Expectro Partymus....

Translation- Harry Potter birthday party for Matthew. I noticed that I haven't blogged since January- I've been a little busy. I spent most of January planning and preparing for Matthew's 8th birthday party. I think I had more fun with all the party stuff than he did. Here's some pictures....

the Hogwarts seal I made with my wood burning tool

Wax seal on back of envelope of invitation

Invitation "letter to Hogwarts"

Treat bag items

candy for treat bags

Maruaders Map I found online- some girl actually drew it- amazing

Treat bags

Cupcakes by Hearon's Cakes

the birthday boy!!


Matthew shared his party with his best buddy, Lane at Magiquest in Pigeon Forge.  They had a great time!

I'm a wannabe and I know it

I'm a copier, and I copy well. I like to do "crafty" things (have I mentioned my craft storage before?). I like to learn new things.
I want to be a "blogger". Whatever that really means. I would love to have a really cool looking blog page, share awesome ideas and have lots of followers.
I can't come up with an original idea. Maybe I'm just creatively stuck right now. Maybe I don't need an original idea, but something that I can build upon and somehow call it mine. Hmmmm...... will have to think on that one.
In the meantime, I'll continue to follow all these talented bloggers, crafters, etc... and remain a wannabe.

On a side note, I did submit 2 pictures for the 52 weeks/52 photos thing I signed up for. The theme was Independence.

Have a great day!

In the year 2011....

In the year 2000.... if you watched Conan O'Brien back in the day, you might remember this skit he and his sidekick would do every once and a while. Occasionally, those words and the futuristic way they would say it pop into my mind.

In the year 2011.... I've been thinking the past few days about what "new year resolutions" I might make ~ to expand my limited cooking repertoire and promise to cook almost every night (assuming I could get Chef Fleer to give me a few lessons, although I'm pretty sure his 9 year old son can out cook me any day), to better organize my house, or better yet simplify my house, to start running again- with my legs and feet, not around in my car, or to shed those extra pounds I gained over the holidays from the strict Elf diet I put myself on- candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.

I could make a few of those resolutions, but I'd never keep them.

This past Sunday, our sermon was entitled Happy New Year. I will attempt to paraphrase Kevin's excellent lesson, by saying this- we need to prioritize our lives. I need to prioritize my life. And I need to start by putting the Lord at the #1 spot.

Matthew 6: 19-21 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So, I'm going to work on that this year and I'm pretty sure if I can do that, putting God first in my life, everything else will follow. I'll still have to work hard at that list above, but at least I'll know that I have some heavenly help.

My favorite verse from the Bible- Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What will be your #1 priority in the year 2011....

P.S- while it may not be an official "resolution" I have decided to do something that I think will be fun. I'm joining 52 photos in 52 weeks: a journey of discovery with Monika (a local Townsend, TN girl) from iloveitall and her blogger friend from across the big pond, Lisa. Maybe this will be a step in the right direction to learn how my fancy camera works ( I probably need a class too). Check it out!

2010 Christmas Letter

Happy Holidays from our home to yours!

I've been procrastinating again (shocker!). My christmas cards are finished, addressed, stamped and ready to go. In each one I put a card, that read, if you want to read our christmas letter to come to this blog. I thought I'd "go green" with our letter this year. The cards have sat on the kitchen table for days, collecting dust because I didn't want to send them out and there be no letter for the recipients to read. I could lie and say I've been pondering something witty to write, but the truth is I just haven't taken the time to sit down and type. 

"Twenty-Ten" went by in a flash! Here's a quick year in review~

Eddie continues to work hard to provide for our family. His practice has grown over the past 8 years and the hours he puts in and the stack of charts he brings home to dictate are proof. Anyone I happen to meet who is a patient of his tells me how much they think of him and appreciate him. He is a truly caring physician to his patients, but more importantly, he is a loving husband and father. Eddie is a wonderful example to the boys. 

This year both of us went on a mission trip to Bagazan, Peru, in the Amazon jungle. It was an amazing experience, which at times I find myself still processing. This trip was Eddie's 3rd mission, and my first. The conditions were rough to say the least, but the awesome christian family that we worked with and the work that was done was well worth the dirt, bugs and heat. It was a humbling, yet wonderful experience. I'm glad we got to share it together. 

I (Shannon) am still working as a teacher assistant at Fort Craig Elementary, where both the boys attend. I love being able to be at school with them each day. While I don't see them much when there, I like just knowing that they are there, if I need them- wink, wink. I taught myself to knit this past year and found that it was good stress therapy. Also, I have totally embraced my role as soccer mom, as the manager of Cameron's team and co-coach of Matthew's. 

Cameron is 10 years old and in the 4th grade. He has grown about 10 feet this year. I can't wait until its warm out again and he can wear shorts. His pants keep getting shorter and shorter, and I'm pretty sure they are not shrinking in the dryer. He loves soccer and plays for the local club team, Blount United. He is quite a player, but I'm biased. Honestly though, he is a team leader. Also, this year, he started guitar lessons. He has a gift for music, which I'm sure came from Eddie's side of the family. Cameron is a super kid and Eddie and I are so proud of him.

Matthew is almost 8 and in 2nd grade. He has finally come out of his shyness shell and into his own. He is quite the personality at times. He played soccer as well, and was a stand out on the field and will be ready for the club team in the fall. Matthew has always lived in his imagination. Currently, he has taken on Harry Potter as his alter ego. If only there were a Quidditch team he could play on. I love that boy's imagination. Not only is it a source of entertainment for us, but motivation for him. His imagination has motivated him to love reading and learning. Like his brother, Matthew is an excellent student. We are proud of him, as well.

If you're ever in East Tennessee, look us up. We always love visitors. 

We are blessed in so many ways and thank God for all we have. 

Have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy 2011!

Holi-Daze

Only 29 days til Christmas... I read that in the paper this morning. With Thanksgiving 2010 now a recent memory, its time to focus on Christmas. Decorations, gifts, holiday spirit, pure and utter craziness for the next 29 days. I can hardly wait. Unfortunately, due to the sudden onset of a bad cold (originally, I had thought I was allergic to Eddie's cousin, Cindy, who has cats. But after the allergy pill didn't help, and a sleepless night with a lot of opened mouth breathing, I'm pretty sure its the real deal, and relieved that I'm not allergic to sweet Cindy.), all that holidaze will have to wait til I can function a little better. This is the first time I've been up today- a little Advil did the trick tonight. I'm taking advantage of the short lived feeling good and got a jump start on Christmas cards. They are ordered. Now for those of you who know me well, just because they are ordered doesn't mean that they will actually get sent out on time. I've been known to send Martin Luther King Day Christmas Cards. But I will try to do better this year ( don't hold your breath).
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we sure enjoyed ours. Here's a few pictures from yesterday's festivities...

boys being boys while trying to take christmas card photo

fun in the leaves

no more photos please

The Turkey Queen

Hello, My name is....

Our little dog, Chester, is always taking his own adventures throughout the neighbor and I have yet to get him an I.D. badge for his collar. I took care of that tonight. Look what I found while I was ordering something else for a gift/project I'm working on

I found it on www.etsy.com at a shop called BowWowzerZ  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BowWowzerZ?ref=pr_profile

Cute stuff. 

Now I feel much better knowing that should Chester take off, someone will know who to call.

Everything I ever needed to know, I learned on google

Wow! After NUMEROUS attempts and a very, very long time on the computer, I finally did it! I created my very own cool blog button! Its a proud moment. I think its pretty cool. I doubt that anyone will actually "grab my button" and post it on their blog, with only 4 followers, its highly unlikely. But just in case someone does- they'll have an extra cool button on their side bar. To find out how to add a button to your sidebar on your blog, I suggest you Google it. The power of the internet- where you can learn just about everything- good and bad. Now if I could only Google how to get my grocery shopping done without having to step foot in the actual store!