And the Book Goes To...

Everyone who left a comment will be receiving a copy of this sweet book!  Yep, how fun is that?

Hugs,

Melissa

P.S.  Miss E Laneous, if you do not mind, please email me your address at malehman@me.com.  I will pop your book in the mail. Thanks!

Morning Sounds of the Farm Variety

My friend Anna Marie Miller from up in the high hills of Wisconsin recently illustrated a children's book!  

Morning Sounds on the Farm is a precious book with the most cozy and inviting black and white illustrations that I have ever seen.  It is the kind of book that you can curl right up with your brood and read together.  Our little reader considers it one of her favorites.

Would you like a copy for your home library?  If so, please drop me a note in the comment section by Thursday, February 23, and a winner will be randomly selected on Friday, February 24.  This giveaway is open to everyone, even our international friends!

Wouldn't you love to put your child's name on this adorably illustrated page?

If you just can't wait and you want to purchase a copy of Morning Sounds on the Farm please email me at malehman@me.com to order your copy.  Each book is $7 (this includes domestic shipping through the USPS).  Sorry, international orders can not be accepted at this time.  

Hugs, 

Melissa

I Want to Have Tea and Crumpets with Caryn Franklin

Caryn Franklin is a fashion-forward icon.  She has revolutionized the fashion industry with her love of real fashion for real women of all shapes, sizes and stations of life.   

In a recent debate on whether 'Fashion is Elitist', Caryn stated, 'Of course women feel excluded when their bodies aren’t taken into consideration…that is in itself elitist, but don’t get me started.'

Amen, sister!

Photo credit- Jane Stockdale

My dream would be to have Caryn be my personal fashion consultant for like, ever.  But, until then, I will continue to seek her fabulous fashion advice via her website Caryn Franklin's How to Look Good. Com.  And I will enjoy every minute of it. 

Here is a great video with some real fashion advice from Caryn:

Hugs, 

Melissa

She's a Reader!

 Our youngest monkey girl has really hit her stride in reading these days.

She especially enjoys reading to her little brother.

She also enjoys wearing her pajamas all day long and eating spoonfuls of sugar from the pantry on the sly.

All that reading makes her extra, super smart.  All that sugar makes her extra, super sweet.

Hugs,

Melissa

Moody Blues

Alert!  The following post is a bummer.

If you are looking for a few laughs or smiles, well this post is devoid of either.  Consider yourself warned.  

Oh, and there is hormone talk going on here too.  And you might read words like "ovulation" and "menstruation". Just sayin.

I am blue again.  Yes, again! 

Lately, I have been up and down like a roller coaster.  What the heck!  Seriously, what the heck?

I used to just be moody or blue during the week before my period, but that has all changed. Now I am depressed before my period and when I am ovulating.  So, for two solid weeks out of the month, I am just so down.  That's half the month!  

What is going on?  I just hate feeling this way.  It stinks!  

I want to be the old "me" again, not this half on / half off person.  So, what to do?

My thyroid levels appear to be normal, so that's good.  Is there other testing that can be done to help determine if all of my hormonal levels are okay?  

I have been tempted to make an appointment at Woman to Woman Health Care Clinic because they specialize in women's healthcare, but they are all the way in Maine so it seems like a stretch to me. 

Ah, well, sometimes it helps to just vent a bit.  I know that this too shall pass. At least I hope it will.

Hugs, 

Melissa

Sunshine and Lollypops

Our oldest monkey girl has a love for photography.  She is pretty amazing behind the lens if you ask me.  Of course, I am extremely biased because she is my sunshine.  Actually, she is one of my six sunshines (seven if you count Music Man, who is actually more like my solar flare).

So, for Christmas we found a great portrait lens for our dear girl, and she has been practicing with it.  If you ask me, she has some great subject matter to photograph right here in this family.  There are all kinds of sunshines and lollypops to work with right under this roof.

Here is a photo that she took yesterday of our youngest monkey girl:

This picture makes my heart leap!  It really captures the essence of our little one. I have titled it, "Little Miss Sunshine".  

Thank you big sister!  You are indeed our sunshine!

Hugs, 

Melissa (Mom)

Not Morning People

None of us in this here family of eight are morning people.  Not one.  What are the chances in a family this size of that happening?  Well you know what they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree.  And the only apples falling around here before 8 AM, are rotten apples.

So, in order to get our day off to a decent start, we have breakfast together.  As we sit around the table eating our Wheaties, we try to remember to smile at each other and have a brief family devotion time.  Sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get everyone on board with the breakfast / devotion plan, but most mornings we manage to enjoy our time together.

A few years ago, we were inspired by some friends of ours (thanks David and Shannon!) who pray daily for various missionaries and family members that they know and love. This family has a basket full of names that they pull from each day. What a great way to start the day!

We decided to incorporate this idea into our family devotion time as much as possible.  We have a basket that contains Christmas cards, prayer letters, and other reminders of our friends and family members near and far.  Each day we pick out a few families or individuals to pray for.  It has been a great journey thus far and we feel blessed to be able to pray for and with those we love.

Hugs,

Melissa

Wedded Bliss!

Our sweet friends, Ted and Nikayla, were married this past weekend.  We wanted to give them a thoughtful gift.  Something that they would hopefully treasure.

We thought about how important it is to have good communication with your spouse on a daily basis.  However, with the busyness of life, sometimes communication goes by the wayside or down the tubes.  So, it made sense to fashion a little mailbox for them.  They can use the mailbox to "send" each other love notes and other mushy stuff.

The fun part is that the covering on the mailbox is recycled from Ted and Nikayla's wedding invitation.  Fun, huh?

We hope that they enjoy many blessed years ahead with each other and their mailbox ;-).

Hugs,

Melissa

All In A Day's Work

Being a little monkey is hard work. Each day has its tasks.

 

There are chicks to see. 

 Errands to run.

Business negotiations to make.

"Planes" to catch.

 Power naps to take.

Fires to put out.

Lunch meetings to take.

Training seminars to attend.

Wow!  All work and no play.  What's a monkey to do?

Hugs,

Melissa