The Blue House Blog

Michael and Katie.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:31:00 +0000

Be warned: once you give this kid a piggyback ride, she's gonna want you to give her piggyback rides all the time.

And if you give her a piggyback ride, she'll want you to spin her around.

And if you spin her around, you should be prepared to spin her around super fast.

I don't think he minds at all; he gets climbed on by kids everywhere he goes so he's used to being a Human Jungle Gym. But I get the feeling this kid is one of his favorites.

And I think she sort of likes him too. Piggyback rides are her love language, after all.

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My Life in Cell Phone Pictures BLoG CaRNiVaL

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:30:00 +0000

I did my first My Life in Cell Phone Pictures blog post way back in 2010. It was one of my favorite blog ideas.

I think cell phone pictures are the most accurate, unscripted picture of what's going on in life. And sometimes the things we find to take pictures of with our cell phones are just darn interesting or funny.

So with that in mind, I think it would be fun to create a BLoG CaRNiVaL so we can ALL share our favorite cell phone pictures each week! So join me each Friday and show me your life in cell phone pics! Look for the Mr. Linky coming soon...

~~~~~

My last picture of our old apartment on moving day. I don't even miss this place; hard to believe since I was SOOO incredibly excited about moving here last December. Apartment living loses its appeal quickly...

The first room to be totally TOGETHER at our new place... the girls' bedroom! I LOVE this room! Don't you just want to sit on the floor and play Barbies?!

Art class at Jan's Art Academy. Katie has always been the artist, but this semester its Annie's turn. I love Jan, but mostly I love the endless supply of free art with which to decorate ....

This new family I married into is *THE BOMB.* Case in point... text from one of my new sisters-in-law... I just love these people who have adopted my kids as their own and make them homemade scarves and bracelets and such. Annie has worn her scarf DAILY, by the way....

My sister dropped off two tubs of clothes.

Two tubs of.... MATERNITY clothes.

I think she's trying to send me some sort of signal.... if only I could figure out what it is she wants from me... hmmm. If you have any ideas about what she's trying to tell me, let me know.

Saw this at the grocery store and had to take a picture of it for my hubby. Because we're mature like that and think stuff like this is funny.

Had a meeting at the high school last week. It was my first time to set foot in a high school in YEARS, and as soon as I passed the cafeteria I had the urge to pop and lock and jam and break out in High School Musical songs. But I didn't.

No. Really. I didn't, and if they say I did they're lying, OK?

My incredibly talented man and one of his projects. Never in a zillion years thought I'd see him ... wearing.... THESE.... but, yep, that there is his wedding ring on that ring finger.... and who knows, maybe you'll see a picture similar to this in a big magazine someday soon...

My (toothless) Annie waiting for her TOT performance.

My Katie during her TOT performance.... little legs like clappers in a bell.

The first of Annie's art from Jan's Art Academy.

Moving week antics. Who knew it could be so fun....

LOVE my new life, coming home to my perfect man reading to and/or playing with my kids. LOVE this.

Chicken enchiladas, BEST recipe ever. I'm sure I'll post it one of these days.

Pesto sauce at Sam's. I can make my own, you know.... just kidding. I can't (or don't). Inside joke that only one of my readers will understand. You know who you are. ;)

The built-in china hutch in our new (old) dining room makes a perfect stage for various Barbie pageants and parties. My kids were gone for the weekend when I took this picture, but the sight of their toys makes me ache for them when they're gone.

NOS. Why do I always have pictures of NOS in my cell phone? Perhaps I need more mental focus and energy. Perhaps I'm an addict....

Picture stolen from Facebook and texted to my hubby. He seems to think I'm the only woman who changes her mind... apparently there are others...?

Two years working in Gladewater, and I just visited Lake Gladewater for the first time. There's a LAKE here, people, with picnic tables and such. TWO MINUTES from my work. So WHY do I eat lunch at my desk or in my car so often?!??! So sad how much time I wasted not knowing about this place.

Random text from hubby. I always save the ones that make me smile. These are the messages we sent each other before and after our last lunch date. He clearly needs to get his eyes checked, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Speaking of hubby, his hair got a little long on top recently. I sent him this picture to show him that he was beginning to look a little like Jimmy Neutron.

He immediately got a haircut and sent me a picture of his rugged, dead sexy hotness with a fresh haircut. I LOVE the smoldering James Dean pose... that's him: Smoldering, like James Dean. And graying a little at the temples because he's distinguished.

My Honey Bear cooking dinner on the grill. And smiling. He always smiles when he cooks on the grill. Or when he's not cooking on the grill. He just pretty much always smiles. He IS Buddy the Elf, you know...

I passed this vehicle on the highway one day, and just KNEW there were Bad Guys inside, speaking in thick foreign accents and wreaking havoc somewhere in the world from a bank of computers in the back of this vehicle. It was just a feeling I had. This is no Soccer Mom ride, that's for sure.

The cookie bouquet I had delivered to Michael on our one month anniversary. They didn't have any cookies shaped like skulls, booty cheeks or whoopee cushions. I know because I asked. Sigh. I had to go with what they had, though it was so .... expected. Roses and champagne? Come on. How cheesy and boring. I'll try to be more creative on our next anniversary. Or at least not wait until the last minute to ask for cookies in the shape of skulls.

Sometimes God entertains me with spectacular scenery on my drive home from work.

Sometimes our Barbies meet with tragedy. Poor Tony. I didn't even discover his body until he had been floating there for HOURS.

Hubby gets to work around scenery like this all the time these days. He sends me pictures so I can ooh and ah too. I REALLY want to go back here and take pictures of my girls barefooted, in fancy dresses.

Our new (used) lawnmower that we were given. Thank you, Aunt Barbara. I LOVE having a lawn now, and needing our very own lawnmower. It feels so grown-up.

Our new (used) blower. And our glamorous yard crew.

The silly kids treated us to breakfast in bed last Saturday. Chocolate milk. Toast with nutella and Rice Krispies and peanuts pressed into the nutella. And Ritz crackers with nutella. And two Oreos. On a Winnie-the-Pooh plate.

It SEEMS sweet and all, but I think they might have been rebelling against the organic Steel Cut Oats and fresh-pressed carrot juice I've been known to make them eat for breakfast... like they were saying, "THIS is what breakfast SHOULD be..."

Our new (used) kitchen table and chairs. Which just so happen to be from Crate and Barrel. What a lucky find from Aunt Barbara's store! And please ignore the drill and whatnot in the window sill. We're still moving in and getting settled in our new (old) house... Oh, and Annie rearranged the furniture this way...

And last but not least....

Yeah, that says 'just kidding' in the window. Sorry, mom. {Ducking to avoid objects being thrown at me}
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{Happily Ever After} One Month.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Today we celebrate one month of wedded bliss.

Well, mostly bliss.

Ok, some bliss and some... Well, our marriage vows DID say for better or worse, darn those brutally honest marriage vows...

Living with another human being is just dang hard, ok?WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE WARN ME?!

I'm just kidding. Sort of. Other than some minor skirmishes over things like who gets to decide where to put the couch (um, hellooo... *I have a Bachelor's Degree from the University of HGTV with a minor in Divine Design...) it's been a great big ball of Happily Ever After.

We're figuring it all out as we go along. And learning to pick our battles and to ... submit.

{Because I want to, and not because you tell me to, Michael Taylor...}

And mostly, learning to be supremely grateful for a man who does unexpected things like cook breakfast for my children every single morning, help them with their homework every evening, and use his big strong muscles to fix stuff and move heavy things and keep the Boogie Man away every night so I don't get scared.

In the end, it really doesn't matter that the Feng Shui of our living room is all jacked up because the couch is in the wrong place; it only matters that I get to sit beside the man of my dreams on it.

The man of my dreams who needs to learn that his place is out in the yard and not inside decorating the living room.

I love you more than life itself, Mr. Taylor. Here's to Month Two of ~~Husband Training Boot Camp~~ Happily Ever After. ;-)

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She Likes to Move it Move it.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:20:00 +0000

Annie's got this.... fever.

Dance fever, that is.

She can't make her feet stand still.

She hears the beat, and she's just got to move.

And sometimes, even when there IS no beat, she's just got to be shakin' what her momma gave her.

She's got to boogie. Break it down. Cut a rug.

She can't help it.... no matter where she is, she feels the rhythm and she's got to move.

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The Swing.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0000

It was their favorite spot to sit, that creaky old swing that had long ago become a rusty relic from days gone by. Most evenings they sat side by side on that swing, THEIR swing, and watched leaves fall and basked in the peace that enveloped the lake. He kept his eyes on the movements of the fish; she kept her eyes on him. After decades of better and worse, richer and poorer, he was still the best thing that had ever happened to her.

The swing had been their first big purchase together back in the early days of counting pennies and clipping coupons in their first apartment, and hours innumerable had been spent in the swing together hatching big dreams, plotting weekend adventures, laughing at the children (long since grown), and snoozing on Sunday afternoons after church. The swing was rarely the spot for arguing -- though it had been known to happen occasionally, back in the early days -- but mostly, the swing was peace and comfort and love and home, and the petty troubles of those early days were long forgotten as only the happy memories remained.

The old couple sat and held hands, as was their tradition -- his hands now calloused and gnarled; hers spotted and frail. She pondered the rings they had exchanged so many years before, and it occurred to her that her beloved gold ring must be around a hundred years old by now; it had been his grandmother’s. His thin sterling silver band was worn smooth after so many decades, the inscription on the inside -- Joel 2:25 -- now indiscernible to the untrained eye. Joel 2:25: I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…

There was no better verse to sum up all that he was to her. She vaguely remembered the misery that her life had been before she met him, and thanked God again, as she had so many thousands of times before, for bringing him to her. He was truly God’s repayment for the years wasted; a blessing far more abundant than she ever could have asked for or imagined. She had had two small children when they met; he had had none… Until her two little girls had stolen his heart and become his. He raised them as his own; he was everything he never had to be to two little girls who needed him more than they knew, and it made the old couple’s hearts swell with pride to think of how the children had turned out exactly how they had hoped.

Their oldest, Charlotte, kind and introverted, still ran the veterinary practice she had built many years before; lively and fun Abigail had found her calling teaching kindergarten, and thrived on investing her life in the small children she taught.

And then there was Isaac, their surprise blessing who had come along unexpectedly, long after it made sense to have another baby, and, well… it was hard to keep up with Isaac. He had called the day before from Bali. Or was it Thailand? He had been a constant source of amusement and delight for the old couple as if he was destined to live up to his name, Isaac, meaning… laughter.

Laughter. It was what they had done best. As she thought back over the decades spent with this man by her side, she knew that it hadn’t all been perfect by any means; there had been better and worse, richer and poorer, at times a little too much of the ‘poorer’ and not enough of the ‘richer’ to suit them. There had been tumultuous years of testing, as happens in every family, but was the laughter that had made life so sweet and the difficult times forgettable. Through it all, he had never stopped making her laugh.

She squeezed his hand, sighed contentedly, and basked in the peace that enveloped the lake.

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Sixteen.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:30:00 +0000

I've mentioned before how most days, I try to read the Psalms and the Proverbs that correspond to that date.

I'll be honest... I don't do it every day. Like the seasons and the days of the week and everything else in life, my resolve goes in cycles. Spurts. Ups and downs. Something like that.

But today... today, all is not perfect ( I won't go into details) and I don't mean to complain; its mostly perfect, just not 100% perfect, and before you hit me for whining about how my life is only 99% perfect and I WANT THAT EXTRA 1%, DADGUMMIT, its just one of those days when I'm focusing on one of the Three Big Unchangeable Things that Make Me Unhappy and I need an infusion of God's word. Its been a few days... I'll be honest. I left my desk and went somewhere I could hide and opened my iPhone Bible App to Psalm 16. Because today is the 16th. Duh.

I came across this verse:
These verses are particularly meaningful to me because once upon a time on the 16th day of the month, my portion and my lot was assigned and the boundary lines fell in pleasant places. I won't go into details, but my friends know what I'm talkin' about.

Today, I just needed that reminder that what the Lord promised me then is still true. It's been true for the past two years: the boundary lines, they're in pleasant places for me. Then, now, and in the future.

And it will all work out ok.

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6, NIV.

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{Our New House} The Laundry Room.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

We moved into our new (old) house last week, and we still don't have Internet access.

I have SO many blog posts to write {HELLO, wedding pictures! Christmas! NEW HOUSE!}, but hammering all that out with my thumbs on tiny iPhone screen really doesn't appeal, so until the blasted cable company decides to hook me up with some Internet, you get THIS. And you'll LIKE it.

My laundry room. It ain't exciting, but it's one of TWO ROOMS in our new (old) house that are entirely DONE.

I love all the space. And the storage. And, why yes, one of those cabinets IS a fold-down ironing board! Isn't that just the cutest, quaintest, "just like Grandma's house" thing???
The washer and dryer came from Don's TV, and the stained glass came from an old church that was being torn down. I believe it's an Alpha (Michael thinks it's just a Gothic Arch.... silly Michael). I like to think that somewhere in the world is it's long-lost Omega and it would be THE COOLEST if someday I found it.

I do love old things that have a story... especially when its a God Story... God IS, after all, the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who was and is and is to come.

If only I had as much faith in the cable company.
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{Happily Ever After} Week Two.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:37:00 +0000

I've been happily married for two whole weeks now to the man of my dreams...

Two weeks that have passed in a happy and chaotic blur of holidays and packing and moving and laughing and making memories.

Michael made me laugh at least 100 times today, and after the hundredth time all I could think was, "I never want this to end." I want the laughing and the happy and the chaos of the last two weeks to last forever.

Ruth Graham, late wife of Billy, said it best (Ruth always said it best!)...

Never let it end, God,
Never--please--
All this growing loveliness,
All of these
Brief moments of
Fresh pleasure--
Never let it end.
Let us always
Be a little breathless
At love's beauty;
Never let us pause to reason
From a sense of duty;
Never let us
Stop to measure
Just how much to give;
Never let us
Stop to weigh love;
Let us live--
And live!
Please, God,
Let our hearts kneel always,
Love their only master,
Knowing the warm impulsiveness
Of shattered alabaster:
I know You can see things
The way a new bride sees,
So
Never let it end, God,
Never--please.

The Tale of the Traveling Chairs.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Once upon a time, ten (or so) years ago, I bought some chairs.

I thought they were the most beautiful chairs I had ever seen. Well, naturally; I designed them, picked out the red floral and plaid fabric myself and had them custom made to match my red denim couch.

They fit perfectly in the little 1940's cottage with hardwood floors that we lived in at the time.

A few years later, we sold the cottage and moved down the street to the Blue House.

We took the chairs with us, where they fit perfectly in our sunroom.

A year ago, when I moved out of the Blue House, I brought the chairs with me to my new apartment. They fit perfectly.

Once upon a time, ten (or so) years ago, Michael built a house.

He thought it was the most beautiful house he'd ever seen. Well, naturally; he designed it, picked out the materials himself and had it custom built to be his home.

He did tons of the work himself. It fit him perfectly.

A few years later, he moved out of the house, to an apartment and then another apartment and then married me and moved into MY apartment. My apartment, which fit me and my two girls perfectly, was suddenly WAY TOO SMALL for four of us, and some of my furniture had to go.

I sold my pretty chairs to his Aunt Barbara's furniture consignment store. It didn't take long; someone snapped up my chairs and took them home to their house.

Their house... on Lake Hawkins.

Their house... The Castle... on Lake Hawkins.

The house.... that Michael built.

The chairs that were once mine now live in the house that was once Michael's.

Is that cool, or what?

The Best of 2011. Part One.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:38:00 +0000

Its a new year! Woohoo!!

And in honor of the new year, I decided to read back through my blog posts from 2011 and pick my favorites.

What a roller coaster of a year its been, with the most extreme highs and the lowest of the lows.

But thankfully the bad stuff is but a distant memory from a year now past, and 2011 has shaped up to be the best year of my life. Jesse was born this year. Annie's brain tumor measured smaller this year. And, I married the love of my life this year. I love 2011.

JANUARY

My first blog post of 2011, and one of my favorites all year, was about... this guy. I think my high school English teacher, Mrs. Whitman, would have called that.... foreshadowing.

We had met a few months earlier in Sunday School and by January I had flipped out over him.... a little. Sometimes. When he acted right.

Oh, who am I kidding? He was my goal. We've come SO FAR since the day I wrote that blog post... I just thought I loved him then.

Click here to see where my Happily Ever After began.

FEBRUARY

I guess I was feeling introspective in February; I wrote TEN deep, heavy blog posts that month.

I didn't like going back and re-reading them. It was not a good month, apparently.

This one about Mini Breakfast Pizzas, however, was fun. I love cooking posts.

MARCH

This post about Crimson Stains and Unhealed Wounds was one of my faves, because 2011 was about continuing to heal from the past, and to make a new life for myself. And what a life it has become.

Secondly, probably my most popular recipe of all time, this one about Hawaiian Cajun French Toast. Everyone loves this recipe, and if you haven't tried it yet, you MUST. That's all.

APRIL

April was painfully difficult to relive because, though I didn't advertise on the blog what was going on in my world at that time, *I remember.

But then some of my happiest blog posts happened in April, like when Annie claimed she was in love with Michael and wanted to marry him.

And my baby Jesse.

And April brought out the best (or was it worst?) of my snark. Writing THIS blog post about the Seven Things that Annoy Me Most was about THE most fun I've ever had. I think its about time for a Part Two...

To Be Continued....

Pasta Shrimp with Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:04:00 +0000

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I was a waitress at an overpriced steakhouse where I had to wear a tie with my button-down oxford shirt.

For a naive girl straight out of the sheltered environment of a Baptist University, it was quite the eye-opening learning experience.

I learned , for instance, that businessmen staying at the hotel next door, when they ask about "what there is to do in this town," aren't really interested in the zoo or the rose garden.

I learned not to ask another waiter to keep an eye on my tip money. It's like asking a dog to keep an eye on your food.

I learned that waiters can, and will, spit in your food. For realz. Be nice to your waiter.

And perhaps most important of all the life's lessons learned during my days as a waitress, I learned how to make Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

So a few days ago, as we were wondering what we should cook for dinner, it came to me: we had all the makings for Pasta Shrimp with Alfredo Sauce. Yum.

Alfredo Sauce only has three basic ingredients: Butter, Cream, and Parmesan Cheese. Pretend with me that the Half and Half pictured is really cream, 'cause I was working with what I had, ok?

And if you're a cheese snob you can use REAL Parmesan Cheese, and grate it yourself, if you insist, but ..... the stuff in the green can is what I had.

SO. Here are the super-complicated directions: melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan; stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream; whisk in 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. See? Complex. You can always add some minced garlic and freshly ground pepper if you feel up to taking it to the next level.

AND, you can double or triple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd, but its always equal parts butter, cream, and parmesan. I was just jokin' about this being complex...

So while you've got that going on in your saucepan, force your five-year-old to peel and devein the shrimp. It builds character, and besides, I don't really want MY hands to smell like that. Yeah, I'm all about selfless parenting.

Michael helped a little. OK, well... the truth is, we divided up into teams and Michael and Annie drew the short straw and had to fix the main course while Katie and I got to make the Christmas Cookies. *Pictures of THOSE coming later.

After your shrimp is peeled, toss them into your bubbling butter/cream/parmesan mixture (otherwise known as Alfredo Sauce) and keep it cooking until the shrimp are no longer raw. Unless you like your shrimp rare, but I don't recommend that.

Cooking ALWAYS earns the Annie Face because cooking is WAY fun. She's boiling the pasta according to the directions on the box, because she's in kindergarten now and can read things like directions on pasta boxes.

Drain the pasta, then put it back in the pot and pour your shrimpy Alfredo goodness on top and stir it all together.

Serves four, if your kids will share. Mine knocked us out of the way, punched us in the throat, and ate it all themselves because its THAT GOOD. Hope you have better luck at your house.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound pasta, such as fettucine or linguine
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
pepper to taste (optional)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in heavy cream; whisk in parmesan cheese, garlic, and pepper.
3. Add shrimp to saucepan and cook until shrimp are pink and no longer translucent.
4. Pour shrimp/sauce mixture over pasta and toss until evenly distributed.

{BaBy LoVe} Eleven Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:41:00 +0000

Yes, there was a fabulous, thrilling, whirlwind, sparks-flying, life changing wedding event this weekend.

And then there was Christmas.

I'm DYING to post pictures of both fabulous, thrilling, whirlwind, sparks-flying, life changing events, and will ASAP as soon as my Delicious Honey Muffin gets my pictures edited into a form I can post on the blog. But meanwhile... my baby nephew is eleven months old , and since I've been ever-so-slightly cotton-headed what with all the whirlwind of life-changing events going on.... I forgot about his monthly blog post.

And so I thought I'd post one of my favorite pictures from my wedding... my gorgeous Super Model sister, and my adorable baby Jesse.

This is just ONE of my Wedding and Christmas pictures, mind you... more coming SOON...

The Ones I Love...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:34:00 +0000

I Must Have Been An Awfully Good Girl This Year...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:28:00 +0000

...because Santa brought me THIS.

I married the man of my dreams on Christmas Eve.

Its been the best Christmas ever... the first day of my Happily Ever After.

Love, Mrs. Michael Taylor.

{Wedding Countdown} ONE! MORE! DAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Tomorrow, I'll become Mrs. Michael Taylor.

And I can't wait.

I haven't slept all week... remember that Disney World commercial where the kid says, "I'm too excited to sleep!" Yeah... that's how I feel. Only this is better than a trip to Disney World.

Our last week as single people consisted of...

*Choosing a ring for Michael. It's the James Avery Crown of Thorns ring, and I LOVE it. He's been wearing it all week, silly guy.

*Finding gold shoes to match the girls' dresses.

*Returning dresses. I returned the fancy ones and kept the simple ones. In the end, though the fancy ones were BEAUTIFUL, they just weren't ... me. They were uncomfortable and restricting and those are two things I just don't want on my wedding day.

*A Girls Night Out with my closet friends last night to celebrate. They gave me gifts in small pink striped packages {blushing}....

*And so much more big excitement I wish I could share here but, alas... I have to keep it to myself.

Pictures to come later. :)

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And the Bride Wore.... Bacon?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Some of my silliest friends totally hijacked my Facebook wall yesterday.

Oh, it all started innocently enough; one friend posted some roses made of bacon on my Facebook wall and suggested I carry those in my wedding.

I have NO IDEA why.... probably on account of how, ahem, Michael and I cook with bacon so much and post the recipes on the blog.

Blink Blink.

Well, that's MY story and I'm stickin' to it.

So anyhow, that one innocent, harmless picture led to a bacon-posting free-for-all in which my 'friends' attempted to help me plan a whole bacon-themed wedding and bombarded me with 3,072 Facebook notifications along those lines.

And I'll be honest, I wasn't too terribly opposed to the idea, seeing as how I do find bacon to be the most sensual of the salted, cured meats.

And, because Everything goes better with BACON, a fact which looks quite elegant emblazoned upon this lovely bacon cake:

Of course, the above cake would be perfect for the Groom's cake if you wanted something more traditional for the Bride's cake... like this one:

For the toast, did you know there are Bacon Martinis? I had NO IDEA!

Of course, weddings are all about THE DRESS. Why not a bacon dress? If not for the bride, think how STUNNING your bridesmaids would be in this little number...

You know how brides always con their bridesmaids into shelling out WAY too much money for a high-dollar bridesmaid dress with the famous lie, "YOU CAN HAVE IT ALTERED AND WEAR IT AGAIN AFTER THE WEDDING!" Uh, yeah... Well, with this one you TOTALLY could. PERFECT for church!

Even Garfield knows the appeal of the bacon dress...

And naturally, your bridesmaids will need matching bacon shoes.

And perhaps this stunning purse to match... (I'm thinking sweet gift from the bride at the bridesmaids luncheon?)

With this tucked inside, of course...

And always, always.... your nails should match your purse and shoes... that's just good etiquette you should know if your momma raised you right.

Let's not forget about a dashing suit for the sharp-dressed groom....

Or your ring-bearer...

Your flower girls will need some hair accessories:

For the honeymoon? OK, maybe for after the honeymoon is over....

For any future bambinos that are sure to come along...

So there you have it. My only regret is that I didn't have longer to plan a little bacon into my OWN wedding.

...Just as long as I have as much bacon as possible AFTER the wedding... ;)

Four Silly, Frivolous Ways I'm a Total Girl in Spite of My Best Efforts at Being Frugal, Sensible, and Practical: Wedding Edition.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:58:00 +0000

1. I got my ring sized to fit. Its gorgeous and sparkly. I LOVE *accidentally* showing it off ~ like when I'm driving, I put my hands on the steering wheel with my fingers *just so* so the drivers in the next lane can gawk at the bling on my left hand, because I know they have to be staring, and of course, I talk with my hands a whole lot more ~ But I love it most of all, not because its so sparkly and beautiful, but because it was Grandma's.

NO, that's not true: I love it most of all because it means I get to marry Michael. Boo yah.

2. With my new knives I'm marrying into, aka Michael's really good knives that he brought over to my house, I sliced the {Pound Sign Question Mark Star Exclamation Point} out of my left thumb. I'm not used to sharp knives, ok? It slipped RIGHT THROUGH that enormous carrot like butter, straight through some vessels and ligaments and whatnot until the blood flowed profusely.

It was a multiple-bandaid-soaker.

I almost passed out from the pain... and I"m not a "passing out from pain" kinda girl.

And my first thought was, "DANGIT! I HOPE THIS BLOOD-SOAKED BANDAID DOESN'T SHOW IN MY WEDDING PICTURES!"

Followed closely by, "When I have my nails done for the wedding, will they be able to work around this section of my thumb hanging by a thread to do the thumbnail on my left hand? Will the nail lady be creeped out when she sees vessels and ligaments and whatnot inside my thumb?"

And then, "DANG THIS INCONVENIENT BANDAID THAT RUINS THE LOOKS OF MY LEFT HAND!"

But I should have known better. I CANNOT cook without somehow incurring flesh wounds. Bandaids are a staple in my kitchen. Perhaps I should lay off the cooking until after the wedding....

3. (DO NOT READ THIS, MICHAEL TAYLOR). I've bought a total of FIVE dresses. FIVE. I returned two of them. I'm still deciding between the other three. I'm keeping two of them for sure, because I can wear them again to church whether or not I wear them in my wedding, and they were on sale for half price, by gosh... but the other one is fancy.

I KNOW, in my HEAD, that for a wedding at home, at noon on a Saturday, I don't NEED a fancy dress. Hush, Michael Taylor. I told you not to read this.

At least that's what Dave Ramsey is sitting on my left shoulder and whispering into my ear.

But too bad for Dave, I have my inner 42-Pieces-of-Flair-Annie sitting on the OTHER shoulder whispering, "Buy the FANCY dress. Wear BLING. Be GLAMOUROUS....."

I'm torn between the two.

BUT. Dave will be so proud to know, I did return the $340 BCBG dress I bought first (in my defense, it was on sale, and I TOLD YOU NOT TO READ THIS, MICHAEL TAYLOR).

It hurt me a little to return it; man, was it gorgeous. And flattering. And red. Perfect for a Christmas wedding. Sigh. POO on maturity and responsibility and Dave Ramsey.
In the end I know I'll choose the $35 dress I bought at the mall (half price) and return the fancy one. And it won't matter one bit because nobody will care what I wear. And I don't want to hear one word about it, Michael Taylor, because I told you not to read this...

4. I ordered a cake. I am SO very excited about it..... if you want to see some fun stuff, google Christmas Wedding Cakes. It makes me all giddy thinking about it.

~~~~~

And in the mature, responsible, sensible column: There will be no flowers. No invitations. No professional photographer or videographer. I think back with horror at what I made my poor dad shell out for my first overblown, ridiculous, waste-of-money ceremony with the silk dress and the long gloves. Sheesh. And how did it all end?

Expensive silk dress with a zillion silk-covered buttons down the back: given to Goodwill when I moved out of the Blue House, December 2010. I prayed it would be a blessing to some young bride who would be thrilled to find a gorgeous silk dress at Goodwill.

$1,000 formal portrait of me in said expensive dress: gathering dust in the back of a closet somewhere at my parents' house. Never again will I look THAT good, so I wasn't willing to throw away the proof.

Large leather-bound wedding album: tucked away in a Rubbermaid tub; my kids might want it someday.

The shoes? The gloves? The bouquet? Trashed, years ago. Money flushed down the drain.

So my next wedding will have NONE of that nonsense. Just me in a $35 dress, with my handsome, perfect groom in jeans, my two happy, smiling girls who are THRILLED to be getting MICHAEL for a step-dad, and our families.

All the things that matter most. Sparkly ring and wedding cake are just a bonus.

Fifteen Great Things About This Week.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:21:00 +0000

1. Our elves, Paloola and Earl, who are STILL up to mischief most nights... and making messes.

2. One morning this week we woke up to find that they had decorated the girls' doorway with paper chains and paper snowflakes.

This was the view from the girls room. Those silly elves!

3. A kid who is still young enough to wear Christmas attire and like it.

4. Annie's sassy attitude when she knows she's cute.

5. Cozy, warm boots when its cold outside.

6. Our Don Juan's tradition.

7. Our friends who meet us at Don Juan's.

8. Walking a block to the fountain on the downtown square with our friends after we eat at Don Juan's.

9. The Christmas decor downtown on the square (it was Pajama Day in Annie's class that day, FYI).

10. The Christmas program at the kids' school.

11. Annie's Christmas wreath costume for her Christmas program.

12. Annie getting to perform on the stage at Caldwell Auditorium.

13. Text messages from Michael.

14. Text messages from Michael in which he calls me his camel water. Or the water for his camels. Or sometimes, when he's feeling extra sassy, "You water my camels, baby."

He knows how to make a girl weak in the knees....

But for those of you who don't get it, that reference came about one Wednesday night at Bible study when our pastor was telling the story of Isaac and Rebecca and how they knew she was The One for Isaac when she offered to bring water not only for his servant but for his camels as well. And there were deep, meaningful lessons to be learned from that, but that's enough background for now.

15. Finally finding a man who is just geeky enough to talk Bible stories with me. And the fact that we both know what that means, and that I love his text messages calling me Camel Water, is yet one more sign that he was made for me.

And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

~Genesis 24:19

Bye Bye, Bachelor Pad.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Michael spent his day cleaning out the last of the stuff out of his apartment. And yes, its the mirror image of my apartment, if you remember.

His kitchen now looks like this....

...because mine looks like this.

I'm so excited about all the new kitchen utensils I'm marrying into (SHARP KNIVES. OH YEAH, BABY.) and combined, we have 16 gallons of olive oil, 38 pounds of flour, and enough paper towels to send a few rolls off to college with Katie Beth in 2019.

But I get Michael, and the rest of that stuff is just one more perk.

{Wedding Countdown} Two Weeks To Go.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:15:00 +0000

Michael moved most of the contents of his apartment over to mine this week.

He's basically homeless for the next 13 nights; he'll be alternating between staying with a friend and staying at his parents' place until we get married.

But during the non-sleeping hours, he's here. And I love it. Its the simple things like having his desk right here beside mine, where he can sit and read a photography magazine while I write a blog post, that make my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

We got our first wedding gift this week.

I wasn't expecting wedding gifts, and if anyone had asked I would have said DON'T GET US A WEDDING GIFT; EVERYBODY IS DANG BROKE THIS TIME OF YEAR! but.... we have generous people who love us, it seems.

And I'll be honest... I was positively giddy about getting a wedding gift. And it was just what we needed.

This is the view over my loft balcony... Michael... the Christmas tree... a fire... stockings hung by the chimney... and all is right in my world. This IS, without a doubt, the most wonderful time of the year.

On a sad note, Michael's grandmother passed away this week. She was an amazing Proverbs 31 Woman who was loved by everyone who knew her.

She was a seamstress, and loved sewing nightgowns for everyone. You couldn't meet Grandma without her giving you a nightgown or twelve, and when she found out I work for Truman W. Smith Children's Care Center, she made it her mission to sew nightgowns for all of our disabled children.

Nightgowns... by the gazillions. She often called me at work to ask about what we needed, sizes, quantities, etcetera. The last time I saw Grandma I had gone by her house to pick up gowns, and she stuffed my car with over 200 nightgowns she had made for our kids. In my most humble opinion, there is no person more admirable than one who does acts of service that will never be noticed, for those who can never do anything for them in return. I loved Grandma, and I'll miss her.

Her memorial service was today, and it was a nice celebration of her life... and I got to meet Michael's extended family at the memorial service, then afterwards at dinner at his cousin's house. I loved meeting his family... it was clear they all love and enjoy each other.

All of the cousins and cousins-in-law: me, Michael, Zech, Roger, Robert, Scott, Karen, Jennifer, Robin, Lysa, and Wende. I can't wait to get to know all of these people better.

My kids are pumped about this wedding, and that makes me so incredibly happy. Believe me when I say if they weren't, I would not be doing this. In the 13-week Divorce Care Bible Study I went through last year, one fact that stuck with me was how 76% of second marriages end in divorce, and those divorces are almost always because of the children. Gah.... how horrific.

All that to say... my friend Jennifer texted me this week to say that she talked to Katie Beth at school, and Katie Beth told her that she and Annie are more excited about this wedding than their mom is.

I really, truly, could not ask for more. God has blessed me abundantly.

Twenty Great Things About This Week.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:51:00 +0000

1. Well, NATURALLY I have to start with the new bling on my left ring finger. And by 'new' I mean 'heirloom'... Michael gave me his grandmother's wedding ring, in case I failed to mention that until everyone within earshot is sick of hearing it.

No, that's not the best picture of it, but its the first one I snapped with my cell phone in his truck that night so it's my favorite.

2. Annie's 42 pieces of flair. She CANNOT get herself dressed without layering on the accessories. And I love it.

3. Christmas shopping with Michael and my girls.

4. Conversations with my girls about the upcoming marriage... Katie: "When you get married, is Michael gonna live here?" Me: "Yes..." Katie, wheels turning: "But..... where is he gonna sleep?" (I knew what she was thinking... we have two bedrooms; one is ours... one is mom's.... sooooo.....) I answered: "Well, we'll be married, so he'll sleep with me." I think she was more than a little disappointed we weren't going to put a third twin bed in their room for Michael.

5. Picking out a real live Christmas tree with Michael and my girls.

6. Katie Beth asking Michael to help her with her homework. Michael. Not me. She didn't ask ME, her MOM, to help her with her homework. She asked MICHAEL.

7. Michael getting down on the floor to help a ten-year-old with her homework. I love that man.

8. Earl, the new Elf that Santa sent down Michael's chimney. He's quite often at OUR house making mischief with our elf, Paloola.

9. Taking the Elves to church, because if ANYONE needs a Holy Spirit experience, its these two. They need Jesus in their heart, for realz. They are bad, people.

10. The Elves turning up just about everywhere.

11. Katie Beth's phenomenal art. She is one talented girl.

12. Katie's art class at Jan's Art Academy. She's done amazing things in there with the help of Mrs. Jan.

13. Did I mention Katie Beth's phenomenal art? I'd love to wallpaper my apartment in it.

14. I got to witness my first Smak Down this week. Oh, I've seen evening volleyball, but it was a nothing compared to the display of testosterone I witnessed at Marvin Methodist Church today.

15. Shopping with my future hubby, even with the backseat driving and snarky comments about my driving like a woman.... it was still fun.

Fun enough to commit to 40 more years of snarky comments about my driving. I think. Though he did come dangerously close to having a pillow pressed down over his face today for the comments about my driving, if only I'd had a pillow available in the car. Luckily for him I did not.

16. Having a handsome man around to carry my bags for me.

17. Michael perusing the Barbie asile at Target for Christmas gifts for two little girls.

18. Michael leaving Target with THIS MANY little girl toys. I daresay it was the first time he'd left Target with quite so many so I had to document the occasion for posterity.

19. And did I mention... my new bling? Yeah.... Michael gave it to me.

20. Last but not least, sold and closed on the Blue House today. I'm praying that the Blue House will be a blessing to its new owners and that they'll experience only love and happy memories there. And what perfect timing, to close that chapter in my life as this new chapter begins...

I have to say... best week of my life. Hands down. Thank you Lord for all the ways you've blessed me....

{Wedding Countdown} Eighteen Days.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Today, eighteen days before we get married,

Michael started packing. He took down all his wall decor and started the process of separating out what's coming with him and what isn't.

I cleaned out half of my closet. Half of my twelve by eight foot walk-in closet. Yes. I gave him half. Of my closet. Marriage is all about sacrifice, after all.

We went shopping for wedding attire. If I had my way, we'd do this thing at the courthouse in jeans or scrubs or whatever I wore to work that day, at least that's how I felt at first, but .... I've sort of gotten swept up in the moment. Caught the fancy dress fever. I blame Jennifer.

I found a dress. I'm pretty sure its THE ONE. And I'm giddy excited about it.

Michael found a shirt. And if you think he's not gonna look super fly and dead sexy in it, think again.

I'm Engaged and its Going to be the Best Christmas Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:22:00 +0000

I can't stop smiling. Do you recognize this Elf family?

The man of my dreams... the one God created just for me and my girls... asked me to marry him.

He gave me his grandmother's wedding ring. I loved his grandmother.

I love him more.

I said yes, of course.

On Christmas Eve, surrounded by our immediate family, we're going to say I DO with his dad, the pastor, officiating.

Then we're going to have a big Christmas lunch with turkey and smoked ham and change into our elastic-waist pants and slippers and play games and drink hot chocolate and open gifts with his family until long after the sun goes down.

And then, we'll come home, where he'll get to wake up with us on Christmas morning.

I can't think of a happier way to spend Christmas.

One of THOSE Kind of American Girls...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:56:00 +0000

Once upon a time... a couple of Christmases ago...

...Katie was bitten by the American Girl bug, as is bound to happen to all little girls her age.

We had to have one.

We ogled the catalogs, picked our favorites, made a wish list a mile long, then cashed out her college fund in order to afford one of the darn things.

And then Annie, who has to do everything Katie does, decided she had to have one too.

Only THIS frugal momma wasn't about to invest ALL THAT in a DOLL for a three-year-old to ruin... are you kidding??!?

So I ~~connivingly, manipulatively~~ accidentally steered her toward the Generation Girls at Target instead, and it didn't take much to sell Annie on the idea. Before long she picked her favorite, and each time we went to Target we had to go see the Girls.

And then SOMEONE went and mentioned, right in front of her, how it bugged her that the Generation Girls didn't come with panties. And its true; for whatever dumb reason, these dolls. don't. have. panties.

And Annie was three, and fixated on panties, as is bound to happen to all little girls her age.

Fast forward to the sweet little Christmas party at her sweet little school, Kids Kaleidoscope. Santa came. All the kids had their chance to sit on Santa's lap and tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

And my sweet little Annie happily sat in Santa's lap and told him ....

I want an American Girl with No Panties.

Yes. She did. I came to pick her up that afternoon, and Mrs. Tisha's report was ... slightly.... confused.

Annie...? told Santa she wanted... ? An American Girl...? With no... panties?

... was what she said, but what she MEANT was,

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON IN THIS HOME? WHAT IS THIS CRAZY WOMAN TEACHING HER INNOCENT CHILDREN? SHOULD I CALL CPS????

I laughed. And turned six shades of red. And stumbled over some sort of explanation.
Santa, true to his word, brought Annie one of those Naughty American Girls.
And if you know Annie, I think that explains a lot.

Fried Squash: A Love Story.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Look, just because I'm from the South doesn't mean I batter and fry all my vegetables, OK?

In fact, before last week I had never even fried a vegetable. Seriously. Sauteed in butter and bacon grease... yes. But never fried.

And then Michael raved on and on about how his fried squash is the stuff dreams are made of, and I had to coerce him to make some for me. Being the submissive, cooperative type, he happily obeyed.

He started by breaking a couple of eggs in a bowl and whisking them together with a little milk.

And THIS is the key to perfect fried squash: he used a mandoline to slice the squash (four of them) into potato-chip-thin slices.

Because thick sliced fried vegetables just soak up grease and get soggy. Blech. We wanted our squash crispy thin.

The whisked egg/milk mixture was poured over the squash slices and tossed to coat.

The milky, eggy squash went into a large ziplock bag with a cup of cornmeal or so, some salt and pepper to taste, and shaken to the left, shaken to the right, shaken in the morning and shaken at night.

Or you could just shake them until all the squash is coated in corn meal, but what's the fun in that?

And crispy thin, it was.... all crispy, salty deliciousness. And healthy too since it was made out of vegetables. Right? RIGHT?

At least that's what we told ourselves when the two of us ate four squash... by ourselves. It was our RDA of vegetables. Yeah, that's it...

Mmmmm... scrumptious.

And so was the squash.

You know what's good with fried squash? Fried chicken.

And on an unrelated note, my washing machine is going that crazy thing where it shrinks all my clothes again. I should get that fixed...

The Blue House Blog

Michael and Katie.

My Life in Cell Phone Pictures *BLoG CaRNiVaL*

{Happily Ever After} One Month.

She Likes to Move it Move it.

The Swing.

Sixteen.

{Our New House} The Laundry Room.

{Happily Ever After} Week Two.

The Tale of the Traveling Chairs.

The Best of 2011. Part One.

Pasta Shrimp with Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

{BaBy LoVe} Eleven Months.

The Ones I Love...

I Must Have Been An Awfully Good Girl This Year...

{Wedding Countdown} ONE! MORE! DAY!

And the Bride Wore.... Bacon?

Four Silly, Frivolous Ways I'm a Total Girl in Spite of My Best Efforts at Being Frugal, Sensible, and Practical: Wedding Edition.

Fifteen Great Things About This Week.

Bye Bye, Bachelor Pad.

{Wedding Countdown} Two Weeks To Go.

Twenty Great Things About This Week.

{Wedding Countdown} Eighteen Days.

I'm Engaged and its Going to be the Best Christmas Ever!

One of THOSE Kind of American Girls...

Fried Squash: A Love Story.

My Life in Cell Phone Pictures BLoG CaRNiVaL