More Beautiful YOU

Each and every time I hear this song by Jonny Diaz on the radio

I pray that Madison and her friends will believe it with all of their hearts-

because they ARE beautiful.

Truly beautiful in God's eyes.




And so are YOU!

Does it Suck or Rock?

This website cracks me up.

It's called Does it Suck?

You simply type in a word, name, or phrase- and it will tell give you a score to tell

you if it SUCKS or if it ROCKS.

The closer the score is to 10, the better.

So of course, I had to type in my name.

Shannon= 9.7

(woo hoo- I rock!)

And my blog's name.

Sweet Blessings= ?

(so I guess my blog neither sucks nor rocks?)

And my husband's name, Tony= 9.3.

(of course he rocks!)

You can try all sorts of people and things- it's a hoot!

For those who are wondering, here's how it works according to the website:

When you enter a search term, sucks/rocks searches the web

for several positive and negative phrases using that term.

The score is the fraction of positive results to the sum of

positive and negative results, normalized to 10.
The negative phrases are: X sucks, X is lame, X is crap, I hate X.
The positive phrases are: X rocks, X is sweet, X is awesome, I love X.

Isn't that fun?

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?

Sweet Girl

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer.

~Author Unknown~

Memorial Day

I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning;

I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak,

because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.

We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did.

Benjamin Harrison

More Coke

A short video that makes you really think-

what's more important,

the gift

or

the giver?

YOU

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

Monday Morning Question of the Day

If you told your friends everything about yourself,
including those things you are most ashamed or afraid of,
do you truly think they would like you less or more than they do now?

God's Chisel

When God has to chisel away at us-to get rid of the things in our lives that are not holy and pleasing to Him- it can be difficult and painful.

He does this to help us to become the person He wants us to be,

who He created us to be but it's hard and it hurts.

This video is a beautiful reminder that this process can be painful and scary

but we must trust Him- because He loves us more than we could ever know.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

James 1: 17

Links I Love

Tape Swell- decorative packing tape.

LOVE the damask one. What a fun idea!!!!

These adorable FREE printable lists from Blah, Blah, Blahg!

Download them here:

If I can only do one thing today............

Task List

Some PRECIOUS cake/cupcake sets from Meri, Meri.

So many cute ones- love the baby and princess sets the best! Aren't they cute?

The website Stamps where you can create stamps using your own photos!

What a great idea for baby announcements and wedding invitations.

So fun!

The precious website Virtual Softie.

Here is the websites description:

Its a virtual softie! You can move the outfits and accessories and dress her however you like, just scroll down, click, hold and drag the images up.

Such a sweet idea for little ones!

This last site is absolutely hysterical!

No picture to post for it....you'll have to go see it on your own-

but trust me- it's worth clicking the link!

The name says it all...........

Awkward Family Photos

I LOVE Swaps!

Sweet Becca recently hosted swap and I was so lucky that she was my swap partner!

She is a precious lady and a
FABULOUS
gift giver
and she absolutely spoiled me rotten!

Here is what was in my package:

1. A beautiful card

2. TONS of gummy type candy including Gummy Worms, Sour Patch Kids, Gummy Lifesavers! These were put in the package for me to share with Madison- how sweet was that?

3. A cookbook that I could not wait to get my hands on-

The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen
and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
It's full of great recipes that I cannot wait to try- along with fun home and gift ideas!
(I wish Becca lived closer so that I could make something yummy from it to thank her!)

4. An adorable apron! I absolutely LOVE aprons- and have started a collection of them! Something about putting one on makes me feel so much more domesticated and happy when I cook. Becca asked that I take a pic of Tony wearing my super cute pink apron and luckily he was a good sport and even pretended to cook something for this picture. He's a hoot!

5. A precious little book called

Simplify Your Life:

100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that Really Matter
It's full of great tidbits of advice and ways to slow down and relax which is

definitely something I need to do more often.

Thank you Becca for such wonderful gifts- you are so thoughtful and I am so thankful!