Thursday, January 28, 2016

Can you believe that we are almost DONE with the first month in the year of 2016?  My...my...goodness....!!  TIME is getting away from me.   

What's happening with our weather here in East Texas?  Well.....it is much warmer than I had hoped for.   I WANT A WINTER!!  So far, we have only had a tease of Winter around here.  The weather man predicted that we could possibly have shorts and tank top weather by the weekend. 

I've been somewhat busy this week....preparing for a TEA party!  Myles Jo will be turning 8 years old this coming Sunday, and she is having a TEA PARTY Birthday!  It is going to be so stinking cute!!

When I first started blogging.....Mylee was only 2 years old.   MY....my....goodness!  Time is getting away from me!!!

Here's a quick update on my sweet dad!  It hasn't been a good week for him.  I had a phone call from his doctor on Tuesday evening.

Evidently...some time Monday night...he must have taken a hard fall.  He now has a Fractured Pelvis.   This is not a good thing for anyone and it's especially not good for an Alzheimer's patient.  

He has been in a lot of pain...and...he has been a whole lot more confused!!  He will have to be bedridden for at least 6 weeks and even after...he still could possibly do more damage if he has another fall.

Needless to say....this is going to take a lot more of my time.  The staff at the nursing home has done a fabulous job at keeping him in the bed....just not sure how long this is going to last.  He has a monitor on his bed to alert the nurses if he tries to get up.  I'm just hoping that he doesn't try to get up and take a fall before they can get to him.   Much prayer is needed!!!!

Hoping all my blogging friends are having a fabulous New Year!   It soon will be sweetheart month....Don't forget to do something wonderful for the love of your life!  And for those of you whose loved one may have already passed.....You still can do something wonderful for them!  How you say?
Put a smile on your face and reflect on the wonderful memories that you have in your heart.  God Bless each of you!

Hugs...
Shug.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Hope this Warms your day....

What better way to cheer my day, than to review our Cruise photos.....We took this cruise in September 2015 with a few of our  best friends.... 

Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Jamaica..


Beautiful waters in Jamaica!   This picture was taken at our stop to eat lunch.   It was so relaxing and I honestly wished we had had another hour, just to sit and enjoy the view and the nice breeze.


Dune River Falls......700 foot high falls.....and YES....we climbed it!  A bit challenging in some places....but, well worth the sometimes strenuous climb.


MORE of the Falls.....


And did I mention that the water was very COOL.




Taking a break in one of the water pools of the Falls.





On the ship......



Sam and I doing a little dancing!!  sure do love this guy!!


Our Crew......so much fun!!


Yummy food and desserts...


Sam and Susie....showing off their canary yellow outfits....


 On the beach in Cozumel.     We sure had a lot of laughs here.   


My sweetie in Cozumel....... 

Fun time with Best Friends.....Can't wait for our next Cruise!!  

Hope these pictures WARM your day.....

hugs, 
Shug  



Thursday, January 21, 2016

Three little Fences

I looked back in my photo archives and found three interesting fence photos....


Found this old barn...fence...and dirt road, somewhere on our travels to Branson!  I highlighted the yellow in the tree because it truly was a gorgeous sight...



The owner of this fence has a unique way of displaying LOTS of stuff!  I've never met him, but just by driving past his home, it is clear to see that he enjoys life!!  The entire yard is filled with all kinds of animals that are made from clay, wood, and iron.  


One would probably NOT be able to guess where this fence railing is located....   I was actually waiting in the drive thru line at "Chick fil a" when I noticed the lovely roses in front of the railing.   I grabbed my phone and took a quick shot of it! 

Hope you all have enjoyed these fences today!  
I'm joining GOOD FENCES today...





Shug

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Seeing the Smallest Detail

I have a fond love for ART, which makes it easy for me to admire the morning sunrises and the evening sunsets.  God's beauty surrounds us every single day!




It is my choice as to whether or not I receive those things around me as God's gift...or I can simply take everything for granted and ignore the hand of God surrounding me. 

The sweetest part of my day is when the Holy Spirit speaks to me through the Gracious Blessings that come from the Lord!  

I pray each day that my vision will be perfected in seeing even the smallest detail of what God places before me!!

Shug 

   


Saturday, January 16, 2016

Lazy, Crazy day....

Oh boy.....it has been one of those lazy, crazy days!   The wind is blowing and the chill in the air has made me want to stay curled up with my WARM tie blanket and do nothing but sip Hot Chocolate!

It was a late start for us this morning.  Sam and I both slept until 8:00 a.m.   This is way LATE for the two of us!   After finally getting up and crawling out of our warm bed...(thanks to the electric blanket).....we got dressed and made it in time to Mylee's Little Dribblers game this morning.   

She scored 11 points.....which surprised not only us....but it surprised Mylee as well.   It was a great game!   Then it was off to Quitman to watch Trey play in a Junior High game day.   It too was a great game and Trey played awesome!!

Since we have been back home....I've had a good nap and am now looking at making a pot of Chili for us to eat for dinner!   Sounds supper warm and yummy!!!  

Changing the subject here........But did you know that if you have anything that is ailing you, it is BEST not to go to the computer and look up symptoms, causes and cures????

I've had a sinus infection this past week and have since developed a ringing or buzzing in my left ear.   Gracious....I should have never looked anything up on the topic of buzzing ears.    Everything under the sun is mentioned and some of it is not what you want to hear!!  Hoping it goes away soon...along with the dizziness.   

*#$&^*()(*$@

I took a small break since starting this post and instead of making a pot of Chili.....we drove into town and had a bowl of soup at Newks!     Well....Sam had soup and I had a Shrimp PoBoy!  

That's it for me today.....   

Hugs.
Shug



Thursday, January 14, 2016

Rolling Pennies......

Well Folks.......this penny roller is not one of the three winners of the "Power Ball" last evening!

I have never purchased a ticket for the power ball.....but with the dollar amount being a billion dollars.....I decided to give it a try!

The best way for me to be a part of this, was to roll out 400 of my LONG SAVED pennies and present them to the store clerk for the purchase of two power ball tickets.   One was for me and the other was for my sweet little niece!  

I figured that my penny jar would not mind having  just a little weight lifted out of it.

I purchased my tickets on Tuesday morning and my thoughts quickly were detoured to how on earth I would spend all of this money.    



I imagined that the best way for me to deal with the hundreds of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins that I'm so Blessed to have, was to go ahead and make out the envelopes with each of their names on them.    I would include some money and a little note to let them know how much I loved them and to also inform them that IF I ever decided to give out more money....I WOULD FIND THEM!  After all....I haven't seen some of them in about 20 years.....How difficult would waiting another 20 years be???

Of course.....my kiddos would all be taken care of, with the understanding that they each finish college and get a job!   

Tops on the priority list was going to be GIVING......   
Children's Hospital.....Church.....College Scholarships.....Alzheimer's foundation........and to many other Charities that are near and dear to my heart!

I had already decided that I was going to try to help out the panhandlers that hang out on some of the street corners and at intersections.   Oh.....it wasn't going to be a give out kind of deal.....    Oh no....all of those "Will work for food" signs would be exercised!   

My awesome friends were going to be taken care of....!!  We all love to travel and we love to take little weekend trips.  Our bags would have been packed and we would have been heading out on a cruise  by the weekend.....

A few splurges for myself came to mind as well.....  like.....
The picture I have been wanting from Kirklands.   Also on my list was a new pair of tennis shoes.... a Hot Air Balloon ride.....and a trip to Alaska or maybe back to Hawaii!!!!

Unfortunately.....the odds were not in my favor!!
I don't think they were in a whole lot of peoples favor!!  LOL.

Believe me.....I didn't get too worked up when I realized that my numbers did not match!   I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice to have a FEW extra bucks.....just to do anything I wanted to do.    But the truth is...I'm happy and pretty much content with what the Lord has Blessed me with. 

How about the rest of you.....did you purchase a ticket?  Did you have plans for spending it?  

One good thing came out of this......I rolled 400 pennies!!

Shug



Sunday, January 10, 2016

What I saw, Blessed me!!!!!

Hey there sweet friends.....

It truly is a gorgeous day here in East Texas.   It might be a little cool for some of you, but for me.....The temps are Perfect!   I love seeing this gorgeous sunshine!

My sinuses are H u R T i N g.... :(    But other than that......

It's a wonderful day!!

This morning in church, my heart was truly Blessed!  As I sat there, listening to the word being shared with each of us, I looked down and this is what I saw!!



Some of you might ask....What is it?   This... my friends was Mylee Jo's  study paper from her Sunday School Class.   

We all know that at the beginning of each new school year, kids get NEW teachers!!  Right?  Right!  And, like me, I know that you all pray for your grandchildren to get a teacher that loves the Lord and Loves children!  We want our kids to experience the best year possible!!

It's not the beginning of a new school year.....It's the second week of the Spring Semester for our school kids, and Mylee's 2nd grade class is getting a new teacher!  

This can be a difficult change for some children!   Mylee is one of those kids that likes things to be in order and she just does not like chaos around her.   The change of having had several different subs in her classroom has been quite a challenge for this 7 year old.  

With all of this being said.....I understand the importance of  needing God's help in taking care of this problem.  This is a BIG deal for her and I so appreciate that she knows that God can help her!     

I believe that the prayers of small children are Powerful....

God knows how her little heart is feeling and HE knows how to give her comfort.   

I am so thankful that Mylee's parents are Christians and that they know how important it is to have their children in Sunday School and Church.   

Please pray with me that Mylee's new teacher will be a compassionate and loving teacher.   I also pray that this new teacher will be led of God, as she comes into this classroom each and every day.   

Yes....God helps us solve problems.....we only need to have childlike Faith and believe that the smallest of prayers does not go unheard.   God hears Every prayer!!

Blessings!

Shug


Thursday, January 7, 2016

A simple Fence

........  BE  YOURSELF!!!   Because an ORIGINAL is worth more than a copy!     





........  Enjoy the Blessings of this day!!

Joining "Good Fences" today......





Shug!!


Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Hearing and Believing.

God is truly awesome!!

I love to go to the farm and ride around on the gator with Sam.....and this is exactly what we did over the weekend.   We got to the farm around 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, with the intention of riding and just checking on all the fields.   

However.....we found ourselves distracted by a huge "Buck" that was crossing one of the fields in front of us.   Sam hurriedly got his gun.....but the rifle jammed and the deer was gone before he could get it unjammed!!   Shoot.....as in shoot, he missed!!!

We then decided to ride over to check the corn in the deer feeder, located in the far back field.   Just before getting there, Sam decided to get off of the gator and walk around the woods, to the feeder.

I stayed on the gator.....and started playing "Words" on my phone.   I suddenly hear a loud shot and as I look up, Sam is waving for me to drive up to where he was located.    Sure enough.....he had killed a "spike" deer!!   YEA!!   Deer meat for the freezer!!

God is so good!!

The next day.....we go back out to the farm.....just to ride around.  Before I know it, we are tracking another deer.   Yes, another big buck.....but not the same as the first one we saw the day before.   Suddenly.....the thing steps out in the clearing.....but it was too far away.    No Deer that day.

We get back to the truck just as the sun was going down.....only to find that we had a flat.   Not a flat on the gator.....a flat on the truck that we needed to get home in.    Needless to say.....it took a while to get the flat changed, due to the ground being so uneven.   Sam had to do a lot of moving around (on the ground) in order to make sure that the jack did not move and fall,  in the lose soil where the truck was parked.    BTW...I was so cold as I stood out there and tried to be a big HELP to him.

 I was so ready to get back in the truck and get home!!   We make it  home and Sam realizes that he had lost his hearing aid!  Yep....he has to have one to be able to hear out of his left ear.   Oh my......this is huge, because these things are not cheap!

We decided to go back out to the farm to look for it, but after discussing the matter for a few moments, we decided to wait until  the next afternoon.    Sure enough....we make our way to the farm on Monday evening, with Sam telling me the entire way out there, that we would  Never be able to find the thing!

I assured him that I could find the thing.   As we step out of the truck, I look down.....only to see that the ground is covered with tiny small leaves that were the same color as his hearing aid.   I walk over to the spot were he had changed the flat and I remember saying......"Dear Lord, this is important.  Please give me the vision to find this hearing aid."  

Within ONE MINUTE.....I had found the thing!  AMAZING!!  No scratches, No moisture, Nothing....the thing worked perfectly!!

I need to say again, that God is Awesome!!!  We (Sam and I) are both so very thankful for the favor of God!   

I have been so excited to share this with all of you!!

Hugs,
Shug


Friday, January 1, 2016

Good Luck and Wealth........

Black-eyed peas and Cabbage.   How many of us really know the reason that we find it necessary to eat Black-eyed peas and cabbage on New Years Eve?   Or.....Is this just a Texas thing????

                                                                                      Pinterest.....

What I know is that my great grandparents, my grandparents and my parents......ate them on January 1st each year, for GOOD LUCK and for MONEY!!   And now.....my family eats them for Good Luck and Wealth.   Even my two grown daughters feed all of this deliciousness to my grandchildren!!

Will each of our grandkids pass this tradition down to their children??  I'm guessing so!!!

In my case.....the great thing is......I love cooked cabbage and I love Black-eyed peas.  No problem in me eating these two dishes on New Years day.....or any other day for that matter.   

Another interesting thing that I know is this!  No matter what the coming year holds for me and my family.......GOD IS IN CONTROL.    Sure, HE gives me the opportunity to make good choices or bad choices......BUT, if I seek HIM on a daily basis.....and I ask HIM to direct every step I make, THEN.....I can rest assured that I am going to be Victorious!


We have a brand New Beginning right before us! 

Happy New Year to each of you!  May we all recognize the daily Blessings that are given to us so freely.   And....may we always be quick to give God the Glory that HE deserves!

Shug!

Sunday Thinking

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