Great Dinner....Fun Times!

Tonight, we went with our friends to Sanger, Texas which is about an hour away. We had never been to but had heard about "Babe's Chicken Dinner House" there and were dying to try it!

I'll start by saying not only was it worth the drive....it would almost be worth MOVING there so you could eat there ALL the time! (except you would probably put on at least 30 pounds by doing so! LOL)

We had a blast! It was the coolest place ever! Outside, when you get there, you give the girl your name who is standing outside with a list a mile long! Then, the kids can climb on the huge antique tractor that is sitting outside or sit on the old antique carousel horse that is out of order or take your pictures in front of the HUGE rooster standing in front of the restaurant! It is nice though because they have huge fans and we weren't even hot. Also, they have really old antique tractor seats all out on the porch. It truly feels like you are stepping back in time! The kids LOVED it, too!

When they call your name, you can hardly wait to get inside. Your mouth is already watering because every time someone opens the door you can smell the aroma of country fried goodness and you can hear the good time going on inside! You cannot see inside the restaurant until you go inside! They yelled "Swan...party of 8" and we were in for a true treat!

Once seated, the waitress gets your drink order and asks what you want to eat at the same time. There is no menu. Only meat choices. You pick the meat and they'll bring all the food you can eat and then some shortly after! First, you get a salad. It's basically lettuce and some kind of sweet vinegrette dressing and that's it! Next, they bring out the biscuits....the kind of biscuits that are handpatted out buttermilk dough biscuits like my Nene used to make years and years ago when I was a child...........the kind you make with lard! LOL After you are thinking....."I need to slow down because I know there's more food coming".....the waitresses are walking around singing with a microphone to songs like "Blue" by Patsy Cline & "You Ain't Woman Enough to take My Man" by Loretta Lynn! Then, they break out into the YMCA or the Hokey Pokey and they get all the kids up to line dance with them! Next, they bring your empty plates and put them on the table.

Pretty soon, you see them coming across the restaurant with stacks of fried meat! Yummy! Another waitress carries a tray with bowls of sweet corn carved off the cob! And Mashed Potatoes....homemade.....gravy.....homemade......old fashioned green beans!!!!!!!!!! DELICIOUS! Todd & I both had Chicken Fried Steak & the kids had chicken strips.....we got to taste the fried catfish from our friends' plate and it was great, too!!!!

Then, you eat. And eat......and eat some more until you are pretty sure they're going to have to take you out of there in a wheelbarrow or a stretcher!

It was by far the best restaurant we've been to in a very long time! It deserves to be dined at by anyone and everyone from here to anywhere! If you are EVER near Sanger, Texas.........CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise you won't regret it!

Magazine Covers!!!!

I found a place to do the coolest stuff online for FREE!!!! www.bighugelabs.com is awesome and I made these adorable magazine covers on their site! So cool! I also "Warholized" one of my favorite photos of Jason & Sarah! I love this! So much fun and great for when you have insomnia! LOL

I am so blessed!

Some days you feel more blessed than others, I will admit! Especially as a mom. Today, I wrote a poem about being a mom and how it makes you feel sometimes. Today, the funniest thing so far has been that I asked Sarah to pick up her toys in the living room and she simply said "No thanks." At least she used her manners! haha Hope all of you have a great day today!

Some Days...I'm Stressed....But EVERY day...I'm blessed!

Some days I feel happy...
Some days I feel mad.
Some days I feel great
Some days I feel bad.

There are so many moments
I share with my kids...
And sometimes I'm sure they think
I've flipped my lid!

Some days I feel worried
About how they'll turn out...
And sadly I admit
That somedays I shout.

Some days I am relaxed
Some days I am stressed...
But every single day...
I know I am blessed.

Blessed with the chances
that God gives to me
To tuck them in tight
And bandage their knees.

Blessed by the times
they hug me and say...
"Mommy, I love you...
I had a fun day!"

Sometimes I think
When the day's not as bright...
And I wonder and worry
"Am I doing this right?!"

I sometimes do feel
overwhelmed as the "one"
who settles battles all day
with the errands to run...
Who plans stuff to do
And keeps laundry up too
And cooks all their dinners
And breakfast and lunch...
Who takes care of it all
And thinks best in a crunch!

Someday there will be time
When I'll go back in my mind...
And think "that was easy...I wish I could go rewind"!
A time when I won't remember the stress...
I'll simply look back and say "I've been blessed!"

My Little Hannah Montana...and her brother... "Jason Jonas"

Last night, the Hannah/Miley Best of Both Worlds concert featuring the Jonas Brothers was on Disney in 3d! Our kiddos LOVED watching it........as you can see in the photographs! LOL Sarah had on her "hannah hair" and got so into it and so excited! She even got Jason up on his feet. It was so cute watching them. Earlier as the concert began, Sarah was dancing and running around with her "High School Musical Microphone" that is made of hard plastic and she fell and hit herself in the eye with it. She cried for about 30 seconds and then kept on going.....until later. Notice how swollen her little eye was by the end of the concert. Todd and I were really worried about it but we put some ice on it and this morning, it looked better. We couldn't believe how she was playing and acting with such an injury! That's our girl...she's so tough....sugar & spice....and a pack of ice.......LOL Her eye looks fine tonight, though! Yea!

Well, my sister and her family have come and gone. We had fun visiting with them and I could not believe how grown my nieces are getting! Below are photos from our visit. While they were here, we went to Fort Worth to the Stockyards and rode the vintage steam train. It was fun. This is my new favorite picture of me and Todd. He loves trains so much and we were having a blast standing on the front of the train car right behind the engine. One of the train workers came and let us out on the deck where it was roped off. The kids loved it. It was fun waving at people as we rolled through intersections. We had an entire train car to ourselves. The train was full but the front car didn't have anyone in it and it ended up being the BEST car! It was great! One of the pictures of me and my sister is on Sunday morning inside Sarah's rose petal cottage! Me, Cindy, Jason, Sarah & Karlee were inside of it! It was a wee bit crowded to say the least! LOL No, we didn't have on makeup of fixed hair, but it is a good memory anyway! :) Two of these pictures are of Sarah wearing ALOT of clothes! A few days ago, she came into the living room wearing 9 blouses and 4 skirts! It was so funny! All of the clothes are too big, playclothes, etc...........but she got them ALL on at once! LOL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY< NICHOLAS!!!!

Friday was my dear friend, Anna's little boy, Nicholas' birthday! I was sooooooooo busy I never got to call him to wish him a happy birthday and wanted to say on my blog officially....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is a precious little boy who is growing up much too fast just like my children! I know he gets on this blog to read it because his mom told me so, so I hope you see this, Nicholas!!!!

We miss you and love you and hope you had a great birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY SISTER IS COMING, MY SISTER IS COMING!!!

When I was little, if you had told me I would be anxiously awaiting the visit of the tiny child photographed beside me in the picture above, I would have said you were a liar! LOL We fought the whole time growing up but there were some good days, too! For the most part, though....my sister and I had to grow up to get along really well! Well..............right now....I AM ANXIOUSLY AWAITING HER ARRIVAL at my house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is a great day! I am waiting for my sister, Cindy & her family to arrive at my house tonight and I am super excited! I am very close to her and my nieces. They are precious. She has 3 daughters that I love spending time with. I can't wait to paint their toenails, fix their hair, take them swimming and all that fun stuff that aunts get to do! Not only do I get to do fun stuff with them, but Todd & my brother in law David will have fun with Jason playing video games and doing the boy stuff! My sister and I will stay up half the night making hairbows, talking and being sisters! I can't wait! So, I am up early....cleaning the house...finishing laundry, etc. Not because my house has to be spotless for my sister and her family, but because I don't want to touch it once they get here! I want to spend my time doing quality things with them!

Tomorrow, we are going to ride a real steam train! Sunday.....swimming at the water park with the kids and then grilling burgers at home! Monday, we will all head to my dad's to hang out for a few days! Summer is blissful and wonderful! Yea!



I cannot wait! Did I say that already!? Well, I can't! But I will! About 12 more hours.

This is a photo from one of our previous visits! We are always silly! LOL

Okay, Jason has been to camp and back since my last posting.....this is really a busy summer and I have been super busy entertaining these 2 little people in my house! LOL They are having a great summer, though and we have stayed BUSY! Once a week, we have a "nothing day" where we don't go anywhere or do anything and we rest. Even on that day, I haven't felt like posting on the mommy blog.........bad mommy! Well, I'm going to catch it up this morning! I've had a few cups of coffee and everyone is resting still, so I should be able to do it! :) Here goes....

Jason's ready to leave for camp! Mommy cried! He was gone for FIVE days!

When he left for camp, we had to take Sarah to do something fun. She was sad she didn't get to go with him! haha SO, we took her to the Fort Worth Stockyards to ride the vintage train! We had so much fun! She loved being the center of attention for a little while.

Okay, during June, one of our highlights of the month was going to Lufkin for Mimi's birthday Bash! We surprised her by going a day early and also my sister & brother in law & niece surprised her by coming in from Birmingham in the middle of the night! It was so much fun! I knew they were coming so I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. to let them in. The next morning, Laura & I were standing over Carolyn at 6 in the morning trying to figure out if Davy was still in the bed or not and we started kind of giggling. Carolyn woke up and squealed like a little girl because she was so excited it was Laura standing with me! She was thrilled! We had a fabulous birthday weekend! THEN, my mom & step-dad called and said they were coming through Lufkin and could stay a few days, too! (He drives a truck so he was working!) I was so happy to see my mom. It had been over a year since I had seen her and she couldn't believe how big the kids were. They grew a lot in a year!!! It was great because Jason & Sarah saw ALLLLL of their grandparents in one weekend which is something that never happens. These are some pictures from that! We got to go to church at my dad's church and hear him play piano on Father's Day which was great. He even sat with us during the service. (He plays for the whole service, so this is a big deal!)

Jason had fun seeing all of his family in one weekend!

Sarah & Presley had fun together, as you can see! They are hilarious together!

Sarah & Presley were so glad to see Pop! He had already gone to work before they woke up and he came back home to give them some sugars!

Mimi got to go the Tea Room with her "girls"....Me, Laura, Sarah & Presley....
Pop took Jason for a "men's" lunch at McDonald's!I love this picture of Sarah & Mimi at the Tea Room!
This is Carolyn and one of her BEST friends! It was both of their 60th birthdays in the same month! We celebrated together! Don't they look GREAT!?
Mimi & Pop

Sarah & Jason had so much fun swimming at Mimi & Pop's house...

This is the birthday paddle that I made for them! It was so funny! It said "Bottom's Up" on it and had the number "170" all over it with their names. This is Todd's uncle! They all had a birthday together and their combined ages was 170! That's the candles I put on the cake, too! It was so funny! They loved that their ages weren't "singled" out! For the night, I told the ladies they could pretend they were however old they wanted.....as long as all 3 of them added up to 170! They decided to be 40 each and that makes Todd's uncle 90 years old! LOL I think he got the short end of that "whoopin stick!" My friend, Jennifer....Karen's daughter....made the most awesome cake ever! It was DELICIOUS! THANKS, JENNIFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Carolyn, Karen & Johnny!
The following are pics from my mom's visit! This is my step-dad and mom...

Mom & The kiddos....

And that leaves Me & My Mom....

These next photos are from a few weeks ago. I was getting ready to take Sarah to the Children's Museum and this is what I found when I walked back into the living room! She had a whole bottle of cake sprinkles and she was "cooking"! I got onto her, but not much. It was so cute and she didn't realize what a mess she was making. She was just being creative!
SUCH A MESS! The vaccum took care of it, though! :)
The following pics are actually from before Jason left for camp, but I forgot them almost, so they are going here! LOL We took the kids to Oklahoma to a train meet at Todd's friend's house. It was fun. They loved seeing the trains and riding them. We stayed all day. I had to snap some cute pics of them, of course! I love this one of Sarah on Todd's shoulder! This will be in her wedding slideshow someday! hahaAwwww.....sweet kids.

I think this picture of Jason is so cute! Even if I am biased!

Having fun riding the trains.....

Well, that pretty much catches us up from all of June! The latest thing is the portraits I took of them and they are in a smilebox below! Enjoy! I hope you are all having a great summer and I promise....I'll be better about posting for the rest of the summer! My sister & her family are going to be at my house tomorrow night and I can't wait! I will be posting lots of pictures of that visit, too! Have a great day! Sharon

Oh, yea! I have been posting on the cooking blog and would LOVE for you to check it out! There are tons of fun things and recipes on there!

http://www.cookingwithsharonswan.blogspot.com/