It's Monday...I'm on my Soapbox...Go TEBOW!!!!!

 BRONCOS 29........STEELERS 23.

what a game.  

what a GREAT game Tim Tebow had!
316 passing yards!
get it...316. as in one of his favorite verses, John 3:16?

whoa...

can we FINALLY, PLEASE, once and for all,

leave this young man alone?

let him play the sport he loves so very much...

and serve the God he loves even MORE?

OMG.

the cruel, mean, vindictive, raunchy way he is villianized

is ridiculous.

BEYOND ridiculous.

disgusting.
calling him a Nazi?
antichrist?
like i said...DISGUSTING!

if I ever doubted we lived in a screwed up world,

i wouldn't doubt it any longer. 

let's see...what's not to like about him?

he's moral, spirit filled, doesn't have a police record, 

hasn't been in rehab for drugs or alcohol,

no illegitimate kids running around without their dad,

has a charity that does a LOT of good,

ministers to sick children and those in less fortunate countries,

plays football...and plays it WELL...good enough for the NFL!!!!!

family oriented.

gives any and all glory to God...

like I said...what's not to like.

Tebow haters have a problem...

deep down Tim makes them look and feel bad about themselves

 because they know 

they could be SO much better.

you don't have to believe like him to like/support him.

just once, can we take the side of the good guy?

applaud his athletic skills, determination...

his values...

and leave him alone?

and stop judging every play/game...

because you don't do it fairly.

little credit for wins...tons of blame for a loss.

news flash...he won't win every game, make every pass.

he has his work cut out for him next week...

but he can do this...play in the sacred NFL that they say he can't play in.

he might lose next week.

most teams would if playing the Patriots.

but he's proven...he IS a winner anyway.

the good thing about Tebow haters is they bring a lot of attention Tim's way...

and let's him get his message out.

thanks for that!

he is famously known as the PRAYING quarterback.

the guy who wears his faith on his sleeve...literally.

(it used to be on his eyeblack:)

that's cool!

they call what he does on the sideline "Tebow-ing".

let me clear this up for those who think he is kidding around, 

starting a new trend.

it's called PRAYING. P-R-A-Y-I-N-G.

he doesn't cross his fingers or hold his breath for luck...

he prays. 
please stop mocking him...because that's what is happening.
oh, he can take it.
but i might blow up on my blog more often:)

living in Florida, being Gator fans,

we've known about Tim for awhile.
6 years we've followed him.
(yes...i'm bragging. heehee)

we are accustomed to seeing him pray on the sidelines.

so glad he has an even bigger audience now!

it's not an act.
he even has the other team's players and coaches
 gather on the field praying with him.

Tim Tebow...one of the good guys.

it's nice to know they DO exist in this world.

trust me...with 2 daughters of dating age, it's VERY nice to know they exist!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

SUZANNE

P.S.
ROLL TIDE...GO BAMA!
(SEC football is SOOOO much fun:)

Cider Mills, Country Roads and Caramel Apples...

living in Florida is pretty nice...

most of the time.

but i figure after living here for 16 years, 

it's time to give credit where credit is due.

nothing beats fall in michigan...

or places like it "UP NORTH".

 (Petoskey, Mi)

and everything is up north when you live in

south florida:)
even the hospitals get into it...
here is my mom at an apple cart in the hospital cafeteria.

 it was so neat, i couldn't resist a picture:)

growing up there, i figure i have to share a few

favorites with you so here goes...

 a mini list of things you MUST do

if you go up north in the fall...

~go on a HAYRIDE

 ~drive...just get in the car and drive...

preferably down a COUNTRY road.

you'll see GORGEOUS colors everywhere as the 

leaves change.

~head up to northern michigan...

petoskey, mackinac island, traverse city...

 go on, just head north!

~ pop into Frankenmuth where they will say

WILLKOMEN (welcome in German)

and you will STUFF yourself at the Bavarian inn.

don't forget a visit to Bronners for your

first Christmas ornament of the year;)

~JUMP in the leaves.

go ahead...you're never too old!
and while you're there, make "leaf angels"
and have a leaf fight! haha

~stop at the nearest pumpkin patch

~and okay,  i have learned that college football

in the SEC (south) IS the equivalent of a national holiday...

and i am NOT exaggerating.

however, there is no stadium like

THE BIG HOUSE in Ann Arbor,

home of the Univ. of Michigan wolverines.

(ahem...it's ginormous...114,000+ watched a game Sept. 10,

that's why it's called the BIG house,

in case you didn't pick that up:)

~and my FAVORITE way to spend a Sunday afternoon

"up north"...

visit a cider mill!

 i happen to love Parshallville because that was closest

to me but they are all over. 

here we are at one near my sister's house.

you can't help but have a AMAZING day.

  

besides the CHARM of an old mill,

 the  red, crisp, delicious apples...

 there are the DONUTS!!!!!!!!

 omg...life doesn't get any better than a fresh,WARM

donut from the donut mill.

here is a link for homemade apple cider donuts...

or you can make the simple, easy version here...

you won't believe how easy and YUMMY they are!

(trust me on that:) the recipe is from one of my favorite sites,
southern plate.com and as they say...
they are "FOOLPROOF"
and NO, they do not taste like biscuits,
even though you make them with a can of biscuits:)
here is the recipe...

Melt In Your Mouth Doughnuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ten count can Texas style buiscuits (or your preference, just not flaky layers)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 stick margarine, melted
• Vegetable Oil For Frying

Instructions

1. Pour oil into skillet to the depth of a little less than 1/2 an inch and heat on medium to medium high for about five minutes. In a bowl, melt margarine. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
2. Using a plastic bottle cap, cut the center out of each biscuit. Drop dough into hot oil, watching carefully and turning when golden. Once doughnuts are golden on both sides, remove to paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all dough is cooked, including doughnut holes.
3. Dip both sides of each doughnut into melted margarine, then press both sides into cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.
4. don't make them while you are home alone...you might eat them ALL! hahaha

and another cool idea for a party...

donuts on a stick in hot cocoa, cider...

 (from wedfully.)

as far as apple treats go, instead of a giant 

caramel apple that, while good, are sometimes a pain to eat,

how about CARAMEL APPLE BITES.

 i am soooooo making these for football saturday!

thank you Taste of Home for the tip.

okay, here i was planning a short post today.

tough for me to do:)

i'll post my giveaway later today or tomorrow.

like a hint? 

RUFFLES!!!!!

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

fun stuff...

so the shabby chicks made funfetti blondies last weekend.

can you say FUN?

and FANTASTIC?

and SUPER DELICIOUS???

we found these on pinterest,

followed the trail to sixsisters.blogspot.com

and found the yummy recipe.  

they can be eaten plain or frosted.

we used a light, whipped frosting and it was perfect...

not too sweet...just right.

give them a try...you will LOVE every bite...and they will be gone fast!

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow (or Funfetti!) cake mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (if you use a yellow cake mix, add these in)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 
• Sprinkles for the top
• Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions: Combine the cake mix, oil, and egg in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly – you want the batter to remain as dense as possible. Then mix in the rainbow sprinkles and white chocolate chips. Put batter in a 8x11" pan (or 9x9" pan would work too!). Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. (They will be a little soft/gooey in the middle- just let them sit for about 20-30 minutes and they will set up. But I guarantee that you will not be able to wait that long.) Frost when cooled (optional . . . these taste amazing with or without frosting.  but given a choice, we ALWAYS go with frosted:)

more FUN stuff...

remember awhile back when I wrote about my girl Jordan and her

swim for ms?

 (you can read it here)

she has a web page for it here

and apparently good news travels because the Naples Daily Newspaper

found out about it and want to interview her for an article

in the paper.

 today, she had the photo shoot at the pool...

(told you.......fun stuff:)

wow...it's amazing what photographers do to get that one good shot.

(news flash...she will probably not be happy with any of them.....wet hair.....haha)

but it was fun...and we celebrated at the pool with a banana smoothie!

 good times!!!

thanks to the hostess with the mostess...here's a recipe for you:

---

Banana Smoothie:

1 banana
1 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 to 4 ice cubes
1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)

---

Directions:

In a blender, combine banana, milk, vanilla, sugar, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass to serve, and garnish with a pinch of cinnamon.

more fun...

college football is here!

my husband is a diehard Michigan fan.

I was......but not so much anymore.

things change, you know?

sorrryyyy.....

but i would never cheer against them.

well, almost never.

 

but these days, we ARE hard core SEC fans.

so.......

Go Gators (Florida)

Go Bama (Alabama)

 

Go Dawgs (Georgia)

with a shout out to Tennessee:)

 but no matter who you cheer for,

college football means TAILGATING!

check this out...

now that's MY kind of tailgating!

for some great recipes, check out pinterest....again.

things like buffalo chicken wraps.

 yummy sandwiches

 and football whoopie pies!

lots of fabulous ideas!!!

lots of FUN ideas.

maybe I should say, lots of FATTENING ideas:)

but it's all good!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Suzanne