Dressember post three

Hi you guys!  

Hope you had a very merry Christmas!  

The whole Dressember campaign is drawing quickly to a close.  Three more days left in 2014 = 3 more days of Dressember!

In some ways it has gone faster than I thought it would.  I'll admit that I was daunted at first about the idea of wearing a dress every single day.  It took me several days to commit to doing it after I first learned about Dressember because in my own flesh I wondered if I'd FEEL like wearing a dress everyday and what if I ran up against denying my own desires!  Boy are we selfish when left to our own natures but thankfully God is molding me more and more into His image as I let Him.

As I recognized that my desires/comfort are a minuscule thing compared to bringing HOPE, JOY, FREEDOM and HEALING to others it became a much easier thing to decide.   

dress from my Aunt Kim worn while running many Christmas shopping errands!

From Dressember participant Katlyn Schwab who is not only wearing a dress everyday but is also traveling in/advocating from China while doing it!  

"Some days, the last thing you want to do is put on a dress and take a picture. But it's a small sacrifice. And this "small sacrifice serves as a daily reminder of the millions of women and girls who wake up without any amount of autonomy. We do this for them. This is our stand, and a dress is our flag. Together we will carve a path to a better future for women everywhere."

You can do anything in a dress including wear one to the chiropractor with some careful layering.  You can also do crafts with a 4 1/2 year old and one year old, clean up messes, prepare and feed meals, etc., etc. AND look festive :) 

I am so, so very glad that I have done this.  Teaming up with all of you has been super meaningful.  

Daydreaming about all of the GOOD that is going to come out of what we have been able to do together is beyond exciting!  

REAL CHANGE is going to occur in people's lives.  

People without HOPE will have HOPE and people to walk alongside them through the process of healing. 

coast to coast meets Dressember style challenge day to incorporate animal print into your outfit with your dress - also day to honor Peggy Davis by wearing her favorite color, hot pink! 

after wearing the animal print outfit to the preschool Christmas party, Christmas shopping with the kids, through the drive through, etc., etc. I was grateful to be able to change into a more comfortable dress layered outfit for cousin Christmas present opening night at my parents.  I recognize that I have so much freedom and choice and I am participating in Dressember for those who through no fault of their own, do not!  

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." - Elie Wiesel

my sweet girlie looks so pretty in her Christmas dress from Nana

We are blessed with richness in material things as well as in our opportunities!  I cannot help but want the same for others!

"Day 28, and really missing jeans. It can sound like such a stretch to call a month of dresses a "sacrifice", but when you get to the end of the month, it feels like exactly that. Then we remember why we're doing this-- because millions of women and girls wake up everyday without the luxury of choice. #Dressember is about solidarity in one small, daily choice; together we proclaim that choice is not a luxury, but a human right. All people have the inherent right to a vibrant, autonomous life.#itsbiggerthanadress"  - Dressember instagram account

As I write this blogpost, a donation came in that HIT my wonderfully crazy goal of $900!!!  Because of all of you who have donated and teamed with me, we have raised $900 that was NOT available before to RESCUE people from HORRIFIC SLAVERY.  

This is a celebration!  I am so happy to be able to help in this way and AM so humbled and feel so privileged that God would use me as a mouthpiece for these individuals and that He would bless me so richly with friends and family who are willing to come alongside me to fight injustice together and bring hope to those who are hurting!  

Thank you!!

Fun fact:  Out of 256 individual fundraisers for the Dressember 2014 campaign - WE - you guys partnering with me are #42 of top fundraisers!  This thing is huge and I am proud of what we have accomplished together!  

My little girl is loved, protected and cherished by her Daddy.  Every girl and woman in the world should be respected and protected by men!  Instead of lamenting the huge problem we can confidently stand together knowing that we can do SOMETHING!  

I wish I could say I was completely content with what we've done and believe me, if not a single other donation comes in I will be thrilled with what we have been able to contribute to the lives of others together but may I gently challenge those of you who have felt like 

"oh I'll give later" 

or 

"I'm busy with this and that and Christmas stuff, etc. right now and I don't have time to go over to the page and figure out how to donate" 

or 

"my $1 or $2 will not make a difference so why bother, everyone else is giving more than me, it would be embarrassing if I only gave a dollar or two" 

to set aside those thoughts just long enough to bless yourself with the chance to do something that you will be proud to be a part of.  I can't tell you the excitement and peace and hope that I have because instead of lamenting this horrible thing that exists in our world and wanting to ignore it, that I have instead been able to be a small part of raising $349,846 (the total amount raised by the entire Dressember campaign as of the moment I am typing this - updated totals can be seen here) to bring hope and healing and freedom. 

What we are doing will drastically change a woman or a young girl's life in extremely tangible ways.

To not be held captive, starved, beaten, made to do the unthinkable up to 110 times in a single day according to reports I've read . . . 

THAT is something worth doing in my opinion.

If each person who has not already donated to International Justice Mission through this Dressember campaign and reads this blogpost or the email that I send about Dressember donates $1, then we collectively as a team of people joining together will have raised $1,321!

$1,200 allows IJM to conduct investigations for one month.

$300 provides the funds to give aftercare packages to 10 survivors of sex traffiking.

$110 allows one family freed from slavery to receive Freedom Training.  

From International Justice Mission's website:

Funds raised on behalf of IJM are directed to IJM's Urgent Needs fund, and will be used to meet IJM's most pressing needs in our mission to combat violent oppression around the world.  Learn more about IJM's work here.

IJM has some impressive and hopeful statistics:

more than 18,000 people relieved from oppression

13,000 + officers and officials trained since 2012

more than 770 convictions!

wearing a dress once the lights are out in the kids' rooms on Christmas eve and getting to work baking, wrapping, etc. for the morning

so thankful for my family who has supported my dreams of making a difference!  

If you are interested in reading the story of one of the rescues International Justice Mission has made you can read it here.   

you can even ice skate in a dress (although I was the only one on the rink doing it!) :) 

If God is not calling you to give at this time to this cause for whatever reason, I completely respect that and you!  Do the work that He is calling you to.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to spread the word about this problem in our world and to share the excitement and hope that there IS something we can do about it.  

We are not powerless.  

Satan does not win!

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel

Another interesting story about IJM's work with widows in Uganda can be found here.  

Blythe Hill, Dressember organizer reminds us that this is all bigger than us afterall.  

May we be hands and feet, wallets and those who pray, so that the world will be different for many, many souls!  

What is happening is EXCITING you guys!  

The enemies strongholds are being torn down and LIGHT is shining into the dark places!  

Thank you for joining with me! 

May His Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven!

Kelly

all is calm, all is bright

last year's tree

(oh yeah, no curtains because we had to take them down and wash them because we had a mouse . . . ew!  Thankful to not be dealing with that today!)  

Dressember post two

This Dressember thing is exciting you guys!  

So, so much good is happening.  

I am going to paste some of the good news shared by the Dressember campaign into this post along with photos of me wearing dresses this week.  So many of you have been so very generous to give, to pray and to also loan (and in some cases give!) me dresses.  I value you all so much.

I sent out an email to family and friends that many of you probably received asking if each person would please consider donating $2 to this campaign to end slavery and bring dignity to women and girls around the globe.  

Not one person has yet donated $2.  

I am so, so very thankful for ALL of you who have donated more than $2 but I do not want the rest of us to think that our $2 doesn't count.  

Although I have reached about a third of the way to my goal of fundraising for International Justice Mission and their rescue operations there is still quite a ways to go to reach the $900 goal I have set for myself.  

However, if each person I sent the email to donates $2.  Just $2 then the goal will be met.  Do not think because you cannot donate $10 or $25 or $50 that your donation is not important.  

This is about being a team and letting God use us ALL to bring about His glory here on earth.

There is no "too small" amount.  

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

my friend Peggy loaned me a "twirling" dress.  

"We want to encourage you today: You might not be raising much money, but you're participating in a cultural shift. People see what you're doing, and it challenges them to do something. There is currency in advocacy; you are challenging peoples' values to shift. You are shaking things up, and there is tremendous power in that role."  - Dressember campaign

"Bringing up the issue of human trafficking isn't usually comfortable; you might upset people when you take their focus off maintaining a comfortable, peaceful routine and call them to action. Some will want to join in the fight, and some won't; the only thing you can control is you. #Dressember is a fun and relatively non threatening way to engage in a huge injustice." - Dressember campaign

"Have we told you lately how amazing you all are? 2,544 of you have collectively raised over 223K and we are only halfway through the month! If you're looking at your individual campaign page, thinking you haven't done much, the way that 223K+ amount breaks down is to an average of $88 per advocate-- that's it! When we all put in even a small effort, we can yield big results!" - Dressember campaign

"We're excited to announce that we are officially over halfway to our overall goal! Donations have come in from over 30 countries-- from France to Finland, Mexico to Malaysia, India to Italy-- all overwhelmingly declaring the inherent value of all people."- Dressember campaign

Tuesday's style challenge layering a vest over a dress (and in my case I layered a sweater and a vest!)

 "Because of your advocacy, lives will be changed, people will be freed."- Dressember campaign

my sweetie, cutie pie in a dress that I wore when I was her age!

"Day 19! If this is getting (or has been) challenging, we hope that this small sacrifice serves as a daily reminder of the millions of women and girls who wake up without any amount of autonomy. We do this for them. This is our stand, and a dress is our flag. Together we will carve a path to a better future for women everywhere." - Dressember campaign

my friend Tabitha very generously gave me this dress!  

"Advocating for the inherent dignity of all people is something you'll never regret doing. Be someone who leaves a legacy of love, courage, and generosity." - Dressember campaign

one of the dresses my friend Julie loaned to me, so pretty 

"Dressember participants have raised over $270K as of today, from donations made in 33 countries! That's reason to celebrate!" - Dressember campaign

last night I pulled out my "square dance dress" and topped it with a green apron for our family date to go look at Christmas lights!

If you are interested in reading more, here is an article that my cousin sent me this week about the beginnings of Dressember.  

Dressember

Dressember day one for me

Many of you received an e-mail from me about Dressember so you already know all about it but for those of you who didn't.  Here is the scoop.  And for those of you who did, enjoy the photos.  :)  More to come as well in the days ahead.  

Today is snowy!  Dress and dressy coat in the snow.

Via instagram I recently discovered a group of people using the month of December to raise awareness and funds to support a cause I have become passionate about over the past few years.  

We think of slavery as being a thing of the past but in many ways and in countries all over the world INCLUDING the U.S.A. slavery is active today!  Many, many of the goods we purchase and the foods we eat are produced by people who are:

-  not paid a fair wage for their work, 

-  kidnapped from their families in order to perform the work 

-  often treated extremely poorly while doing the work such as coercion, threats, physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse, dangerous working conditions, being denied education, healthcare, etc. 

Then there are the young girls and women in our country and other countries around the world who are seduced into thinking they will be given a secure job such as nannying or being a housekeeper and instead are sold into prostitution. 

The problem is huge and complex but that doesn't mean that nothing can be done.  

This group of people that I discovered via a college friend on instagram is calling this month DRESSember :)  Each participant is wearing a dress every day in December, in all kinds of weather and doing all kinds of activities to raise awareness and also to raise money that will go to the International Justice Mission.  https://www.ijm.org/

International Justice Mission has already relieved more than 18,000 people from oppression.  

I have decided to join them.  In this small way, I am a freedom fighter!  

I would be honored if you would consider joining me in fighting for freedom for those who have no voice and have no hope.  

Since I did not find out about Dressember until December/Dressember was already underway, I began daily wearing dresses on Friday, December 12th.  That means that I will be wearing dresses daily for 20 days this December 2014.  I will be posting photos here on the blog.  

I know we are all bombarded with requests for donations at this time of year as well as spending money on gifts, holiday celebrations, etc. so I would like to ask you to consider a very small amount that as a team we can make very large!

Would you consider donating 

10 cents per day that I am wearing a dress 

this December (20 days)?

that would =  $2 

Working together friends, family and myself have already raised over $200 towards the work International Justice Mission is doing! 

In just over 24 hours!!

As a team of people uniting together we can do some amazing things!  My goal is to raise $900 for the work of IJM by the end of December/Dressember.  

If you would consider donating $2 this Dressember to support me in my fundraising and more importantly to DRASTICALLY change someone's world in freeing them from daily atrocities please leave a comment and I will get the donation information to you.  

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this and for being the wonderful people that you are!  I am blessed to call you friends and family!  

Kelly

P.S.  One final request, if you are local and would be interested in letting me borrow a dress (or leggings or tights) to wear this month as part of this fun challenge, I will definitely highlight you one day when I wear your dress on loan to me!  Thanks!!  :)  

Cooking in a dress

hiking Garden of the Gods in a dress

and this little cutie pie hiking in her dress!

Oh! And this sweet little face!!

FOUR Christmases ago!

Time it is a-flyin'!

I loved those little velour cowboy jammies of his!

So thankful for my sweet BIG boy now!  

Kelly

ten on ten - December 2014

7:01 a.m.  

Waking up . . . listening . . . the house is still quiet ~ Thankful

9:01 a.m.

this girl loves her water and her granola

9:02 a.m. 

This one is not too into photos today.  

11:35 a.m.

watching a video from the library, "Max Lucado Kids - Flo the Lyin' Fly" during sister's nap

11:37 a.m.

quiet in the kitchen

12:05 p.m. 

getting ready to bake a chocolate chiffon cake with peppermint buttercream for our MOPS brunch tomorrow morning

12:36 p.m. 

getting to lick the beaters and Mama determined to get a picture which he tried to outsmart and had fun doing it

1:40 p.m. 

a BIG stack of Christmas books from the library awaits us on the couch as we snuggle under the red quilt

2:28 p.m.

Still at it . . . they're due tomorrow!  

3:21 p.m.

someone thinks she's big stuff with Mama's straw cup

3:22 p.m.

late afternoon light and sibling love

3:47 p.m.

I love this man and how he provides for our family.

3:47 p.m.  

oops, "Rosie" our vacuum needs her brushes cleaned . . . not my favorite job

3:54 p.m.

back to reading

4:34 p.m.

I love this soooo much and for so many reasons!

6:14 p.m.

Daddy snuggles after dinner

I can't believe it has been an entire year since I posted a ten on ten post on the blog!  I will miss seeing that record of our days from this past year as I love looking back at what our "real life" was like on these ordinary days each 10th of the month.

linking up here

Also, looking back . . . 

December 2012

December 2011

December 2010

tree hunting

I love this girl!  

glow!

I love finding bright Christmas baubles at estate and garage sales and these minis are so much fun!

Kelly

Oh Christmas Tree

In the beginning

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son sent from the Father full of grace and truth."  John 1: 1-2, 14

photo by Adrian

makes me happy

that's one way to do it

Thankful for these super helpers!

six years

This is the one I love.

photo by Rachel Debell Photography

road trip

Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend 2014 we road tripped.  It felt very "all American".  It was a nice way to bookend the summer.  We didn't plan it but it just worked out that way.  

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Mount Rushmore to meet up with a friend and over Labor Day weekend we helped my brother and sister-in-law and cutie pie little niece move to Salt Lake City.  

We really enjoyed both trips and both places.  The kids really did great in the car too!  I also got to add two new states to my list!  

I think a 7-8 hour drive plus stops is my preferred maximum for a day but we are learning as we go and also going with the flow as we continue to travel as a family.  

On our way home from Salt Lake we had a 9 1/2 hour or so drive to make and did it in 12 hours with a stop for lunch, a quick stop to retrieve lost sunglasses and a rest area stop to use the bathroom.

Oh and also a stop to take a photo at the continental divide.  

I really enjoy trying out places to eat while traveling that we can't get at home.  On our way home from Salt Lake we stopped in Green River, Utah.  Now there are not a whole lot of places in Green River, Utah to eat but this place looked interesting to me and reminded me of C & D Burger Shop that I went to growing up so we went in.  They were very nice about working with our food allergies and letting us read ingredients on packages.  

Cora and David midway through our drive home waiting for our food to come at Chowhound

The greatest gems of the trip food wise though were Taco Time and Spitz.  We discovered Taco Time while searching Yelp for one $ and 4 stars or more as we were entering Price, Utah and needing a dinner stop on our way out to Salt Lake City on Saturday.  Their customer service exceeded chick-fil-a if such a thing is possible, they were great about food allergies and the food was yummy!  

We ate at Spitz on Sunday night in SLC.  David particularly liked saying the name.  :)  The food was very yummy, described as Mediterranean street food.  Mine actually was served in a loaf pan!  Oh my!  At least some of it was a salad (served atop a bed of sweet potato fries!) But boy was it yummy!!  Fantastic fries and sweet potato fries, lamb that both kids (and the adults) ate hungrily, great sauces and dressings, etc.  I would definitely go back.  

Oh and they also had complimentary fresh mint and fresh cucumber waters.  

David checking out the vending machines at Chowhound

I don't know that I have ever crossed the continental divide in a car before and it was something that really made an impression on me this trip.  To drive up the mountains and then back down the other side so dramatically on highway 70 on our way out (this picture was taken on our way back on highway 50) was really neat.

Have you been to Salt Lake City or Mount Rushmore?  Any suggestions of things to see, so or eat when we go back?  

Did you road trip this summer?  I'd love to hear about it.

Best tips for road tripping or traveling in general with kids?

Kelly

Jenni

I am participating in Kelly's Korner singles link up day today to introduce you to my friend Jenni. 

Did you know that in the time Kelly has been hosting this link up for singles to meet one another that EIGHT couples have gotten married??!  

Pretty cool. 

This is my friend Jenni.  

She is a truly wonderful person.  She is one of the greatest friends.  She is very thoughtful of others, is a great cook, loves to travel, is into sports and likes Harleys.  :) 

She is a very giving person.  She is smart and capable and has a very good job.  She currently lives in Abilene, TX.  

Jenni is a Christian and her faith is very important to her.  
She has a sense of adventure and likes to have fun.  

Jenni is an incredible cook and makes wonderful desserts, comfort food and hosts an amazing Christmas open house each year with holiday goodies that keep everyone coming back for more. 

If you happen to know of an eligible Christian man who you think would like to meet Jenni or if you are an eligible Christian man and would like to meet Jenni feel free to e-mail me (sundrenchedmoments @ gmail dot com) or e-mail her directly at jennipearl76blog @ gmail dot com

Obviously more women read Kelly's Korner's blog than men so if you know of any great single men who are looking to find someone to marry, point them to Kelly's Korner blog today.  The more people who check out her post, the better the chances are.  

little climber in Alaska

big tree!

my sweet boy exploring in Alaska!

July 2014