what is holding me together

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

{via}

randoms

{all images from we heart it}

Manic Monday - 11.28.11

Every king was once a helpless baby and every great structure once a blueprint... it's not where you are today, but where you'll reach that counts.

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Things happen to you to make you realize your true potential, strength, will power, and heart.

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I truly respect the people who stay strong, even when they have every right to break down.

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Manic Monday - Overcome 11.19.11

The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.

~ Nelson Mandela

We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.

~ Martin Luther King

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.

~ Robert Schuller

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. 

~ Chinese proverb

Fall seven times, stand up eight.

~ Japanese proverb

{all images via}

P.S. If the winner of the My Memories giveaway, KEPACANINS, does not contact melifaif(at)yahoo.com by Sunday, 11.27.11 to collect their winnings, I will announce a new winner on Monday. 11.28.11.

My Memories Winner!

The lucky winner of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway is....

KEPACANINS

kepacanins said...

Hey Melissa! This may be the answer to long hours of scrapbooking! With 2 kids now theres really no time =)

Hope all is well. Love reading your blog

November 11, 2011 11:22 AM

Congrats!!!!  Contact me at melifaif (at) yahoo.com to collect your winnings!  Thank you to everyone for playing along.  And a special thanks to My Memories for the opportunity! 

Perfect Christmas Gift - By Jewel, The Merry Goes Round

If you are looking for a mid-range priced gift for a baby or a child this holiday season, I highly suggest a wonderful CD, The Merry Goes Round by Jewel. 

I have always been a huge fan of Jewel, from way back to her Pieces of You album.  And my compliments only grow with this group of songs. 

Just to name a few, here are some of Layla's favorites:

Sammy the Spider  (click the links to hear a snippet)

The Green Grass Grew All Around  (a classic...love it!)

Only Shadows  (No need to be afraid of the dark, they are only shadows.)

Happy (my absolute fav!  About accepting others for who and what they represent.  Don't judge others if you don't want others judging you!)

In My Room  (You can explore the world....in your room!  Escape via books and your imagination! Fabulous lil tune.)

{all images via}

So, yeah.  You can see I am a HUGE fan of the music.  Go grab a CD or two now...

And don't forget to enter my giveaway, it ends tomorrow.  Winner announced on Friday!

I'm just...so...ME!!!

Yet, I am a very busy me!!!!

Sneaking in photo shoots when I can....

...and trying to keep my sanity.

I kinda feel like that lil ole turtle above.  There are plenty of wonderful and colorful and joyful things filling up my world, but the weight of it can become cumbersome. 

But I already know what I must do.

And enjoy it while I cruise along....

{all images via}

So.  Have you entered my giveaway yet?  There are only a few entries so your chances of winning are GOOD!  Enter now.

Manic Monday - 11.14.11

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.

A person may be proud without being vain.

Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves;

vanity, to what we would have others think of us.

{all images via Jill Ward Photography} 

~ Jane Austen

So if you could excuse the vanity part....and just see how prideful I am of my baby girl!  And Vote here for Layla!

Contest details

And here too!!!

 

Thanks, I'll owe you one! Or two...or three! Depends on how many daily votes you put in. Ha!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway!!!!  Ends on Thursday. 

My Memories...and Your Memories! Giveaway Time!!!

I love photography, that is a given.  But as far as putting those thousands of pictures in a scrapbook every month year, well...yeah.  Not.So.Much! 

So when My Memories contacted me about their Digital Scrapbooking Software, I was a little hesitant.  I was assured it was simple and easy to use and you know what!?  They were right.  I jumped right into the program without ever having used digital scrapbook software before. 

Check out the helicopter-like rotation Layla's hair is propelling!!!  She was positive those geese were out to get her....little did she know...they were just exploring the farm with the rest of us.  Hilarious.  She spun around so fast...and luckily my shutter speed was fast enough to catch it.  Pretty amazing. 

I used pre-designed pages for the above, but I am excited to create more of my own designs!!!  There are literally TONS of embellishments and borders and colors and different texts to use to make your pages totally one of a kind.   I am so in love. 

You know what else I am in love with?  A discount code you can use right now to get $10 off the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software.....AND.....when you purchase that Suite, you automatically get an additional $10 to spend in the My Memories Store!!!!  Exciting, right!?!  Yep.  Use code STMMMS76921.  (Just copy and paste the code and apply it at checkout in the promotional code section.)

And of course....what you all are waiting for.  Giveaway Time!!!!! 

All you need to do:

1.  Be a follower of Meli Faif Life, my blog.  (1 entry)
2.  Visit My Memories.com and tell me your favorite FREE {that's right they have free downloads for the taking} Download.  (additional entry)
3.  Like My Memories on Facebook (additional entry - total of 3 entries per person)

What are you waiting for?????  Go enter the giveaway!!!!!  And because I know you want to....

{Can you tell this is my creation?!  Yeah...I have room for improvement.)

....go ahead!!!  It's like I am life sized anyway.  Cheers!

Giveaway will end next Thursday, November 17th, with a winner announced on Friday, the 18th!  Good luck.

she was a wise one...Miss Monroe

She was a girl who knew how to be happy even when she was sad. And that’s important—you know.

{via}

We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.

 

 

{via}

It's better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you're not.

{via}

 

Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself.  Because if you don't, then who will, sweetie?

 

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So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.

 

{via}

~ all quotes from Miss Marilyn Monroe

oh the irony....

Remember...the time you feel lonely

is the time you most need to be by yourself.

Life’s cruelest irony.

{Needless to say....I am gonna be alone tonight.  Well, as alone as alone can be with a beautiful 4 year old to make my day brighter.}

~ Douglas Coupland

{all images via we heart it}

The Grace Project

Although we struggle to make ends meet every month, we still know we are blessed beyond measure. 

I highly encourage ALL OF YOU...{yes you!}...to head on over to Laura's blog, TWIRL, and read up on The Grace Project. 

I think there is NO better way to start off the Thanksgiving month...I donated.  Will you? 

Things To Do....

Cherish your solitude.

Take trains by yourself to places you have never been.

Sleep out alone under the stars.

Learn how to drive a stick shift.

Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back.



Say no when you don’t want to do something.


Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees.



Decide whether you want to be liked or admired.



Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here.



Believe in kissing.

~ Eve Ensler

*all images via*