I Couldn't Resist...

...just one more Beatles song! Pretend it's a late Valentine from me (this song has always made my heart skip a beat--it's so sweet--and now it reminds me of my cute little brother's first dance with his wife after their wedding--***SIGH**). ENJOY!

PS: I finally saw "Across the Universe" last weekend on the way to Billings. I liked it and it made me want to bust out the Beatles CDs, but it wasn't as awesome as I thought ot would be. I think it would be breathtaking on Broadway, though. I liked how it started with "Oh Girl," and I loved the use of "Hey, Jude." Man, when you stop and think about it, even if you don't like them, the Beatles were AMAZING. I can't believe I got to see Paul McCartney buying artichokes at the ranch market in Tucson. Living legend in the produce department. I love them. There are "Dear Prudence" lyrics painted on my kids' playroom wall. I can't live with out at least the 20 Greatest CD...it's time for my kids to learn to sing along!

S. A. D.*

[*Seasonal Affective Disorder]

Today felt like April. The sun was blazing when I took the kids to the park at 3pm. I didn't wear a jacket and I could almost hear my skin singing the Hallelujah chorus. The fuzz in my brain went away with the winter blues as I watched my kids romp through yellow grass, slushy puddles, and mounds of crusty snow. It really does make a difference, I thought to myself...The sun really matters.

***

Today is MY DAD POST'S BIRTHDAY, which he shares with my nephew, Sam Post. Happy Birthday, Post Boys! Hope you had a great day! Dad, I'm sorry I taped over your Hard Day's Night video tape in 1988. Here's a little something to make up for it...

And so I give you The Official Song of February, courtesy of Sweet George Harrison.

Uninspiring (Idol Remarks)

American Idol was kind of boring last night, huh? I think I set a personal record for fast forwarding the DVR. I also think I set a personal record for agreeing with Simon! Seriously, there were three or four vocals that really truly sucked--very weak musicianship--and I was surprised that Randy wasn't all over them for "pitchiness!!!" I think most of the girls could have done better and the song choices were boring. Ramiele did a quality job; Brooke was fun; Alaina was better than I thought she would be, and I think the rest were worse especially Carly and Amy and Alexandrea (oh, so off-key!). Oh, and Kady--what the heck was that robotic freaky performance? And I like Amanda the rocker, but she needs to CHILL and use her voice to sing instead of scream.

I watched the results show tonight in about 10 minutes with the fast-forward on. I think the people voted off were excellent choices--that Leif Garrett guy was creeping me out, and so was Colton (good call, Jill!), and I think Amy's and Joanne's performances were the weakest of the girls (Hey, did you notice how much that one guy looks like Orlando Bloom? Freaky!) I'm glad Chickezie Eze (?) stayed just so we can say his name some more.

So here are my TOP SIX...

David from Utah
Jason Dred (was he not STUNNING in the "Top 24" video on the results show? I didn't realize how good looking he is!)
Micheal the Natural

Alaina the Youngun
Brooke the Washing-Up Liquid Mormon
Ramiele Tiny Girl Big Voice

What the Freak?

So I got the mail as I was leaving to pickup Addie from school about 30 minutes ago. There was a stack of 10 (TEN) bills from Park Clinic. I wondered what the heck happened, so I started opening the bills. Each one had a form letter explaining that a third party company was now handling the billing and SIX of the bills were for little itemized charges LESS than $3 (like my three charges of $1.44 for my monthly blood work--apparently it costs me $1.44 per vial, and we couldn't put that on ONE piece of paper?!). WHAT THE FREAK!?!?! Each bill came on an 8.5 X 11" paper in an envelope with a window envelope inside and pre-paid first class postage. I'm willing to bet that we coulda skipped the billing on half of those and called it even! CRAZY! (and don't worry--when I took them to Rich, he'd already made out a check for the clinic--it all adds up to about $75 for Bub's broken arm/ ER visit and my Grave's maintenance, so it just LOOKED expensive).

Also, I gave myself a paper cut on one of those envelopes, then came home and started cooking Spanish Rice. I stirred in the chilies with my index finger--the one with the paper cut. AAIIIEEEEE!

All that in the past 30 minutes. That's just the kind of week it's been.

How's your week going? Happy Hump Day...


PS: Oh, I forgot to list my american Idol predictions--well, I guess they're not predictions as much as pronoucements--Jason Castro, David Archuleta, and Michael Johns are my top three favorite dudes. I also think they might be the only heteros ("not that there's anything wrong with that..."). I dont' know about the ladies--there are too many blodies this year and I can't tell them apart this early, but that Irish Carly and the little Ramiele are surely going to rock it, and don't forget that totally Mormonish girl form Mesa...I'll let you know tomorrow.

"The Spirit & The Body are the Soul of Man"

Our weekend was lovely and not long enough (can I take a "sleeping vacation"--where I just sleep? And then somebody feeds me totally healthy, organic, fresh foods and I sleep some more? My body is screaming for more sleep and better food and I am not quite meeting its needs!)

I'll write more later, but I just wanted to post THIS link. It really made me think about how respecting, loving, and truly caring for my body will indeed bring me closer to Heavenly Father (the link is from a blog I read about four years ago--the author and I communicated a bit and lost touch, then I came across a link to her again today. Hmmm! Her story is downright CRAZY, her past is incredible, her insights are often inspiring).

I had (well, HAVE) a terrible debilitating headache today (right now it is masked by drugs--Excedrin Migraine, I love you) and I can't wait to get adjusted tomorrow and try another whole food cleanse (strange things are afoot along my digestive tract). Too much info? Sorry. I'll check back in when I feel better and have more to say! :)

PS: More fun links from a recent search for reviews of Annie Dillard's latest book, a novel (shucks) called The Maytrees (I was hoping for some more natural non-fiction...but I will be re-reading For The Time Being to get my fix of Annie's deep thoughts). Here is an actual review of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek from 1974 (!!) written by Eudora Welty--yes! Eudora Welty, as in The Optimists Daughter and The Wide Net--WOW! Also, here is one of my favorite parts of Seeing, quoted within an essay question (I loved the story she told of hiding her own pennies to surprise strangers--something I totally did all the way through college with any coins I might have handy!).

Speaking of Sweethearts...

Seven Years Ago (on Sunday) I Married Mine!We're off to Billings for the weekend to celebrate!!!

(sans children--can I handle it? I think so! Thanks, Grandma Rosalie, for taking care of them!)

Happy Valentines Day!

This is, of course, the most important and loviest of all my valentines...the forever one.

I LOVE YOU, RICHARD!

This is to all my loved-ones who make my life so rich...

This cute Valentine reminded me of all the Melin Boys...

Happy Valentines Day to all the OTHER Melins!

(and this is my RESPONSE to the last Valentine!!!! :))

This is for Spam & Special K...we've got a piper down! Love and Miss You Two!

...and of course this one reminds me of my step dad!

Happy Valentine's Day, Mom & Mark!
***



Enjoy your day & remember you are LOVED!

Recent Photos

On Sunday (2/10) we took a trip to Helena to visit with Postums and Lehmans. There was just no other time this month to make a visit and we hadn't been there since November, so we left after the 2nd hour of our church and took a crock pot dinner of roast & carrots, plus broccoli, asparagus and wheat montana rolls for Sunday Dinner. We had so much fun just hanging out, and Addie was so excited when she and Aunt Amie had the same pink sweatsuit!Heidi, Amie, & Addie
Snuggle Bunnies
Pink Ladies!

Click here to see more pictures we took with Matt's new i-book computer. It has a built-in camera with special effects (photo booth), which is like having your very own fun house! Aren't we hideous?

***
On Monday (2/11) when I was cleaning the great room like a crazy woman (it was sunny and bright so I even raised the curtains and cleaned the windows! It was deceptively spring-like), James and Heidi wanted to "color" at the table. The amazing thing is that they will do this for 20-30 minutes!

Another amazing thing is that James often holds a pencil the right way!
***

On Tuesday (2/12), we had another mild, sunny day and I let the girls out to play between 4-5pm (waiting for dad to come home). James, however, had to stay inside because he still crawls around outside and it's far to slushy/muddy/snowy for that right now! He gets really mad about having to stay in, but he consoles himself by watching the kids from the front window.

Eating an apple
Standing up on the cedar chest

Watching the kids, longingly...
Addie brings a kiss...AWWWWWW!!!
My sweet, silly (out-of-focus) boy!

***

Have a great Valentine's Day tomorrow!

I Hope This Happens to Us...

(I don't think we'd last too long w/o eachother!)

Sister Ruth Wright Faust dies exactly six months after her husband, James E. Faust. Click Here to read more of their love story.

Video from Six Weeks Ago

Late December Cuckoos from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

the way things are...

So I am cleaning up lunch, Heidi is contentedly watching Spongebob, and James is playing on top of the cedar chest in the front window (he climbed there to wave good bye to Rich, and stayed cuz he liked the view). Suddenly I hear this scribbling sound and I see that James has gotten hold of Heidi's mini color pencils and he's scribbling on the window sill.

I grab my magic eraser and some scrap paper and run over to stop the graffiti. I take the pencils from James, point to the scribbles and say, "No, no!" I show him the magic eraser and how to scrub off the mess. Then I get him down from the chest, put the scrap paper down on top, and show him how to scribble on the paper. I say, "Only on paper!" (a mantra around here) and hand him a pencil. He grins widely and scribbles with glee on the paper. Okay, I sigh, disaster averted.

A minute later he is scribbling on the window sill again and I run over there scowling. He looks up at me with a huge grin, folds his hands behind his back and says, "All gone!" As in, "Huh? What pencils? I have no pencils!"

Can you believe this punk, at only 17 months old? He's learned well from his dark master/ big sister.