A Quick Post....

Hello friends....

I'm gonna make this a quick post....How does that saying go?.......  "I feel like I've been run over by a freight train."

And I do!!!!

Saw the Dr. this morning.....two shots in my bottom end....and a prescription of antibiotics!  Thought by now I'd be feeling good.....BUT I DON'T.

Headache, crud, chest congested, fever, and aching all over.

It's not the Flu, but whatever it is.....I hope it passes fast!

Hope to visit you all soon....for now though....I'm staying in bed!!

Blessings,
Shug

Simply Said

What do you think of, when you hear the word 

Happiness?

Is it prosperity....pleasure....retail therapy....winning the lottery.....material wealth?

Are these the real qualities of bringing us happiness?

Are they lasting?

Simply said......Happiness is contentment!

Being content with who you are....Being content with the blessings that God has given you.

Happiness is an attitude!

Blessings...

shug ~

A+ Blog

Not only do I love blogging.......I also love arts, crafts and decorating.  

I know......!!  You would say "I don't see arts, crafts or any kind of decorating on your blog."  Isn't this right??

Sure it is....because the truth is, I haven't had time for any of these things and for this reason....I have nothing in this area to share with you.   

  I must apologize.......to those of you who do follow my blog.   I realize that I have let you down!  For the past several months, I truly have not posted many things that have come from my heart.  I've struggled with my writing and I've set aside my normal activities such as photography and being creative.   

The things that I say on my blog are important to me. I choose to talk about things that have a purpose in my life.  I post photos of things that have touched me in some way.    I'ts very important that I do my best to make this special place of mine.....come to life.....not only for me, but for each of you....MY READERS.

I feel sure that just as soon as I get my space back here at home and as soon as I am able to re-direct my thoughts towards the gifts that God has given me......I will be able to make this an A+ blog!

Hugs....Sweet Friends!!

Shug ~

His charming way of making me laugh

Last evening....I had the awesome privilege of sitting with my dad for about 5 wonderful hours!  It was just me and my dad!!

From around 6:30 P.M. until almost 12:00 midnight, I found myself being totally entertained by his "Alzheimer's Comedy Show."

What is an Alzheimer's Comedy show, you ask?  It's my dad's charming way of making me laugh, over and over again, about the same stories that he has TOLD over and over again!  Occasionally, he gets two of his stories mixed up and they blend together to make a BRAND NEW STORY!  

Last night.....I found out some very interesting things about ME.  Did you know that I used to help make moonshine?  Yep....I sure did!!   Seems that my dad's sister and (ME).....were moonshine makers!   (Heaven only knows where this came from!)   BTW...his sister died before I was born!

I also found out that my mother (The precious lady that gave birth to me) is my daughter!!!!  chuckle, chuckle!!  Oh yes, dad was a little confused last night.   

I already knew this....but it was confirmed last night....that I love my dad!!!  I'm pretty sure that he told me about 50 times that he loved me!! I would say...."I love you too" and he would say....if you love me as much as I love you...then you love me a whole, whole lot.  

and....he would say...."I love you more than you love me" to which I would reply:  "What makes you think you love me more than I love you?"  The answer (every time) was:  "Because I'm bigger than you and that's why I love you more."  

How cute is that?  It's precious!!

I'm thankful for this time that I spent with him....

He certainly is a funny kidd!!    (my maiden name was Kidd)

Happy dreams y'all....
shug

Does your hair look like this??

Thanks to the dry weather we have here in East Texas.....my skin is begging for moisture!!

Water --  Lotion --  Water  --  Lotion --  Water  --  Lotion......
I can't get enough of the stuff to keep my skin happy.  And, for some reason, it's my lips as well.   Never do I have problems with chapped lips.....until this year.

CeraVe is a wonderful product and it usually keeps my skin soft and healthy looking.  I'm not sure what is going on here....but I can sure tell a big difference this year!  I know the air is dry, because there is also a lot of static EVERYWHERE.

Don't you love it when your hair looks something like this.....

And the bad thing is.....when you brush it......the static gets even worse.

You know, the other day I was telling you about my keen abilities to smell.....  This also goes for lotions and such.....as well.

I'm not a big fan of scented lotions. I don't want to smell like a watermelon, or a lemon, or a kiwi, or a vanilla bean.

I prefer the natural.

*****

In other news..... This past Friday, my dad wanted to get his hair cut, so I decided that we would do just that.   As we were headed home on a two lane road, I met a car and just as we were passing, I heard a huge sound that nearly made me wet my pants!!

I have no clue as to what hit my windshield.....but needless to say, the thing is cracked.   What started out to be a deep gash in the windshield, is now a huge crack!

Today.....I get to spend a little bit of time at the Windshield shop!!

******

Our hearts are heavy this morning for a young (30's) couple in our church.   The guy (Phil) had the flu a few weeks ago which turned into double pneumonia.  He was in ICU here at our local hospital and then was sent to Shreveport in order for him to be connected to some special kind of equipment that would help oxidize his body.   Needless to say, yesterday was not a good day and his organs began to shut down.  

Phil passed away last evening around 8:30.  He leaves behind his precious wife and two young children.  

Please say a prayer of comfort and peace for Wendy, her children and the rest of the family.

********

May Blessings be plenty for each of you today!!

Big Hugs...

shug ~

A Weeping Gift

                           I  Absolutely 

My Surprise Gift from my sweetheart!!!

Do any of you know what this tree is called??

I had never seen one before...... until YESTERDAY.

It's a Weeping Blue Altas Cedar.   Now, to find 

the perfect spot for it.   

Thanks Sam.....for my beautiful gift!

Shug ~ 

I'm Excited As A.............

I'm excited.....I'm as excited as a Bear in a blizzard on the 4th of July!!

This is for real......Snow flakes falling on the hood of my car!!!

Yes, they are teeny tiny....but they still qualify to be called

Snowflakes!!

It is very cold outside and the wind has been blowing all day.   This afternoon, I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw some white stuff falling from the sky.  I'm thinking......Could it be snow?  Is it really snow?   

Yes sweet friends......we finally have had some snow!

Enough to fill a small bucket.......I'm talking about ALL of the Flakes combined that fell in a 10 mile radius would fit in this small bucket. 

I'm happy though......Put me in the mood for Homemade Chili.

I made a huge pot and now we have enough left over for tomorrow!!

Had to share this exciting news...

Stay warm!

Shug ~

A Nose is a Nose.......

Hello Lovely Friends.....

I have to tell you, having a keen sense of smell can be the best of the best ......  BUT .....  it can also bring about the worst of the worse.   (I don't even know if I used those two W words correctly or not)

Sam......has a terrible sense of smell    (oh wait....I want you all to know that I'm not comparing his nose to the piggy nose above)
Whew....that would get me in some deep trouble!  I just needed a picture of some kind of nose....for this post.

I'm just saying that his sense of smell is very weak!  On the other hand.....let's just say..... I wasn't blessed with strong vocal cords or anything nice like that......BUT, I did get a STRONG sense of smell.

Much like her mom.....Shanda Kay has this strong same sense.  She 
(meaning Shanda Kay)....stopped by this afternoon and she could immediately smell this odor that I have been smelling for a couple of weeks now.

Listen ladies and gents......I have searched my kitchen over for this smell.   I have cleaned everywhere....only to find nothing!!  I even put lemons and baking soda in the garbage disposal, just to make sure that the horrible smell was not lingering from that area.

What about the other folks in this house?  Were they not breathing in vapors of pig slop the same as me?  NO.....not a single one of them has said a word about the rancid smell.

While everyone was gone this evening....I launched a full size hunt for the stench.  I FINALLY FOUND IT!!!!!!!!

Under my sink.....How could I have missed it?  My cute little plastic basket that holds all of the cleaning supplies, was filled to the rim with what looked and smelled like sewer water.  (I can't believe I'm telling you this.)   Makes it sound as if I haven't cleaned in quite a while.....NOT TRUE!   I have one of these baskets under each sink in this house!!

Seems that underneath my kitchen sink.....around the garbage disposal....water has been leaking and this is why the CUTE plastic bin was filled with pig slop.....   Believe me, it smelled just as bad as it sounds.

See....if I didn't have this crazy ability to smell so good, then I would not have found this mess until the basket full of water.... ran over.  

On the other hand......ordinary smells that do not bother other people, are very offensive to me.  Like onions for example.  The smell of uncooked onions.....makes me sick at my stomach.  Honestly, they do!!

So, there you have it....... a strong sense of smell can be helpful at times.....and at other times, it's worthy of the title of being  "Despicable." 

Big Hugs Y'all.....

Shug ~

Weekend Continued......

Weekend continued:

Sunday morning.....you know how it is when you wake up in strange surroundings.   You have to kinda lay there and try to get your bearings. This my friends, is when you are allowed to make those ugly stretching faces that no one ever gets to see!   UGLY!

   Stretch those lips.....stretch that face!

Focus, focus, focus!!

I was busy getting my early morning stretches in, when suddenly, I hear this noise.......like someone is entering our hotel room.   I had no idea that I could move that fast, but I sat up in that bed as if I had just been shot out of a cannon.

Of course....I sent Sam into the other room to check!  Evidently someone had the wrong room and was trying to use their key to open the door.....SKEERED ME!!!

********

Just so happens that our High School Cheerleader Team was going to be in the same area........performing in competition.  Tyler's NEW friend.....is a cheerleader so he was coming up to watch her perform.  The competition was being held at the "Dr. Pepper Arena"  which was located in the building right behind our hotel.  

We were planning on stopping by to give our support to the team (and to see our grandson.)  LOL.

I have no clue as to what "google" Sam was looking at, but when he checked the address for the arena.....it had him thinking it was about two miles down the road.   Somehow our communication got a tad bit confused that morning.

We check out of the hotel and all along I'm thinking "Why don't we just walk 50 ft out the back door of the hotel to the "Dr. Pepper Arena?"

Anyways......we get in the car and drive two miles to find nothing.....    By this time, I direct him back around to the right location.   Well.....guess what?  The cost to park our car was going to be $10.00.  If we had just walked from the hotel, we could have left our car parked in the garage where it was overnight.       We didn't stop....we didn't go....we didn't see Tyler and we didn't support the cheerleaders!!

********

Next stop.......A place that was new to us called "I Fly."

We had to check this out.....

It's a place that teaches you to parachute!!   We watched from the observation deck for a while....I could just see myself twirling around in that tube!!!   

Pretty cool to say the least......I never did see the top of the tube, but what I do know is that it takes you up... real HIGH.  

All I could think about was the show "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory."   Do you remember when the kids drank the soda that they were NOT suppose to drink and the gas lifted them high up in that wind tunnel?  

I pictured in my mind......me being in this tunnel and getting way too close to the big turning fan at the top!!   Oh no!!!

******

Next Stop.......   "The Arrangement" at the Galleria in Dallas.

I have seen advertisements for this Unique Furniture store, for years now.   Have always wanted to go.   The furniture is quality furniture and I can honestly say that it definitely is my style......

My sweet husband was eager to take me so I could get it out of my system.....  As we walk through the doors, I immediately see several items that would definitely be on my purchase list.    

Gorgeous Turquoise leather chairs for a dining table......Two red chairs made from alligator ......A bed.....and a sofa!

Turquoise chairs......$3,100 each  (would need 6)

Red chairs.......$3,100 for one and the second one would be discounted to $1,500.

Bed.....$6,000

Sofa......$5,100

YIKES!!

We had to get ourselves out of that store.......

I would have thought I could have bought it ALL for maybe

$2,500.

Who buys furniture like this?   Not me....Not us!!

We put our feet on the fast track and got out of there.

By this time.....home sweet home was calling our names.

It was a GREAT weekend!!   Thankful for the opportunity to get away..

Hugs Y'all

Shug~

A Slider and Whiskey Cake Adventure....

I enjoyed an amazing weekend with my sweetheart this past.   In the above photo, we were sitting outside of the "Whiskey Cake" bar and grill, waiting for our table to come open.  (50 min. wait)  Sounds like some kind of  club/bar that we were at, but it's just a FABULOUS restaurant that serves FABULOUS food.  

Oh My Goodness.....these things are delicious!   Of course, country folks don't usually have their food served to them on a BRICK.  What was Sam's first question??   "What's the Brick for?" Lol.

Well.....do you see those sticks going through the middle of the slider?  They extend down through the holes in the brick and that is what holds the sliders together.  Smart thinking for City Slickers.

Here is the famous "Whiskey Cake."    

Golly.....Gee Whiz.....This thing was so RICH and sooooo tasty!

What you see is not just Pecans.....these are Sugared Pecans!!

Hey....to our Road Tripping Friends.. !  It's a "ROAD TRIP" kind of place.


We also visited the American Girl Doll Store!  You can just imagine the fun that Sam had here!!!      Really though, he was a big sport about having to be in a shop with dolls and doll furniture everywhere.....plus a hundred or so little girls whose high pitched voices DO NOT HARMONIZE!!  You know what I mean?

   Mylee's 6th birthday is Jan. 31st and so you can now see why this was a necessary stop!!   

Stopped in at the "Cheesecake Factory" for lunch.  Never, ever can you beat this place!  Guess what?  Neither of us ordered Cheesecake!   Can you believe it?   

I got an early Valentine gift!.....and I love it!!   A new Brighton purse.   Woo hoo....thank you sweetheart.  The sale ladies always treat Sam so special.   They are eager to make him comfortable with a nice chair and a cold bottle of water.  
(No dummies there.....They know who pays!)

After our shopping trip to the Brighton store, we took in a movie.   We saw the movie "Nebraska."  Good movie and I tell you......I can so relate to the whole aspect of having to deal with aging parents!  Felt like I was starring in the movie myself.   If any of you have seen this movie, then I want to clarify that I'm not the MOM character!   For sure!

Had "Fuddruckers" for dinner that night.  Crazy name isn't it?
Again.....great food here as well.   

Sounds like all we did was eat.....and I will admit that we did eat more than we usually do.  

I'm gonna stop right here for the day.....I have more to tell you about our weekend, so come on back tomorrow to hear about some high flying!

BTW....I got ahead of myself on this post! Our Sunday noon meal was at the "Whiskey Cake."  Join me tomorrow for the rest of our SUNDAY!

Blessings, 
Shug ~

Another woman

WELL........ My husband had a DATE last night with another woman!!!!   Can you believe it?   He took another beautiful woman on a dinner date.   He is the bomb!!!

I'm so proud of my sweet husband!     He is so totally awesome!   He called me yesterday afternoon and said that he had been thinking all day about this other woman and wanted me to know that he was taking her out!   I was more than thrilled.

Good choice Nina.....can't beat a good plate of shrimp!

The other woman was his precious Mother and the Best mother-in-law in the world!

I am so thankful for his kind and loving heart.

NOW...... I need your help....   I'm so disappointed that I couldn't post photos of Sam and his mom on their date.    When I blog, I use my laptop and I have no problems posting photos.

Today, Sam and I came to Dallas for an overnight trip ( a good get-away ) ......,so, I brought my iPad and for some reason.... I can not get pictures to post.  Nothing new.   I cant ever get them to come up.   My options come up as:

Select a file from

This blog

From Picasso web album

From your phone

From a URL

Do I deserve an F in this area of the technology world?    I just can't figure it out!   What do I need to do......where do I need to go??

It just will not give me an option of getting to my picture albums.    I'm a visual person and cannot
Usually understand without seeing!!!

For those of you who use your iPad .......please help me out here

Blessing Y'all
Shug

Had to Rethink my Thinking....

I love this!!!  How true it is......     and by reading this dynamite quote, you probably already have a good indication as to what my post is about today.  

Have you ever heard any of these before?  I'm busier than:


1.  I'm busier than a centipede in a toe counting contest.
2.  Busier than a one eyed cat watching two mouse holes.
3.  Busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking                chairs.
4.  Busier than a Face Book junky who has 5000 fb friends.

About a year ago, I had to rethink my thinking about the amount of time that I was spending on my laptop.   Lets see.....blogging, face booking, pinterest, surfing, emails, etc.....    All of these things were robbing me of my devotion times.   

The best way for me to begin my day is by spending time in fellowship with the Lord.   I have always been a person who loves to journal.  It's awesome to be able to look back over past years and to see the way God has moved in my life.  When I journal, it gives me the opportunity to see the bigger picture of how awesome God is.   

Without even realizing that I was robbing myself of precious time spent with the Lord, I would wake up, grab a cup of coffee and open up my computer to read about what was happening on FB.   Sad isn't it??

Thank goodness.....that the Holy Spirit quickened me to see that I had everything backwards.   

Reading the Bible....studying my devotions.....Praising the Lord....and inviting HIM to fellowship with me each day......These are the most important things in my life!

God never intended for us to let the busyness of life, REPLACE our time with HIM.



Shug ~

My New Area Rug.....Don't Be Jealous!

It's amazing how the look of a room can drastically change when using area rugs!  I know that most of you are going to be extremely jealous when you set your eyes upon the new area rug that is adorning our family room......

I'll show it to you a little later in this post.   

In this entrance hallway, the area rugs are being used not only to decorate the floors, but to also provide protection on the hardwood as people enter from the outdoors.  

Imagine how bare this bedroom would look without the area rug in the room.   

In this photo, you can see how the area rug makes a difference by allowing color to separate the furniture from the floor.

(Borrowed Photo)

You all know me.....I like a lot of boldness and this particular rug splashes so much color that it brings excitement to me and to the room.

The reward of having area rugs is that we get to reap an amazing warmth that any rug can deliver.

NOW.....for the big reveal of my new rug!!!

Perhaps I could use a finger drum roll right about now...

What do you think???

I came home the other day and found this spread out across our family room floor.    Oh yes....it adds color doesn't it???

What can I say.......Don't Be Jealous!!

I think I just intercepted your thoughts........

was something like......"Bless you Shug."

Hey.....if the family is happy, then I'm happy!

Shug...... ~

Even If I did Snore......

Even If I did snore last night...... 

 The Blessings of the Lord have made me RICH this morning.    Rich in the sweetness of life.
This is a perfectly ordinary day.....yet, I am expecting extraordinary things to happen...........!

Opportunity knocked softly at my door this morning......and I welcomed it in.  Love was it's name!  I am extremely thankful that my heart is full of love.

There is nothing quite so deeply satisfying as knowing that you can be a blessing to those that you love.  

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourself yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."
                                                                                                Matthew 5:5


How sweet it is to know that I am already ahead of my day.   Bed made......check,
Dishes done.......check,  kitchen cleaned......check, Laundry going......check, lunches made....check, breakfast served......check,  family out the door.....check, All happy with big smiles......check, Devotion read......check, Tonight's dinner in the crock-pot......check!!!!!


The older I get, the more I realize that "The More I Give Of Myself......I Need Not Seek Happiness....It Seeks Me!!"


Sprinkles of Happiness being sent your way!!

Shug ~

Burn one End!

Happy Sunday Morning, Friends...

God is soooo good.....All the time!  Bryan's surgery went well and as of yesterday afternoon, he was off of the ventilator.   Continued prayers for this awesome young man!   

What I didn't tell you is that Bryan was born with a (life Challenge)........yet he is an amazing young man.   The kid's at school have always made it their mission to see that Bryan is included in all that goes on.   I'm proud of these kids!   Bryan can melt your heart because he is so witty, so loving and so full of life!  

Thanks for all of your prayers...


                                                           ______________________



Burning the candle at both ends.......we all know what this ends up as.   Nothing good.

Today.....I am challenging myself to PUT THE FIRE OUT  on one end of my candle....

Keep the candle of life burning.......on one end!!

Happy Sunday Morning...

shug

                   Yea.....around here, the Sun is shining!


                                              

and, I'm am happy to see it!   Thank you Lord!

Asking for prayers for one of Tucker's close friends.

Bryan is 15 and he underwent Emergency open heart surgery last evening.   Bryan is a precious young guy!

Surgery went well and Dr's will be taking him off of the ventilator sometime this morning.  Please pray for his comfort and a speedy recovery.  

I so appreciate my wonderful Christian friends who are always willing to stand in the gap and pray for others. 

Hope you all have a weekend full of joy!

shug ~