To Be Real

- Melody

Processed with VSCOcam with t2 preset

I’ve made a resolution.

I want to be more real here. More honest. Tell more. I have decided this for several reasons; since getting divorced I have been made brand new. I’ve had an awakening year and experienced searing pain and fresh grace and the hopes of being real here is that someone will be helped. Also, I just want to be real.
Yes, outfit posts and DIYs are so kewl and fun (and will totally continue) but I’m making a resolution to be just a little bit more transparent. All my life I’ve been private about my feelings and thoughts to family and friends but I’ve had to change that to get through the divorce by talking to counselors and family about what happened. Since God has made me new I’ve felt a quiet tug on my heart to share bits of my story and my prayer is that eventually I will be able to minister to others with the story of my life to share the fullness and glory of Jesus and what He has done for me.

Is that cool?

 

I’m excited.

DIY: How To Fix a Bleached Shirt

- Melody

Working in a daycare means using bleach. A lot. Using bleach means possibly getting it on your clothes. Possibly getting it on your clothes means that cool new shirt you bought is now ruined. This has happened to me approximately four times. Thankfully it has happened with shirts that can be saved, except for this turtleneck.

I had been searching for a thin black turtleneck for a while and coming up dry. Finally I found one at Target last year for $5! I found it during the warmer months and wasn’t able to really wear it and still didn’t really wear it once it got cooler. I wore it to work on day and while washing the bottles I soaked the front with bleach. Yay. Thanks, belly.

There was so much bleach that adding anymore to make a design or change the whole shirt would just eventually eat holes through it. And no one wants a hole where their bellybutton goes. So here is the first of many installments of how to fix a bleached shirt.

DIY Shirt Final
1. Take your clean bleached shirt, preferably jersey for this DIY.
2. Cut a straight line across the shirt from bottom armpit to bottom armpit.
3. Cut off the turtleneck part underneath the seam to keep it all in tact.

DIY Shirt 3
4. Start cutting 1 inch strips from the bottom part of the shirt, first cutting off the bottom seam. Cut the whole part into 1 inch strips.
5. Here are your strips! Lay them out like shown above.
6. Start pulling and pulling. This will string them out to make the edges curl up and look better. To keep all the strings together, take the seam you cut off and wrap it around one part of the strings. Tie a tight knot and cut off the excess. Tada! A scarf!

Remember the neck part we cut off? Here’s what you can do with that!

DIY headband
Twist it all up and sew two ends to keep it that way. It will probably work better if you sew it in four places like 12, 3, 6, 9 o’ clock but I just sewed it 3 and 9. (Does that make sense?) You might have to twist it every time you wear it but because it’s the perfect head size for me the twist stays in place. Add a flower or wear alone! Tada! A headband!

 

What would you do with a bleached shirt? I’ve got several more coming at you so keep your ideas coming!

 

xx

Posted in DIY

We Have A Cat

- Melody 2 Comments

I talk about Pepper so much I don’t think you guys know that we have a cat! Three, actually. The two indoor cats are Mycroft and Ike. Yes, Mycroft from Sherlock. (Our favorite show. Have you seen it?! We should talk!) Our girl cat, Penny, lives outside and is the sweetest cat you’ll ever meet. She has her own little warm box on the porch swing that she snuggles up in during the weather.

When Pepper runs out the front door she also likes to do this:

Processed with VSCOcam with c3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with c3 preset
Oh wait! Here she comes back down.

Processed with VSCOcam with c3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with c3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with c3 preset

When she’s sure it’s safe again, she’ll come back down and invade any outfit pictures I’m taking. 🙂 If you’re ever in the neighborhood see if you can spot her roaming around other people’s porches. She’s easy to spot.

 

 

 

My Sister Graduated!

- Melody 3 Comments

FINALLY. My sister and I are college graduates! Holler!

After a long semester of student teaching my sister walked the stage at A&M Commerce. We are so proud.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with b5 preset

Shelby Kay Taylor, in case you were wondering.

Processed with VSCOcam with m5 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with m5 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with m5 preset
There she goes! She’s the only redhead on stage.

Processed with VSCOcam with p5 presetGRADUATED!

Shel
Happy Graduation, Shel!

Shelby is now substituting at a lot of local schools and applying for grad school at Baylor. And I’m like WHOA! She’s been working on papers over Christmas and all this month. Filling out applications and asking us to proof her papers and calling and emailing like a mad woman. If all works out she will be moving to Waco in the fall for a dual degree in music! Insane in the membrane, I’m telling you. Ambitious! We are all so proud of her and rooting her on to fulfill her dreams. Go Shel!

Leave an encouraging comment for Shel. She’s submitting all of her applications and papers this week!

xx

Our Christmas

- Melody

I know that Christmas was, like, a month ago. But I snapped about a million pictures and just really want to share some. Especially because Pepper was extra adorable that day. 🙂

Processed with VSCOcam with m5 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Every year my mom displays her Santa and snowman collection. It’s one of my favorite parts about Christmas. A lot of them were her mom’s and that makes them extra special. 🙂

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
This was as close as I could get to putting the hat on her head. PS: In the background you can see how my genius mom wrapped our presents this year! She ordered the biggest roll of black butcher paper I’ve every seen. It’s thick and, for me because I’m bad at wrapping, hard to work with but it looks really cool with a white paint pen or chalk!

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
The light on Christmas morning… it’s the best. Better than any light on any other morning any other day of the year.

Processed with VSCOcam with x2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

A gentle frost lay over our backyard that morning. It was chilly and blue. Beautiful.

 

A late Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good Monday! 🙂

 

 

xx

Our Thanksgiving! I Know It’s January.

- Melody 2 Comments

Okay… so Thanksgiving was more than a month ago. More like, two months ago. But hey! It’s Thanksgiving and nothing makes me feel better than looking at pictures of delicious food.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
The turkey was huge and mom basting it made her hand look like an alien. Also, turkey butt.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
Mmm… pie.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
Mom’s fall decorations on the porch. Simple and festive. Plus we really love burlap around here.

Processed with VSCOcam with p4 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
YUM. I still crave this meal every time I look at these pictures. We stayed home and had Thanksgiving with just us. We missed our extended family but it was nice to lounge around with the windows open all day knowing we had nowhere to be. Smelling the turkey cook and watching mom bake and her pajamas… it’s the best. Also not having to put on makeup or look presentable to stuff my face was a big plus.

How was your Thanksgiving? What kind of pie did you have? I’m hungry.

 

 

xx