Baby shower!

So our household survived the baby shower this weekend! I admit it was a little touch and go there for a while...I thought Jason and I might not make it...but we're still here!

It turned out beautifully. I am extremely proud and relieved that it went so smoothly! Lisa Silvus and Lisa Webb showed up about 9:00 on Saturday morning. I had finally finished cleaning and at least gotten started on the decorating and organizing the night before. Still with four/five people working, including my darling mother and Deidra, we didn't get everything finished until moments before people starting arriving at 11:30! Everyone had a wonderful time it seemed and I had a blast hosting it...I look forward to hosting something else in the future! :)

My cute little "B" outside by the front door...and the Southern Living candle/floral piece really came in handy...one of the best purchases I have ever made! :)


Ashley, the mommy-to-be, opened all kinds of cute presents!! Yay for Shannondale red!


Ellie will totally be a Vol baby! I can't wait to meet her! :)

busy, busy, busy

So I am pretty sure that I was always told that December is the busiest month of the year, but apparently, like Christmas, things are being bumped up this year. I feel like November is flying by and I can barely catch my breath!

At school as well as at home, things have been completely hectic. At school we finally wrapped up our last fundraiser, and as much as I love Shannondale and appreciate all that our PTO does for us - let me just say that this year we have experienced one fundraiser too many! The parents, teachers and students were all just over it by the time this last one rolled around and my class was really struggling in the sales department! Oh well...we did what we could! But now we are dealing...again...with all of the prizes, assemblies, etc, that go along with wrapping up a fundraiser. I just feel like we are constantly running out of the room to go or do something besides what I NEED to be teaching!!

At home I have been sent into a complete frenzy with Ashley's shower rapidly approaching. It is this Saturday and I feel like though I have been thinking and planning for it for at least two months that I am no closer to being ready than when I started! I really need to go right now, before bed, and finish making out my Thursday, Friday and Saturday lists. Luckily I have WONDERFUL people helping me with everything that needs to be done and I don't even know what I would do without them. At this very moment my fabulous best friend is working on a custom table runner made of too cute pink paisley fabric. I know Lisa S. and Lisa W. are frantically trying to figure out how they will juggle all of the snacks we decided to fix! I am desperately trying to figure out how I will have time to get together my very few food items while at the same time cleaning up continuously after my one year old. Something has got to give!! :)

Think happy, productive thoughts for me in the next few days! Love to all!!!

Halloween Festivities!

Here are some pics from various events in the past few weeks. I uploaded them the other night and then walked away, abandoning them and leaving Jason to simply post them. So now I am finally getting around to updating them with captions....here you go!!

Here are a few from Boo at the Zoo! Aren't you just lovin' our super cute penguin??

He was so pleased with himself and was giggling like crazy. He went through the hay maze at least 4 times. He would run out from the end of the maze straight into the crowd of dancing children at the "monster mash." Then he would proceed to bounce up and down....I tell you..he is a dancing fool!! :)




We rode the carousel....a lot! We got him a green wrist band so he could ride all evening, and boy did we get our money's worth!!


Riding on daddy's shoulders. It's tiring being so dang cute!! ;)

We also went to a McClary family picnic that same weekend and had a lot of fun spending time with family. It seems rare that everyone is in the same place at once!


Cutie Kaylynn...all bundled up..it was chilly!!


Jack....in his too cute Maryville College jacket! He thinks something is very, very funny.


These are my super tasty Halloween cupcakes that I made for the family picnic. I was trying out a cupcake recipe for Ashley's upcoming baby shower. I have been desperately trying to find a good looking EASY recipe, and of course Paula Deen came through - these cupcakes were so chocolaty, moist and tasty! Mmmmm!