D.I.Y - valentine for hooo.

Hello tweet-hearts!

Today I thought I would just quickly share this simple tutorial from last year.

D.I.Y: valentine owl treat bags!

 This has been linked to/shared all over the internet.. but in case you hadn't seen it yet - have a hoot!

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)

[M.M.4] what no one tells you [toddlers]

Welcome back to Monday Mamalogues!

Where we all get together to share the beauty and breakdowns of motherhood.

(Any newcomers can just grab the Mamalogue button down the right column here).

 If you've been with us since the recent start of this series you'll have already read my editions of 'what no one tells you about: pregnancy/delivery/infancy...' and today is my final topic! (Just in this 4-part series... Mamalogues will keep-a-going!)

Toddlers:

Just the thought of trying to put this subject into words almost has my eye twitching.  Ohmyfreakingoodness... toddlers!

the end.

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Ok, honestly.  When people ask me: "sooo, what's it like having kids now?" the first thought that comes to my mind is: "it's like being bi-polar".

So, I usually say: "yup.. it's pretty wild".

But, just between me and you... it.is.like.being.bi-polar!

I used to think I was a pretty mellow, relaxed, easygoing, non-pulsed, patient person.

Now, post-toddler, I feel like Jekyll & Hyde.

I can feel complete gushing head-over-heels affection for my child one second.. and a moment later be giving them the 'hairy eyeball' with a vein popping out of my forehead.

I used to think that kids throwing down a massive tantrum in a store was a sign of bad parenting.

Now, I know better.  Kids freak out, it's like.. their thing.

Oh, there's so much more I could regale you with about toddlers..  (the way they syphon your energy all day/night - so the more exhausted you are, the crazier they get.  How they refuse every ounce of healthy food you try to serve.. but beg constantly for snacks.  The way they need your attention 24/7.. especially if you go to the bathroom.  Their complete aversion to: pottys, kleenex, obedience, sleeping-in.  You know.. that kind of stuff.

But, I won't.

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All I will say here is that no one tells you how having a child will be: the.biggest.test.of.how.completely.selfless.you.can.be.

If you've been raised in this me-ism culture that applauds pursuing your dreams, your goals, your ambitions... that preaches it's all about you.. and you're made of stardust and your poop is made of rainbows.  Well, them kids is going to blow your mind.

It ain't about you.

 But you know what, the more we 'lose' ourselves in the loving service and care of others... the better we become.

You may look in the mirror and not even recognize yourself.  Sure, it's because you haven't showered in days, and your clothes are smeared in various goos... but your heart is changing too.

The really good things in life... are often really hard work. 

Motherhood is hard, wonderful, tough, crazy stuff.
I fail at it often.  God knows I need His grace daily.

Whether you have one kid or ten.. you're a superhero every.day.

There's so much more I want to say about it all... which is why this mamalogues series exists - and why I love hearing from you mamas too!

Share your voice. your stories. your heart... here today.

xx

mama Mel ;o)

the "it" factor...

 Yeah, hiiiiii again.

Just stuffing one more post in here this week to get a monkey off my back.  That monkey being you, Nicole.  She tagged me (again) in one of these 'answer a pile o' questions' games.

I'm not good game player.

But, I like to be a good friend - even to bloggers - and would feel uber jerky to just leave her hanging.  So here it is.

Oh, and I was totally going to do it as a vlog again too... but was so tired I just keep staring at the camera like a deer in the headlights.

So here's my response to your random questions, Nicole.. (the rest of ya can read on too - or go about your normal business)!

When you were in high school, who was your celebrity crush?  Ok, so I was never one of those girly-girls with magazine cut-outs of dudes all over my locker/walls.  I still don't get the big deal about celebs... they're just people who 'act' for a living.  ANYWAY.. I will say that the first time I ever went 'wow' was seeing George Clooney in "One Fine Day" waaaay back in the day!

How has your taste changed since then? (As in, who are you drooling over now and how are they different?)  As for any drooling... it would be my main man - my Ben.. I like to think that who you marry becomes your 'taste' your 'ideal type' and that's final!  If he wants to pretend to be George Clooney once and a while.. I'm ok with that. ;o)

When do you feel most at home?  When love & light fill this space.. whether it be our kids squealing with laughter... or a quiet evening with tea, a candle and cosy slippers.  I really am a home-body now.

What's your favourite hot beverage? Lately I'm loving homemade (on the stovetop) chai... especially simmering Bengal Spice tea bags in the warm milk... mmmmmmm!

If you could punch someone in the face without repercussions, who would it be?  Hahahahha....um, people who tag me in these games... not to name names...

What's your favourite camping food? Pfffffft.  S'mores.

What's one skill you'd like to learn this year?  Crochet'ing.. because we all know I'm too lazy to try knitting again.

If I were to visit, how would you entertain me for a day? (I look forward to this answer!!)  Well, I guess after I punched you in the face, I'd pick you back up and say 'hey friend let's go thrifting!'  We'd pick up Chai lattes.. I'd tour you around our funky downtown.  Then go for a big hike in my favourite woods.. and home for a yummy meal, winding down the day with tea and crafting while the 'lil ones' play on the floor.  You in?

What's your favourite cheesy pick-up line?  Ummmm... 

If you were to have a solo dance party right now, what song would you put on? Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

What's the best thing that has arrived in your mailbox lately?  These goodies.

Phew!  Ok.. I'm done.  No, not tagging any other suckers.  Thanks, Nicole... it is fun answering random questions after all. ;o)

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Oh, if you did want a video here... this is what life around here looks/sounds like:

Squeal on wheels.

Craaaaaazzzzzy.

Happy weekend'ing friends!

See you for Monday Mamalogues on the flip side,

mel ;o)

home.scents.

 Remember those days of spring/fall when the curtains danced in the breeze?

I always like the notion of 'airing' out the house on those days...

...but now, in the dead of winter, the home.scents can fester.

I'd like to say that our nest carries the fragrance of fresh baked bread, warm vanilla candles or sweet gingersnap cookies.

Reality: it more likely smells like cat litter, and diapers.

Soooo when in a pinch (at least, if my nose is)... I employ these sweet solutions:

I toss all these yummy flavours on to the stove top (love that 'click.click.click... fooom!' of a gas element)... and simmer it at LOW for a good while.  You know, until the illusion of home-baking and goodness fills the house - and then I'm wishing I had some yummy goodies to show for it.

Which reminds me, it's a crazy snow day out there.. so I should bake some banana/craisin/orange muffins for fun.

Oh, and this.

Lavender.

I'm only a recent convert... maybe the last couple years (?), but I love this scent.

So fresh!  So clean!

Ben plants a big pile of it outside our door each summer.. so as I leave the house I can crush some between my hands and rub its perfume all over!

He also got me this essential oil for winter... so a couple drops into a wee bowl of baking soda and there's another lovely home.scent.

(P.S... if you too, love lavender.. this body lotion is ahhhhmazing!). 
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What's your favourite home.scents?

 Smell ya later, friends!
Gotta go bake me some muffins...

Mel ;o)

confessions [of a Mel] part.11.

Hi.  My name is Mel.  I'm a choco'holic.

No, I haven't spent my last dime just to have one more hit.  

I don't live under a bridge, snorting the 'cocoa'.

But, you know... close enough.

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In the moment when you're afforded that rare fore-sight to see that the path you're on is leading to a problem... what do you do?

At what point does a 'guilty pleasure' turn into an unhealthy addiction?

What thing in your life do you reward yourself with?

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I've been pondering those questions lately.

Why?

Because I was put on the spot.. and blurted out what I thought was a joke.

Back history: a lady at a Bible study recently asked me what I do when my day doesn't go 'according to plan'.. when l'm frustrated/angry/stressed... 

"I don't know... I guess I just forget the things I wanted done that day because of the kids being crazy or whatever.." I said.

"Ok, but what do you DO because of that frustration.. yell?  Throw things?" she wondered.

"Ummm.... no.  I eat chocolate".  I kidded back.

--- 

Needless to say, that conversation got me sliding down a labyrinth of introspection (a favourite pastime of mine, really).

I started to notice a pattern with my sweets consumption.

It looked like this:

Exhausted by parenting?  A handful of candies.

Deserving a break/reward?  Another handful.

Stressed by finances?  Sure, eat more sugar!

Hungry?  Yep, chocolate's a food group in my books.

Sink full of dishes?  Roll up sleeves.. and plunge into bag of candies.

Talk about a frightening pattern... turns out my will power is the consistency of Jell-O.

My choco-cravings are becoming my coping crutches.

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I can see the slippery slope people must find here.. that by degrees we can get to a place we never dreamt of.  I could be packing on the pounds and wonder what happened.. and then keep eating to assuage the self-contempt!  Um, that would suck.

I know, I know.. it's just chocolate.  It's not like I'm not addicted to gambling, drugs, or Jack Daniels.

But the heart issue still has the same root: 

*looking for comfort/distraction from things that trouble us.*

We all have stresses, trials, pain in this life.

We all have ways of coping.

Maybe it's time to re-evaluate if they're helping or harming us.

 ------------------------------------------------

So, I'm still going to eat my sweet, tasty chocolate.

(P.S ~ You're my best friend if you show up at the door with Lindt.)

 But, I'm going to make sure I know why I'm eating it in that moment... reminding myself to pray through the frustrations/anxieties of the day.

"God, I cast my cares on You, for you care for me" (1 Peter 5:7).

What about you?

What's your escape plan?

Sweet toothed, soul training,

Mel ;o)

here + there

mr. mandolin man.

colourful corners of cuteness.

chubby crawler.

Beatrix + birdies.

mmmmmmMacaron...munching.

hanging acorn + halls aglow.

'Off with her head!'

Hehe.. I like this last shot, it's as if my noggin got chopped off.. and my friend Jen ~ Lucky stitched it back on again (her embroidered portrait of moi on the right there!).

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So there you have it - another week another peek into some moments at our nest.

The kids caught another cold/flu bug.. (again!) which Ben and I had over the weekend... can this season please be over all ready!?  There's also some interesting changes that are on the horizon for our crew again... so we'll see what happens (dunh-duh-duuuhhhhh).

In other news, I'm feeling quite eager for Spring now... cabin fever and calorie consuming is not a good mix for this mama (growing fat + feral).  Ha!

How's your week going, friends?

Warmly,

mel ;o)

(P.S.. for those who are seeing these 'peeks' and missed the past official tour of our nest... you can catch up on all our rooms starting back here).

Shop the NEST: reversible wood pendants

 Hi again friends.. just a quick SHOP update here.

Many of you locals have already seen/purchased these before... so this current collection is all I have left in stock now.

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 Lightweight reversible wood pendants.

Features unique decorative papers sealed to the wood.

Hangs from a thin brown strap with a silver clasp at back.

 1. Front: doily paper overlaid on birch bark. Back: french text.

2. Front: indigo floral motif. Back: brown leaf motif.

3. Front: colourful pixels.  Back: sea-glass and birds drawn on top.

4. Front: white feather drawn on birch bark.  Back: old map image..(cattle pulling plow).

4. As listed above.

5. Front: colourful red pixel.  Back: old map image (snake vs. animal?).

6. Front: purple pixel.  Back: floral motif.

7. Front: red pixel.  Back: pink pixel.

$12 Cndn. (PayPal)

Which is like $6 for two necklaces.. in one!  FREE shipping worldwide.

Please contact me with your selection (and I can mark each here as sold).

needleandnestdesign[at]live.com

Thanks!

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)