Wednesday, February 26, 2014

What To Do??

Winter is back today......Brrr, it's cold outside!  The trees outside our bedroom window have tiny leaves bursting forth......The loropetalums in our flowerbeds have blooms already....and..the grass is showing signs of life.   I'm pretty sure that Texas plants and trees stay confused most of the time.  It can be Winter here one day and Summer the next.



This is "First Monday" weekend and I have been planning a Thursday trip to Canton for weeks now.  I truly enjoy seeing all of the Easter goods that many of the vendors have this time of the year.  

There is also a huge "Divide and Conquer" sale going on in Tyler.  This sale is located in a very nice neighborhood and I'm pretty sure that there could be some great finds there.

What to do????

***
The kids could possibly be moving into their new home this weekend!!!!!
We shall see!!

***

A good laugh is Sunshine in a house!!

Shug.~

Monday, February 24, 2014

Monday Morning.....Really??

REALLY???  Have you ever wondered why MONDAY mornings can be such a headache?  Our brains have been at rest all weekend long....and when it comes to Monday mornings....the motivation STOPS.



That "High" that we have on Saturday morning, just seems to fade away as we go to bed on Sunday night.

Now here is where the "REALLY" part comes in....

Woke up this morning feeling fine!! However, I knew that this was going to be a rush kind of morning. I needed to be at my Doctor's office by 7:00 for lab work...{did I make it??  NO!}

Next..... A Baseball cap comes up missing in action!  Ballgame tonight and we can't find the stinking hat.  Worse yet...we still haven't found the hat!!

Next, Next....A Library book has been misplaced!!  Who do you think is suppose to know where it's at?? That's right, SHUG!!  Today is Library day for Tori and she is going bananas over this lost book. Have we found it??  NO!

Next, Next, Next......Sam needs me to run an errand for him, which means I won't be able to make it to the Doctor's office until after 8:00.  What happens when you go in for lab on Monday mornings after 8??  The waiting room is flooded with about 20 other people needing to do lab work. LONG WAIT..

Was feeling a little stressed and then I started singing...."Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace"   Oh what a difference it can make when we wrap our attitude in a warm blanket of God's Amazing Love... 


    My Friends...


Shug.....

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Planks, Cakes, and Tulips....

It's been another splendid day around here....Warm temps and plenty of sunshine!! 



Tulip trees are in full bloom around here and they are absolutely gorgeous....

I would love to see the tulip trees and the dogwood trees bloom at the same time, but the tulip trees are usually ending their bloom cycle just as the dogwoods begin to start to open.

                                                   *****

I have a chocolate chip pecan cake, baking in the oven right now.   It smells wonderful!!  This is my dessert to take to Home Groups tonight, at Church!  I've never made it before and for this reason......I'm a little nervous as to how it will taste!  But hey......how can it not taste good with all of these great ingredients in it??

I just checked on it and it looks pretty dat-gum good!!

I dare NOT  eat a slice of it......Shanda has me doing Planks and all other kinds of exercises.   Those things hurt and eating a slice of cake is just not worth having to do extra planks for it....

                                       *******

It's nice to be able to say  "Hi"  to all of you today.......Here's to hoping that your weekend ends with you happy at heart....and that your week begins with a huge smile on your face...

shug

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Living The Rural Life....




While living in a rural area has many benefits.....it also totes a few disadvantages as well...

like.....a whole lot of pollen...which causes ALLERGIES!



This is what Allergies can do to you!  It appears that our #3 grandson....Carson, has suddenly become allergic to Something!

These whelps popped out on him yesterday while he was at school... He was covered with them.  

Bless his heart....this is miserable!  He had whelps all over his torso and even up on his face.

Benadryl did nothing....so he ended up having to go to the Dr. to get a shot.  

East Texas is a Beautiful place to live....BUT, all of the green grasses and the gorgeous flowers, render up some pretty mean pollen, which can play a lot of havoc on our bodies....

I'm hoping Carson is better this morning....

We have so much going on this weekend....Gonna be a little busy around here...

Enjoy your weekend....

shug..
  

Friday, February 21, 2014

Family News..

Oh My.....it was truly a gorgeous day yesterday!!  The wind DID blow, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be...

Photo taken with my iPhone...from a distance..

Grandson #1 did pitch for the Bears and he did a Great job!!


Bears.....won the game!!

In other News....our family now includes a Celebrity...

Son-in-law.....Tom....



Received the "Citizen Of the Year" award at the 
Chandler Chamber of Commerce Banquet, last evening...

Over the past two years, Tom has raised (through "Free Throws for Souls")

over $30,000.00 for God's Open Hands and for Mission's.

We are so proud of you...Tom!!

The next "Free Throws for Souls" is coming up on March 7th.  Tom will shoot free throws for 24 hours straight.  Pledges are made on the number of free throws that he makes...(more on this later)

Other News.....

Mylee Jo


received the 
"Best Bear" award at her school today...

Way to go....Mylee Jo!!

Great kids....I love em' all..

Blessings,
shug

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Thinking Out Loud Today.....


It's suppose to be a little Windy around here today........

Grandson #1 is "Pitching" for the BEARS in a HS baseball tournament this afternoon..
Hoping the wind will be in his favor.....



                                                               *******

"You have not lived a Perfect day, even though you have earned your money......unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
Ruth Smeltzer


Kindness, opens hearts and it changes lives.   Not only the life of the person who is sharing kindness, but it also changes the life of those who are the recipients of a kind action.  

Kindness begins with our thoughts.....but, if we allow it to remain as only a thought, we cheat ourselves from receiving a blessing.

I say this today.......because......God has placed a need upon my heart and for months now.....I have simply ignored doing anything about it.   I always an excuse...."I'm too busy...I'll do something next week."  

What I have realized, is that next week may be too late.   I need to commit to doing the things that God has placed upon my heart...TODAY!!

Just thinking out loud today!!

Blessings...
shug ~

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Rethink your Drink.....



This blows my mind.....

One of my facebook friends posted this today. 

Oh my goodness.....makes it a lot easier to see just how MUCH sugar we are consuming.  
I can clearly see that I need to cut Sugar from our diet...

Thought you might like to see this...

shug

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

U.... Is Healthy.......

It's another gorgeous day here in Chandler Texas.....!!!!

                                                                *******


So ......... it has been a LONG while since I have actually been shopping for myself!  I'm thinking that my new "Savings" attitude is  beginning to work on me!   I've really been working hard at cutting back on things.

{This post may jump from one topic to another several times today....but just hang with me....I have something good to talk about.}


It's really not a secret that I am {actually} a little Chubby!  But hey, Happiness = Chubby or so they say.  When my colored friends see me, they usually respond like this:  "Girl, You is healthy."   ????


This morning......I saved a couple of hours in my schedule, so that I could maybe do a little clothes shopping.....For MYSELF.  I can't figure out if I've actually forgotten how to shop, or if there is another problem going on here.   

I just know that when your undies feel a little tight and everything else that you wear is making it look like you have an extra ROLL or two, You've got a problem.        I....... have a PROBLEM...right now!


I sure wish that my wonderful blogging friend (Betsy) @ betsyfromtennessee.blogspot.com .......lived closer to me.   She.....inspires me!   She has changed her life completely, just by hiking and making lifestyle changes.  I am so proud of Betsy!  I would hike right along beside she and her sweet husband (George) even if they wanted me to or not!!


Skinny is the name of the game these days....OR at least, this is what the media wants us to believe..  Skinny and to be semi-flat chested are two
things that I could sure handle.  I know this is probably TMI......but I do not like Bras!!!!  Just can't handle the feeling of being BOUND.



Listen.....I was NOT a bra burner from the sixties...
back then, I was way too young to worry about those kind of things.


Great gads.....Skinny was not what I saw in the mirror today while trying on clothes.  For some reason, that outfit that the mannequin was wearing.....did not look the same on me.  Manni didn't have hair, and she was wearing NO shoes.....Maybe this was the difference!!  What y
a think?

I'm being serious now.........I want to encourage you all, to set some time aside each day to exercise!!!!  Exercise and eat right!  This is something that I am going to have to do for myself as well.   Extr
a weight makes me feel miserable....and it's very unhealthy!  

Fat triggers diabetes, it can wreck your hips and knees, and it is very hard on the heart.   As much as I like cake and all kinds of desserts, I like myself more..... and it's time for me to start putting my health at the top of my list.


Needless to say.......No clothes were purchased today and probably none will be until a few pounds are shed...

Have fun doing what you do......but keep in mind that Health matters!!


hugs, 

shug...

Monday, February 17, 2014

A Beautiful Day

Geez Louise.......it's a Gorgeous day outside.

It's definitely the kind of day to catch  "Spring Fever!

I need to be inside cleaning, but it is way to beautiful to not be OUTSIDE!  Only problem is....everything is still dormant and it's way too early to work in my flower beds.

Oh.....I'd love to have a hammock right now!  I could sure catch myself some rays of sun, which just MIGHT give these legs of mine a hint of color.  (so needed)



I most definitely would be taking a nice siesta!  

Think I'll take my camera outside with me, just to see if I can capture something great...

see y'all tomorrow...
shug



Saturday, February 15, 2014

Love Birds on Canvas


Good.....Happy.....Saturday Morning!

As promised....here is the big reveal of my Valentine's Day Gift!!

It wasn't quite like your normal (box of chocolates and flowers) kind of gift.....

But first, let me show you how our evening began.......

The moon was really showing off...Absolutely Gorgeous!!!



And then.....it was off to a night of total entertainment, to say the least.


We Painted!!   Something that Sam has never done before!!


What do you think?    To bad this one isn't ours!
This is the painting that we were suppose to follow.




Hey.....looks like we are doing "GREAT" here.

Sam wanted to add his "own" touch to his side of the canvas.....can you guess what it was??


Having tons of fun!!



My side of the canvas before the birds were completed...



Sam's side of the canvas......looking good isn't it??


And the big REVEAL!!

Loved spending time with my sweetheart and the best thing is:

Sam planned this evening.....all by himself!!

Hugs,

Shug........


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Tumbleweed Love......


Do you see what I see?   Tumbleweeds galore...

Tumbleweeds, Cactus, and mesquite bushes....I saw PLENTY of them this past weekend..

Sam needed to make a business trip this past weekend to South Texas and he asked if I would like to go.   Of course!!!!!....was my answer.  

I really never knew that South Texas had so many miles of NOTHING!  One thing that I realized was that Texas is a much bigger state than what I have believed it to be...all these years.

I hear people say that they love the Hill Country...they love South Texas....They love the cactus and the rock!!! 

 (I) can not say that I even half way LIKE this kind of landscape and I would definitely not want to live there.   

Back to the tumbleweeds....It amazes me how these plants are rooted into the ground.  Rooted, well enough to absorb all that it needs to grow to be a huge, strong plant.  

And then....the wind blows and they are suddenly turned loose to blow wherever it is that the strong winds take them.   While they may be fun to see, most are unwanted and considered to be a big nuisance for most people.  


If we look deep enough.....We can always find some kind of goodness in everything.   Even the most wanted things are beautiful when given enough attention and love. 

I suppose I should have stopped and gathered a few tumbleweeds....I don't think anyone would have noticed if some were missing...

What do you think??

Shug 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Wintered Tree.....


In the midst of the deep Winter, I find, myself to be captivated by the character of big trees....

It is clear to see the manner of hardships that a tree endures throughout it's limited life span.  A naked tree clearly validates the insult of how our "Seasons" shape a tree's character.

I am able to recognize that like a tree....WE too have many twist and turns in our life. We even have "seasons in life" to endure. Sure, we have seasons as in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.....but what I am referring to....are the seasons in our life that bring us to the top of the mountain or sometimes in the depth of a valley. 

 In the Winter months, secrets of a tree are distinctly revealed....Leaves have fallen and there is nothing that can hide the spindly, broken and sometimes dead branches of a tree. Nor, can each rough knot be disregarded.   

Yet, a tree continues to grow and it is during the season of Hope that....God covers each branch with a bounty of lush green leaves.  Once again....It's beauty is restored.   

Just like the tree....We are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. During our difficult times....if we learn to wait on the Lord, HE will once again cover us with Joy and Peace...

Each wintered tree has a different story to tell....Just the same as you and I.....

Wishing you all a beautiful week ahead...

blessings,

Shug ~

Friday, February 7, 2014

We are a Family.....

Hey Y'all......I have something wonderful to report.......It's has been 
snowing here this afternoon!  How exciting is that?  

This is exciting for us here in Chandler, Texas!!  



The only issue??   The beautiful flakes are melting as fast as they hit the ground. 

The ground is warm......the streets are warm and our temp is hovering around the 32 degree mark...

The kids are excited.....I'm excited.

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


This is a must for me.....I definitely (Need) want this sign.

A supportive, loving family is of the essence when it comes to having an advantage in this life.   Did you notice that I did not say MONEY is the core of having an advantage in life??
 I do admire people who are able to succeed  even though they have not had an abundance of encouragement from home.

 There are many lessons to be learned in this journey we call life......    It is of the utmost importance to learn  Right from Wrong.  The Right way to treat people....the Right way to be honest.....the Right way to have a forgiving heart.   The wrong way is when we intentionally hurt others, when we lie, when we cheat.....when we lose respect for ourselves.

 LOVE AND RESPECT......THESE TWO GO HAND IN HAND!   When we learn to LOVE....we learn to appreciate...we learn to have honor and we learn to be humble.

FAMILY.......helps us to grow into happiness!!  Loving parents teach their children about serving  God, they set examples for living the way God has ordered us to live.  Truth, security, loyalty, believing in one another.....trusting,  these are the attributes that make a family strong......what makes a house a HOME!!
I will admit.....our family is sometimes Loud......and are very PROUD!   We have tons of
Fun....together...    We laugh together, we cry together and we
always put God at the Center of our lives.

YES........I........NEED this sign!!

Big hugs to all of you.......
Shug ~~

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Voice of the Day

We are Blessed by the Grace of God......

It was a late night for this girl....My precious dad was living in a different date and time from the rest of us. I had to spend some time helping him understand that his brother (who passed away some 20 years ago) was no longer here. Lol...  I do have to laugh ..... if not I would cry because of the devastating deterioration of his mind caused by this horrible disease!  

I suppose we all have voices that speak to us on occasion.  Like me for example.....I have several voices speaking to me this morning!  

(Don't click the OFF page......YET)  let me explain!

First of all, I have the voice of laziness whispering comforting words in my ears.   Like:  "It's ok to do nothing today...It's cold outside....grab some food, curl up on the sofa, watch TV, take a nap...BE LAZY"
                       "You Deserve It!!"

The voice of kindness is knocking on my heart.....
"Get up...bake some cookies....share them with friends."    "Do Something Kind for someone today!"




I hear the sound of the IRS saying:  "Don't be late on your tax return."  "Get it DONE."

It seems that I can clearly here noises radiating from my utility room....."Laundry....Stinky, Smelly Laundry......do the laundry!!"

Yet....I'm thinking of that creative spirit that lives within me.  Begging me to allow my imaginative expressions to flow.......    I'll give this one a A+




My mind is racing....it's soaring....gears are spinning!!



Which voice will influence me the most today?

Hmmm....  we shall see!!!

God is Good and Life is Beautiful!!

shug ~

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Be Happy....Be Crazy.....Make Life Fun!



Can you believe that it is already February?    A short month with lots of happenings.  To begin with.....I knew that if we were going to plan a summer vacation to the beach, then we needed to have our condo booked by the middle of February!

What's the rush you say......for beginners, the early bird gets the worm and I wanted to make sure that we secured the perfect location for this family vacation.   

I very much enjoy the things that happen in my life and to be able to spend time with our family at the beach this summer, is like having a big cherry on top of my ice-cream.

We have so many memories and an abundance of photos from our Beach vacations.......of the past.   Tyler will soon be 18 and of course, Mylee just turned 6.   It would be sad, if  in the years to come, Mylee looks at the family photo albums, only to find that her pictures are almost non-existent at the beach.

I want her to have the same great memories as the rest of the grands!   Isn't this pretty much what most of us do....Our camera almost catches on fire when our first grandchild is born.   We snap picture after picture and most of the time we have multiple photos of the very same photo.   

The second grandchild comes along and we end up taking a lot fewer shots of that child.  With the third child, the camera may make it off of the shelf once a month...and bless their hearts, with the other grandkids.....we always have some kind of excuse.

                   1.    Oh my....I forgot my camera.
                2.    I didn't have a one single disk to use in my
                       camera.
                3.    Would you believe that I forgot to charge the   
                         batteries.

Excuses, excuses.....when actually..... we are just too lazy to pick up the camera.



Wow....it's been a while since we vacationed at the beach.



June...27/28    are travel dates for this family...


source


and.. look where we will be on July 4th.........ON THE BEACH!

February is also "Sweetheart" month and my sweetheart has something really cool planned for the two of us!  Can't wait to reveal...

Let me just say that Sam is allowing himself to venture out of his comfort box with these plans that he has made....I am  certainly in awe, BECAUSE... the love of my life is willing to do something like this....."Because He Loves Me."


Have you ever just started laughing only to realize that you were laughing at yourself?

I am always greeted with great opportunities to make myself laugh.  Just this morning for example......The kids all had busy schedules and time was running short.   Sam and I decided to lend  our helping hands!!   Perhaps I should set this scene up, so you too can laugh with me,

(It rained yesterday and do you know what happens when it rains on land that has no grass as of YET!  It becomes a muddy mess!   So, it's wet outside and it's very cold and very muddy)

Sam and I headed out to the... New House  (that is almost finished) so that we could feed the 3 little piggies....  For now....when it's really wet outside, you have to park on the country road that is located on the East side of the kids property.   Then, you have to make your way up a 6 foot embankment, in order to get to the piggy hotel.

I (Shug Pollard) have on a pair of men's boots that are 6 sizes too big for me and I am determined to make it up that slippery hill.
I  .........  am extremely thankful that there were NO cameras near by.   I'm pretty sure that I looked like a big elephant trying to go 
up this same hill.....TRUNK FIRST!   But oh....you should have seen the trip DOWN the hill!   I'm definitely not a light girl, but I will say, Sam did his best to pick me up and help me down the hill.......Cute, to say the least!!  I am still laughing!!

There is so much more going on during this short month of February.....
What does your Heart month look like??

What a fun morning it has been.....Hope you all stay warm, and have a day that is filled with tons of Happiness!!

Shug ~~

Sunday Thinking

  Happy St. Patricks Day!   🍀 Tomorrow, I will be filling my hummingbird feeders.  The little beauties should be arriving any day now.  I a...