Good Morning!

September 25, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Yes, I’m fully aware that it’s late at night.

😉

A friend mentioned this song by Mandisa last night at workout, and it’s been in my head all day long today. Therefore, completely worthy of sharing. Plus, it’s a good one. :)

Ironically, it’s not really an accurate description of our morning. Up past midnight, I woke late to one of the dogs barking his head off at I-don’t-know-what, my hubby already gone, and Maelie still (thankfully) crashed. (We were ALL up too late.)

On those kind of mornings, it’s just so hard to get up and going. I showered, made coffee, got Mae up around 8:30…and I can’t exactly tell you where our morning went or what we did. It just kind of passed and we chilled.

We really needed to get out, though, and since we had no plans, we took a jaunt to Dairy Queen. (This time I walked. ;)) It was a perfect, gorgeous, early-fall day, and though I walked almost three miles, I still wore flip flops.

Yes, I AM a die-hard flip-flop wearer, if you haven’t noticed. :)

It was good to get out, but it was just one of those tired days. Bedtime came early-ish for Mae, and I crossed a couple things off my to-do list. Always nice. :)

As I pushed Mae in the stroller during our walk, we just chatted with each other, and it was SO FUN. My daughter is TWO! We have conversations! We laugh together, even on the days that are more challenging.

I just love her…and am so thankful for her, even if I forget the blessing that she is sometimes.

Here are a few random pics from today. :)

Love memories. Love her even more.

Mae woke up a few minutes before I went into get her this morning. This is what she had done with her stuffed animals…what a funny girl! (I especially love the fact that she has Grover hanging by his neck…haha.) 😉 

SO love the cheesy smile!

Yay for mommy/daughter ice cream dates! And more cheese, too… 😉

My sweetie!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, family, just life, Maelie, music, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 49)

September 20, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) A day of sunshine with back porch guitar lessons.

:) D minor and the fact that my fingers can almost find it now.

:) A healthy daughter who, somehow, took a headfirst dive down twelve steps today and is completely fine. I know all kids fall down stairs, but that was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. So thankful she’s ok.

:) Red toenail polish and flip flops in September.

:) Words of encouragement from friends.

:) Music and laughter.

:) Smiles for a friend.

:) Episodes of Road to Avonlea. (Yeah, I’m still addicted.)

:) Clumsy moments…yeah, that’s me. Thanking God my eye isn’t black and blue. Yet.

:) Having permission to dream…and knowing that my Father isn’t limited.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, friends, just life, Maelie, where I am

Tuesday Toast and Tea

September 18, 2012 by · 2 Comments

I know you’re all marveling at my astounding alliteration.

But before you think I’ve gone all British on you or that I’m a complete dork, though that IS highly probable most days, I’ll just throw it out there that I feel icky. Clearly last night’s hope of my cold being almost-over crashed and burned. Therefore, sick = (honey/butter) toast + (peach) tea. (For those of you who like specifics.) 😉

I am blessed in the fact that I don’t have anywhere I need to be tomorrow. (Other than resting as much as possible.) I am extremely grateful that my daughter decided an afternoon nap was a glorious thing today…here’s hoping she feels the same way tomorrow. 😉

Sometimes I don’t so much enjoy the grumpy, sick Mel. Colds are the worst. I’ve said it before that I’d take a 24-hour stomach bug any day over a cold, especially the kind that clogs up my throat and ruins my voice. Singing to Maelie tonight was extra lovely, I can assure you. I’m glad she won’t remember my extremely raspy version of Brahm’s Lullaby. 😉

Man, this cold is just bringing out the sarcasm all over the place.

In all seriousness, though, Maelie and I managed to have a pretty good day. A dose of DayQuil got me through the morning. A friend stopped over for coffee (always fun!) and then my girlie and I trekked over to Goodwill for a few. I was running out of steam (aka: the meds were wearing off) and so we cut the trip the short, but I did have a few good finds…and they were things I needed. I can’t wait to go back and finish my trip. :)

Maelie and I had some good princess castle-playing, and we even played an actual card game…sort of. She dumped all the cards out and then matched some of them up. I was impressed…I didn’t teach her how to match them…maybe Tobin did. (honey???) Puzzles, care bears, ponies…all the usual favorites. It was a nice way to spend the day with my favorite chica. She sure is a sweetheart…well, except when she rocks the rocking chair right over my baby toe. (But that’s a story for another day.) She kissed it better without me even asking her…that may or may not have melted my heart into a mongo puddle.

Life just kind of is this week…and honestly, it’s good. Maelie is just so fun right now…conversations make sense, she’s able to actually play with people, we laugh together, there are lots of hugs and I-love-you’s and walks around the neighborhood. She’s so eager to help and just be near me…I love it so much I almost want to freeze time. (Except for part with the random temper tantrums at hospital main entrances…totally hypothetical…but I’m guessing all mommies would agree on that one. ;))

Just soaking up the blessings of today and thanking Him for each one.

Heading to bed…I’m determined to feel better tomorrow. Blessings, friends.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, friends, just life, Maelie, Tobin, where I am

Monday Smiles

September 10, 2012 by · 2 Comments

So, for a Monday, today wasn’t half-bad.

There were some smiles…

A beautiful, perfect day. 70’s. Sunny. Can the weather just stay exactly like this forever? We can all dream. :)

Spreading sunshine. Maelie and I went to visit a sweet friend at work and took her coffee and a gift ’cause it’s her birthday, and I love celebrating a birthday…even if it’s not mine! We even got Mae to sing parts of “Happy Birthday”. T’was sweet. :)

Outside playing. My cool girl is such the climber. She can now scale the side of her clubhouse. It still makes me nervous, but I can smile, too. She’s just growing up so much! I love taking walks up and down the street with her…we have the best conversations and even sing together. So fun.

Encouragement. Sometimes it comes in the simplest forms…like a chat with a friend or a smile from a stranger…both happened today.

Hope. There’s something I’d like to see happen…and it looks like it might.

Swinging and guitar-playing and puking. WAIT…did I say puking? Yep. However, in this house, we are giving thanks that Maelie threw up due to all the swinging she did (not because was sick) AND that she missed my guitar by about an inch. The sweet girlie is feeling just fine now in her happy dreamland, my jeans are in the dryer, and my guitar is packed away (and puke-free). ALL blessings. :)

Much-needed laughter. Sometimes it just feels good to laugh, and singing with Mae tonight provided some pretty great moments. Caught on video, nonetheless. I laughed so hard I cried…and it felt so good. Families need to laugh together often. (And I can almost guarantee that there’s at least one good video coming to a blog near you very soon!)

How was your Monday? I hope a happy one. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, friends, just life, Maelie

Coffee?

August 13, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Mmmm…caffeine at 10 p.m.

Why, yes, I am.

Honestly, I don’t know how long it will be before I have another cup of coffee. But, let’s be honest, in Mel’s world, even a day or two seems like eons. I’m just guessing that doctors who remove gallbladders don’t really suggest that their patients drink coffee after the procedure.

Man, that stinks.

Somehow…SOMEhow…I’ll survive, I guess.

😉

So, tomorrow’s the big day, and as much as I don’t want to think about it, it’s pretty much impossible to NOT. I’ll admit to you, though, that I’m fighting the strange paradox of being potentially mortified yet slightly entertained at the strong possibility of me talking in my sleep during surgery.

When I had foot surgery in ’00 I spent the entire time talking to the doctor about skiing. He told me he was quite entertained. But I? Was completely embarrassed. And sooooo very thankful I never had to see him again. Well, after the follow-up when I got two cortisone shots in my feet to pour a little more salt into the wound.

Oy…

Does anyone else have a fear of that? I wonder if there’s a name fear of talking in your sleep during surgery?

There should be. :)

Ok, now that I’ve let that lovely thought re-enter my mind, we’ll move on.

Though I’m not sure to what…

I realize that this has zero to do with me, really, but I think it is utterly ridiculous that kids are going back to school so stinkin’ early. August 13th? (I have friends down South whose kiddos went back LAST Monday. The 6th.)

REALLY?!?!?!

Summer is winding down…it’s always a tiny bit depressing. On the up side, I have another year with my girlie before she heads off to PK…she’s growing up so fast! I’m excited for our year together, though…there will be so much more we can do…trips to the library, parks, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll learn to sit through a coffee date as well!

One can always have a bit of hope. :)

She was such a cutie today. We had a pretty busy morning with a hair appointment, a Target run, late lunch, and then a nap. (Throw in there that I went to the hospital at 6 a.m. to get my pre-op bloodwork done.) When I woke her up from her nap this afternoon, she recounted the entire day for me, telling me all kinds of details. We had the following conversation:

Me: What did we do today, Mae?

Maelie: Mommy…haircut. I love haircut. Mae-Mae needs a haircut.

Me: Maybe…not yet. :) And then what did we do?

Maelie: Shopping! At Target!

Me: What did we buy?

Maelie: Um…goldfish. (No, just Cheez-Its, but she thinks all crackers are goldfish. :)) And baby doll!

Me: And then what did we do?

Maelie: I take a nap. Mommy sing. Cover up. (blanket) Larry Boy! (Veggie Tales music)

Seriously, I think she’s brilliant. She doesn’t forget a thing…which, ahem…is not always good. But a good reminder for me that she is always, always watching. Learning. Repeating.

I feel like I blinked and my baby girl grew up.

I know that in sixteen years, I’ll be saying that again. And probably a lot more times in between, too.

I love her…the goofy, jumping-up-and-down-in-her-crib, spirited, fun-loving, a bit crazy but oh-so sweet girl that she is.

I’m so blessed.

And on another random note, I heard this song on KLove today. I loved hearing it on the radio though I found the music video slightly cheesy. However, I have never in my life seen someone look so incredibly UH-dorable while singing and playing the guitar. In clunky shoes. Maybe that’ll be me one day. Hey, I can dream. :)

Have a listen!

Hopefully I’ll be on the blog for at least a little while tomorrow, but we’ll see how things go. Thanks for your prayers, friends!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, hair, just life, Maelie, music, where I am

Rest

August 11, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

The other night Tobin commented on how quiet Maelie was when I put her to bed that night.

I told him it was usually that way. Because before I put her into her crib, we always take about ten minutes to rock, cuddle, and sing. It’s a special time of day for me with my girl, and even if she starts out those minutes wiggly and hyper and ready to run circles, she always calms down and snuggles close within a few minutes.

I’ve continued to think about that since our conversation… it really is a beautiful picture of our Father.

Sometimes life is just like that pre-cuddle-with-Maelie time…it’s full of those crazy, so-anxious-we-want-to-run-laps, emotions that threaten to swallow us completely. Feeling that it’s impossible to sit still and just Rest.

As I processed through some things this past week, there was one thing that really calmed this heart.

Taking that time to sit, be still, and spend time with my Father. Sometimes I wish He could give me a real hug, but the promises in His Word are just as good.

I’ve got a couple days coming up that are going to have moments of anxiety.

Instead of letting those feelings overtake me, I’m choosing to find rest in my Father.

He is so, so, Good.

Sig

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

10 Years!

August 3, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

From this…

…to this…

…I. LOVE. IT.

Special thanks to our friend, Kelly, at Stick People Productions for the awesome family photos! :)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, being mommy, blessings, family, just life, Maelie, marriage, remembering, Tobin, where I am

Olympics, Surgery, and Coffee (of course!)

August 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

So if we’re being honest, it’s hard for me to think about anything but the Olympics right now.

Maybe because it’s going in the background? As it always is every night from about 8-11.

We might be slightly pathetic.

Or, possibly, extremely devoted fans.

Take your pick. :)

The Fab 5 was awesome last night. That was fun to watch…crazy to think that it’s been sixteen years since the U.S. women took the gold. That was almost half my life ago, and I remember that night in ’96 very well. Time flies.

More like travels on a high-speed jet.

So it’s been awhile since we’ve just chatted, and words just come easier when there’s caffeine involved. :)

Especially since it was an early-ish morning.

Dr. appointment.

7:30 a.m.

I didn’t even know that kind of thing existed.

Sorta like 7:00 a.m. college classes…they only existed at my college. True. (I think.)

Anyway, my new doctor confirmed what I almost would have bet the farm on…

Buh-Bye, Gall Bladder. It’s been fun.

Or not.

I meet with a surgeon on Tuesday, and hopefully it will all be over with soon after that. Not a fan of hospitals or anesthetic or horribly revealing hospital gowns…so you kinda get where I’m goin’ with this. It IS interesting how I remember that pain from the other night, though…and I remember it enough to be willing to go through with this. I’m even a little more willing after this afternoon when I got to experience it all over again…thankfully for a much shorter time period. But still.

Ok, way too much info for you all, I’m sure.

Whoever knew a (just about completely useless) random organ in the body could cause so much trouble?

That might be one of the first things I ask God when I get to heaven. :)

So Mae’s vocabulary has been completely exploding lately. She’s been pretty good with complete sentences for awhile, but she threw us a shocker the other night. She was watching an episode of Strawberry Shortcake (yes, yes, judge me now…) on Netflix, and one of the characters said, We have to go to rehearsal. She looked at Tobin and said, Daddy, they have to go practice!

Say, WHAT?!?!

So not only do I have a girl I can chit-chat with all day long, I now have a walking, two-year old thesaurus.

Wowsers.

I have to admit that watching her grow and learn and become the coolest little girl is totally FUN. Best time in my life ever.

She is just such JOY, and my life is blessed beyond measure simply because I have the privilege to call her my daughter.

And, speaking of that daughter, I need to head upstairs, turn off the lights, and tell her it’s time for bed.

She stayed up, with the light on, reading.

:)

G’nite, friends. Thanks for being here. :)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, Maelie, random, where I am

Monday Musings

July 30, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Which could be conveniently renamed Monday Confessions of a Stay-at-Home-Momma…

So, though I’m trying to lessen the frequency that she eats these, when I give Mae fruit snacks, I sometimes steal the orange ones out first. Really, I’m a sucker for anything citrus…the lime and lemon are equally yummy. I know, I know…

My poor child is going to grow up never knowing that there are actually citrus flavored fruit snacks in those packets. Parenting fail?

I also almost always sneak a drink of her chocolate milk before I give it to her in the morning.

Yeah, yeah…maybe I just need to adopt the diet of a toddler. :)

While we’re talkin’ about food, I might as well confess that if I open a bag of these, they’ll be gone. It’s the honey mustard…totally addicting. I can seriously eat an entire bag in one sitting. Not so good. And, yet, SOOOOO good.

Yeah…and on Amazon? You can order them by the box. Holy cow, I should NEVER do that!

I’m a blog stalker. Sorta. I have a few I regularly read and love, but I need to be better about leaving comments. One of the blog writers I read alerted me to this site. Goodness, I’m not so sure this was a good discovery. (I already sent Tobin an idea for Christmas. Hey, it IS July. ;))

So today I was actually feeling somewhat better…enough to play outside with Mae for about an hour this morning and keep up with her for the rest of the day. I even did half of a workout tonight, though I didn’t put the effort into it that I usually do…I’m just pretty wiped out.

And while I could keep confessing, I’ll just end it with this one.

I have total Olympic Fever. I can’t get enough.

Swimming is on…and totally calling my name. :)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie, random, where I am

The ABC’s of Mel’s Brain

July 24, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

It’s definitely time for me to sit down and have some quality time with the blog.

It isn’t like I haven’t been here the last few weeks, but I haven’t been here.

I guess life is just like that sometimes.

So…in 26, if-I-make-it-that-long, bullet points…here’s life.

Sorta.

And by the way, I wrote part of this on a Sunday…I think I reference that once or twice. :)

  • Andre is my dog…my nine year-old boy. I love him. He puts a smile on my face even when I don’t feel like smiling.
  • Hearts that break are opportunities for God to do some major healing. That’s what I’ve been learning lately.
  • I love to create. My brain is awesome at dreaming up ideas…the following through is hard. Ish. Really enjoying painting lately and almost ready to pull out the sewing machine and learn how to use it.
  • I still want to learn to play the djembe. Really play it. Thinking about blowing the rest of my birthday money on one since it’s cheaper than a plane ticket to Africa so I can buy one in a market there. :)
  • Epic moments have made up life lately. Nothing huge, just important. I feel like I’m finally comfortable with being who I am…and not caring (as much) what other people think. Took me awhile to even get to that point.
  • F is for big failure. Feeling like that in a lot of ways. A friend said something today about Satan attacking ferociously on Sundays. I have to agree…feeling really down today.
  • Good memories. Really trying to focus on the blessings that God has placed in my life. There are so many…and I’m thankful for each of them.
  • Happiness is this picture I bought for myself a few weeks ago with some of my birthday money. I love it. I can’t think of a better thing to hang in our kitchen on our green wall. :)

  • Ice cream cake. It’s worth turning a year older for…to be sure. A week and some later, we’re still working on it. Which could speak volumes about our self control…or the fact that I sorta forgot it was in the freezer! :)
  • Goofy, but I love toast with jelly. So does Mae.
  • Mae is still talking about chasing kitties on the farm. Golly, I love her…and that she had such a good time there.
  • I am so thankful that I am loved. By friends, by my family, by my Father. So good.
  • Mae lights up my life. Every single day. What a blessing she is.
  • Thankful for a Father who never gives up on me, even on those days when I’m sure everyone else has.
  • I’ve been overtired lately…too many late nights and too much early-morning running. Headed to bed soon, thankfully.
  • Poofy pigtails on my princess of a girl. Her cutest look so far, I think.
  • Been a week full of questions. I’m more convinced than ever that some things, there will be no answers for, until I can ask my Father face to face.
  • Reunions with sweet friends…always fun. Always hard to say goodbye, too. Still worth the hello.
  • I love my Sammy, too…I never thought we’d bring home an Indo souvenir like the one we’ve got living in our house. He’s one-of-a-kind.
  • Sometimes you just gotta cry big, fat tears. Letting them fall helps. And letting my two year-old daughter hug them away teaches the beauty of compassion.
  • Sometimes we just need people who love us unconditionally. Thankful for that this week.
  • I was thinking of learning to play the violin. Just kidding. :)
  • I found this bottle of wine a week or so ago. Seriously. I thought we had topped it with Barefoot wine, but this? Fantastic.

  • X…seriously? Who can come up with anything related to it in daily life? I don’t play the xylophone and I haven’t broken any bones lately, so this one may just have to stay blank.
  • Ever feel like life is a ride on a yoyo?
  • We haven’t been to the zoo yet this summer. We talked about hitting the one in Omaha with some of my family later in August. We’ll see.

If you stuck around long enough to read all of this…thanks.

You’re a blessing, friends. :)

Sig

Filed Under: barefoot, being mommy, blessings, dogs, family, friends, just life, Maelie, random, Tobin, what I'm learning, where I am
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