May I please do this in my lifetime? Pretty please?
Fantastic. That is all. 
Christmastime is (Almost) Here…
November 26, 2012 by · 2 Comments
So now that Thanksgiving weekend is officially over, I don’t feel so guilty blogging about my love for all-things-Christmas every day. 😉
Well, not every day. I typically take Wednesdays off…and sometimes Sundays. Anyway, irrelevant. 😉
I would be lying to you if I told you that I waited until after Thanksgiving to watch Christmas movies, though. I. Seriously. Love. Them. I have a few favorites that actually make up quite a strange combination…and I tend to rotate through them as the need arises for me to get myself into the Christmas spirit.
In keeping with my dorkiness, most of these tend to be older and geared more toward children. (No comments, please. ;))
A few of my favorites…in no particular order.
Prancer is one that I can watch on repeat…literally. I think it’s probably my favorite-favorite. My daddy took me to the movie when I was eleven, and I loved it. Clearly that love is still there. And I do own it on DVD should you need some Prancer magic this Christmas season.
I think It’s a Wonderful Life is mandatory for the list. Tobin and I watch it every year, and it just gets better every time. Love it. (And I own it, too, if you need to borrow it.)
Home Alone (and Home Alone 2) totally crack me up. I can watch them over and over and just about wet my pants every single time. Sadly, I don’t own these. (Honey??? You were asking me what I want this year?! :)) Definitely classics.
Oh, and there are more on my list…actually thinkin’ this list needs a part two…but these are at the top. And now I seriously want to sit down and watch Home Alone and laugh hysterically with no one, but I should really go to sleep instead…you know, do the responsible thing. 😉
What are some of your favorites?
Saturday Chatter
November 24, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Laughing to myself already.
😀
‘Cause I’m pretty sure the word chatter can be defined in more than one way today.
For instance, I woke up in Minnesota this morning, and it was eight degrees outside.
Yes, you read that right.
Goodness, it was C.O.L.D. And my teeth were definitely chattering.
We kinda half-looked at the weather forecast before we left on Wednesday, but it said nothing about snow or eight degrees. I guess we should have known, especially since we lived there for several years, that weather in that great state is far from predictable. Hence, we froze.
But I could use the word chatter and go on and on about the past few days, too. They were good.
Family, memories, laughs, lotsa food…it was a memorable Thanksgiving. Potentially the most memorable for me was Black Friday shopping. I’ve gone before, but I’ve never made a special effort to go right when a store opens for a certain deal. My sis-in-law was all about that, and so I tagged along.
AND got to watch.
Hee hee hee. 😀
While hundreds of customers at Walmart dove into piles of stuff, I stood back and watched a real-life commercial. Stuff really did fly everywhere. It was quite entertaining. After the chaos died down a little, I trotted over to the pajama section and scored myself a super-comfy pair of slippers for $6, found a couple of fun things for Mae, checked out in five minutes, and left as happy as a clam. (Are clams happy? Why do people use that expression?!?!)
Anyway, a few more stops with the definite non-highlight being standing in line at Target for 45 minutes. Thankfully the people in front of us were friendly and like to talk as much as I do. 😉
We got home at 2 a.m., and my incredibly cool hubby got up and ate pie with me at 2:30. Isn’t he great?!  Then, being the awesome wife I am, I went with him to Menards the next morning. (Read: later…no way was I getting up at five!) We actually enjoyed ourselves. 😉
So, that was my Black Friday, and it was…well, it was.
It was a good few days, but it’s always nice to be home.
We headed back today, making stops in St. Paul and Janesville to see friends and pulled into the driveway at 7 p.m…tired. I mean, Mae protested going to bed…for the whole sixty seconds it took her to fall asleep. 😉 I made myself do laundry and unpack tonight, but bedtime? Is coming soon.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving…blessings, friends!
Five-Minute Friday: Thank You
November 23, 2012 by · 4 Comments
Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mamafor Five-Minute Friday.
Join me!
The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.
Today’s Topic: Thank You
Some days the thanks come so easily.
And on those days it’s often the most simple things that bring the most gratitude.
My family. Being surrounded by my hubby and my daughter and my two doggie boys. Knowing that there is love exploding in our house. ‘Tis perfect…for me.
My friends. Those who don’t always get me but love me despite that and are Jesus to me anyway, even if I’m having a not-so-lovable day.
Today…the blessing of a snowy outside but a blanket and slippers and legwarmers (lovin’ them!) and time to sit down to write words while my girlie watches Snow White.
Such simple blessings, but the Giver of them knows my needs…and does just that. Gives them.
Some days the thanks don’t come as easily. Disappointments, hurts, and emotions cloud what I want to be reflected in my heart, and I forget to look beyond them to say a simple thanks.
Because there are so many reason to say thank you to Him for all He has done. It certainly can’t be in five minutes, but I’m thankful that despite what may not come out in words for others to know, He knows the thanks in my heart, and I pray that those sometimes-whispers will speak more loudly than anything I could write or speak.
I am loved, I am forgiven, I am secure, I am His. I am surrounded by Love, washed in His grace, forever His daughter.
And those things are enough to make my heart scream, Thank You, for the rest of my days.
Little Blessings (Pt. 54)
November 20, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Two consecutive days of naps. (For the girl. I took one yesterday. :))
Beautiful weather for late November…I really love sweater weather.
Two awesome mornings for running.
Visits from friends.
Baking pies.
Storytime with Mae. I read her my favorite Max Lucado book tonight. She loved it.
Anticipating reunions with people I love.
Awesome news that made my heart SO happy!
My little family. I just love them so much!
Giving thanks…I am so extremely blessed.
Morky
November 17, 2012 by · 2 Comments
I found him tonight, buried in a storage bin, and I had to hold the tears back as I hugged him for the first time in over a decade.
I’ve known him since the beginning.
Brown, soft, and furry, he was always my favorite.
I named him Morky.
At first glance, he just looks well-loved. But he holds pieces of my life…so many of them.
He wears a gray sweatshirt…it hides the scars of the multiple surgeries he has had over the years. Poor Morky has been sewn and stitched back together more than most who have been around for 34+ years.
His sweatshirt also bears a panda patch, the only thing that remains of my beloved baby blanket, Smoky. When Smoky was on his last threads, my mom found a way to preserve a little piece of him.
And, he holds my tears, too. He held them, for sure, the day my friend died. He still had a special spot in my heart and in my life during my teenage years, and he held the tears for me the day I watched my daddy leave, too.
Maybe it’s silly to hang onto something…and yet, he is more than just that. Morky is a piece of who I am.
And maybe it’s just as silly…taking the time to remember…but finding him tonight made my day.
Five-Minute Friday: Stay
November 16, 2012 by · 4 Comments
Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama for Five-Minute Friday.
Join me!
The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.
Today’s Topic: Stay
I’ve always been pretty cool with going places.
When the opportunity came up during my junior year of college to spend a month in Peru, I jumped at the chance.
And that was only the beginning.
Mission trips led to more of the same and eventually a long-term commitment of five years in Indonesia. Be still my heart, I still ache over missing it.
It seems like each event leading up to the now for us has always involved an obedience in being willing to go. And we were always willing to do just that.
So moving here…was different.
The way He brought us here was equally different.
We knew, this time, that it was time to dig those roots down. Maybe not permanently but definitely for an extended amount of time.
That was almost two and a half years ago. Golly, time flies!
And somewhere in all of the moving out of the transitory state of life and into something more stable, that little word crept into our lives and settled into our hearts.
Stay.
We have always had hearts to go. To tell. To love. To reach.
And now He has asked something different of us but no less important.
I believe my Father is teaching, and has yet to still teach, us some of the greatest lessons in obedience as we learn the contentment that comes from being satisfied in Him and in where He has placed us.
And the Truth of it is that nothing has really changed. He still wants us to Tell. Love. Reach.
But this time He wants us to Stay.
I Smile…
November 15, 2012 by · 2 Comments
…but not because I’ve had the flu for 24 hours now. No, that doesn’t bring smiles.
But, it is true…even on the most difficult days, there are always reasons to smile.
Like, right now. Tobin is upstairs giving Mae her bath. The two of them spent the day together. Out of necessity…I didn’t want to give her this at all, but also because I think daddies should do that once in awhile.They wrestled, went to lunch, played at the mall playground, stopped at the dollar store for puzzles, came home, brought me a present (B&BW Christmas hand soap!) played some more, had pancakes. I smile because they had a good day together.
I’m currently being guarded by two golden retrievers. Andre and Sammy know, and they protect. I love knowing I’m being taken care of by everyone in the house.
I smile, too, because we’re that good of friends with our neighbors that I can text and ask for some Sprite.
I smile because I’m keeping water down. That is huge, folks, though I will spare you the details. Let’s just say that never have I had a flu bug where I threw up so much with absolutely nothing in my stomach. UGH. The fact that I’ve kept water down for going-on-seven hours is most certainly a reason to rejoice.
I smile, too, because I got some amazingly AWESOME news yesterday, news that I really want to splash out onto the blog right now, but I need to wait. I have some details right now but am waiting on more AND I have a dear friend who deserves to hear it in person, and I want to wait for the chance to tell her. I love it when God moves BIG…really, really excited about some future opportunities!
I smile because next week promises a reunion with some dear friends. And pie. Though friends definitely come first on the list. But let’s face it…pie at Thanksgiving is SO good, isn’t it?!
I smile because I am loved, and that has been shown to me in countless ways this week.
What about you? What made you smile today?
Scattered Musings
November 13, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Ever have an extremely contemplative, yet scattered, day?
That’s me tonight.
I’m currently munching on a really bad protein bar. I told myself I had to eat all the ones in the house before I bought more. This current one I, unfortunately, purchased a large box of without considering the possibility that they might be bad.
Shudder.
It’s kind of funny how certain things start to clutter the pantry after awhile…for me, it’s protein bars and random boxes of crackers. I have no less than five different brands and probably ten flavors scattered throughout the kitchen. Oh, weird me.
So I put Mae to bed tonight and was all excited to run on the treadmill. Having one in our basement is a perk on evenings when Tobin is gone and I want to get a few miles in. So I resurrected the thing from it’s 8ish-month storage, hopped on, started running at the highest level it will go…and golly, this thing is shakin’! Feels like an earthquake!
After a couple attempts to stop/start it again, I realized an important little piece that holds the base together had popped out and was g.o.n.e.
No running for me.
I did some strength/cardio stuff instead. Not nearly as fun or as sweaty as running. (Did I really just say that?!)
At any rate, I’m sending hubby to the basement to hopefully fix the thing for me. Some days it’s just easier to run on the treadmill than run in the cold.
Though I have unofficially promised no one…ok, ok, myself…that I’ll do one day a week outside.
Ask me how I’m doing with that in the middle of January.
Tomorrow is a pretty crazy day for us. Gymnastics, a meeting, family pictures. Plus, my Bible study is SO lucky…I’m baking them my favorite cake. That, too, needs to be done tomorrow.
Yikes.
It occurred to me a few days ago that last year, I spent the entire month of November writing about the things I was (am) thankful for…and I (obviously) haven’t been doing that this year. It was almost a convicting realization.
It’s not that I’m NOT thankful…I guess I’ve just chosen to express that thanks in different ways this year…though I’m sure I will officially post something at some point.
I was talking to God about that, trying to explain that I really AM so thankful for all He’s given and blessed us with. In the middle of that explanation, it hit me…
Duh, Mel…He knows.
Perhaps because true gratitude is a reflection of the heart. Though that can be shown on the outside, and should be, the fact that I haven’t been talking doesn’t make me ungrateful.
It gave me something to think about for sure.
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is nine days away. We’re heading to Minnesota to see Tobin’s family and a few friends, too. It should be an eventful trip with an ever-wiggly, active toddler and two rambunctious golden retrievers. Yay for family bonding at it’s finest? 😉
Thankfully, I thought ahead this time. I got a steal of a deal on this, and while it has the potential to ensure that Tobin and I are singing Veggie Tales songs for the entire weekend, it will keep a certain little girl entertained during the 12-14 hours we will spend in the van.
Between that and her A-B-C Turtle, which is a favorite toy on long trips, and coloring, I’m hoping it’s an enjoyable trip.
And, hey, if it’s not, at least we’ll have grandma and grandpa to provide us with the sanity we lost on the way there.
P.S. If you have any tips for long road trips with two year-olds, I’m all ears. Please. Talk.
Well, I’m about out of words (yeah, right, like that ever happens!) and morning is coming way too soon. Off to bed I go so I can (hopefully) run on my non-earthquak-ing treadmill bright and early.
Happy almost-Wednesday, friends!
