Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Twinkle a Little!

We can't all be shining examples, but we can at least twinkle a little!

I take my gift of being a grandmother very seriously...This is truly one of my favorite Blessings!

Today, I have been doing grandmother duties which is much more important than other things on my to do list....I am late posting today, but my constant love and support was needed today from some of my favorite people....

I like to consider myself as a somewhat "Whimsical Grandmother"

Whimsical....you know like imaginative, slightly odd, humorous, fantastic, and super colorful....

but on the other hand, my heart if filled with a deep committed love for helping my grandchildren become the best that they can be....
Praying for them, living my life as an example for them to see and to be proud of...Teaching them about compassion and kindness, but most of all about Serving God and having love in their hearts for other people...
I like to think of myself as "A mom with Extra Frosting."  I want to be a grandmother that my grandchildren
will never outgrow the need to have!
This is certainly not what I had planned to write about today, but on the way home from Sunnyvale, Tyler ask me if he was spoiled....I said to him:  "You are not spoiled, you are LOVED!"
Sure hope I twinkled a little today!!
Shug Sez....

Touch your grandchild's life with the Love of the Lord!








Monday, November 29, 2010

December Winner...

And My December Winner Is........

Lynette Bledsoe.......

Hey Lynnette, you have just won...

1.  4 rolls of wrapping paper
2.  A Boy Ginger Bread candy holder
3.  A Girl Ginger Bread Candy holder
4.  A 24 oz. can of Popcorn Expressions
5.  Christmas Kitchen Towels
6.  A Christmas Mix

CONGRATULATIONS LYNETTE!!
 A Big Thank You for following me on....
"Confessions Of A Razzle-Dazzle Housewife"

A Look Back

Good Morning All....

I think I now know what it feels like to be a scrambled egg!
Eggs are beat, pushed, shoved, turned upside down, and yet they turn out WONDERFUL!

For the past ten or so days, I have been everywhere.  I know I'm not yellow, but I do feel like I have been scrambled.  My bones have ached, my feet hurt, and every tendon or muscle in my body has been stretched beyond it's limit....But, I had fun and I'm still alive and moving.

I'm going to back up a minute and show you a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving....


Nina and Poppie with Tyler, Tucker, Tori, Carson, Trey and Mylee Jo..... (This is my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law)
They are precious and I am so very thankful that they were able to come eat Thanksgiving dinner with our family...


A little bit of family FOOTBALL.....It rained on Thanksgiving day, so we had to move the football game inside....
I think Mylee was in the middle of this play....Girls always win!!

Now.....let me see.  On with the Black Friday Shopping....
My girls were having a difficult time keeping up with me.
If I saw one single hint of them being tired, I would give em' a big ol' kiss on the cheek and that was the sure thing to energize  them again.

I am almost certain that we walked 10 miles that day....Trista and Shanda would find something in one store, but then we would have to walk the entire mall to check for a cheaper price at another store.  Most of the time, we would have to walk back down to the first store because that was the store with the cheaper prices...OMG!!

We shopped from 3:00 A.M. until around 8:00 P.M. and I feel sure that we could have lasted a few more hours if our pocket books had not come up empty!!..
I think I got in bed around 10:30 that evening and I was up at 7:00 the next morning, getting ready for my shopping trip to Dallas....

I did enjoy doing a little shopping in Dallas, but I mostly enjoyed spending time with Sam....We ate at the Cheesecake Factory...YUM YUM!  We ate at Fudruckers and also enjoyed some Mexican food yesterday....

I am a little tired today, but my Christmas Tree must go up...I usually have the thing completely decorated before Thanksgiving, so as you can tell....I'm running behind...

Today is the day for the Christmas Give Away.....I'll post the winner this afternoon....Thanks for reading my blog and thanks for all your wonderful comments....Some of them are left on the blog, and yet I have so many that have left comments on my email.....

Hope you'll stop back by this afternoon to see if you are the winner!!

Shug Sez.....
It's time to slow down and catch up on all my reading.....



Sunday, November 28, 2010

On The Road Again...

Look at Me....I am on the road again!   Last Sunday, I was on my way home from Branson, and today I am in Dallas....

I sure hope no one decides to take over my pew at church!  I would hate to have to ask someone to move next Sunday....You know I'm just kidding...I would never do anything like that...?????

Sam decided that I needed a little break from all the Hussel and Bussel that I have been engaged in.  So here I am right smack dab in the middle of a massive shopping area, and I am simply relaxing at the hotel.  

The winner of my "Christmas Give-Away" will be announced tomorrow....I can't wait for SOMEONE to enjoy the free Christmas items!

Coming up this week is the rest of my "Black Friday" shopping story and a special writing called "The Cake."  This one will be in memory of my MOM...

I hope you all have a Blessed Sunday and I can't wait to see ya tomorrow....

Shug Sez.....

The joy that is in my heart is a Blessing from God!!!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Call It Crazy!

Call It Crazy....I call it FUN...I call it Staying Young...I call it making Memories with my daughters!


The back of our "Black Friday" shopping shirts says: 

Star Shines *
Shepherds Tell *
The Babe is Born *
All Is Well *
This is the Reason we say it *
Merry Christmas *

We chose this particular shirt, so we could stay focused on what Christmas is ALL about...  No fussing, No getting upset with people, No griping.....Simply a day to enjoy our Blessings!

Our first stop was Target.....We joined the other 1500 people outside the store and then we walked the entire parking lot in order to get into the store....

I'm talking about starting on one side of the parking lot and walking in a HUGE square all along the outer edges of the lot.
We met people we had never seen before and just had a wonderful time.  The girls were able to purchase the items that they originally set out to purchase.  I picked up one thing and when I saw how long the check out line was, I put it back on the shelf...

Sorry to which every kid I was buying that gift for.....I guess it's still sitting on the shelf.

I found me a spot in the little snack shop area and had a blast watching people rush through the doors, looking for Whatever they could find that was cheap...

More to this story later....I just heard these words "Are you ready to go"   I'm heading out the door with Sam right now!  Got to get to town!!
Will chat with you later!

Shug Sez.....

I love Christmas....Because OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR...

Friday, November 26, 2010

The Rest Of The Story......

Good Morning.....Like 3:00 A.M. Good Morning!!
Yes, I am one of those crazy people that loves to shop on Black Friday....The girls and I have much to do today.....Fun, Fun, Fun..

I am Trusting that everyone had a Blessed Thanksgiving....



I know you all have been trying to figure out exactly what Sam (Pops) was doing when I snapped this shot.....The truth is, he was hiding from a couple of women who were with the Big Tour group!!

I would say that they were probably in there upper 70's, but let me tell you, the had the hot's for my hubby!  They thought he was so cute and both of them ask if they could take him home with them...

This was our waitress and she was so good....always had a smile on her face...but, who could not be all  smiles while waiting on this crew!

Ok, we made it through the meal...All of us were stuffed like the Thanksgiving Turkey that we ate yesterday...We finished this meal around 2:30 and we had to be at our next show at 5:30.  Would you believe that it was a dinner show!!  OMG, I did not know where we would put anything else...

It was the Dixie Stampede show and the meal was a Cornish Hen, Corn on the cob, Soup, Potatoes, Apple Fritter and our drink.....
I tasted the hen and it was so moist and tender, but I could not eat the thing....After eating the soup, I felt like I was going to be the Turkey in the Macy's Day Thanksgiving parade.  You know, fifty feet tall and as fat as a Turkey on high doses of steroids...

We made it through the show and then it was back to the hotel.  We sat around did some chatting and then all of a sudden, right before our eyes, we saw Jerry Van Dyke..    Now,... you know we had to have a picture with him...

I'm not sure his excitement was the same as ours!  He informed us  that he was going to be there for two weeks....I think he was hinting for us to buy tickets to come watch him.
(I'm thinking....Hey dude, do you know how important we are? You should be the one paying just to have your picture made with us)

What else happened on this trip?

I walked a mile out of the way to go to the restroom.
(Would you believe that if I had turned to my right, I would have been in front of a restroom)

Joyce had some kind of addiction to tissues..


I flirted with the chef at the SIX show until he gave me the recipes for the dishes on the menu...(Did I mention I got an extra piece of cake)






I snapped shots of people when they weren't looking...(They would kill me if I put them on my blog)

We all decided that we prefer to cook with Wesson Oil.....

We all came to the conclusion that we are very young....(compared to the majority of people that we saw at the shows)



The guys found them a WOMAN!  Her name was Louise.....

Sam really knew the "Star" of the show "Always Patsy"...




I finally found "Green Mountain Drive"

and for the rest of this story......."What happens In Branson, Stays In Branson!!"

One thing I know for sure, is that we are Blessed to have the Best Friends Ever.....Love you all!



Shug Sez....

Enjoy Life, Enjoy Friends


Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving.......

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Ya'll.....

May your stuffing be tasty


May your turkey plump,


May your potatoes and gravy


Have never a lump.


May your yams be delicious


And your pies take the prize,


And may your Thanksgiving dinner


Stay off your thighs!


I am Thankful for each of you my friends.  May the Lord Bless you all and may your hearts be full of Thankfullness, not only today, but always!!

Shug Sez.....
Be Thankful in ALL things.......






Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Trip Continues......


And so the Trip Continues!!

Just take a look at these Gingerbread Houses.....


When, what to their wondering eyes should appear?
These East Texas Folks were seeing the likes of something
they had never seen before....

Bobby Joe  was totally amazed that this hotel knew exactly what his fa-vor-rite cookie was....He was heading straight for the OREO'S.
I was able to stop him just in the nick of time, before his little fingers grabbed an oreo from the roof of the house....



It was a constant battle trying to keep everyone out of the "Sweet Shop."   There were cakes, cookies, muffins, ice cream, the biggest sweet roll you have ever seen, brownies, every kind of coffee you could think of, and the list went on and on.....


Here we are loading up for our first show....All eight of us (somehow) climbed into that suburban......We had a full load!

I promise, it didn't take much to make us all laugh.  I really did not realize that we had so many comedians in the group....and I must say that there were some who needed to check a thesaurus before making certain comments......(Just ask them what I'm talking about)


Our First show....."Shoji Tabuchi"



Ok...so we loved "Dick's 5 and 10 store....But so did about a
100 other "OLDER" people that had just stepped off of a big bus...
Needless to say, the traffic in this store was VERY, VERY slow.  I
had several other items that I wanted to purchase, like the old tiny little plastic Cowboy and Indian sets  (Can't find them anywhere else) plus a few more hard to find items.  However, I just did not think my body could take another bruise from the walking canes. 

Have you ever been in a store where the odor kinda made you ill?
This is how I felt, so I had to cut my list a little short and get out of there!!



Then, it was off to "Lambert's"  the home of the flying rolls!
It seems that the crew did not want to listen to their "TOUR DIRECTOR"...that being ME. 

I told them we needed to leave at 11:00 A.M. in order to beat the crowd....But oh no...they wouldn't listen!  We waited about an hour and ten minutes before we were able to be seated!!  Right then, I should have ditched em' and looked for me another crew!!

We laughed so hard this day.  We looked up and another 100 elderly folks were stepping off of a BIG BUS..  Two ladies in this group were what I call "a real comedy act."  Seems that they were very unhappy with the tour that they were on!  One of them referred to it as "The tour from H"
Surely you can figure that out!!   One elderly couple (in their middle 80's) were Newly Weds!  They were giggling and have the best time ever....



Sam...waiting at the restaurant!


Bobby Joe.....Patiently waiting!

What you want to bet that they listen to "Shug, the Tour Director"
next time!

Hey Ya'll I'm having lots of fun telling you about our trip, but I have so much to do this morning in the kitchen...Do you mind if I finish my story Friday? 
There will be a lot more Comedy to come!!

Shug Sez....

Be Thankful!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Trip

I'm BACK.......

It is True....We are back, We are Home!   I now realize just how much I needed this trip.  Isn't it amazing how a few days away can refresh your soul? 

We are Blessed to have such great friends in our lives....They truly are the BEST..



This is how the trip started...
Mylee was so upset because she wanted to go with ME!

As I was finishing my packing, she brought her little "Pink"
pillow into my room and placed it right there beside my pillow...
Oh my....MY heart was broken.  She just wanted to go stay at the {Tell}...This is What she calls the Hotel.


Here we are...Leaving out Wednesday Evening around 6:00
{Marsha Kay, Susie, Joyce, Newman, Vicki, Joe the driver, Sam,
and ME,...Shug the Tour Guide}

Did I mention that six of us are Classmates that graduated from High School together? 


Check out our Friend Bobby Joe.....and check out the sign in the background....."Joe's Pizza."  Do you think this picture was planned?
BJ drives for a Travel Group and on this trip, He was our Driver!!  Let me give a High Five to him.....FIVE


The early stop at McDonald's......We all know just how much
Sam loves his Frappe's......He savors every bit of it, and BJ was trying to steal some of the topping!


This was our first real stop!  A junk place....
I am pretty sure we spent at least an hour or so of our morning
right here at this place....And yes, purchases were made!!


And then, it was time for Lunch....Let me show you just how much
we loved this place!!!!!




It was an easy Thumbs DOWN from these TEXAS folks....
OK,  there were six different orders and all six of them were messed up.  And, to make matters worse....one order came out at least fifteen minutes before the other orders....

Needless to say, this place did not rate very high on the chart.....

NOW...MOVING ON!


Our adventures for the day were great.  We visited a few more JUNK stores and about ten other restrooms (seems our bladders were on different time schedules), but we finally made it to our destination around 4:00 that afternoon....



The Beautiful "Chateau On The Lake"



....More to come on this story tomorrow!!

Shug Sez.....

The rest of this story is a comedy....stay tuned!






Monday, November 22, 2010

My Kind Of Turkey

These Turkey Cupcakes will make a great centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dessert table, until they get gobbled up. Let the kids help you make them, and they’ll have a blast showing off to family and friends, and bragging about all the fun they had creating turkeys from cookies. 





•Nutter Butter Cookies (1 for each cupcake)

•Double Stuf Oreo Cookies (1 for each cupcake)

•chocolate cupcakes, baked and cooled

•chocolate decorator icing

•white glue

•1 sheet brown card stock

•½ sheet yellow card stock

•1 tube red decorator icing

•1 tube of yellow decorator icing

•1 tube of black decorator icing

•candy corn (8 candies per cupcake)

•wide round decorator tip (optional)

•1 pastry bag (or plastic bag)

•tape

Instructions:
1. Cut a strip of brown cardstock (1 strip for each cupcake) about 1 ¼ inch wide by 10 inches long; you will use this to wrap the cupcake for the turkey body.

2. Cut 2 turkey feet for each Turkey Cupcake from the yellow card stock. Make the each leg about 1 inch tall, with a triangle at the bottom. Then cut an upside down “w” to make the turkey’s toes (see photo below step #3).

3. Glue the 2 turkey feet to the center of the brown card stock strip, and set it aside to dry.



4. Push 8 pieces of candy corn into the cream of an Oreo cookie, so that the narrow tip is wedged between the 2 Oreo discs and the wide end of the candy corn is sticking out to look like the turkey’s tail. Fan the candy corns around 2/3 of the circumference of the cookie (see photo).



5. Add a turkey beak to the Nutter Butter cookie by using the yellow decorator icing. Pipe a small bit onto the top center of the cookie, then lift up while you’re still squeezing, and release to make a beak (see photo).


6. Add a gobbler to the turkey face with the red decorator icing: start squeezing icing just above the beak, and around one side of the beak. Then, squeeze more red icing just below the beak.

7. Use black decorator icing to make two eyes above the beak.





8. Once the glue has completely dried, wrap the brown strip around one of the cupcakes and tape it in place with the turkey legs in front.

9. Ice the cooled cupcakes with chocolate icing. Use a wide round decorator tip, or cut a hole in the corner of a plastic bag, to pipe a thick round tube of icing on top of the cupcakes (make sure the frosting is thick enough to insert the cookies into it).

10. Assemble the Turkey Cupcakes: once the brown wrap is in place, inserting the Oreo into the icing in the back of the cupcake for the tail, and then insert the Nutter Butter into the icing in the front for the head (see photos). Serve!





Make everything up ahead of time, have the heads, tails, cupcakes, and wraps assembled, then let the kids have fun assembling everything together at your Thanksgiving party.

Shug Sez......
This is my kind of turkey...."Sweet"

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Detours Of Life



Oh.....The Detour's of Life!  They happen to nearly all of us at one time or another...

What is the first thought that pops into your mind when you see a DETOUR sign?  ....I would doubt that very many of us get excited enough to stop our vehicle and do a little jig right there in the middle of the road.....
NO...I would think that for most of us, we immediately feel a sense of anxiety or frustration...

How far out of the way will this detour take us? Will we have to go through a bad part of town? Is it going to be rough and bumpy?
These are the questions that normally cross my mind!

Have you noticed that we sometimes have unexpected LIFE detours?
Some of us may have great plans for the future.  We visualize the best of the best happening to us...(After all, who wants to look into that crystal ball and see failure of any kind?)

And for some of us, we become complacent in our lives and we choose to take a detour.  This is not always bad..It's actually good for our minds to have something different to think about...Sometimes we see colors that we have never seen before, or we learn that there are truly some interesting things in the world that we had not ever imagined before....

Just as we are not sure where the detour in the road is leading us, the same holds true for the detours in our lives....But, if you don't allow yourself to travel a road that has been less traveled, then you will never know WHAT other options await you....

Shug Sez......

Take the detour....It might lead you right back to the original goals you have set for yourself...The only difference is that you will have stepped out and enjoyed the view along the way.....

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Touched By A Song.....



Have you ever been so touched by a song?  Have the lyrics to any particular song been the words that you yourself would have wanted to say....

I actually think that I posted something about this six or seven months ago, but this song does touch my heart and  I have more to say about it...

First of all, Rascall Flatts is one of my very favorite singing groups...The song "My Wish" was one of the most popular songs on their CD, "Me and My Gang"  ....I believe it has a very powerful message....

I'm not sure if there was one particular person in mind when the words to this song were written, but I do know that we all have dreams.  In this song, whoever....(and I consider that whoever to be all of us) can dream BIG dreams.    All we  need to do is help others along the way and never give up on what our heart longs for.  (Your Dreams Stay Big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can Hold)

When times are tough and doors close for us, then it makes it very hard to persevere in life.  It's important to choose the right road in life and the right partner to share that road with you.  It should be "the one that means the most to you."
(And if you're faced with with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another
door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window, If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile)


To me, the very best line in the song is..."you'll find God's Grace in every Mistake."  This is so true....God's Grace is sufficient to meet every mistake we make in life.....(I hope you never look back, but ya never forget, all the ones who love you, in the place you left, I hope you forgive, and you never regret, And you help somebody every chance you get, Oh, and you find God's Grace, in every mistake, And you ALWAYS GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE)

Just take a moment to think about that.  We all make mistakes in life, yet we are Blessed because we do have God's Grace and we have a lesson to be learned in each and every mistake we make....THIS IS POWERFUL!

Life is not always easy and for a lot of people it's like a roller coaster....Lots of Up's and Down's.  However, living a life that is dedicated to serving God and doing good for others will most certainly yield rewards.

This song, "My Wish" speaks about encouraging others and lifting them up.  There is a rippling effect when you cast your bread on the water.  It can reach others and it can feed many people, including people that you have never met......(My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to............And while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I HOPE YOU KNOW SOMEBODY LOVES YOU AND WANTS THE SAME THINGS TOO, YEAH....THIS IS MY WISH)

Shug Sez......

Just think of the spiritual benefits that could come to each of us by letting the words of this song ring true in our hearts....

Friday, November 19, 2010

December Give Away.....

Oh Yeah....It's that time!  What time?  My Christmas Gift Give-Away Time......

I know that I just had the November Give-Away, but I want the winner to be able to use the items in the gift-basket This Year.....


Believe me, I'm not getting ahead of the Turkey.....By the time this drawing is over and I am able to send the gift to you, the Turkey will be have already said Bye, Bye or Gobble, gobb, gob.  In other words, IT WILL ALL BE GONE!!

Since it's the Christmas give-away, and since I love to give gifts, I have decided to open this one up to my daily readers as well......Yes, that means YOU...Those of you who read my blog daily, but have not pushed that FOLLOW button yet!! 

If your a reader, then send me an email each day to enter your name in the drawing.  Just mention the topic of my blog for that day.  My email address is:  sapco5@earthlink.net

For those of you that are Followers....You know what to do...And it does not matter if you have been a previous winner or not.....You are still eligible to WIN this great prize....

Here are a few things I'm going to ask you to do.....
1.  leave a comment or email...Each day that you leave me a message, your name will go in the basket for the drawing...
It's up to you as to how many times your name is entered......
2.  Tell me about your favorite thing to do at Christmas...
3.  Does your family have a Holiday Tradition?  Tell me about it.
4.  How do you like to decorate your Christmas Tree.
     (Traditional, All Green and Red, Elegant,Whimsical, etc.)

See....That's not so hard....It's really very EASY.....

Friday, November 26th will be the start day....
The last day to enter your name will be...Friday, December 3rd.
Drawing will be Sat. December 4th........

Shug Sez.....

Don't be shy.....leave a comment or email.....Someone will be glad they did.....

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Laughs For Today.....

Hey Yall....It's Shug, and BOY..do I have some laughs for you today!  Thanksgiving is
next week and I thought I'd put a little joy in your heart!....

Are You Ready?


I am most definitely Thankful for my friends!




Men....You gotta love em'




Just think about those poor baby Turkeys
when you sit down for your feast this Thanksgiving!



Poor Tommy Turkey....He thinks the Farmer is
his best friend!




                       You Gotta Love that one!


Hope you've enjoyed a little laughter today....I certainly have.....

Shug Sez.....

Don't be a Turkey....Enjoy Life!


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What A Predicament

........You all Know how much I love my Red Bug!  I honestly can say that TODAY, if I had to choose between my little Red bug and a big luxury vehicle, I would definitely choose the BUG....


I can zip and zap anywhere.  It has seat warmers, so I can ride with
the top down and still be warm!!  Woo Hoo!....

Another thing is that it never runs out of gas...This little Red thing with
four wheels just keeps on going..    Hey, If I drop something, NO WORRY....I can reach everything in this here Mo-Bill


But......I must admit, you need to
be very careful ....especially when
the top is down!
And....one thing is for sure..
 you don't want to be caught in a situation
like the one Sam and I had a few weeks ago......



We were going to the Book Store and just before we approached the
intersection, the light turned RED.....So here we are, in the middle lane, heading
straight and all of sudden we have to stop.  Cars are on all sides.....    In front of us, Right there on
Broadway, it was non-stop traffic........What could we do?
We certainly could not go anywhere...

Up until then, Sam and I had both been enjoying the evening....Top down, nice weather, and just a super great evening.....Then we hear this chirping noise and when we look up........
There were hundreds of birds on the power line just above us.  

What a predicament......

Do you have any idea what birds do when they fly off?  All I could picture was big white drops
in my car, on our heads....Everywhere!

Wouldn't you know, that particular light was one of the longest red lights we have ever had to sit through.  Needless to say, we quickly pushed that little black button that makes
the top come up....I'm telling you, it was a close one and for me, that top could not go up fast enough. 

The light finally turned Green and boy did we take off....

NOW know why everybody was staring at us..
But....needless to say, we made it without one single splatter of
Poop!

Shug Sez.........

Always be aware of things around you....You just never know what Might hit you on the head!!

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...