Monday, November 23, 2015

Thanksgiving week......


Picked up the Greenberg Turkey today and the smoke flavored aroma that filled my car, made me hungry all the way home....





The grocery list is now complete!!

and now to COOK!

Lots to do....this week!

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends......

Hugs...

Shug!









Thursday, November 19, 2015

All About the Broth.....

Never.....does it turn out like my moms!

Southern Cornbread Dressing........

Here it is, Thursday before Thanksgiving (Thursday) and I'm stressing over the Dressing.   I've made dressing many times, but it never comes out, tasting or looking like my mom's dressing did.

Why is it that all the (many) questions that we need to ask our mom's.....seem to be asked too late?  It has been 10 years since my mom's passing, and I have so many questions that will never get answered.    Why did I not pay more attention to the small details in life?     Like.....How to make dressing the way you did mom!!

Mother was one of those cooks that did not have to measure.....she just knew!!  I have a list of all the ingredients that she used in her dressing.....just not the measurements.   Onion and celery (check)
Butter (check) Cornbread (check) dry bread (check) eggs (check) Sage and Poultry Seasonings (check)  Broth (????)

I don't know how much broth she used, nor the consistency of the dressing with the broth added.....just before going into the oven.


Seems like a simple thing doesn't it?  Well...it's not...NOT FOR ME!

I tried looking this up on Pinterest and other cooking websites, but I haven't found a recipe that seems to measure up!!

The broth added ranges from 2 cups to 5 cups.....BIG DIFFERENCE HERE..

If only I had paid closer attention!!

So.....for all my blog friends who make Southern Cornbread Dressing.....  I'd love to hear how you make your dressing....

After all.....It's all about the BROTH, bout the BROTH, bout the BROTH.

If you still have your mom......Ask questions...write them down...don't wait until it's too late!!
Hugs dear friends...

Shug ~






Monday, November 9, 2015

What a great day it has been.......I was dressed and headed out the door by 8:45 this morning.   Much to do!!   First stop...Academy!

You know.....the store that everyone loves!!!  I love it too, but evidently I don't love it for their clothing line.   Why?  Because it's all way too small.   Academy's line of clothing is so cute.......cute and small.  

I don't wear tennis shoes...(can't stand the thought of my feet being TIED into a shoe)..... This is the reason that  I don't go to their shoe department.  I don't shoot guns or fish....I don't play sports......and I don't wear camouflage.

So.....why did I go there?  To buy some comfortable warm up pants for my dad.

Next stop.....Target.    Needed to purchase a new TV for my dad's room at the Nursing Home.   What happened to his other one?  He knocked it over and it BROKE!   

I purchase the new TV only to discover that it was a returned TV.  Back in the store I go for an exchange.    Whew...I'm able to do this with no problem at all.    I  then drive over to the NH to take the TV  to the guys that work maintenance there. 

At this point, I discover that the family has to purchase the wall mounts for the TV's.    I was told that Walmart would be the best place to go to buy the mount.   So....off to Walmart I go.

I make the purchase......return (back across town) to the NH.....only to discover that the mount that I purchased would not fit the TV I had just bought.   Back to TARGET I go....

I purchased the new (more costly) wall mount......and in the morning, I will take it to the NH.   I'm crossing my fingers that it will work.    

I had several other things on my TO DO LIST.....but that will have to wait until tomorrow.   

Needless to say.....tonights dinner was Chinese take out!!

I'm truly thankful for the busyness of each day......

hugs y'all
Shug

Friday, November 6, 2015

Creative Treasures......

              O God, You are my God; early will I seek You.
                                                                ~ Psalm 63:1


Be it old....Be it new.....I "Love" a good ol' Chalk Board....
This includes the old chalk boards that we all enjoyed drawing on....in elementary school.  Do any of you remember those days? 

I'm not sure that there are many chalk boards used in schools today, but no problem.....my kiddos still have the opportunity to experience chalk drawing....right here at Shug's house.  I have a couple of boards that we use all the time.

My grandchildren enjoy expressing their artistic abilities on them..
For me....their drawings become little treasures!!

  They take turns on the chalk board below......expressing their own view of the month ahead.   As you can see.... the month of October belonged to Mylee Jo....




                                                     


Her pumpkins are so cute.....   Her take on Halloween I suppose!


I think that the drawing at the top is of Mylee carving her pumpkin!!  




 Many times, the kids will use my chalk pens......but in this case, Mylee used real chalk.  {thank goodness}

The only issue that I have had in the past with the chalk pens is that I could never get the board clean.   The pens seemed to leave a permanent imprint on the board.   

Until NOW!!






Mr. Clean Magic Eraser's work great on cleaning up a chalk board!!


Back a few months ago, I used several different colorful pens on my Red chalk board.....I covered it with sunflowers and a garden scene, with a scripture written on the board.   

For a week now, I have been trying to get the dull images off of the board.....so I could draw something new for the Fall season.

I was having no luck at all in getting the board clean.....until yesterday!!!!   

While at the grocery store yesterday evening....I came across a box of "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser's"

Thought I'd give them a try.....and to my surprise, they worked WELL.

My RED board is totally clean!!!

******

Need a simple...but delicious cookie recipe???
Try these!!


Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger

Cream the butter, sugar, molasses and egg together.  Mix remaining ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Chill overnight.  Shape into 1" balls and place on greased cookie sheet.  Press flat with glass dipped in sugar.  Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes.  cool on wire rack.



Enjoy a Blessed Day......and don't forget to do something kind for someone today..

Shug ~

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Fences Everywhere....

Take time to find a good fence!!  They're all around.....


Traveling and need to potty????  No problem.....this fence has six nice commodes....lined up and waiting for you!!  Lol.



I had to turn around and go back to take the above photo.....Something you don't see everyday!!


This fence is not a fancy fence.....just a fence that surrounds a man's property.....



Fences are Everywhere!!!



A foggy morning doesn't stop this cow from enjoying it's breakfast! 

 I'd say that there are plenty of T-poles in this 
fence!!  What ya think????


I'm joining Good Fences today.....Hope you enjoy!




Shug ~

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Love = Time

           Every woman has a story to tell and usually more than one......on any given day!


photo from images



What is it that you see when you first look at the above picture?

I see a park bench filled with loneliness!  The fallen leaves that are all nestled on the ground, all around the bench, is an obvious indication that no one has visited this area in a while.

I also see a few leaves that have swirled their way down, finding a resting place on two rustic pieces of wood.   They're just sitting there, waiting to be swept away by the next heavy breeze.

Much like those that I visit in the nursing home....  They too have found a lonely place to wait.....until the next heavy breeze takes them away.  

This is the second part of my post from yesterday......

We placed my dad in this memory care unit, back in January of this year.   As I said in my last post....I try to visit him every day and by doing so, I have the opportunity to visit daily with several of the other residents while I am there.

For most of them, their minds are lost in the days of long ago, but I can see the a small light shine in their eyes, when I communicate with them each day.

This place has become a daily Blessing for me!

There is this one guy that I have somewhat attached myself to.   He loves caps and on any given day, he may be wearing one, two, three or even six caps at a time.  He stacks them on top of each other and places them on his bald head.   

He is bound to a wheelchair, but this does not stop him from going wherever he wants to go.  One thing disturbs me though.  Never...not once have I ever seen anyone stop by to visit him!!!  This is sad.....

He loves magazines.....even though he has no clue as to what it is that he's looking at.  His biggest thrill is the cards inside the magazines that you can tear out and send off to renew your subscription.   He LOVES them!!   I gave him one the other day, and my goodness....what excitement he had in getting it.

For a good many of the residents in a Alzheimer's unit....each day is a simple repeat!!!!   Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!!  
Same holds true for many of the elderly who live in other Nursing homes.

The staff at the home where my dad is at, does an awesome job in planning activities for their residents......however, this does not replace the loneliness that many of them feel......as lonely as these folks in the nursing homes are....there are also many parents, grandparents and great grandparents who live in their own homes....that are living a lonesome life.

Why.....

Because they are somewhat forgotten.....by those that they love.

This is not the case for all elderly people.....but, it holds true for so many!!

It is our intended actions to go by and visit with them at least once a week...and then it turns into once every two weeks....before you know it, we find ourselves finding that our {personal time} is much more important than the great intentions that we once had.....
Suddenly, those intentions become hidden in the midst of the socialism that we choose for our own enjoyment. 

As people age....they begin to recognize a different meaning of the word LOVE.......in their eyes, they see it written this way....

LOVE = TIME

All they want is a just a small bit of your time!!  If distance is what separates you from your Grandparents or Great Grandparents.....then pick up your phone and give them a simple 10 minutes of your time each week.  

and you know that we ALL have a PHONE at our reach or usually stuck to our hip.....

These people love us and that has never changed....what has changed is the RESPECT that we owe  them.....just for being our parents, grandparents or great grandparents.   These are the folks that keep us lifted up in prayer....who are proud to call us their family....who need us in their lives!!!

Yet....RESPECT for the aging has somehow found a different definition in this world that we live in today...

Just saying'

I hope that those that read this will recognize that we all have loved ones that need us....and I hope that each of us will make every effort to allow the TIME we have to be transformed into LOVE!!

Shug

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Time for Action ...Part 1


The time for action is now!!.....grab a mirror, hold it in front of your face....lift one side of your lip and now the other side.  Show your teeth and stretch that smile as far out as you can!!

Wasn't that a great call for action this morning?

Smiles to you.........


*****

Many of you may have read a FB post this weekend, posted by my sweetheart.......about a wonderful miracle which happened at the Nursing Home this past Saturday....

I wanted to share this post with those who didn't read it.

On Saturday morning.....Sam and I made our normal trip over to the nursing home to visit my dad.   Walking in, just in front of us, was my oldest brother, his wife, his daughter and son-in-law.....and all five of their grandchildren.   Three of the kids belong to their son and DIL.

The kids range in age 9 to 5......  two boys and three girls.

As you can imagine....my dad's room was a little crowded with all eleven of us there.   So....I decided to go out into the main room.  Soon, the kids followed me out there.

This is a "lock-down" memory care unit and the residents rooms surround a huge sitting and activity area.

The eyes of our little ones were glued to the unusual behavior that a Alzheimer's unit typically sees.  While sitting there, I began to engage in a clapping manner with some of the residents who love to clap.   Before long....all of the kids were joining in.     Of course....no matter what kind of state a mind can be in, there is always something about small children that brings a smile to the faces of these folks.  

I've been visiting my dad at the memory care facility, almost every single day, for almost a year now.   There is one gentleman there, and out of the many visits that I have made....I have NEVER seen him smile.  I have never seen a single person come visit him.  

In the midst of our clapping and singing....I look up and this particular man gets up out of his chair and makes his way over to where we all were sitting.    Within seconds......he stood there with a HUGE smile on his face and he began clapping with the kids.  

He smiled and clapped his hands, over and over again!

Can I tell you.....this covered my heart with joy!! 

This gentleman was connecting with these kids.......

This was a miracle.......!!!  I only wish that his loved ones {out there somewhere} could have witnessed his happiness.  

I honestly have a lot more to say in regards to our aging loved ones...   I'm thinking I'll make this a Part 1 and Part 2.... post....

I am so thankful to my niece and her husband for taking the time to bring the kids by to visit my dad.....I'm thankful that even little children know how to bring a smile to someone in need....


Stop by tomorrow for the rest of the story!!

Sweet hugs dear friends...

Shug ~





Monday, November 2, 2015

November is here.....

Hey Y'all.....November is HERE!   Happy November to you!!




Summer vacations are really nice.....but I'm a believer that our Fall season offers so much beauty for anyone choosing to take a late break!

How awesome would it be to do a lot of traveling during the months of November and December.....and to join in on as many small town church bazaars and festivities that you could possibly find.   Finding unique....homemade items to purchase.... to give as gifts to  those special people in your life... 
I'd like to travel the back roads and to be able to take in all the splendor of the trees and underbrush as it begins to show off it's brilliant display of Fall foliage.   
I'd love to be able to stop at all of the little antique stores along the way.....and the Junk yards to boot!!

It would be nice to make our way up, into the Northeastern States and to come upon an old Farmhouse that offers a full Thanksgiving feast to those traveling for the Holidays.  To meet new folks and to be able to taste the things that are not normally on our {Texas} Thanksgiving menu.    

Enjoy a slow, beautiful day of being Thankful.....

and then....I  dream of spending cool days in the midst of the mountain scenic routes.   Looking to the sky for a single snowflake to fall and to land on the tip of my tongue.  

 I'd wait for the evening night to come, so I could hop aboard a sleigh....pulled by the most gentle of horses.  We would spend the evening, riding and singing Christmas Carols ......maybe we would make a stop for a cup of hot cocoa....and a cookie or two.  
(Do sleigh rides really happen???)

*****
I don't know about you....but I love lights....small twinkling lights that speak happiness to the hearts of those who love to celebrate...Celebrate anything and everything!

It's not enough, to only be able to enjoy the little shining bulbs for just a few hours each evening.... for only a month or so.   I could spend hours upon hours.....sitting underneath the beauty that the little lights bring.   

There is such peace.....when sitting out by a nice roaring fire, on a cool brisk evening....with festive lights shining all around.  No worries, no cares.....only the sounds of the night and the pleasure that only a string of tiny, shining, lights can deliver...

Oh yes.....I am a dreamer......I love the wonder of the Holidays.... the Joy and the great thrill that is out there....and it's all for our taking....



I'm glad that November is here and that December is just around the corner.....


Shug ~












Sunday Thinking

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