Wedding Preparations

Hello Everyone! 


It's been a crazy few weeks here at my house getting ready for our daughter's wedding at the end of July!  Actually it has been more like months of preparation but we are headed into the final stretch, it's "get 'er done" time. 

Our daughter Amanda is the most organized bride, her planning skills (thank goodness) are exceptional and far superior than mine. She has designated Wednesdays as Wedding Wednesday, the day we discuss and update our progress, etc.  I have my assignments and she has hers. Mine are craft related, hers are planning and executing the plan.  


I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks my designated craft projects which include making a Ring Bearer Pillow, Flower Girl Basket, hair pins for the bride, decorating fans, a 3-tiered card box, aisle decorations and making an evening bag.  

Please come back and visit soon!  

Have a wonderful day! 
Suzy

Happy 4th of July

Hello there!


    Happy 4th of July!  I hope you have your flag flying today and are planning to celebrate our nation's birthday with some good old fashioned fun!


    One of my favorite memories is of my mother making a cake and decorating it with a firecracker for a big family celebration. Not a REAL firecracker! She painstakingly drew a firecracker by hand and filled in the design with icing! I was pretty impressed and proud that my mom made the cake for BIG event. Everyone oohed and aaahed over it and was duly impressed. 
    Our great aunt and uncle had a beautiful home on the St. John's River and the whole family was invited to come to "the river house" to celebrate the 4th of July.  There was a slew of cousins visiting from out of town and lots of fun things for the kids to do, but every one's favorite thing to do was fishing with Uncle.  Uncle was into fishing and he had a super long boat dock and at the end was a covered area where he kept his boat. He supplied cane poles for all the kids and we would line up on the dock edge and fish with Auntie's dough balls, catching brim!  Uncle would have a big fish fry at the end of the day cooking up the catch (of course he contributed to the catch with his own catch) of the day.


    One of my favorites things Auntie made (in addition to the dough balls) was hush puppies! She made the best hush puppies you ever put into your mouth! Her secret ingredient was beer (I say secret because my Granny would have been outraged if she knew) and although most family members were clued into that "secret", Granny remained unaware and ate her fair share of them.  There were gallons of sweet tea, delicious potato salads, creamy cole slaw and golden delicious fried hush puppies to be enjoyed under the oak trees hanging with moss. We ate outside on folding tables, mismatched chairs, plastic checkerboard table cloths, paper plates and plastic utensils.


    It was a sweet time, lots of family laughter and stories to be told deep into the night. That's how it is with southern families, there are always stories to be told and passed along from generation to generation. I wish I had paid closer attention, but being a child I was more interested in playing with my cousins, chasing fire flies and playing hide-n-seek!  We would run bare-foot through the grass and swim in the cool river and have a glorious time being outdoors playing.  We made up games to play, and when we were tired, we'd get a drink out of the hose and chill on the rocking chairs on the screened- in porch until one of the adults would shoo us out to play again. Those days were golden, carefree, and some of the best days I remember as a child. 


    More importantly, as you celebrate today, I hope you will take a moment to thank God for His blessings on our nation. Please remember the men and women who are serving and those who have sacrificed their lives to protect  our country and the freedom that we celebrate today!  


God Bless America! 
Suzy

Verse Journal Tuesday-My Redeemer Lives

Hello Everyone! 

It's Verse Journal Tuesday again!  Just a reminder to click on Verse A Day Journal above and check out  Job 19:25.
Have a wonderful day!
Suzy

Verse Journal Tuesday -Heart & Hands

Hi Everyone!
It's Verse Journal Tuesday again!  Just a reminder to click on Verse A Day Journal above and check out  1 John 5: 14-15.
Have a wonderful day!
Suzy

New Beginning

Hi Everyone!


I received some news from my doctor the other day after a recent blood test. I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic! To tell you the truth, it comes as little surprise considering our family history of diabetes.  On the other hand, it was a real wake up call for me! The doctor suggested getting on a weight loss program immediately and stop eating all sugar! Well, he might as well have told me to stop breathing!! I love my sweets but he insisted this was the only way for me to go and that I must take immediate action! 


Did you notice the newest button/gadget on the sidebar for SparkPeople? This is an online daily tracker for food intake and exercise management. I checked it out and was truly amazed!  In addition to tracking your weight loss, daily intake, exercise, you can print out a report that shows a breakdown on calorie intake, carbs, protein, fats, cholesterol, sodium, sugar and fibers and more. At the end of the report is a graph breaking down where your calories are coming from and another one that shows the recommended values. This is a great visual tool that shows exactly where to correct your intake of calories. For instance, yesterday my graph showed I was a little heavier on the carbs, low on the protein and ok on the fats, so I can adjust the carb intake some and add a bit more protein to my plan. Easy peasy, and I haven't had any cravings for sweets so far! You just have to go check out the site and see what tools are available along with help from support groups! I even made a blog page, where I'll be keeping track of my progress and if you join, please be sure to check it out Bree0721.  


This is a life changing necessity for me, a new beginning. I hope that if you have any excess pounds hanging on that you will come and join me on this adventure! I could use your support!  Just click on the SparkPeople button to the right and come join me in the journey to wellness!


Suzy 

The Hope of Glory

Hi Everyone!
It's Verse Journal Tuesday again!  Just a reminder to click on Verse A Day Journal above and check out Colossians 1: 27-28!
Have a wonderful day!
Suzy

Verse Journal Tuesday

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for joining me today for  Verse Journal Tuesday.  Today's  journal page is  Romans 12: 12.   Just click on Verse A Day Journal above to read about The Joy of the Lord. 


Blessings,
Suzy