Girls...Put Some Clothes On

This is a topic I'm very passionate about. I will spend extra hours sometimes working towards it. If I feel I have failed in this area, it upsets me greatly. And when I see other women not practicing it, I'm overwhelmed with the urge to go have a veeeeery long conversation with her. The subject I speak of is modesty.

Yes, yes..I know...it's wintertime, conversations about modesty are supposed to be in the summer, when girls are seen in short shorts and bikinis... right? Wrong. Modesty is not keeping your shorts/skirts at a certain length, or avoiding low cut shirts. Yes, those are all things that are practiced while one is striving for modesty, but it is not just a set of rules. Being modest is much more than that. I saw this picture, and I really liked how it was worded. Also, chew on this quote. "Modesty comes first from the heart then encompasses all aspects of dress, speech, and behavior. Modesty does not start with what you wear, then affect your heart. Instead it starts in your heart, and then affects  what you wear." -Paulina Carmel. I love it.

With that said, here are the main 3 reasons why every woman should be modest.

1. God tells us to
The way we are to dress, is respectably, and separately if need be."likewise women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair or gold, and pearls or costly attire." 1 Timothy 2:9. This text is NOT saying that we can't enjoy wearing pretty things, or braid our hair. It means we should not be setting our minds and hearts on things of this world, not focusing on the material matters. And the part about braiding hair, or gold, pearls, and costly attire...are things that harlots would do at that time. What it is saying, is we should not be trying to entice with our bodies or what we are wearing, but to be modest and respectable.

2. All men need us to be
An example I have heard used several times is this: What would it be like, if men walked around everywhere with your favorite guilty pleasure treats (most examples use chocolate) making no consideration to your cravings or temptation to eat it.?Soon, you would give in, and would be indulging yourself with it at every corner. Wouldn't you be mad or frustrated? Why can't they just have a little respect and consider the people around them?...Getting the picture yet? :) When women walk around wearing less than what they should, they are shoving temptation right in a man's face. We as females can not expect them to keep pure intentions and thoughts if we are giving them every reason not to. If a guy has to divert his attention from you to try and not think lustfully, or if he simply is thinking so without trying, or being able to resist..there is a problem. Do the men around you a favor, and cover yourself up.

3. Classy is beautiful
Modesty does not have to be frumpy clothes, or covering up every inch of skin. Just because you're being appropriate, does not mean you can't look good. Yes, dressing modestly, especially today can be a challenge, but it doesn't take away the ability to enjoy the clothes you wear. I find that it takes more creativity and can give clothes more of a unique factor if you're trying to dress respectably. It's not all floor length skirts and turtlenecks. Some of the most stunning and gorgeous women I've ever seen are ones who have a classy way about them, but more importantly, a God glorifying attitude. You don't have to stand out because you're wearing something racy, but instead, stand out because your whole life is different, in a good way. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 Just dressing modestly can lead others to Christ, because people will notice there is something different about you. We as Christians, are to lead lives that point right back to the Lord, and conducting ourselves in a different, obedient, and God glorifying way, does exactly that.

And to end...I will share a HUGE pet peeve of mine concerning clothes being modest or immodest...

Don't even get me started on that one :)

Tuesday's Top Ten PLUS Ten: Children's Books

As of this week, I am beginning the occasional "Tuesday's Top Ten" with a fellow blogger, BecKyle. Ok, let me back it up a little bit..that sounded far too formal :)  Mrs. Becky Lowery-a favorite past teacher of mine, my mother's best friend, and mommy of one (a quite adorable one I might add)- does a weekly "Top Ten" on her blog every Tuesday, and has recently asked me to join her. So I am excitedly presenting you with my first! :) Also, skip on over to her blog and check hers out as well! Click Here to Read BecKyle's Top Ten :)

1. "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney
This book has always been special to me. It is about a child and his father, who are telling each other how much they love one another. The father continues countless times to stretch his arms wider, jump higher, etc, "proving" that his love is greater..it is such a beautiful reminder of how God loves us. We can't even fathom His love, let alone stretch our arms wide enough :)

2. "You are Speical" by Max Lucado
In a nutshell, "You are Special" is about God loving you just the way you are, because He made you just as he intended. No matter the amount of "stars or dots" you have (a concept of popularity used in the book) God's love for you won't ever change.

3. "Disney's Princess Treasury" by various authors
See how I sneakily got away from choosing just 10? :) Oh yeah, if you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm indecisive. I own this treasury, and the front cover is not even still intact..it has endured a lot of love :) Fairy-tales were a big part of my childhood, and this book has some of my favorites. There is a quote by Albert Einstein that says "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales", I love it!

4. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis
Out of all the books in the series, this is my favorite. It is also widely known, but contrary to popular belief, it is the second out of seven-not first. With wonderful fantasy, and parallels to Jesus Christ, I would recommend any of C.S. Lewis's works to anyone.

5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
Some would not consider this series as one for children (which also depends on what exactly you consider a child) but I disagree. They are appropriate and a good read. In past entries of mine (My Favorite Gift to have Received and An Ideal Tea Party) I have expressed how important the books have been to me, but the first is my favorite of them all. My copy is falling apart, and I have read it more than any of the others. Definitely worthy of my top 10.

6. "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn
I have loved this book for as long as I can remember. Seriously. It will always be special to me, and I fully intent for my children (Lord willing) to own a copy as well. It is about a child being nervous to leave his mom and start growing up, and how his mom gives him a sweet reminder of her love, even while he is away :)

7. "The Magic Tree House" series by Mary Pope Osborne
I have read so many of these I couldn't give a number, and used to own several. I remember a particular favorite being "A Christmas in Camelot", but could not decide one above the others (it has been so long) so I listed them as a general series. I gained a basic knowledge of much History, and an improved vocabulary from them, they are interesting and imaginative.


8. "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein
Am I the only one who will cry at this book? It is a touching story about a little boy, his tree, and their changes in life. A beautiful picture of servitude and giving, even when nothing is given in return.


9."Pickle Things" by Mark Brown
So I've got this closet love for pickles..OK maybe it isn't so secret after all-but I do love them. The irony of it is, I think it started with this book. Really, the only reason I have for putting it in this list, is the silliness and sentiment. A year or two ago, we recovered my old copy, and thinking I would purchase a new one for my nephew Tristan, I was startled by the cost. Since my childhood, it has skyrocketed in price...there must be something extra special about this book because a new copy is $100! (Don't believe me? The title to all of my books on this list are links... click on it and see for yourself!)


10. "Horton Hears A Who!" by Dr. Seuss
I.love. Dr. Seuss. His works are just wonderful. Horton Hears a Who is one of my favorites of his, and I'm not quite sure why. I enjoy the story-line, and always have. It was exciting to participate in "Seussical the Musical" because I could see, and be a part of a beloved story coming to life. That will always be a favorite musical of mine, much alike this being a favorite book of mine :)


"You're never too old, too wacky, or too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child" :)
-Dr. Seuss

Happiness is...

"God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in him." - John Piper

While struggling with an idea for this week's post, I saw a writing prompt that said "Happiness is..." and it got me thinking. What is happiness in a general sense? What makes me happy? How do I choose one thing, or elaborate on just one thing? And then I thought of the quote above.

The truth is, happiness is being so satisfied and contented in the Lord, that everything you do is a means of bringing glory to Him. You can glorify God whether you're drinking coffee or skydiving, and that's just pretty cool :) No part of me would be as happy as I am now if I did not know Jesus.

So my happiness is manifested in all sorts of things, which could mean a crazy busy day with the people I love, or a quiet tea party with my little sister. Not every day is butterflies and roses, but every day is filled with blessings and opportunities to glorify God. Good and bad; easy and hard...A way can be found to glorify Him in anything. I am certainly not claiming to be pleasing and glorifying God 24/7, or more often than anyone else. I'm a dirty rotten filthy stinking stupid sinner who simply cannot be perfect or even good. But what I can be, is forgiven...and not only can, but currently am because a perfect man (the ONLY one) experienced God's wrath and died on a cross, was buried, and rose again. Now all my sins are washed away. And because of that, I want to glorify and I want to please the Lord. Even in tasks I don't like to do or situations that just are not enjoyable, I can give glory and thanks to Him, because He is the one who deserves it.

To Whom it May Concern..Thank You!

Lately, I have often been reminded of how blessed I am. God has granted me with a billion and two things that I'll never deserve. But the blessing that has "stuck out" to me as of recent, is how many Godly women I have in my life. Seriously, it's incredible...there are so many of them. Whether it be my mom's best friend, or a lady who sits behind me in church, they are everywhere. I am so thankful and grateful for all of them. Because of the wonderful women that they are, I have prime examples of how a mother, wife, friend, and Christian woman should be. Nothing cookie cutter of course, but you can learn so much from observing a Godly woman and how she lives her life. I have never known so many examples of a Titus and Proverbs 31 woman as I do now.

When I think about this, it reminds me of the discipleship process, because..well that's what it is! I would disagree with someone who said that discipleship is strictly teaching the Bible. I believe that it can be more than that..someone who sets an example, or is a good role model for a life that strives to glorify God, I would definitely consider as a part of the discipleship process. In Titus 2: 1-9 it says "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." This is my reasoning for thinking that discipleship is also by example, "train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands", part of achieving this is definitely examining and rightly handling the scriptures, but to live it out, examples are a big deal. I can say that I know many women who try daily to do those things (I mean I live with one :)) and that makes me more confident in doing so myself one day. I have seen what that looks like and I have seen it in many. If you are trying to learn how to do something, it is a thousand times easier if someone can show you how. Now I'm not trying to make it sound like if you've seen someone do something, than "viola!" you can too...but I am saying that to learn something, you need a teacher. God gave us the Bible, and he gives teachers to help us utilize and understand it, so we one day can continue the process.

This is why I am so vastly thankful for all of the amazing women I know and am learning from. I know that anytime I need it, there are many wise women that are happy to help. From kind gestures, to dedicating hours every week to teach me, someone is always around, and for that I feel so much gratitude. I am truly and greatly blessed. So if you're one of those women (I didn't name names, but I'm sure you know who you are) and you are reading this, THANK YOU! :) You will always be special to me, and I'll always be grateful for everything you do.

Who am I?

"Who am I? Who am I?" *whispers* "You're Jean Valjean"...Wow, one sentence into a new blog and I'm already quoting Les Miserables...fair warning...at any given time, I could break into song, but I guess that begins to answer my question :)

I'm Melany (which I guess is sort of obvious by now ) I'm a sister, daughter, auntie, and friend. I love to do things such as singing, acting, and being dramatic. I've been in musical productions ever since I was 9 years old, and have been performing since I was 4. I also enjoy  reading (a recommendation list to be added later..), being with kids (almost all of which call me Nanny, to be explained...), and hanging out with my friends. I am home schooled, by choice, and I am a Christian. I believe the Bible is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...and God is in absolute control, over absolutely everything.

I am 15 years old. I have 5 other siblings, two older sisters-Ashley and Shelby, an only brother-Joe, a little sister currently in Heaven-Gracie, and a baby sister-Faith. Between my two older sisters, I have 3 gaggles (my nickname for nieces and nephews...because the world does not have a general term for them, such as sisters and brothers have the word siblings, or moms and dads have the word parents...So given the lack of term, I made my own :)) named Tristan, Gemma, and Taryn. Most the children in my life call me Nanny, Nan, Nanners, Auntie Nan, or whatever other variation of the name they prefer, and here's the reason why: My  brother is 3 years younger than I, and as we grew up together, he couldn't pronounce "Melany", what came out, sounded like "Nanny" and it stuck...in fact it has ever since :)

My blog name, MelanyCat, does not hint to any love, or really interest at all to cats. They are actually an animal I dislike, I chose my name for a good reason. I was given the middle name Catherine, after a family member, and have used the name "MelanyCat" as many things for years...funny story actually , *cue flashback*... Yesterday afternoon as I was considering many different things as a name for this blog, I asked my brother what he could see it being if I did have one. After a multitude of silly answers (he's quite the dork) he said "MelanyCat", and I had considered it before, my only concern was, people thinking it was a closet love for cats. So I explained to him why I wasn't totally sure about that one, and he said "Wait, so you don't love cats?". My mom and I were in hysterics, that my exact concern, had even been true with my brother, someone I grew up with...so moral of the story being...I do not like cats, I like my middle name :)

Another thing you should know about me, is that I do not "date". I still fully intend to marry (Lord willing), I just go about it in another way. This will be much more lengthily described in one of my first few blogs. (Here's the link... Why I don't date)

Some other random facts about me would be; I don't like to match my socks, I love Batman, I hate seafood (with a passion), I work at Dairy Queen, my favorite color is purple (if you hadn't figured that out yet given my profile set up :)), I'm very indecisive (which makes my next random fact surprising), my favorite musical of all time is "The Phantom of the Opera", I have a minor case of OCD, and my newest interest concerning fandoms is "Doctor Who", though I am a die hard "Harry Potter" fan.

So in conclusion, here is a rough introduction to this new blog! :)

This one's for you Uncle Levi :)

I told you I would! :)

To all who may be wondering what this is about...here's a long story-short. I have this uncle, on my mom's side, who is kind of awesome. Definitely not only for this reason, but one reason being, that he very kindly sent one of his contractor workers to our house to resume construction. The reason this is such a big deal, is that we started this project 2 and a half years ago, and have been waiting a year to resume. My youngest sister doesn't even understand the idea of her own room, because hers is still half-done drywall. He saw this problem, and decided to help us fix it. For that we are very thankful! So jokingly, Levi told me to write a blog about the coolest uncle ever, and my closet door (I've been waiting for that simple task for a while, its a joke we have because I still only have a closet door left to finish my room)...and I struggled with what I would write about to make a meaningful and worthy (in my opinion) blog post. But I've figured it out. I will describe the benefits I have gained out of this elongated construction process.

So basically, what happened with my bedroom's construction, was getting home from school one day to see all my furniture shoved into one end, and my brothers' furniture pushed in front of it. I had to climb around and dig for my things that I needed, and figured I would just get by on what I fished out. My sister and her daughter slept in a bedroom downstairs, and she has a king sized bed, so when I gave up on the couch, she let me sleep with her. I spent 4 months sleeping in her room, and when I did finally get my room back, it was a few months of just my futon and clothes. I did not expect it to be more than a few weeks. To at least me, that was frustrating. Honestly I was pretty upset about the whole thing, and not patient at all. It drove me nuts. Some days were better than others, but the whole time it bothered me. Now I can see the good in it.

I remember when I was able to just sleep in my own bed again, and I was so thankful. I gained a deep appreciation for all the things I have. The little things that I couldn't have for that time, I was suddenly filled with gratefulness for. Having a room to myself, filled with my own things, is a huuuuge blessing that not everyone has, I needed to acknowledge that. Also, the time spent in my older sister's room, brought us closer together. We spent much more time together than we would have, and I was able to spend special one on one time with my niece. Without being focused on material things, and completely without most of them, I spent more time in God's word (that was actually the establishment of my consistent time in it) and everything was simpler. Yes, things got stressful in the sense that I didn't have a place for any of my things and whatnot, but overall.. it was simpler.

The construction on everything else has had basically the same effect (more thankfulness for what we have), but I am still so very glad to have it nearing a stopping point. So thank you Uncle Levi! You're awesome!