family

finding peace

Melissa 3 Comments

I’m having a lot of anxiety lately.

I’m a planner. Its the Type A in me. I even make spreadsheets for vacations. Multiple spreadsheets. Clothing spreadsheets, activity spreadsheets… everything printed out and organized in a folder. I’m super fun to travel with, really. (Its completely genetic, too. My mom and sis are the same way. You should see it when we go on vacation together. EPIC.)

So the fact that we have a moving van booked for a day in June, yet NO IDEA where that moving van will be going to is really getting to me.

I’m trying my best to believe what we keep telling our kids.

That this move is a great adventure. That everything will work out. That there is a home for us. That God is taking care of us.

But some days, its hard to believe the words coming out of my mouth.

Especially when we call to make a bid on a house and find out it sold hours before. Especially when we find a house that fits exactly what is on our ‘Dream House” list and have to watch it slipping out of our grasp. Especially when I have to tell the moving company, “Actually, we don’t know where you’ll be moving us to.” Especially when my daughters are disappointed about a house and ask questions like “Why wouldn’t they want to sell us their house? We would love it and take care of it!” and we have to explain that its about money, not who wants it most. That one is a hard lesson to learn, even as an adult.

I’m just praying for peace. For a house that we can love, where we can raise our family, where we can be part of a community and share with people around us. Praying that I can believe the things I’m telling the kids.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

weekend wedding

Melissa 1 Comment

This past weekend we went up to Connecticut to see these two crazy kids get married.

wedding

HOW gorgeous is the girl my cousin snagged? She looked amazing and it was such a pleasure to see her join our family!

We had a fabulous time at the party – dancing the night away!

dancing

Well… most of us danced the night away…

crashed

more ways in which i am totally on the ball

Melissa

I called the dentist yesterday to make an appointment before we moved. Luckily, they had an opening for the very next week.  Yay!

I asked the receptionist, “Can you just check when I last came in? If its less than 6 months, my insurance won’t pay for it.”
She checks… “Um, you were last here in August 2011. So you’re good.”

WHOOPS! How did I forget to do to the dentist for like 2 years?  I really, really honestly thought I went last summer! Guess not. Maybe I should call my doctor. Wonder when I’ve been there last…

***

The other day, I was so on the ball. I got up and decided I was going to put dinner in the crock pot. (Don’t you LURV the crockpot? Come home and dinner is done!) With this recipe, you have to brown the meat and veggies before you cook them. So I threw the meat in the microwave to defrost while I helped the kids pack up their backpacks and get on the bus. (I was just SO on the ball! Look at me multitasking and everything!)

I had SUCH a busy day – meetings, lessons, work, craziness…

Around 1pm I suddenly realized something.

Have you figured it out yet?

Yup. The meat was still sitting in the microwave.

Well done, Mel. Well done.

 

easter egg fun with paas and heinz

Melissa 1 Comment

Its almost Easter time! (Already? WHAT?!?)

So this weekend we celebrated a little early, since we’re heading to a wedding next weekend, and made some amazing eggs with PAAS!  We missed decorating with PAAS last year, as we were out of town, so the kids had an extra special time. All you to is add one tablet and three tablespoons of Heinz White Vinegar to your PAAS Color Cup and one the tablet is dissolved, you add 1/2 cup water. GENTLY add the hard boiled egg to the water (your kids may get tired of hearing you say “GENTLY!” “I said, GENTLY!!” *CRACK*)

Sidebar: Did you know that if you add two tablespoons of Heinz White Vinegar per quart of water when your boiling your eggs (before adding the eggs) it prevents eggs from cracking? And it makes them easier to peel! WHY am I just finding this out NOW? Do you know how many inedible broken dyed eggs we’ve thrown away over the years? I use vinegar for everything around the house and I never knew this!

Anyway, this year PAAS has 7 new decorating kits to help you make amazing eggs. We had so much fun making eggs this year – as my husband, “This brings back such memories!”

paasheinzeggs

Our favorite was Deggorating Doodles, which uses food grade markers that you can draw with right on the shell with! Colin made the Easter Bunny on his:

paasheinzegg4(Sorry, he had to take off his shirt due to a minor spilling incident)

Ellie made “Spring”

paasheinzeggs3

This year, PAAS Easter Egg Dying Kits and Heinz Vinegar are bringing you the Easter Egg Decorator app (online for computers and in the app store) where you can decorate and share a virtual Easter egg with family and friends! And every time you do, Heinz and PAAS will donate $1 – up to $25,000 – to Make-A-Wish!!  Please please please take a moment to decorate an egg – it is free and only takes a minute – and you can help PAAS and Heinz give to kids in need! Here is the GORGEOUS one that Gracie and I made…

EggDecoratorHow cute is our egg???

Go make one of your own and help kids in need!!

disclosure: I received PAAS products and Heinz vinegar as part of a gift basket to facilitate this post. As always, all opinions are my own!

my second favorite date

Melissa 1 Comment

Yesterday I had a date!

With my second favorite guy in the universe…

Fullscreen capture 3112013 25703 PM.bmp

We had Frappuccinos to celebrate the warm weather. We built Star Wars fighters out of Legos and had a war against the Empire. We rode bikes and played on the tire swing. We washed the car (which got a little messy). We read his new Cars book and snuggled.

It was perfect.

There’s nothing like taking time doing little things with someone who is really important.

what is the definition of dramatic?

Melissa 1 Comment

Colin: “What does ‘dramatic’ mean?”

Ellie: deadpans “GRACE.”

Of course, the entire family was cracking up. Even Grace!

Its funny cause its TRUE.

MAN I adore that girl, but she is dramatic! If she’s happy, she is ecstatic. If she’s tired, she’s falling asleep standing up. If she’s awake, she is dancing around the house. Its hilarious.  She’s been like this since birth. What’s even more hilarious is that she totally realizes this about herself and she hams it up even more, often while laughing at herself.

And she’s only 8! I’m sure that I’ll look back in about 4 years and remember when she was only this dramatic!

Angert_033WM