Happy Veterans' Day

Thank You

Punk Gospel

[This is my all-time favorite picture of mortal Jesus--it's by Bloch and he's being comforted in Gethsemane. It reminds me what he did for me]


There are a lot of people in my Ward Family (church) overcoming addictions of many sorts-- substances, behaviors, attitudes--and at church today, I heard lots of real, sincere, "How are you"'s. It really made me think of THIS scripture in Mark in the New Testament, about how Christ's church is a place we come to be healed, not to show off our righteousness or our wellness. It felt a little different today, like a family caring for each other and I like days like that. I wish people who stay away because of their sins knew they'd be in good company if they came to church, and they'd be stronger when they left.

One conversation made me think of an old favorite song. I found it on YouTube! It's not allowed to be embedded, but you can click here to go watch the (still-so-sizzlin'-hot-it-gives-me-chills, one of the best shows I have ever seen) video to Social Distortion's Ball & Chain.

Here are the lyrics:

"Well it's been ten years and a thousand tears
And look at the mess I'm in:
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin.
Well I sit and I pray
In my broken down Chevrolet
While I'm singin' to myself
There's got to be another way

[Chorus:]
"Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain
'Cause I'm lonely and I'm tired
And I can't take any more pain
Take away, take away
Never to return again
Take away, take away
Take away.......
Take away this ball and chain.

"Well I've searched and I've searched
To find the perfect life
A brand new car and a brand new suit
I even got me a little wife
But wherever I have gone
I was sure to find myself there
You can run all your life
But not go anywhere..."

***

" And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. "

-Ether 12:27, The Book of Mormon

For Jill

Read more here about this clever show and its creators (or read Jill's 11.09.07 post and comments).

Quite the Day

So I got up this morning knowing I didn't have to go anywhere (Addie was off school for conferences/ end of quarter--PS, she's an exemplary kindergartener with great reading AND math skills; her teacher said she is so excited about science and asks the most relevant questions when the science team comes--that's cool to hear), and I decided to make it a Christmas Prep Day. I was determined to finish sewing the stockings I started embroidering in August. Here is the result:

They are hanging from cute little stocking hangers I bought at last year's Christmas Clearance (in Cottonwood, Arizona, believe it or not!) -- the hangers inspired the stockings, and we are excited to fill them up and send them down to Houston to my niece and nephew.
Here's a close up of the embroidery--I mostly free-handed it, but I sketched the snowman in pencil.
Addie thought we needed a model in the shot...:)

ANYWAY...while I was sewing, I was waiting to hear from my SIL, who went to the hospital at 1am to have her baby. At 10:25am, the phone started ringing off the hook to tell us we have a new niece! They hadn't weighed her or named her yet, but she was here. So on Rich's lunch hour, the kids and I met him at the hospital to visit his little sister and her baby...

I LOVE Heidi's face in this picture, and Addie being the little mommy with her cousin, who is now named Hannah Beth Gray.
AAAWWWWWW...
Addie was so excited about baby Hannah!

James was even MORE excited, and was so sad when we took the baby away! (He kept making these high-pitched noises like "Dee-dee-dee" and patting the baby; then he kept poking her eye and saying, "Eye? Eye?" )
We gave the poor tiny (6lb 90z--I bet Angie is so glad she married Davy adn got some small genes!) overstimulated newborn Hannah back to her mom and said good bye...doesn't Angie look great 2 hours after giving birth?!
James is so excited to play with his NEW COUSIN!



So we went to lunch together, then I brought the kids home and we read and played for a while (Ad & Heid had started fighting like cats and dogs), and then separated for quiet time--James went to sleep in his bed, and I told the girls that they could lay on the couch and watch "Island Princess," while I lay on my bed for a while. About 15 minutes later, Heidi came and snuggled me and crashed. I arranged her blankets and went to check on Addie and she had crashed, too (this was around 3pm). So I turned off the movie and went to sleep with my babes...it was a dark, cool fall afternoon--perfect for hibernating! We were only awakened by Daddy's footsteps a little after 5pm!

Daddy brought fresh bread and ice cream home, so we had potato-corn chowder with bread and juice, and then ice cream and we had a movie party, watching "Ratatouille." It was quite the day, and now I'm the last one up...Good night and enjoy your weekend!

November, so far

The night after Halloween, James ate some of Addie's cake walk cake, then went to his favorite special spot--the drawer under the TV in the Living Room.
Also, on the 2nd, I think, Addie got her book order books. One of them is "Puff, The Magic Dragon," which she wanted because she learned the song in music class. The book comes with a 4-song CD and the illustrations are gorgeous! The kids really love it.

And Now...a Tuesday Evening at the Melin's

Daddy is at work

Addie is at Ballet

Mommy is making dinner

Heidi is herding her bazillion animals (as usual)...

...and sometimes ACTING like her animals.

James Ole is "helping" mommy cook...
...taking a ride in his Magic Cakepan...

...He certainly motivates me to keep the floor clean!

And FINALLY...I'm BACK!

...that's right! Last night I gave a shower for my neighbor, Shauna-Anne, and it included a Soup Supper. I delegated and took it easy...I even took a NAP yesterday when Rich came home for lunch because I didn't want to wear myself out with party prep (as I am wont to do--there is always something more you can do. BUT, I am also learning that when your body says "enough" then it's enough!). But I did make Cookhouse Chili, Pumpkin cookies, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Potato-Ham Soup. The house smelled heavenly, and I think Shauna-Anne had a really good time. I felt really good about being able to do something "extra" again.

Today is our very first Parent-Teacher conference. Woo-hoo. We got a babysitter so we can celebrate! (HA). Anyway, that's the news. What's up with you?

Um, hello?....Anybody out there?.....

Tip of the Hat

Here are a few things we are LOVING lately:1. Sweet Adeline's very first school picture

2. Practical Preparedness by Tina Monson--if you've ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of a year's supply or are wondering where to start with your 72-hour kit, this book breaks it all down in totally manageable ways. There is a monthly program with Spiritual, Storage, and 72-hour kit goals, tips for rotation and storing, recipes, and energy sources and all the little details you wouldn't remember in an emergency. I think the following $5 per week program is pretty cool. It seems so simple, especially with a Costco membership!





3. The Elf Soundtrack: We love the movie, Elf, and I finally realized there is a soundtrack! So I ordered it for $.50 off amazon and we had a FHE dance party last night. I love this song, and I love Zooey Deschanel (forward to 1 minute 10 seconds---believe me, you DO NOT want to see the first 1:10).

Thought For The Day

"President Packer taught:
'Save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the Atonement of Christ. …

'… Do not give up if at first you fail. … Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come.'5

Love is a necessary precursor to being able to forgive oneself. As we develop an overpowering love of and gratitude for Jesus for His willingness to forgive us, we earnestly desire to come unto Him—to study His life and teachings and act upon them so that we become more like Him. As we do that, our own capacity to love grows to the point that we can indeed love and forgive ourselves and others. "

-D. Chad Richardson, Ensign March 2007

Just For Nana

Taken on Saturday while Daddy was trying to set up his studio... This is my all-time favorite whiny face...I LOVE this picture!

James' Regular Curious Smile
Baby on a Mission


I love this smile, but he's scared to sit on the stool
Silly Face
His "I'm so clever" face
Addie popped in, too

(Heidi was busy making messes downstairs while I was cleaning)
Awwww...Addie and her baby brother

In Good Company

I knew I was on to something when I stopped drinking diet sodas. Check THIS out...George AND Barbara Bush both have Grave's!

When I worked at Morinda/TNI, I had to write some catalog pages about why we were better than our competitors. One of my points was that one competitor used stevia, a non-FDA-approved herbal sweetener. All my research led me to articles about how Monsanto was basically bullying the FDA to allow aspartame (Equal/ Nutrasweet) and to ban all other sweeteners, even though stevia appeared to be safe and natural, used for thousands of years.

Having to crank out deceptive info even in the "trusted" health food industry made me wonder how huge the FDA racket really is...I mean, if even SOME of the claims are true, then Monsanto essentially provided the medical world & insurance companies with a steady stream of sick people for 20 years! I'm not generally a suspicious, conspiracy-theory-type person, but it's troublemsome, especially to someone who drank 2 12-packs of caffeine free diet Coke per week for ten years!

Halloween: A Retrospective

2002: Addie at 11 months old with Gram Melin
2003: Danny the Dinosaur, Grandma Robin Hood, and Addie the Pumpkin (again)--she's almost 2 years old.
2004: Daddy Shrek holding Heidi-lion, Mom the Builder (and yes, we had been building our house all day), and Addie the butterfly-fairy--Heidi is 6.5 months and Addie is almost 3 years old.

2003: Addie again! Her favorite game at our ward Halloween carnival is the fishing pond, and in 2003, she fished a pair Billy-Bob teeth...
which Heidi borrowed later!
2006: Mommy-witch, Daddy- Scarecrow, and Strawberry Shortcake and Apple Dumpling
2006: Addie-Cat, James-puppy, and Heidi-witch. The best thing about this picture is, of course that James looks like he's horrified of Heidi (and I think he really was the first 9 months of his life)...LOVE IT!

2007: Addie-Bee
2007: Heidi-Bug (eating a donut-on-a-string)
2007: James Ole Pumpkin