2009 Review January 19, 2010

January 

Jeff at one of our favorite Asheville stops: The Sisters McMullen

 Jeff and I were still living in Asheville, struggling to make ends meet. We got online and looked for jobs and found one advertised for a couple. Even though it meant another move, we jumped in headfirst to a whole new world of parenting and being with each other 24/7. 

February 

Jeff and the famus bridge in West Virginia

 We took a short trip to Pittsburgh to visit with friends before we started our new adventure. Training for our new job at Barium Springs Home for Children started on February 9. 

March 

The Group Home covered in a blanket of snow.

 We learned more about what we had ourselves gotten into… Sometime this month I got bit, my cell phone was stolen, and we had many restraints (holding a kid down)… but there are good moments too! 

April 

All geared up to ROOT ROOT ROOT!

 Jeff and I took a two-day getaway to Boston to attend Opening Day for the Red Sox. It was the best splurge ever! I finished my thesis after a four year struggle. 

May 

At the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens with my Mom.

 We celebrated our first anniversary and had a visit from Mom and Dad. 

June 

A NC Adventure: NASCAR?!?!

 Jeff and I were pleased to discover we were expecting our first child! We started summer vacation with the kids and while it was busy, we got to do things like go fishing, go to Carowinds (a local theme park), and a NASCAR event. 

July 

On top of windy Grandfather Mountain in NC.

Jeff with his catch! Trout fishing in Boone, NC.

 Our job took us took us on a week long vacation to Boone, NC. We thoroughly enjoyed Boone, but learned what life is like on vacation with six children, some of whom struggled greatly with the change of schedule! We also spent a few days in Indianapolis while I defended my thesis and presented my paper at a workshop. 

August 

Jeff and I by the seaside in Gloucester, MA.

 Jeff and I were able to take a personal vacation to Boston, MA. It was our first time to vacation together so we learned lots about each other and how to improve our next vacation by planning ahead! We spent also spent a day in Philadelphia and New York City. 

September 

Getting ready for a little girl!

We found out our baby was a girl! We celebrated by buying frilly dresses! 

October

Halloween with the kids

 Jeff took me to the Biltmore Estate for my birthday. It was a beautiful day! We also went to Indianapolis to visit family. 

November 

Another trip to Indianapolis for a weekend of Boston Celtics and New England Patriots vs. the home teams! The ladies of my Indy church family gave me a shower. We survived our first Thanksgiving without family and I (barely) survived my first turkey cooking experience. 

December 

Christmas with kids! It was a very busy month of mixing holidays with behavior so it didn’t go as expected but was a celebration still. We were able to include Jeff’s brother, Adam, in our Christmas and it was very exciting to have family there!

It was a very busy and challenging year. When we sought counsel about changing jobs, we were warned about the stress of taking on a group home of behavior kids. They were right! It has been very stressful … physically, emotionally, spiritually, and in our marriage, but we have learned so much about each other and have grown more than we ever imagined. We look forward to 2010 and baby girl and all the new adventures that parenting will bring!

Highlights of Spring May 6, 2009

Hello, All! It’s been a busy spring as Jeff and I have slowly adjusted to our new lifestyle and job. Here are a few highlights from the past month:

#1. OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY! It came swiftly and without much pomp and circumstance but special enough because it was. We made it through the first year and we are happy to have done so with only a few bumps. In case you have forgotten how beautiful and freezing cold the day was, enjoy remembering with me!

Shannon and Jeff

#2. Easter Celebration. Inspite of a few glitches in behavior (we almost didn’t make it to church on Easter Sunday because of a kid), we managed to celebrate something of Easter.

Good Friday + Hot Cross Buns = Huge Success!

#3. Spring Gardening. I tried my hand at starting a garden with the kids. They enjoyed the planting and are enjoying the daily success of growth. I don’t know much about gardening, but I do know that I don’t like picking lots of weeds so we loaded up the rows with layers of pine straw. It’s not nearly as impressive as Amy’s, of whose garden I am jealous because she is getting arugula and lettuce to grow! That will be my try for next year. So far, I’ve only been successful in getting the green beans and zucchini to sprout. I think I’m going to have to replant a couple of rows.

The Grannis Garden

The Garden is Growing!

#4. The kitchen is done with the exception of pictures. We made significant progress getting the other parts settled, and then last night, Jeff and I decided to rearrange EVERYTHING, ie., move the living room in to the bedroom, the bedroom into the tiny room, and the study/dining room into the living room. I wish we had thought of this plan BEFORE we picked out paint per room. Why? The living room connects to the main house kitchen which makes it a busy room, the room is cramped and cluttered, and the alarm system buzzes everytime a kid opens or closes his or her bedroom door (very irritating while trying to enjoy our time off!).

Before: Ugly and Useless.

After: Pretty and Useful

Before: Boring (and Dirty!)

After: Brown and White = Classic

#5. Boston Getaway. Jeff and I surprised ourselves with a last minute trip to Boston to see the Red Sox play at Fenway on Opening Day. Opening Day got rained out and we got the left-over tickets that Jeff’s brother could no longer use. We had a BLAST!

The Two of Us

Red Envelope Day March 30, 2009

Thanks to Sarah for the information about Red Envelope Day. I am filling mine out now. (It’s pink, but red enough. And, I addressed it to “Mr. President” and signed it.)

Sunday Post Addendum March 22, 2009

I don’t know what I’d do with this tea towel, but it is super cute. Frame it? I was checking out a website that was linked from Design*Sponge (see previous knit post) and found this online shop that’s like a flea market with a click! Too cute, I say, too cute.

————————-

The best pizza dough recipe in the world: Merci a Williams-Sonoma: The Essentials of Baking

5 teaspoons yeast, 2 1/4 cup warm water +

5 cups flour (I mix 2 whole and 3 white), 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt.

Mix, knead, let rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hrs, roll, and top away! Delicious and perfect crust everytime!

(Just thought I’d share. If interested, bake at 500 for 15 minutes. Makes two large pizzas.)

————————-

In researching hot cross buns, I found an article highlighting the tradition of hot cross buns in England via Traverse City, MI. Hot cross buns are traditionally made on Good Friday and the cross represents the cross, obviously, and the bun represents the rock which was rolled away from Christ’s tomb. (The sweetness also is a break from the Lent fast.)

As the baker in the article is quoted, saying, “The central thing is the cross.” Yes, indeed.

Heather LeFebvre posted a link to her hot cross bun recipe in the comment previous. If Heather LeFebvre said to make this recipe, than this recipe it is! When it comes to all things English, Heather knows best. [smile] My only question is where do you get currants?

Creativity Abounds… ish. March 22, 2009

When we’re with the children, our activities are limited because we have to stay in the main part of the house to moniter behavior and be available to intervene when needed. And since I go crazy with being idle, I’m looking for projects.

I found this blog that is awesome and very inspiring! I tried this pattern for the French press coffee cozy, however it isn’t nearly as pretty as it looks in the picture. Jeff thought I was crazy to make a “sweater” for the coffee pot, but it makes me happy. I might try it again to see if I can improve upon it. I was little disappointed that it only took me one afternoon to finish it. So now, I’m looking for another project. I was hoping to find a similar pattern for a tea cozy, but the cute ones I like (like this one) all need circular needles and have patterns more complicated than I know how to do. I’m not into cutsy and most of the patterns have drawstrings and pompoms… not really me…

Well, maybe I need to beef up my knitting knowledge so I can make the tea cozy.

Celebrating Easter March 21, 2009

Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic for my family Easter, maybe I want to be super-group-home-family-teacher, but I’m in the mood to make Easter special… I was realizing today that Easter means a lot more to me than I always thought. Although Thanksgiving is top on my favorite holiday list, my parents did a lot to make Easter special and I want to pass something to our kiddos. My fellow staunch Reformed counterparts might not appreciate Easter celebrations (no bunnies allowed in some churches) but I however, think there’s a pleasant freshness and whimsy in celebrating Easter. Even Easter eggs can be spiritual right? Celebrating rebirth, God’s creation and God’s order of the seasons… Maybe I’m pushing it a little…

Anyways, I was researching inspiration and here are some ideas:

Giving a gift? How ’bout the adorable cut-out basket?

Easter bunny garland? Too cute!

I don’t have any doilies, but if I did, these doily baskets would look festive holding decorated eggs.

And I really want to make Hot Cross Buns. I never have and like the idea of the tradition!

Finish off with a little carrot cake? This is the recipe I made for my wedding cake… It’s been nearly a year, how fitting!

Hope, Finally March 17, 2009

Time Magazine has listed 10 Changes coming in 2009 and No. 3 is the rise of Calvinism. It is a fascinating article and I encourage you to read it. It documents the increase of interest in Reformed or Calvinist theology from Mark Driscoll to the first printing sell-out of the new ESV study Bible (Really? Are people that hungry for the Word? I thought that stat was nearly tearjerking). In context of the whole article, I am wondering what the people who think theology doesn’t matter are thinking… No. 1 outlines how the view of work has changed and how people are starting to value what they do, not what they can buy. The article suggests that people will begin to consider more carefully why they do what they do and the meaning and purpose of work. No. 9 highlights the new concept of “Survival Stores:” buy low and buy only what you need to survive. It says that it’s “hip” to save money. No. 10 talks about the need to be “green” and that green is no longer for just the hippies, it’s for all of us. We no longer have the choice to waste, the article says, no more luxury to ignore the environment.

Aren’t these concepts just the outpouring of responsible Reformed teaching? Frugality, stewardship, and purposeful work?

For the first time in a dreary world, I have hope.

Thank you, Time Magazine, for reminding me that the God in whom I trust is larger than the economy and works His sovereign plan through “bad times.” Theology does matter, and it is encouraging to see the big picture and that inspite of the Church’s many failings on the mainstream level, God is still at work to accomplish His purposes.

Obama and Abortion March 16, 2009

I was just emailed this petition. Sign HERE.

You have strong convictions, but President Obama says that doesn’t matter. He’s ready to rescind the Conscience Clause.

The Conscience Clause was implemented by former President George W. Bush to give physicians and nurses the choice to act according to their conscience — to not participate in abortion procedures if it conflicts with their personal convictions. If President Obama makes this damaging move, if he reverses the Conscience Clause, pro-life doctors and nurses will be forced into performing abortion procedures, despite their individual beliefs.

The announcement was made Friday, March 6, 2009. Since the official announcement was made, the public now has 30 days to file comments with the White House … so we’ve got 30 days to make our voices heard at the White House.

Make a difference in this nation and stand for the freedom to act according to your conscience. Sign the online “Petition to Protect Pro-Life Doctors” below now. It will be delivered and filed at the White House no later than April 8, 2009. Get the word out now. BE HEARD!

Petition to Protect Pro-Life Doctors

More on Life at the Crazy Farm March 11, 2009

Today is mine and Jeff’s day off together. We have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, but yesterday Jeff went to class and a Presbytery meeting; I stayed home to paint and unpack. My kitchen FINALLY looks like a kitchen. I’m super excited about it and I’ll post pictures soon! (I can’t post pics of everything because the wreckage is too embarassing.) Spring has arrived in Charlotte. There are leaves and greenery, Bradford Pears and redbuds in bloom! I can’t wait to be able to plant a few flowers at the house. It’s crazy how much change where was from Statesville to Charlotte. We’re just an hour north, but apparently it makes a difference. We’re currently relishing our day off together in a cute coffee shop. I’m auditing one of Jeff’s classes with him (Worship) and it’s been great to be engaged in learning something together that’s not work related. And, it keeps us renewed in our passion for ministry together. I love Jeff!

I had a really tough weekend. Don’t think that I hate my life or anything… I appreciate our job even if it is really difficult at times. We’re doing the right thing by being at Barium Springs, but the more we experience, the more I realize how much we’re learning about a whole new side of life! It’s been a weekend of being targeted with arguing and testing, having to do a restraint in the local grocery store, and getting bit. I’ve been more emotionally drained and exhausted than I’ve ever been. My mom told me today that my own kids will probably be terrified me because I can take them down in a blink! Well, not really, but it was reassuring in the moment to have my piano hands (strong fingers = a strong grip)!

Somedays I wish I still worked retail March 8, 2009

It’s been a tough week. Jeff and I returned from our two days off on Wednesday and all hell broke loose by 10:00 am Thursday. One kid got suspended and then went non-compliant for 8 hours straight, resulting in hospital stay. Friday we juggled getting kids to and from different schools, hospital visits, treatment team meetings and receiving a new addition to the “family.” Whew. 

—————————–

Our Saturday was like any other family’s, I guess. Pancake breakfast, chores, a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods to get a bike fixed, then a bike ride through the local state park. Finished off with teaching two kids how to skip rocks in Lake Norman, then grilled cheese for supper. Normal? I hope.

—————————–

My heart is happy. One of our kids is on a chip motivation system where any priviledge is bought with earned chips. This particular individual saves all earned chips to play on the piano. We decided that after seven days straight of good behavior, piano lessons can be earned. I think this motivation may work.

—————————–

I can’t believe that in the course of one week, we had five inches of snow, two snow days from school, and 78 degree weather.