Simply Saturday: What driving you?

The month of March was a blur, and is all most over!  Where did it go? When I looked online today my last post was February 28th.  When I pause and look back at this month, I realized that I began with a week of travel to Chicago.  When I leave my family for work travel, it takes a week to prepare to go, and a week to reengage when I come home.  Rengaging included conversations with my spouse, supporting my little ones, and attending two birthdays in one weekend.  The following week was full of meetings and appointments, so there goes another week.  At the end of that week, was my son's birthday celebration, my younger's son's trip to ER for a broken elbow, and the arrival of my mom for a visit during Spring Break.  That brings us to today, and the end of a three week blur of activity.

"Our paths are paved with good intentions, and sometimes those intentions are not met because we are living life in full speed. " 

This is why its important to bring in simplicity everyday in simple ways, to help us connect to the people we love and the beauty around us.

Here are some simple ways to reconnect when the world seems to be going at warp speed:

• Breathe.  Take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it go slowly breathing out of pursed lips. (Now you read it, do it now.  How did that feel?)
• Take snapshots of moments in your day.  This gives you a real picture of what you experienced throughout the day, and a diary of how you spent your time during the week or month.  Ali Edwards has a wonderful tool call A Week in The Life, where she chronicles everyday living, and brings meaning back to the simple things.  Check it out.
• Be forgiving of yourself and others.  When you don't meet all of your goals or your schedules overlap, let it go.  Sometimes we cause undo stress because we are trying to walk in other people's expectations.  We can not be all things to all people, so just be true to yourself.  
• Begin where you are.  Instead of trying to make up for what was missed, like three weeks of blog post, meetings, outings with friends.  Just begin where you are.  As you do this, realize most of the time we are the only ones holding ourselves in contempt for what was.  Others forgive us, faster than we do so learn from their lessons.  Again, forgive yourselves and move on.
• Plan again.  So when the busy times come around again, what will you do differently?  I have been looking at busy times in my year, and seeing patterns.  I can see that March/April and September/October are high times for my work and family life.  Knowing this, what can I do to plan for some of those activities, so that next year I'm not writing the same blog post about being overwhelmed with activity. 

Simply Saturday: So many voices........

Well we are ending the month of February, and ready to enter the month of March, marking the first quarter of year.  In January 2015, I wrote this as I ended the first week of the month,

"It's only the end of first week of the month, of a new year and I'm exhausted from  a week's of activity, and so many voices.  We all can forecast the month of January, by looking at magazine covers, store displays, and media blitz.  It's a new year so....( take a deep breath, this is a run-on thought) let's lose weight, eat healthy, simplify our lives, begin our business, focus our dreams, create a vision for life, purchase new clothes and socks for school, get the dryer fixed, eat healthy, so what's the cost of a bag of apples . Whew... that was tiresome.  Just writing it down, was exhausting."

Does that make you tired?  It made me exhausted just reading it again, and so here's the inspiration I drew from it for today's post.  Simplicity is not a language of the world.  The world says, do more, buy more, start this, stop that.  If you know me, you know that I create what I want to see in my life.  I'm able to do this because I'm always examining, how I can be better, feel better, and impact the lives of those around me. 

This week's challenge:

• Take an inventory of your first two months of the year.  Did you set some goals?  Are they visible in your everyday life? If they are, how does that change what's ahead in the months to come?  If not, what can you do to change it? 
• Did you write a vision statement for your year? Or create a vision board? Do you need help in creating a vision for your life, checkout franklincovey.com.
• If your life sounds like my entry from January, how can you slow down this week and take the control back?  What's one thing you can do to begin?  Do it now.
• BREATHE, deeply and often, today is a new day.

Simply Saturday

Simply Saturday: Reliving Your Childhood

Well it's Saturday morning and the work week has ended.  Today I'm in bed finishing up my Saturday morning routine.  I watch my quilt show on PBS, followed by a sewing show and painting with Yarnell.  PBS has been a staple in my life since childhood.  It's what we watched before their were nickJr, Disney, and all of the media outlets that children are watching these days.  

What's amazing is the relevance of PBS, 48 years later is still the same.  My children watched PBS and enjoyed the same shows that I did as a child.  In raising children, we often get caught up in the latest fads, and creating busyness that's unnecessary.  I often speak of reclaiming childhood, because it's in childhood that the true nature of a person is developed and most apparent.  

What did you spend time doing as a child? What drew your interest? How have you shared those childhood experiences with your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews?   

Here are a few childhood experiences that I enjoyed, and my children are experiencing them as well.

Playing board games:  Sorry, Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Checkers, Go,  Hi Ho Cherry O, Scrabble, Life, Monopoly and the list goes on..

Playing outside in the neighborhood

Pretend Play in the house with my sisters

Building tents and forts

Playing with legos

Reading, Reading, Reading all the time

Going to the park

Visiting the museum and exploratorium

Going to the Zoo

Taking a drive

Creating artwork masterpieces

Painting with watercolors

Playing with Playdoh

So here's the Simply Saturday challenge for the week:

1.  Spend time today reliving a childhood experience.  You can relive it by getting out and doing it.  Journaling about it. Sitting and just reminiscing on the experience.

2.  Share it with someone by telling of the experience and what it reawakened in you.  

3.  Write a post on Facebook or twitter with the hashtag#SimplySaturdayChildhood

Simply Saturday

#SimplySaturdayChildhood

Simply Saturday: Remembering Childhood

As a child, my richest experiences were when I was given time to explore, wonder, and create.  It's what I held onto into adulthood as an educator, parent, and woman creative.  When I explore I approach in the same way as I did as a child.  I watch and take in all of the environment, I circle back and look at details of what caught my eyes, the first time through, and then I make note of what stood out for me.  As an adult, I'm reflecting on why was it meaningful, what does it mean to me, and how it add value to my life.

Today as I write this, I'm at a birthday party with my 7 year old.  I'm sitting enjoying the reflection time, looking at the e,exhibits in the Museum of Osteology.  It's amazing!  Since my son doesn't need me to navigate  party etiquette, it's refreshing.

I watched as the kids navigated the Museum and explore on there on, I was reminded of the simplicity of new experiences.  As we experience new things, as children or adults our approaches are similar:

• We explore with our eyes, ears, mouth, touch, and smell- our innate ability to use our five senses to make sense of the world around us.
• We look for something familiar, building on prior knowledge or experience - this is our beginning of formulating knowledge and growing as life-long learners.
• We look for extensions of what we are learning - how can I take it and build on it further.  Do I share what I've learned or experienced with others.  If so, with who do I share this new knowledge.

When we apply these basic steps we are living and experiencing our world, not just bystanders or site seeing.  This is life in it's most simplest form.  Through the eyes of a child, we learn about ourselves.


Live Simply!

Simply Saturday: The Little things Matter

In the course of a week of work, we strive to get to the weekend and exhale from all of the days work.  This ritual of winding down, and relaxing has been at the core of my life from childhood.  I watched my parents work hard all week long, and then relax and unwind Saturday mornings, by reading the newspaper, cover to cover, enjoying a cup of coffee, watching mindless tv, or just hanging out around the house with the family.

We will be starting a weekly series, Simply Saturdays in February to highlight the ritual of slowing down, taking it easy, enjoying life, and exhaling.


The Simply Saturday series is about making time for the little things, and taking time to pause and reflect.  In our busy hustle and bustle, we often get overwhelmed by all the things that compete for our time and attention.

I have been fortunate to spend my days, with young children and families, who remind me that time moves fast, and that it's the moments that matter.  To capture moments we taken pictures, we tell stories, and we share our experiences.  In those stories what we are really talking about are simple things that make us smile, and treasure everyday life.  That's what Simply Saturday is about.

We will tell of simple stories, share pictures of moments, and share our experiences.  This month the focus is on acts of kindness, and displays of love.  So here we go......

February 7, 2015
This week I fulfilled a Pay it Forward challenge, by mailing a care package to a friend, Kali Schofell. As a mom, I remember the difference a day makes, and how knowing that others care and understand, got me through the day.  I had as much fun shopping for the items, and filling the custom box, as Kali had receiving it.
Simple Lesson:
Take time to share joy and honor friendships both near and far.

Live Simply, Live fully, Live Life

Kelly Ramsey

Saying goodbye to 2014....... and Hello to 2015!

It's that time of the year again.  Reflecting on the year that has passed, and embracing the year ahead.  My year has been full of travel and fun, and most of all  the most important people of all, my family.  As I reviewed my year on Facebook today, I was pleasantly surprised that My Year Newspaper, showed how I spent my time.  Loving on my family, taking care of my health by eating right and exercising and serving others.  This occured because of my intentions for each day, were to do just that.


My one little word (OLW) for 2014 was FOCUS.  I made some intentional steps to enlarge my circle of friends and accountability partners.  Thanks to Webster Ramsey, Sr. ( Hubby), Latara Bussey, Valerie Vaughn, Susan Boxie Rex,  Charmaine Sims, Linda Sanders ( Mom), D'Andrea Thomas ( BFF), Bilal Konte, Trenna Grayson, Kelly (Mugsie) Larsen, Cheryl Butler Adams, Deb Curtis, and many others for connecting with me throughout the year.  My life is richer because of each of you, and forever changed.

In review, here's how I spent my days in 2014:

• Creating new family rituals - morning devotions with the boys, movie nights at home and at the theatre, game nights at home, hot chocolate parties for the holidays, and Advent gift-giving in December, 
• 3rd annual art booth at Destiny Christian School for Alaya Enterprise artwork and Kelly's Kreations crafts.  Thanks Alicia Wade for organizing the event each year.  Watch for Ramsey's inspirational art all around Oklahoma City this year, in a gallery exhibit near you. ( Speak it and it will happen, so watch for it.)
• Travel - travel - travel for Educare OKC.  Maine, Chicago, Denver, Berkley, CA, and San Antonio, TX,
• Appointed as NAEYC Affiliate Representative for Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma (ECAO) 
• Swap-Bot ( This is the greatest community of crafters, writers, quilters, and the likes).  I even spread the joy, with Trenna Grayson, and now she's hooked.
• New logo for Developing People, Inc.  created by Paula McDade. 
• Increased writing on blog, short story, and invited to write for educational journal in 2015
• NAEYC presenter with Ruth Ann Ball.... embarking on national platform for early childhood profession.
• Appointed to Educare Learning Network, advisory board.  national platform informing policy in the early childhood field.
• Whew!  What a year.  

Forever humbled by God's plan for my life, and so grateful I get to share it with all of you.  

Get ready for 2015!  My OLW word for the year is POSSIBILITIES....  I can't wait to see what it unfolds.  Can you?

Kelly Ramsey

Streams of Life: Creating Order in an out of Balance world. = The CHURCH

November 29 - December 3, 2014  December 30, 2014
Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world.  = The CHURCH

This is the last post for this series, and will complete the streams of life.  Although we are late posting, it's key to complete processes, so we want to honor the work and followers by doing such.  This stream is my life source, and it is why I continue to have balance in my life.  The purpose of the church is to equip the believers to be light in the world.  The church is created for fellowship with other likeminded believers.  The church is not just mortar and bricks and walls to separate.  It is a living organism that is transformed by the people in it. 

I was honored and blessed to be a part of a ministry that understood, the churches function and purpose.  As a leader, I served my leaders Apostles Ricky and D'andrea Thomas from the conception of the ministry over 15 years ago. We labored together, to meet the heart of God and serve the people.  The stream of G. A P. R. T. still continues to water my everyday life, of my family and my home.  One thing is evident, we exist today because of each stream that watered us at every phase of our lives.  To remove any phase, is to negate that all of the streams of our lives have made us who we are today.  Thank you Lord, for each person who watered my life and flowed through the streams. 

My love for the ministry of the church runs deep, because it's the place where healing and restoration came for me.  After being a Christian, and growing up in a family that served God, I experienced brokenness, devastation, and depression.  The church restored my hope in Christ, and kept my heart open to love others.  I can see every face of every person, who greeted me weekly, smiled inspite of y response or face, loved on me when I turned away from their love, fed me, clothed me, chastised me, and guided me.   

As the body of Christ heals and is restored in society, we must keep in mind that the people are the integral part of the healing.  It takes all members of the body of Christ to create order and restore balance in the world.  I thank God for the fresh word of God, he ministers at our local congregation under the leadership of Prophet Brandon Fleming, at New Divine Destiny Christian Center.  At Destiny City in Edmond, we create streams of life through anointed worship, ministering of the word of God, and showing the love of Christ among the brethren.  I count an honor, to be a part of the work God is doing and continue to serve as a minister of God reaching the masses with the simple message, that Jesus saves and is here to be light in darkness.   


Questions to Ponder:

• Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as Your personal savior?
• Are you connected to a church home, that ministers restoration to your soul?
• How are you serving in your local church?
• How is your local church serving the community?
• Are you connected with others, in bible study, group studies, or fellowship?