Book Review - Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy!

I'm participating in my very first book blog tour with Lit Fuse. I hope you all enjoy it.

Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy

by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

About Shellie's book:

The bestselling author of Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On! returns with more helpful how-to's and keen observations from Dixie.  Guided by principles from the ancient Belle Doctrine, the host of radio and television's All Things Southern offers down-home advice on everything from health and fitness-managing thy caloric calculations without going Straight Running Crazy and surviving the Raging Inferno Syndrome (aka hot flashes)-to the Southern art of handling your man (Bubba Whispering). Whether giving business tips or debunking the Big Boned Theory, making political observations or celebrating the inevitable resurgence of big hair, Shellie is an adviser women can relate to and laugh with regardless of their age or which side of the Mason-Dixon they call home. 

About Shellie:

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson and her husband Phil live and farm in the Louisiana Delta. Shellie is the author of Lessons Learned on Bull Run Road, Twas the Night Before the Very First Christmas, Southern Comfort with Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and the Penguin Group USA release, Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On, voted Nonfiction Finalist of 2009 by SIBA Independent Booksellers Alliance.

Tomlinson is owner and publisher of All Things Southern and the host of the weekly radio show All Things Southern as well as a weekly video segment by the same name. Listeners also hear Shellie in her All Things Southern radio segments aired across the South. Shellie writes a weekly inspirational feature in Newsstar and a monthly print and online column for Lousiana Road Trips.

When Shellie isn't writing, speaking, taping her show, answering email or writing content for the next deadline, you can find her playing tennis with Dixie Belle, (the chocolate lab who thinks she is in charge of running Shellie's life). 

To celebrate the Sue Ellen’s release, Shellie is having a Facebook Party!  

Join Shellie and the gang on June 2^nd at 5:00 PM PST (6 MST, 7 CST, 8 EST) for a Southern style shin-dig! She'll be dishing on Bubba Whispering, debunking the Big Boned Theory, and how to manage going Straight Running Crazy. If you don't know what any of that is, then be sure to pick up a copy of the book (Not necessary to join the fun! Who knows - you might win a copy!) and join us at 5:00 pm on June 2nd at Shellie's Facebook page. And tell your friends - she's giving away copies of her books and some great gift certificates.

My review:

Reading this book was like sitting down and talking with my Mom and my aunts.  Everything in this book that Shellie writes reminds me of home.  Shellie is truly Southern and truly hilarious!  I laughed out loud at some passages and said "Amen, Sista!" to others.  Shellie shares her thoughts on the "change of life", weight issues, men, family, and a gaggle of other thoughts and topics.  I definitely picked up some tips in the chapter entitled "Bubba Whispering" that I'll be secretly implementing at home.  Shellie has also added some very delicious recipes in the mix.  One that I really want to try out is Cuzin Peggy's Jambalaya Grits.

To find out what other bloggers are saying about Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy, check out the blog tour sponsored by Lit Fuse.  

Blog Tour Schedule:

May 18th:

Julie at The Surrendered Scribe http://juliearduini.com

Wendy at Wall-to-Wall books http://wall-to-wall-books.blogspot.com/

Tarena at Laughing Family http://laughingfamily.blogspot.com

May 19th:

Susie at Scraps of Life http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com

Glenda at Authors Book Corner http://www.AuthorsBookCorner.blogspot.com

Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews http://sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com

May 20th:

Heidi at Starts At Eight http://www.startsateight.com

Karla at Ramblin' Roads http://ramblinroadstoeverywhere.blogspot.com

Hope at A Little Hope...Amidst the Chaos http://a-little-hope.com

May 21st

Lena at A Christian Writer's World http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Tracye at A Heart Poured Out http://tracyedukes.com

Laura at The Book Tree http://thebooktree.blogspot.com

May 23rd:

Kim at Window To My World http://berlysue.blogspot.com

Books, Etc...by Bina http://www.booksbybina.blogspot.com

Mollie at The Gandy's Home Base http://thegandyshomebase.blogspot.com

May 24th:

Danielle at The Happy Wife http://juanshappywife.blogspot.com

Deanna at Domestic Chicky http://domestic-chicky.com

Vic's Media Room http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com

May 25th:

Deanna's Corner http://ldgermany.blogspot.com

Julie at Book Hooked Blog http://www.bookhookedblog.com

 

May 26th:

Caroline at Happy Four http://happyfour.blogspot.com

Splashes Of Joy http://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/

Wendy at Minding Spot http://mindingspot.blogspot.com

May 27th:

Megan at Homeschoolin’ Mama http://meg-homeschoolinmama.blogspot.com/

Rhiana at A Frugal Life http://www.afrugallife.org

Theresa at Frugal Experiments http://www.frugalexperiments.com

May 28th:

Tina at Mad Hatter Mom http://www.madhattermom.com

Deb’s Here http://debshere.blogspot.com/

Hayley at Hanging Off The Wire http://hangingoffthewire.blogspot.com/

May 30th:

Jenn's RAQ http://www.jennsraq.com

Whitney at Rambles of a SAHM http://ramblesahm.blogspot.com

Jamie at Little Blurbs http://Littleblurbs.wordpress.com

May 31st:

Prerna at The Mom Writes http://www.themomwrites.com

Mel's World with Melissa Mashburn http://www.MelissaMashburn.com

Margaret at Kitchen Chat http://kitchenchat.info

Kim at 2 Kids and a Coupon http://www.twokidsandacoupon.com

June 1st:

Angela at All Grown Up? http://pantylesspreacherswife.wordpress.com

Alexia at The Mommy Rambles http://themommyrambles.blogspot.com

Lauren at 5 Minutes for Books http://5minutesforbooks.com

Robin at Scribbles of the Heart http://www.scribblesoftheheart.com/

June 2nd:

Jennifer at Adventures in Unsell Land  http://www.theunsells.blogspot.com/

Lisa at Make Your Own Escape http://makeyourownescape.blogspot.com

Barb at Rural Mom http://www.ruralmom.com

Anna at The Cross Is All http://annawood.wordpress.com/

If you'd like to read Shellie's hilarious book, visit Amazon to purchase.  

I'd like to thank Shellie Rushing Tomlinson and Lit Fuse for the chance to review this book.  I was provided a free copy of the book to use for this review.  My opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

It's my turn to be embarrassed.

So in the history of this blog, I have shared embarrassing stories about my boss, my husband, and Bean.  Well, not so much embarrassing to Bean now but I'm sure this whole blog will one day embarrass her into hating me.  Oh well.  Maybe she'll start her own blog.

I figured that it would only be fair to share an embarrassing story about me.  As they say "turn about is fair play" or something like that.  I am only really sharing this because it is such a cute Bean story and I want to be able to remember it when I'm older and gray-er.

This past weekend, one of Hubz' co-workers got married.  The bride and groom were gracious enough to invite us to their wedding.  It was held at a fancy Atlanta hotel in the evening.

I will be honest.  I did not want to go.  For as girlie as I am, I completely hate to dress up.  I used to like it when I was more comfortable with my weight and how I looked.  Not so much any more.  I had absolutely nothing at home that would suit the occasion that fit me.  So off to the store we went.

Hubz, Bean and I looked all over the women's department grabbing anything that I thought would fit.  I finally had enough things to try on and Bean and I ran off to the fitting rooms. 


Bean selected our room and she climbed up on the seat to watch Mommy.  When I went to try on the first dress, Bean exclaimed...

"Oh thank you, Mommy, for wearing those Care Bear panties today!"

Oh, no, thank you, Bean, for broadcasting all throughout the Kohl's fitting room that your mommy put on twelve year-old panties that morning when she got dressed.  Thank you!

All I heard were giggles and laughs coming from the other stalls.

Yes, I have Care Bear panties.  Yes, I'm too lazy and/or cheap to buy new panties.  Now not only do my fellow Kohl's shoppers know this, so does the blogosphere.  There you go.  

My Book Shelf

I am completely stealing borrowing this post idea from Grams at Grams Made It. She was a recent featured blogger on SITS and I found her book post while reading her blog.

I thought I would try and update this post here and there as I finish books. I also use Goodreads to keep track of the books I've read. My Goodreads list is here.

I don't get as much time now to read as I used to. I do check out audiobooks from our local library and listen to them during my commute time.

I'm currently reading and/or listening to:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (audiobook)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien


I am listening to Jane Eyre on audiobook. I am almost finished. I love this story so far and don't know why I never read it earlier. I received A Discovery of Witches to review as part of the BlogHer Book Review program. I am busting my brain to try and get it read in the timeframe they've set. I was reading The Hobbit before I received A Discovery of Witches so Bilbo Baggins is having to sit and wait patiently for me to return to his story.

As I finish these books and add to my reading/listening list, I will compile a list of finished books. Here are just a few of the ones I've recently finished.

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Beach House by Jane Green
• Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner

If you have a book that you just loved and want to recommend it, please feel free to post it here or if you have a Goodreads page, please share the link in the comments, too.  I would love to see what you are reading, too.

Toddler Needlework

Some of you may know that Bean goes to a Montessori preschool. I often ask her what she does at school. I am most often given the same answer - "I don't know".

Each week they send home a folder with school information and Bean's handiwork. It is usually crayon drawings or colored pieces of paper glued to a page. Standard toddler work.

This is what came home with Bean on Monday.

 

I was amazed.  They teach the kids to use a loom and a needle and thread.  The teacher will outline the shape and sit with the child while they stitch around it.  Bean's come home before with a partially completed shape but never a fully completed one.  I used to think that this was one of those projects where the teacher did most of the work while the child sat at watched.  I actually did an observation in Bean's class yesterday morning and watched this process take place.  The teacher did sit with a child while she was doing her needlework.  But the child went and got the needle, cut the thread, took out the loom, did get some help putting the material in the loom but not much, and then sat there and went around the shape sewing back and forth herself.  Again, I was amazed.

Bean is 3.  She can do better needlepoint than I can.  Do you think my Mom would have handed over a needle to me at age 3?  Nope. She didn't want to give me one when I was 12, especially after the tragic sewing machine incident involving my thumb.  My thumb still twitches when it gets near a sewing machine.

I just love the Montessori method and am glad Bean has gotten to experience it. 

Mother's Day 2011

On Sunday, FOR MOTHER'S DAY, Hubz, Bean and I visited the Cotton Pickin' Fair, an arts and crafts fair held twice each year. This is my favorite arts and crafts fair out of all the ones I've been to.

Our first stop was to visit with Ms. Linda at Ms. Linda Made It.  I try to stop in and visit her booth every time we go. Her and her husband drive down from South Carolina to display her beautiful handmade little girl's dresses.  She made an outfit for Bean and asked me to try and stop by so she could give it to her.  I featured Ms. Linda and her shop during my Handmade Holidays series last year. Ms. Linda told me they wouldn't be back to this fair in the fall because her daughter is getting married and Ms. Linda is making the wedding dress. Can you imagine? Wow.  I hope she posts pictures up on her Facebook after the wedding. I want to see that dress.

After our visit, we headed on to get some bar-be-que. I believe this is the sole reason that I am able to get Hubz to go with me to this fair. The Masons (I think) sell the best stew I've ever had. Yum!  I've been trying to get Hubz to join the Masons so he can get me that recipe.  He's not the joining type, I guess.

So...after we ate, what do you think we would do next while at an arts and crafts fair? Yeah, we stood in line for Bean to ride a wooden train pulled by a lawn mower. Makes sense, huh?  Sadly, though the lawn mower broke down before Bean could ride. She was heartbroken. But we managed to save the day with the next best thing...her first ever pony ride!

Our little cowgirl!

After the pony ride, we went to the jumpy thing.  I remember loving to jump in the bouncy, jumpy thing when I was young but after watching these kids catapult themselves all over that gigantic pillow, I thought to myself that if I had to do that now, it there would be some broken bones and whiplash involved for sure.

So after the jumpy thing, I finally got to look at some arts and crafts, right?  Um...no.  No, I did not.

Next it was face painting.  Hubz parked himself out of the way and I had to stand in line with Bean in the hot Georgia sun so she could get this done.

There's definitely no denying that this is my kid.  She's a Hello Kitty lover, too.  But this little masterpiece was $4!  Four dollars!  Sheesh.  That's gonna come out of my mad money I brought to spend on play pretties.

Now, please, please, pretty please, can't we look at some arts and some crafts, please?  No, we had to go get ice cream.

After the admission, "be-be-que", a foot-long corndog (Hubz), drinks, pony rides, jumpy things, ice cream, and a fairy wand, I was broke.  Hubz and Bean were both hot and tired.  They both wanted to go home by then.  I reminded them that it was Mother's Day and I was "The Mother" in that equation, but they didn't seem to care.  So, other than googling at Ms. Linda's booth, I saw no arts or crafts at my favorite arts and crafts fair.

Next time, I'm going by myself. 

Pretty Petals Mother's Day Card

I made these Mother's Day cards for some special moms in our lives.  I didn't make enough because this Mom ran out of time.  All of the materials are from Stampin' Up except for the buttons I used in the center of the flowers.

A very special lady was responsible for those buttons - my Granny.  She passed away in 1993.  She always saved buttons.  She had mason jars filled to the top full of all different kinds of buttons.  I used to love to look through them all.  These are some that my Mother saved from my Granny's collection. I found them in the attic a few months ago and thought they would make a beautiful addition to the cards.  It's a way that my Granny can be remembered on Mother's Day.  I sure do miss her and my Mom. 

I took this card pattern from one we made at a monthly card class.  I changed it up a little but the idea was from Pollyanna, my Stampin' Up rep.  I call this card Pretty Petals.

Happy Mother's Day!

Linking to these parties:



Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog

Meet Me on Monday - May 2, 2011

I am participating again in the Meet Me on Monday link party. I really enjoy this series.

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!




Questions:

1. What is your favorite kind of muffin?
2. What was the first car you ever owned?
3. Which TV Show were you sad to see end?
4. What is your lucky number?
5. Pretzels or Potato Chips?
---------------------------------------------------------------
My Answers!

1. What is your favorite kind of muffin?

I'm not sure I've ever met a muffin I didn't like. Blueberry is probably my favorite with lemon poppyseed being a close second.

2. What was the first car you ever owned?

The first car I ever owned that I made the actual payments on was a used 1988 Chevrolet Beretta. This car was crazy. The engine always ran like a dream. It never gave me one bit of trouble. But the inside was another story. The headliner fell down so I would have to try and tape it up. That didn't last so I eventually got fed up with it so I ripped it out. At a red light one day, I had just put my sun visor back up when I started to make my left turn. As the car started into the turn, the sun visor came swinging around and hit me right above my eyes. I almost wrecked the car. The visor had snapped and wouldn't stay up. It just kept flopping around. Crazy.


3. Which TV Show were you sad to see end?

LOST.  I loved those people.  Some more than others or The Others.   I just loved the show from the first frame to the last.


4. What is your lucky number?

I evidently don't have one.

I guess "3" is my favorite number.   When I was growing up, I always picked "3" because it represented my dad, mom and me.  Now it represents Hubz, me and Bean.  But it ain't won me no lottery!


5. Pretzels or Potato Chips?

I am a hands-down potato chip supporter!