September 15, 2008

If there's anyone out there that still reads this blog to keep up w/me and my family, I'm doing more w/facebook these days so that's probably a better way to find out how we're doing! You can find me under Melissa Gant Jones and send me a friend request and we'll go from there!
Talk to you soon!
m

August 28, 2008

Back to school!! Wow! I can't believe it's finally here. The girls have been in school for 2 days now and it's been nice =-) It's quiet in the house and the pitter-patter of big feet is gone for now. They're both already getting busy w/things at school. Alix is having volleyball tryouts this week and Shelby is completely absorbed w/color guard as they have a football game this Saturday at Texas Stadium. Keeping us busy, but it's good to finally be in that place again. No regrets w/homeschooling Shelby last year, but very thankful we're not doing it again =-)

Here are they're First Day of School pics...

August 18, 2008

Well, I joined the ranks of Facebook members=-) I wasn't quite sure of the fascination of it, but since I started using it more, I've found some old friends from waaaaaaay long ago! It's been cool finding out how people are doing, what their family is like, etc. It's cool! If you've got a facebook, let me know and I can add you as a friend and we can keep in touch!
My birthday went by quietly, which I am thankful for. Mike did a lot to ease my load that day and treated me like a princess...the girls even remembered me and gave me cards and gifts. It was good and I'm thankful for each day that God gives me =-) (which is approaching MANY days!!)
m

August 6, 2008

Our anniversary "staycation" weekend was great! We had fun doing things and going places we don't normally go, ie; Dallas Farmers Market. They had a melon there that I hadn't heard of before called and "Israel Melon". I'm not sure where the name comes from but my goodness, was it good! Very sweet and sort of a combination of cantaloupe and honeydew. Good stuff.

We also went to the botanical gardens in Grapevine and took some pics. It was fun...extremely hot, but fun! I've put a couple on here for your viewing pleasure =-) We also went to Central Market in Southlake on Friday evening for dinner and listen to a live band. It was cool...not in the "weather-sense", but just the whole experience.

We have Mike's cousin, Stephanie, coming in tomorrow. She lives in Michigan and is here visiting her dad. We haven't seen her in years, so it'll be good to catch up and spend some time with her. We may need a trip to Sam Moon's while she's here, though!

Have a great one!

m

July 30, 3008

Not much news. Trying to wind down to get started again for school! The summer is flying by! Mike and I will be celebrating our 22nd anniversary this weekend. Not any big plans, but just time together going places that the girls don't normally like to go!! Like the Dallas Farmers Market early Saturday morning...Old City Park in Dallas, places like that. Anyway, I'm ready for a break.
Later-
m

July 15, 2008

WE'RE BACK FROM PINE COVE FAMILY CAMP!! Wow, what a great week we had there in Tyler, TX. We met a lot of new people and got to hear an amazing speaker, but most of all we were able to reconnect w/one another and w/God. Personally, I feel that I've been in such a drought lately, but being away from everything and spending time w/God and hearing His word on a daily basis was just the shot in the arm I needed.

The central theme for the week was "First Impressions"...what spiritual truths do you impress upon your children and what is their first impression of you, their parent? The central verse for the week was Deuteronomy 6:4-9. The week ended with some spiritual and family challenges for parents, but mostly the dad's and their role in keeping the family all together and strong in the Lord. Anthony Evans, Pastor Tony Evans' son, did a little mini concert on Thursday night. He used to be a counselor at Pine Cove several years ago and they asked him to write a song to go along w/"First Impression". He did and it is called "Reflections of You". It's an awesome song and we were thrilled to be able to hear it directly from him! Another great song he does is "I Choose Now"...look it up on iTunes if you can...it's awesome!!! In the video clip below, he's singing "Wonderful Savior"..

Now we're back home, trying to get in the swing of things and keep that camp "high" that everyone gets after spending a week totally devoted to spending time w/God. Pray for us as a family that we not let go of what we learned or what we were challenged with and that we stay strong together as a family to share God's love w/each other and w/others.

That's about it, I guess. I'm sure I'll add more over the next few days, but for now, I'll close.

Be blessed!

m

July 5, 2008

Happy Independence Day! I'm so thankful for the freedom that we have and for the country that we live in, no matter how flawed it may be. But most of all I'm thankful for the freedom I have in Christ and all that He set me free from. No amount of gorgeous displays of fireworks can compare to the beauty of my salvation through Christ Jesus.

We are blessed!

Have a good day!

m

June 29, 2008

Ok, so I've made my laundry soap and Mike is getting the cement poured for my clothesline as I write...I'm so proud of myself =-) The soap seems to be doing a good job, as far as I can tell! And I used the clothesline a few times last week but it started leaning more and more so it needed to be cemented into the ground. It's amazing the short amount of time it takes to dry the clothes on the line! Yes, they've been a little stiffer than I like, even w/softener in the wash load, but I just put them in the dryer for a "fluff-time" of about 10 minutes and it seems to help a lot! You can't be in a hurry, though, if you're line-drying the clothes and I've found I have to sort of plan my time according to daylight, weather, etc. I'll get it worked out and hopefully we'll see at least a little bit of it's usefulness in our energy bill =-)

Shelby got home and we still haven't seen much of her! She's leaving the nest a little bit at a time which is hard, but she's growing and maturing a lot and she had a great week at camp.

Alix is sewing, still, and also got some "fashion drawing" books from the library. She wants to design clothes...and move to NYC...and be famous...if anyone can do it, she can but I'm trying to stress more importantly is her walk w/Christ and how that will impact forever vs. all of our energy on things that will not last and are only beneficial in the short time we have here on earth...

ok, sermonette done!!
m

June 23, 2008

No new HTML on here yet. I took a "brain break" last week so I may try to start working on it again =-) Shelby is gone to camp this week so I may have a little extra time to get on the computer! Between her and Alix, I get little time on the computer...at least the one that I can use to upload pics, etc.

I'm in the midst of possibly buying a clothesline...my "go green" item of the month =-) I found it on Craigslist over the weekend. After receiving our energy bill last week and seeing that it has jumped significantly, I thought "why not?" in trying to hang clothes out to dry. My biggest complaint is that I want my clothes to still be soft and smell good. No offense, Mom, but I remember her hanging clothes out to dry when we were kids and they were stiff and didn't' smell good. I'm hoping to be able to get the clothesline and also be able to "master" the art of hanging clothes and having them still be soft. Any ideas or suggestions? Mike suggested a clothesline a few weeks ago, but he didn't make it sound "cool" and present it as a "go green" idea, so I dismissed it. Sorry, Mike! You're so cutting edge that I don't even realize it...=-)

I did find this little blog entry from someone else and thought it appropriate:

Clotheslines are the new cool
And just like that, drying clothes on a line is hip. It will help save the planet and it's a way to make a green statement.
Funny, just a few weeks ago, I considered it trashy. I saw my neighbors drying their kids' clothes on a fence and I thought: "How country." And not in a good way.
Then after last week's Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis, I saw my other neighbors doing the sun-dried clothing thing and I thought: "Tres chic."
You can find really cool clotheslines at Gaiam. You've got a choice between the Retractable Clothesline for 20 bucks, the Large Drying Rack for 89 bucks, and the new Breezecatcher Umbrella Drying Rack (pictured) for a 169 big ones. That's upscale, right?

Will keep you posted on the clothesline, if/when we get it. Hopefully it will be today and I can start playing with it this week!

June 16, 2008

Be watching ever so closely to my little HTML/CSS changes I'm working on for my blog page =-) I have a "dummy" page that I practice on and it's looking pretty good. My poor, 40-something brain is toast but I'm determined to figure it out!!! It's taking up a lot of my time but hopefully it'll be worth it. How? I don't know!!

m

June 12, 2008

On Tuesday Alix & I had the privilege and honor to welcome home a 90 yr old WWII veteran at DFW Airport. It's a rather long story and I'll provide the link to the whole history of why he was returning from Paris.

Anyway, I can't tell you in words what it was like to shake his hand and tell him thank you. Our whole world was shaped by the actions of him and his fellow service men on D-Day in Normandy. Mike & I watched the HBO special series "Band of Brothers" (on DVD) a couple of months ago. It was a little rough, language-wise, but it's true stories of a parachute troop and all they encountered during the time from their air-drop until they headed to the Pacific. It put it all in perspective as to what they faced and now, in the 21st century, they're all but forgotten, let alone honored (those that are still alive). If you get the chance to watch that series, I highly recommend it. Like I said-beware of a lot of strong cussing, but it was war...

So here are some pics of Pilot Mr. Moreland who actually flew on D-Day..and the link to his story. I am so glad we took the time to go and welcome him home!

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/682508.html is the first article and then this is the link to the article after the homecoming

http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/693356.html

God bless the USA (especially during this election year...)

June 11, 2008

It's sooo hot here in TX. I know we're not the only hot place on the planet, but it just sucks the life out of you it seems! Our summer break has officially started and so far, I haven't heard the "b" word (bored)! Shelby's driving and has a correspondence course to take over the summer so she's working on it a little bit at a time. Alix is sewing...and sewing...and sewing! She's getting some private lessons from her Consumer Science (Home Ec) teacher through the summer and she's in the beginning stages of starting a dress. I've bought fabric for her to make my "go green" cloth napkins!

I'm taking it upon myself to try to learn HTML & CSS...at this point, I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to make a cute blog page =-) Yes, that's the only reason I want to learn to code is so I can make "cute" blog pages! I think there's a little potential income there if I can just get it up and going. I went to the library yesterday and loaded up on the "dummies" and "idiots" books so we'll see what happens! If anyone knows any tricks or the best (easiest) way to design blog pages feel free to clue me in!!

I'll put up a couple of pictures from Shelby's party. It was fun and she had a good time which is all that matters, right?! My brother, Jordan, drew the backdrop for pictures at her party. Cool!

Hope you are all well...I'll chat more later!

m

June 4, 2008

Well, tomorrow is Shelby's 16th birthday! I have been reflecting on it all evening as I'm here by myself and writing out a birthday card for her. Where does the time go? I'm so excited for her and this new time in her life, yet scared to death of the big world that lays before her. I'm finding that trusting God is going to be the only way to get through these years and each time that she leaves the house. I choose not to live in fear and "what if's" when she drives but to place her securely in her Father's hands and know He will care for her. It's such a great time in a girls life-turning 16. It's such a huge milestone and turning point in life. I'm praying that she continues to enjoy her life and friends and youth group and that somewhere along the way (when she's much, much older =-) she will run into the man of God's dreams for her and she will continue to trust God to bring him to her.

Ok...I just heard the garage door open so I'd better close this! She'll want on the computer!!

Later!
m

June 3, 2008

My "green" goal for the week...finish up using my paper napkins and try to use cloth napkins to cut down on the amount of paper that is thrown away. I'm hoping to hit up some thrift stores to see what they have in the way of cloth napkins. If nothing, Alix is really into sewing right now so how hard could it be to cut out squares and sew the rough edges to make them clean edges? (I obviously don't know the "correct" sewing lingo, but I'm sure you get the idea!)

Shelby and I watched Ryan, my nephew, today. He's sooo cute and soooo good! He had me laughing quite a bit! He's a good boy, but he sure is busy!!! Whew! Maybe this Shelby-getting-her-license-thing isn't so bad now!! =-) Love you, Ryan!

Getting ready to work on my grocery list/menu for the next week. I always feel stuck in a cooking rut so if anyone has any good recipes they're using right now, feel free to share! We love to try new things!!

Better get to working on it..ugh...
m

May 28, 2008

Ok, so I've been very neglectful in my blog-keeping. The homeschooling totally kicked my backside and I could barely keep my head above water, but hallelujah, we're about done!!!!!!! It's been a long year, but I don't regret a bit of it. Sure there were times when Shelby and I couldn't stand each other, but overall, I think it's been good for us to get to know each other a little better. She's still Shelby and I'm still me, but it's ok. We'll get through (even though there were days I wondered!) Her 16th birthday is next Thursday so we're gearing up for that. The party, the drivers license, etc. So far, no "dates" lined up, but Mike and I are totally not ready for that one bit!!!

Alix is winding down at Medlin. She's currently got a cast on her right hand (her writing hand!) for a torn tendon in her thumb from playing volleyball. She had big plans for volleyball camps this summer, but those are not going to happen. She has to keep it immobile for close to 4 months, so all summer long =-( She's also looking at places to do community service (no, not because she got in trouble!) for National Junior Honor Society. She and a friend are looking into various things to do, plus it'll keep her busy and not so "bored" all summer ;-) Paula C, she needs to come down and hang out w/you guys for a while so she can keep busy!!

Ok, so here's the deal. I'll be able to tell if anyone is reading this...I'm trying to "go green" as best as I can and doing a lot of research on it. I don't want to go crazy w/it, but at least be responsible in things and using what God gave us as natural resources, etc. So, is anyone on this journey, too? I know Paula C. has been "going green" as long as I've known her! She's always had a garden, etc. We actually have 3 tomato plants and a green pepper plant potted on our back porch and we have our first tomato!! We've never done anything like it, so it's so exciting. I don't think they'll allow cows or chickens or pigs in our backyard here in Trophy club, nor could I butcher them to get my "free range" meat, but I'm trying to be more aware of things.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions on things that are working for you? I'll try to keep posted things that we're trying to do. One thing we do is "recycle" our paper...sort of. If we print things out, we reuse them and print on the other side so we're using both sides. It may seem minor to some, but to us, it's a step in the right direction!

Gotta go..time to shut the computer and peripherals down for the night to cut down on the phantom energy stealers through the night =-)

April 10, 2008

Yep, we're still here! As the school year begins it's descent to summer, I've been busier than usual trying to get Shelby ready for next year and make sure things are on track for her return to NHS. We had a meeting this week w/several "higher-ups" at the high school to get this year started off on the right track. Pray for all of us that the year will be much better than the last year she was there. She will have to do well in her classes and stay on top of things to graduate in 2010 as planned but she can do it!

Alix is busy w/volleyball again and loving it. They have a cool coach...she's a junior at NHS so she's "cool" and current w/what's required in the high school level. She's also keeping busy w/NJHS and all of the things she does w/her friends.

I'll try to put more on later. Just wanted to update while I had the chance!

Talk later!
m

March 16, 2008

As we get ready to head into Spring Break 2008, here's a little of what we faced about 2 weeks ago... SNOW! We couldn't believe it! One day it's in the 70's and the next we have 5-6 inches of snow! It was so pretty and the girls (and Mike!) had a lot of fun making a snow man and throwing snowballs!

No big plans for spring break. Just trying to figure out some things to do in town.

Will fill you in later if we do anything fun!
m

February 24, 2008

Yes, it's been a while since my last post...life gets away from me and my blog comes in last place. Anywho, how is everyone? I've heard from some of you but I'm wondering how the rest of you are doing! Life continues at warp-speed here =-) Trust me when I say that once you have teenagers, your life is no longer your own! I'm trying to remember that these times will go by quickly and to enjoy them as much as I can while I have them!

Shelby is driving more and more. She still has just a learners permit, but asks to drive more frequently. She's really taken a liking to the BMW and says it's "her car", so that's what she likes to drive around in. Mike got a new (used) truck a month or so ago as we prepare to become a 3 driver family. He's missed having a truck since he got rid of the last one. This is a cute little Ford Ranger, 1999 I think. So he has fun driving that, Shelby the BMW and I'm still enjoying my Toyota. Still not quite sure if I'm ready for the whole Shelby-driving thing, but it's coming up rather quickly!

Alix got into National Junior Honor Society this last week. They had their "induction" ceremony and got their NJHS pins. She was so thrilled to get in and we are very proud of her accomplishments academically to get her to the point of being accepted. She's wanting to start taking a dance class so we'll be looking into one at Southlake this next week. Of course, Shelby wants to take a dance class, too. It's always a competition with the two of them these days. It doesn't bother me or Shelby much, but it drives Alix absolutely nuts!!!

That's about it for now. Still trying to find a church where God wants us all to be and be able to minister in. We are getting ready to start the Financial Peace course by Dave Ramsey at Aurora Baptist church. That's been our home-base church for now, but not sure that's where we will end up. Great church but it would be nice to have something a little closer to home.

Take care of yourself and I'll try to post again soon!

m

January 3, 2008

It's quiet around here these days, but that's ok! The girls are on a ski trip in Colorado w/a youth group so I've got the house to myself! It's so peaceful, but I miss them just the same...too quiet, I guess. Mike's back to work so it's just me and the dogs + cat.
Alix keeps in touch about once a day to let me know how things are going. She had fun skiing yesterday but had a tough time stopping! It's very cold and slippery, she said, so she's slipping and falling a lot! She says Shelby is caught up in whatever drama happens to be unfolding and Alix is trying to stay out of it...sisters...
That's all for now. Getting ready to head out to grocery store...ugh
m