Shannon Marie

Day 45 - February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

We celebrated last night with little gifts and Cole (and Jeremy) making his Valentine box and writing his classmates names on their treats.

I'm not about receiving cut flowers. I think it is silly. So instead Jeremy ordered me trees, Lilacs! Of course, they won't be here until April but that is a longer lasting gift. Sure makes me ready for spring!

My Lilacs - Spring 2011

Day 44 - February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Harder to get back into the routine of taking pictures every day than I thought it was going to be! Funny conversation with my son, who appears to be going through a growth spurt at the moment. I heard a very non-scientific reason for why boys (ages 10-20) are so forgetful, flighty, have no 'listening' skills, and are just discombobulated if you will. Someone told me that because their bodies are growing and developing so much they don't have enough energy left to think! Haha!

Tonight we had an example:

Cole: I went to the garage and Ray (the cat) was sitting on your car still.
Me: Oh was he pouting? (got in a tiff with the other cat earlier, a lovers spat of sorts)
Cole: Pouting?
Me: Pouting.
Cole Pouting?
Me: Yes, pouting. Was Ray still pouting?
Cole: Pouting?
Me: Yes. Was Ray still pouting? Pouting.
Cole Pouting?
Me: Was. Ray. Still. Pouting?
Cole: Pouting?
Me: Yes, was Ray still pouting from earlier?
Cole Pouting?
Me: Nevermind.
Cole: Yeah he was still pouting.

And no, he wasn't doing this on purpose. He didn't even notice that I was rolling my eyes or that my husband was laughing, at him, not with him. Wowzers, he must need some extra sleep...

My Baby

Day 40 - February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

Day 40 already. I skipped posting right after my grandmother passed. Too much going on. Too much family to enjoy. Too much catching up on daily routines. So I'll catch you up! Lots of family, Cole turned 11, and the birds have been out to greet us in full force.

Cole and Delia (my niece/his cousin)

Delia and Samantha (best friend's daughter)

Cole Bday Party! (don't worry, just root beer)

Day 31 - January 31, 2012 Extra Post

2012-01-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

My grandmother passed away peacefully tonight. I was so grateful to be by her side with my dad, aunt, great-aunts and great-uncle. She was just as beautiful as ever and I know now she's in heaven watching over her family and pacing back and forth worrying about each and every one of us until we arrive with her some day.

Photos are from December 31, 2011. Grandma put together a scavenger hunt for the younger boys. She was always planning something for them to do together.

Me and Grandma... actually just ignore me, no make-up and making 'chubby face'!

Grandma looks cute as ever though!

Annie, me, Grandma, Robin and Brad

Trent, Cole, Conner, Chase, Grandma after the scavenger hunt she planned for them in the snow. It is a great memory.

Photo from Grandma's outside-Christmas tree

Day 31 - January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Grandma's gardens rivaled the best. She knew when each of her plants were to bloom and exactly how to take care of them. I hope I can keep her gardening alive through my gardens.

Summer 2011

Grandma at my dad's 50th birthday party 2010

Summer 2011 - Lady Slipper

Day 30 - January 30, 2012

2012-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

Today I was in Fargo supporting my family and being with grandmother. I have no photos from the day.

Christmas (2008 or 2009?) My grandma is in the red sweater.
Missing at the time from the picture: my sister and cousin.

Day 29 - January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

The beautiful woman in these photos is my Grandmother, Marian. She suffered a stroke on Sunday.

I love her more than words can say.

My heart is sick, and I am completely empty.

She was hands down the most giving, loving, and caring person I have ever met. She never spoke a bad word about anyone, loved her family no matter what their mistakes might be, and left a mark on every single person who met her. I will miss her every day for the rest of my life.

Gram, Me, Angie, Brandy, Cassidy (2004-2005ish)

Me and Grandma - 90's

Planting trees

2003 - Dad and Annie's wedding with all of the grandkids (Leo, Virginia and Delia came later)

Easter 1997

Christmas 2011

I can't flip the picture... but isn't she beautiful?!

I got to see her 3 times in the past week:

1) at my Pampered Chef party last Sunday.

2) Tuesday randomly when my dad and I were out to lunch.

3) pizza at my house with family on Friday night.

and

yesterday in Fargo at the hospital.

Day 28 - January 28, 2012

2012-01-28T20:16:00.001-08:00

I am making a goal. Training for a 10k starting tomorrow!! The treadmill will be the first thing I see when I wake up each morning.

Day 27 - January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T18:25:00.001-08:00

Country-Western Day!

Cole wore his Aunt Tara's cowboy hat and his Dallas 'Cowboys' shirt... get it?!
The Cowboys?!

I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't right away... he is obviously much wittier than I am.

Cowboy Cole

Day 26 - January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Catching up on CSW @ Cole's school for my day 26 photos!

Character Day (Tuesday) Mario

Color Day (Wednesday) 5th graders = Wonderful White

Day 25 - January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

Our cat 'Ray the Stray', or Ray for short. We were lucky enough to get Ray when my childhood neighbors moved to the Cities. This cat has a vertical jump of over 5 feet, hunts in the rain and snow, can run faster than any cat I've ever seen and climbs trees with no front claws. He'll often be out by the pond eating frogs or bringing home mice to show off.

Oh and his new love is a laser light... can we say obsessed?!

I'm ready dad!

Just a taste of his jumping skills.

Day 24 - January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan 2012 included:

Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni, Twins Legend Tony Oliva, and Twins announcer Dick Bremer.

Cole and Ben Revere talking about his MLB #1 play of the 2011 season.
We were at Target Field when he made the catch against the Orioles on August 24, 2011!
What an awesome memory for him to share with Ben.

Minnesota Twins Legend Tony Oliva signing a baseball card I've had for 20 years!!

Magnets from the Twins fridge-frame.
I Love Today

Day 23 - January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

CSW @ Cole's school this week!

Monday = Wacky Tacky Day

2 different socks

Old-Man Brett Favre jersey

Sweatband

70's era Bemidji boys basketball warmup pants

Too-much gel hair

(hair done when he got to school so it wouldn't get 'ruined' by his winter hat!)

Day 22 - January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

Last night Cole played basketball during the men's college basketball game.

It is so much fun to watch the little guys run around on the same court as 6'5"+ college kids!

It made me realize he is growing up faster than I want him to.

In perspective he is over half-way to college :(

#44

Day 21 - January 21, 2012

2012-01-21T20:11:00.001-08:00

The end of the world must be near....

The cats are sitting next to each other and not hissing or batting at the other!

It's a good thing they are both completely obsessed with watching the birds out the window when it is too cold to go outside!

Gray and Ray

Day 20 - January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T20:43:00.001-08:00

Friday....

Day 19 - January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Long day, again... Woohoo!

Still had time to make peach smoothies for me and my honey.

Little boy wrinkled his nose which means more for us!

Yummo!

Day 18 - January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T17:30:00.001-08:00

Cole loves his Mohawk hat!! Not only is it 10-year-old-boy fashionable but it comes in handy when it is -22 degrees outside!

Day 17 - January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T20:27:00.001-08:00

This is my first night of 'almost' not getting a picture posted. I was busy with basketball, back to work, home, dinner, 5th grade homework, and then 1 1/2 hours working on two seperate projects for Cole's school. Whew!

Day 16 - January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

I am blessed that what you see below is what I get to see out my kitchen window. We feed the birds suet and seed in the winter. I can tell you this about our birds, they are more accurate than the Weather Channel! If there is going to be a cold snap or a snowstorm these little guys sure let me know! Our feeders have been known to be completely emptied during one days worth of daylight... that's a lot of seed!

This little guy hung around for a while. I got a few pictures but they are a tad bit fuzzy because it through the window and screen. I would have moved to a different window but was afraid I would scare him off. There is something calming about just watching the birds.

*********************************************************************

One of our seed feeders. aka: Grand Central Station

Day 15 - January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday night football!

(He was cheering for the Giants and they won)

More excitingly it was sock matching night!

Cole has turned sock matching into a 'basketball' game of sorts.

He matches and rolls the socks then shoots them into the hamper, you can see the pile in the picture!

My view of him from the treadmill.

I've learned over the years if I want something cleaned it has to be a game.

Day 14 - January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

Basketball Champions!

Last year Cole had the opportunity to play on a second competitive basketball team and got to play an extra 2 tournaments. They were reunited this weekend as their team 'Bemidji Hustle'. I'm not sure if these exact boys will get to play again together this season (there are 24 that play on their competitive team) but they are now boasting a 2012 record of 3-0 and won the tournament!

Cole played the whole game, getting baskets, assists, rebounds, a couple fouls, and free throw shots throughout the day, all while showing good teamwork and sportsmanship.

So proud of my little athlete!

The money shot of the day. On the line, just made the free throw and got the ball coming down from the hoop! It is so hard to photograph sports, especially basketball. I am improving each game!

Championship Photo!

I don't know how I feel about posting pictures of other people's kids without parents consent as each parent is different, so I did crop out the rest of the team.

However, they are an awesome group of boys!

Day 13 - January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Finally....................Friday Night!

Cole has a friend over, we had pizza, I ran 3 miles, and tomorrow we'll be at a basketball tournament all day so we'll be leaving early tomorrow and getting home late tomorrow night.

I think I've earned a glass of wine!

Day 12 - January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

I have realized that I need to spice up the pictures, but tonight is not that night. Once again an exciting evening of basketball, dinner, shower, homework, reading, and bed!

I am certain I'll look back one day when my house is quiet, I'm rested, and only cooking for 2... I will really miss rushing to basketball after school, waiting in parking lots, washing jerseys the night before the big game, watching Jeremy correcting pre-algebra, and helping Cole with 5th grade social studies.

But like I said, tonight is not that night, I snuck in a picture and continued enjoying the moment.

Day 11 - January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

It is my sister's birthday today! When she was little I tried to get her to call me mama, when we were in high school we got on each other's nerves, she was my birthing partner and in my delivery room when I had my son, and we are each other's children's God Mothers, we've shared secrets, laughed and cried together.

I would have posted a picture of me and Tara today but she lives in a far away land... well, just on the east coast but still too far for a picture.

Instead of a Tara pic here is my piano instead! My mom put in a mirror on the back of the piano which I'm sure seemed like a great idea at the time. However, when I was younger Tara would dance while I would play, and then I'd stop. I'd start playing again and Tara would dance, and then I'd stop. Now I play, and Cole dances, and then I stop. Because of course you can see the 'dancer' in the mirror which is so distracting! But I love my Tara and my Cole and some day maybe I'll let them dance while I play... maybe...

Day 10 - January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T16:01:00.001-08:00

Must.Stay.Awake.

Coffee makes me happy!

Day 9 - January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T13:32:00.001-08:00

Back to the grind, its a busy Monday!

Better to be busy than bored!

My work-piano.

Day 8 - January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

Watched Cole sing with the Bemidji Boys Choir again today. Performance 2 of 3, the next won't be until the end of February. Saw the high school Vocalmotive show choir perform, man can those kids sing and dance! Now to get some work done before the week starts!

He loves singing, I swear!
He was gone all weekend so was a bit tired pre-performance.

Day 7 - January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

Bingo and Bloody Mary's today with friends. I didn't win but had a great time!

My most memorable part of the bingoing today was an old man lost his teeth on the floor, dunked em in some water and put em right back in!!

Day 6 - January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

My other baby, Gray!

Cole originally wanted to name her 'Red' but we landed with Gray, or Gracie, or Grace.

Now we call her Fudgehog, Baby Racoon, Chublet, Chubbers, Princess, and Baby.

She doesn't always use the litter box, get a little whiny, comes running when the milk jug is moved in the fridge, hisses at the other cat at 2:00 a.m., is deathly afraid of ceiling fans, and now faithfully sleeps on our bed every night between me and Jeremy. She truly is the household princess.

Day 5 - January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

Cole hasn't asked yet why I've been taking pictures every day.

I think I'll wait until he asks to tell him about the project!

Same time, same place at our house tonight.

Basketball.Dinner.Homework.

Day 4 - January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas break has come and gone, back to the grind!

Algebra is not my strong suit so Jeremy helps him on math-homework nights.

Some nights are harder than others but he is pretty studious for a 10-year-old boy.

Long day = 2 pictures... Still trying to figure out how to use my camera outside at night, without the flash because it scares away our critters. May have started getting it set to where I want...

Not.Quite.There.

Day 3 - January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Love these little hands

Sadly, it is the last day of Christmas break. Cole and I set up a Pandora Radio account for him to use on the laptop in his room. (We turned off the explicit lyric setting, of course!) He loves music as much as I did at his age and can remember lyrics after hearing a song once or twice on the radio.

It really doesn't get much better than combining radio and computer!

Day 2 - January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T15:50:00.001-08:00

Today we took a trip to GF to get a few fun things. It was a bittersweet day for me as we had to get Cole new jeans... from the mens department!!

So my picture is sideways... sometimes they just do what they want!

Day 1 - January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

366 Day Challenge

I have decided to play a little game of follow the leader this year with a super fun idea from fellow mom-bloggers. My goal is to get to know my little family better through a year of photographs. We spend so much time running each week, this will should me at least a few seconds per day to take my time with something. From work, to school, and the car to activities we just go, go, go.

Day 1 Photo @ 12:01 NYE 2012

I'm going to take one picture (maybe two) each day. Knowing my weekly schedule and routine I will realistically be posting every few days, a few days worth of pictures at a time. I have a camera on my phone and usually have my Canon sitting out. I think this challenge me a little more to learn how to use my camera better also. We have a lot of fun stuff going on this year and am so excited for NYE 2012 to look back at what is sure to be an amazing year.

Photo 1 - My favorite boys, Jeremy and Cole a minute or so after watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to use my original blog (this one) to do two things for 2011. I'm going to share the fun documentations about my funny, spunky, fast growing son and our family. And share my progress towards a heathier lifestyle and weight loss (to be shared later).

Today we have a blizzrd going on around us outside so we slept in, Cole until 11:00! Going to have a lazy day watching the Travel Channel, HGTV, Food Network, oh and clean, vaccum, put Christmas decorations away.

I'm not making resolutions this year, just going to each day to enjoy my family each day and take the year as it comes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My Other Blog is a Green Blog

2010-05-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

I started a second blog... since I hardly have enough 'free time' to keep up with my regular-life blog. But it's more fun!

I'll have earth friendly ideas, gardening tips, green advice and environmental news.

Check it out!

http://www.greenshannonmarie.blogspot.com/

It's Not Easy Being Green

Herbs Herbs Herbs

2010-03-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

~ W.E. Johns

Today was a 50 degree day in Bemidji. While shopping with Cole I got the gardening itch...

I decided it was still too early to start my seedlings for the summer but convinced myself it is never to early (or late) to start an herb garden! So while Cole was looking at the flower packets and vegetable packets we'll purchase later in the spring I looked over the herbs.

There were many choices but I decided to stick with herbs I knew I would use:

cilantro, sweet basil, garlic chives and and parsley.

Also, in my random love for cooking I have realized that it would be useful to have fresh herbs and that these would be a great addition to the decoration of my house.

I am getting ansty for spring so my new herb garden adventure will also tide over my need for shoveling the snow away from my garden patch and planting while the ground is still frozen...

My seeds were nestled in matching baby blue planters with a few rocks and dirt. They are covered for the next few weeks with plastic wrap to speed up the growing process. I do not like the looks of them but the mini-greenhouse-effect will do wonders for their progress!

The only problem I ran into this afternoon after planting was remembering which herb was in which container! I didn't have anything small enough to write on and 'plant' in the dirt with the seeds, so like usual I improvised in my own Shannonesque way...

I did some digging in my craft supplies and to my amazement I found tiny colored pencils which have never been used!! So... each herb has its own little pencil to not only help remember who is who but to become part of their little habitat.

PARSLEY

SWEET BASIL

CILANTRO

I hope my little herbs grow big and healthy in the weeks/months to come.

Cole will be my official water-kid and we'll enjoy watching them sprout!

I just hope I picked herbs that kitty isn't going to want to much on...

Asparagus Night!

2010-02-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

For 2010 we made a 'resolution' of sorts. Cole is a picky eater so he gets a sticker on the calendar for each new food he tries. Tonight he tried Green Giant asparagus! I told him it would taste siminlar to green beans just to ease his pain... and he actually liked it! He said it was a combination of green beans and celery. He also wouldn't eat the tips, only the stems. So now we have a new food to add to the menu... "hairy green beans"!

2-10-10

2010-02-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start blogging the ridiculously funny and some times absolutely crazy things that come out of Cole's mouth. I think since he turned 9 something went off in his little brain and he has been just randomly goofy lately!

Last night after Cole showered he left me a 'secret message' on the mirror. After I showered I saw: "Hi Mom, Love Cole" and "Happy V-Day".

Today, again after the shower, he came out with my towel on! Cole has a very nice blue towel he received from Grandma and Grandpa Enright that has his name COLE stitched right in... so he should know which one is his. I asked him why he had my towel and not his... he said "Well it doesn't have SHANNON written on it does it?!" This alone made me laugh, not at him though, he thought he made a very good point!

5k

2009-10-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Gina and I at the BSU Alumni 5k

27:07
The race was just shy of a full 5k but I ran at a pace of 8:45 per mile!
It's a personal best and I can't wait to run my next 5k!

Beau petit jardin

2009-09-19T11:28:00.001-07:00

Beau petit jardin

(Beautiful Little Garden ~ in French)

This year I planted tomatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, lil' pumpkins and a whole bunch of flowers!

I started everything from seeds except my long flower pots, hanging plant and 2 larger pots.

This is my new hobby and I am in love with watching everything grow.

I hope to have larger gardens some day so I can work on my green-thumb.

There are green tomatos in there somewhere!

An odd shaped zucchini to be made into bread.

I have a couple little ones that will hopefully ripen before it frosts!

Cute lil' pumpkin

These will make a great addition to our 'pumpkin family' we'll be carving and painting this fall.

````Flowers````

Potted plant

Viney flower.

We grabbed a bunch of random seed packets this year to plant so when everything came up I couldn't remember what was what! But they are all pretty and colorful.

My little turtle has been with us for 5 years watching my flowers grow.

Hostas

Fargo/Moorhead Flood of 2009

2009-03-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday for work I went with the guys from work over to Moorhead to help in whatever way I could with the sandbagging efforts. I took some pictures of the water but not as many as I could have, I was busy most of the time. We spent the morning sandbagging houses and the afternoon helping box up computers and office equpiment at the Moorhead law enforcement center.

This picutre was from the car on the way over to Moorhead. Somewhere near Mahnomen. The roads were horrible, some were closed and the water was a little too close to the roads...

This was one house on the road we helped sandbag... I'll try to explain how high the water was... I was standing on the road looking at the house. There are sandbags around the house but water around the sandbags already. The water on the other side of this dirt levee was almost the same height as the levee.

This was another house on the road, the water was already up behind the house to the sandbags.

Here I was standing next to a tree, next to a house and on a pile of sandbags. The two trees to the left should not even be close to the water...

I couldn't read the measurements on the sticks in the yard but this was from the same spot. Just beside this tree was a house. These people had been having the water rise for a while and were pretty well prepared but still needed help on Friday.

I wish this picture had turned out better. This house had a walk out basement that would have overlooked the river. The sandbags were about 9 feet hight from the cement slab along the basement of the house. The water, as you can tell, is almost flush with the sandbags.

This was an attempt to get a picture of the water as we were leaving, I took it out the window of the Tahoe I road over in... the dirt levee was up to at least the middle of the window of the vehicle and the water over the levee was getting close to the top. The 'snow' in the background is actually just resting on the water. Looks can be deceiving but it is all water underneath.

This was about a half of a parking lot away from the law enforcement center. I'm not sure what the black tube was filled with... I was too scared to touch it... didn't want the water to start gushing over the side! But the snow again is sitting on top of water... the garage to the right has water already up to mid-garage level. These black tubes ran between the road and the houses. So there were about 5 or 6 houses on the water side that had already been flooded. People were moving out their belongings and packing them in vehicles and trailers.

This was another view of the black tube...

The house to the left looks like it just has snow up along the fence line but it is actually

(again) water with snow on top...

the trees in the yard should be in a yard not in the water!

It was amazing how much water was really in the yards and around the houses.

My prayers are with the families who are affected by the flood...

Cheesey picture of me before we left with my new gas-station sunglasses....

I was tired and ready to get home at this point but not as tired as the other volunteers who had been there for days and will be there tomorrow and the weeks to come helping clean up the area.

Sandbagging

2009-03-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow morning (Friday) I am headed to Fargo to help with whatever is needed in the flood efforts. I'll possibly be sandbagging, shoveling, running supplies back and forth and helping where help is needed I guess. I have no clue what the area looks like or how long some of the volunteers have been helping. Hopefully I can help by letting others take a break or help in saving even one small building or home.

I'll be taking some pictures if I have time as I am bringing a work camera with me. I'm just thankful that I have a job that allows me to (a) assist a community in need, (b) get paid for helping and (c) I have great people who are helping me with Cole while I am volunteering. A big thanks to my mom, Sara, Jen, Rod, Jeremy and my dad!! I will let you all know what my impression of the efforts is when I get back. As for now I am going to bed, I have to be to the LEC early, we're leaving at 6:30 a.m.!

Blogging

2008-11-12T19:38:00.001-08:00

So I had this idea that I would start a blog... put in cute little pictures and let my friends and family check it out. This sounded much more fun to me than Facebook or Myspace bloggings and status reports... So I've tried to change my blog layout, I've tried to add pictures, I changed colors a little bit (but even that was a long process!)

So hopefully I'll figure it out and blog again... hopefully...