Month: January 2021

GABBIN’ GIRLS

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

About books, movies, cooking, and advice
Decorating, shopping, and finding the best price
Life, love and raising kids
Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs
We’re just two Texas girls
Straight from the sticks
The only thing we won’t gab about
Is religion and politics!

TO MAKE RESOLUTIONS…OR NOT

          Now that we’re eighteen days into 2021, we wonder how many of you have made resolutions and how many of you have broken them already. Most everyone has a list of things they want to accomplish. Some get done, and some don’t.

          Susan: I always start the new year with great intentions of eating healthier and exercising regularly. I get rid of all the sweets in the house to avoid temptation (and yes, I eat most of them. I don’t want to be wasteful after all.) This year we had to cancel our family Christmas, so I didn’t do any baking. So far, I’m exercising every day. We’ll see how long that lasts. I do have one question. What do I call it when I’m struggling to get to my feet after sit ups? ABS or CARDIO? Anyone?

I usually go into cleanout mode in January. I figure it’s easier to get rid of stuff than clean around it. Things I never seem to get around to are sorting through my photographs (I have some that go back to the early 1900s), sewing (some projects I started years ago), and crafts (I’m getting ready to throw in the towel on that one.)

          Ann: I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago. Instead, I find myself making Thanksgiving Resolutions! Like this year, after Turkey Day I stepped on the scales, and…Holy Moly!! So, I decided instead of gaining more weight during the holidays, I vowed to do no holiday goody cooking. I usually do a lot for gifts, but this year…nope, nada, not a single cookie did I give!

I gave up bread, sugar, pasta, potatoes, and just about anything white. Also, diet sodas which was a big sacrifice because Lord knows I do love a Coke Zero.

I did that religiously for 4 weeks and then started adding just a bit of all those carbs back into my diet.

I’m still sticking with it and surprisingly it hasn’t been that hard. I think it’s because I don’t call it a resolution.

SO…

What’s on your list?

Find out more about Ann Everett/Emma Ames: https://www.anneverett.com

TEXAS TRIVIA

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

About books, movies, cooking, and advice
Decorating, shopping, and finding the best price
Life, love and raising kids
Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs
We’re just two Texas girls
Straight from the sticks
The only thing we won’t gab about
Is religion and politics!

TEXAS TRIVIA

January 4th is National Trivia Day so Susan and I thought we might play a Texas Trivia Game. We have to admit, we were surprised by our research. We learned some things about our state! We hope you do to!!

TRUE OR FALSE

  1. The Academy Award statuette, Oscar, was named for a Texan.
  2. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the alternate landing site for the space shuttle.
  3. The city of Slaughter, Texas, has never had a homicide.
  4. Texas is the home to the most tornadoes in the U.S.
  5. Approximately 90% of the world’s recoverable helium is located in Texas.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Texas has more than:

A-50,000

B-60,000

C-70,000

D.-100,000 miles of highways

The highest temperature ever recorded in Texas was:

A. 114°

B. 117°

C. 120°

D. 124°

Home of the World’s Largest Calf Fry (bull testicles) Cook-Off is:

  1. Fort Worth
  2. Amarillo
  3. Fort Stockton
  4. El Paso

Home of the deadliest natural disaster in the U.S. happened in:

  1. Galveston
  2. Lubbock
  3.  Houston
  4.  Texas City

The most popular snack food in Texas is:

  1. Frito Pie
  2. Corn Dog
  3. Beef jerky
  4. Peanuts

TRUE OR FALSE ANSWERS

#1/True. The Academy Award statuette was named for Texan Oscar Pierce, whose niece worked in Hollywood for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. When she saw the statuette, she reportedly said, “Why, that looks just like my Uncle Oscar.”

#2–False. DFW has the world’s largest parking lot, but the alternate landing site for the space shuttle is The Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport because it has the third largest runway in the world.

#3–True

#4–True. The Lone Star State has an average of 139 tornados per year.

#5–True. 90% of the world’s recoverable helium is located in the ground under Amarillo, Texas.

MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS

#1— (C) We have more than 70.000 miles of highways, of which 40,985 are paved farm and ranch roads. We also have more than a million signs and markers, and it takes 1.6 million gallons of white and yellow paint each year to paint stripes along the highways.

#2— (C) The highest temperature on record is 120° and it occurred in Seymour, Texas on August 12, 1936. The lowest temp recorded is minus 23 at Tulia, Texas in 1899 and at Seminole, Texas on February 8, 1933.

#3— (B) Amarillo

#4— (A) The Galveston hurricane of 1900 killed between 8,000-12,000 people.

#5— (A, B, C, D) All of these snacks are equally popular in Texas…at least I couldn’t find a clear-cut winner!

How many did you get right?

1-3…Are you sure you’re a Texan?

4-6…Not bad, but you still have a lot to learn.

7-9…You know your state pretty dang good.

10…We bet you even know the words to Texas Our Texas!!

Find out more about Ann Everett/Emma Ames: https://www.anneverett.com