Birthday and a Busy Weekend....

Happy   4th    Birthday 

Miss  Mylee Jo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Can you guess who will be spoiled today?  Yep.....you got it.

Mylee is four today! 

  It was a very busy weekend and a busy start to the week.  

 Our 21 day fast is now over.

What an amazing 21 days it was.  There has been such a sweet awareness for me as to just how much the Lord loves me.  I am so very Blessed.

Sam and I both plan to continue this journey of our new way of eating.  We figure that eating healthy can only bring about good benefits for us.  We both have felt very good while eating more veggies and fruits .....AND, less meats.

Not to say that we won't enjoy an occasional steak, or that this way of eating will put a halt to our social life of being able to enjoy meals with our friends.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam, Mylee and I left this past Sunday afternoon, and headed to Louisiana for a "Work" trip.

Once we made it to Alexandria, Louisiana, we took a short 15 minute break to visit...none other than...."The Silver Dollar Pawn."

You know.....as seen on TV!  It's one of those new reality type shows, kinda like "Storage Wars or Swamp People."

I was so excited to be able to stop in and get a picture of Sam  with Jimmy (the owner) ....BUT, when we arrived, the first thing I noticed was a big sign that said:  "NO CAMERAS!"

I was a wee bit disappointed.

Check out their sign!  I was happy to see this.....   

                                  

This was my time to ever visit a Pawn Shop and I was very surprised to see all the inventory that they have.

There was some good stuff in there!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early Monday morning, it was time to get on with WORK.

We had to load our trailer with Pecans.......P-cans, as some would say.      Here in TEXAS, the pronunciation is 

pah-cons.

These are used to grow the pecan trees....

Even though I carried my computer with me, I decided to

take a break and just enjoy the trip......

So....this is what I've been up to! 

Sweet, Sweet hugs...

shug

I Need Help.....Now.

Elementary.....Yes, all this computer stuff is elementary work for most of you, but for me....it is definitely challenging to say the least!

As a matter of fact, I am STRESSED with all the new changes taking place everywhere.......

First it was blogger....then it was picnik....and who knows what else. I have learned so much since I have been blogging, but I am now beginning to believe that I can't keep up with it all!

I changed to firefox and will honestly say that it's ok, but for a person like me, I need it to be better than ok! Now picnik is changing and this really messes things up for me! How am I gonna change my header pictures!

Yes, I know this does sound elementary to most of you, but right now I just don't have all the extra time it takes for long drawn out computer lessons...Besides, I'm a visual learner, and definitely not one that learns by reading things.


So...in order for me to keep up with this blog, I NEED HELP with the following questions.....I also need help with simple stuff (P-llllleeeeeaaaassssseee)


1. photo editing.....what is the next easiest place for me to go to edit my photos and to make cute things for my blog...How do I put a header together? Picnik was so easy and I need simple directions.

2. FREE sites......I need some sites that allow you to grab some cute and unusual
buttons. Christian sites...fun sites....interesting sites.

3. Links......This is something I know very little about! What happens if I want to participate in a party? For example: On Sunday's, there are some really cute parties with many different topics. What if I want to join two or three different parties. How do I get the post that relates to that party to go to their link without having to post it on my blog that day.....(say I have an old post about barns and want to join a barn party, can I post without having to have that come up as my post for the day?)

4. How do you make your own button? sounds so simple when I read directions, but I just can't get it to work.


5. How do you add cute little red hearts and other cute symbols on your post?



SEE.....I TOLD YOU THAT I REALLY AM NOT VERY COMPUTER SAVVY! IT ALMOST SOUNDS AS IF I AM A NEW BLOGGER, BUT WITH OVER 750 POST, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT I'M NEW...I JUST HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY MANY FRIENDS THAT HAVE HELPED AND ALSO BY HAVING THE USE OF SIMPLE PLACES TO GO.

DON'T GET ME WRONG....IT'S NOT THAT I WANT YOU ALL TO DO MY HOMEWORK FOR ME....I JUST NEED YOU TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND...

I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY BLOGGER OUT HERE THAT HAS WANTED TO ASK A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS FOR A VERY LONG TIME NOW.......IF ANY OF YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT: sapco5@earthlink.net or leave me a comment!

Thanks for all your help

Shug

He Knows My Name....

Goooood  Morning Friends!  The sun is shining and I just know it is going to be a beautiful day.....I'm expecting!

No.....not a baby.....I'm expecting a day filled with  power packed bundles of happiness......

                                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Do you know just how important our names are?  Just think about it....Our name is one of the very first things that people want to know when we are born.....When we first started our adventure at school, our name was very important.  The teacher needed to know  Our Name for her enrollment book.  

Everywhere we go, people call our names....We patiently wait for the nurse to call our name when we go to see the doctor.  And, oh, oh, oh.......we all love to hear our name called when we are standing there waiting to be chosen for a special team or honor....

 What about the long line at a restaurant?  Standing in line is not something that most of us like to do, and especially when we are hungry!   Many times, on any given day, our name is called......


I am so very thankful that the creator of the Universe knows my name.  As a matter of fact, He created ME in a very special way.  OH, YES HE DID .....  I am His and he loves me unconditionally!   THE LORD KNOWS MY NAME!

But now, this is what the Lord say...he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:  "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine."          Isaiah 43:1 

Blessings,
shug

Letter To God......

Have you ever written a letter to God?  I'm not sure that it really makes sense to do something like this...God already knows our hearts and He knows the things that weigh heavy upon us. 

During my fast, I really feel as if this is exactly what I've been doing....Writing to God each day....trying to understand the things that I do not understand....Trying to understand why some prayers are not answered!

Is God pleased with the Faith that I claim to have?  Am I really living with the Hope that I talk about?

What I have discovered about myself, is that I am just like many other people.   I feel tempted from time to time to throw my hands in the air and give a big shout  ...."I Quit."

But what would I be quitting?  If I quit praying, then I am denying myself the opportunity to believe that God even hears me.  If I quit reading the bible, then I am the one that goes unfed...  It is hard to understand that the Source of our strength and our Provider in all things is already with us.  But....When a situation seems hopeless, it is difficult to not grow weary and lose strength. 

 I feel as if I am missing something here?  Perhaps I have not understood what exactly it is that I am suppose to pray.  Is there a certain word I have to say or is there a specific request that I have to ask  in order for this need to be met?   If the need was for ME, it might be a little easier to understand , but when you are diligently praying for someone else, and there seems to be NO answers, it becomes a little harder to comprehend.  It's not as if I am selfishly asking for something.....

I have repeatedly gone before God and ask His favor upon a loved one who is not saved, yet this prayer remains unanswered.  I do know that fasting and praying is a very powerful spiritual combination and I also know that PRAYER IS THE BATTLE.......I AM DETERMINED TO SEE AND CLAIM THE VICTORY IN THE LIFE OF THIS LOVED ONE.........SO I WILL PRAY EVER CHANCE I GET!

We are told in Scripture to keep trusting and believing in all of our trials even when we don’t see the answer. 

Daniel the prophet fasted for the fulfillment of God's promises, and received mighty revelations from God.

So, I suppose my question is:  Am I giving God the diligence to assist Him in the answers that I long for?

God wants us to rely on His love.....He wants us to Trust Him.....He wants us to believe and have Faith.

Isaiah 40:31

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.  They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

 TEACH ME LORD .....TEACH ME LORD TO WAIT!

I'm praying for a soul to be saved!

Shug......

Farm Fun.....

Let me play in the sunshine; Let me sing for joy;

Let me grow in the light; Let me splash in the rain,

And remember the days of my childhood forever!

 

Ever once in a while, it's OK to give into your lazy side by spending time out doors and just playing around.....

Old vines......What sweet memories....of days when as a child, me, my siblings, cousins and friends would spend hours swinging and playing on the old wild muscadine vines.  

These made for some of the best playground equipment EVER!

 

This past Monday evening, Sam and I went to the farm and tagging behind, was Shanda, Carson, Trey and Mylee....

They all wanted to take the John Deer "Fun" machine out for a little spin.........

 

The question at hand;  WHO was going to get to drive first?

and the winner was Shan....We toured and explored, up and down the cow trails.....looking for all sorts of things......

 

and look what we found.....a "Golden" mushroom, growing out from underneath a dried up pile of cow poop!

The kids were convinced that this little thing was worth 

hundreds of dollars! 

And then we happened upon a "Soul of the South"

playground!!

We had found them!  Vines.....and what a jungle gym it was.

Big huge vines, twisting every which way.....

 

Mylee Jo, loved them....as a matter of fact, she wanted to go back to the "Farm Tree House" again yesterday.....

 

We had so much fun entertaining ourselves while riding and bouncing, all over the farm....

We watched the longhorns as they swung their BIG ol' LONG horns back and forth, while trying to keep each other from getting one more pellet of food....

 

But, the best part of all, was creating those "Days of Childhood" memories, that these kids will remember 

ALWAYS......

How beautiful it is to be Alive!!

Warm hugs, dear friends...

Shug.... 

 

 

 

Loving Roosters...

 

Hey y'all.....I want to give out a big shout of congratulations to Marty over @ A Stroll Thru Life for her 100th Table Top Tuesday celebration party!  She is such a gracious host!

Thanks Marty!

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com 

 Roosters are popping up everywhere....They seem to be crowing about something!  Could it be the next "Must Have?"

 

I must admit.....I am pretty crazy about them myself.

I have always loved chickens and roosters.  Just the other day, I was telling Sam how much I really would love to have some chickens.....His response was: "Where would you put them?"   

Being that we live right smack dab in the middle of town, I did understand that question very well.....but surely a chicken or two running around in my "fenced in" backyard wouldn't cause that many problems!!

 

Now mind you, I don't really know very much about chickens.....but I do know that I would love to have 

fresh eggs for breakfast some mornings.  

For all you chicken folks....I would love to know if they (the chickens) will lay eggs without a rooster?  Or, would I have to have a rooster to boot?

 

I can see how, having a rooster in town might 

cause some problems with my neighbors......I would enjoy the early morning crowing, but for my neighbor that sleeps until noon, I think this might be a NOT SO GOOD thing....

For me, there is something satisfying, rejuvenating and comforting about hearing a rooster crow.  This sound reminds me of all the happy times I had as a child, while visiting at my aunt's house.

 

Maybe I need a farm!?  But....I don't really want a whole lot of chickens....just a couple...with 2, that would be an egg for me and an egg for Sam.   Hmmmmm....now that I think about it, I might would need 3 or 4 chickens.....

Oh well.....good thoughts here....and something good

to "Crow" about!

~ ~ ~

Hope you enjoy all the daily joys that surround us!!

shug........

 

 

 

 

Living By Faith

 

"Living by Faith"

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith....and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God....not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  

                              Ephesians  2:8-10

We are to live by faith...not by sight.

To walk in faith means to live in the confident expectation of things that are to come.  We need to abide in Christ and allow HIM to abide in us.  

Our thinking needs to be acceptable to the ways of God.

We must rely on HOPE...We must OBEY....and We must Trust God...

Have a happy day....

Shug....  

Don't Give Up....

What's for lunch today?  Stir Fry and Brown rice......7 days to go on the church fast!  I can do it!
              
              ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Many times, we feel like the frog......too deep and too far over our head to feel that we can survive.....and then, there  is the crane....Has he bitten off more than he can chew!  Yikes!  Looks like he is in some kind of trouble.....

But.....WE MUST NEVER GIVE UP!


In life, we cannot wait until we think everything is going to be perfect..  Cause, it never will be!
There will always be life challenges, obstacles, low funds, and less than perfect conditions for us.    DON'T WAIT.... 

So what if things don't look good?  So what if people tell you that YOU CAN'T?  BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.....BELIEVE YOU CAN!  DON'T GIVE UP!!!

In your steps to move forward, you will grow stronger and stronger, and more and more skilled.  Then you will be able to gain much more self confidence which will only lead to success.......DON'T GIVE UP!!

HUGS,
shug.....

900 wins!!  Congratulations to you....Coach Griffin!

Coach Griffin got his 900th win last night at the Brownsboro High School gym.   He is the head coach of the girls high school, varsity basketball team.  

I am proud to say that both of our girls can be counted in, as a part of the contribution for these wins.  They played for Coach Griffin during their high school years.  Way to go Coach!!!

                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

How cute is this??   Where would we be without friends?

A friend is someone who knows each song in our heart, and will sing it back to us when we forget the words.


Have a fantastic Saturday....

shug

Oh What a Day!

After a day like yesterday, I definitely feel like I need to locate that cute little pink trailer and lock myself in it for a few days.......(sorry....no photos today)

I had two grandchildren home from school.......SICK!  Tyler has fever, walking Pneumonia, a bronchial infection, and a terrible headache.  Tori, was home with a bad headache and tummy ache.  

Of course, It was a school day for Miss Mylee Jo, and she had to be at school by 9:30.  I dropped Mylee off, then rushed home to make sure the other two where doing OK...(don't really like to leave them alone when they are sick....even if Tyler is 16)

Stopped and picked up a few groceries in order to fix lunch for the two sick ones and then came home, to start my day in the kitchen.....

Cooked a delicious new soup for the fast that Sam and I are on!  It does not have a name, but one thing I know, it was very good....I have never cooked with Tofu or Humus, but I used them both in this soup.  Great flavor!

Had to have 3 dozen cookies made before lunch for Trista to pick up for the varsity boys basketball team.  Who doesn't love chunky chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies......
Let me tell you, this was pure torture for me!!  

Not only was I baking cookies and cooking soup, I had to fix lunch for the sick ones. Shug's homemade Mac n' cheese to the rescue....it always makes them feel better.

Stopping Point....I created a stopping point, because I had to drive back into town to pick Mylee up from school....

Back home by 1:45 and it was back into the kitchen for me....
Time to finish baking the cookie dough that I had left over and time to start preparing the evening meal for my two sick babies.  I was basically in the kitchen all afternoon!
I guess I was making up for all the loss time of not being in the kitchen over these past few months.....


So, between cooking, baking, cleaning the kitchen, taking temps, measuring out meds, rubbing backs, constantly making sure that they had plenty to drink, running my taxi cab, keeping the vaporizer going, and all the other little things that go along with being a nurse, I was exhausted by the end of the day!

But wait....it didn't end there!  Oh no.....I had multiple problems with blogger.....Nothing but blank pages!  

A BUSY, BUSY, BUSY DAY!!

Here I am today.....ready to take on whatever the day holds, because:               


When I have a need, I can focus my full attention on the goodness and greatness of our Heavenly Father rather than on the size of my needs.  Then suddenly I realize that my needs are so small compared to His ability to meet them....


xoxo


Shug......





 

 

Need some help...

Ok....am I the only one that is seeing some changes on my blog?  I have a pop up at the top of my page which says my browser is no longer supported by blogger...?? anyone else?
What is google chrome?

shug

Shug's Retreat....

Oh Yeah baby!......This is refreshment for my soul!

A girls only,  get-away lodge......Simple and quiet....a great place to relax.  Pink to boot!!

Is this not the cutest little trailer?  I could see myself spending a weekend in this thing.   On the front, I would hang a sign that said...."Shug's Retreat"  ..... (Occupancy - 1)

I do love simple things....and I have discovered that it truly is a blessing when we take time to notice the simple treasures in this great big world that we live in.
We really are surrounded by limitless amounts of simplicity in life.  All it takes, is for us to slow down and appreciate them.

We just need to be glad in life and not allow ourselves to get into such a frenzy over the small stuff,  that at the end of day, really did not matter anyways.    We can even create (SIMPLICITY) in our daily actions.....  We can Bless someone today....we can touch a heart....we can add a smile to someone's face and bring much delight to our own hearts.

I just love this word......SIMPLE!    

At all times, I wish you happiness....

Warm hugs,
shug....

Aliens Are Here Again!

The Aliens are here again! Alien trees that is...........

 You just do not see that many Palm Trees here in East Texas.

They are not native to our part of the country. 

 These trees were transplanted here from a part of the country where they were probably field grown and the area was compatible to their growing needs.

In the picture above, these palms are a part of the landscape at a shopping center in the middle of town.  They have to be nurtured and taken care of during the winter months.

Texas weather is so unpredictable and on any given day during the winter months, it can be in the upper 70's and quickly drop into the 30's with just a change in the wind direction.....

I have seen these trees wrapped in their famous silver attire, unwrapped and wrapped again, all within a 10 day period of time.  Needless to say, they are carefully nurtured!

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

Isn't it wonderful, how God nurtures us in such a loving way.

When we find ourselves carrying a heavy load and feeling so burdened, God wraps us in His loving arms and gives us strength to rise up and soar with wings as eagles.

I can lean against my Heavenly Father and feel relaxed in knowing the He will care for me, protect me and cover me with His hands.....

Make everyday the BEST....

shug......

What Is He Up Too?

Hmmm...What could he be up to?

I stepped outside last evening, to see if I could capture some good

outdoor pictures....

Nothing much here....just a few old husk from my

Crepe Myrtle tree......

This is kinda nice....a bird nest that once housed some

sweet little, chirping birdies.

Then....

As I turned the corner at the edge of the house, this is what I found!    At 4:45 in the afternoon??

Sam....sweeping and cleaning out the garage.

I know for sure, that something is up.  For one thing, he never

would just come home and start cleaning out the garage on a Monday.  Second of all, he doesn't sweep!  Ever, NEVER!

He was working so hard, moving stuff around....packing things up, so very nice and neat....throwing things away.....making things look spic and span!

Oh wow....I have no clue what is going on, but whatever it is, I love it!  I'm calling the doctor, if today he comes home and starts cleaning again.....I'll know for sure that he isn't well!

But....What could be going on?  I have a sneaky suspicion that he is up to something.

???????????????

Could it be the new foods in his diet?

Who knows!

Many Blessings being sent your way..

Shug

All About Labels....

Surely in this big world that we live in, filled with

so much technology, there is another way!!

Another way to grocery shop, without having to read

every single label....but yet, benefit from the most nutritious

items...I guess we just need to go FRESH.

While being on this fast, I have learned so very much about the contents in the foods that I normally purchase without giving it a thought.....Take sugar for example....It is very difficult to find anything that does not contain SUGAR.

The label may not read Sugar....but there are plenty of other words like fructose, cane syrup, corn syrup,  syrup, etc, etc, etc. that are the tell tell signs that our diet is full of sugars!

And how about Sodium.....Salt if you will!

Just take a look at this label...310 mg of sodium and this is

just from one can.  The fast that we are on calls for "Sea Salt"

only.  This limits a whole lot of foods!

No Salt, No Sugar!!

There it is....Corn syrup!  Of course, we all know that the sweeteners are what makes all this food so tasty!

Honestly speaking....having to stop and read labels is very annoying for me....I do want to cook healthy, but I am just like most of you....I don't have time to spend three hours at the grocery store...

We are eating healthier right now and we are doing without all those sugars and salts....Sam and I both feel better, but it definitely requires a lot of work to eat right.  Just take for example...I have been drinking coconut milk this past week...

This is something that I would never have thought of doing before we started this fast.  And, I must say it is very good!!

I want my approach to food to become more about the benefits, rather than the taste.

Are you a label reader?  Do you have a better way of feeding your family healthy foods?  I'd love to hear about them....

Have a Blessed Day...

Shug