I Could Tell You…

August 31, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I am so tired

I can hardly see straight.

(I really should have had that espresso tonight…) The eyelids are Drooooo. Py.

I have, literally, been staring at a blank computer screen for over an hour.

At one point I called a friend just to give me a diversion. That, and I wanted to talk to her. :) We had a great, 20-minute conversation, and then it was back to the computer screen, blank and all.

I hate uninspired nights.

I don’t want to tell you about all the things hanging on my walls or what I ate today.

I don’t want to pretend I’m a unicorn or make a list of my favorite pizza toppings. And I definitely don’t want to post about how many words I DON’ T have right now.

Ugh.

I could tell you about Maelie’s new swimming pool that’s still in the box

in the garage. We bought her one on clearance this past weekend, and it’s huge. (Well, huge for a one year-old.) Twelve feet across and 30″ deep. Helllloooooooooo, pool party at Tobin and Mel’s next summer! Seriously, I’m half tempted to break it out once we get the fence up, but I doubt the water would even warm up before it would be time to take the pool down. So…bummer. We’ll have to wait nine long months before it’s warm enough to use it.

I could tell you about my daughter’s new obsession with stairs and how she climbs our (very steep) flight like a pro.

With one of us behind her, of course.

😉 On Sunday, my husband let her explore the stairs in the sanctuary after church, and everyone was treated to a temper tantrum when it was time to leave those fun steps.

Today at the park she climbed them several times on a piece of playground equipment that I think needs more safety bars. Is it just me or does 14 months seem a bit young to be climbing so much

?

Maybe her mama is just wishing she didn’ t like i

t so much!

I could tell you how many shots of espresso go into each drink at Firefly, but truthfully, I’ m still trying to re

member that! :)

And I could tell you how quick I made it home from work tonight, but I won’t. I think my speedometer might be off a tad.

I could tell you all of these things, but I think I’ll just tell you…

That some nights there are no deep, profound things to share.

So I’m going to crash and dream about… well, definitely not being a unicorn.

Thanks for reading, friends.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: random

What’s New…

August 30, 2011 by · 1 Comment

So tonight I officially regained my former title of bari

sta.

Yeah, I rock a coffee bar.

A few weeks ago, Tobin and I started talking about me working a couple nights a week…just to get out of the house and make a little extra cash.

You know, to pay for all those purses.

Kidding, kidding. :)

I had a couple possibilities on the table, and one never really moved forward, so I went with this one.

Anyone who knows me knows th at coffee is

a daily part of my life.

And? I think making it is almost as fun as drinking it, too. :) I love going to this place…I hang there with friends sometimes, and it’s the place I did open mic night, too.

It’s really a fun place to hang out.

They even have toys for Maelie, which scores big points with me.

:)

So, yeah…that’s what’s new in my life.

It’ll be fun.

So if you’re in the area, stop by and I’ll make you the best coffee you’ ve e

ver had.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: coffee, just life

This and That

August 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

First up, because Mae and I are really into self-photos right now…or maybe just I am. 😉

:) I love this picture.

She was totally being a goof, even though you can’t tell. It made me laugh.

(And? My hair looks really good. I like those days.)

And a few other things…not sure if they are all deserving of smiley faces, but I will go ahead and tack them on in an effort to smile through ALL things.

:) Worked out tonight.

I still feel out of shape.

I did run a ten(ish) minute mile Saturday morning, though, so maybe I am getting there again. My goal is to break 30 on the next 5k I do.

We shall see.

:) I am not so happy with the biker dude two blocks down who decided to roar past my house three times this afternoon while Mae was napping.

T he third time

he woke her up for good. Grrrr…this mama marched herself outside to let him have it good.

And then chickened out.

:) I found my new favorite nail polish.

Less than $2 at Target, dries in a minute…and doesn’t get all clumpy, which has always been my experience with that kind of stuff. Maybe I can even paint Maelie’s toenails soon!

:) Andre = annoyed with Mae. He crawled under the porch furniture today and wouldn’t come out until she was napping.

That may have something to do with the fact that she was crawling all over him. Sammy, on the other hand = LOVES her. (And licks her to death until I yell at him to stop.) Haha.

:) I made these tonight. It is probably a good thing I worked out. (And I totally tweaked the recipe…I don’t deep fry ANYTHING.

It works fine to just pour little oil into the pan.) Make them for yourself…they’re really yummy!

(But don’t forget to work out after you eat them.)

:) I realized I never posted (or finished, for that matter) my deep blog post from a few days ago. Guess I better get on that, huh? Funny how I can write something in my head for days, but I sit down at the computer and the words leave. No fair.

:) Starting to get a teeny bit excited about going on vacation. (Though I am an expert packer, I do not necessarily enjoy the prep part of taking a trip.) Really, really looking forward to seeing friends we’ve missed. I can’t believe I get to hug them in TWO weeks! (This one is totally deserving of a smiley face!)

:) I think…that is all.

:) G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, random

Sunday…um…Coffee?

August 28, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, just so we’re clear…I’m not drink ing

coffee.

I am, in fact, drinking Powerade Zero, the strawberry flavor.

Go for the lemon-lime should you want to try it…just sayin’. I’m also eating E.L. Fudge cookies, but not too many. It does say something about my impressive willpower that I’ve had these cookies in my possession for FIVE days and still have over half the package left. :)

If you hopped by today, the first thing you’d notice is that we’re missing a screen on our back porch. Should something too interesting pass by our house, I’m afraid that my dogs might just jump right out of the porch.

Hopefully Tobin will get back from Home Depot soon and replace the screen before anything too memorable happens! And the screen is being replaced because our obnoxious spirited dogs got a little too excited when the neighbor came over the other night. Heck, another screen needed to be replaced, too, so it’s good timing.

You will also notice that I am, very happily, typing On. My. Macbook. No, it’s not new. It’s just that my lovely computer, the one that’s been with me since

the beginning of this blogging journey (and before), decided to completely DIE this week.

Monday night, it just turned off.

Wouldn’t turn back on at ALL.

I got really scared and thought it was gone for good…it wouldn’t turn on for over 24 hours. Then, it decided to tease me…by turning on and dying immediately or within minutes. Over and over for a couple of days. On Friday it turned on and stayed on…and I haven’t had a problem since. We have a few theories…let’s hope we’re right and Mr.

Mac won’ t need any fur

ther attention. ‘Cause the Apple Hospital is not exactly high on my list of where I’d like my money to go.

The Maelie girl is currently going strong on what could be her longest nap all week…she’s at an hour and a half, which should tell you something about the week we’ve had. I’m a little worried that the nap may be coming to an end because there’s a lot of noise going on outside. Thankfully, Mae is still asleep for now…maybe she’s like her mama and can sleep through just about anything.

We can hope. :)

So I used to love vacation planning…when I had an ocean to look forward to. Now I am learning a new type of planning…and it’s good, but it feels weird to book a hotel for one night halfway to our destination, where we’ll be staying with friends.

No hotel needed. I am not sure we’ve ever done that. Nevertheless, we are heading out in two weeks…because we’re weird and we don’t actually vacation during the summer. We wait til everyone goes back to school.

At least this year we did. :)

We’ll be gone for 9ish days and are cramming in Green Bay, St. Louis, and Southaven (MS). The majority of our time will be spent in Southaven with friends from Indonesia and meeting up with a few other friends from our days with NICS. It will be really fun to revisit that part of our life.

So, yeah…lots of stuff going on.

It’s sorta been that kind of week. You know, the kind, where you seem to soak up the ocean of Grace you were previously drowning in…and find that you need more? I am so thankful for the grace I experienced this week…all of it undeserved…from my husband, from friends, from my Father.

Sometimes I feel like I’m falling apart.

Then I think of that song by Josh Wilson…

God, I want to know You more,
maybe this is how it starts.
I find You when I fall apart.

So thankful for others who love me, who forgive me…and for what I am learning from their example.

That wasn’t an easy sentence to write, but it’s true.

Well, I need to get back to planning.

And drinking my Powerade. 😉

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, where I am

Mel + Tobin Put Their Words Together

August 27, 2011 by · 3 Comments

This post comes with a disclaimer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I am idea-less tonight.

Really.

I’m not uninspired…in fact, I have a pretty deep post going that’s not quite where it should be.

So come back tomorrow for that one.

:)

In the meantime, I bring you the first (and hopefully ONLY) version of “Mel and Tobin finish each other’s sentences.”

I’m in bold. Tobin’s not. :)

I can’t wait…to get the fence put up in our yard so we can just let the dogs out instead of take them out.

The cutest thing Maelie did today was…laugh over and over while playing catch with her Daddy.

I am not looking forward to…paying bills.

Once upon a time,

a pig went to the m

arket.

He bought…Maelie’s toes.

Once upon a time, Tobin sang really, really off-key and…the world didn’t end!

Oh give me a home…where the front room is NOT painted purple. Definitely time to paint.

I am really thankful…that Mel’s Macbook decided to come back to life.

Every single day, I wake up and…hit the snooze button on my alarm. At least twice.

My favorite thing about Mel is…how quickly she gets up in the morning.

On the end of the couch right now is…a pile of my clothes that I have worn at some point in the last week?!

And…last one…you should be thankful that…Mel is censoring what I write. But this could be a lot more fun if she didn’t.

:)

That’s all. And if you made it this far

? You are either an incredibly faithful reader… or having nothing else to do with your time.

G’nite, friends!

Sig

Filed Under: random, Tobin

The Funniest Thing

August 26, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Well, maybe not ever, but this made me laugh.

(And made me want to make sure I’m always watching my daughter!) It’s displayed in my new place of employment (aka: Mel’s “fun” job) that…ahem…I will talk about someday.

Soon.

(The picture isn’t original with me…I have it on my phone, but th is one

is from e-bay.

Go ahead, order it!) :)

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random

Here’s To Indonesia

August 25, 2011 by · 2 Comments

My hubby put this together awhile ago, and I forgot about it

until tonight.

If you were in Indonesia with us, you’ll enjoy it. If you weren’t there, you’ll still enjoy it… and probably want to visit.

Don’t forget

to take me with you!

:)

This is just a mix of pictures…from everything. School, friends, the city, vacations we took…memories we’ll never forget.

Enjoy.

 

Untitled from Tobin Schroeder on Vimeo.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Indonesia, just life, remembering

Infinitely Mae

August 24, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I failed mommyhood today.

Like, an epic failure…it was not pretty.

I’m not sure why…but I was frustrated, annoyed, not at ALL patient, and almost-mean… to my daughter.

I hadn’t seen her most of the morning because I was busy with something and Tobin had the morning off. I literally spent an hour with her, and all of a sudden she was just…difficult.

Translation: she was ONE.

It was hot, she was getting into everything, and so I thought that was the perfect opportunity for her to play in her pool. We suited her up, I plopped her in, and all was good.

For two minutes.

Then she decided to play the game, I-love-to-get-in-and-out-and-in-and-out-and-in-and-out-of-my-pool.

40 times.

In between those times, she’d take handfuls of rocks, play with them, try to stick one (or more) in her mouth. You know, the fun things that one year olds do to drive their mommies crazy. :)

And somewhere in there I just got annoyed.

I had been trying to watch my girl and catch up with a friend on the phone at the same time…and Mae was making that hard.

I gave up after about twenty minutes and took her inside, gave her an afternoon bottle, and put her down for her nap.

And then I felt horrible.

What was it that Mae was doing SO wrong? Nothing, really. Other than being herself.

She woke up around 4:15, which gave me time to play with her before I had to leave for my hair appointment.

As I was soaking up the Mae-just-woke-up-and-wants-to-cuddle moments, I started to make up a song for her.

And some where in the song, the words, And you are infinitely Mae, came out of my mouth.

She giggled, I smiled…and then I realized how true those words were.

It’s exactly who she is… the best possible Mae in

the world.

There is no other person in the world who can be Maelie better than she can.

Sure, she will do things that get on my nerves.

Of course she’s going to get into trouble…she’s one year old and curious.

Yes, she will put rocks in her mouth occasionally because that’s just what kids do.

And every day, she will melt my heart because she’s my girl.

We’ll have days like today sometimes.

When they happen, I need to do two things.

Work on replacing my impatience with love. And have more grace for myself, too.

I love my Mae… and all that she is.

Even on days like today.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, just life, Maelie, what I'm learning

A Few Pictures of Life

August 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Just because I can…a few moments.

Enjoy. :)

First up? My daughter clearly th inks she has someth

ing in common with her dogs.

(I had nothing to do with this other than taking the photo.)

This pic? Shows you what happened when a certain girl, who shall remain nameless, sat outside late at night for over an hour talking to her friend on the phone. While barefoot. In the grass. (Even the Calamine is really not helping.

I am very, very itchy.)

We decided tonight that cool people have bonfires in the rain.

Next time it rains, you can come over and we can have a fire… and then YOU will be cool, too.

:)

And… here

he is! This isn’ t a grea

t picture, but seeing Mark Schultz in concert was so great.

What an awesome musician!!! Still waiting to meet him…next time. :)

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Little Blessings (Pt. 6)

August 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

:) Two happy puppies who, despite being overly exuberant at the thought of breathing, truly make me smile.

I need that today.

:) A daughter who gets into everything…but at least she keeps me laughing most of the time!

:) Have you ever eaten this? You should.

:) Catching up with a friend and missing her like crazy. It’s good that I m iss her because that means the friendship

is still there across the miles.

:) Roasting marshmallows and remembering with my hubby.

:) Watching Maelie push her car up and down the sidewalk because she’d rather PUSH it than RIDE in it. Funny girl.

:) W atching my dogs try to climb

a tree to get to

a raccoon.

The mental image of them climbing a tree is just funny.

:) Back Porch time…definitely a good way to end a day.

:) Finding the blessings in a day that wasn’ t an easy one.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life
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