Blog Reflection, #1: What You See Is What You Get

January 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

What you see is what you get.

It’s cliche, I know.

But it’s truly how I try to live my life.

One of my least favorite things in the world is superficiality. (Read my bio…I think I actually wrote that, but I’m too lazy to actually go look right now. ;))

I also understand to a certain degree all that comes with trying

to live that way.

It means that the whole world…or at least the wonderful people who read this blog.

..know a lot of details

of my life. Some days I’m pretty fantastic with restraint and don’t share too much; others, I throw it all out there.

It’s me. :)

And while I make no apologies,

I also know I have room to grow.

I have tried to keep

true to one of my only blogging rules…never push the delete button on a post. 99.5 or so percent of the time, I have been able to keep to that rule.

I deleted one, and I don’t regret

it.

People who know me also know that I’m wildly emotional and full of crazy love. My emotions do go up and down, and I’ m well aware of that.

It definitely shows in my blog posts some days…and I know it.

But I want to be real.

That’s me, too.

This last year has been a surprising journey.

I’ve learned things about myself I didn’t know. I’ve gotten feedback from people that made me believe that I CAN do this writing thing.

I’ve learned the importance of being myself and standing up for what I believe in. Along with that comes the realization that I am an adult and, while people can and will disagree with me, I have a right to my beliefs, just as each of you also do.

But even more so, there’s the aspect of being Christlike in all I do. I still have a long way to go. I know what I’m like some days…even when it doesn’t show through on the blog. I know the impatience and grumpy moments that emerge sometimes, causing me to say things I shouldn’t and do things I regret. But at the end of the day I’m a follower of Christ and I should reflect him in all I do…regardless of my emotions and moods.

I’m me…just Mel.

What you see is what you get.

Thank you for reading in spite of that.

You bless me. :)

Sig

Filed Under: remembering, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

It’s 11:30 p.m…

January 15, 2012 by · 3 Comments

And I should probably blog, huh?

I mean, I have about ten days (or less) left of my Blog 365 challenge.

It would be tragic if I failed it now.

I had another distracting day.

The girl decided not to nap at all which made our afternoon less restful than what we like on Sunday afternoons.

I was editing something else that I’m writing, making jewelry, wasting time on my Kindle…letting myself do anything but focus.

I find this is true with a lot of things, but when the end is in sight, it’s so,

so easy to give up.

And I don’t want to…and I shouldn’t.

This is by no means an end to the blog, but once January 24th hits, I no longer have to blog every day. (Freedom!!! Mel sings…)

But for the last days of this, I want to actually share wisdom…not just make excuses on why I don’ t have any deep

thoughts for the day.

So, I guess I set the bar pretty high for myself, huh

? Mel’s wisdom, coming up tomorrow.

😉

Hope your weekend was fantastic!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, writing

Little Blessings (Pt. 18)

January 14, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) Full-on laughing with (at?) the girl when we caught her in the bathroom looking in her hand mirror and pretending to put on powder, just like mommy.

We LOL’d…totally.

:) A creative streak that produced three new pieces of jewelry this afternoon, one of which I am going to have a very hard time selling. Perhaps I will wear it tomorrow…just once to “try it out”!

:) Snow…and the pretty that comes from looking at it from inside the house.

(Looking on the bright side here…)

:) A fun night out last night with friends.

:) Returning boots today that I don’t need…only to be told that I could rebuy them for 70% off. I totally did.

$15 for a brand spankin’ new pair of too-cute boots that I’ll wear next year? Yes, please!

:) A hubby who is finally not in so much pain.

Thankful for meds but even more thankful that he doesn’ t need

them anymore.

:) Neighbor boys who shovel sidewalks for us just because they’ re cool like that.

(Have I mentioned how much I love my neighborhood?)

:) A bathroom scale that forgave me this morning for the piece of cheesecake I ate last night.

That one’s worthy of two smileys. 😉

:) W atching my d

aughter grow and change a little more every day.

She truly is the sunshine of my day.

:) Sunday tomorrow. I love Sundays.

(And the naps that usually come with them!)

What’s your blessing today?

Sig

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

Random Realizations

January 13, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Aka: The post Mel types really fast after being out late with friends.

:)

Some things I’ve been reminded of lately…

1. I stay up too late.

Unless I accidentally fall asleep watching TV, I am never in bed before 11:00.
2. I am also a star at sleeping ’til 7 a.m. Thank you to my fabulous daughter who sleeps ’til 7:30 or later most mornings.


3. I drink far too much Diet Coke and not nearly enough water.


4. I worry about things I have zero control over.


5. I kinda like shoveling snow, especially if I can count it as my workout for the day.
6. I need to limit my trips to Target to one per week…or less.
7. String cheese is the new favorite food.

(Just so you know, I felt five years old typing that!) 😉
8. I haven’t been to a movie since Indonesia, and there’s a super girly chick flick coming out soon.

The Vow. I am thinking I’ll be dragging a couple lucky friends with me to that one!
9. My daughter is 19 months old.

Where did time GO? Seriously.
10. Naps are wonderful. Especially when they’re taken by both my daughter AND by me.
11. It’s Friday the 13th!

Well, for twenty more minutes…

G’nite, friends! And happy weekend…woo hoo!

😉

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random

No Coffee…Just Diet Coke

January 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Golly gee, I’m tired.

I shoveled snow today for the first time in, oh I don’t know, my LIFE.

Kidding, kidding. It’s just been quite awhile. See, I have a hubby who usually does all that kind of stuff…and there w as

no way I was allowing him to attempt shoveling, though I’m sure if I hadn’t done it, he would have eventually. But he really needs to rest his arm, and we both know it.

So, enter Meanie Mel, who will be enforcing doctor’s orders for the next week. Trust me, I can be one stubborn, hotheaded woman if I have to be. (Ask Tobin next Friday if he’s sick of me yet.

Better yet, ask him tomorrow.

;))

So I decided that tonight I’ll have a step closer to a coffee date with you all and drink Diet Coke while I chat. If we’re being honest, there’s been far too much of it flowing through my veins lately, and I know a certain reader of my blog who has given up pop for the year.

So I won’t rub it in too much that I’m drinking SODA. Mmmmm….

Ok, enough. Really. :)

It was a really good day. I love Thursdays. Wonderful Bible study. Good chat with friends.

Lunch out and time at the mall play place…and for once it wasn’ t overcrowded wi

th kids. Home for Mae’s nap and time to get a few things done.

And you may have heard that we are finally getting some snow in this part of the country. Thankfully God decided to send us a real snowstorm…because I find 1-2 inches just. plain. annoying. Enough to slick up the roads and bring out the less-than-bright in so many drivers, but not enough to actually play in or build a snow sculpture of the Eiffel Tower or whatever.

Yeah, can you tell what’s on my mind?

I spent a fair amount of time tonight attempting to find hotels for our trip. I am thoroughly annoyed with the fact that our excursion to one of my top three dream locations EVER is complicating plans. Let’s just say it’s hard to book a hotel in Tangiers when we’re not exactly sure we’ll be able to go on the days we want. So I’m debating whether to book…and trust that it’ll work out. Or to book just our first night somewhere and hope that there will be open rooms for the rest of the nights.

This is the part of trip planning that I don’t enjoy. And yet, I’m really trying to focus on the fun.

We get to take a pretty cool trip for our 10th! And, it’s alone time for us…which we really need. It’ll all work out, even if we have no hotel room and

have to sleep on the beach. 😉 More money to spend on purses in Morocco that way.

I read a fabulous blog post here that just made me smile. I love her writing style…and this particular topic hit close to home. Please click over and read…I promise you it’s worth your time.

And I love that she wrote about laundry because, well, I can relate.

Says Mel, 20 minutes after starting the first of four loads for the night.

So I had kind of an aha!

moment in the waiting room yesterday.

At the time it seemed so pressing to share it with you all, but today, I actually feel the need to process a little more. So you’ll have to wait another day or two.

Hope your Thursday was wonderful…mine was. Completely. :)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: friends, just life, travel, where I am

Really Short and Sweet :)

January 11, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, so I’ m learning that

making plans is often useless.

Don’t worry, surgery went fine and Tob did great.

But recovery has been rough…and I’m sitting here in his hospital room blogging from my Kindle instead of sitting home at my computer like I thought I’d be do ing at four

in the afternoon.

:) The doctor ended up doing a far more invasive procedure than we were expecting, including a bone graft, so he is in quite a bit of pain.

I laugh because I had envisioned today being a quick, in-out-and-home-by-3 surgery.

But I guess when they put someone completely under, things are never that easy, huh

?

We’ve been blessed with some pretty amazing friends who took care of Maelie, picked up prescriptions, made us dinner.

And prayed…those prayers mean so much to us.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about my day in the waiting room and how God used it to change my perspective on a few things.

Though it wasn’t an easy day, it was defin

itely good. And I’m looking forward to sharing with you.

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, Tobin

Short and Sweet…

January 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is my hubby’s surgery. In case you’re out of the loop, it’s to “fix” that ridiculous, almost-impossible-to-heal bone he broke in his wrist over Labor Day. (Yeah, four months ago…) It’s a fairly minor surgery, it’s necessary, and it’ll all be good… those doctors do this all the time.

But I still worry so stinkin’ much. My stomach just twists and turns when I think about it…and I’m not even the one they’re cutting open!

😉

We’d really appreciate your prayers…both for the surgery and recovery.

And since it’s my blog, if you could pray for me to be able to stay calm…and that I’ll be able to give things over to God.

Right now the thought of sitting by myself in a hospital for two hours seems almost unbearable…and yet I know He will meet

me.

He always does.

:)

We have to be at the hospital at 9, surgery is scheduled for 11, and if all goes as planned, we’ll be on our way home by 3, maybe even earlier. We’re so thankful for friends who have told us they are praying…those prayers mean so much.

Will let you know how it all goes!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, prayer, Tobin

Gotta Blog, Gotta Blog, Gotta Blog Blog Blog…

January 9, 2012 by · 1 Comment

I let myself get tot ally

distracted by things all day today.

Making jewelry (more on that later…), playing with Mae (though I’d hardly call her a distraction…), working out, ordering pictures.

Pretty much anything but blogging.

I feel kinda bad, but then I thought, wow, it’s been awhile since we’ve had virtual coffee.

Except it’s way too late for coffee so I’ll sw allow the l

ast of my post-workout glass of water and chat with you a bit. K? :)

So Tobin’s having surgery on Wednesday morning on his wrist. I think we’re both a little nervous but, honestly, more ready for this thing to be done. If you think of him, please keep him in your prayers. Surgery is at 11 a.m. And if you’re not doing anything from 11-1, shoot me a text or give me a call. I’m going to need something to keep me from worrying so much.

At least I’ll have my Kindle to keep me busy.

I’m reading Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. And though it’s good, it didn’t suck me in like the first book did.

(Ahem…the book I read until 2 a.m. Yeah, that one. ;)) And I started The Art of Racing in the Rain, and if I can just get past the fact that the dog is dying, I know I’ll enjoy it.

Several of you have told me I will.

:)

What’s on your reading list? Any recommendations?

So Tobin and I were finally able to finish our bedroom. (aka: buy bedroom furniture, hang things on the walls, that kind of thing…) It’s almost done…and I love it. Pics to come. 😀 Next up? The front living room, from which I’m currently blogging. I decided on dark blue for three of the walls with the tv wall painted cream. Then we’ll hang our two flower paintings from Bali on one of the walls. I love finally having a plan for the purpleish room that has driven me crazy since the day we moved in. :)

Another plan I have? Is to declutter this place.

I decided that if it’s in our house and we haven’t used it in the last year and a half, we don’t need it. Enough said. I have a feeling that cleaning this place out and donating a good chunk of our things is going to be liberating. And I’ll be able to walk through the basement without tripping over anything. 😉

This past weekend was a happy one. It was our church’s Cantata, and I love that it happens after Christmas. It kinda gives us all an excuse to sing Christmas music into the first week of January. Anyway, it was a blessing…and the music was really fun to sing. And when it was over, I was kinda like, Awwwww…can we do it again

? Not sure two certain people would share those same emotions…but yeah. It was really good.

So I wrote a little last week about our anniversary trip.

Long story short, Tobin and I have had a bunch of frequent flyer miles just sitting there from the multiple trips we’d made between the States and Indonesia during summers. If the trend continues as it has in the past two years, we figured that the longer we let those miles sit there, the less value they’d have over time.

Plus 2012 is our 10th so we figured we should just look.

I mean, what’s the harm in that, right? :)

We had a few different places on our list: Rio de Janiero, Hawaii, London…and in the end stayed true to form and went with the craziest of all…Spain, Morocco, and Paris, all in nine days. (Paris was an added bonus that came up as we were planning with the ticket agent.) And I’ll talk more about the trip later…it seems so surreal right now.

Well, since it’s so close to midnight and I haven’t yet pushed the publish button, I should probably end this. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have real coffee. That is, if I blog before 10 p.m.

Love you all.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, travel

Tonight

January 8, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Daddy’s Little Helper

Mommy’s Little Snuggler

Yes, indeed, it w as

a good night.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, just life, Maelie, Tobin

Mel + Tobin Put Their Words Together, Part 2

January 7, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Several of you told me that you enjoyed reading this several months ago.

Therefore, on a night when the words just aren’t there…I bring you, Part 2 of Tobin and Mel Finish Each Other’s Sentences.

Hee hee. 😉

I hope you enjoy! 

aka: I hope you don't run screaming!

I’m in bold.

Tobin’s not. :)

Today has been one of those when I wish it was snowing.

Someday this week I’m going to take a nap. A really,

really long one. That is, if my daughter sleeps so I can take that nap.

I think the best way to spend an afternoon is watching the Packers win a playoff game.

The Christmas tree is coming down, and I am sad. Thankfully our neighbors still have their twinkly lights up. I will survive.

The thing I love most about Tobin is his hair.

When I grow up I want to huh? Really?! When I grow up? I cannot even answer this.

:) But I can make him answer it….

When I grow up I want to travel the world on an elephant.

The first thing I did this morning when I got out of bed was the laundry. Really.

I am most annoyed by bad drivers. No, it’s bad grammar. No, it’s rude people. Wait…no, it’s people who don’t pick up their dog’s poop in the park.

No, it’s the lack of snow this winter.

Yeah, that’s it.

My favorite thing Maelie did today was spin while holding a long piece of styrofoam. What a talented daughter I have… she made it look like artistic ballet.

I am excited because I might get to clean the basement tomorrow.

If I could give any animal a hug it would be a koala. I have always wanted to hold one.

One place I still want to see before I die is Antarctica. I know it won’ t happen, which is why I probably wan

t to see it.

The biggest thing I’ve ever seen in my life is the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur?! Maybe. At any rate, they’re definitely worth seeing.

The end.

😀

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, Tobin
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