The NorMel House

Waiting is hard, and let's be real here, waiting sucks. But although waiting isn't fun, there are some things worth waiting for. The Lord is always worth waiting for. His plan, His purpose, whatever He has set for me, I know His plans for me are good. 

This text holds so much meaning to me. I'm not really the bubbly, giggly type, although I do have my moments, but this passage resonates with my soul. There's a very key word in the passage that many don't realize. I don't have to be happy and bubbly, I don't have to be joyful about the hard times or pretend that I'm happy with trials because that's not what this text is about. It's about rejoicing IN the Lord regardless of situation. I can always be thankful and rejoice in God and His glorious gift of salvation. No matter what I've lost or what I grieve or go through I can rejoice in the Lord. For this I am eternally thankful. 

In a world so full of selfishness it often seems like faithfulness is rarely seen in anyone or anything. Marriages fall apart, commitment is rare, and people just don't keep their word. Yet, God is not like man. He truely is faithful. Even when everyone else turns away and all else fails God's love never fails. May God write this on my heart and direct my every thought to be like His. Let my word be binding and trustworthy and my heart be faithful to God first.

I've been quite busy on the crochet front these past few months, as well as renos and so many other things going on however none of that is what's on my mind right now.  I dont seem to be able to attain happy this time of year. Too many traumatic anniversaries, too much sadness and reminders of what will never be. Too many reminders from people that make it seem like I dont have a family because it's just my spouse and I alive. Our opinions don't count when it comes to deciding holiday events because we're expected to go along with those who's children are living. While part of me understand this, another part is screaming inside at how wrong it all is. It's all just a reminder of what we lost. A reminder of the things we'll never go through, the joys and fun parts of Christmas that just seem pointless because there's no little ones to share it with.  Then there's the final acceptance of the fact that my husband and I don't really need anythi...

Crocheted some octos including a mama and some babies! And yes, all 3 of these babies fit inside the mama! They're so cute 😍 😍😍 This pattern was definitely worth buying as I'm sure to use it lots  #BernatBlanketYarn @allfromjade pattern From the Mel of the NorMel House, crocheting is so much more than just a hobby!

  My two favorite Norms. Can't believe my happy and oh so funny papa is 94! His sense of humor must have been passed on to me cuz he always makes me laugh. Kinda funny I managed to marry someone with his name and his sense of humor. Love these two guys! From the Mel in the NorMel House, celebrate every day with all your loved ones; we never know how many we have left

  Can you tell I love purple? This blanket was finished and went to its new home a while ago, I simply forgot about it lol. Its similar to a granny square but has an extra row the granny square pattern doesn't. I love how the colors worked out and I love all the purples. It was quite simple to work up this one, although more time consuming than I might have expected. It's gone to someone who may just love purple as much as me, possibly even more lol As typical for me, it's made of #BernatBlanketYarn because its so soft and comfy! From the Mel in The NorMel House, where crafting is not just a hobby it's a way of life...

This one was an interesting make for me. I've never tried this pattern and it called for my usual Bernat Blanket yarn however I wanted to try Bernat Pop yarn for it. It's supposed to be super squishy but I think the different yarn has made it stiffer and heavier. I like the color combination, I used two different self striping balls and I think they came together nicely. Just a bit of color popping out of the neutral colors. I think I could work with that yarn again but I would definitely choose a looser pattern.  

  How easy it is to see our own knots and messes and think others have it perfect. We all have something going on in our lives, noone is perfect. And yet we tend to think others have it so much easier or better. I love analogies like this, they give such a visual picture of things in our lives. I know I am definitely like the back of that embroidery, but because of Christ Jesus God sees the beautiful picture on the front; oh how blessed I am! From the Mel in The NorMel House  Life is easier when you can change your perspective to see the beautiful picture God creates.

The hardest part is not knowing what took my most precious gift away from me. It haunts me, never knowing what exactly went wrong. All I can think is it must be my fault. 

I dont like to think of or even admit to myself that I'm disabled. I hate asking for help. I hate knowing my house is always messy because I'm incapable of doing normal everyday things that most people do almost as easy as breathing. Because even breathing is hard; I have to remind myself to breath as I so often find myself holding my breath from the pain. I don't want to be this way. I don't like being this person. I'm so tired of being tired. Sick of being sick. I find myself slowly slipping into a darkness that's always so very hard to climb back out of. There's always something it seems, and I just don't know how to fix it. I want to make things, I love working hard on something and seeing it come together. At least I used to. I want to feel that again. I want to clean my house and feel proud of it. I still try, I do little bits at a time, all the time. Trying to find the balance between getting things done and setting off another flare up that takes...

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:30‭-‬31 ESV God is omnipotent and yet He still cares for all our needs. I cannot grasp how omnipotent and powerful God is.  He intimately knows every single person, throughout all times, at every moment.  Not just your thoughts or your soul, but every hair, every freckle, every part of you! He knows every beat of your heart,  every teardrop you cry,  every single breath you take. There's not a single part of you He doesn't know. There's not a thing about you that He doesn't take care for. He wisely created us with bodies that tell us things constantly, to help us take care for our bodies too. Jesus told the disciples to rest and take time for to take care of themselves. Its easy to brush aside your own bodily needs when things get ...

 Have you ever gone through something and felt alone?  Maybe you lost a loved one, or had a serious illness. Maybe you live with chronic pain, or had a battle with cancer. Whatever it is that you have gone through, you may have felt that no one could possibly understand how hard it was or how broken you felt. I know I have. I've felt the crushing weight of grief, I've been misunderstood and felt the judgements of others, I've sat alone pouring my soul out to our Saviour. I felt alone. I didn't think anyone could possibly understand how it felt, but I was wrong. We only have to open our Bible to see how we are never alone! Our Saviour's love is so great and our God is so powerful that He is with us at all times! But that's not all! All throughout scripture we are told that God is not only with us, but He hears us, He heals us and He understands our pain. Zephaniah 3:17 He is in our midst! Psalm 56:8 He cares so much He even counts our tears! Psalm 18:6 He hear...

Do you remember the first time you followed that strange little ritual of peeing on that oh so hated (and yet loved) little stick? Nervous, anxious, hopeful, scared and a single prayer repeating in your head. Do you remember all those emotions warring inside you? It's more likely you remember what happened next. Maybe it was positive and you were so excited you could hardly contain your joy. Maybe it was negative and you were disappointed or even sad enough you cried. I remember my first time. February 26th, 2013. I was so excited I took a second test just to make sure. My first child! She made me a mom. I never got to meet this little one, but from the moment I knew she was real (not just suspected, because I was sure I was pregnant before I even took the test) my whole outlook changed. Do you remember that first time you found out you were a mom? Do you remember the joy? Despite all that has happened since that moment do you ever try to capture that feeling again? Today I want to...

9 years ago I found out the most exciting news ever! Not only was one test positive, but 2 tests! Norm and I were parents, and in 9 months we'd get to meet our beautiful child. We were ecstatic! By the time I went to see my doctor I had a bad feeling something wasn't right. My doctor passed it all off as first time mom jitters. And then at 13 weeks I had some spotting, and in my heart of hearts I knew I was right. A trip to the hospital confirmed what I'd suspected, our child had gone on to be with our Lord weeks earlier, about the same time I spoke to my doctor. Our hearts were shattered that day. But today I choose to remember the joy, the joy of that moment when I saw those two little lines appear. I'll see my baby again someday and I'll hold her in my arms and thank God for her life.  Til that day...

Ever had a best friend that just gets you. Someone you tell anything and everything because you can trust them. The kind of friend you can always depend upon. The problem is, we're just humans. We make mistakes, screw up and hurt the people we love. The truth is, there's only one perfect friend. He's the only one that loves with perfect love. He wants us to come to Him with everything, He wants us to trust in Him. Pour out your heart to the one who is our Refuge the only one we can truly trust; our Heavenly Father hears you and loves you. No matter whats going on in your life or happening in this world you can find true comfort in Him alone. Selah. Mel of the NorMel House. Reminding myself once again to put my trust in our perfect friend, our Refuge and our God.

My heart hurts. My soul is oh so weary.  This year started off pretty crummy and the world is taking it all downhill.  New Year's Eve plans got canceled as Norm was sick that week and I started getting sick that morning. We still managed to play some games online with friends, but the month of January was spent with my body going through every possible flu symptom you could think of. So I stayed home and kept myself away from anyone but norm. After everything this body has been through it was already worn out before the virus hit.  There's so much I want to say about February. So many things my heart has been crying out to God about, so my things that have brought me to my knees, that I've wept over, prayed constantly about, and had extreme anxiety over. The world will tell you many versions of what's gone on in our nations capital. I believe the many friends I have that walked the streets, that prayed with hundreds of others, sang hymns, psalms, and our national anthem...