving around them - how cute they are, how they're acting, what they need, etc. It's cool to see that - life is definitely a cycle and we are the "kids" anymore. Having lots of babies around now makes everything fun ... and gives us more reasons to get together ... which I love. So, speaking of babies, I have some news ...


NO, I'm not pregnant.


BUT, I'm totally at peace with it! You're probably thinking - wow, biiiig news! For me, though, that is big news. I'm learning in my life this idea of patience. I'm learning that "The end of a matter is better than it's beginning, so it's better to be patient than proud" Ecclesiastes 7:8. This is so true ... I was thinking that my plans were great - I took pride in my accomplishments and plans for my well organized life. The problem was that I didn't TRUST that God's plans for my life were better - I knew in my head they were, but I didn't trust it in my heart. Now, with some hiccups every so often, I know I was wrong.


David would insert the, "Oh My Gosh! She admitted she was wrong!" comment here. You can too if you'd like. :)


Anyway, I was. And God was right ... like always. So, while I'm thrilled for my cousins and LOVE their babies, I'm content without having one of my own right now. Besides, I couldn't go to Japan next year to visit Elizabeth with a baby - at least not as easily!

God is up to something in my life ... what? I'm not sure, but here's how I know:


There has been a lot of change in the lives of people around me - those close and those not so close.


In the last few years I've seen David's uncle and grandmother pass away. When John died, it rocked their world - change was inevitable ... massive heart attack with a wife and three young children left behind. When Patsy died, we saw the end of a wonderful life and the sorrow in family. Life for the Sumter Patrick's changed seeing as she wasn't living with them anymore. Soon after, my grandmothers (both) started having more serious health issues and I saw first hand on stressful it is to deal with those kinds of things as a family. I'm proud of my aunts and uncles for doing the best that they know how to do in the situations that have fallen upon them. I know that I'm won't be ready for that kind of thing anytime soon ... so I'm glad I'm still sitting at the "kid table" at Thanksgiving! My uncle's sister (might as well be one of my own aunts) passed away this year and I'm so thankful that I got to see her one more time. This caused my uncle to take in her dog, among many other changes I'm sure.  And, most recently, a student of mine lost her father just last week. He also left behind a wife and three children after suffering a massive heart attack.  (not sure if you picked up on the coincidence or not, but I noticed it!) David's grandfather, Papa, and Mr. Causey, a wonderful man of God, suffered a heart attack and survived after open heart surgery. So their health (and eating habits) have changed tremendously. A dear friend of mine, a fellow teacher, has recently heard that her father-in-law has pancreatic cnacer, so they've been on my prayer list. She took her son (9month old Kolt is so stinking cute!) to see him just a week ago.


Let me interject a reassuring and peaceful verse I like to go to in times of sickness and death: ^"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7


In addition to all of those health related changes ... my cousin and her family are on their way to Okinawa, Japan for three years. Elizabeth's husband is a marine and got orders to go. They will take their two children halfway around the world on Wednesday. Some of the youth that I've been lucky enough to 'love on' for a couple years will graduate soon and move on to college. My  mother started a new job at a new school. My sisters have (fairly) new boyfriends ... and that's always an adjustment in a family. Don't worry - good adjustment in this case! Another of my cousins just had a baby, Aurie, and she's the most precious little thing ever! And, yet another, cousin is due in November. 


If you haven't noticed, family means a lot ... they are my world! God is working in their lives just like I feel him working in mine. I'm not sure what my "change" will be ... if there's even any change on it's way, but I do know one thing: 


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Phillipians 4:6-8


So I'm telling you all of this in hopes for a few prayers. Help me to be patient with the Lord and his will for my life. Help me be diligent in my endeavors to live his word daily. Help me to keep an open mind to "out of the box" events thrown my way. Help me to accept my life's regular routines as well as it's new-ness.