On the 19th day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....100+ tacky people...and a partridge in a pear tree. No no no I am not bashing fellow holiday shoppers or crazy mall drivers..I am referring to our awesomely TACKY 1st Annual Jex Tacky Christmas Party! My day consisted of grocery store trips, cooking, and watching Zach, Scott, and Elliot rig the satellite so we could receive the Saints game. After hours of therapeutic cooking and listening to a combination of Frank Sinatra's holiday tunes and all 3 boys hanging out different windows in the house shouting "right there, right there" or "0%....0%...oh yeah 100% don't move" I was totally in the Christmas spirit and ready for a big evening with friends. The night started relatively tame as I put the finishing touches on the massive hor's dourves feast in the dining room...followed by the lighting of 3 gajillion candles and cranking up the Christmas music. Zach and I then assembled our "Jersey Shore" inspired attire and headed downstairs. Within no time, the house was filling up two by two! Tacky sweaters, 80's dresses, amazing floral Christmas hats, white suits, Candy cane purses, ornament earrings, and snowflake princesses filled our home. Oh and how could I forget...a Guido and Guidette (me and Zach!) The party was better than I ever wished and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Not only did we accomplish having a great time, we asked each guest to bring a toy and we now have a foyer full of toys to deliver to the Natchez Children's Home. During the holidays as we are spending money and throwing parties...incorporate a charity or a person in need and you would be amazed at what an impact you can make!
Enjoy the pictures! We are looking forward to next year. BIGGER, BETTER, TACKIER...and more toys!
Merry Christmas!!

I love everything about Christmas..in fact living in a small town has made it even more enjoyable. I will give you one guess as to why...NO CRAZY SHOPPING TRAFFIC! I did almost all of my Christmas shopping locally, online, or it came straight out of my art studio! I do have some last minute stocking stuffers to pick up in Jackson this week but nothing we couldn't live without...now it is just a waiting game! This week is busy with Christmas parties back-to back-to back. I am not sure I am going to have any party left in me by the time we host ours Saturday evening. The attire is tacky and all that we ask is that you bring a toy and we will deliver them Christmas week to the Children's home! So come one.. come all...Saturday we will have a ball!

But the waiting game isn't for Christmas parties or presents...it is the excitement and pure joy of having both sides of our family here for Christmas for the first time! Christmas week starts with the treat of meeting Cory's new lady friend, Alisha! She is coming all the way from Tennessee to meet us...all of us! I am looking forward to a relaxing night with my side of the family...which always involves food and laughter and most likely a game! May I go off on a small tangent about how much I love games! We played Holiday Pictionary at youth group last night and we had so much fun...I was laughing so hard at one point watching teenage guys trying to read teenage girls minds! Good Stuff!! Then the Jex side of the family will join us Christmas day for a huge feast at our place! You know that "nervous-excited-hopeful-giddy-scared you will poison someone" feeling you get when you cook a big meal for a big group...yeah I totally am experiencing that and I love it!

So wherever you may be spending your Christmas, we wish you a full home, a full belly, and a heart overflowing with God's love. No matter how stressful entertaining/shopping/social calendars/work/kids/family/etc may be just remember all of these things are blessings and take a minute to SLOW DOWN and REMEMBER...The Reason for the Season! And since all of you out there cannot be with us on Christmas, although we wish you could, here are some pics of the house all dolled up "Shay Style".

Happy Holidays Y'all!

We are done!

Enjoy this flicker album!

Well this weekend was one for the books! It was an amazing game that ended in the last second- Ole Miss 25 LSU 23!!! Zach and I were wearing out the phrase "this play determines the game" because in the last 5 minutes there were about 15 game changing plays! But I am sure you all witnessed the game in person or on TV so I won't go into details about how awesome the Rebels played....or how ridiculous Dexter McCluster's talents are....or how fun it is to have a years worth of bragging rights to all of our LSU friends.

So enough about football... let's talk kitchen. We are 2 days away from completion...WHOA! But our renovation would not be complete without renovations nightmares...literally. If you read the blog often, you know I have crazy dreams when I have something big coming up. Last night I dreamed that we had our cabinet doors installed (which is actually taking place as we speak) and the workers told me that they had some scratches and so they sanded off all the white paint and now they are ready for the final coat. All of my newly painted beautiful white cabinets (courtesy of Clinton Schove painting services) were now back to brown wood. Then they were attaching the drawer pulls all wrong. Some sideways, some diagonally...there was nothing I could do in my dream but stand there in disbelief as I saw thousands of dollars of cabinets ruined. The funniest part of the dream was when I saw my wedding photographer and his wife assisting in the cabinet fiasco. I walked up to them as they were drilling holes in my McCarty pottery serving dishes and attaching cabinet pulls to the sides of the dishes. I asked "what the heck are you doing"...they said, "we had extra hardware so we thought your bowls needed handles".

That might be the strangest dream yet. Hope all of you are having a blessed week whether you are working, traveling, or lucky enough to be home with family!

Much love,
Shannon

I could not be more eager to get home tonight and start decorating for Christmas. Don't ask me why this feeling just hit- I am sure it was due to the massive amount of Christmas decor I stumbled upon when rummaging through the closets. I love that Randa loved Christmas as much as I do because I found so much great stuff....and well preserved too. She saved all of the kids holiday drawings from elementary school and her ornaments are neatly packed away in segmented boxes and boy are they beautiful. Many of them are hand painted glass and they are just incredibly beautiful. There are 3 things I am most excited about this year---decorating the banister (because I have not lived in a 2 story since my parents home), decorating the outside balconies (because I love when people go all out on the outside of their homes) and last but not least I am thrilled to be having all the family here and I have a secret gift for the Christmas feast! Some of my guests read this blog so I cannot divulge my secret gift just yet but it is something I am so excited about and if you have not guessed...it is hand made! We are having 19 people at the house for Christmas- the Rosses, the Jexes, and the Gewins! So tonight, don't bother calling...I will be neck deep in tinsel, garland, string lights, and Christmas cheer! Oh and I have to start creating the 2009 Jex Christmas Card- above is ours from last year.
Happy Holidays!

Emily Mayor Kaczmarczyk- Try Big Lots

Wesley Rogers- Just past Mammy's cupboard on the left. It's probably not open yet. Patience, my dear.

Carrie Pugh- There is also one in Ferriday...I buy my tree from Well's Produce on the end of Homochitto across from the Exxon, and next to the Donut Shop...and I think they deliver and dispose, too...

Jana Blackburn Weathersby- we got ours at Costco, I would try Sams too!

Ben Cochran- Mr. whiskers out 61s has awesome trees, and they deliver and set-up, they'll even come back and take it out of your house.

Kara Graham Webb- They have some at Sams but I just saw some at Home Depot I like even better! Plus you can get 10% off coupons on ebay for Homedepot. The one from Sam's was 189 and the ones from Home Depot were all price ranges, some more some less depending on how "lifelike" you want the needles to feel.

Lindsay Escue Prine- Try Hobby Lobby and Sears!

Reagan Stafford-I got my 7.5 ft pre-lit tree from Target last year for $100 and it is beautiful! You may want to check there!

Tiara Guard-Hate to admit it, but even Home Depot carries great pre-lit fake trees. And they are not super costly either. Unless you are a real woman's-man that cannot escape a hardware store without buying extra crap...lol.

Catherine Tillman Whalen- Martha at KMart.

Elizabeth Chesser- If you can wait, Home Depot's trees go on sale shortly after Christmas...sometimes as much as half off! We love ours!!

Becky Jex- We got our pre-lit tree at Wal-Mart for like 130-140 but it's def not a 9 footer.

Stephen M Jex- Ellen Hefley's husband Earl used to have a xmas tree farm so of town when I lived there. You might ask her.

Jeff Chao- Hobby lobby

Sue Geter-Walmart had some pretty ones! Also, you need to go to Jackson to the fairgrounds and get you a pretty tree!

Bebe Taylor Willcutt- Walgreen's

Corinne Haxton Pavlovic- 9 ft at home depot: $199 for pine. $269 for fir

Ruth Moseley Parrish- Sam's Club!!

It is getting to be the holiday season as I am sure you have noticed. Holiday decorations on the street lights, Christmas music playing in the grocery store, and a festive colored email from loved ones letting you know what is on their wish-list this year! (hint, hint..Mom, Dad, Z...might wanna check your email!) Well this year as we start making wish lists I have the most incredible gift to add to your list. There is a very special cause that could use your help. The Wee Dream fundraising golf tournament was put together by some wonderful people to raise money for the Lupher families. Both Witt Lupher and cousin Elle Lupher have become pretty accustomed to hospitals, doctors, and a lot of attention not only from medical staff but also from adoring friends and family. Lisha, Lee, and Baby Elle Lupher are our best friends and little Elle has undergone a long stay in the hospital followed by a major heart procedure and is doing awesome. She is one active 7 month old and Lisha said she is such a joyful baby! Rolling around, talking, smiling, and laughing all the time....much like her beautiful parents. The golf tournament is just over a week away and we are trying hard to reach the $30,000 goal! This would help both Lupher families so much. Read more about the golf tournament! Donations can be made and if you are in the Houston area stop by the Longwood Golf Club in Cypress, TX on November 16 for an awesome evening of food, music, and an awesome auction! (including a Shannon Jex piece of art!)

So this year, let's all think of others that need our help and make Elle's first Christmas unforgettable!