a group project you want to be a part of. (really!)

I start dry-heaving when I hear the term group-project. Serious. I am more like a 'just give it all to me and I will email you when I am done' kind of girl. I would really just rather do things myself than rely on others. That is probably not awesome of me. But there it is. 

If any of you happen to interview me for a job at some point in life, I will probably deny ever having said this and blame that statement on a potent mixture of two chai latte k-cups and a 800mg ibuprofen. I am pretty positive that dangerous combo can result in some crazy talk.

Anyway.

Group projects- cannot stand them. For eight thousand reasons. HOWEVER. Every once in a while, something comes along that makes you want to change your beliefs.

Are you picturing that Friends episode where Phoebe is debating canceling her plans with Joey? Or am I the only one who relates even the most minute details of my life to something I saw on Friends? No, I am pretty sure y'all are remembering that part of the episode, too. but just in case.....

 I think Shannon means "queen of digression" in Latin. Okay. So the group project thing. If you are on Instagram, chances are, this is old news. So ignore this and go back and watch the Friends clip again. On twitter and instagram, there's a fun 'group project' running wild called Photo-A-Day. I believe part of the task was conjured up by Fat Mum Slim. The idea is to take a picture every day (and she provided the list of photo projects for january) and share them on social sites, like twitter and instagram. And it is oodles of fun. I know it may not sound like any big whoop, but it's fun to see people's different takes on things and what they are capturing. Here is the January 'assignment', in case you want to get in on the group action fun......and you TOTALLY should!!

image credit

Here are my photos taken so far:


Day 1: Me! I had just put Evie in her bed, so it's dark and grainy-- just the way I like pictures of myself ;)


Day 2: Breakfast: caramel frappucino light = love in a cup


Day 3: Something I Adore. Him. And even more so when he is laughing at me.


Day 4: Letterbox. Doesn't get much sexier than this.


Day 5: Something I wore. These socks. And what my littles were wearing was cute enough to get them in.

I am not sure what the deal is for February- I am sure twitterworld will fill me in. Or I will just make up my own. That could get reallllllly interesting. So get on instagram folks, and get some of this fun.

Oh, and the best part for me is that the photo-a-day project leads me into another project! I read about Project Life last year, but it was the end of January and I thought I was too late to try it out. And I am not a scrapbooker. At all. I am a great starter, so-so middler, and not terribly wonderful finisher. And if the project doesn't go like I envision, I throw in the towel (hello, purchased cricut machine I used one day, got frustrated with, swore at, and put back in the box to never use again. seriously, my not-at-all-cheap paper kept ripping whenever I tried to remove it from that dang sticky mat. how is that fun?)

But Project Life is different. My take on Project Life- it's a scrapbooking system designed for people who are either dabbling, don't have a lot of time, are just starting, don't want to sell a kidney for scrapbooking supplies, or just like the simplicity of a system already laid out. I am a member of each of those demographics. We are a good fit, this Project Life system and I.

I talked to my cousin, Amber, did some research online, and decided I was ready to take the scrapbooking plunge- if for no other reason than to get my pictures out of boxes and into something lovely we could flip through. My package of wonderful arrived on my doorstep today (seriously, the UPS dude must be THE most well-received man in town. I always greet him with a big, goofy smile!) And I am in love. I ordered some prints from snapfish so I could get going on it- right now I am working on December.

I know hard-core scrappers would cringe at what I have got going so far, because it is super basic. But I will hold my 1/3 completed, unadorned, 5th-grade-handwriting scrapbook page high and I will say

"I will not go quietly into the night! 
I will not vanish without a fight! 
I'm going to live on! 
I'm going to SURVIVE! 
Today, I celebrate my PATHETIC SCRAPBOOK PAGE!!"

-I may have seen Independence Day more times than I can rationally explain-

This is what I love about Project Life so far:
-the journaling cards-- I can write!
-the design of the paper
-the photo pockets have different layouts so I am not committed to one
-it is so easy to use
-tons and tons of room to put your own spin on this
-it's cute, and that makes it so fun!

If you have ever scrapbooked, I'd love to hear tips or check out what you've done. And if you are in on the photo-a-day fun, let me know!!! You can join me on instagram my name is: shannonleighn

And just for number-twos and teethes (the pg version of that saying I don't quite understand) here's a little present for you. But instead of Mr. Pullman, picture me, Shannon, standing on 17 scrapbooks. Feel free to fist pump me at the end-- go ahead-- put yourself in the crowd scene!



________

On a serious note, some good friends of ours need your prayers once again. Their little boy is facing some serious health issues-again, and I would love you to join me in prayer for Drew! Please lift him up and wrap this amazing family in prayer. This little guy is tough as nails and has already endured so much in his little life- let's call out to God on his behalf! Thank you!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas, from the Nelson Family

photos by Mason Fotographie

and cute card designed by Jumping Jax Designs

On Christmas Eve I was picking up around the house and shuffling away papers, and I opened my nigh stand to find a handful of sealed, addressed, stamped Christmas cards. Oops. 

So.....here is our Christmas card! (insert sheepish smile) Some of my wonderful friends and family will be seeing this in their mailboxes in  3-5 days.

I hope your Christmas was filled with joy!

and here is another picture for the road.......

Do you ever feel like you are being busied with one thing, and then another thing, and going from one place to the next, and trying to get everything done and be everything to everyone, and do it all so well? And then when you feel like the end is in sight and you have met most of your goals/deadlines, you realize- wait a minute! I am missing it.

That's me, right now.

The truth is, I HAVE to do some things. I have to be at certain places. 

Like cleaning the house- that had to get done, because we listed it for rent. Having a yard sale, that sort of had to happen because, one- we made signs and announced it, and two- we desperately needed to shed some "things". Getting the kid's teacher's gifts- that probably did not have to happen, but I would have felt bad not doing it. 

I obviously have to take the kids to and from school. And I had to go to Jeremiah's squadron Christmas party, because I promised him I would go this year (I rarely go to those things, and I was reminded this year of why I don't.) I had to go pick up the kids Christmas presents, because they were paid for and waiting. 

It was all too much. Too many obligations. Too many things that needed doing.

And in all of it, my littlest was cutting a tooth and starting to say "get me up" (which is hysterical because she is loud and firm about it, and accompanies her declaration with a hand gesture). Jack was a potty-pooping machine. Kaiti was writing stories in her journals and so improving on her writing that she secured the only 100% in the class on their big story project. And Tyler was struggling with the idea that we would be saying goodbye to Jeremiah again very soon.

All of those things deserved my time. All of those accomplishments, milestones, and hardships warranted my focused attention. And they didn't get much. 

I am okay with failing at the cleaning, the baking, the reading, the laundry, the staying current on things. I am not okay with failing them- the ones I love the best. 

Most days I feel like balance is a myth. An unattainable standard by which we moms measure ourselves. Because, how can you possibly? How are we to do it all, and be it all, well?

And to top it all off, it is Christmastime. I should not be focused on things, but on Him. Am I living a life that pleases Him? Am I bringing glory to Him with the things that I am doing?

Not now, I am not. 

Because too much equals stress, and stress equates to shortened-patience, a raised-voice, and a not-very-fun Shannon.

(that was a pretty rotten look in the mirror, right there. deep breath.)

These things just steal my focus. The cloud my heart and they allow the unimportant to sneak in and grab hold. I got caught up in silly things, feeling pretty certain that they mattered, when they did not. 

Instead of scrubbing base boards, painting, magic erasing, boxing up, divvying out, buying, cooking, sweeping, stressing over a dress for the Christmas party or what kind of cookies I should make for the cookie trays, I should have just stopped.

Stopped and celebrated Jack's potty accomplishments, Kaiti's wonderful progress in her writing, Eve's grasp of new words and phrases. Celebrated the pregnancy of one of my favorite friends (who just got word that the celebration will be a pink one!!!!), celebrated the safe return of a friend from Iraq, who will celebrate Christmas with his family- something that just a month or so ago was in question. 

Stopped to sit and talk with my Tyler, to reassure him, comfort him, let him go through it all, with me at his side. Stopped to sit and let sink the emotion that the impending goodbye is loaded with, for him, my other children and myself. Stop and acknowledge that I cannot breeze through goodbyes with such amazing friends who have lifted me up, made me laugh, and jump-started my car these past 8 years. 

I need to slow myself. Because I don't want to miss a thing. 

(wow, I just worked an aerosmith lyric into what was turning out to be a pretty somber post.)

The best way I know how to get to goodness, to reshift my focus, and to drowned out the unnecessary is to just quit running and really be with my kids and my husband. No running around town, no planning or committing to eight thousand things, no cell phone, no tv. 

So that is where I am at now. Blogging it out because this is how I process. 

I am really tempted to wrap this up with another lyric from that plump-mouthed man and his band, but my gut tells me only one aerosmith lyric per post. So I'll go with that.