Mel's Box of Chocolates

When my last camera bit the dust a few weeks ago, I was lost.  I'm that person who always has her camera out.  When I leave the house it is in my purse in case I stumble upon the perfect picture that I just must capture. I knew I wasn't going to be able to go long without a camera so I immediately started hunting for a new one.  The camera I had was a Sony Cybershot and I was very happy with the pictures it took.  It was easy to use and I had the option of setting a few features how I liked them.  Of course it was also many years old so I was excited to think about what technological advances were going to be available on my new camera. At first I had aspirations of going big, with a new DSLR, but my budget wasn't quite up to my aspirations so in the end I just upgraded my Cybershot.  I ended up going with the 290 that has an incredible zoom, plus a ton of extra features that I'm still discovering a week later!! Now that I have my new camera I'm taking e...

I recently discovered Tamara at The (Un)experienced Mom and always enjoy visiting her blog.  She is co-hosting Top Three Thursday and this week participants are supposed to share their top three reasons why they blog .  Sounded like a fun question so I thought I'd link up this week. Why I Blog   I want to save the memories!   I began blogging to share pictures and stories with friends and family who lived far away.  Often I find myself digging into my archives to see what was happening last year at this time, or use my categories to just look at pictures.  It is nice to have a digital scrapbook/journal to document my family's life.   I enjoy writing.   I've always liked to write and play with words. Perfect grammar is most definitely not my thing, which if you are a regular reader, I'm sure you know.  I don't feel the need to follow rules when I write, rather I just like to let it flow.  There is nothing like the satisfaction of pu...

Zoe came running out from the den/office/playroom the other day saying, "Look mommy, look at these cool stickers I found."  When I looked, I had to laugh, "Those aren't stickers, their stamps.  Stamps cost money so let's not stick them everywhere, ok?"  Then it came.  The question. "What's a stamp?" she asked. My daughter had no idea what a stamp was. I realized that she had never used a stamp.   Growing up I would write letters to my grandparents and mail them all the time.  Now Zoe and Dylan email their grandparents or call them on their cells (Zoe is quite good at that!) since there isn't long distance charges.  I would often watch my parents pay the bills, add the stamp, and put them in the mailbox to send them on their way. My kids know that when I have the stack of envelopes beside me and I'm grumbling at the computer, I'm paying the bills.  When Christmas rolled around, I would help mom add the Christmas stamps to all t...

Picnik is my other new best friend!   SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

Growing up our Sundays always consisted of the same routine... Church. Taco Bell. Afternoon naps for parents, reading a book for me. Back to church in the evening. Cinnamon rolls after evening church. Bed. I grew up in a very religious home where God was the center of everything. I remember going to Sunday School and singing songs with fun hand motions, listening to the teachers tell Bible stories on felt boards and with puppets, making crafts, and memorizing verses like it was yesterday.   This is what I yearn for my own kids to experience, but what I learned this week is that the only way they will is if I allow them the opportunity.  We left the church I was talking about above when I was 11 for which I am sure were relevant reasons to my parents. For me though, I was crushed.  I had to say goodbye to my best friends (a couple I still talk to today), leave the church I had grown up in, and start all over again in youth groups that were full of clique...

I'm the first to admit that my kids are very "plugged in" especially my 9yr old son.  He is never very far from his DSi and ask him about Wizard 101 and he'll talk to you for hours.  Throw Wii in there and yeah it adds up to a whole lot of screen time.   The other morning though, Dyl was very quiet so I sneaked into the playroom to see what he was up too.  This is what I found him doing. He loves to draw and he spent a good hour or so just tracing, free handing, and coloring in his pictures.  I was quite impressed with his artistic skills.  Now if only I could remember to get some pictures of his finished works! SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

You always hear people declaring themselves either morning people or night people.   The morning people wake up at ungodly hours, without the alarm clock making them I may add, with a smile on their face ready to tackle the world.  They hum while they take their showers, get dressed in the first outfit they try on, and enjoy their first cup of coffee.  These people actually greet others with a "Good Morning" as they get up.   Me?   Definitely not a morning person. I grumble when the alarm clock goes off and want to throw it across my bedroom.  I stomp to the bathroom, mumbling complaints under my breath, to take my shower.  I then try on outfit after outfit because nothing looks right discarding garments all over my bed and bedroom floor.  Finally a million hours later, I am running late for work, as I run downstairs and gulp my coffee to rush out the door and begin the day.  Thank goodness that hubby and son fall into th...

SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

  Last week was when we were hit by Snowmageddon here in Delaware.  The feet of snow that fell on our beaches led to everything being shut down.  At first school closed for Monday and Tuesday, then it closed for Wednesday, then on Wednesday we got the call that we wouldn't be going back until today.   It was such a treat to be given a weeks vacation to hang out at home.  I enjoyed waking up late, staying in my pj's all day, playing with the kids, baking/cooking, reading, knitting, and even doing a little (and I do mean little ) cleaning and organizing around the house.   But one of the best things about being off for a week was that I rediscovered my love of blogging.  This week I learned that I really missed writing on my blog, visiting my favorite bloggers, finding new blogs to read, and just the whole blogosphere. I loved spending mornings writing new posts.  I got to share our blizzard adventures , including the snowmen we made ...

Yesterday, I told you all how I don't really do Valentine's Day .   But, I also said that every day was a great day to say I love you. So today I decided will be my time to share with you all, and my hubby, what I love about him. So in no special order whatsoever, some things I love about my husband. I LOVE that... he is my best friend!! he believes in me. he can fix everything. he supports me and all my crazy endeavors.   when I said I was going to run a 5K he didn't laugh in my face, but told me to start running. Then he waited for me at every finish line! I can go shopping and he never asks how much I spent. he gets that I need girl time and encourages me to go out with my girlfriends. he just rolls his eyes when I ask him if he likes my new shoes. he puts his family first. he is an awesome, hands on daddy. I admit he may even be the better parent or at least the more fun one! he is a great cook and he doesn't expect me to make dinner every ni...

While I'm usually a big holiday person, I don't really do Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of going out for a fancy adult only dinner, getting jewelry, flowers, and hello, chocolate, but I don't like that Hallmark has decided that it must take place on this one special day.   Kisses, hugs, and spending time with the people we love should take place every day.    Every day is a perfect day to say I LOVE YOU! SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

My twitter stream and facebook updates have been inundated with talk about the snow that has buried us here in Delaware. Throughout the past week the talk has taken on multiple tones.  At first there was excitement at the thought of getting a real snowstorm (well at least from those of us who actually like snow, for others their tone never changed throughout the storms, they hated it from the first forecast!).  Then there was a slightly concerned tone as we were told we would be measuring snowfall in feet and grocery stores ran out of milk and eggs.  The excitement eventually came back around though as people got off work, families built snowmen, and everybody was busy taking pictures of the gorgeous scenery that surrounded us. That was the first snowstorm. The one that left us with between 1-2ft. Then came the forecast of another storm. Another storm for the record books. Another storm to possibly be measured in feet. This time the excitement was there for onl...

I've planned this post in my head multiple times.  I've started this post, deleted it, started it, deleted it, too many times to count, but today is the day I'm hitting publish.   Today is the day I'm putting it all out here. Today is the day I'm facing the truth and sharing it with you. Today is the day that I put the past in the past and focus on the future. Today is the day that I'm refusing to be a broken record, but instead I'm going to be a shiny new CD. Ok so that was a bit cheesy.  Sorry, got a little carried away. Today is the day that I begin documenting my final weight loss journey. It's taking everything in my power not to type the word "again" at the end of that statement, but I refuse.  I'm putting the past failed attempts behind me and focusing only on the road in front of me.   After losing over 40lb, three years ago, I became to comfortable with where I was even though I never got to my final goal weight.  Then...

Don't forget to visit 5minutesformom to see other Wordless Wednesday pix!   SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

It's been awhile since I've participated in Jo-Lynn's weekly carnival, but now that I'm getting my blogging groove back, I thought it would be a great way to meet some new bloggers and maybe get some new people to come by and say hello. If you are one of the very few who don't own a tv or radio haven't heard this past week we have experienced, what people are calling, Snowmageddon here in Delaware. Two weekends ago we got almost a foot, then this past weekend another foot (some places almost 2 feet), and today we are bracing for another storm coming in this evening through tomorrow with what could be another foot. So in honor Snowmageddon, I thought I'd share with you all what I learned about blizzards in Delaware. Anything that you need to know about what's happening with the weather can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Forget the weather channel. Instant updates directly from the people who are experiencing it. Traffic information, precipitatio...

Two weekends ago we were thrilled with the 10" of snow that we received in the biggest snowstorm that Dave and I have ever experienced in our 11 years of living in Delaware. The kids and I spent one of our two snow days building some snowman. Aren't they cute? Then this past weekend we were hit with an even bigger blizzard. This was a picture I snapped when the snow was still coming down on Saturday. They're drowning... SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

Anybody want to join us? SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

The weathermen began to talk about the "big blizzard" at the beginning of the week. All the hype began with the forecast of the "biggest storm we've seen in a long time", "won't be measuring snowfall in inches, but feet", a storm that "you better stock up for." Needless to say in Delaware where the snow barely falls and an inch will close schools, people began panicking. Word was that by Thursday evening if you didn't have milk then you were out of luck. That went for eggs and bread too, cause you know everybody gets that urge to make French Toast in a snowstorm. Friday we headed to school and received the gift of early dismissal by 11:30am. However, there wasn't a snowflake to be found anywhere in Delaware. I took advantage of early dismissal to go hunting for some snow boots that would be tall enough for all the snow that was about to bury us. Forget the grocery store...priorities people, must shop for shoes first. I was...

SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

So excuse me while I build a snow family and a snow fort! Hope your day is off to just a good of a start. SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter

Our weekend was filled with lots of the white stuff and we loved every minute of it! The weathermen predicted 3-6 inches, but our measurements showed almost a foot. It snowed pretty much all day Saturday, right into the night. We spent the day playing board games while enjoying the toasty fire, sipping hot cocoa and munching on popcorn. It was the perfect way to spend a snowy day. Sunday, we woke up to to the brilliant, bright white outside. Everything was gorgeous. We decided to head over to the inlaws house, which we always joke has the only hill in Sussex County. In case you didn't know, Delaware is FLAT as a pancake. Thankfully Grandma had picked up some sled type things for the kiddos so they had those and of course we had our ever handy kneeboard because that's the way we beach folk roll with snow. Check out our fun... SUBSCRIBE to never miss a piece of chocolate Be Sweet, Follow Mel on Twitter