Letting Your Light Shine

I told you that my mom's birthday was this week. That was a wonderful time to reflect on all that she means to me. And in doing so I also sat down to read My Life I Make-Revisited by Lauris Faith.

Now why would I do that when I am thinking of my own mom and the life she made? Well, I find that we all have similar reflections. I love the way Lauris Faith has connected her spiritual reflections with lyrics from Reggae music. And in this book Lauris shares how she and her son have connected through Reggae music.

Lauris I hope you do not mind me sharing some of your book here. On page 6 she has "Let us learn to live and let that light shine brighter." from Circumstances by Buju Banton. This one spoke to me. I love light. I have to have light, lovely natural sunlight. Thank God I live in Texas. God said "Let there be light." Natural sunlight helps provide serotonin which helps us stay balanced in our emotions. We are also light for others. And when we shine our own natural light we can help others stay balanced. Whether it is in providing a helping hand, an open heart or just a listening ear. Sharing with others helps both participants stay more balanced. So make sure you let your own light shine too. My own mother taught me that was my purpose in life. And I too have shared that same lesson to my own College Girl. So as I sit now soaking up the warm sunlight streaming in through the front windows, I reflect on how my mother is also my source of light too.

Lauris, thank you so for sharing your lovely book with me. I am enjoying it so much! I wanted to share my own copy but so far I have not been willing to let it out of my own hands. In time I am sure I can share it as you have done with me.

Illness and Visitation

Image by Ennor via Flickr

Day 3 of Dear Hubby home ill. And of course that is not any fun. He has a horrid case of bronchitis. He had shots on Monday and more on Tuesday. Also started breathing treatments yesterday. Add on a inhaler and muscle relaxers. Yeah, he pulled a muscle by coughing so hard. With him working two jobs this has put a crick in two companies schedules. I hate that both are on thin ice as far as staff goes. Makes it hard when someone is out sick. But the doctor said he is either home from both jobs til Monday and really heals up or he will be in the hospital...his choice. Does not sound like much choice to me.

Otherwise we are still enjoying the grandbabes here. Lil Mister is teething so he has a runny nose and a lil fever too. But we can handle that. Sure is wonderful seeing them. It has been way too long for us. Lil Miss is 5 now and not much about her lil anymore. So grown up and wanting to do so much to help her Nonnie. I love it.

College Girl has been up to bat so much during her holiday break. I am so glad she jumps right in and helps out so fast. I could never ask for a better daughter. Amazed at the women she has become. Yeah, I always knew she would be a responsible person. But that she never fusses about it is really nice.

Well, back to the household now. Will visit with y'all more when I have free time or a free lap.

Your an Angel Award

I am so blessed to have so many bloggy friends. One of y'all have given me an honor.
Your an Angel award was presented to me by LoveMy2Dogs.
I am quite thankful, honest....Thank You for thinking of me.

I love awards...don't we all. And when Tammy of LoveMy2Dogs said that I always had something to amaze her over here, well to say the least, I was shocked. Thanks Tammy for noticing that I do try my best.

Here are the rules to this award, they are fairly easy to follow:

1. Thank the person who gave it to them! check
2. Link it back to them! check
3. Give the award to five people, although I think you are all Angels!! check
4. Please let the friends know they have an award! and check
   

Now, I am to choose 5 of you whom I think are deserving Angels.....hum.....only 5? Okay, here they are (drum roll please!)

When did I go from a kid to a grown up is ran by Bobbi Janay. This is a great lady who is raising her son, Ian along with Foot Foot (the pet dog) and of course the obligatory Dear Hubby. I recently meet Bobbi Janay on a trip to Dallas (my home town) and she made me feel so at home and welcome. So thank you to my home town Angel.

Another Angel, though some may say a fallen angel, is Ian of Idiot's Stew. We met during Thanksgiving when he was hosting a great holiday guest blog-athon. Ian, I so enjoyed reading everyone's story about their fav Thanksgiving. Well, I know that anyone who could make so many of us weepy had to be an angel in the making.

My praying Angel is Pattie at PJ's Prayer Line. This is one of God's own blessing. Pattie thank you for being such a positive force in my life. I know you take praying as a blessing. Well, we are all blessed to have you to take our wishes and desires to the throne.

We have an artistic Angel too! Jayde's Little Corner shows off a lil of the work she does. But I know this lady personally and she puts all of her heart into her art projects. We have been so blessed to receive several of her works. Thanks so much! They are always treasured.

And last but never least is my Angel that shares one of my passions. Yes the antique angel of The Crazy Suburban Mom. I so love the look of the 40's and 50's as she does. I know that she is on the look out for the package I popped into the mail for her today.

Well, this was my 5 today...you know how it is with angels, they pop up in different places everyday. Thanks ladies and gentleman for being here for me.

New Language with the Grandbabes

Cover via Amazon

Hello all, again.
I appreciate that y'all waited while I enjoyed my holiday break.

What? You took one too? FANTASTIC.

Wasn't it great to have time to unwind, spend with family and friends and just rejoice!
I loved it. As a matter of fact, my grandbabes are here for a week visit. Whoot!

So in their honor I have to share with you a few things. One is a new fun lil spoof book I have to review. Thanks to Jenna at Susan Blond Inc. for sending it to me. They have the neatest handwriting I have ever seen. Honest. I would show you but my good camera died and the cheap one I bought is. . .well, cheap!

So on with the show. The new book is Yiddish for Babies-A Language Primer for Your Little Pitsel written and illustrated by Janet Perr. And it is a hoot! It follows along the lines of Hip-Hop for Dogs and Yiddish for Dogs. A really cute lil book of darling babies teaching you fun yiddish words. In honor of this cute fun book I have to tell you about my own lil SHMENDRICK (a silly boy) of a grandbabe. Landon is just 18 months old now and is learning to talk. It seems his favorite phrase has become "What is it?" I am not sure how he became so curious but he is one cute bug asking about everything. I am one proud BUBBE (grandmother) of my SHAYNA MAIDEL (pretty girl) grandbabe. She is now 5 years old and is learning so many new COCKAMAMIE, MESHUGGA (both mean crazy) games. But she is one YIDDISHE KOP (smart person). See how well I am learning Yiddish for Babies!

Well, ZAI GEZUNT (goodbye, be well) for now my good friends.

Dear Hubby's Christmas Surprise!

My Dear Hubby is a Bacon Lover. He eats Bacon on everything possible. So when I found out

Image by sea turtle via Flickr

about J&D's Baconnaise this year I had to tell him about it. Surely you have heard about Baconnaise.....right? Oh my, you know the Mayo that taste like BACON. But it does not add loads of sodium and is kosher too! You have to check it out.

Image by antisocialtory via Flickr

Well the folks at J&D's (that is Justin and Dave) have added several new products. And I am so excited to have scored these newest items. Thanks Justin! The package is wonderful. So in addition to Baconnaise for my Dear Hubby he is going to find the following under his Christmas tree:

* J&D's BaconPOP - The perfect combination of bacon and butter flavors and premium Midwest popcorn. Movie night will never be the same!
* J&D's Bacon Ranch Dressing & Dip Mix - use it as a dip with mayo and sour cream (Justin's favorite) or a dressing by mixing mayo and buttermilk(Dave's favorite). If you love ranch like we do, this might be the best dip you have ever made.
* J&D's Bacon Flavored Mmmvelopes -oh am I dying to write a letter to my brother now- make envelopes that taste like bacon when you lick them. Maded a great stocking stuffer!

So we have the J&D's Everything Pack - got one of everything for Dear Hubby. Included Bacon Salt, Baconnaise, Bacon Sunflower Seeds and Bacon Lip Balm along with Bacon Ranch dip mix, Mmmvelopes and BaconPOP.

Do you need to have this in time for a great New Year? For now, visit their online store to see everything they offer. If your order is over $20, use coupon code
holiday bacon at checkout for a special free item from J&D’s.
Oh and one last thing they have created a J&D’s Foods Recipe Community where you can find recipes by product and meal type. Submit your own recipes and get weekly recipe alerts. Then share your favorites on Facebook.

College Girl's Stocking Stuffer

Y'all know that College Girl is my #1 priority. That is just how us moms are. So your not surprised that her health is something I worry over. Well, today I have the best stocking stuffer ever for her. It sure beats the heck out of the old toothbrush and toothpaste one.
MyClyns is a germ protection spray that kills 99.99% of MRSA and other germs. And since College Girl is a theater major she is always around people talking in her face. I mean really talking, spewing germs everywhere. These folks never take a sick day as it means the production would ground to a halting crawl. So sick or not they come to practice and work around being ill.
Now that MyClyns is available College Girl can go on to practice herself while feeling safe she will have added protection.

You see, you can spray MyClyns direct into your face. And it DOES NOT hurt, sting, burn, taste or anything. Just a lil wet. So someone sneezes on you...spray. Someone coughs all over....spray. Someone is spewing germs everywhere....well you get the idea. And you can get this at CVS for $7.99 to $9.99. So pop out to get your MyClyns for your stockings.

Oh and by the by, you know I am not going to tout a good thing and not host a GIVEAWAY!
Yes, MyClyns is offering a giveaway for you too. I will be drawing after Christmas of course. But you can win your own pen. Just pop over to my germspray.com and then come back and tell me a goodie on the web site. (This is mandatory to enter.) You can also join them on their Facebook page. You can also have extra entries too. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.

Funky Monkey Winner

Funky Monkey hosted a giveaway of a CASE of their snacks for one lucky reader. And the random number generator picked:

LoveMy2Dogs said... 6

Fanned Funky Monkey on facebook; Tammy Graham

jrandtam[at]columbus.rr.com

CONGRATS TAMMY! I will be sending out your winning info soon.

The Practice Room-Review

I love to read. It is my favorite passion. Like hiding in bed, covers to my chin, chocolate on the bedside table and a book in my hands....heaven on earth to me.
Well I just finished reading The Practice Room by Susan Zeidler. I have to thank Elaine for sending me this one...it was a good one.
I love how listening to music transforms a place or time. And have you seen how someone playing the piano seems to just drift with the music. Like they are taking a journey with the music. Well that is how this book takes you. A tale of a supernatural experience for Zoey, traveling between different times and events. I learned more about Harlem in the 30's, the Woodstock concert of 1969 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. (Side note, I have a piece of that wall right here in my home.) Now you know I will not tell you the story, but I will say you will drift with the music in it.
This is a good coming of age story. Not only does Zoey travel through time but she grows in it too. She discovers her strength in music and her inner strength too.

Had Ourselves a Lil Party

Image by Cayusa via Flickr

We have had a wonderfully nice weekend.
Even though my DH had to work this weekend we finally was able to get to spend some time with each other.

This year I wanted to have a cocktail party.
My College Girl is now 22 and I have not had a proper cocktail party since she was 4.
Well that is just too long not to get to wear the heels and pearls while sipping a pretty colored drink.

And it went well!
13.5 people showed up.
Yes .5 is what I said.
Emma is only 3 yrs old so she can count as a .5.
And even she wore her pretty purple dress with matching pink heels and purse.
Dear Hubby made a wonderful bartender.
Nursing all of our desires to drink lots of different concoctions.
Then there was a table full of food.

But we all seemed to mingle well and did end up laughing our heads off.
Especially when a young gentleman tried to do a demo of just how flexible he is.
We had people from age of 3 (yes Miss Emma) to 75 attend.

And all in all, it was a wonderful party.
Just what I wanted for Christmas this year.
Thanks so much for all that attended.
You fulfilled my Christmas wish.

The Snowman's Song Winner

And the winner of the wonderful lil book about our sweet singing snowman is:

bj its_me_bj@yahoo.com said...

this sounds like a great story to share with my herd of turtles. the love when we read together. i like how the illustrations are done and how the review was letting you know the purpose to the book beyond being entertainment.

Congrats BJ, it seems persistence pays off for you again. Thanks for being such a wonderful reader and I pray your kiddos will love this book. I will get it in the mail today.

Ranch or Guacamole

Dean's Dairy Dips contacted me to let me know about their new Dean's Dipstakes! You can pop over (the site is right above) and vote for you favorite flavor of dip and your favorite football teams. Personally I am into the honey mustard for my pretzels and cheddar cheese for my chips. But my mom is a die-hard french onion lady. Then the neighbors live for ranch dip. So as you all know, when your having a party you just grab all the yummy flavors and let each have their own.

Dean's Dairy Dips is sponsoring a giveaway to one lucky reader. They will receive 3 vouchers to get their own dip. Use it for the holiday parties or the super bowl that is coming up. Heck you can do a tail gate party or be selfish and eat it all up yourself while watching NCIS. What ever makes you happy. Just pop over to Dean's Dairy Dips and pick your favorite flavor. Then come back and comment on it here. (This is mandatory to enter.) You can also join them on their Facebook page. You can also have extra entries too. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.

Buy America

This is from an email I received. I think I am going to try and do just what it says. Not that I have an issue with other countries. But I am always preaching in my small town that if we do not buy from our local merchants then the businesses will close. And then where will we be. Well this is the same thing just on a lil larger scale.

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would.
With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.
Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time.
Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it, I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track.
Let's get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in Mexico and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio.
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . . .yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
If you accept the challenge, start buying American, one light bulb at a time!

Saving Cicadas

Have you ever wanted to just chuck it all? You know, today you wake up and life is way too much to handle. So why not just make the change? Jump in the car and go? I know that I have felt that way, but never made that leap.

While reading Saving Cicadas I felt a kinship with Priscilla Lynn Macy who learns she's having another child unexpectedly so she packs the family into the car to escape. In doing so she takes her family (we can not runaway without them) on a road trip. Of course this turns into a mystery and takes us on an unexpected journey.

I have to say I enjoy twist and turns in a story. And being reminded that we all count. Even the very smallest of us all. Nicole Seitz has used her Southern spirit to create full characters and a story of redemption. I wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for sending me Saving Cicadas. This was a good read. You can pick up this story to share for only $14.99. I feel it would be a good book for a teenager and older.

Nicole Seitz is the author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass and 3 other stories as well as a freelance writer/illustrator who has published in numerous South Carolina magazines. Nicole shows her paintings in the Charleston, South Carolina, where she owns a web design firm. And she is like so many of us, a wife and mother.

Buried in Tissue

Image via Wikipedia

I can not crawl out of all this paper, ribbons, tape and gift boxes.
I know that somewhere out there someone is excited about Christmas.
But right now I am not one of them.

I have skimped and hidden this and that for a year now.
Yes I am one of the ones who starts at the day after Christmas getting next years gifts.
And after hiding booty everywhere, I had to dig it all out.

Then comes out the list.
Name every family member, friend and neighbor that I need to give the presents too.
Next go through each bag and match up the gift to the person and mark who it is for.
And place name of present with name of person.
Lastly on the list, I have to see who I have missed.

That brings me to sacks of merchandise with family names on the outside of them.
I get to wrap them, label them and place them back in said bag.
Finally comes the "HO HO HO" time to deliver gifts all around.
Leaving bags, ribbons and bows in my wake.

When all that is done...the fun really begins.
Clean all of the house tip top to very bottom, in and out.
Gather the porridge, pies and pork to cook up a storm.
Then feed the hoards of these and thems.
Just to finish up with dishes massed above the sink.

Oh, to put up the feet afterwards, rest, relax and plan for New Years Eve!

Holidays & Mixed Families

If your not aware I am like so many others. I have been married and divorced and married..........and now I have a mixed family. With that is always new lessons to learn on how to exist in these families with harmony. I feel quite lucky that my ex and I sat down and talked on how to have a friendly divorce. We knew we would always be our daughter's parents and would have to be part of each others lives after our divorce. And we have made it work out with little fuss.

So how did we get there? Well, first we wasted a long time. Staying married 15 years when our marriage was over in the first 5 years. I would have liked to have read "How to Know if it's Time to Go-A 10-Step Reality Test for Your Marriage". Now I know that we all wish to keep our marriage healthy. I wanted to do the very same thing. But instead wasted 10 years of mine and my ex's life. And drug our sweet daughter through those trying times. Sometimes we just have to face reality.

What I do like about this book is that it addresses your children's issues. Making it a fact that there needs to be healthy relationships between the separated parents and future families. So you need to deal with how a healthy divorce works compared to an unhealthy marriage. (I know having been there.) And helping your child or children with school, family, friends, self esteem and all the issues that come up. I feel quiet lucky that we took a logical look at our future. Now having been divorced over 7 years we can still visit each other with our College Girl. And even better yet, College Girl now has her (half) lil sister to share her life with. The two families often share meals, holidays and even for a short while a home together.

I would like to thank Sterling Publishing Company for sharing "How to Know if it's Time to Go". And would highly recommend it as a tool to help when you need to take a reality check of your marriage. You will most likely find that your marriage is in better shape than you thought. And that life can be improved through communication and maybe counseling.

More Winners

Image via Wikipedia

And the winner for the Softlips Stocking Stuffer giveaway goes to:

Bobbi Janay @When did I go from a kid to a grown up? said...

I love the fact that they have menthol in them.

The winner for the Anti-Monkey Butt Giveaway is already a fan of Anti-Monkey Butt products. Congrats to:

BJ said...

oh i am giving this out as christmas presents my sweet hubby has been complaining about monkey butt for yeaars. i finally found the solution and this stuff works the name is just too funny it's as great as budreaux's buttpaste how can you not buy a product that has the truth in it's name (besides anything butt is funny)

Ladies get me your addresses so I can send them on. Your gifts should be arriving soon!
Thanks again to Softlips and Anti-Monkey Butt for hosting this giveaway.

Funky Monkey

Image via Wikipedia

Since I help care for children for other moms, I am always looking for healthy snacks the kids will like. And we all know that healthy and fun do not normally end up in the same sentence. But I have been lucky to find Funky Monkey, the fruit that crunches!
Funky Monkey sent me some samples to review. For this I say thank you!

Now let me tell you a little about this great snack. It is freeze dried fruit that does not have any sugar added. YEAH! And it is 100% real fruit and 100% fat free. And for those with allergies it is also gluten free. Top that off with each package is 3 servings of fruit. Now all of this is great to us moms, but the kids just see that it is healthy when they hear these words.

That is where the name comes in. What kid does not like a good funny word. And Funky Monkey is a fun name. So we have a great name and healthy snack, but how does it taste?

I tried it out with my lil ones here and it went over well with one and not so well with the other.
The lil one ate a piece of Applemon (that is apple with cinnamon) and then went for it by the handful. The older one would not even taste it. She is the picky eater by the way. I could not get her to tell me why she would not eat it either. So no taste testing there. But of course her sister was so much happier that she could have the whole bag for herself.

I tried the Pink Pineapple (that is pineapple with guava) and really loved the crunch it had. Think fruit chips. You get the sweetness of fruit but the crunch of a chip. Being on a forever diet this was great to me. As I crave the crunch. The flavor was good but I did come across a few pieces that where a lil too close to the core so they were tough.

We also have MangOJ (yes, mango and orange juice) that I am saving for College Girl. She is currently sleeping and will have it with her breakfast.

Now you can also try out your own Funky Monkey. I love that name, it sounds like a dance and I adore dancing. Funky Monkey is hosting a giveaway of a CASE of their snacks for one lucky reader. Just visit Funky Monkey and come back and tell me something you liked. (This is mandatory to enter.) You can also join them on their Facebook page. You can also have extra entries too. Additional entries can all be done with a separate comment for each for following, having my button, twittering, links on face book, sending others to the giveaway (they have to credit you) and blogging about this great giveaway. Make sure that I can contact you some how in order to let you know if your the winner.

Redneck Christmas

What constitutes a Redneck Christmas?
Well, different things for different folks.
But we did a special treat for my mom.

You see she lived in West Texas for the majority of her early life.
And she has seen many a tumble weed too.
As a matter of fact, she has had tumble weed Christmas trees.

And we just so happened across one here in Central Texas.
So my Dear Hubby loaded it up and brought it home.

Then we spray painted it silver.

Put it on the front porch on our patio table.

Strung lights, decorations and even a hat on top.
We also put our holiday decorations under the tree as if they were gifts.

And that is how a Redneck Christmas is done!