A Thanksgiving Tale

Twas the night before Thanksgiving,

A hardworking mommy came home ready to get a jumpstart on their feast,

When to her surprise, she saw a daddy and a grandpa and a laborous mess!

A few hours later... and no dinner prep success... the family had a new sink!

Then evereyone fell fast asleep.

The mommy woke up super early to catch up on lost time...

to make a fantastic feast.

The family gave THANKS and PRAISE.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." (James1:17)

The food was really good because they not only had lots of energy to play,but also the daddy was fast asleep!

He woke up just in time... for game time...

As they watched the Cowboys win the game, they prepared to watch the Longhorns play, they called family far away to wish them a happy turkey day!

Picture Time in Charlestonland

Preparing for the holidays

I'm so excited! We have been preparing for the holidays at home and at school. I've learned about the Pilgrims and the Indians and the very first Thanksgiving! Tomorrow at school, we are going to have a turkey feast! On Thursday, we will have an intimate family dinner that mommy's going to make. (And, if you know mommy, she doesn't cook too often...this will be interesting.) There will be plenty of food and space at the table if you want to join us...

I know that Thanksgiving isn't about the food. It's about giving thanks to God, family and friends for all of our blessings. There are so many things that I am thankful for. I thank God everyday for my family, for the food we eat and for dying on the cross for our sins.
And, yes, mommy already started decorating for Christmas?! Daddy thinks it is so silly because it is not even Thanksgiving yet. Mommy says that she wants to enjoy all her pretty things without being rushed and that she wants our home fun & festive before we pack and leave for Dallas. All I know is that I really like it! Preparing for the holidays is so much fun!

Oh, yeah, I'm thankful that I get to see ya'll soon! I can't wait!
Happy Thanksgiving!
WE LOVE YOU!

First Day of Preschool for JR

Well, it's official!

Jessica Ryan started preschool on November 4, 2008.

WOO HOO!!! Praise the Lord!

Yes, not only was November 4th election day, but also JR's first day of preschool... that's an odd date... school normally starts earlier...

Actually, Nathan & I had intended to send Jessica to Rainbow Preschool with her friend, Shayla Mc Caffrey, at the start of the school year. However, we would have heavily depended upon Shayla's wonderful mom, Mrs. Mc Caffrey, to do all the carpooling. We just did not want to burden her that much. So, we resorted to prayer. A whole lot of prayer. Next thing we know, Mrs. Dent, the school teacher mentioned to my mom that there was a spot open at the preschool and asked if we were still interested. AMAZING! Our prayer was coming to fruition. We sat down and discussed all the quirks. Nathan and I figured out a plan and realized that our prayer was answered. Jessica was enrolled in Rainbow Preschool! Here are pictures of her first day, the classroom, the weather, the friends, and Mrs. Dent.

Costume Pictures!

It's Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo!...Just kidding. We won the most original costume contest at work on Halloween but didn't win any contests at our Sunday school costume party. There were better pictures taken at work but I was unable to upload them on the blog so here are a few that we took from home. Oh and see also Miss Princess Cami during and after her bath!

Coastal Carolina Fair!

We didn't see Big Tex or anything near the size of what you find at the State Fair of Texas, but lo and behold, I got my fair day! This is a tradition I dearly missed out on in Texas this year, so when Matt came in for the weekend, we decided to venture to a true country fair. It's funny, though, you see the same representations of iconic America: many families seeking games, rides, food, and fun. Keyword being food. This little fair was centered on all the food tents...including fried elephant ears. Basically big fried pastry dough covered in a topping of your choosing.


The fairgrounds were set up in a circular path, so you literally make your way around a big circle which surounds a paddle boat pond. There were $10 helicopter rides which took you on a bird's eye view tour of the fairgrounds. I'm pretty sure the helicopter was in the air for about a minute per ride.


Matt and I enjoyed watching sound check for Jake Owen's show, perusing the art photography building which consisted of locals who had their hobbies on display, but the most bizarre thing we saw was a comedic hypnotist. During his one hour show, he hypnotized 15 lucky volunteers. You probably had to be there to get the gist, but it was both interesting and disturbing at the same time.

No trip to the fair is complete without fair food... I got my corn on the cob, Matt a corny dog, and the grand finale was a funnel cake!















We concluded the weekend with a photoshoot on the beach (pictures to come) by the same girl from work who did Luther's and mine: look for these on Christmas cards this year! We enjoyed a movie at the movie grill where you snack and watch your movie at the same time.

Lastly, and a great ending to the weekend, was a sermon from Pastor Greg at Seacoast. We started our four week series on 'How to Be Rich' which will cover what the Bible has to say about being responsible with your earthly riches, particularly during trying times. The takeaway from last night was that we are all rich... the rich line is a constantly moving target and in America we are always wanting more. The reality, however, is that we are in fact rich: both spiritually and monetarily no matter how much or how little we have by society's standards. I'm looking forward to the teachings in the weeks to come.

Shannon, Chicken, and a Kitchen

Two little chickens go a long way. About a week ago, in an attempt to be resourceful, I rounded up a roasted chicken recipe to stretch into three dishes and enjoy over an extended period of time. Living alone, it's easy to fall into a rut of cereal, sandwiches, soups, and frozen meals, so I decided to prepare some home-cooked meals, freeze some portions, and enjoy them periodically!

Step one was to roast the chickens...while not my favorite, I wrestled two chickens into their respective dishes and stuffed those suckers with lemons, herbs, then topped with a homemade marinade.

Recipe one was a homemade chicken pot pie with cornbread crust. Less fat and calories than using a pastry crust and oh sooo good! The cornbread goes perfectly with the pot pie filling...just like eating soup and cornbread, practically.

Recipe two. One of my all time favorites that nobody does quite like my mom, but I gave it my best! I crave chicken and dressing casserole at least 80% of the year, so I doubled the recipe to be sure I had many leftovers!

Lastly, I made a dish of low fat/low cal chicken and bean enchiladas because I can never get my fix of Mexican food!

One of my new favorite recipes this season came from my vegetarian cookbook and I refined it this go-around and it tasted even better. It's a pumpkin ginger cake and you could realistically eat it all day and never tire of it! I plan to make it at mom's for Thanksgiving, so maybe we'll all get a taste!