Sunday, December 30, 2018

Oh what a lazy day it is.....    It was cold when we left for church this morning and it seems even cooler now.   This has been one of those days of being inside.  

After church, I fixed a big pot of Potato soup and a skillet of hot corn bread.   We ate lunch and have been sitting in front of TV all afternoon long.   I've worked a puzzle, and watched "Alaska, Last of the Wild Frontier" with Sam.    

What a VERY lazy DAY!

Truthfully, the thought of my electric blanket, along with NEW and cleaned sheets, is so very enticing.    Is it 9:30 yet?    I would love to be feeling the warmth of the electric blanket.....right now!

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful Sunday Afternoon......

Shug......

Sunday, December 23, 2018

It has been a while since the picture in my header was taken.....Our family has grown since then.   I do love looking back at old photos and reminiscing about day's gone by.    

Merry Christmas to each of you!!!  May God's spirit lift you and may you all be Blessed...

hugs,
Shug........

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Only a few more days until Christmas.    Hope everyone has their home all decorated and Christmas shopping done.  One thing that I love about Christmas, is having everything done and being able to enjoy the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.



I added this little Christmas tree to my rock garden this year.   It is so nice to sit outside by the fire and enjoy the lights of the tree.  

Our Airman (Tyler ) was home last week and we celebrated an evening of Christmas with him.   He was able to open his gifts and of course.....we had a big meal.   




Fun times with family....


A little Christmas Bingo........We have had this homemade Bingo game for about 18 years and we still play it every Christmas.



Shirts..... Just alike!!!


Christmas picture with the Pigs!!!


The scavenger hunt required having their picture made with everyone touching the Holly Tree.....


"Grumps" and "Tweetie"......watching Keelan open gifts!!

More Christmas to come.....Celebrating on Christmas Eve and  Christmas Day.....   

Keep the Birth of our Savior in your heart....

Shug



Sunday, December 2, 2018

Oh my.......we have been Blessed with a beautiful Sunday!!  

My watch clocked 11,693 steps taken today!  My knees are definitely feeling every single step.  Sam and I made a trip over to the "Canton Trade Days" this morning.  Seems that October, November and December are really big months for the vendors and you really can find just about anything you might be looking for.

This month, the grounds and the Arbors were so filled with Christmas Decor.  I actually found some beautiful, tiny, twinkle lights that I wanted..........BUT.......I wasn't going to pay $56.00 dollars for one strand of lights!!!

We bought a string of dried Potpourri made of oranges and other fruits.  It smells WONDERFUL!!  Our Big purchase was two footlong corndogs.   Each corndog was $6.00 for the grand total of $12.00.   Did someone say Ridiculous????  
I'm pretty sure that the vendor made an easy $10.00 from our purchase of 2 dogs.
Sam and I are back home now and both of us have our feet propped up.   My watch even shows that we climbed 3 flights of stairs.  I would say we put in a pretty good day of working out!!

Hugs
Shug

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

DIAMONDS are just chunks of COAL that do very WELL under pressure!!

                This is the season when so many of us find ourselves under pressure.   Shopping to do..... Gifts to be wrapped.....Meals to be cooked....Making our Holiday candy.....Decorating for Christmas, just to name a few.   

Last year, I had most of these things done by the middle of November.   Yes....even the gifts were wrapped!!

I sure can't do much bragging on myself this year, because I have barely done anything.   I certainly do not contribute my lack of "being on the ball" to being older, it's the lack of inspiration that has failed me.  

Why No Inspiration?  Simply because I have been pre-occupied with many of the other things that I love about life.   

I will get it all done!  There may be a little pressure to get things done to my expectation, but like a lump of coal, maybe, just maybe......I'll become a big Diamond.

What ever you do today......make time to Give God the Glory that HE so deserves....

Shug....


Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Well......It's Thanksgiving Eve and I have sure been a busy lady today.  My kitchen has certainly been a warm place today.   I think I turned the oven on, early this morning, and finally turned it off around 3:30.  I have double ovens, and both of them have been going all day long.    

The great news is:   I won't have to be in the kitchen all morning long, tomorrow.   I've cooked several pans of cornbread today.
I know that many of my blogging friends make stuffing, but we make Southern Cornbread Dressing.   

I was telling some of my friends just today, that I wish I had watched my mom more closely when she made Dressing.  I wish I had written down the exact measures of how she made hers.   The only problem there is, she didn't measure.......she just knew what it was suppose to look like, and she knew what it was suppose to taste like.   No measuring cups or spoons.....!  She just knew how to cook!!

Funny thing happened to me this afternoon....    We are not frying a turkey this year, nor am I buying the famous "Greenberg Turkey"
for Thanksgiving.   I actually ordered sliced smoked turkey from a BBQ place that we like.   I ordered it earlier in the week and was suppose to pick it up at 3:00 this afternoon.   Well, when I get there to pick it up, the girl at the counter showed me the ticket and said that it had already been picked up!   😀    

She said it was an older, gray haired man with glasses who picked it up, about 30 minutes or so before I got there.   WHAT????   

I called Sam.......NO, he did not pick it up!  What?????   I called Shanda and she didn't have anyone pick it up!  What ????
We were the only three that even knew I ordered it.   

Seems that a man with our same last name came in to pick up an order.   The girl said she ask if it was  "My name" and the man said yes.   Now, either this man has a wife or daughter with my same name OR he could not hear very well and just took my order!!!

The strange thing is, when the girl at the counter ask him if he had ordered 4 lbs of sliced smoked turkey, he said yes..   What????

We placed the same exact order for food and it was in the same exact name????   Kinda odd.    Anyways, I had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes while they filled my order.    

I'm thankful that there was enough sliced turkey left, to fill my second order.    lol.   

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS.

HUGS TO ALL....

SHUG

Thursday, November 8, 2018

This is one of those days, when I just want to grab a cup of hot chocolate (piled high with marshmallow fluff and a little drizzle of chocolate) and get in my big comfy chair, with my super soft blanket and do nothing.....  

Or.....I could easily tune in to the Hallmark Channel to watch Christmas movies all day long!



The temperature is 56 degrees and it's raining outside!


It's the perfect kind of day for me to serve 
Broccoli Cheddar soup tonight for our evening meal.....

~~

Sam and I purchased a new Christmas Tree last night.   I prefer a real tree, but in Texas, it's just not the reasonable thing to have.  
My new tree does have fake snow, and a few red berries that adds color.    

It was not my intentions to put the tree up today, but Sam brought it in from the car this morning and I figured I might as well look at the tree, as to look at the box!!!

I must say, I really do like these new click in trees.  No having to find the cords or plugging 2 or 3 different cords together.   You just simple put the three pieces in and the lights automatically connect.  

I did set the tree up, but have not decorated it yet.   A rainy day like this is not the best kind of day to go digging Christmas decorations out of the garage.   

I still have pumpkins up everywhere and I have the beautiful Fall colors spread throughout the house.   After all......WE STILL ARE GOING TO HAVE...THANKSGIVING!!!!

I've always been an early bird for putting up my tree, but this year is earlier than the norm.    ........Tyler (our Airman) will NOT be home for Christmas this year, but he will be here in just a few weeks for about 5 or 6 days.   I know he will appreciate getting to see a little Christmas around this place.       And....besides, I will have more time to visit with him instead of having to decorate for Christmas.

~~~

My heart leaps with JOY.....I hope your's does too!

Shug.....


Friday, November 2, 2018

                Growing up as a child, Halloween was a super fun night for my siblings, my cousins, my friends and myself.  It was all about dressing up and hitting the streets, with two goals in mind.......One was to gather as much candy as we possibly could.  The other was to use bars of soap to write on the windows of the downtown shops. 

I grew up in a very small town.  Everyone knew EVERYONE!   The owners of those shops knew every kid in town and they also knew that these kids were going to write on their store front windows with soap.  This was probably the one time of the year when the windows were cleaned.  They had to use water to wash the soap off and to their advantage, the soap cleaned the windows REALLY well.  

Never once when I was growing up, did the thoughts of evil come in to play on Halloween.   We never, ever thought about the things that seem to represent Halloween these days.  It was a night of pure fun for us kids back in the day.    Nothing, absolutely nothing about EVIL.

Halloween is the same for my kiddos Now.   Our little ones (with their parents) usually go to a church festival and play games as well as gather candy.   Our older ones come here to Pop's and Shug's house.    They love to pass out candy to kids.....they love to carve pumpkins....they love to EAT.....

Here are a few pictures of our Halloween evening....

Me and the "Chick fil a" cow.....   BVT (Breckinridge village) was sponsoring a Trunk R' Treat for the residents and the day program men and women.    BVT is a residential community for adults
with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.   My niece (Tammy) attends the day program.     

This is me and Tammy at the village....




Me again.....being a little crazy with the family...

The absolute cutest of all trick R' treaters....

Mylee Jo is the Scarecrow.....her friend, Charlsie is Dorothy and her friend Maggie is the Lion.  

They were and are adorable....



Our older grandkids......carving pumpkins....


Older grandkids and POP'S.......

It was a fun night.....we drank Orange Pumpkin Punch, 
and we ate PIZZA and chocolate cupcakes with orange and yellow
sprinkles...

I loved the kids being here......

shug 









Saturday, October 27, 2018

Hey Friends......


I sure hope your day has been just as beautiful as the one we have had here.    The sun was shining and the temps were perfect.   We went to the ballpark and watched Mylee play a couple of softball games!!!   I had to fight off several BEES.....but besides that, it was a FAN-TAST-IC kind of day.    


This old picture showed up on Facebook today.   This was taken during my early high school years....   One of my dear friends, (pictured 2nd to the left on the front row) passed away this past week.   One of her family members posted this photo.   I have so many great memories of my sweet friend (Sonyia).   We shared a wonderful friendship.   I spent so many nights/weekends at her house.   Please pray for her family....   

Can any of you guess which one of these beauties is ME???   HINT:  Front row.....in the middle.....with the blonde hair.  
    
                                                    ~~~~
About this picture!!!!

This was taken last week while we were on our trip to Branson.  One of my MOST favorite things to do, is wading in clear rivers!  Sam knows it....and all of my friends know it as well......they also know that I am a very happy camper when I can stick my feet in a gorgeous flowing river.   This is exactly what I was doing here.   They stopped and let me dip my feet in.   It was VERY, super COLD.   But, I loved every single moment of my time there.     

~~~~

When your grandchildren want to lay on your bed and watch TV......AND, eat chips!!  Guess what the Best Shug in the world does?   She lets them!!!

~~~~


I saw this on FB today and I immediately thought.....

"I need this!!"

Oh my.....I would stay out on this porch all the time if I had it in my back yard.    

~~~~~

What could be more fun than staying home on a Saturday evening, and carving a pumpkin???   Nothing!!!  This is some of our grands....Carving the most exciting pumpkin ever!!!

~~~~



                                                               Tyler, Keelan, and Tucker!!!

Guess who is home on Military leave?   Yep.....my oldest grandson!   He came in for a few days so that he and his Bride to be (Emalee) could get a few wedding details taken care of.   Looks like he is having too much fun playing at the pumpkin patch "Yesterland."
I sure hope that he is helping her get those plans all ironed out!!!!




Ummmmm......I'm thinking Tyler may have outgrown this little ride. I'm pretty sure that Keelan was insistent that Tyler ride too!!!

It's been a Fabulous day.....

Sending Blessings your way....

Shug







Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Well friends.....it's another rainy day here in East Texas!  ☔☔☔

I thankfully escaped the 10 inches of rain that we got last week.  It still rained here at the home place, but I just wasn't there to see my yard fully soaked in water.   

It was Sunday a week ago, that Sam and I....along with 5 wonderful friends, set out for a trip to Branson, Mo.   I woke up this morning thinking "wow...just last Wednesday, I was walking up and down the steep hills of Silver Dollar City."





being a kid again is really a lot of fun, and this is exactly what we did.   

We even stopped and took a "Hillbilly" picture.   Before I show you this picture.....you have to promise not to share it!!  lol.     My grandkids almost fell out when they saw I was holding a whiskey bottle.  We all were a little shy about all the props, but then we decided that it's just a fun picture and if you're gonna pretend to be a hillbilly, then you have to be spot on, even it calls for picking your nose, holding dynamite, shooting guns, or holding a whiskey bottle.  


Like I said....our trip began on Sunday, October 14th.   It's about an 8 hour drive from East Texas to Branson Mo.   It took us, let's see, about 13 hours to get there.   Restroom breaks, snack breaks, antiquing and sight seeing kinda kept us behind on our travels.


Just one of the stops we made.....

On Monday.....we went to Dogwood Canyon, and I must say, if you have never been there before.......you need to add it to your bucket list.   This place was awesome.   We braved the Cool temps and road the tram car anyways.   Not before making a stop at Walmart to buy gloves and jackets...




It was a COLD day......






 This place was absolutely beautiful and fun.   The treehouse, the waterfalls, the food, the views all around us.   I loved it!!





Do I have your attention yet, with all of these great tasting desserts?

We saw the "Presley's" later that evening......

Next day.....we visited the downtown area of Branson and even made a stop at the Salvation Army Store....


A 3:30 show at the Sight and Sound Theater, to see 
"Samson" was such a wonderful event.   The show was Amazing...




Spending time with friends and seeing so many beautiful things, was the highlight of my trip......

Shug....




Friday, October 19, 2018

Hey Y'all........Just in case you've been wondering where I've been, well.....let me take just a moment to tell you.   I have been on ANOTHER wonderful friends trip.   I'll tell you all about it next week.   I think I'm a little too exhausted right now.....my mind is still in GO mode.    Can't wait to share with you,  all of the FUN things we did.   

It was a wee bit cold for my friends....but not for me!  

See you all Monday!!

Shug

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

What time is it?   Past my bedtime for sure!  I'm not one of those people who stays up late at night.  Going to bed around 9:00 seems 
to be the "In" thing around here, and has been for quite some time.

I actually prefer to stay up until around 10:30.....but my sleepy eyes just keep getting heavier and heavier.   

For about a week or so, I have had some pretty restless nights.  Any of you ever have "Restless Leg Syndrome?"  I don't always have it, but when I do, it seems to last for a few weeks.  The constant moving of my legs after I go to bed, drives me nuts.  

I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has anything that will help with RLS.

                                                     ~~~~


I saw this sign at an antique store that we recently visited.....

I thought.....How "PERFECT" this sign would be, hanging in my bathroom.  I could see it each morning and it would remind me that things are not perfect!  

I'm certainly not a perfectionist.....but I would say that I'm pretty close to it.  Not about all things....but there are many times in my life when I have to stop and say...."It's OK!!  Things do not have to be perfect!"

Even when I think they do.....guess what?  They're NOT.

It's OK to want the things in your life to be greater than what you expect....but I truly have never met a perfect person or perfect situation.   

~~~~~~

So....as many of you may have seen on my FaceBook page, Our John Deere Gator was stolen this past weekend.   Needless to say, Sam is not a happy camper right now!!!  The Thieves and I say thieves, because there were more than one set of footprints, CUT the LOCK on the gate, going into the farm!!  AND....completely ignored the NO TRESPASSING signs.   

I've tried to put the loss of this expensive piece of equipment aside and  just pray for these people who felt the need to take something that was not theirs........BUT...I must confess, this is a very difficult thing to do.   My heart is sad that there are people in this world, who are either strung out on drugs, or... are just too lazy to work, so they rely on stealing to meet their needs.

Anyways........it's gone and truthfully, there isn't much that can be done.  

~~~~~~

Regardless of imperfections.....Regardless of losses.....
Life is still good and I am extremely thankful for God's Blessings.   I'm thankful for God's
mercies.  
His mercies are NEW every morning!!

shug.....





                                                           

Monday, October 1, 2018

Good Morning.....today is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day!!!   Don't you just love how each NEW morning brings us a NEW day to write a Positive NEW story in our lives?  

                                                 ~~~~~

I'm celebrating this day for my parents, who are now in Heaven!
My parents married on October 1, 1949......today would be their 
69th Anniversary.   I sure miss them both!!!  💓💓💓💓

                                                 ~~~~~~

This is a great month for Apple eating!!

I must admit....Apples are not my favorite fruit, but I do occasionally have a hunger for a good, crisp apple.   AND...who doesn't love a Candied Apple?  YUM....one of my favorite ways to eat this fruit.  Speaking of Candied Apples...the East Texas Fair was this past week.   Some of our kiddos visited the fair on Saturday!


Carson, Tori and Mylee Jo!  I remember the old glass house from when I was a child.  This was the scariest thing for me!  I always had a difficult time making my way through the glass doors.  

I asked Mylee if it was scary for her and she quickly responded to me with a "What" kind of question!  Evidently, the glass house was not near as traumatizing for her as what it was for me.  

                                                 ~~~~~


Check out this "Chicken Mansion."     Does your chicken house have a Chandelier hanging in the middle of it?    This chicken house was on display, and for sell, at First Monday in Canton, Texas.    

This past weekend, we spent a day walking all over the grounds of First Monday.   This place is huge....and I was VERY tired when we left.   SO MUCH TO SEE!   

I made a couple of purchases and Sam got to eat his "Footlong Corn dog" .......so it was a Great day!

   ~~~~~~

Hope you will all walk in the Power of the Holy Spirt today!
Feel the Fresh wind and allow yourself to experience the Fresh Air which can only come from the Holy Spirit....

God is Refreshing .... and I am excited about the NEW story that HE has planned for my life today!

Hugs, 
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...