Rare and Special...

Friendship that is. Finding a friend who you can completely let loose and be yourself with is such a blessing. I have been thinking a lot about this lately. I have this really crazy, sweet, beautiful mommy of a best friend who I have known since the 2nd grade. We have been through so much together. Memories that I wouldn't trade for anything.

She is my best friend. We can be in the same room, hear something..look at each other and just start cracking up! Nobody of course understanding why exactly we are laughing, I love that! We get together, talk and if there is a bit of silence, (haha, who am I kidding!) it isn't awkward. I don't stress..."what can I say next?" "what question can I ask?" None of that, it just flows! Phew! I am not the most outgoing girl, you know? Thankfully she is! As weird as it seems, I think that is why we have been so close for so long!

We each have grown up, gone through our awkward teenage years, and gotten married.Sure, there have been times when we would get angry with each other, disagreed, refused to talk to each other to prove a point..that we thought was important to make. Looking back..totally silly. Then we would end up crying and hugging each other and apologize for being so stupid or selfish.

 I am so thankful for those tears. Without them, our friendship would have fizzled away to nothing. We would have stayed angry or bitter. Never giving our friendship the opportunity to grow. I can remember when she had her first little girl Ally. I was so happy for her! But, also scared that because I didn't have any babies..our lives would be so different. I was afraid that she would feel, that she no longer had anything in common with me. Then soon our friendship would just slowly fade.

You know what, never once did she make me feel left out of her life. In fact, I have come to love her little girls (all 4 of them!) so much! She is such a good mother! I look up to her in the way that she and her husband have started to raise them. They are still so little and yet they do an amazing job! I love that I am "Aunt Melalee". I know that she will be one of my greatest sources, once we are blessed with some munchkins of our own!

We have both been through hard times. Our own personal losses. Either of us not sure how to comfort the other. But, just being there was more than enough.

I am so thankful that I have been blessed with such a great close friend. One that I have known most of my life. She is the person, that no matter if life ever seems to seperate and we don't live as close as we do now, I will always need to talk to her. I'll need to have and hear laughs. Family vacations would have to be together, ha! (No, don't worry we aren't moving..don't freak out!)

She is my red headed, goofy, loving, gracious, godly best friend. She is Christina. Thank you for putting up with me..and for being there for me, all these years! I love you!

Rainy Weather & Homemade Goodies...

It's been pretty rainy here lately. When the weather is like this I like to do nothing more than get all cozy,  catch up on laundry, make everything all tidy, light some candles and think of something yummy to make for dinner!

I was feeling some what domestic and adventurous today. I made homemade French bread! Yeppers, I sure did too! It was pretty easy, I don't usually eat white bread but I didn't have any wheat flour and it turned out dern good, if I don't say so myself!

In all of my cooking glory, wooden spoon, lazy eye and all..

Ok, so it may not look too much like French bread, but it sure tasted good!

The recipe made two loaves, I just froze the other one. That would be too many carbs for just the two of us! ;) I also made homemade Lasagna for dinner. Yikes..Oh well I am sure my husband is loving this. Normally it's just chicken and a veggie. I blame it on the weather. :)

So Its been a while...

I took a little while off from my blogging. I still kept up with all of the other lovely blog ladies that I read. Not that I have many readers, but I truly love to blog. It's a place where I can see my thoughts, because sometimes my thoughts are just jumbled all up in me. Blogging is a great way for me to just release. Take a breath...Ahh, that is better!

 So, to be honest with ahem..myself. These past few months has been a time of growing. Finding who I am. The kind of Woman that God wants me to be. My trust in Him, was tested. I am proud to say that I never once didn't feel the faithfulness of God. Even through all of it, He was so near. Through all of my tears and crying out to God for Him to change me and heal me. He heard every cry. He saw every tear.

To withhold this post from being or sounding sad. All of this to say, that God is so good! Whatever the situation or circumstance that we go through. He is and always will be God. God who comforts, who heals (thank you Jesus!), who loves. God who is greater than anything! God who, nothing even comes close to being impossible for. Remember the old song: "Our God is an Awesome God"- It's true! He is.

So there is my post, that in a nutshell, is where my heart has been hanging out these past few months. It feels good to be back.

Easter Blessings

Easter is this weekend, I truly am so excited for it! Easter is so special to me. As a kid I took the holiday for...a day off from school..bunnies...eggs, (by the way-who in the world came up with these things?? Bunnies for Easter? What do eggs have to do with bunnies? ha!) Anywhooly, I seriously used to get so excited for the holiday and my little basket that my mom would give us kids. Yes, she would even give us a little something like a new cd or something when we were even in highschool! Ha! I grew up in church and knew the story. Just never gave it too much thought.

I am so thankful for the Lord. The past few years, He has opened my heart, mind, and eyes to all that He is. There is still so much more that I know He wants to share with me. I am blessed this Easter, by Him. His son. His sacrifice, for me..and for you. Some say you never fully understand the love of the Father, until you have a child of your own. I believe this, and look forward to the day that I can fully understand.

I know how loving Jesus himself really was, through what was displayed on the cross. No one could ever go through what He did, without the love that He had for us. Jesus represents all that love consists of.

For this I am thankful, this Easter and every Easter for the rest of my life.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into to the world to condemn it, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:16-17

Free to Be Me

It has been a while, me not really feeling "my blog." I really want this NOT to be the place where I try to impress people who are reading, not like there actually are! Ha! That's ok. I want this to be an open journal, for me. I want to be able to look back a year from now and see how things have changed. I love looking back and seeing what was important to me then and how things have changed now. The posts will continue to be random, kind of like me. My passions in life are: my relationship with the one whom I will spend eternity, God. My marriage. I want to keep learning how to be a better wife. I want to love my husband the way that he deserves. My need for a creative outlet, decorating my home. I love to decorate and do DIY projects around the house! It may not be magazine worthy, but it's Melanie worthy. Ha! I work with what I got!

That's me. I will write whatever I feel like at the moment. :)

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We have been cat free for a week now and I am still doing a happy dance! She is living with my mother in law, very happily. I am so glad. I love animals. Cats too, I just don't like living with them. I am more of a dog person. My Maggie, I love her...she was just not being too nice to the kitty. So no more litter box for me! Which is the way that life should be lived as far as I am concerned!

We just started a new series in church about the second coming. I love it! I have always found this topic so interesting. As a kid, Revelations was like the one book that I would read in the Bible over and over. Scared to death after reading it, each time! I love that our pastor is teaching on this. This life is just a short path that gets us to be closer with Him. The Bible says that we will work beside Him! We will see him face to face!  I want to live this life only in a way that Glorifies Him. That is why we are here. My life I give to you God. I am open. Have your way, Lord.

Why do I love Spring?

I am so ready for Spring! As I get older, I notice that I am becoming more aware of the seasons, becoming more appreciative of them. Most people around here can't wait for the cold weather. I on the other hand, love and adore Spring! A time when new life is evident, when all of the ugly trees start budding again, grass is actually green, and the weather is perfect to take a picnic on. Yes, I do love Spring! Here are some other reasons why I love Spring time...

I want to start wearing more dresses..I love this one from Mod Cloth..Super Cute!

Some say I have an obsession with bags/purses...Look at it though???

I wants to have it...from Anthropologie..

Spring, you can come super fast, if you'd like!

Sock Hoppin'

This past weekend a good friend of ours celebrated a birthday. Instead of a traditional party she had a costume party. I love this idea! What a great excuse to have a ton of fun and dress up! You could pick any era, and because I love the whole "sock hop" days, it was easy for me to get excited! So I don't forget what we both looked like..pictures.

I don't think I could have put anymore makeup on! ;)

The hubs was such a good sport..as well as the most handsome Greaser! This picture makes me look like I am missing an arm.

I had to throw in a pic of Maggie. Love those ears!