FaLL FuN: HaRvEsT bLeSsInGs!

Well it's that time of year again where my family "harvest's the fun"! We played Halloween tunes, painted pumpkins, carved pumpkins, and brought back "Stuffy" our scarecrow from last year!Topping off the evening with our Chili Cheese dogs for dinner! We figure our kids grow up to fast not to make the memories last! We try to NEVER miss a moment of having fun with them! In a world of rush here and rush there, we have chosen to take ourselves away from the hustle and bustle of life. In a world where BUSY is the normal, we choose to be ABNORMAL! I am proud that our family makes time for Bible readings, family dinners, homework and FUN! I pray that my children will see as they become adults and someday have families of their own the importance of BALANCING and never neglecting...GOD, FAMILY, WORK and FUN! I hope you enjoy the pictures of our FUN NIGHT OF HARVESTING OUR FALL BLESSINGS!!

Update on Sophie!

The above picture was taken after Church on Sunday night. So many people blessed Sophie with Rosaries, Bracelets, Pins, and PRAYERS!!!!

LAST weekend was a great one! I must say it started off kind of scary though! Thursday night I received a phone call from Father Stan asking that Sophie and I be at EVERY MASS starting Saturday night. He wanted me to speak to the entire congregation and ask them for prayers. He also wanted to hold a special prayer service on Wednesday evening, and he wanted Sophie to be at all the events. He also told us that the Archbishop would be attending Wednesday's service in order to bless our sweet Sophie! This was scary because for ONE, I AM NOT a good public speaker and TWO, I wasn't sure Sophie would be up for this job! But, I also knew that we were indeed asking the Lord for a lot and so if this was our part then we could do it! When I spoke with Sophie about it, she had no hesitation what so ever! Now you have to understand that Sophie is extremely SHY around people and so I knew this would be NO EASY FEAT! Saturday morning I got a phone call that Sophie missed me and she was having a fit to come over and spend the night, so Sophie and her brother packed their bags and arrived early that afternoon. That evening we made our first mass, and it went EXTREMELY WELL! Father called Sophie up and she looked a little nervous but SHE WENT and SMILED THE ENTIRE TIME! Then they called me up...I kept reminding myself that if Sophie could undergo all that she was in her little life, I could INDEED stand up and speak in front of all those people! With Gods encouragement and Sophie's smile, I did it! Also,knowing she started heavy doses of Chemo on Monday and that prayers were the best medicine kept me going! We repeated this again Sunday morning, afternoon, and evening! By Sunday night, our Princess Sophie was a celebrity! Everybody wanted to know and meet her! AND EVERYBODY SAID THEY WOULD BE PRAYING!!! We celebrated her first Church appearance Saturday night after Mass with a Bon Fire, wiener and marshmallow roast, sparklers and FIREWORKS at my home! Oh boy did her and her brother have a BLAST! We topped the evening off with making a huge campsite in the living room, cozying up together and watching "Casper"! SOPHIE AND JACOB didn't want the evening to end and neither did we! My son Peyton said "it was the best time"!!! IT WAS GREAT! They went home Sunday night and boy was I sad! I DREADED the thought of the morning coming, knowing what our sweet Sophie would be going through! She was blessed with her sweet grandparents coming into town and taking her for her first treatment along with her parents. They called me that evening to say that she was doing very well! She had ate like a HORSE and had not gotten sick at all! I was SO EXCITED and KNEW that the power of prayer was working!!!! Tuesday morning I got up early so I could meet Sophie and her grandparents at the doctors office. That way I could take her home from Tuesday's treatment since her grandparents had to get back home for their own doctor appt on Wednesday. Tuesday was heartbreaking for me! I watched our sweet Sophie take the chemo and all the other "stuff" that goes with it, like a CHAMPION!! Parents with well children have NO IDEA how BLESSED they are until they witness first hand what these children go through! I admire the parents of these children as much as the kids themselves. She only shed a few tears and she did get sick once, but nothing like we had expected. We came home and she rested most of the day. Knowing that Wednesday was coming up, and this was a huge Mass for her...we PRAYED that the Good Lord would give her strength to make it through the next day’s chemo and then make it to Mass. Her parents brought her to me EARLY Wednesday morning and she had the biggest SMILE EVER! She was ready for Mass that night but knew that she first had to undergo Chemo that morning. SHE AMAZES ME!! These kids make most adults look like wimps!!!! So we were off! We met her daddy there and she underwent treatment! Again, she only got sick once and bounced right back!!! That night she rode with my family to mass and we met her family there! Her grandparents, parents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and SO MANY WONDERFUL people from our community came to pray for her and she was on CLOUD 9!!! She was very tired, but NOT SICK and that was a true gift from GOD! Her parents tell me that I am a big blessing for them but I feel that she has blessed me and my ENTIRE family SO MUCH MORE! I am so fortunate that her parents allow me to do so much with her!! I went to bed Wednesday night and I told my husband that Sophie is a HUGE inspiration. She should INSPIRE everyone that there are NO excuses for skipping church ever! She was tired, she was sick, but SHE WAS THERE....and she went with a SMILE! Thank you everyone for the prayers.....she is feeling them and they are WORKING! To make the week even better...her parents have asked my husband and I to be her Godparents! We will be baptizing her on Sunday!!!!! I just know that this story will have a great ending come summertime!!!!!! KEEP PRAYING!

Prayers needed for Miss Sophie Sparks!

I'm not sure who all reads my blog...I am hoping there are others out in the "blog" world that may follow besides immediate family and friends. If your a "blog" friend, then thank you for visiting. I hope that you will read this blog and place our SWEET SOPHIE in your prayers! I have copied my email that went out this morning since it says everything I wish to share. And if your immediate family and friends, thank you as well! Check back often for updates on our SWEET SOPHIE!!!

I'm writing this email with a humble and very heavy heart. Our friends daughter, Sophie Sparks (5 years old) was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. At this time she was taken out of daycare and has been in our home while undergoing treatment. It was a childhood cancer with a great success rate. We celebrated her last chemo treatment a few weeks ago. She was so looking forward to her hair growing back and starting kinder next fall. But her last scan results have shown that 3 tumors have developed in her lungs. So starting Monday she will be undergoing a much heavier dose of chemo 3 days a week, and then radiation. This could go on up to two years. We are praying for Strength, Hope and Faith for little Sophie and her family. We are also praying for God to lay his healing hands upon this precious baby and take away the AWFUL tumors. I hurt for her family since I know they must keep their jobs and would love nothing more than to stay home with her. So I pray that God will lift the burden from their shoulders and carry them through these long days ahead. Lastly, I must say that my family too needs your prayers. This will pose to be one of the hardest things we have ever encountered as our Sweet Sophie holds a huge portion of our heart. Her family and I are asking for prayers and lots of them. Please add her name to your church prayer list and to your daily personal prayers if you would.

MATTHEW 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them


Sincerely,
Shannon

A FUNNY "RANDOM" BLOG!!!!!!

Okay so a few of the blogs I follow have blogged on RANDOM THINGS about themselves! I found it very interesting and thought I would do the same! This has been a very FUN BLOG! Since I had to ask Glenn, Trevor, Peyton and Skylar what they thought was random about me and they came up with a few of these! You can try and guess which ones!

Some people will ask, "WHY?" "WHO CARES?" But I think that years from now my great grandchildren and even my grandchildren will read this AND GET A HUGE LAUGH! And who knows..maybe a light will go off as to WHY THEY DO SOME OF THE "RANDOM, WEIRD" THINGS THEY DO! LOL....IT WAS THEIR CRAZY GRANDMOTHER that they take after of course!!!! SO HERE IT GOES!

30 RANDOM THINGS to confirm that I am indeed a crazy and very random person!

1. I LOVE music with Frank Sinatra, Nora Jones, Michael Buble, JAZZ leads the way and of course Country and Christian! BUT MUSIC get's me going! The television is a DOWNER!
2. I LOVE flip flops no matter what the season and would go barefoot if I could! I think flip flops year round are just part of everyday TEXAS CULTURE!
3. I LOVE foods that "BURST" in my mouth...peas, cherry tomatoes, gushers, chocolate covered cherries etc...But I do have one exception....BRUSSEL SPROUTS. YUCK!
4. I HATE when people crack their bones! (Knuckles, back, neck etc.)It is worse than nails on a chalkboard in my book!
5. I LOVE the feeling of a FRESH SHAVED FACE (not mine of course)!!! I think this is right up there with the feeling of a newborn baby’s velvety skin!
6. I am a SAPPY romantic at heart and require LOTS of attention from Glenn! He says I am a self confessed "Needy" person! lol
7. I ALWAYS sing in the shower...My family call's it my personal "music recording studio" but my singing is beyond AWFUL LOL!!!
8. I AM TERRIFIED of ANY REPTILE!!!! To the point of hyperventilating if one happens to touch me! I believe Lizards look like baby dino's!
9. I want to sip wine and eat cheese sitting on a blanket over looking the vineyards of Italy someday (preferably BEFORE and NOT AFTER I die)
10. I cannot seem to walk past bubble wrap without popping it no matter where I am!
11. I drink coffee like I enjoy my cereal! SUPER SWEET WITH LOTS OF MILK! My husband swears this will make me a diabetic if I continue Lol!
12. I love any form of communication! (facebook, email, phone calls, texting, snail mail, BLOGGING)
13. I have to wear earrings..or I feel NAKED! And I would rather wear NO makeup if I must go without lipstick or mascara!
14. I have NEVER lived on my own and don't look forward to the day I ever have to! (Kids be prepared to move your Mother in someday)
15. I can be dressed for a night out in less than 20 minutes.
16. My mind works super fast and I can change subjects in mid sentence at times. LOL
17. I cannot help but burst into dance when I hear the song "Walk like an Egyptian"! (Thank you, Skylar for the reminder!!)
18. I love CHEEK LOVE! Pressing my children’s cheek against mine and "smuggling" was a known instant "make Mommy HAPPY" gesture when the kids were little!
19. I have a terrible memory when it comes to memorizing artists names, books, movies, years, etc. (hence the reason for my school grades in History)
20. I LOVE to LAUGH and I enjoy being goofy with my family.....my children take after me and we often turn a night into comedy for my husband!
21. I always use the words "Big" and "little" when speaking of my brothers! I cannot bring myself to say "older" or "younger" and I have no idea why!
22. I am extremely LOUD! I could never enter a room and leave without anyone knowing I was ever there. You would think I was from a Greek family instead of a polish one! (notice the exclamation points all over this page) haha
23. I am always on time or early! My sons thought I couldn't tell time when they were little because I would always tell them it was 10 minutes later than it actually was. haha...I STILL DO!
24. I talk during movies and often must rewind to hear what I missed!
25. I start reading magazines from the MIDDLE and sporadically go through it!
26. I am not a fan of people who find pleasure in belittling others and often root for the underdog!
27. I cannot SCARE ANYONE! I often hide and then BURST out laughing right before they turn the corner! (Weird, I know)
28. I have TUBS of pictures and very few albums!
29. I seldom think before I speak which makes my family worry at times!

30. I have NO artistic talent what so ever!!! My artwork from my elementary years would SCARE YOU and perhaps made my teachers think I needed therapy! Lol. One day I will post pics and share!

Hope you enjoyed and got a chuckle or two! Try and not feel too sorry for my family…I WILL POST THEIR RANDOM THINGS NEXT! Haha..KIDDING OF COURSE! (OR AM I) ;)

Blue Rose

So almost every morning I start it with coffee and reading through my friends blogs! I read something truly inspirational today and I just HAD to share. I love to read deep, meaningful things that inspire and touch the heart....this story DID JUST THAT! So grab your coffee and enjoy the story!


Blue Rose

Having four visiting family members, the wife was very busy, so I
offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included
light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent, and Clorox. So off I
went.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for
the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man
who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I
patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he
waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy,
I'm over here."

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as
he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His
eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's
your name?"

"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded
proudly. "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but
my name is Steve."

"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"

"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over
from the next aisle.. "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy
and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more
minutes about summer, bicycles, and school. I watched his brown eyes dance
with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention. He then
abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking
the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even
look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and
then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the
prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in
God's Garden; however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated
for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if
someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that
rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked,
"Who are you?"

Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion but I sure
love living in God's garden."
________________________________________________________________________

I should hope we all smell the scent of a blue rose in our lifetime, I think that after we do we will look forward to smelling them again, and again, and again!

Many Blessings,
Shannon!

Building a foundation and CLEANING HOUSE while doing it!

Building my foundation and making it stronger one layer at a time! And, Gosh am I having a great time doing it! I am a FIRM believer that if we work on our own foundation those around us will follow. They can’t help but follow because they will want what we have! Doesn't everyone want to build a house on a STRONG foundation that can withstand strong winds and rain! I think that by securing a foundation with the word of the Lord that we can withstand life's blows...and boy can life throw some BOULDERS our way. Our outer appearance is very important but having a spectacular inner appearance is so much more important to me. I mean after all our spirit is what will stand and testify for us at the end of our journey and it is what we will spend eternity being. Now, I am not sure about you but I know for a fact that being a sweet, caring, loving, honest and FUN spirit is what I want to carry on into this place called ETERNITY! What we look like on the outside and the things we own here on Earth can never testify on our behalf nor go with us when we leave...so why do so many people invest SO much into materialistic things?! I hope my children realize that taking the time to character build NOW and allowing Jesus into your heart is the BEST INVESTMENT one will EVER make! You know that feeling you have when your house is clean, that feeling of satisfaction and “AHHH”…. Just loving how wonderful it feels??I think that if people would take the time to clean the dust and webs from their spirit and soul they would be shocked at how much grime build up they actually have. LOL….but BOY DOES IT FEEL GOOD WHEN IT IS CLEAN!! So let’s all get on board and CLEAN HOUSE and help our children to learn how to clean their own rooms PROPERLY!