Marshmallow Musings…and Some Other Stuff, Too

June 30, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Ok, so tonight is a first.

I’m blogging outside by the firepit.

Just cause I can. :)

I’m not drinking coffee or Diet Pepsi tonight, even though it’s Thursday. If I had something in my hand, it would probably just be water anyway because I haven’t had enough today.

I’m not going to be able to stay out very long, though, because I forgot to plug in my computer and I have exactly 17 minutes of battery left. Bummer.

Oh, well. I can get a good start, at least.

So the title of this post is a little odd, but there is some truth to it.

The other night, Tobin and I were roasting marshmallows on these cute little roasting sticks he bought for me in the dollar section at Target. :) Really, they’re pretty cool.

Anyway, each time, we would put two marshmallows on, roast them (he is more patient and likes them brown; I stick them straight into the flame and burn ’em good…mmmm), and then stuff the gooey, melty, sugary, yumminess into our mouths in one huge bite.

That’s when I kinda had an Aha! moment.

What if we just roasted ONE marshmallow each time? We’d still get the gooey, melty, sugary, yummy bite…it just wouldn’t be quite as big.

Deep, I know.

But it would

? Save half the calories.

I’ll take it.

And then tonight I roasted a few more and found myself thinking about how cool marshmallows are. I mean, after I’ve eaten that amazing, gooey concoction…there is still marshmallow cream left on the stick!

I amaze myself. (And probably annoy you…haha!)

So eventually I’ll move on to another topic.

I mean, really, we can only converse about marshmallows so long.

But FYI…I don’t like S’mores. I’m weird, I know.

I got my hair colored tonight.

That’s a really good thing because I couldn’t believe how much gray was popping through. Seriously, I am not quite 33…how on earth did I go gray already

? I was going back and forth on whether to cut it or not…I’ve kinda been in growing-out mode since January with a couple chops in between.

I almost had her cut it off again.

Then I decided to be brave and NOT do that.

She did thin it out, though, which my hair needs, oh, every five minutes. Yeah, I’m blessed with gray AND with super thick hair. I like what she did to it…she diffused it and we loaded on the product…and it’s actually pretty cute. Kind of one of those hair days you want to freeze and have every day because you know you won’t have it again anytime soon. :)

Why is it that no matter what kind of hair we (as in women) have, we’re never satisfied? At least I’m not.

Since I will be perfect in Heaven, I REALLY can’t wait to see what my hair looks like there! 😉

It’s been a pretty rough week with Maelie. Nothing that’s her fault…I think she’s still getting over the roseola or at least the effects of the fever/rash. Poor little girl. Yesterday was especially rough; today was not too bad, but she didn’t nap much. I think one of the hardest things as a mom is to know that my girl isn’t feeling well…and I can’t do anything about it.

I’ve had so many frustrating moments with her this week, but a lot of those come from the fact that I just can’t do anything.

And I need to make sure I don’t direct that frustration at her because that’s not right.

Oh, the things I keep learning. Remind me to give myself some grace. Ok?

And a friend gently reminded me today to focus on the good moments in between the bad…and Mae and I definitely had a few sweet moments today. Like when she sat and cuddled on my lap for several minutes at the park or when she woke up from her nap in a wonderful mood and we spent over half an hour outside together swinging and going for a walk….and there were lots of smiles and laughs then.

I love my girl so much. And I’m thankful for her unconditional love

for me on the days I totally blow it as a mom.

I am so thankful for God’s grace and His mercies that are new every morning. (Cause I need ’em!)

So eventually in this conversation, the house will come up because it always does.

And this time?

I’ll tell you about the fantastic birthday gift my husband got on Tuesday…a phone call saying that we got the house.

We got the house!!!!!

(Should it be in bold?)

We got the house!!!!!

We’re still figuring out a couple small details but as of now, we’ll be closing on it by August 1st.

To say I feel blessed is a huge understatement.

Right now, I’m just so thankful for my Father Who hears what my heart desires…and cares.

Pretty sure I can’t top that one, so I’ll end this for tonight.

Thank you to each of you who prayed for us while we waited.

And tried to trust.

He is SO Good.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, hair, what I'm learning

More Random (This Time With Pictures!)

May 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Just not feeling the depth today. I’ve got a post that’s about half finished, and you may see it sometime in the next week. To say that it’s deep is an understatement…it contains so much heart-spilling that I need to be careful about how I say things and what I share…another reason that I’m waiting it out to make sure it’s okay. Ya know?

But, really, my random is a fun peek into the inner workings of Mel’s ever-racing brain.

How can that NOT be enjoyable?! AND I’m kinda enjoying the random Saturdays. Maybe we’re finally getting into a blogging groove.

First up? Seriously, world, abandon ALL hygrometers. (Ok, ok, so I really wanted you to think I was smart, but even I am not that smart.

A hygrometer is what’s used to measure humidity. Thank you, thank you Wikipedia.

:)) Anyway, with Mel’s head, you will never need one again. Oh. My. Goodness. I diffused it for LESS than two minutes…and this picture was taken AFTER I calmed it down with the help of some serious hair gel and a straigtener. Even my daughter laughed at me, and I am not kidding. Tobin was there and can testify. THIS is why I rarely leave it curly.

Yesterday at Target I found 10 episodes of Punky Brewster for $4something. Awesome. Does anyone else remember that show

? It has been a happy couple of days in the Schroeder house. Even Mae watched an episode with me.

😉

I dug out the volleyball today so Tob and I could bump it around a bit before the big volleyball tournament next month. I haven’t touched a volleyball since before getting pregnant with Mae. Oh, wow, I have some practicing to do!

I woke up this morning craving sausag

e. Sausage. Really?! Who craves sausage? Just sayin’. And I didn’t eat it cause we didn’t have any, but don’t think I wasn’t slightly grumpy about that. I had a brownie instead, which wasn’t a terrible trade-off.

Caribou has buy one get one free drinks this weekend, which is pretty sweet. So we had a short coffee date after our weekly run to Target.

Just FYI, don’t order the White Berry Cooler made with Dark Chocolate. It pretty much tastes like cough syrup after the first few drinks. (However, ordering it also kept me from drinking the whole thing, so there ya go…we’re lookin’ on the bright side.

:))

Do you see this ugly sign in our yard? Yeah, we’re ready to see it GO AWAY!!!!! Will you pray that this coming week that will happen? It could, and we would LOVE for it to be gone!

The last few Oprah shows are this week. I can’t say I’ve watched her religiously this year…I guess missing five years straight kind of weaned me from the need to watch every day. However, I am a bit sad on many levels. Sometimes, she had really good shows.

I’m sad that I will never get to go to a taping, although I tried multiple times! I hope she uses her seriously powerful influence in a good way. I am looking forward to the Farewell Oprah party at a friend’ s hou

se, though. :)

And my favorite random for last…Maelie’s scrunchy face. Seriously, I love this face. She got it from me…which I am extremely proud of.

Yay for my UH-dorable daughter! And a picture that should make your weekend complete.

Happy Saturday to all of you!

Sig

Filed Under: hair, Maelie, random, where I am

Thursday Espresso Shots

April 14, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Ok, after yesterday, I think espresso shots might be more effective than just a normal cup of coffee. (Decaf with cinnamon creamer for those of you who care.

;)) Although I will tell you that, soon enough, I’ll be back on the real stuff. (And I’m already back to drinking Diet Coke with abandon. Yum.) I’m starting to wean Maelie…which is actually a good thing.

Nursing her is not bringing out the best in either of us or doing anything to help the mother/daughter love. I made it ten months…I’m very happy with that. And she’s happy to be moving on to formula and juice.

Win-win.

Anyway, regardless of what I’m drinking (or what Maelie’s drinking, for that matter), grab yourself a cup of java and let’s chat!

Ok, so today I’m drinking coffee from my Starbucks mug from Medan, a city on the island of Sumatra. Medan is an interesting story.

I realized only after I’d purchased my plane ticket there

that there was a Starbucks waiting for me. I love happy surprises! (I was going with some friends on a jungle hike at an orangutan preserve, and Medan was the closest airport…four hours away.) So, of course, I had to buy a mug there.

I can’t say I have any wonderful memories of the actual city of Medan, but it was a memorable trip in general.

And, of course, a necessary stop in order to complete my Indonesia mug collection.

Good Bible study this morning.

We’re starting a new Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself, and I’m really excited about it.

Beth Moore is such a good speaker and writer, and I love the group of women I get to study with. It will be so good…just what my heart needs right now.

Maelie is ten months old today which just blows my mind. Really?! How did that much time go by? In the past few days I’ve really tried to soak up every little cuddle and snuggle because I know that those days are coming to an end. Sometimes I really miss her being so tiny, but I truly do enjoy every stage with her.

My sweet little baby is growing up into a beautiful girl. She just makes my life…I am so very blessed.

I read one of the most horribly written articles in a local newspaper today. I couldn’ t believe

the bad grammar, even worse spelling, and generally poor structure. I am thinking about writing to the editor and offering to write for them…for little or even nothing. I’ve always wanted to be a columnist…do you think I’d be any good

?

I think I’d rock. Ok, I’ll deflate my head now. :)

I’m feeling scattered lately and fighting the Big Block again…it just seems like I write a good post and then battle for several days, trying to come up with something equally good. I am also learning the value of re-reading the things I write to make sure I’m saying the Truth in love. That’s so difficult…especially when the drama side of me wants to stir things up a little.

But I’m being challenged in that area…a little drama is good 😉 as long as I’m not stomping all over people’s toes while I write.

(That’s part of the reason my second post on Grace is still a draft.)

I broke down and cut my hair this week. Actually, I got it trimmed over the weekend and when I went home and straightened it, decided that I was done growing it out for awhile. I bopped back in on Tuesday and had her chop up the back again. Aaaaaahhhhh, bliss. I really am a haircut addict…I suppose there are worse things in life. However, there will be no ponytail in the near future, so there will be no party.

Sad.

Maybe in a few months I’ll be inspired again. The main thing is, my ears are covered again.

That is very, very important to me. (And you don’t need to leave me any comments telling me how weird I am… I already know.

;))

I feel like my posts have lacked depth often lately…and it isn’t because I’m feeling dry.

I feel like God is doing some huge things, but the words just aren’t coming fast enough. I’m of the opinion that a good writer can push through a lack of words and produce something worth reading…but not necessarily something deep.

I hope I’m a good writer.

I better run…thanks so much for joining me for our weekly coffee date. You bless me!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, coffee, hair, writing

Controlling the Urge to Chop

February 13, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Warning: Stop reading now.

Why are you still reading?!

Ok, so today’s pos t

is slightly indulgent and more-than-

slightly ridiculous.

But, really…when I plan to blog every day for a year, there

are bound to be a few like this. Maybe it will even make you laugh. (And laughter is meaningful…so there ya go. :))

Basically, I am learning huge amounts of self-control right now. Probably not the way God intended for me to learn it, but nevertheless, I’m learning!

Why, you ask?

Because of my hair.

That’s right…my hair.

The long and short of it (HAHA! Please tell me you laughed?!) is that I am completely addicted to cutting my hair…and I change my hairstyle often. It is actually quite amazing that I’ve had the same haircut for more than a year right now…

I’m a spontaneous person, and I like change, so I think that has a lot to do with it.

No, let’s back up. I like change when it doesn’t involve transcontinental relocation. :)

Anyway, a few weeks ago I decided that I was tired of my hair…and because it is so short already, that means only one thing…no more haircuts allowed.

Oh, here we go.

Much self-control needed.

A little (but not short) story:

So, when we went to Indonesia, I had pretty short hair.

That was mostly to give myself some time

to find the courage to get a haircut there. Well, that courage never came, and I just let it grow. By Christmas, it was long enough for a ponytail.

But what I hadn’t counted on was what the humidity in Indo would do to my hair.

It wasn’t cute. AT ALL.

It was this crazy mix of waves and curls, and it drove me crazy.

So I decided to chemically straighten it.

Yeah…it’s pretty much like it sounds and pretty much horrible for anyone’s hair. (You can read my mildly horrifying but oh-so-entertaining account of it here. And, ok…after re-reading this post, I have to put in a disclaimer here: I was even more of a drama queen five years ago. But hey, enjoy the drama. :))

And that worked for awhile…until my hair started to grow out. Then I had a mix of crazy curly and straight. Hello ponytail for five months.

So when we headed back to the States for the summer I decided, what the heck? Let’s go curly.

Oh, horrors.

Once again, I hadn’t counted on the humidity factor…my hair started out fine in the mornings. But after about 30 minutes, it would be crazy. Again, we say hello to the ponytail. I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave my hair down for one day the entire semester.

So once again, around Christmas, I decided to try straightening it.

Really, Mel, did we NOT learn the first time?!

Apparently not.

This time I went with a friend, and we both got our hair wrecked straightened.

The only good thing that came out of this is that my hair was longer than it had been since, like 3rd grade.

But again…humidity kicked in.

Really, why did I even try?

I made it another semester, but my hair never made it past 9:00 am before I put it up.

I just couldn’t take it and knew what I needed to do.

The problem was, we had decided to stay in Indonesia that summer, and so I needed to find the guts and just get it cut. I ended up chopping about ten inches off, and it was the best thing ever.

I loved that haircut (even though I still had to cut it every four to six weeks or so). :)

And then…last Christmas…I had a moment of weakness. Maybe it had something to do with being pregnant and puking all day long while living in the boiling tropics? I totally chopped it…it was so short that when I looked in the mirror, I almost cried. But then I went home and smiled when I figured out it only took me five minutes to do my hair. For a pregnant, puking girl, that is priceless.

I kept it short after Maelie was born, but lately have been kind of getting the itch for something new. Or at least longer.

It has now been almost seven weeks since I’ve cut my hair.

And it. is. killing. me.

I so want to grab scissors and just start hacking away.

Self-control, self-control, self-control.

Be patient, be patient,

be patient.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

Wait, wait, wait.

And while I wait and practice patience and self-control, I’m trying to be thankful. Thankful that my hair grows faster than the average person’s hair. Thankful that I’m still taking prenatal vitamins so it’s growing even faster. (My hairstylist says it’s about an inch a month–I think it’s even more.) That’s just crazy. And even more thankful that there’s something called a flat iron.

I’m even thankful that I have this blog for moments such as this. Instead of thinking about chopping my hair or running around the house looking for scissors, I can just write about it instead. :)

So, there you go…what’s going on in the land of Mel’s hair. (Probably more than you ever wanted to know!)

When my hair is long enough for a ponytail, I’m throwing a party. Stay tuned. :)

Sig

Filed Under: hair, Indonesia, remembering
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