I wrote a pretty heavy post last week…and that’s ok. There are times when soul baring is necessary, especially when there’s something beautiful that comes from it.
And, truthfully, there always is…it’s just that it’s not always that easy to see.
I’m in let’s-process-the-past-few-weeks mode right now…and I’ll write more about it later.
But today?
I bring you So. Much. Awesome.
Well, I guess I’ll let you be the judge of that. 😉
At first glance, this just looks like an Instagram…hey, hey, look what I’m up to! (And it kind of is.)
But not really.
See…this pic was taken around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. I know, I know.
My eyes had popped open crazy early. The girl was still sleeping, I didn’t have to be at church for praise team until 9:30, and our back porch…with the sun just starting to peek in…was calling my name.
And so I grabbed a cup of coffee, a (small) handful of chocolate (breakfast of champions!), and plopped on a chair with my legs propped up. (Notice the awesome floor burn from the volleyball tournament we WON on Saturday? Yeah, the one I played without knee pads… ;)) My faithful pup, Sammy, took his place by my side, and it was time to (literally) waste my brain on an episode or six of The Babysitter’s Club.
PSA: It’s now available on Netflix streaming. I. Kid. You. Not. (You may or may not be missing out if you haven’t experienced this wonder at least once in your life.)
And as I sipped my heaven-in-a-cup and practically quoted, word-for-word, the cheesiness of the Brunettes trying to steal Logan from Mary Anne and even likely sang audibly…and by likely, I mean,
Yes.
I totally did.
Say hello to your friends…Babysitters Club,
Say hello to the people who care,
Nothing’s better than friends…
Oh, come on.
You know you were singing it from the time I mentioned it. 😀
Plus? I needed to warm up before praise team. 😉
All of that to get to my actual point, because there is one that goes beyond cheesy 90’s tv and coffee and even cute golden retrievers. 
That sometimes the blessings come in small pieces of sweet and a bit strange…and they don’t always look like daisies and bright sunshine at acceptable hours of the morning. 😉
But that Sunday morning? Was an amazing gift from my Father.
It was the kind He sent just to say I love you, Mel. And I know it’s been hard, but I’m Good and I know exactly what you need.
He’s right.
I soaked it all up until about 7:30, and then I was joined by the sweetest THREE year old ever, who surprised me by watching right along with me and even asked for another episode.
BAHAHAHAHA!
What have I created?!?! 😉
It was a beautiful morning, one that still makes me smile.
He is Good.
**********************
It’s Tuesday, and I love Tuesdays.
I’ve taken the challenge this summer to write about the life behind the photos…the ugly, the messy, the real, the true…and link up with my sweet friend, Crystal, at her space for Behind the Scenes.
Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We’re edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves (or so some might think!) when – in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It’s because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner.
“Behind the Scenes” is a fun link up where we show those photos – but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it.
I hope you’ll stop by and read about the real of hearts and lives…some of my favorite writers link up there, and their words will bless you. Happy Tuesday, all!
“That sometimes the blessings come in small pieces of sweet and a bit strange…and they don’t always look like daisies and bright sunshine at acceptable hours of the morning”… I am so thankful for these. I think these are so many times He has given me so many moments and even some I didn’t recognize as blessing. I pray that my eyes (and my heart) be more open to noticing those times He provides and praise Him for them.
I know I’m not always the greatest about being thankful for even the small blessings…something I’m definitely trying to be more intentional about.
Hope you are doing well, my friend…have a great week!
Ok, so sue me, I’ve never seen the show 😉 But, I know this type of morning. First, though, I’d like to say how blessed you are to have a kiddo who sleeps in until 7:30!!! My kids are both morning people like me… so I get up around 5 just to sneak in this alone time before they’re up 😉 I know, I’m crazy.
So glad God gave you this moment to decompress.
And yes, chocolate is the breakfast of champions. Second only to bacon and eggs… my mom always taught me that a piece of chocolate is always acceptable in the morning. Love you, Mel!!!
Haha…just so you know, the acting is pretty bad. It’s pretty much just a hilarious, nostalgic, walk down memory lane.
Having a girl who sleeps ’til 7:30 is definitely awesome…but it comes with the tradeoff that she doesn’t take naps. (And hasn’t for the last year.) But no complaints here. 😉 I love how your mom thinks…yes to chocolate. All things chocolate. Have a great week, friend!
Mel –
Can I just say that I am so glad that I did! It is amazing how our God steps into the middle of the ordinary & truly makes it an extraordinary moment.
I had to visit back
Blessings,
Joanne
Thanks for the visit, Joanne! Blessings…have a great week!
Love this! I’ve never seen the show, but I think that’s my age showing. I maybe would have picked Growing Pains! I’m going with April on the breakfast choices here, too! Those little off-the-wall moments are terrific gifts, aren’t they? I’m currently in the process of brainwashing my son with the Beach Boys!
Oooohhh…I like Growing Pains, too! I haven’t seen that one in ages.
Have a great week, Amy…blessings!
LOVE me some Babysitter’s Club! My daughter got the books passed down to her, I don’t think she’s read them yet, but when she does she will love them as much as her Mama!
I’m going to have to look it up on Netflix, I think she would like that too. We had a free trial of XM radio for about two weeks and I kept it on the 90’s station the entire time, I was convinced my kids would think the music from my generation was cool…yeah, not so much 
I’m still in love with the books, too, though I haven’t read them in forever…and after watching the show, I want to go dig through the boxes in the basement and find them.
And, aaahhh…the 90’s. Yep. 
Hope you’re doing well, friend!
Great post, Mel! I’m going to have to check out this show:).
I loves the Sweet Valley High book series…ok that is the 80’s…but we can just skip over that fact
Sometimes going back to the simple things of when we were kids or for me, when my big ones were little, are the things we need to give our souls rest. I love watching “Arthur” on PBS. My kids laugh at me but he was my favorite show from when they were little. Awesome knee burn!! Congratuations on winning sweet friend!!
I read some of the SVH books, too, so I’ll admit that and make you feel a bit better. 😉 I love it that my daughter is starting to like things I did…Care Bears, My Little Ponies, and she plays with my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls, too. It’s so fun to pass those things on to her.
Have a great week!
I love this behind-the-scenes link-up of Crystals. I will definitely be joining in before the summer is over. Such a great idea!
Glad you had a sweet, gift-from-God, morning!
Thank you, friend! And, yes, please join us sometime! It’s such a fun link up…and the stories shared there are so cool.
I don;t know about The Babysitter’s Club, but I do know about stolen quiet moments and indulging in cheesy TV. Good for you for mixing both up. And thanks for letting me know abou this neat blog. I love the idea.
I’m so glad you joined in this week! Crystal is great…she’ll make you feel welcome at her “place”; headed over to read your post now! Blessings, friend.
Behind the scenes! What a fantastic idea. I knew a couple who always posted “look how happy we are” photos on facebook (when I still paid attention to facebook). They’re divorced now.
I think it’s so important to be real about life…I think that’s why this appealed to me so much; plus Crystal has a great blog and a beautiful heart. (You should link up with us sometime!) Yeah, I worked with a woman once who claimed that after twenty years of marriage, she and her husband had never argued. I kind of wonder if they ever communicated. 😉 Hope you are doing well, friend!
I also like the whole being real about real life thing. Honesty is an act of revolution these days!
So, I got to see your smiling and serious prayer face on the webcam yesterday during the God Sized Dream prayer google “hangout” yesterday. I knew I’d been to your blog before, and lo and behold here’s your smiling face again on Crystal’s link up. Love how God intertwines paths. I really liked Crystal’s idea of “Behind the Scenes”…it does open up to the real life happenings of what is unfolding in our lives. I am glad you had a quiet Sunday morning to relax a bit, and so sweet that your dog and daughter joined you! Lap tops give such freedom. You were on your porch Sunday, and I was on our porch yesterday during that “hangout.” It was a good thing I didn’t have a video/audio feed to my laptop because my boys were playing all around me…one in the pool…one doing Legos inside. The older one popped out when he heard voices talking to me…he said “mom, who are you talking to?” So funny…my reply…”Yeah, I’m doing this online prayer thing.” It means a lot to us…they just carry on!
Isn’t the way He crosses paths cool? I’m so glad we were both part of prayer time yesterday! I always feel a bit scattered during that time because I need to keep an eye on my busy toddler, the one who loves the camera. 😉 But it’s so worth it to connect with you ladies and lift each other up. God is doing some amazing things! And isn’t Crystal’s link up the best?! It’s becoming a favorite…I think it’s so important to be real. And the stories that come out of that real and messy are beautiful.
Have a wonderful week, friend!
aw 😀 So glad you both like the link up!
Stop it right now. BSC is on Netflix?! Do you KNOW how badly I wanted to be Claudia growing up?
Haha…so did I! She was definitely the coolest babysitter.
Enjoy…it’s too addicting. I watched all 13 episodes in about two days. (I’m not sure if I should be embarrassed about that or not.) 😉
Um, The Babysitters’ Club?! I read those books but had no idea there was a show?! Netflix, here I come!
Have fun! Be warned…it’s definitely cheesy but there’s something so happy about it. (I loved the books, too!)
I don’t think I have ever seen the show either…but I love that you watched it and sang along!
I have pretty much every BSC book AND the board game. Yup. We need to talk sometime. This is nothing short of awesome. Stopping by from the #behindthescenes linkup
“That sometimes the blessings come in small pieces of sweet and a bit strange…and they don’t always look like daisies and bright sunshine at acceptable hours of the morning.” <–love that! I'm excited for this new space in my life to slow down and actually recognize these small blessings!! And oh my word, how my cousin and I loved the BSC!
There was something so likable about the BSC, even considering how super cheesy it was. I still love it. 😉 Blessings as you embrace the season He has for you…have a beautiful day!