Life is a test. We are not present on earth to just exist; we are here to learn. Life is a lesson. Love one another unconditionally. Love thyself unconditionally. We spend our whole lives learning to do this. Some succeed and some never have a clue. I'm trying. Love my fellow man. Don't react and don't always have to be right. This is one I'll have to work on for the rest of my life. Appreciate each day and recognize positive and negative as a part of life's experiences. Look around me and see life at it's best. The joys of living come as you strive to achieve your dreams. Its the quality of each day that is important, not the distant dream once achieved. Teach and nurture my children. You can never give them too much love. -Randa Jex 1/1/94

Saturday, January 23

bland to BAM!

So I have had my eye on beautiful gold gown for one of the Mardi Gras balls but it is a couple hundred dollars more than I hoped to spend.... because I had not intended on purchasing anything and saving for a special little something I have had my eye on! Well I got out my gowns to decide what to wear. Black....red...black... black... ivory...black...hmmmmm. (Yeah I know...I am boring!) For Mardi Gras, I really wanted something with a little flair and then the light bulb went off....duh Shannon give the dress some flair!!! So I took one of my basic black ones that has a great silhouette and got in the car. After visiting all the cute little shops on Main St and not finding anything that hit the spot, I actually decided to visit Claire's and found just what I was looking for!!! I found these pretty black flowers edged in glitter that are each attached to a pin and a clip so you can use them in your hair, on a bag, on a blouse, etc. I got 5 of them and placed them in a row flowing down the right shoulder of the dress. So here is the transformation of my dress from bland to BAM. I got so many compliments on it last night and what made it so great is that I knew it only cost me $15 to create!


Friday, January 22

JANUARY 22: FUNDAY FRIDAY!!!


I finally sat down last night and updated ShannonJex.com's Blog and I will have Shannonjex.com updated shortly. It tells a little bit about what I have been up to the past few months (and therefore why I am a bad routine blogger!)
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE...wish me luck this weekend as my Mardi Gras backdrops are unveiled at the Call Out Ball!! {enter nervous/anxious/relieved screech!}
Thanks for reading!
-Shannon

Tuesday, January 19

JANUARY 19...TIME IS FLYING AND I AM ON THE PLANE!

A few weeks ago I got Christmas all packed away and thought...ahhh 330 days until I have to decorate this house again! Not so fast!

Ring...RING...RING. "Hello this is Shannon"....voice on the other end of the phone speaks..."oh, sure I will host a Mardi Gras party at our home in February for 130 people".

What have I done?? Now I have to decorate all over again...for a holiday that I have no decorations for?? Double wammy! (Hobby Lobby HERE I COME!)

Speaking of decorating and un-decorating...here is some advice from the experts:
This year since I had so much decor scattered throughout the house, I took advice from Martha Stewart..i think! (I can't remember where I read the article but since that is one of 3 magazines I get, I think that is right) As I took things down, I put everything in the dining room. Then after about 2 days of discovering random Santas, garland, lights, nativities, etc...I consolidated. Lights go in this box, Snow globes in this box, and so on. It made my packing so much easier and I feel like the next late November weekend when I dig out my decor it will all be neatly organized by similar items.
OKAY, APOLOGIES FOR THAT MAJOR DORK MOMENT!!!


Me & some friends at the King and Queen's Ball


So what has the dynamic Jex duo been up to since we last chatted, you ask?! Well...Zach has been working hard at the firm as always and he recently adopted a new healthy living/eating routine. And if you know me- I am all ears when it comes to fun workout programs or ways to shed pesky pounds! So we are doing it together... because after all it is so much easier to say no to fries and soft drinks when someone else is there to motivate you and to be accountable to. Combine that with my little workout bet with Lisha, Laura, Cory, Alicia, and Sarah and I might actually consider partaking in bikini season this year.

For the last 3 weeks I have been up to my eyeballs in paint, glitter and everything Mardi gras. As Art Chairman of the Krewe of Phoenix (because I didn't have quite enough going on already) I assumed the responsibility of morphing the Natchez Auditorium into Las Vegas. I will post pictures next week! I just finished the massive amount of artwork so just cross your fingers that between now and Saturday a flood/fire/or heavy wind does not destroy 6 casinos I constructed from the world's largest sheets of foam board!

So really, our 2010 has started off relatively uneventful....hahah NOT! But we do find at least an hour each night to hang out with each other and daydream about April...because nothing is on the April calendar...YET!