let's bowl!!!

Last weekend... aaron, brennen and i decided to blow the dust off our bowling balls and have at it.... it was tons of fun!!!... not to mention ... i kicked both of their butts ..... yay!!!... i guess i still have it... :) i think aaron secretly wants a rematch... bring it on!!!

Here's a couple of pictures we took.... as you can see we were multi-tasking... bowling/photo montage...a requirement.....

as you can see in one of the pictures above... aaron's belly was peeking out... so i decided to do a little photo editing to help him out a bit... :) i think without it you get a full frontal from the belly button.... :) haha!! it was lots of fun!!!

This is aaron's version of the strike.... curve ball coupled with a sniper shot... guaranteed strike!!! at one point i think he thought he was going to make a come back and said to me "are you hungry???" all kookie eyed... and i said no... and he said.. "well here's your turkey"... which in bowling lingo.. means a third strike... yeah... didn't happen... haha!!!

we took many crazy and fun pictures.... it was pretty hilarious!!... people around us must of thought we were drinking... nope!! that was au naturale...

brennen had a blast!!! and we did too!! :)

...in the end... we were exhausted from all the laughing we were ready to head home... of course brennen still worked on his golf swing during plays... a little golf obsessed? you think??

The new and improved!!

that's right!!! brennen came home with a note stating that he needed further evaluation for his vision... so aaron and i jumped at the task to get his vision checked... of course i assumed he had my lucky hawk eyes (20/15) ... nope... he scored a pair of aaron's vision genes.... oh well... he looks really cute!!!

he still is a little apprehensive about wearing them, but i'm sure with persistence and time he will not be able to live without them..... in the mean time he can SEE!!! :) that's all i could ask for... right?

mother's day weekend...

......... was a blast!!! and believe me it went by fast!!! It was jam-packed with a lengthy and detailed itinerary... (let me tell you a little about our itinerary's... we are a very flexible lil'family who are willing to do anything and everything to make each other happy...so to sum it up... we are super busy most of the time... i wouldn't want it any other way :)... well my brother is graduating and since he is not "one of those" who had his whole life planned in six grade... ****scoffs***he waited until the last minute to get his invitations for his graduation... that put me in Flagstaff (which i love...so love... *sigh*.... anyway... focus....) on saturday enjoying the beautiful view above... thank goodness my windshield was clean... i took this picture on my way in... the the windows down... it was nice!! first we met my mom sans brother (yeah...he knew if i was there he had no say.. lol) and ordered his invitations... anyway it turned out nice and my other brother Shane took my mom and I out for lunch for Mother's Day...... while aaron and brennen golfed... we had fun... and did some shopping and left later that evening... and returned back to the hot hot sun... :(.... opps... there was no sun... and it was still hot :)

Mother's day morning i was delighted by this lovely bouquet of flowers... well ....pancake flower bouquet... courtesy of my wonderful and talented hubby... and two wonderful heart-felt cards... aaron's was a card straight out of those commercials...the one that has a personalized message and then followed by a song... *tear* ... super cute.... i was super spoiled!!! and loved it... then it was mom you can watch whatever you want... and brennen wore what i picked out... no complaining... yeah... aaron prepped him well... :) then it was off to church...

afterwards we went to a play .... it was a total re-mix version of Snow White..... it was hilarious and had the whole theatre rolling... good times.... fun ..fun ...fun!!! i even snuck a picture... :) The young talent in this one was great!!!

by mid afternoon... we were ready to eat lunch.... so we did and brennen said "mom i want to get you a boba smoothie" and i didn't turn that down... so off to boba house we skipped... well drove... :)

When i got home... Brennen wore his apron he made in sunday school and it came equipped with a wonderful glass jar of chores (thanks Ms. Vicky)... it was a true blessing to take one out at a time and he would take off and get to work... it even had hugs & kisses for mom... which i was lucky to pull out.. (he was cute and let me use it a couple of times... :) my evening ended with a nice thai dinner made by aaron (and it was gooood) and then a movie (while brennen went to sleep)... all in all it was a great weekend... i am truly blessed to have two wonderful moms.. and to be a mom myself... Happy Mother's Day!!!

we had to laugh...

on saturday we were meandering around in crate and barrel.... as we walked past some pancake items..... brennen says that he needed a pan of his own to make pancakes.... mom says "mom will buy them for your wedding and then you can make them for your family like dad does..." he stayed quiet... aaron adds "i will teach you how to make them..." he disapproves and says "i'm not getting married.." and mom says "you say that now... but you will have a wife and your own family and you can make them pancakes like dad does for us..." brennen says "mom... i'm not going to have a wife...." aaron and i both chime in "you will.." brennen says ......"dad's going to be my wife....."

aaron and i busted up laughing....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!!!!!

Just wanted to wish a wonderful & happy birthday to Carrie!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day and have something fun planned today & tonight!!

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate..." O.Winfrey

first kindergarten picture!!!

believe me.... i was one happy mommy when brennen came home from school with this picture... not only do they have to wear a uniform... but a white shirt?? of course you know with school pictures you have to pay for them in advance.....so i wrote the check on complete faith....well this time it paid off!!! :)

This picture means sooo much to me... not only because it's his first year... but to see him smiling at school.... in the beginning of the school year aaron and i would torture ourselves and brennen each time we tried to drop him off.... he would cry and not want to stay.... sometimes we would either sit in the class with him for 45 minutes to an hour or leave him crying .....

one time....aaron and i took him to school together and we said good-bye...and began walking down the hall... we heard him crying and begin coming in our direction... so aaron and i dove into a room... in hopes he would see that we left and go back to his class.... yup sure enough we heard his cry come and heard it going back.... NOPE!!.. he went back into the class to get his new kung-fu panda backpack and started running back out again!!!! we felt sooo bad... but now we are sooo proud of him... and we love his picture!!!!

super deal!

so who doesn't love a comfortable and super stinking cute pair of flip flops??.. once i got a picture message from my friend carrie... reporting that these came out once again at Sam's club.... for only 9.97..... i ran out of the house quicker than aaron could ask me where i was going.... it was pretty funny... i even think carrie heard me scurrying around in the garage leaving.... well of course when i got there.... i had no self control .....instead i bought the brown, black and pink pair... and for only 9.00 (yes..... i'm a girl that rounds down ;)... so if you can get over there.... get a pair... i love them!!!!

paper bag goodness....who knew??

Really... these are paper bags.... not only have they become my favorite scrap-booking style...they are sooo easy to create!!!! the above paper bag book was designed by my wonderful teacher susan mast... and from there i kind of took her lead and created many more... so far i have a san diego....sea world... disneyland.... and one for my cat and dog...


The nice thing about them is that they are so versatile and you can add onto them... also a huge bonus.. .is that they have pockets that can hold even more slide cards with photos..or other souvenirs... the one above is a book of our san diego adventures...busting with pictures from the beach and other things we did along the pier.... it also has areas to journal memories and quotes that made the trip memorable... try it... super easy... and REALLY CUTE!!!!

What a day.... after church on sunday... aaron and i decided to take brennen to the maricopa county fair for some over-priced entertainment.... of course it was tons of fun .....but hot!! i think at one point we were walking from shaded area to shaded area!!!

Aaron and i are an awesome team and always seem to be on the same page when we attend ANY event.... we enjoy a scheduled day.... (of course we are pretty flexible)... we definitely do our research and find the best deals and ensure that we hit up all the shows... so here's a little re-cap....

First stop!! aaron loves a good corn dog... (and swears that they only real good ones are from a fair stand)!! he dragged brennen and i here first.... as he devoured his corn dog... i looked through the program and mapped out what shows that were interesting and set-up our time line and took pictures..... :) He is sooo stinking cute... as you can see he has a back pack on that contains everything to mend a scratch to a broken heart :) .... secretly that thing is loaded (not with a gun)!!....he sure makes a great man scout!!!




next.... we headed to the attractions and featured shows... including a dirt bike race... live shark exhibit (which aaron and i agreed was completely cheesy!!!... but didn't fill brennen in on our opinion..:0).. and ended with bird experience (way cute)..... brennen was definitely the easiest to please and loved all of it...




then it was GAME TIME!!!.... brennen is soo cute... he loves to win me those little deformed animals (that resemble an animal or a knock-off celebrity cartoon from twenty feet away).. of course when they come from him ....i love them....




not only did we hit up the shows... we stopped in and perused the exhibits... (my favorite part :)... you know the building with all the "as-seen on tv" products.... brennen made the best of it and wondered over to see the baby animals and play farmer for the day... not to mention cooling off in there was the hugest pay-off....

here's a couple of pictures i snapped......

the fun did come to an end... but all in all was a great time!!! we left ...sunburned... tired... and with 4 deformed animals strong... (a pink teddy bear.... a snake... a baby whale.... and a siamese cat).... what a collection... i guess "only at at carnival".......

priceless...

i have to remind myself to stop and catch the best memories on my camera that are happening right now...
it makes me sad to think.....when will i be able to look back and remember; that when brennen was five.... he turned the living room rug into a NASCAR racing track!?! i can't believe how fast he's growing up and if i didn't catch this on my camera... i would of missed a great flash in time!!!

Brennen... your mom loves you!!!!!

Easter in a Nutshell.... or an Eggshell?... :)

so easter weekend was a blast!!!!... my family was in town and we had a jam-packed... shop til you drop.... dining family-style weekend!!!

friday - aaron and brennen had some dad/son bonding time... they went to the driving range and ended the afternoon with a short nine hole course.... afterwards they met up with me for dinner at Pei-Wei... then we all headed to church for the Good Friday service... which by the way was extremely moving (insert clips from Passion of the Christ)..... afterwards my parents called and said they were almost in town and were heading over. We of course .....scurried around straightening up... you know the run around tidying needed to ensure you look like they taught you well???? :0)... once they arrived we hung out and visited with them.... then off to bed...

saturday - woke up bright eyed and bushy-tailed and went shadow shopping with my parents... of course they spoiled all three of us!! We had fun and were pretty tired.... that at one point brennen and aaron fell asleep in my parent's suv..... the evening ended with dinner for eight (parents and siblings)we had tons of fun reminiscing about the past... (insert all the good and bad memories of growing up with two older brothers :) afterwards we all came home and went to sleep...

Easter morning... aaron, brennen, and i headed to Easter service.. which was also a great experience... our church had such a huge turn-out ... we filled 80% of all the extra overflow rooms... and while on our way home aaron and i decided to host the Easter sunday brunch and hit up the store for our Easter dining items... of course we invited over all the family... and had a blast preparing breakfast!!! of course Aaron's busted out with his pancake skills... i need to make some money off of him... he has serious skills... :) ... he delighted us with his version of easter-inspired pancakes... Who knew....... this would turn into......................................This!!!!!!!! Blasting yumminess!!!!
after they were all done... they were served with fresh strawberries and whip cream!!... of course the rest of breakfast came with all the fixings..sausage...bacon (of course the turkey kind :) )...hash browns... steak.... eggs... cinnamon rolls... lemon meringue pie.... a variety of tasty drinks... we had a blast... it got us all together for some family fun!!

Of course Brennen was blessed heavily by the easter bunny :0)......

Brennen loved decorating eggs with mom and dad!! and they sure turned out really nice... and boy was be proud!!

Who knew that three nails and two pieces of wood were going to hold the weight of the world?

I hope you had a great time with your family and friends!!

Happy Easter from the McCabe Family!!!!

OMGoodness!!! Where did the month go??

so i sit here and realize that march is already over!!! wow... where did it go? however it's sure nice and relaxing to return to the blogging world....... Here's a recap....

1. First of all, i finished my 29 day challenge. (29 days of giving).. and boy was it a great experience!!! i gave ....many dollar bills...water and food to people at stop signs... gifts to loved ones and strangers... notes of appreciation... even two of the four dozens roses (from valentine's)to a man that couldn't afford to give his wife flowers on valentine's day....etc.... all in all .... it was a rewarding experience and i plan on doing it again soon... (as i pat myself on my back... at times it was difficult to be creative....)..

2. one of my bff's from vegas came to visit me... although short and sweet... it was definately jam-packed and full of laughs and girl talk....i picked her up at the airport on a friday evening... returned back home... took a nap... went out for thai food .. one of melissa and i's favorites....grabbed some ice cream... rented a movie (which by the way was HORRIBLE.... suburban girl) and did pedicures and manicures... and finally ended the night with cookies and milk... :) the next day i dropped her off at the botanical gardens and gave her a big hug goodbye... can't wait to see her again!!!

3. on the 19th ....i turned 30!!!.. i was definately feeling a little strange... maybe a little scared... but it came and went ....and i still feel great... i did ask aaron if i needed to start applying anti-wrinkle cream... of course he was nice and said no... i was taken back ... realizing that i've celebrated 17 birthdays with aaron!!!!... time sure flies by...

the day started with my poor... tired ...hubby (who gets off in the wee hours of the morning) making me breakfast.... he was a little upset that i woke up and he wasn't able to surprise me in bed....i was still extremely impressed with breakfast..

since my birthday fell on a work-day ...i finished breakfast and headed to work... and since i had a half day off ... the day flew by even faster.... that after i returned home... i was greeted with flowers.. balloons... and a new camera.... which i was super stoked!!! i take my point and shoot camera everywhere... so it has taken a beating... well ....i was delighted with all the new features of my camera and how nice it was!!! thanks!!
Our night ended with dinner out at Ah-so.... (and while i'm thinking about it.... we have been on a japanese kick)... which was tons of fun!! we had a crazy cook that made many strange sounds.... and was very interactive with our party... we had a blast!!!

the month was also filled with....... brennen's soccer practice and his first season game... which they won!!! YAY!!! 4-0.... he did great!!!.. aaron and i were able to see a play out in peoria... hit up a couple of trips to the golf course... dinner and arcade fun at dave and buster's... a quick trip to tuba city.. and a couple of visits to flag to visit friends...attended a baby shower for our dear friends Carissa and Nick...viewing of Monsters Vs. Aliens at the IMAX... and we started phase one of our spring cleaning and organizing this month... hopefully we will be done soon.... this month was extremely busy... but i loved every minute of it!!

oh... by the way...

i have decided to make an concerted effort to not buy individual bottles of water anymore... however it makes me really sad... because i absolutely love DASANI water!!! I mean in a bad way.... well unfortunately there is too much waste that is caused by individuals who do not recycle them.... including me.... i do it at home ...... but when i do not have access to a recycle bin... i end up throwing them away... i know... very bad.... so i'm making one small step... and i'm sure..... like they say.... all the little steps add up and will make a difference.... think about trying it... it will give you a great excuse to buy a cute water bottle... here's a picture of mine... i bought this weekend at Bath and Body Works (50% off)... for a steal....at only five BUCKS!!!! but i've seen several at Target and at nalgene.com ... that are super cute!!! Have a wonderful week... sorry for the lack of blogging... i will get back on track... and give you an update on my 29 day challenge....

FINALLY.....

well this is it... Susan... I did it... I actually have a project finished!!! well last time i blogged i stated that i am very OCD when it comes to pictures... and well ... putting them in frames... first it's the initial spot for the frame that inspires me... then the space to which it will occupy... and then presto.... nothing... well that's usually how they sit and wait... with their pre-generated family pictures... they remain... well... last weekend.. i did it... i picked out the pictures...had then printed and viola... framed them....here's a little of the accomplishments.... i'm happy!!

this ones is a frame that i made myself... well not completely...lets just say that i finished it.... and i really like it.... will be making them for gifts soon.... :)

this frame hangs on the immediate entrance below a big clock in our living room..... well this was another frame that had no pictures that were personalized to the McCabe's.... but now it does.... sorry for the lighting... took the picture tonight... would of been better if i had natural lighting.... oh well... it's done...

Bittersweet!

Brennen... he's my five year old... well he lost his first tooth!! About a month ago he began to complain that his tooth was loose and was wondering what was going on (he's sweet). Well, we explained to him about whole tooth process ... and how aaron and i both experienced it (including the tooth fairy) and he began to get more and more excited. In the meantime I did some research on the supposed etiquette on the givings of the tooth fairy ..... well I sat and wondered asking different people what they received or have given their own children... i didn't remember what i got.... some websites said 20.00... of course i gasped and said that's a little excessive....

we finally decided to give him dollars in the amount of his age (including two dollar bills)...it seemed pretty reasonable... i think??? so... one morning while i was helping him get ready for school.... he said mom... "my tooth wont bend back up"... so i asked him if i could pull it out... he said yes... i grabbed a washcloth and went tooth fishing... and behold... I had in my possession my son's first missing tooth!!! the excitement overwhelmed me... then the sadness.... knowing he's growing up made me sad :( .......but i pulled myself together to celebrate his courage and milestone!!

he carried his money for about four days until it burned a tiny little hole in his pocket and a big one in mine... he pitched in his 5 dollars for a twenty dollar toy....LOL!!! pretty funny i still ended up spending the twenty.... :0)

where did the weekend go??....

LITERALLY!!! well this weekend was a blast, but blew by soooo fast that i am still tired and just one more
Sunday!.... here's a replay of the weekend...

on friday...aaron brought me 4 dozen red roses.... he has always been the flower-giving kind of guy... but has always kept me on my toes and surprises me; everytime... he literally pretends in the morning before i leave that he's going back to bed... he's very quiet... that i actually buy it and leave to work thinking... this sucks he doesn't even want to go do anything for lunch.... then bam!!! I found my surprise strategically placed in my office with a red "love" caterpillar sitting in my chair!! he's cute!!! .... :0)

i had a difficult time deciding what to get him... he's the kind of guy that lives pretty minimally and is satisfied with the smallest things... however i decided to buy him and brennen two rounds of golf (not sure if the lingo is right), well anyway they went golfing and were pretty stoked and happy with their present.... they were able to partake in some father-son bonding time... which they love and i respect.... aaron really enjoyed that and this friday i have purchased him a round alone... so he can do it without brennen... to have some "him" time.... hope he likes it....

So saturday we had our traditional pink pancake breakfast... which is a family favorite... and i do agree with melissa (a BFF who lives in vegas) that if i had a list of things that i desired of a future boyfriend/hubby;has to be able to make great pancakes....and not burn them... well aaron is quite the pancake connoisseur... and i'm the french toast mistress....anyway we had a wonderful breakfast and headed to brennen's soccer practice... had fun... and then on our way home i picked up a lamp at a yard sale..... that i hope to refinish and find a place in my home that's "just the right place."...from there we headed home to wait for my parents to come-back from Tucson...

aaron and i were blessed that this was a weekend my parents were here and we were able to have valentine's day out....alone.... brennen was pretty upset that he wasn't going with us... but we explained to him that there is a lot of kids that were going to be staying home that very night.. so all the moms and dads can have a special night out... well our night started at Ah So... a teppanyaki restaurant.. that was tons of fun and PACKED!!! we met some friends there and had dinner (one of my friends was celebrating her birthday).... we even were able to get the other table half to participate in the "wave.." good times...

Once dinner wrapped-up aaron and i went with the rest of the crew to a bar... realizing they were being very diligent in checking ID's and a friend forgot her's and had to run home and pick it
up... they did try though... they stuck their heads together and tried to get in as siamese twins... which was pretty hilarious... they sure made the bouncer a happy-camper...he said that was the first he heard that one....

so in the mean time we waited and got our drink on... sans alcohol... so sugar-free redbull and cranberry came to the rescue... which i have to admit was pretty tasty... the bar was pretty slow... so we headed over to another just down the street... which was starting to liven up... they had a tribute band playing... and believe me I AM A HUGE FAN OF LIVE MUSIC ESP.... tribute bands... after they played a couple of songs it was time to meet my friends back over at the other bar... so we headed back... which was showcasing some local comedians... i think we were funnier than them... but oh well... great dj and music choices... i then began to get my dance on....then on... then on.... then on... then was soo pumped up on adrenaline and going on my second red bull and cranberry... i agreed to head to an actual club to get my dance on again!!!

we all followed each other over to the club and danced .... danced..... danced...... and danced.... and danced...... i haven't been out in a while ... so i was a little rusty... but with the assistance of great music... friends.... and the ambiance of crowded venue... i was hooked.... so hooked i was sore the next day!!! LOL... we got home around three am sunday morning... and crashed out!!!

Sunday: due to the lack of my planning... my parents woke-up all bright-eyed and bushy tailed (they spent the evening having a valentine's cook-out for brennen) and wanted to visit with us before they left.... my dad wanted aaron to go with him to do some manly things (get their SUV serviced and detailed and help my dad find a place to get a hair cut)...so aaron pulled himself out of bed and went happily... i woke up and chatted with my mom... made her coffee... and yes a big cup for myself..... and not too long later it was time for me to get ready to head to my scrapbooking class with the girls... it was fun... i was stumped for a little while...they gave me a choice!! thats my kryptonite.... usually i am buzzing through class... then they give shannon choice... that means OCD kicks in full swing... i bob and weave between options... changing my mind at the last minute... but it turned out well... we made customized frames to match our home decor... and it sure is pretty... i just need to get a picture in it.... another weakness of mine... i usually hang frames without pictures... A.. because i don't want them to get nicked... B. i buy all frames for spaces and not for pictures... so i laugh every time i have someone visiting and i have to say the "Burbs" line... "it came with the frame"... but i am planning on picking the pictures for the frames and get them printed and have them in place by this weekend....

afterwards.... went home and took a nap!!!! off to the pm session of church... and back home to relax... but i still don't feel rested... but had a blast... truly.... good times...

Update... on 29 days of giving...

i have to admit... i was a person who definately would say that i give of myself and things freely... well... when you put yourself and hold yourself to a quota.... you realize otherwise.... so here's and update... and believe me it has been a little challenging....

so... where was i at?? oh yeah..... day #4.... this day was easy on the charts... i bought a special person at work lunch.....she didn't expect it and was very thankful that i thought of her... it was nice.. i once again felt great... you would think that with the spending i would start to budget myself... i guess it's a little different... when you begin to own and exercise different feelings and mind processes.... i don't know... anyway when i figure it out... i will tell you....

day #5, was a day that was not planned and i actually forgot about my challenge (bad, i know)... i have a work out buddy who comes over and well on tues. she came over with her plethora of exercise dvds... and spread them out like a deck of cards with excitement...her array definately favored Billie Blanks Tae Bo....and wanted to know which video we should do... well we did two actually and about an hour and a half in we were burnt and ready to be done... so before she left i gave her one of my tae bo videos... she was happy.. once again i felt happy.... and starting to already feel sore... loved it!!

day #6, this was a day that also came down to the wire... with a hectic work life (and yes... i thank god everyday for allowing me to continue to provide for myself and my family) at times im so busy... and barely have enough time for myself... well when i got home... the house needed some tidying up...and aaron works most nights and comes home sooo late that he spends the majority of the morning resting and preparing the house for us in the evening.... so in an attempt to let him have a wonderful and stree free following morning... i maticulously cleaned... and he loves it when i am cleaning and i do it in my favorite OCD fashion... he was able to sleep in until the last minute before brennen needed to be picked up from school... he went to work rested and FULL of energy... he was full of happiness!!! he loved it and i felt wonderful!!!!

day #7, i gave two little gift packs (lotion and hand sanitizer) away to two wonderful women... i had them delivered by a friend and wasn't able to see their response... but it made me feel great.. and later was told they loved them.... i also helped brennen with his valentine cards and helped him make his two teachers bracelets... he really wanted to get them a rose... and i know i should be fostering those casanova skills... because one day he needs to make someone special feel important... well anyway... he had fun making the bracelets and even had a dream/nightmare... i was able to relate... after we all completed everything and he went to bed he was walking around in the house kind of wining... and had his hands up in a pinching motion... you know when you try something new that you were completely satisfied... and you have an OCD dream about it being perfect... and get overwhelmed... maybe that's just me....and i'm the crazy one.... anyways this was a great day... i felt great...

day #8, today was business valentine's day.. you know the last business day and people in the office celebrate it on a friday when it's actually on a saturday? ... well last night i cooked my "ancient chinese" secret cookies... and gave them out today with cards to co-workers... in an attempt to make everyone feel extra special... i actually ran out of cookies and didn't bring enough for everyone... so i need to make it up to her and bring her a plate full of cookies... so far prepping for days #9 and #10....some ideas I have had are 1. taking family out for a valentine surprise and 2. giving breakfast sandwiches and coffee to those less fortunate in phoenix, az.....

so far... that's it in a nutshell... i will continue to update you on my attempt to make a changes in my surroundings for the better... this is a great experience.... i've been starting to get creative!!!

So far this weekend we have planned... ice-skating tonight... visit with my mom and step-dad (they are coming into town tonight) and tomorrow have our infamous heart-shaped pink pancakes... a family favorite... and later that day have aaron's specialty... SUSHI... yup hand rolled for perfection with a lovely concoction of wasabi...ginger... and soy sauce!!! yummy.... Sunday.... will be church in the am ( if your interested go to calvaryphx.com; they go live on sunday via webcast at 9 and 11 am).... and off to scrapbooking class... a monthly favorite... i will post pictures of my project...... have a lovely valentine's day and weekend!!!

XOXOXOX, Shannon

29 Day Challenge!!! Here I go....

well... lets back-up real quick... I saw this idea on operationnice.com... and pondered on the idea for a while... then decided hey... what the heck ... what do i have lose... but rather ..... gain the exponential amounts of self-gratification!!! so... in a nut shell... i am going to use my creative skills and wise notion to beat this an maybe get to day 29 and keep on going... anyway... enough of the chit-chat... this challenge is basically 29 days of GIVING...
i started last friday.... Day #1.... started with a a thank-you note to a co-worker who is part of my team and has just been kicking butt and taking names!!! i had a cute polka-dot thank you note and took it and wrote a message thanking her for all her hardwork... because i sure appreciate it... when she works hard... it makes my life and job manageable... and along with this note i gave her a vintage-style necklace and matching earrings... she was quite thrilled .... i had to give it to her on the fly... she came in as i was sealing the envelope... so i wasn't able to leave it as a surprise on her desk... we hugged and i felt great... i'm sure she did too... i love my team!

Day #2 - this day fell on a saturday and was really not planned as day #1 ... however...aaron, brennen and i were eating lunch out ....when we sat next to this very cute elderly couple... i was amazed on how they rarely spoke a word.. but when they did it was caring and sweet... with obvious health care issues.. i felt my heart reach out to them.. and with no notion at all ....i gave two complete strangers $15.00 and said get a treat on me... they were completely thrilled and said that they rarely get out and this was their day.... she said they hit the dollar store and bought some treats (as she pulled out a giant-sized green calculator)... they thanked me... i left....i felt great!!

Day #4 - It was down to the deadline... and was asking aaron for some in-put... i love him... he has been reminding me and speaking out when he thinks that i have an opportunity or a chance to give... well last night when we got home i had the chance to get to the bookstore and buy 2 books for Brennen... they author was able to sign them and i presented them to him both personalized with his name and a very cute "God Bless" message... my son is becoming more aware of his own spiritual walk with christ and felt that these two books (children's verson) would help him grasp and wrap his mind around it... we are going to read them tonight after his bath... he was really thankful and last night was his first time ever.ever...ever.. he prayed before he went to sleep... and even made the prayer up on his own!!!

today is day #4... i will keep you posted... it's been fun and challenging in the same light... it's been insightful and gratifying...

What a week...

Well i sit here on a Friday... awaiting all things necessary and planned...


1. (planned)tonight is "family ice skating nite" sponsored by my son's school (as a fundraiser)... we are all about supporting the school... so we prepare for the much needed balancing act we need to succeed at... wish us luck... aaron called me this week and asked me should brennen wear his bicycle helmet...then i wondered... maybe...maybe not... i told him i don't want to embarrass him... however... what if is wasn't made for the physiological aspects/angles of a fall??... ... we are bringing it anyway!! hidden in a bag... then Brennen says... "but dad...aren't we going to hold hands?? i don't need a helmet..." aaron and i laughed... sure can't hold his hand when we go falling (we thought)....anyways... pray for the mccabe family....


2. (planned)Brennen has soccer practice tomorrow.... we just finished his last season in December and he was a little hesitant about joining again... you know i'm new to this whole sports mommy thing... for starters sports came fairly easy to me as a kid.. i sure wasn't great... however i was determined... well my son is a little shy... at first i encouraged him lightly... then a little more...then attempted to teach him to think 2-3 steps ahead... that didn't work... then i tried stern encouragement... that made him cry... so i am out of suggestions... so tomorrow i will watch... encourage.... again... hopefully i can figure this out....


3. (planned) Watch the Superbowl: Go Cardinals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope they win... although i believe the odds are 40:1 (per Vegas) i think they have a great chance to prove everyone wrong... i don't plan on hitting up any parties to watch it... since it takes place on a Sunday evening... i'd rather watch it with pizza and wings and in my jammies... that Kurt Warner sure takes my breath away... lol....

4. (domestic duties - necessary) well for starters ... I seriously purged and kick my house's trash to the curb last weekend!!! I started Saturday morning at 7am and continued until 2pm. I accomplished SOOOOOOO much!!! which is rare... I was pleasantly surprised with myself... and my family was also in the spirit of cleaning.. (another rarity)..usually we have the spirit of cleaning at all different times and tend to annoy each other rather than help... so this weekend all i really need to do is put laundry away... finish up a couple of loads....give nevaeh a bath.....and do a little organizing.... otherwise pretty painless...

5. oil change(necessary)......

6. ride the new light rail.... aaron and i wanted to take brennen on the new and improved light rail...for the heck of it... and well to say that we rode it...

7. go to church... and pray...

I think that's it!!! wish me luck getting things all done... good luck to you.... and your planned and necessary agenda!!

Newest Kicks:

I am a true believer that our energy output is cyclical... it has extreme highs and lows... well here's a current list of things that have come into my life... for the bettter...

1. Coffee - thanks to a recent gift the ultimate keurig coffee maker... my life changed for the best... mmm this lovely machine cranks out a individualized, custom made coffee, piping hot tea or velvety hot chocolate in less than a minute!!! With absolutely little to no clean up!!! Splendid!!! ( I should be getting this machine for free... i think i have done some much deserved PR work for this company and convinced some buyers to invest..anyway... this machine is great!!! ) I think I may have even conviced my very best friend sina and close relatives to purchase one. The k-cups can be a little costly, but if you purchase this machine at Costco, you will get the filter (and add your own coffee to it).

2. Nip Tuck - if you never got in on the whole obsession of the series... start now... but don't start with what they are showing on FX ... start from season one... and go in order... this is a great series of shows for the secretely twisted and what a story line!!! Soap Operas have nothing on this show!! I was hooked about four shows in... but you have to make it through the first four to five shows.... can be a little gruesome... but totally worth it... thanks carrie, sara, and sina!!! I have also been told to watch 24... haven't heard much about it... will let you know when I do....


3. Nike Air Shox!!! Shoes are not just shoes until you own a pair... these kicked all the others to shame... wow... my feet are spoiled!!! thanks boo for my wonderful "glitterfied" pair!!(my brother)...might be looking to purchase another pair soon.... get a pair... and spoil your feet!!


4. Jon and Kate plus 8.... I know this show is the recent buzz... however... I love reality tv... don't get that confused with those flava flav shows... I love the whole unedited version of child raising... i sure need the ideas... something to help me keep my five year old in line....



5. Italian Charm Bracelets... I love collecting those little charms!!! Currently I have: S (shannon), (A) Aaron, B (Brennen), M (McCabe), Cardinals, NY Giants, I love christ, disneyland, a pic of my cat and dog, i love to scrap, coffee lover, gambling chip (to represent my magical blackjack skills), I dream of jeannie (one of my all time favorite shows... back... back in the day), and sea world... i was looking at them this past weekend and did a little splurging and bought more... I love it... I wear it daily and will never be caught without it... try one... you'll even spot out others who are wearing them (and get a little excited)... and want to see which ones they have... it's kind of like "me" on a bracelet...

6. Reading: I am an avid reader when I am inspired... I do make it a little difficult for myself to finish books quickly... because I can't say no to starting one... so I have about four to five books that I am reading right now.....I ususally will frequent the "chic" literature, inspirational, parenting, hobbies/crafts, and others that seem to catch my eye... I am horrible and probably could stay in Barnes and Noble for hours... maybe days if they stayed open 24 hours a day!!! lol... i kill myself....

7. Scrapbooking: Boy... this is a great and exciting hobby...you should try it... I still struggle with channeling the creative side to get my projects done... and honestly at times find it difficult to become inspired... but you will..... message me if your interested and would like some tips to start... i would be more than willing to help you out....i will post picture as i get projects done...

8. Taking Pictures!!! I took this challenge at the beginning of the year.. and that was to take pictures of what's going on now... simple moments in life to remember this year... and at the end of each month scrapbook one page... bringing all those pictures onto one collage... surrounded with journaled thoughts... it has been really fun!!!

9. Ribbon.....i think its a little obsessive and is tied in with scrapbooking... but I love ribbon and embellishments.... i get excited just writing and thinking about it... i'm sick ... i know... and its pretty funny that i have not met a cute little spool of ribbon that I haven't liked... i love it!!!! I even tied a cute polka dot ribbon on my belongings like...cell phone chargers, scissors, keys... and find it really easy to spot and grab... try it....

So far thats it.... but I'm sure i left others out... not realizing ... but I'll let you know..... have a great day!!!