Alia Comes to Fields

Jacob and Alesha came home and of course, brought Alia
with them. She is so sweet.


Paw Paw met her.

Maw Maw met her 2nd great grand child.

Nothing is more healing to me right now than holding that
little girl.

That boy does love a tractor!

Liam stayed his first weekend here without his mom and dad.
He sat on every tractor. We played chase around every
tractor. He actually rode tractors and PawPaw's "big
truck". We fed the animals and watered flowers. It was a
great weekend, and he was fine. The first thing he said when
he saw his mom was....NO! I love you little man. I can't
wait for you to come back.






A guy gets really thirsty and has to drink his water out of
a "mater" bottle.

Heaven Sent

Is there anything more pure than a new born? The picture
above is of my son Jacob and our newest grand daughter, Alia.
I have loved her since I found out she was coming, but to
finally lay eyes on her...well, that sealed the deal.

In the picture above, she had been in this world about 4 hours.
I noticed she had her eyes open so I took the picture. I wish
I would have captured the look on Jacob's face too. She just
seems to be thinking...so you're my daddy.

When I held her for the first time, I thought to myself I was
holding the cleanest, purest thing on Earth. I somehow felt
unworthy to do so. As I was thinking that, she opened up
her eyes and I felt like I was looking into the eyes of a
heavenly being....such innocence, so clean and pure. I am
so grateful for this new little life and the purity she brings.
I hope I can live up to her expectations.

Satellite Farm

A view of all three members of our farm.

My Internet savior...it looks like a spy device or laser gun.

The new dish that allows us to have local channels.

Living rurally, as we do, there are advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is not having decent Internet service. We had dial up. That reached the point where you could barely check your email. We then got a Sprint air card. That seemed so much better than the dial up that we were happy for a while. When we heard that the newest tower out this way was ATT, we decided to switch our phone/Internet service to them. It was great for while, much better than Sprint. I mean, watching Youtube was an exercise in patience. You would have to wait 10 minutes or more to watch a 3 minute clip. Having 3 bars of service was cause for celebration.

If you are friend of mine on Facebook, you are acquainted with my Internet troubles this summer trying to take a class. Not having taken a college class in about 16 years, I was introduced to Blackboard. Everything is done through Blackboard: assignments, messages, grades, and anything related to the class such as articles to be read, discussed, and wrote about. I knew this through my children, but I was personally introduced to the this modern concept this summer. On about my second day of class, ATT decided to go nuts on me. It first started out with spotty service, and then went to no service what so ever. I spent a total of at least 10 hours on the phone trying to find out the problem. I was told anything from they were integrating towers to they did not know what the problem was. I was reduced to stopping at my local McDonalds to use the free Wifi. After several weeks of that craziness, we decided to just bite the bullet and take a step toward 2010. We got Hughesnet! For $10 less per month than we were paying for the ATT aircard, we now have wireless Internet service via Hughesnet satellite. I can blog, Google, Facebook, read the newspaper, and watch grandchildren videos from anywhere in the house. Up to six computers can take advantage of this modern technology. I am happy with Hughesnet.

We started out with the least package you can get. When I told the guy what we use the Internet for, he told me that package would work for us. It does, except when Daniel comes home and tries to download a movie(this aint Baton Rouge). Through the fair usage act, you are only allotted so much usage per day. If you go over, the service slows down to a crawl. Daniel was unaware of this and tried to download a movie. I called the automated service number and learned that you get one free service restore a month. Within minutes we were back in business and I did not talk to a human being, just a series of me punching phone button and hearing weird beeps and noises on the other end. Modern technology never ceases to amaze me.

To continue our voyage into the modern world of technology, Randy decided to take advantage of Dishnetwork's many offers of free HD for life and free local channels. This is a complicated story in itself. We did not have local channels through Dishnetwork. Randy's brother told us to tell them we used the satellite at a camp up at Toledo and we could get local channels there. I mean we paid for the service. We had local channels...out of Shreveport! We could watch LSU football though and we were happy. Although our TV is HD capable, we did not have the box for that because they wanted to bring it to the camp. When Dish offered local channels a couple of months ago, we took them up on the offer. We no longer have service " at the camp". We do have local channels here though. It is so great to watch Channel 7 news! As far as the HD, I honestly do not see a big difference, except now we have a new satellite receiver and remote.

Now the reason for my devoting a blog entry to this subject. We now look like a satellite farm here at 316 Bruce Hyatt Road. The Hughesnet is a much bigger dish than the TV dish. It is also pole mounted, as it would not be hurricane friendly. The new TV Dishnetwork dish had to be pointed at the southeast sky rather than the southwest sky, so it was pole mounted as well. Our old Dishnetwork dish is mounted on the side of the house. We were told to leave the old dish on the house to make sure the new one was going to work properly. We do not have any problems, so hopefully we will get the old one down before long......Randy?

So, if you drive up to our house and feel like you have just stepped onto a military installation, feel at ease you are welcome here. We can search the Internet, watch John Bridges on Channel 7, and watch anything in HD. Our next moves into modern technology is possibly dropping our land line and I am also thinking about Skyping....too many grand babies to keep up with!

Take me there.......................

When Randy and I went to Alaska two years ago, he took the above picture of me. When we first talked of going on a cruise, I pictured myself doing just that. We were in Glacier Bay. It was cold. I am wearing my coat, gloves, a blanket, and if you look closely there is a cup of hot chocolate next to me. I had several cups a day. I would lay back and just watch the scenery go by. It was like looking at a painting or a jig saw puzzle. I really felt at peace.

Reality check....I am back at work. I have 30 students. I am on my feet all day and wearing shoes(comfortable shoes, but still shoes). The first couple of week are exhausting. I come home and collapse every day. There are evenings that I imagine myself back on that boat with my cup of hot chocolate.

Good news....a fifth 5th grade teacher was hired today. I will only have 24 students on Monday. We have not had enough books for the current number of students so it has been a week of trying to make a routine out of no routine. Also, we were 99% sure we were getting the new teacher, so we did not want to move too far ahead. The extra books arrived today, so Monday we will hit them hard. The next obstacle is stopping all the chattering these 5th graders want to do.

Still I know there will be days when I wish I were back on the Coral Princess floating my cares away.

Baby Quilts and Baby Blankets

When I was pregnant with my oldest child, Jacob, I embroidered
blocks and made a quilt. It took most of the pregnancy. I really
just slept and sewed through that pregnancy. As I was making
that quilt I told myself that one day that baby would give the
quilt to its baby. The circle of life has turned and that baby will
have a baby girl in October. Yesterday, I went to the shower
and brought the precious quilt. Jacob seemed to be very pleased
when he realized it was his. I brought him home from the
hospital in that quilt.

Jacob's quilt. I worked many hours on it.

Close up of one of the blocks

Two years later, I was expecting another child. With a two
year old to take care of, I just did not have the time to make
as elaborate of a quilt for the new baby. We did not know
what the baby was going to be. A friend had given my some
Pooh curtains and bedding. I used some of the curtains to make
a small little quilt for baby number 2. It ended up being smaller
than I planned and was used as a tummy quilt most of the time.
Sorry Sarah!

Baby number 3, Daniel was a summer baby(July). Not only
did I not have enough time to make a nicer quilt, the thought
of a quilt seem so hot. I made him a seersucker receiving
blanket. I did take him from the hospital in that blanket, and
he looked quite cute in it!

Ten years ago my sister was pregnant with my niece, Skylar.
We were all excited about the coming little girl. I decided to
make her a quilt. Well, I was working and chauffeuring children
night and day. I had good intentions, but just did not finish
the quilt top. I was very close. Randy's daughter Jade, had
Morgan a month later so I thought I would finish it for her...
I did not. I just have had it stored away. I took it out the other
day and realized that only the border needs finishing before
attaching he back and quilting it. I am not sure if Sarah's
new baby(we found out today it is a girl) will get this quilt
or if I will make her a more specific one. The clock is ticking
on that decision.

Close up of the unfinished quilt

When we found out Sarah was pregnant with Liam, I went
to work on a quilt. I began cross stitching within weeks. I
worked all through the fall and winter on that thing. I can
remember watching American Idol and stitching. I also remember
Sarah calling and saying,"what are you doing?" and I would say
"nothing". I surprised her with the quilt just a couple of weeks
before Liam was born. She has it hung on his bedroom wall.

I like doing handwork like that. It is soothing in a way.

Old Time Religion

My Aunt Edna died this pass weekend. She was 78, and had been sick for a while. She is my Daddy's brother Weldon's wife. Uncle Weldon died 3 years ago. Monday was the wake. Like most wakes(ones I go to anyway) it was full of laughter, hugs, talk of memories, and seeing friends and relatives you have not seen in a while and probably will not see until the next death. That is sad, but true. The funeral was today. I smiled through most of the funeral. I must explain myself at this point.

Most of my mom and dad's family are Pentecostal. I was raised going to Sunday School at a Pentecostal Church. I was even dedicated in that church. That means that as a baby I was "given" to the Lord. I never was baptized in that church, but my early childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood was spent in Sunday school at that church. My basic biblical knowledge was learned in classes taught by the sweetest Pentecostal ladies and men you could imagine. Randy and I attended a Pentecostal church in Lake Charles sometimes when we dated and when we lived there the first year of our marriage. His family is also full of many Pentecostals. In fact I was sitting in a Pentecostal church when I decided to name my first child Jacob. The lesson was on Jacob and Esau. I was trying to decide between Jacob and Jared.

The funeral today was very Pentecostal, complete with old time gospel music, people praying out loud, clapping, and shouting. It had been so long since I was around that. It brought back memories of wonderful people, relatives and non relatives. First of all some grandchildren sang a song. In fact 3 grand daughters sang, 1 played the piano and sang, and a great grand son played the drums on the number. They all have rich, full Pentecostal voices that are you can tell are use to singing, shouting, and praying regularly. I did not inherit any of this musical talent!

Then some ladies of the church sang a song that they said Aunt Edna had requested..."Good Bye World Good Bye". It was rocking! Note to my family: When I leave this world, send me out at one point to a song like that. It was truly a home-going service. I think Aunt Edna's spirit was there clapping and singing with everyone else. The preacher asked everyone to grab a hymnal and sing , "Heaven's Jubilee". I did not have my glasses, so I could not see the words but when they got to the chorus I remembered the words from my childhood. Maybe that was part of the reason for my smiling. It is also a thumping, southern gospel song.

I have been thinking of all my Pentecostal relatives and two great aunts came to mind...Daddy's Aunt Ethel and Aunt Carmel. They would try to out do each other at church. If one stood up to testify, then the other soon followed with a louder and longer testimony. If one spoke in tongues, the other soon followed. I witnessed this many times. My aunt was saying last night that Aunt Ethel, Aunt Carmel, and my grandma use to try to out do each other at funerals. They would faint and fall out. Aunt Billie Faye told me she finally told my grandma that if she did that again, she would not help her up off the floor. She said she never did it again!

I really believe the Spirit was in that Pentecostal church today. I told my cousins that I really enjoyed the service, and felt like I had been to church. God is alive. He dwells everywhere, especially where so many gather with one purpose. I know some will argue that it is wrong to be so loud in a house of worship, but I think God smiled today. I think Jesus smiled today. I think Aunt Edna, my grandparents, and all those sweet Pentecostal Sunday school teachers who fed me cookies and bible verses smiled today. I know I smiled today with pure joy.


I dug through some photos I had scanned(we have hundreds
of slides I am scanning) looking for a picture of Aunt Edna.
The best I could come up with is the one above. It was taken
at my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. My mom is
the one in the navy blue suit. Aunt Edna is the one whose
face is partially hidden by my mom. That is Uncle Weldon
next to her. My grandparents sit in the chairs. My aunts
and uncles and my dad are behind them. I think the
little ones are various great grand children. I chose this picture
for it shows my Pentecostal aunts. There are 11 adults in this
picture, 6 have since passed on.

I found this picture of my grandpa and I. Was I young or what?

I found the lyrics to the two songs I mentioned above. I pasted them below. Go to Youtube and find them. Be sure and pick one that is southern gospel with a banging piano and thumping drums.

Good Bye World Good Bye

I've told all my troubles goodbye,
Goodbye to each tear and each sigh.
This world where I roam cannot be my home,
I'm bound for that home in the sky.
I walk and I talk with my Lord,
I feast every day on His word,
Heaven is near and I can't stay here
Goodbye world, goodbye.

I won't have the blues anymore
When I step across to that shore.
And I'll never pine for I'll leave behind
My heartaches and cares ever more.
A day maybe two then goodbye,
Goodbye to each sorrow and sigh.
Heaven is near and I can't stay here,
Goodbye world, goodbye.

Now don't you weep for me when I'm gone
For I won't have to leave here alone.
And when I hear that last trumpet sound
My feet won't stay on the ground.
I'm gonna rise with a shout, gonna fly,
Gonna rise with my Lord in the sky.
Heaven is near and I can't stay here,
Goodbye world, goodbye

Some glad morning we shall see, Jesus in the air
Coming after you and me, joy is ours to share
What rejoicing there will be, when the saints shall rise
Headed for that jubilee, yonder in the skies
Chorus
Oh what singing, oh what shouting
On that happy morning when we all shall rise
Oh what glory, Hallelujah
When we meet our blessed Savior in the skies

Seems that now I almost see, all the sainted dead
Rising for that jubilee, that is just ahead
In the twinkling of an eye, changed with them to be
All the living saints to fly, to that jubilee.

Chorus
Oh what singing, oh what shouting
On that happy morning when we all shall rise

Please excuse the long post. I just had so many memories stirred today.