~ to catch you up ~

O
h Man! I've missed blogging!
There is just something about
sharing, getting my thoughts
out and keeping in touch with
other friend's lives that I really

LOVE!

I wanted to write today to catch all ya all up on what is going on in our

little life here at her Household - 

so here goes...

God is doing amazing things in my heart! Yay! We have become involved in a

awesome church and all of us enjoy it so much! I've met some awesome women,

my kids love their kids' program and THEY all are truly part of an answered prayer.

This church happened to be a church I had drove by a half a million times and a old schoolmate

from high school's family goes there - so that was encouraging that we would know somebody there.

Just goes to prove you never know when, where, who, how God

will work in your life. He is oh, SO good!

My body is healing nicely from my surgery I had.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughtful messages to me.

I started just this week going back to the gym. I was inspired by

this gal as well as several different messages I've been hearing at church - namely,

a message from this last Sunday, regarding complacency. I hadn't ever really thought

about the word but doing the Brave Girls Soul Restoration class I did at the first of the year

definitely put a whisper in my ear and then all the things God has been putting in my road (including a sister who humps herself to work out at 5am, comes back to the house and gets herself and daughter ready for school and work - I thought, Whoa - if she can do that, I can go spend a half hour to 45 minutes at the gym every morning. I'm a tad competitive so I like to see if I can wake up before

her...  lol!) I decided it was time. I'm only on my 3rd day - so far SO GOOD. The time for myself is turning out to be such a blessing! Then when I come home my boys are still asleep and I get even more mama time and couple that with a cup of coffee and my Bible... VERY happy girl. 

Can't go wrong with that!

I think we've come into the crash and burn episodes of our life here in the Melton house - one night Pauly falls off the bunk bed onto his head, the next night William face-plants right into the wooden drawers under the bunk bed only to give himself two beautiful black eyes.
To sum it up...
THEY'RE FREAKING ME OUT!
I feel like I need to wrap them all up in some bubble wrap!
We haven't had any trips to the doctor, thankfully, but you know... scares me.

We are all LOVING the fall crisp weather that has finally shown up!
My trees are turning colors and I've got my bulbs all ready for this weekend as I attempt
to develop my green thumb...

I've given myself a new challenge and that is a weekly-challenge and I've decided I need to go to a new neighbor every week and take them cookies, a gift, or just go introduce myself. So far, it has been such a blessing and I'm so glad we decided to do it. We tend to make it a family event so far and the kids love it and finally, I'm able to meet my neighbors. We don't live in a subdivision - we live in just a old-town neighborhood that has tons of rentals... I've been using this as my excuse for years now NOT to get to know my neighbors but I decided ... (and again, this was influenced from Paula Dunn) it's time to LOVE ON my neighbors - no matter how long they stick around. No matter who they are. No matter where they live. 

So this all sums it up... We are still enjoying, very much, my sister living here with us. Sweet Pea is in her first year of school (preschool) and the boys and I go pick her up everyday at noon. It's so fun to see her sweet lil face everyday - so happy I'm there. Makes my heart skip-a-beat. I just love that girl.

Now, I've got to get on some planning and plotting for decorations for a birthday party for a very special lady in my life (more info on that later). If you have any suggestions for websites or decorations that are fun, affordable, and totally girlly - let me know. I would love to for you to share your ideas with me! I will do a post soon on what I'm working on all ready.

You all GO and enjoy your week and soak up in God's goodness!!

~ bigger still ~

T
here is nothing bigger
that God aint bigger still.
~ my mama ♥
 

This is something my mama would always tell me and still does to this day. Last Saturday, I was rushed again to the ER for severe abdomen pain. For those who don't know – I was there about a month ago and at that time, we found out I was pregnant but couldn't figure out why I was having such terrible pain but we did know that it was a threatened miscarriage. This time they found that I had a ruptured tubal pregnancy and I had to have laproscopic surgery to remove it. I have had about a month to mourn yet another loss (as I had a miscarriage in April) – it still stings BUT I know God is ALWAYS in control and He knows what is best for me. As I always tell myself – He's got this. and by just saying that - it relieves myself from having to worry and stress about why it happened, when and if I'll have another baby, and so on. I encourage you all today to remember just how BIG our God is and how much he loves you and knows what is instore for you down the road and often, what's instore is far sweeter than anything our little brains can – ever – fathom. ♥

~ getting direction ~

E
very single morning I talk to my
mom, it’s how I roll. And every
single morning she reminds me to
put on the armor of God and get in
the Word. This morning I was being

a good girl and well… doing what I was told yes, but also doing what I know kicks off my morning right and I was getting in the Word. I was on my computer and was trying to remember a verse that I heard yesterday at church – I knew it was found somewhere in 2 Timothy… well actually I wasn’t sure if it was 1 or 2 Timothy – but I knew it was Timothy – I Googled 2 Timothy and as Google made it’s suggestions to me, I picked 3 and I was so blessed that I did… Although this is not quite the verse I was looking for from church yesterday – this really spoke to me and I wanted to share.

2 Timothy 3 1-7
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

After reading this I was thinking well … I’m not one of those ”gullible” women which in real life, I know I am QUITE gullible but I didn’t quite think this applied to me… THEN I really started being honest with myself. So I asked myself, ”Do I associate myself with any of the people that were described above?” … and honestly, I do. And did you read the part where it said, ”Have nothing to do with such people”?

I felt this morning, this was God’s way of telling me I needed to reevaluate and it reminded me that he didn’t say keep these people at arm’s length, he didn’t say be friendly and stay away from them, he didn’t say let these people into your home and try and befriend them – NO, he said HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SUCH PEOPLE. So this really made me think about who I associate myself with and are they these ”such people”? … or maybe, am I one of these people? GASP!

Lord knows I can be selfish, prideful, and I do like money. BUT I would have to say I don’t believe that any of those things have such a rein on me that they keep me from submitting myself to God and his plans for me but as all sin can, it can "worm" it's way between us and the one Truth.

Now I’ve got to think about the people I've been surrounding myself with, my kids and family with. Are they helpful or harmful – conceited or humble –  love God or do they love with themselves, money or idols? All very hard things to think about…

I always love it when this kind of things happens and where I thought I would end up this morning in my Bible Studying wasn't quite what God had in mind for me. It's amazing to know how powerful his Word truly is.

How about you? How does this verse speak to you?

~ what's going on with me ~

I
decided it is time I finally
come back here and blog
a little. Life, for me, has
been pretty adamit that I
put a few things on hold.

About two weeks ago, we all laid down as usual for our naps.

I've been pretty exhausted and I remember sleeping like a rock that day

 but the heat just whips me so I figured that is what it was.

I woke up from my nap and got all the kids little snacks - like I usually do.

I jumped on the computer for a second before I was going to tidy up the house and start dinner. I was

talking to my mom over email and all the sudden, I got a feeling like I really needed to stop and go

to the restroom. I got up and went and that didn't ease this weird abdomen pain. At this point, my pain had went from about a 4 to a 7. I was sweating and felt like I was going to throw up. I went and laid on my bed and just told the kids to play downstairs for a little while.

I don't know if you've ever been so sicky that it causes you to roll around on your bed - well that's what happened. I was ILL.

I couldn't find a comfortable position and by this time my leg started to go numb.

I was in tears and luckily, Pauly had brought me my phone so I called Ben.

Ben was right in the middle of a serious conversation with his boss, luckily he answered the phone and I told him that I must have the stomach flu and I needed him to come watch the kids.

As some of you know, he managed a rafting camp this year up north and at this point, his boss was just telling him he needed to gather his things and get right back up there to manage things. So he was on his way out of town at that point. He said he was going to finish somethings up and then come home.

I figured I could manage till he got there for just a little while before he left - so I just continued to try and ease my pain. I decided to walk around but it got so much worse and I ended up laying down in the hallway because the pain was so severe by this point. So I called Casi, because I decided I probably needed to go to the doctor and so she would need to stay with the kids.

As I layed in the hallway, all the kids gathered around me and honestly, at this point I was praying and telling them all that I loved them. I was so scared.

Finally, Ben got home and came in the house only to run right out the front door to go get our neighbor to watch the kids. We have an amazing neighbor... just sayin'.

Anyhow, I scraped myself off the floor - layed back on the bed for a second and then Ben came in and told me to go get in the car. I got myself up and to the car - meanwhile Ben was making sure the neighbor was good-to-go. Casi drove up, right when I got in the car and all I remember was her looking at me through the window mouthing the words, I love you.

We got to the hospital and the first thing I noticed was how different the ER was from the ER on Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, I'm a dork. At this point I was still in extreme pain, I was crying, and I had to sit and wait probably for about 15 minutes! While Ben filled stuff out and I even had to sign some stuff.

It. Was. Lame.

but, I imagine they have to have all that information to protect

themselves so... whatever.

They finally took me to the back and they got me some pain meds. I had a feeling it

was my "womanly parts" so that is what I told all the doctors...

After they gave me the pain meds, lots of time passed as I was monitored, a doctor physically checked me, I was given a couple different types of ultrasounds. Nothing was found.

Praise God, right? I mean, I wanted to know why I was in so much pain but I also didn't want to find anything super bad!

As you can imagine - I was thinking of the worst thing it could be.

We got back to our room and there we waited for quite a while. I had no more pain so that was definitely a praise.

The doctor came in and proceeded to tell me that I had tested positive on a pregnancy test - my levels showed about 4 days pregnant. About 3 days earlier I had started, well what I thought was, menstruating but come to find out it was really a threatened miscarriage. It was still way to early to see if it could be an ectopic pregnancy and that could be the cause for the pain but it could of also been a hormone imbalance that was causing my uterus to contract and spasm.

What. A. Nightmare.

I couldn't stop thinking, REALLY?

Another miscarriage?

That's two in one year! What the heck was happening!?

I'm O negative and the doctor in the ER gave me a Rhogam shot, which is something I'm totally used to as I've had this shot a several times before when I had miscarried as well as when I was pregnant with my boys. I wondered if that was the problem lately....

Anyhow, I came back home after being in the ER for about 8 hours. My mom dropped everything and came and tended to my kids and helped out. I rested for several days as after my mom left, Granny and Grandad took the boys and Sweet Pea went home with my mom. It was a nice break and I got a lot of rest.

Still today I am showing signs of a miscarriage, I haven't been back to the doctor because, well - what can they do... they can't stop it from happening.

I am waiting.

As I wait, I'm trying to stay positive, happy (I'm trying), and carry on as usual.

It's very tough.

It seems like things are crumbling down around me. The dogs have mites in their ears, my kids are mouthy, for some reason the lights are flickering like crazy in our house all the sudden, I have a huge ER bill and the list goes on and on.

I hope within the next couple weeks I will have some idea of what is going on, until then - I'm just hanging out. Thank you to you who have been praying for me and I will try and keep in touch.

Before this all happened we went to the Car Races and I have a lot of cool pictures from that - so I hope to post those soon.

All in all, I will continue to Trust God and rest in the fact that he loves me and whatever the outcome, I know God is in control and he knows what is best.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Much Love,

~ attitude adjustment ~

M
an! I've had a week-to-remember
and I'm not meaning in a good
way. My kids have all been... well -
stinkers. I honestly don't know why
this week has been so different from

all the others - it just seems like I was feeling more

frustrated than usual.

This morning I woke up early and just felt...

better.

I've really been praying for God to help me to remember to not

sweat the small stuff.

Who cares if Pauly wants to wear his gloves, hats,

snow pants and winter coat when it is 90 degrees outside -

It makes him SO happy...

Who cares if Sweat Pea constantly asks through the day what we are doing next -

I decided to try and beat her to the punch and tell her before she asks...

Who cares if William has had blow-out after blow-out this week -

Praise God I don't have problems with him NOT pooping, right?

That would be stressful.

I am so immensely blessed to get to hang with these three everyday.

I don't have to jerk them out of bed at the crack of dawn to get them to

a lady's house where they are just one of many.

I don't have to hear from someone else, "William said, hippopotamus today!"

I don't miss out on one darn thing... very blessed.

I've got to remind myself of this more frequently or

 sometimes I let the hustle and bustle, whining and lying,

and cooking and cleaning take over my every thought

and I just get so overwhelmed and consumed.

Today, I saw something on a Brave Girl's Soul Restoration Facebook page that I

thought was kind of fun -

it just kind of encourages you to stop and

Be Still

for a second.

I'm going to try and use positive words throughout - see if I can't give myself an attitude adjustment.

We'll see how it goes.

One word:

1. Where is your cell phone? Cute

2. Your significant other? Loving
3. Your hair: Tidy

4. Your mother?: Funny

5. Your father?: Smart

6. Your favorite thing?: Family

7. Your dream last night? Dreamy

8. Your favorite drink? : Coffee

9. Your dream/goal?: Ocean

10. The room you're in? : Living

11. Your hobby?: Art

12. Your fear?: None

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy

14. Where were you last night?: Movie

15. What you're not?  Disappointed

16. Muffins? Blueberry!

17. One of your wish list items?: NYC

18. Where you grew up? : Idaho

19. The last thing you did? : Sip

20. What are you wearing?: PJS

21. Your TV? HGTV

22. Your pets?  Snoring

23. Your computer? Qwerty

24. Your life? : Full

25. Your mood? : Content

27. Your car? Buick

28. Something you're not wearing? Bra (GASP!)

29. Favorite store?  Thrift

30. Your summer?  Beautiful

31. Like someone? Ben

32. Your favorite color?  Green

33. When is the last time you laughed?  Pauly

34. Last time you cried?:  Thursday

35. Today? Races!

Happy Weekend, Love Bugs!

~ duds ~

I
t cracks me up how when
kids just aren't tired they'll
fight you and fight you
during nap time but when
they're tired... well they're

OUT!

Yesterday was a terribly rough day,

the kids were at each other's throats.

Finally at about 7:30p we just separated them and the boys watched Cars upstairs and

Sweet Pea watched a princess movie of sorts downstairs.

It's is such a blessing to see them playing nice together today. Don't get me wrong -

there has been tears already today but it's just a better day over-all.

I layed down this little rascal and gave him a book to look at while

I went downstairs to start some laundry and he fell asleep.

 I couldn't resist taking some pictures.

Often, I'll take a nap when the kids do but since he was already asleep -

I snapped some pictures and snuck out of the room so I

could have some Mama Time.... so I'm blogging/facebooking/and emailing my mama and sis,

working on my menu and grocery list as well as listening to

Praise and Worship music. 

I'm so much more effective of a mama if I can have a moment to breathe.

If not - I'm. a. dud.

Speaking of duds...

our 5 little eggs that our mama hen was trying to hatch out were all duds.
Insert sad face here.

There is a way that you can check eggs to see if there is a baby growing in them -

it involves it being dark in the room you are in or just do it during nighttime like we did,

then you hold a flashlight up to the egg and if it is bad you'll see a dark ring around the bottom and no baby chick inside. 
If it is good - you'll see a baby chick moving around or at least veins in the egg.

We were so bummed out but maybe we'll get some more and I'll keep y'all posted.

Wouldn't that of been amazing to see the baby inside!!!?

It is amazing to me,
how through just about everything through my day -
the Lord speaks to me...

It's funny yesterday, my husband was getting frustrated with me - I forgot to water the lawn and I was supposed to go and take these eggs from the mama chicken and get her movin' out of the chicken house and maybe block it off so she wouldn't be able to go lay in her spot anymore...
this would get her out of this wanting to be in "mama mode"
and that would get her to start laying eggs again...
anyhow, I had forgot and he was teasing me -
telling me I was "On strike" which he knows, I just forgot and that's okay
- he was just teasing me and we were teasing each other back and forth...

But still it made me remember about not being a dud -
the words that first came to mind were:

Rise Up!!

God is the only one who can bring real joyful LIFE to this body.

Only He can put that yearning in your heart, soul and mind to LIVE!

He is the only reason for Living - all else will undoubtedly fall short...

Ezekiel 37:5

This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones:
I will make breath enter you,
and
you will come to life.

Happy Living!

~ will you? ~

A
ll His ways are good,
All His ways are sure.
I will trust in Him alone.
Higher than my sight.
High above my life.

I will trust in Him alone.

Where He goes, I'll go.
Where He stays, I'll stay.

When He moves, I'll move.
I will follow Him.

 

~ beckoning for a banquette ~

I
've been entertaining with
the idea that my little sweet
house would adore a gathering
space much like the ones I've
collected below. As many of

you know, our little house is...

well....

little.

 and there is no mystery that a banquette would save space

AND

create space.

I could add some space under the benches for cookbooks,

baskets of linens for dressing up my table,

or maybe even pretty mixing bowls.

Note to self:
Hang a map of the United States on the wall -
it looks amazing and is WAY cool all at the same time!

k - sorry for that little interuption...

...  I DO have to say I adore my dining set that I have but,

I can't resist thinking how lovely it could be to have such a cozy space

like these...

and I really could combine some of my existing chairs and
maybe even my table...
right?

source

And pardon me as I drool all over those painted wood floors.

*drool*drool*drool*

I think also having a drop light fixture would add
a bit of playfulness and
I adore this round lampshade.

source

I'm quite sure but I think I've already posted this picture before but I can't get over
how similar it is to our space that I'm thinking of for a banquette
as our space is also surrounded my windows
just like this one.

Oooooh. That old-fashioned fisherman's light fixture is calling my name.

...wonder if I could buy one of those off Ebay for ooober cheap.

hmmm.....

Now all I have to do is figure out who can build me one of these beautiful banquettes...

Maybe my ol' Pa?!

I mean - he did build my mom a whole house! Lol!

~ dirty girl & dirty boy ~

A
couple weeks ago, baby
girl was looking particularly
shabby. I was excited to get
to have my go at grooming
her thinking it was going to

take me 6 minutes flat

as she is about

as big as

gallon of milk.

I was sadly mistaken.

It took me 3 hours! My kids played SO nice during that time.

I was so thankful - until I looked at the clock when I was near done and realized it was 2pm

and my kids hadn't even ate lunch yet!



You know that moment when your kids realize they are starving,

they're tired, you're tired and you're trying and trying to wrap

things up so you can tend to them and you're just not moving fast enough  -

then something more happens to set you back and things just get worse and worse?

THAT is exactly what happened this day.

I took this cute little picture of the finished product of Iz and..

SHE WENT AND ROLLED IN THE DIRT!

Not just any dirt.

The really fine powdery dirt that my chickens play in

to clean themselves off with!

THEN!

My husband pulled up.

Oh yes - it just got better and better.

Starving children - finally groomed dog but is now completely filthy! ...

and then my husband pointed out this to me...

William was SO STARVING he started eating dirt!

Yay!

Dirt!



That's right buddy - how does that taste?

Nummers!



Thankfully - the husband tended to the children.

He cleaned up the filthy, fed the hungry,

&

I handled Mizz Izz and all was good.

Our Daddy to the rescue!

~ bring on the blueberries ~

A
tleast once a week,
my kids request
muffins of some type,
and since I'm the cooker,
the baker, and the candlestick

maker - I usually choose to make

Blueberry

muffins.

I can't get enough of anything

Blueberry.

From muffins,

to pies,

to pancakes,

to that

Blueberry

syrupy deliciousness you poor over

ice cream and pancakes,

to just eating a bunch of

Blueberries

 nice and fresh.

In a salad or in a muffin...

doesn't matter to me...

I could eat them everyday.

What is your

Berry

of choice?

date night.

♥
My husband and I went out
on one of the most perfect
dates I have ever been on
in my whole life.

My sissy suggested that we go and she volunteered to

watch our boys.

I was giddy like a little high school girl the afternoon before our date.

I got all my make-up out.

 I plucked.

These things needed some taming.

Sweet Pea let me barrow her adorable headband.

We both got all cleaned up and ready to go!

We decided it would be fun to go out on our bikes

and see where the road took us.

We ended up riding the greenbelt to downtown and

parked at one of our favorite spots to visit

friends and family.

The Basque Center.

If you haven't been to the Basque Block in Boise well...

shame on you.

 After some ice water for me and a little cocktail for my hubby

we went on to the Matador.

The Matador is a newer restaurant downtown.

I would describe it as Spanish Bistro.

It is a Tequila Bar ...

and it just happens to have amazing decor,

outstanding food,

and very interesting bathroom faucets!

Next we headed back to our bikes and came

across the sweetest old Golden I have

ever met.

Isn't he precious?

 I adore downtown.

We got back to our bikes and ...

 we rode,

and rode,

and laughed,

and were dorks,

and I fell.... again.

 We ended up riding a pretty far ways and ended up seeing deer

by the golf course!

 It was gorgeous out.

A perfect evening for a date with my lover boy.

I love this bridge.

Before home, we went and picked up a movie at a redbox.

True Grit... the new one.

I liked it okay, but I was hoping for a bit more.

Isn't she gorgeous?

So wish I had those braids!!!

Date Night with my love.

I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Thanks Sis <3