Texas Christmas

 A True Texas Christmas!   

Everyone knows that a true Texas Christmas needs to include an oil well or maybe two!!!...

Isn't this cute?  Someone did a great job creating this.  

I'm posting a few December photos....  In this first picture, Mylee jo decided that she wanted to make a German Chocolate cake.....from scratch.  My kitchen may have been a mess when she finished, but the outcome of the cake was Awesome!!  She may just be a little Baker!!

We had Christmas with Sam's parents last weekend and the 4 granddaughters sang "Rudolph" for them.  They are both 93 years old and the girls have sang this for them every year for the past 40 plus years.  

Isn't it amazing how the smallest of things can bring such joy to others?

Here are a few pictures from around our cozy home....

I truly love 💙 our Country style home!  Sam and I both enjoy collecting antiques and I use a lot of the things that we collect in my decorating.  

Here is a picture of our house all lit up at night....

The "RED" lights really are beautiful.....

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.  

Shug.....🎄

Simple Life

 "Life is Really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

             

             "Childhood means Simplicity.  Look at the world with the child's eye - it's very Beautiful."

                                               Kailash Satyarthi

"I prefer the simple things and I love walking in the countryside, or going camping....But simplicity is hard.  It's easier to over complicate things..."

                                         Bill Bailey

Oh how I need to read this last one over and over again.  I have a tendency to over complicate things on a daily basis.  Seems that this year, I truly have opted to go for the more simplicity way of life.  

Our grandson and his lovely wife are what I would call "Minimalist" and to be honest, it looks pretty good on them.  

If they don't need it, they don't get it!!  If it's not something that brings joy and happiness to the family....they don't want it.  They save for the important things in their lives and they do not go into debt to satisfy themselves.

They are very family oriented, and just enjoying the outdoor way of life.  Mind you, they do not go without, they just have a different way at looking at living a simple life.  

The Tree in my header photo is a tree that I have in our Bedroom.  A simple Christmas tree with white lights.  I chose not to decorate it, because I love the simplicity of how it looks. 

There is such a feeling of Peace and Joy when you satisfy your heart without putting pressure on yourself.  

 

Hope you too will enjoy the Simple!!

Shug! 💜

Well......ready or not....Christmas will be here before we know it!!  

Thought I would share a few pictures of my decorations.  I really haven't done much this year, but it is enough to make us happy!

 I really enjoy decorating with all kinds of Trees and lots of greenery!!

And of course....lots of good snacks and candy......

                     🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

It might be true that I have Six decorated Trees in the house and I'm planning on getting a big tree for my back porch!

It has been a LONG time since we have had a REAL, LIVE Christmas tree and I think the back porch, by the pool will be a perfect spot for a beautifully decorated tree.

The fragrance of a Christmas candle gives such a warm sweet smell and a cozy feeling in the house.  I always burn the "Holiday Cheer" candle by Circle E candles.  

I am really fond of this "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" sign, and the RED brightens up the bookshelf.  

Our Christmas Tree is filled with glass icicles and silver stars.......a few silver deer, red berries and Christmas balls.

I had this Reindeer Snack jar out the other day and when our grandson (Trey) opened the jar, there was NOTHING in it! Ooops....I can assure you that it was filled the very next day.  

You just can't have NO COOKIES when the grandkids drop by!  

(It was a SHUG mistake)

I am certainly going to enjoy this Christmas season......

🌲🌲

The smell of a fresh Trees.  🌲

Sweet smelling fragrances. 💛

Lights...  🔆   Cookies.....🍪

Decorating...... 🎉🎄.  

Wrapping Packages....🎁

Time with Family....💟

and First and Foremost....

"The Birth of Jesus Christ"

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

So Many things to Love about this Season!!!

He who has not Christmas in his heart, will never find it under a tree!!!

Shug....💙

Fall Decided to Show Out

 Hey Friends..... Fall decided to show out this past week!  We had some cooler temps earlier this month, so I am guessing that helped with making the colors more vibrant.  

Our Fall colors are not quite like what you would see in the North, but....they are still very pretty.

I rode with Sam, down to the Farm this morning and I was in Awe of just how beautiful it was down there.  I go with him often, but usually not to this side of the Big Farm.  

This is what I normally see!!  Trees that have already been dug and bundled..   These are out of the Hill Yard, ready for sale.

We have had so much rain lately, which has caused a delay in a lot of the digging of the trees at the Farm.

A view of the road as we were driving to the Farm.   This is actually only about 4 miles from where we live.  

I truly could see God's Beauty this morning...Absolutely Gorgeous!

Happy Sunday!!

Shug...💛

Soup Recipe

 Posting the recipe for the Vegetable Beef Soup:

1 chopped onion

Tbs. oil

1 lb of hamburger meat

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 black pepper

Saute onions and then add Hamburger meat to brown.  Add seasonings. Mix

1 can rotel

1 can chicken broth

2 cans sliced carrots

2 cans green beans

1 can corn

Potatoes as desired

1 can English peas

1 can navy beans

1/2 ketchup

Add above ingredients and let soup simmer about 30 minutes.

* I sometimes add a tsp of sugar and more chili powder to taste.

Always better the second day!!

Shug....🍲

Brrr...Good Warm Food

 You can't just EAT good food......you have to talk about it too!!!   

                   💛💛💛💛💛

It is a cold day here in East Texas.....what better way to warm up is there, than having a nice hot bowl of Vegetable Beef Soup!!  

Enjoy this Beautiful Day!

Shug 🥕

THANKSGIVNG FOODS

 CRANBERRIES!!.........

One of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is the Cranberry salad!

Seriously, just looking at this picture sets me on fire about our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.  

My mom ALWAYS made the congealed, cranberry salad, complete with pecans.  Guys, don't seem to enjoy this dish as much as they do the plain ol' cranberries, straight out of the can.

My second most favorite dish is the Cornbread Dressing!!

Not just any dressing........It has to be the Southern dish of dressing......with plenty of sage!

A pan of cornbread, eggs, boiled eggs, celery, onions, white bread, chicken broth, and of course, a little bit of chicken.   AND.... the SAGE, pepper, salt and maybe a little bit of poultry seasoning. 

All this with some good cooked Giblet Gravy! 

My goodness.....this is some fine eating.

Corn is a must on the table.  I'm almost positive, (without being there with the pilgrims in person,) that there was CORN at the first Thanksgiving feast. 

YUM and YUM!  

MY FAMILY TREATS THIS LITTLE DISH LIKE IT'S A DESSERT, AND IT BASICALLY TASTE LIKE ONE...(I THINK)

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE.

One thing about this dish is that it can be refrigerated and reheated as often as need be.  We usually eat on the leftovers the rest of the week after Thanksgiving.

My least favorite thing to make ......

Deviled Eggs!  I didn't say my least favorite thing to eat, cause goodness knows that I love them!

I just find them so challenging for me.  Sometimes the peel comes off of the eggs perfectly, and sometimes it is a nightmare to get them off.  

Here is just a small list of the other Thanksgiving Foods/drinks that my family enjoys..

1.  green bean casserole

2.  Pistachio salad

3. cherry fluff salad

4. English Pea Salad

5. Creamed Potatoes

6. Rolls

7.  Ham & Turkey

8. Pies of all kinds

9.  German Chocolate Cake

10.  Southern Sweet tea

All of this can truly be a feast, and the entire family loves for me to cook as much of it as I can.  Our Thanksgiving LUNCH, turns in to a Thanksgiving Dinner as well, and I can assure you that there are very few leftovers!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I am so very Thankful for family and friends...

Shug 🍲

November is here and we are getting so close to Thanksgiving!  I truly enjoy everything about Thanksgiving.....The reason we celebrate this day, the food, family, traditions, more food, and much more!   

AND.....I really enjoy Thanksgiving when the weather is cool/cold and what I like to call......comfy sweater weather!

I love seeing a big ol' basted brown turkey on the table, however, I will admit that I am not a turkey eater!  

The only Turkey meat that I somewhat like is a "Greenberg Turkey!"  I'm almost certain that most of you have heard of these.  At one time, this Turkey was on Oprah's favorite things list.  

Thanksgiving is such a special time, but I feel like this holiday kinda gets cheated, because so many people like to decorate for Christmas EARLY!!!!!  

I actually stopped by Hobby Lobby this afternoon, and just turned around and walked out!!  There were about 10 checkers, and at least 20 people deep in all lines, checking out FULL buggies of Christmas Decor!!

My Neighbor across the street from me.......HAS HER CHRISTMAS TREE UP........ ALREADY!!!

I went over to check out her tree this past Friday, and her entire house (inside) is totally decorated for Christmas.  Of course, she showed me the placemats that she is using for her Thanksgiving meal, and they do say "Thankful" and have Fall colors on them.  

How many of you put your Christmas Tree up before Thanksgiving?  

I sometimes do and then there are other years when I wait until the day after Thanksgiving.  

I love the smell of fresh cut trees, but in Texas you just don't dare put up a fresh tree early.  

The thing I enjoy most about the tree, are the lights.

I love a lighted tree in the room as it gets dark outside.  

I'm thinking that I'll wait to put my tree up this year.  I have so many projects that I'm working on right now, that I honestly do not have the time to even thing about getting the tree out of storage.  

If I lived up North where it snows a lot, and the weather is cold, I might keep a live, lit tree in our living room all winter!  Love the Smell, Love the lights!!

Just pondering some thoughts about the Holidays!!

Shug...🎄🦃

 When you are the first to Laugh at yourself....Everyone else Laughs with you!

Today has been one of those "Laid Back" kind of Sunday's.   Church this morning was AWESOME and the afternoon has been so very peaceful.  

Nothing like having time to play on your phone as you watch Football.  By the way, The Dallas Cowboys did win their game today!

I played with the snap chat filters this afternoon and I have laughed at myself several times with all of the Halloween faces.   Witches, goblins, and ghost are not my kind of thing, but these crazy snap chat options are funny.

A little "Black eye" action going on in this photo....

I thought this one was cute.... with the pink and turquoise eyes, and of course the red nose.   

I am completely admitting that this one makes me feel like "Be-Witched" ..... Y'all remember that old show, don't you?   Something about the eyes!!   LOL. 😂😁

                                    

                                        

               Oh Jeepers.....Totally NOT my style!!

    "You Don't stop laughing because you grow Older...You grow older because you stop laughing." 

Maurice Chevalier

        

                                       

             Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall....who's the 

                              Funniest gal of all...?                                    

Purple Eyes...

They are pretty, but could you really imagine having purple eyes?  

"The Most Beautiful eyes are those that can see beauty in others!"

And with Snap Chat, your wrinkles can disappear with just a click of a button!!  LOL

I hope you all can enjoy my laughter!

Shug...💜

I have a couple of great nieces who attended the school Fall Festival last evening.  Seeing them dressed up in their costumes was such fun, because they both had huge smiles on their little faces.  The oldest one was dressed in a "Ghost Busters" outfit......the youngest was a big Stay Puft Marshmallow.  

I like how the schools allow the kids to enjoy the Fall season by hosting events such as the Fall festival.  It takes a lot of hard work by parents, the PTO, as well as the staff of the school, to make this all come together. 

Look how cute this is for a photo shoot!!  

There are so many activities for the kids to do, however, I feel that their favorite part is getting lots of candy and prizes.  They also love seeing their friends dressed up in various costumes.  

What a great time to celebrate ALL THINGS FALL!

What Would be your favorite??

Pumpkin Bag Toss?............  Pull a String? ......... 

                          Bobbing For Apples?

Pumpkin Decorating? ........   Scarecrow Relay?....

                 Treasure in a Haystack?.........

Hay Ride?........      Eating Corndogs?.....   Hay Maze?......

           Cakewalk?.......  Face Painting?.......   Games?.......

Candy Corn Count?.......   FOOD?...........   Ring Toss?.......

                       Walk the Plank?.........

Pumpkin Patch Walk?.......          Pumpkin Bowling?....... 

So Many things to do!  Find a festival and have some fun!!    

Shug....... 💛

All in Dogs Life

Animals are a gift from above, for they truly define the words "Unconditional Love."    

                                                                                              Heather Wolf

If I were a dog, I would definitely want to live in our daughter's home!  They actually have 4 dogs, but for some reason, I only got pictures of the three.

The white one is" Missy" and her breed is a Cockadoodle.

and I think she is 6 months old.  The Black dog is "Remi" and she in about a year old.  Both of these two are Chewers!!

They like to chew on things and sometimes they chew on things that they are not suppose to chew on.  Both are so lovable.  Remi is a young Lab that really doesn't care to be trained.  

The Dapple colored dog is "Lucy" and she is not quite so lovable.  She's a easy going dog, but she is not a cuddlier.

The only time she actually pays any attention to you is when she gets to play in the pool, or she wants what you are eating, or she wants to play Ball.

These dogs have a life of Ease and even in all of the families busyness, the dogs are catered to....even with getting special snacks!!

In the header photo, is my little dog...."Bella."  I have had her for 12 years.  Let me tell you though....she is pretty spoiled as well.  

And then, there is "Jake"......!  He belongs to my daughters family as well.  He is a Lab, and he is a little lazy.  He is the oldest of all of her dogs, so he is kinda the King!

Like I said....these dogs have it made....

Shug 

 

October brings HOMECOMING for Mylee at her NEW school.  Our school colors have always been Blue and Gold, and our school mascot has always been a Bear.   But.....not this year!

Mylee changed schools and is now attending a private school.  The good thing is, her mom (Shanda) changed schools as well.  (After 21 years).  Shanda is now teaching Dyslexia at the same private school.  I must tell you, this has been a HUGE adjustment for Mylee's Pops and Shug.  We graduated from our local High School as well as all of the other kids and grandkids in the family.  

We know this is going to be great for Mylee and she has the opportunity to expand some of her electives at the private school.  She has already met new friends and with basketball beginning next week, and I know she will meet many other classmates.  

Back to Homecoming.  Here in TEXAS, we are big on Homecoming MUMS.  I've posted about this before and it amazes me that MUMS are not a big thing all across the United States.  Of course, with the change of schools, came different school colors and a different mascot.  The school colors are now ORANGE and NAVY BLUE.  For privacy reasons I won't name the school or the mascot.  

Mylee chose to have a garter mum this year.  This is the kind that you wear on your leg, and this kind of mum is not so bulky.

This girl was all decked out for the big day!  Hard to believe she is growing up so fast.  

If you get a chance, you should google Texas Homecoming Mums.  Very interesting and you will be able to see what a big deal these are.  

Shug