Struggling to Walk

I took my sweet puppy Poppy for a walk the other night. 

Although super stinking adorable, she struggles on walks- 

sometimes trying to eat the leash, sometimes trying to lead and run ahead, 

sometimes getting tangled up in the leash, sometimes following far behind me, 

sometimes getting startled & distracted by loud noises nearby, 

and sometimes getting tired and just gives no up and sitting down mid-walk. 

As we walked and I laughed at her I thought about how much I'm like Poppy. 

I KNOW God is in control and has the very best for me, and yet I still struggle

 to follow Him sometimes. 

Sometimes I try to lead, sometimes I get weary and stop, 

and sometimes I follow far behind Him ignoring His call to me. 

Y'all I'm just like my crazy, silly puppy. 

Jesus leads me to keep me safe because He loves me so-just like I love Poppy. 

Deuteronomy 5:33 is the perfect reminder of this to me.... 

"So be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don’t veer off to the right or the left. Walk straight down the road God commands so that you’ll have a good life and live a long time in the land that you’re about to possess."

My prayer for us today is that we are reminded that we are to walk straight 

down the road following Him- not veering to the right or the left- 

remembering that His guidance is for our safety & protection 

and is because He loves us so! 

I'm working on memorizing Luke 6:27-40 

because I so want to live out those verses daily. 

But I'm going to be honest- these verses challenge me so. 

It's so easy for me to love those who are sweet and loving. 

I can do kind things for them all day long. 

But to love those that are difficult and cranky and not so loveable? 

It is just plain old hard.

And not so much fun. 

But those people are the ones that need it most. 

Those people- I call them sandpaper people- 

NEED love and kindness desperately.

I love the simplicity of verse 36: 

Our Father is kind; you be kind. 

"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

A Shift

When I first started blogging {many moons ago}, I did so for myself. 

I blogged anonymously and other than a small handful of sweet friends 

who I made online, no one read my blog but me. 

And I was fine with that. 

I blogged often- almost daily, and used it as a journal 

to process things happening in my life and to remember 

some of the happy/sad/crazy things that went on on a daily basis 

and how God was working in my life. 

My blog was authentic and real and almost like therapy for me. 

I loved it. 

Fast forward 8 years, three different blogs, a bunch of readers 

{many friends from my real life}, 

a new job that keeps me super busy, and I blog less. 

Way, way, way less.

Happy/sad/crazy things still happen,

 God still does amazing things in my life, 

and yet I don't write about them very often- 

worrying that perhaps my readers don't care or that 

someone from my real life 

won't like being mentioned in a blog post. 

I think about posts way too much instead of just writing about life. 

I write for others instead of for me. 

Most posts are of things I've created- which although fun,

 isn't really a journal of anything but posters. 

And that makes me kind of sad. 

Something happened recently that made me realize that I need to 

start really blogging again about my life. 

My real, honest, non photo-shopped sometimes fabulous 

& sometimes messy life. 

The good and the bad.  

I'm embarking on a journey {more on that soon} 

that I know will not be easy or fun or painless 

but that I know, without a shadow of a doubt that God will use in good ways- 

regardless of the fact it's going to be yucky- and it simply must be documented. 

I know that in the months ahead I will need both the therapy of writing 

as well as the ability to look back and see God's hand 

as I travel through what no doubt will be a scary time in my life. 

So, if you visit here for my free printables or light hearted stories, 

please know I will still post them. 

{Because I love those kind of posts- they make me happy.}

But please also know that I also plan to share some the amazing things

 God is doing in my life as he walks me through a difficult time. 

Because I'm gonna need them to hold on to when I'm scared. 

And I can't wait to look back on them when this trial is over 

and be reminded of how good and faithful and true God is. 

Because He is good.  Oh so very good.

Randomness on a Sunday Afternoon

My name is Shannon and I am a blog slacker. 

I've been a tad little ton preoccupied this past week or so as I waited to hear

 if I would be reassigned {budget cuts have hit our district} next year

 and couldn't seem to focus long enough to get any sort of blog post written.  

My news arrived on Friday and as I suspected I was reassigned.

Reassignments were based totally and completely on what certifications you hold, 

not on how good or hard you work at your job so I was fairly certain of my fate. 

{I'm certified in Early Childhood thru 6th Grade so I can teach lots of grades and subjects. 
Never thought being highly qualified for many things would hurt me?}

To say that I was disappointed is a huge understatement

{there is much more to the story than I'm writing here} 

and I spent much of the day and night in tears. 

I'm still struggling to understand but thankful that I still have a job, 

 know that God is in control,

He has a plan, 

and His plan is always the BEST plan-

even when I don't understand it. 

A sweet friend dropped off a book on my doorstep early Sat. morning 

and as I read these words struck me: 

‎"Do you trust Me to orchestrate your life events as I choose, 

or are you still trying to make 

things go according to your will? I am not a careless God. 

When I allow difficulties to come into your life, 

I equip you fully to handle them. Relax in My Presence, trusting in My Strength." 

~ Jesus Calling by Sarah Young~

Such wise words.....and so very true. 

So I'm going to trust that my year ahead will be a great one.

Relax in His Presence and trust in His Strength. 
Where He leads, I will follow.

1,263,978 Questions

We are in the midst of state testing here in Texas and 

yesterday I had the joy of testing a little boy we will call Matt.

 (not his real name of course)

Matt is a student that REALLY struggles with focus, 

moves and makes noises CONSTANTLY,

and therefore needs to be tested individually. 

Here are just a few of the 1,263,978 questions he asked me 

during our time together yesterday.............

1. Why do we have education?

2. Who came up with education?

3. How could people come up with education when they hadn't had any education?

4. Why do we have to take this test?

5. When does school get hard?

6. Why can't I play on the computer?

7. Why can't I talk?

8. Why can't we play a silent game?

9. Why is there school? 

10. Why do we even need education?

11. When will use all this school stuff we are learning?

12. Why do I have to stay in here when I am done?

13. Why can't I go back to my class?

14. Why aren't they finished in my class?

15. Why do we have to do this? 

16. Who came up with pencils?

17. Why do pencils break all the time?

18. Why do they give us snacks?

19. I didn't eat breakfast.....why do I have to eat something?

20. Why can't I draw on my test book?

And my favorite......................

My mom says all we need is God, family, and love. 

So why do we need to learn all this stuff? 

My response to every single question was the same..........

We can't talk right now Matt, 

you have to focus on taking this test and doing your best. 

It wasn't exhausting, not at all. 

(HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

And guess what?

Today, I get to administer the reading test to him. 

Won't that be fun? 

A Work of Fiction

At a certain age, your child goes from wanting you to

 tell funny stories about them to everyone, 

to NOT wanting you to, AT ALL.  

And my Madison, well, she's reached that age. 

So today, since I can't write about her,

 I'm going to write a totally hypothetical story. 

It is in no way related to anyone I know at all. 

Pure fiction. 

NOTE: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. 

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,
 is purely coincidental.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Adison.  

Adison was 13 and loved to dance. 

She danced at LouAnn's School of Dance and

 had been taking lessons there for 8 years. 

She was at that age where she started getting her monthly "friend". 

Her mother Fannon had taught her to always be prepared- 

to have "supplies" with her at all time- 

in her locker at school and in her dance bag. 

Well one night while at dance Adison called her mother 

and said that she was out of "supplies" and urgently needed some. 

Her mother, even though she was a tad 

irritated since she had told Adison 

over and over again to be prepared,

 brought one to Adison right away. 

The "supply" that Adison's mom took to her was the last one in the house,

so when Adison's dad Rony picked her 

and her best friend Matie up from dance

they headed to the store to purchase some more "supplies".

Now Adison did NOT want to purchase these supplies, 

because she was embarassed.

Rony, however did not mind a bit taking her to the store 
and buying them as he's often had to do that for his wife. 

So, as Adison and Matie hid at the end of the asile, 

pretending to look at something else,

Rony looked for the supplies. 

Since the girls wouldn't come closer to him, 

Rony YELLED down the asile 

"Do you need regular or maxi?"

Of course Adison and Matie were MORTIFIED and ran and hid. 

Rony sent his wife Fannon a text message
 to find out what he needed to buy,

picked them up and went off to find the girls. 

As he found them in another part of the store, 
he held the package up and said VERY loudly 

"Are these the right ones Adison?"

Of course, the girls were again horrified and ran away.

As they got their other purchases and were standing in line to pay, 

Rony again held the supplies up and said 

"Gosh, these things sure are expensive Adison!"

So, the moral of this completely HYPOTHETICAL story is two-fold:

1. Listen to your wise Momma and always be prepared.

2. If you are too embarrassed to buy your own "supplies" at the store, 

don't take your dad with you because he will embarrass you for sure! 

The END.

Eating Out

As a young child eating out was a 

HUGE HUGE HUGE 

treat! 

It rarely happened and when it did it was either a very special occasion 

or a trip to Luby's cafeteria.  

I remember how excited I got when I

 found out we were going out to eat. 

I remember vividly enjoying every single sip of my Coke 

because in those days there were no free refills. (remember that?)

I remember how good the food tasted 

because it was special and different.

Now days it seems so very common to either go out to eat or 

pick something up to bring home to eat

 from a restaurant or fast food place. 

As someone who enjoys cooking, we used to eat out only once per week. 

But I've noticed that in the past year or so- as Madison's schedule has gotten busier and as I've gotten older (and more tired :), we've started to eat out more and more often.  Tony's in charge of dinner on Friday nights which means he brings something home from somewhere.  

We almost always then eat out on Sat. as a family and 

sometimes on Sunday after church.  

And then because of Madison's dance schedule, at least one night a week I pick up some fast food for her to eat during her break at dance and

 occasionally pick up Subway for all of us. 

 In addition to that because I don't cook on the nights we eat out, 

Tony doesn't always have a lunch to take to work and ends up eating lunch out on those days. 

I started thinking recently about how unhealthy 

and how expensive all that eating out is.  

When I added it all up it equaled at the very minimum $300 a month.  

I don't know about you, but $300 a month is a lot of money

 AND a lot of unnecessary calories and fat I'm sure. 

So much to the chagrin of my family,

 I decided that from now until the end of May we will not be eating out. 

This will help us save a little money

 and help us to eat healthier at the same time.  

I can't say my family was thrilled about this idea,

 but I think I eventually convinced them. 

(Madison was VERY sad because that girl loves some Chikafila and Chicken Express. )

I do realize it's going to be hard at times but I'm hoping 

that after a month and a half of not eating out, 

maybe our habit will be changed. 

What do you think? 

Will we be able to do it? 

Anyone want to join us?

(FYI- Sonic drinks are not included only because I have LOTS of gift cards from Sonic right now so I'll be using them instead of cash.  Thank goodness! :) 

Pics from my iPhone this past week

1. cute new shoes

2. loved this bumper sticker: Real Men Love Jesus

3. a kid in that W store that had a CRAZY afro. seriously crazy.

4. hysterical bookmark I saw: 

I know God has a road map for my life, 

but did he have to put it on my thighs?

5. Madison imitating a weird looking doll 

we saw in a tea room this past weekend. 

she was a dead ringer.

6. funny sign I saw in an elementary school I did training in last week. 

7. cute monkey

8. iPod in a fun kid-proof holder used for an email to teachers 

about how to add flashcards to their iPods.

9. poor Belle after her surgery last week. she was pitiful. p.i.t.i.f.u.l.

The Day My Husband Completely Lost His Mind

Last week my husband was on vacation. 

He spent the week doing some things around the house

and did some much deserved relaxing. 

Friday he took me to school and then picked me up again at

the end of the day because we had planned to pick up

Madison and a friend and head to the movies right after school. 

As I walked out to the car, I saw that he was wearing a cap.

And I was scared.

Very scared.

Because in the over 10 years I have known him,

I have NEVER seen him wear a hat- EVER.

He doesn't like them and says they make him hot-

so he just doesn't wear them.

 I honestly didn't even know he owned one.

I got into the car rather hesitantly-

immediately saying

"WHY do you have a hat on?"

He gave me that sweet innocent little boy smile 

and I knew there was trouble. 

I said "OH NO, what did you do?"

So he took off his hat and showed me.

My 47 year old husband had gotten his haircut.

In a MOHAWK.

A MOHAWK!!!!

I was speechless.

Seriously speechless.

(For those who do not know him, he is so NOT a mohawk kind of guy)

Apparently earlier in the week he was driving Madison home from dance one night when he told her he was going to get his hair cut. He jokingly told her he was going to get mohawk. 

Madison made the mistake of saying

 "Oh no you are NOT going to get a mohawk!".

Well words like that to a man seem to

be not a statement, but instead a challenge.

And so he took it as such.

He had planned to cut his hair very short

 (It's a long story but he has a skin condition and saw the dermatologist earlier in the week who gave him

some prescription shampoo to use and he felt it would get to his scalp easier if his hair was very short)

and thought- why not?

(Had he asked me I could have thought of tons of reasons WHY NOT!)

Of course the silly man had the kind of hat on that has a cutout in the back-

 so his strip of hair showed through and looked absolutely ridiculous.

On the way to pick up Madison I made him stop at a store

and buy a hat that was fitted and went all the way around his head

since we were going to the movies and to dinner.
And made him swear to leave it on the whole time.

Madison was of course MORTIFIED.

Her sweet friend Amber thought it was hysterical-

 as did every single person that I told.

Of course my response to them was...........

"It's only funny because it's MY husband.

Trust me........it would NOT be funny if it were yours!"

(FYI......Tony shaved his mohawk off Sat and after doing the laundry,

mopping the floors and unloading the dishwasher, is no longer sleeping in the doghouse)

Pics from my iphone this past week

1. Cute sign in an antique store- love it!
   
2.  Price for an external drive at Sam's- took a pic so I could check to see if it was a good price
3. Pic of cute tray I got at Goodwill for $2.99 and painted
   
4. Cute little bench at Michael's
   
5. AWESOME sign I bought
   
6. Funny bag I saw and thought Dory would like
   
7. Adorable locker basket at antique store that I bought for $8.95! A GREAT deal!
   
8. Glasses the nurse at one of my schools found and needed a pic of to send out in an email
   
9. Forecast for last week- so NOT winter weather
   

How funny is it that I sent #'s 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 all to Dory? :)

Unattended Children

Saw this sign in a store today and it cracked me UP!

E.V.I.L.

Candy pumpkins are E.V.I.L.

A tool of Satan for sure.

First Day of School Tradition

I'm a girl that loves, loves, loves traditions. I think it's because my mother was HUGE tradition girl and instilled that love in me.

The one that I love the most and that Maddie can NOT stand is the one that we started back when she was in Kindergarten. Each year I take her picture holding a sign that says "Madison's First Day of ______" along with the date.

Sometimes we take it at home, sometimes at school but we ALWAYS take it. And Maddie fusses every year. And every year I remind her that we will do it every year until she graduates and that if she fusses too much I'll come to college and take her picture in front of her dorm. I can't wait till the day when she has her own kids and is carrying on this tradition and I get to watch them gripe about it like she did! :)

Here are her pictures from the last three years. It's amazing to see how much she has changed and grown!

And are some pictures from today. (A huge thanks to my sweet friend Erin who edited these pics for me. Thank you so much Erin!)

How did my baby get into the 8th grade?

She loves to remind me.......

"Next year I'll be in high school. Only 2 more years until I can drive Mom."

Seriously?

That makes me want to cry.

Big tears.

Big, big, big tears.

My Name is...

Shannon and I am a

big old blog slacker.

Life has been super busy these days and I've been getting up early and trying to go to bed early. Summer is over and I've been trying to get back into my school routine of going to the gym at 5am which means going to bed earlier- or trying to.

Somethings have had to give and one of those things has been blogging.

And I'm sorry and I promise to be back soon-

if anyone is still reading.

I'll be back soon with more little things, more recipes,

more silly stories, more pictures, more links, more projects,

and more things that make me laugh or cry.

Until then, I leave you with a link to one of the sweetest blogs ever.

It's Savoring the Details and it is absolutely beautiful.

It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Her pictures are precious (especially the ones of her two precious boys)

and the quotes she writes on them are beautiful.

They are all beautiful but here are just a few of my favorites.......

Need VS Want

I Need To:
•Wash all of our windows
•Straighten all closets
•Go to the gym (Do I even remember my login #?)
•Clean out my closet
•Straighten up garage
•Move boxes out of old school
•Get some sun (I might be confused with Casper at this point)
•Sweep and mop


I Want To:
•Refinish my new craft table (Cannot WAIT to do this!)
•Go buy Photoshop and play with it
•Watch Court TV all day long
•Make a fun display board (Seriously, how cute is this? I just need an old cabinet door......anyone have one?)
•Bake and eat something sinful (Maybe these? YUMMY!)
•Go to the movies
•Go to Hobby Lobby to buy stuff for my cute new craft table
•Get a massage
•Get a pedicure (This might border on NEED)

What about you?

What do you NEED to do today

and

what do you WANT to do instead?

For those that think I have it all together- HA!

Here is what my closet looks like this morning:

Here is what my pantry looks like this morning:

As the result of a new job for next year, my classroom is full of boxes- both empty and half full.
I have to pack up my things to take home with me, the things to take to my new office(s), as well as the entire classroom that I am leaving- because it is also moving.
Packing + moving + a hurt back= :(

Although I DID amazingly avoid opening and scarfing down the large box of Godiva that a student gave me yesterday morning
(I ended up giving it to a sweet friend to give to his girlfriend with strict instructions NOT to tell her where it came from)
I did in fact eat all sorts of crap I should NOT have- not limited to but including:
Sour Patch kids, Cracker Jacks, trail mix, and a Bliss bar.
When my shorts don't fit this summer there will be no question as to why huh?

I have not visited the gym in WEEKS AND WEEKS due to my back and hip issues. They are killing me all the time and I am tired of hurting, tired of saying I am hurting, tired of pretending that I am NOT hurting. I PROMISE to go to the doctor next week. Cannot stand it anymore.

In the midst of all the insanity that the end of school always brings, I've spent entirely too much time watching and reading everything I can about Jon and Kate Plus 8. It was so bad that on Monday night after the premiere- I could not go to sleep for worrying about them and their poor kids. I even DREAMED about them. Insanity.

So there you have it.

I'm a mess.
A big stinkin' mess.

What about you?

Today...............

Multiple Choice

I played a game with one of my sixth grade classes yesterday. It was a quiz that covered the muscular system, the skeletal system, and the circulatory system. The questions were given in a multiple choice format and a short amount of time was given before for us to answer before a point penalty was received.

As soon as I read the question, the students would call out A, B, or C. I would then click on whatever answer the majority had chosen.

We had been playing for a few minutes when a question came up that asked:

What is the largest muscle in the human body?

The answer choices were:

A. Gluteus maximus
B. Tricep
C. Bicep

A few students were not sure what a gluteus maximus was so the answers were varied and a little hesitant at first.

And then B, a fun and high spirited, husky young man yelled out:

Well I don't know about y'all but my largest muscle is definitely my A!

After a moment of silence-while they all waited to see how I would react- we all fell out laughing!

Bless his heart- he turned red as a beet and he said:

NO NO NO NO I meant my A. Gluteus maximus, NOT my A-blankety-blank!

Things on my Desk

As I was preparing for a sub for today and tidying up around my classroom, I started wondering what people would think if they could see some of the things on and around my desk.

And I wondered.........doesn't everyone have this kind of stuff?


Stuff like.....................

Silly glasses with a big red nose?

A skeleton wearing Mickey Mouse ears that light up?


A pink pig flashlight that oinks?
(Isn't he cute?)

A mummy that I have been asked countless times by both children and adults if it is real?
(Like I would really have a dead person on my wall?)


A hamburger from McDonald's purchased in Oct. of 2007?
(one of 5 hamburgers)

A pair of BIG girl panties?

(because you never know when you are going to need to put them on!)

So what's the most random thing you have laying around your desk or office?