tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75365925974640067922012-02-17T04:45:00.062-05:00JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.comBlogger4451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-15721018573112219392012-02-17T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-17T04:45:00.152-05:00

Happy Friday! Physical Fitness.  My Friday is totally not the last day of the week since I'm going to a lock-in for our diocesan youth tonight, leaving early tomorrow to set up an a women's day at church, then leaving that early to head to NKY for a cupcake making event with the DAR Juniors.  My eating hasn't been great this week, but it's been decent (better than last week!), and I'm a little

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-80223651957871012732012-02-15T14:38:00.000-05:002012-02-15T14:38:12.941-05:00

The One Little Word class I'm taking talks about the idea of invitation.  The idea is this:  Think about what you want to invite into your life, and you'll be more open to it happening.  I'm not sure how well I'm doing with respect to my word, but I've been inviting snow for a few months now with my snowman flag out front.  Last week, I commented to my mom that I should just take it down.  Then,

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-26109715514750150462012-02-14T04:45:00.004-05:002012-02-15T14:31:45.519-05:00

Ugh!  I've no idea what's wrong with Blogger, but posts just haven't been posting this week!  Here's Tuesday's post, and I'l be back with Wednesday's soon! I'm so excited to share this cake with y'all.  When B mentioned that Superman's birthday party would have a robot theme, I immediately did a Google Image search for robot cakes.  They fall into two categories: flat, almost 2-D cakes and 3-D

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-74037438021495874272012-02-13T04:45:00.002-05:002012-02-13T13:21:09.641-05:00

I mentioned last Friday that we're refinancing, and we're currently in the stage of that process where the mortgage company makes you jump through hoops to secure the amazing interest rate they're dangling in front of you.  Last week they told us that we need new lights for our deck.  Actually, that's not completely true.  They told us we needed lights.  Previously, it looked like this: I'd

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17196759929576418102012-02-12T19:50:00.000-05:002012-02-12T19:50:20.936-05:00

I'm writing this so late on Sunday that the odds are great you won't find it until Monday.  Which makes Monday a two-fer.  You're welcome. Anyhow, I mentioned plenty of times that last week was a huge bummer of a week.  Luckily, by Friday afternoon it started to turn around.  My dear friend K spent half of her day off playing chauffeur so I could get some grocery shopping done, then dropped back

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-88487336620141902462012-02-10T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-10T04:45:01.474-05:00

Five weeks on WW and I'm officially down ten pounds!  I mentioned my struggles with hormones this week which have totally led to some unhealthy eating, but I still think I'm on target to hit my 5% weight loss goal on Monday.  I think the best thing about WW is that it makes me stop and think.  Tuesday afternoon I called J and commented that I really wanted mac & cheese, with a side of mashed

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-15279948800107910702012-02-09T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-09T04:45:00.318-05:00

Let me preface this post by saying I've been a bit of a hormonal mess this week. Last fall, I attended a meeting at work where Fr. J shared a story about a row of dominos.  One domino became anxiety-ridden and began to quiver.  When the stress became too much for the domino, it fell over, triggering a reaction that caused several other domios.  The point of the story (or at least, what I got out

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-39759288477047532212012-02-08T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-08T04:45:00.025-05:00

I haven't posted an anniversary bouquet lately, so thought I'd share the flowers I picked up on Monday.  These are two varieties of limonium that I've stuck in a carafe to look pretty while they dry.  I'd like to make them into a dried flower arrangement for our guest room so they're looking a little unruly (unarranged?) in the mean time.  And yes, I chose to post the picture where the flowers

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-22753449351432223072012-02-07T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-07T04:45:00.668-05:00

What?  A blog post?  Shock!  Awe!  Seriously, I realize I've been missing for the last week.  February and March are shaping up to be busy months, and while I'll do my best to pop in on a regular basis, I expect there may be more days that I'm absent than present.  Last week was newsletter week at church which, combined with making it a short week so I could head to WKY Friday morning, made for

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-16987653494818920702012-02-01T04:45:00.000-05:002012-02-01T04:45:00.722-05:00

So I mentioned last week that I signed up for a class that will help J and I dig into and live our word--Open--for 2012.  This is a scrapbooking class, offered online, with suggested prompts and projects each month (if you'd like to learn more, scroll down to the One Little Word icon below on the right, click that, and learn all you want to know!).  I'm drawn back to the one scrapbook class I

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-56523112930806871132012-01-28T12:53:00.000-05:002012-01-28T12:53:47.180-05:00

I woke up this morning to the sizzle of a frying pan.  Unsure of what J might be doing, but happy as long as the smoke detector wasn't going off, I snuggled back down under the covers.  A few minutes later, J appeared with breakfast in bed:  an egg over medium (cooked by splashing a bit of bacon grease over the top of the egg so you never actually have to flip it/risk breaking the yolk) and filet

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-2519235517675476122012-01-26T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-26T04:45:00.987-05:00

Wow, this week (and this month!) has flown by! This week, I'm really thankful for J. He's been an awesome partner this week, and I'm so blessed to be able to share my life with him. I'm thankful, too, for the opportunity to bake and decorate cakes for our friends. B's little boy Superman turns six soon and will be celebrating with a robot-themed party (you can see the tractor cake I made for

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-13130683635252532742012-01-25T09:45:00.001-05:002012-01-25T09:58:21.353-05:00

What's this?  Could it be?  Why yes, my favorite social worker, it is!  I finally installed the threshold between our hardwood in the hallway and the marble tile floor J installed...um...16 months ago.  While I didn't really notice it not being there, I have to confess that I love having it in place.  I've pointed it out to J more times in the past two days than either of us would care to

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-74194059560062885142012-01-24T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-24T07:56:26.665-05:00

I  mentioned on Saturday that the MP was being cleaned.  The cleaning lady and her crew were phenomenal, and that evening I realized that my silver coffee and tea service looked awful in comparison (read more about where the service came from and why it's so special to me here).  I was on the phone with my mom and mentioned it to her, and she (quite logically) suggested I polish it.  Now, I

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-71579290268370531912012-01-21T10:47:00.000-05:002012-01-21T10:47:18.826-05:00

If you came here today looking for a food post, I'm afraid you're in for a little disappointment.  J is in Bowling Green visiting a friend and I'm hanging out in my craft room while the new cleaning lady and her crew "deep clean" the rest of the MP.  Y'all.  I didn't think I was terribly concerned about the whole "green" vs. "traditional" cleaning products debate, but after two hours of the stuff

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-65901799163698626772012-01-19T10:48:00.000-05:002012-01-19T10:48:13.267-05:00

I love three day weekends.  Not for me so much, as when J has one.  Something about him having the opportunity to relax makes me a little more relaxed, too.  As strange as it sounds, relaxing helps me focus.  I'm accomplished more things on my to do list this week, and I really think it has something to do with J having a few days off.  I need to figure out how to arrange more of those! This

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-46705038507829382412012-01-18T04:45:00.002-05:002012-01-19T10:29:27.896-05:00

J and I taught Children's Chapel on Sunday.  Well, let me make that more clear...I tried to teach and J provided crowd control.  We must have been pretty successful, since a mom told me today that her second grader told her all about the lesson, and he actually got it pretty close to right.  Anyhow, the Gospel reading for Sunday was John 1:43-51.  In Children's Chapel we sort of paraphrase the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-70136232440300129952012-01-16T22:47:00.000-05:002012-01-16T22:47:02.875-05:00

My cousin had a baby last month. I was kind of busy wrapping gifts for everyone under the sun, and I sort of forgot about it (not about the baby exactly, just about the social norm of buying a gift before the kid is walking and talking). Finally, last Monday I managed to both remember the need to buy a gift and to find myself the time to pick one up. My friend K and I were running errands on the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-39194543526866944202012-01-16T04:45:00.002-05:002012-01-16T11:13:55.817-05:00

I managed to post our fitness goals for 2012 a couple weeks ago, but I realized that I've not posted our other goals, or our family phrase for the new year.  In terms of goals around the MP, well, they look a lot like last year:  put new gutters on the house and replace our deck.  Other smaller projects, like finishing the library and my craft room redo, are also on the list, but the gutters

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-32295633176908793912012-01-13T04:45:00.000-05:002012-01-13T04:45:00.562-05:00

So it turns out Weight Watchers gives out stickers!  I received my 5 pound sticker at Monday's meeting.  This week hasn't been nearly as good as last week, so I'm just hoping to not gain weight.  I don't think they'd take their sticker back...  I'll let you know next week! Like I mentioned yesterday, we're heading down to Cumberland Falls this weekend.  My fitness goal for the weekend?  Hike

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-90992208852629784502012-01-12T08:25:00.000-05:002012-01-12T08:25:13.500-05:00

This week I'm so thankful that J is almost back to healthy, particularly since I've been hit with a nasty sinus infection.  So my thankfulness for modern medicine continues as I down regular doses of sudafed and steroids and nasal sprays.  Wish me luck!  (Oh, and wish J luck too, because a sick JE is kind of whiny...) I'm thankful, too, for January weekends with dear friends.  Last weekend I was

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-47898406429498797162012-01-11T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-11T04:45:00.501-05:00

Actually, there aren't any raindrops on these roses (or even snowflakes for that matter...where is winter this year?), but they are my favorite thing in the kitchen today!  Thanks to J for this month's anniversary gift--a dozen white and pink roses to brighten our post-Christmas doldrums! 

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-19906752946552569712012-01-07T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-26T23:43:28.235-05:00

Hi there!  I'm almost through my third week of Weight Watchers and continue to see the weight come off, slowly but steadily.  At my 'official' weigh-in on Monday, I was down 7.8 pounds total.  My first WW goal is 5% of my body weight, and I'm not there yet.  I think I'm still a couple (three?) weeks away from that, and I'm trying really hard to be okay with that.  J reminds me that I'm not on a

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-59114691508058938132012-01-07T04:45:00.000-05:002012-01-07T04:45:00.400-05:00

It was late last night before I took the time to let myself be hungry.  Too late, really.  Well, too late to have gone without a snack.With this whole point counting thing, I'm hesitant to just randomly snack on any stray cookie.  Even though I've not come close to using up the "extra" points they give you, I'm still all about being careful.  Until I'm starving.  Then I'm still careful, but I'm

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-19781843903372193262012-01-06T04:45:00.000-05:002012-01-05T19:23:08.575-05:00

J and I have a few physical fitness goals for 2012, among them to lose weight and exercise.  (Specifically, J would like to lose another 40 pounds this year, and I'd like to lose 25.  In addition, we'd both like to run 150 miles.  Yes, that's the same as last year, but we figure we might as well try again.)  One week in, we're doing okay.  I told you Wednesday that I started Weight Watchers this

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-31211375025938140092012-01-05T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-05T19:10:44.032-05:00

It feels so strange to type January in a Thankful Thursday post title (in fact, I started to type December before I caught myself).  It feels a little strange, too, to be back at work this week.  I think I could have taken another week off and been okay with that. Of course, I've voluntarily been at work late two days in a row, so it must not be that bad, right? So this week, in addition to

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-57244243298868307532012-01-04T04:45:00.000-05:002012-01-04T04:45:01.350-05:00

While I've certainly been for a few rides on the weight roller coaster, I never thought the roller coaster would deliver me here: Yep, I signed up for Weight Watchers.  I spent some time the other day thinking about the times when weight loss has been easiest and most successful for me.  Without fail, those times involved positive peer pressure.  Whether my college room/dormates or my Girl

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-57601038455536447772012-01-03T04:45:00.000-05:002012-01-03T04:45:01.121-05:00

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a project on Design*Sponge that really struck me as a great idea.  It's a perpetual calendar/journal, and I ended up making one for myself as well as one each for my friends K & B as Christmas gifts.  I pretty much followed the directions in the Design*Sponge post, so if you'd like to make your own, I encourage you to click over there.  The big differences for

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-49853144193553752742012-01-01T04:45:00.001-05:002012-01-01T04:45:00.463-05:00

Happy New Year!! We finished up the sausage so late on Saturday that I figured I'd swing the pictures into their own blog post.  So I left off yesterday with a picture of the food grinder grinding out some fresh ground beef.  Today's picks up loking much the same, except with cubed, seasoned pork.  Here's a shot of the chorizo in progress: and the chorizo all bagged up and ready for weigh-in

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-53953876074489594782011-12-31T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-31T04:45:00.616-05:00

So one of J's Christmas gifts from me this year was the food grinder attachment for our KitchenAid stand mixer.  I also got him the sausage stuffing attachment and a bag of sausage casings from our local butcher.  J quickly went off in search of meat soon after we got back from our Christmas travels, and he came home with chuck roast (beef shoulder) and Boston Butt (pork shoulder...J Googled the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-31759128767100798402011-12-30T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-30T04:45:01.519-05:00

So it's almost the end of 2011, and since it's also Finicky Friday, I decided that I'd dedicate this post to reflecting on the past year--checking out how we did on our goals for 2011 and generally just waxing eloquent (maybe). So our (my) first and largest goal was to blog daily in an effort to reach our stated blog goal of consistent blogging.  For the first six months of the year, that was

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-51957232607977515272011-12-29T04:45:00.001-05:002011-12-29T04:45:00.141-05:00

I can't believe this is my last Thankful Thursday post of 2011.  When I started this whole categorized blogging experiment in February, I didn't realize that Thankful Thursdays would be the day I fully embraced.  I'm so glad I have, though.  When I look back at the things I've expressed thankfulness for this year, they range from the mundane to the deeply meaningful.  J pops up more than once,

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-65893273055443829512011-12-28T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-28T04:45:00.634-05:00

I mean, seriously, isn't this what Christmas is all about?  This week I'm sharing two pics for wordless Wednesday--the first is little D, the 18 month old daughter of my BFF from college.  Is she not precious?  I was so excited to spend a couple hours with D and her parents Christmas morning. And second--Baby E, who got into the real spirit of "Boxing Day" on Monday.  His big brother is in the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-29970366352840080402011-12-25T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-25T04:45:00.110-05:00

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-81094575058170615672011-12-22T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-22T04:45:01.708-05:00

This week, I'm thankful that Christmas is almost here.  Isn't that awful?  I've been trying really hard to settle into the expectation of Advent and preparation for Christmas, but the closer we get, the more steadily my hours at W-S increase and the less time I spend at home.  I'm just really, really ready to be back on my 'regular' schedule.  And with Christmas right around the corner, that

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-77029458721458302212011-12-21T11:14:00.000-05:002011-12-21T11:14:35.954-05:00

This is a mostly wordy post, so I'll start you off with the picture and hope you stick around for the story: J and I finished our Christmas cards last night (notes and labeling), so I set out this morning to mail them before going in to work.  My morning went something like this: 8:45--Prep the cards for taking to the post office (stacked and tied with a festive bow...yes, I'm serious). 

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-91316478777680041272011-12-20T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-20T04:45:01.006-05:00

So it's been a busy few days (who am I kidding; it's been a busy few months), and while I had posts in mind for Sunday and Monday (on Saturday we let IHOP cook for us, so there wasn't much to share then), I literally fell asleep before I could write either.  So, since I had ideas for those posts and no idea for a Tuesday Talent post, I'm going off topic. Sunday's post (had it been written) would

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17774733235285520002011-12-16T08:58:00.000-05:002011-12-16T08:58:25.776-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote a Fitness Friday update.  As with most things, when I'm not checking in, it means things aren't going well.  I haven't been checking in with my scale either.  I can tell from the way my clothes fit that I've gained weight and I don't really need to get on the scale to tell me that.  Ironically, I maintain my weight much better when I do step on the scale daily. 

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-6179793782070488712011-12-15T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-15T04:45:01.178-05:00

Have you heard the saying "If it wasn't for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all".  Well, other than with respect to finding J, I don't generally consider myself a "lucky" person.  I've used that saying with respect to other people, but certainly not myself.  I just don't think luck plays into my life very often.  And then the last month happened.  And y'all, I totally get it.  I've been on quite

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-6001855746891650172011-12-14T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-14T04:45:01.479-05:00

Um...yes, that's my hand...last night after "immobilization".  Why yes, those are shish kabob skewers.  Isn't that what you'd use?  Assuming the pain is still there after the lortab wears off I'll be heading to the doctor for a more 'official' splint.  In the mean time... sometimes you have to work with what you've got.

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-18843181586670349272011-12-13T09:03:00.000-05:002011-12-13T09:03:08.503-05:00

Okay, so this post is totally going to read like a Saturday smells like... blog post.  The thing is, I'm praising J's talent for cooking (and I'm afraid I'll forget it by Satuday), so I figure it works for a Tuesday's Talent post, too. Over the weekend (or maybe last week?  When I'm sick it all runs together.), J roasted a whole chicken.  He's really just started doing this kind of thing and

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-5912115717677587482011-12-11T20:28:00.000-05:002011-12-11T20:28:04.710-05:00

Success!  I think I've finally figured out how to slow down time!  Yes, I know, the Nobel Prize folks will be calling any minute for the details.  (*Smirk*  Oh, did I mention you should have been reading this post with tongue planted firmly in cheek?)  See, I mentioned last week that I had a bit of a virus.  I think I also mentioned my sucess at self-diagnosis and that I dropped by the doctor

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-85006579377064655982011-12-08T21:52:00.000-05:002011-12-08T21:52:52.966-05:00

Remember that viral infection I mentioned yesterday?  Well, I correctly diagnosed myself.  And when I woke up today with a raging sinus infection, I self-diagnosed that one correctly, too.  How do I know?  The doctor's office managed to squeeze me in and confirmed both diagnoses.  And they called in a prescription for me.  Today, I'm thankful for our GP and her willingness to tweak her schedule

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-46305218603500290252011-12-07T04:45:00.000-05:002011-12-07T04:45:00.438-05:00

I know.  I've not blogged in days.  You showed up today expecting one of two things:  a picture or another day without a post in my unexplained hiatus.  Surprise!  You get neither!  You do get an explanation though, and that's got to be worth something (something small...but something.)  In a nutshell, I worked all day Sunday (at church and W-S), I worked much of the day Monday (at W-S) and I

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-27195116240491923332011-12-03T11:01:00.000-05:002011-12-03T11:01:47.938-05:00

This morning was a rare gem when it comes to Saturday mornings at the MP.  Neither of us had morning plans, so we enjoyed a quiet morning on the couch with the Food Network and our computers.  J was inspired by something (Micheal Symon, I think) and headed upstairs to make breakfast.  The proverbial cupboard is almost bare as we've not been grocery shopping since before Thanksgiving last week, so

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-91001841226857583692011-12-01T04:45:00.002-05:002011-12-02T16:26:48.292-05:00

This week, I'm struggling with being thankful.  If you read yesterday's post, you know that we're having car troubles.  Apparently both of our cars are in worse shape than we'd anticipated, and it seems that our days without car payments are limited.  While it's fun to imagine owning an SUV, actually owning one, complete with the car payment that it would come with, is something else.  But, I'm

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17893757264187492792011-11-30T10:13:00.000-05:002011-11-30T10:13:52.321-05:00

J and I are currently participating in an unplanned extended test drive of a vehicle we never plan to consider buying.  Meet Terri: Why?  Well, last Monday, Sandy slipped on some wet pavement and bent up her undercarriage.  Ten days later, she's still in the shop, though I've been given some small amount of hope that she might be fixed today.  J and I enjoy the occasional one-car family

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-86193489373053188932011-11-28T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-28T04:45:00.418-05:00

Most years I'm pretty hardcoare about waiting until December first before I start decorating for Christmas.  I just feel pretty strongly that Halloween is to be celebrated (and decorated for) in October, Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December.  That said, the first of December falls this week and J and I had a pretty relaxed four-day weekend (okay, so I worked Wednesday, Friday, and

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17642360283432915752011-11-26T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-26T04:45:00.229-05:00

Y'all knew what to expect for this week's "Saturday smells like...", didn't you?  Well, in case it's a surprise, I've got a post chock-full of pictures to take you through our Thanksgiving dinner.  The smell, and taste, of everything was amazing.  I hope your Thanksgiving Dinner was half as good! We started with the Turkey.  I shared the brining picture in Wednesday's post.  That was followed up

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-65624582521709745622011-11-24T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-24T04:45:00.872-05:00

Back in February when I started Thankful Thursdays, I commented how it would be like 51 mini-Thanksgivings (and one big one) for me this year.  (Yes, since I started these in February, my math was a bit off...I'm clearly older and wiser as we near the end of 2011.)  That big Thanksgiving seemed so far off, and it still surprises me how quickly it arrived. So here go, one big Thanksgiving Day

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-34299416156198032102011-11-23T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-23T04:45:00.401-05:00

Step One to an awesome turkey happened on Monday night at the MP--J spatchcocked the tukey.  If you don't know what that means, Google it and read Martha Stewart's explanation.  Apparently, it will make this year's turkey even better than last year. Step Two to an awesome turkey is what you see here: Our turkey spent twenty-four hours in the fridge with a dry-brine, then was transferred last

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-18112610024846618472011-11-22T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-22T04:45:00.647-05:00

If you read last week's post about wrapping gifts, then chances are you came back this week to learn how to tie on your ribbon. To recap, you collected these items before sitting down to wrap your gift: A box, if your gift is not already in one. Boxes are infinitely easier to wrap than oddly shaped items (though personally, I love the challenge!). Wrapping paper. You want a nice, medium weight

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-39357396244537301032011-11-21T04:45:00.001-05:002011-11-21T21:54:18.516-05:00

So J and I did a great job of planning fun outings for Thanksgiving when we first married, but then I went and got seasonal work wrapping gifts at a retail store. Guess what that means for our Thanksgiving weekend?  Yep, it's kind of cut in half by Black Friday which ruins any chance of getting away.  How do we fix that?  Immerse ourselves in the culinary marathon that is Thanksgiving, do a

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-84708153690701710052011-11-18T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-18T04:45:00.447-05:00

So this is probably the least 'fit' fitness friday ever.  After our fabulous efforts at walking last week, we haven't walked at all this week.  Most of the week it rained, and that's just not something I'm willing to go walk in.  Unfortunately, after the rain came cold.  Since I wasn't exercising, I did feel the need to make a positive change somewhere else--most days this week, I went to work

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-11837082278895089122011-11-17T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-17T04:45:00.713-05:00

This week, I'm so thankful for my boss.  If you read Sunday's post, you know it was a tough day for me, but after taking Monday for me to think through and process, I sat down with my boss on Tuesday afternoon to talk it through.  Luckily, he's totally got the 'pastoral care' part of his job down, and said everything I needed to hear.  I'm thankful for that, and for the sense of peace that comes

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-20649348330346913252011-11-16T04:45:00.001-05:002011-11-16T04:45:01.534-05:00

Typically our Acolytes sit in the front of church with the priest and other servers.  Last Sunday, however, we were training two new Acolytes, and there just wasn't room for the extra bodies.  Fr. J sent all of the youth servers to the chapel off to the side of our sanctuary.  I secretly think the kids liked being out of the spotlight, and they certainly mugged for my camera when I popped over

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-59354250624239973302011-11-15T04:45:00.001-05:002011-11-15T08:11:10.382-05:00

This week's Tuesday Talent is so flaky it really might have qualified for a Finicky Friday post, but I just had to share it, and if you read through to the end, you'll pick up a How To's-day tutorial, too! Yesterday, I had my first full shift back at the giftwrap desk at Williams-Sonoma. In five hours, I wrapped more than two dozen packages (most of them pre-wraps in anticipation of sales

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-45794787773053074212011-11-13T17:39:00.000-05:002011-11-13T17:39:13.427-05:00

Back in January, I wrote a Sunday post based on the Parable of the Talents.  In that case, the parable served as the basis for my Sunday School lesson that day.  I was in a pretty different place last January.  I'd just finished the holiday gift wrapping season at Williams-Sonoma and was still feeling my way through life 'post- Girl Scouts'.  I had started to think about applying for permanent

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-74278681006100158312011-11-12T17:48:00.000-05:002011-11-12T17:48:31.673-05:00

This Sunday marks the return of the Chili-Brownie Cook-off to St. R.  Now, I don't know how long the break has been (at least three years), but the folks at our church who remember the Chili-Brownie Cook-off seem pretty excited that the tradition has been revived.  J, of course, is never one to miss an opportunity to cook, so he's been working on his entry all day.  For starters, he decided to

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-48904402997712926352011-11-11T04:45:00.001-05:002011-11-11T07:59:35.932-05:00

Most weeks I gloss over the physical part of my fitness check-in and head straight for the fiscal part.  This week, I'm thrilled to have news to share on both fronts!  (Yeah...some days this blog is lamer than others...today is probably one of those days.) On the physical fitness front, J and I walked eleven and a half miles this week.  The odds of us hitting 150 miles for the year (not to

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17247911608828660542011-11-10T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-10T04:45:00.966-05:00

I try to be thankful throughout the week, and more often than not, I forget what I was thankful for long before I get around to writing my Thursday blogpost.  This week, though, I've managed to remember most of what I've been thankful for (yay!). First, I'm thankful that J and I live in a community that places value on building sidewalks and walking trails.  Yes, Lexington may have recently been

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-36135595556092012322011-11-09T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-09T04:45:00.657-05:00

UK fans will recognize this post's title as the start to a UK cheer and promptly respond "Blue and White!"  Though I have to say, last Wednesday, there was a heavy dose of crimson-loving in Rupp Arena, even among those of us decked out in UK blue.  Here's a shot of J and me at the UK-Transy game:

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-69328447664354730872011-11-07T04:45:00.000-05:002011-11-07T04:45:01.408-05:00

So last week I told you about the changes I'm making to my craft room to accomodate my new daybed, and yesterday I mentioned a little more.  Now, I'm ready to show you a close-up of where my daybed has been placed.  There is definitely still work to be done on the room, but I'm pleased with the progress so far! First, I definitely decided to put the daybed under the window at the end of the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-65977508186992589882011-11-06T16:05:00.000-05:002011-11-06T16:05:37.579-05:00

So last weekend my mom and I worked on my craft room.  We straightened and organized and mostly cleared out the spot I had in mind for my new daybed.  In fact, all that was really left to clear out was a full trash bag (that I filled when I cleaned out my old car in...um...May 2008) and a box in the corner (and a few things stacked on top of the box).  Not much at all, and I figured I could get

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-58815586937651777902011-11-03T04:45:00.000-04:002011-11-03T04:45:00.238-04:00

This week, I'm especially thankful for the DAR lady who made it possible for me to buy my dream daybed, for my mom who helped me rearrange my craft room so it will fit, and the good friend who is taking me to pick it up tomorrow (thank goodness for husbands with pickup trucks!) I'm thankful, too, for the partner at J's office who gave us his tickets to the UK-Transy game last night.  I think

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-67700845288320705302011-11-02T04:45:00.000-04:002011-11-02T04:45:00.298-04:00

...at Halloween at the MP.  After my last trick-or-treater Monday night, I slipped out front with the camera to capture the porch our 40 or so munchkins came to.  I seriously love Julius, my halloween flag, my scary tree (on my fabulous storm door), my pumpkin and even my scraggly mums.  I love the look they pull together.  It feels decidedly the way I feel when I picture "grown-up JE" in my head

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-73607395714434920122011-11-01T04:45:00.001-04:002011-11-01T04:45:00.564-04:00

So this is probably stretching it, and I'll be irritated tomorrow when I don't have a picture for Wordless Wednesday, but I just wanted to share this picture of the shelves in the craft room. I started buying these photo boxes several years ago (if you clicked through yesterday's post to the picture of my craft room back in 2008, you saw the beginnings of this collection).  When my mom and I

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-52677540263426810962011-10-31T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-31T04:45:00.198-04:00

My craft room is always in some state of mess.  Remember way back in 2008 when I blogged about trying to clean the room up a bit?  That was about a year after I condensed much of my pre-wedding apartment into this 120 (or so) square feet.  About a year later, I turned a partly broken laptop into a desktop on my desk, moved a small printer cart in next to the file cabinet and added a four drawer

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-89854517256133128482011-10-29T10:25:00.006-04:002011-10-30T22:04:19.365-04:00

Hello all. J here. Your normal author is off DARing (that's a technical term used by HODARs for getting together with other DAR ladies to . . . do whatever they do when they get together), so I thought I'd pick up an oar and give JE a break. It being a Saturday Smells Like with JE gone, it's pretty easy for me. Step one, wait to get hungry. Fortunately for the specifically-motivated among us,

J Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027918668589168677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-15474658707752352662011-10-28T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-28T04:45:00.601-04:00

So I mentioned yesterday that I was embarking on a weekend in DARworld, and I fully expect to forget a post at some point this weekend.  Quite frankly, I'm sort of surprised I remembered this one... :) Anyhow, physical fitness check for the week:  J continues to lose weight and look great.  He is now a lower weight than I was at my...um...fluffiest two years ago.  And about twenty pounds heavier

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-77796204638995735482011-10-27T04:45:00.002-04:002011-10-27T23:05:09.759-04:00

So for starters, I realized earlier that I wrote the title for yesterday's post with a specific story in mind, and then I completely forgot to share it (A little more of the flakiness I promised!).  Luckily for me, I can pretty easily work that into a thankful moment today! So, to kick off this week's Thankful Thursday, I'm thankful for living in Kentucky, especially in the fall.  I mentioned

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-31963312243443606332011-10-26T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-26T04:45:00.748-04:00

I mentioned last week that my friend C was visiting from Texas.  She'd planned to come in just for the weekend, but as it happened, the Hindman Settlement School Day at the Races was planned for Thursday at Keeneland.  As a long-time Hindman supporter, C re-worked her schedule so she could attend this fundraiser.  While we probably would have visited Keeneland while she was in town anyway (you

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-52779543500285982712011-10-21T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-21T04:45:00.136-04:00

Right, so you can tell from the post title that there was no physical fitness involved in my week this week.  Since the last month so busy with regard to everything but our house, my response to a calmer work week and the impending arrival of company was to run around like crazy trying to clean the house.  (For what it's worth, I was only marginally successfull at that.)  Fiscally, all was well

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-25991632691017042142011-10-20T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-20T04:45:00.874-04:00

I've had several moments of thankfulness this week that I thought I should jot down  Of course, being me, I didn't.  I so wish I had, as there were deifnitely some good ones!  Here's what I do remember: I'm so thankful for DAR, and the sisterhood that it has opened up for me.  As I write this, I'm sitting next to my friend C, who flew in from Houston for the weekend.  If it weren't for DAR, I

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-17196765315996789532011-10-19T04:45:00.001-04:002011-10-19T23:29:28.982-04:00

Edit:  Finally, I put today's arrangement today, and finally I took a picture! So first of all, it's been a busy week, and I completely forgot to write my post for yesterday.  It's one of those rare occasions I know exactly what I want to write about, so I'm actually surprised I forgot.  Anyhow, I actually knew exactly what picture I wanted for today's post, as well, but I'm not actually

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-77590391315098014132011-10-17T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-17T04:45:00.900-04:00

So I mentioned in yesterday's post that J and I went out to the Athens Schoolhouse Antique Show on Saturday.  This is the same place where we found our "dining table" and our fireplace surround (which I mentioned buying in February 2009, but don't appear to have written a blog post about).  So anyhow, we went out to Athens without planning to buy anything in particular, but open to whatever might

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-62977542637027602032011-10-16T15:48:00.000-04:002011-10-16T15:48:47.209-04:00

Back in the old days, Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest.  When I worked a "normal" job (i.e., back in my GS days), it almost always was a restful day for us, too.  Unfortunately, my new job requires me to be "on" on Sundays, and my seasonal work at Williams-Sonoma requires that I be available one day on the weekend, so I've chosen Sundays since that day (during the holidays/football season)

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-8375534437889011142011-10-16T15:17:00.000-04:002011-10-16T15:17:09.716-04:00

Today was a fabulously relaxing day--just what I've been needing.  After sleeping in a bit, then running to church for a quick errand, J and I settled into creating a grocery list and planning the rest of our day.  We spent the early afternoon at the Athens Schoolhouse Antique Show (you'll read more about that tomorrow), then we ran to Lowe's, and then we headed to Aldi for some grocery shopping.

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-87787903577833789672011-10-14T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-14T04:45:00.424-04:00

I'm all over the place today, so I hope you'll allow me to indulge in a little flakiness!  First, I took Zep into the office with me yesterday.  I've been saying since I started that I was going to do this, but I've been a bit nervous about it.  You see, he can be a little grumpy sometimes.  And a little territorial.  And a little unkind to strangers (particularly the really young and really,

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-18010665581553591632011-10-13T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-13T04:45:00.334-04:00

Thanks for letting me take my break from thankfulness last week; I really needed it, and the reminders and encouragement I received gave me plenty to be thankful for!  This week, I've had many opportunities for thankfulness, too. I'm thankful for nights out with good friends, like last night.  Back in the summer, one of the girls (Element) I went ziplining with mentioned she would be in town for

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-61739791501541429412011-10-12T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-12T04:45:00.871-04:00

So we generally try to stick to the 'recommended' anniversary gifts, usuallychoosing the traditional gift suggestions.  Sometimes we stretch it a bit (like the year J gave me a flags for the flagpole out front because nylon is fabric and cotton is fabric, so really he did cotton, right?  Or the year I gave him a brick at the new (then) Indianapolis Colts football stadium and then gave him a

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-5776061572485805572011-10-11T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-11T04:45:00.594-04:00

I think I've talked before about the personality indicator that we took when I was at Girl Scouts.  Basically, it places you in one of four color groups for both your primary personality and your secondary personality behaviors--how you act when threatened or under stress.  I'm a yellow (a standard cheery, people pleaser) and, when stressed, a green (super detail-oriented, among other things). 

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-3082225115916520062011-10-10T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-10T04:45:00.588-04:00

This weekend was almost as crazy as last weekend, but I'm still hoping that it's leading into a calmer week (not calm, mind you; I'm not crazy enough to think that!).  Friday night I helped set up for the ECW purse sale at church (if you're in Central KY, I urge you to bookmark this link and mark your calendar for next year!).  There were hundreds of purses there to be placed on tables that

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-43383323377320454562011-10-07T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-07T04:45:00.513-04:00

The whole TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) thing takes on less meaning when you don't work a Monday through Friday schedule, but I'm thankful it's Friday just the same.  It's been a long two weeks, and while next week will be a little harried, it won't be as bad as these last two.  I'm definitely on the downhill slide into Advent when (according to the church ladies) things will ramp up again! This

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-92053033579517469152011-10-06T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-06T04:45:00.288-04:00

I'm having a bit of a rough week, and it's a bit tougher than usual to be thankful.  I'll leave it to you (because I know you're out there, even if you don't comment!)--What are you thankful for this week?

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-80005518574227292602011-10-05T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-05T04:45:00.228-04:00

Remember the other day when I told you about our weekend?  I held back on sharing pictures so I could use one for today's post.  This one, while easily the worst quality picture, is my favorite.  On our tour, we went through the bottling facility for Buffalo Trace's small batch and single barrel bourbons.  Here, they actually opened a barrel and emptied it in front of us.  So cool!  I think these

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-26143312450245344402011-10-04T04:45:00.000-04:002011-10-04T04:45:00.659-04:00

Remember a couple weeks ago when I showed you a picture of a cake I made last year for a fellow parishoner at St. R?  In a funny turn, the parishoner's husband called me last Wednesday morning and asked if there was any possibility I could make a cake for her birthday this year (it was last Monday this year, and he thought she'd be extra suprised to receive a cake two days later).  If you did the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-54961824168803761832011-10-03T04:45:00.002-04:002011-10-03T09:51:08.041-04:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist the Elmer Fudd reference.  I was considering "weekend wipeout" since that's how I feel after this weekend, but decided to go with Roundup (or rather, Woundup) instead. J and I had an awfully busy week last week and that just rolled right into an even busier weekend.  After being at church Thursday night, we headed to Frankfort Friday night for a fundraiser at Buffalo

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-20881500919756814572011-09-30T04:45:00.017-04:002011-09-30T08:12:15.206-04:00

Today's fitness check is part physical and part fiscal.  For the physical half, I'm afraid J and I had had a busy week and only exercised once.  So, yay for 2.5 miles walked!  The other half of the eat less-move more equation is driven by the fiscal part of this check in.  J and I usually have fiscal freak-outs this time of year (the impending holidays/only 100 days 'til Christmas nonsense

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-30435351165674246322011-09-29T04:45:00.000-04:002011-09-29T04:45:00.157-04:00

Y'all know there is just one big thing for me to be thankful for this week (Okay, not true--I have lots more to be thankful for, but today, this is what is on my mind).  Today marks four years of marriage to the best husband a girl could hope for.  Happy Anniversary J! (I couldn't pick just one picture for the whole four years, so I picked one from our wedding day and one from each of the last

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-20137951940039462382011-09-28T04:45:00.000-04:002011-09-28T04:45:00.717-04:00

One of my favorite things about our church is birthday/anniversary blessings.  On the week before (or after) your birthday (or anniversary), you get a special blessing from the priest before the eucharist.  This week, there were two couples getting anniversary blessings (both of us with the same wedding day!), and after the service a member of the altar guild gave each couple the flowers from the

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-67962632162740735182011-09-27T04:45:00.002-04:002011-09-27T04:45:00.167-04:00

I thought about making this post a How To's-day post, but I don't think I'm qualified to tell you how to make/decorate a caterpillar cake of your own.  I'll just share how I made my cakes, and if you're at all cake-decorating-inclined, you'll be able to figure it out from there.  So for starters, the planning for this cake started in May, when Baby E's momma approached me with the theme for his

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-75622599300069255082011-09-26T04:45:00.006-04:002011-09-26T19:44:10.822-04:00

Edit:  When I was on top of posting daily, my mom would email me mid-morning to let me know my post wasn't up.  Now that I'm sort of off that wagon, I guess she doesn't know to remind me when posts don't post as scheduled.  Anyhow, here's Monday's post! Y'all.  Summer was not a productive season around the MP.  Remember my list for the season--here and here?  Well, we crossed off some things,

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-21691271232022387472011-09-25T22:01:00.000-04:002011-09-25T22:01:55.504-04:00

One of the things I love about living in this part of the world is that you can never guess what the weather is going to be in the fall (or spring).  A couple of weeks ago it was rainy and cool (and I loved it!).  Today, we had a beautiful warm fall afternoon (and I loved it!).  It was especially nice to have clear skies today since we had an outside birthday party (for baby E--I'll show you

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-80319836242363805052011-09-23T04:45:00.000-04:002011-09-23T04:45:01.183-04:00

Hi everyone!  So back in the summer of 2009, J and I started a new exercise regime, that led to some pretty decent weight loss on my part (50 pounds over the course of a year) and to both of us feeling better about ourselves.  Then I quite my job and gained ten pounds the next month.  And then winter rolled around and I gained ten more. And then spring rolled around and I gained five more.  And

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-21259685072862442872011-09-22T04:45:00.000-04:002011-09-22T04:45:00.307-04:00

I've got to be honest, I've been fighting a killer headache for a few days and it's tough to focus on what I'm thankful for.  So, forgive me for not-so-thought-out thankful thoughts.  I'm thankful for J, who actually took me out on a date last night.  He's been working hours similar to last week's, so it was quite a treat to have him come home at 7:30 and offer to take me out.  In that line of

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-28078978756408775552011-09-21T08:24:00.000-04:002011-09-21T08:24:03.087-04:00

I never connect my iPhone to my computer.  Ever.  J bugs me about it.  A lot.  Last night, I actually did it.  Result?  1300 pictures that used to live on my phone now live on my computer!  I decided to go back a year and see what I was doing a year ago-- Last year on Wednesday, September 22 I made a chocolate chip chiffon cake for a parishoner at our church.  It was her birthday, and her

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-65421190008809741802011-09-19T04:45:00.000-04:002011-09-19T04:45:00.859-04:00

Some weekends are just good, and I think most of those happen in the fall.  Why?  Probably because it is my favorite season and I just enjoy it more.  I don't know.  But anyhow, I thought I'd share our weekend with y'all. Friday night, we met friends for supper at a new TexMex place in town called Chuys.  This is a chain that started in Texas and is actually pretty good.   Now, it certainly

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-53576329055620905312011-09-17T12:15:00.000-04:002011-09-17T12:15:56.546-04:00

I was in the mood for scrambled eggs this morning (Actually, I was in the mood for pancakes and link sausage, but since the whole low-carb thing that's not an option for J, I feel guilty asking him to cook me food he can't eat.), and as often happens when I toss out a suggestion for a meal, J took my idea and created the more gourmet version of my request.  Bacon-Veggie Frittata What you'll

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536592597464006792.post-57071255539526344472011-09-15T20:41:00.000-04:002011-09-15T20:41:55.685-04:00

So for starters this week, I'm thankful for readers (mom) who don't complain when I forget a post.  I've consciously not posted this week (no changes to the house and no creativity in the last couple of weeks just made it too tough to come up with a post), but today, I just forgot.  In fact, I even forgot it was Thursday until mid-way through the day! Second, I'm thankful this week for J's job.

JE Meltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09882436502502423392noreply@blogger.com0