I'm All Ears!

Hey Y'all,

You've seen the text boxes in my first book in this series, a finalist for SIBA's 2009 Nonfiction Book of the Year: "Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On", What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know, Too! Well, here's how you can get your own two bits in my next book.

I took some ribbing from the men folks in the first book for not soliciting their thoughts. Live and learn. This one's open to everybody! This book's working title is "Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy" More Advice and Observations from All Things Southern.

In a nutshell, I'm open to your short (100 words or less) anecdotes, tips, or observations. What makes it southern? Why, you do, silly! So, don't stress, just play along and see your name in lights, (okay, print, but it's still big fun!)

Need a couple of examples? I'll put Leslie Martin Young's thoughts in the health section. This Louisiana girl says, "I've got a cornucopia of workout videos. My friend Lisa and I would actually put on "work out clothes" (some ensembles may or may not have included leg warmers) and move the furniture in the living room...then sit and watch the video while commenting about how fit we would be if we could actually DO that stuff..."

Author and journalist Karen Spears Zacharias opines, "My Yankee husband once accused me of not being southern because I didn't cook huge breakfast meals. That is, until the morning after an all night writing binge (spurred on by crazed energy level from a prescription drug error) when I woke him at six a.m. to a southern spread extraordinaire. I'd made an early morning Wal-Mart run and whipped up everything from bacon and eggs to sausage gravy and stone ground grits. Of course, I gave him the southern mantra, "And I expect you to eat everything I put on your plate." He's never challenged my southern credentials, again.

How about some tentative chapter titles to get your gears turning even more?

She Got Those Heavy Legs from her Mama’s Side
~ Thoughts on Fitness and Self-Improvement with Sensational Salads to Baby Your Curves

The Science of Bubba Whispering
~How to Train a Bubba with Main Dish Recipes He’ll Sit Up and Beg For

Self-Cleaning Underwear, an Idea Whose Time Should Never Come
~ Business Tips and Time Saving Techniques with Casserole Recipes to Beat the Clock

I would so appreciate your helping me spread the word by emailing this link to your friends, twittering it, and posting it on your blogs and facebook pages. This one's gonna be fun. All aboard!

Hugs,
Shellie

P.S. One more way to play-- sit on the porch of All Things Southern, by subscribing to my FREE weekly emag and joining me on Facebook, Twitter, and/or the old blog here for our continuing discussion. I may email you and tell you that your thoughts are just perfect for a certain chapter and ask permission to quote you. It's that easy and, from what my readers tell me, it's oh, so much fun when the book comes out!

It is a Good Thing...

...to sing praise to our God. Praise is beautiful. Praise is fitting. Ps 147:1

I hope y'all can see the rain in this picture. I'm cell phone blogging again. Dixie and I are sitting on the back porch enjoying our morning devotions and watching rain fall for the first time in over a month.

To all my dear porchers who don't farm, it is hard to explain what this looks like to us. It refreshes more than our farms, it waters our souls.
Had to share. Had to share with people who mean so much to me.
Thank y'all for allowing me to be a part of your lives. I do not take the honor for granted.

Hugs,
Shellie

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Speaking at Tea Party, Monroe LA

Blogging on the go as I'm up next, but here are some early pics. The second shot is a lady who was four years old in Cuba when Castro took over. Sorry I don't have her name. I'll get it in a bit.

She's now an entrepreneur in South Louisiana determined to wake Americans up to the reality of their freedoms slipping away.
She was great!

More later...

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Booksigning at Blessings

Large fun this a.m. after radio show. Had book-signing at Blessings Bookstore/Sarah's kitchen in West Monroe.

The first pic is of a young belle named Isabella Moore. I fell in love with her AND her mommy's story. She calls Isabella her miracle because she she had trouble conceiving and the doc said she never would. But then, Hello God, right?! Oh, to be accurate, she calls Isabella her sassy miracle. :)

The next pic are some of my favorite all time readers. If I have a signing anywhere in the area you can bet your sweet baboo that the Watsons will be there!!!

Hugs,
Shellie
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

A Catfishing Dog?!

Yesterday morning while I was enjoying my devotional on the dock, Dixie Belle went fishing! Saw it with my own two eyes. She was wading in the deep water and got herself a cat!!! You should've heard that canine complain when it finned her as she struggled to get it to the bank. Who won? Why, Dixie, of course. I've told y'all about her obstinate streak!

Hugs,
Shellie
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Enjoying some early morning quiet time on the dock. The house is bursting with "new" family, and by that I mean to say this is the first Fourth for us to have our son-in-law's family join the fun! Patrick's family are up from Mandeville and we're happy to have 'em (We miss you Daniel.)

Yesterday, several of Jessica's friends hosted a "Sip and See" at Carey and Phillip's for home folks to meet Grant Thomas and his grandmother Jane got to attend. The party was delightful! Thanks Carey, Corey, Kelly, Sarah, Amanda, Katie, and Debbo!!!

Papa and Nanee will be here shortly but my sisters didn't come this year. I miss them, but I'll be thinking about them and hopefully talking to them later.

Phil has taken a flag to his mama's grave. This is the first Fourth without Mawmaw and even though she didn't really know it was the Fourth the last few years, the memories of the other Fourths with her are still strong in our hearts. This was, hands down, Lucy's holiday. I can only hope that I handle a full house with half the grace Lucy showed when the extended family descended on her! That is her legacy.

I'm attaching a couple pics for y'all. More to come. I don't have Mister Grant on my phone right now but Emerson wants to wave her flag for y'all and there's a shot of this beautiful morning and one of our Freedom Cupcakes!

But enough of that for a minute. My time is limited. I'd rather spend the next few moment with you expressing my thoughts on America's big day.

I'm thankful to live in this great land. As I sit here this morning, and consider the change that was promised, the change that has come, and the change on the horizon, I pray that some things won't change.

I pray that America's promise of freedom won't change.

I pray America's beacon of light to the world will not be extinguished from within.

I pray America's promise to allow her people to freely practice the religion of their choice won't change.

But above all, I sit here grateful and I comfort myself over my grandchildren's future with this truth, my God DOESN'T change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

Happy Fourth of July, friends. And Happy Birthday America. I love you.

Hugs,
Shellie

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Pulpwood Queens of Sulphur, LA

Meet the Pulpwood Queens of Sulphur, LA! Tonight's book club visit with these girls was so much fun. We had to start out with just the audio as Skype was acting up, but half-way through we got the video working. I was able to show them Lake Providence in my back yard and introduce them to Dixie Belle.


I enjoyed hearing the girls' thoughts about "Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On". They also gave me plenty to think about for more porch chats and book material. My readers are some forever more super cool folks.

Thanks, girls. I had a blast. Remember to join me on ATS LIVE! Here's that link:
http://www.fox927.com//shows.php?id=12

Hugs,
Shellie