Walk a mile in her shoes......

I don't think my sister will mind if I share this on my blog. She posted it on Facebook, her place to vent or air what is going on inside of her. She is an English teacher, so writing is natural for her. I am so proud of her. It was a joyful day and to read that she got her joy back....what a gift!


How I Took Christmas Back from the Grinch......

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Today at 7:04pm

Christmas used to be a much hated nuisance to me. Auitsm + Christmas = Stress X 100000. The inside of an autistic person is chaos which is why they have rules and rituals they must follow. It is how they keep the chaos on the inside under control. Nick's day starts with breakfast then meds then whatever is scheduled for the day. Christmas is no different. One of the saddest things I ever saw was a tree full of presents and Nick methodically doing his rituals to start his day not really giving a fig about the gifts. Try explaining to your excited three year old that she has to wait until brother finishes his rituals until she can tear into hers. Then it was off to my mom's and pray Nick doesn't bite anyone because all the noise is driving him nuts. He usually spent most of the day off by himself. So, no, I didn't really care for Christmas. A big fan of Jesus just not his birthday party.

Time passed and we adjsuted. Nick and church really do not mesh well, but we tried to celebrate as best we could. He likes bakimg a birthday cake for Jesus. Nick loves the lights so we always go to Choupique. He loves to sing so we sing Christmas songs. (At the top of our lungs in my car when it is just me and him.) His favorite is O Christmas Tree. Of course, Skylar enjoys everything about Christmas, so that is nice. I really miss Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and just once I would love for Nick to run up to me and ask for an XBOX 360, but it was tolerable.

But, you know, life is too short for things to be just tolerable. So, this year I somehow convinced my mother that she needed a break and to have Christmas here. You all know how I love to cook and did I ever cook! Rice dressing and oyster dressing. Dips and desserts. Nick and I went to three grocery stores to get it all. The more I cooked the more excited he got. He would tell me, "The kids are coming." He had such a good time celebrating with his family and participated the best he could, and if he got overwhelmed then he went to his room, regrouped, and came back.

I still miss certain things about Christmas that he cannot do or we cannot do as a family with him, but I got my joy back that comes with celebrating the birth of Christ. I wonder what new dish I can find for next year's menu.......

Christmas Reunion

The great great grandchildren

The generation after me.

My first cousins

Uncle Dee Dee, Aunt Nancy, and family

My family. My two boys were not there, nor Sarah's husband Greg.

Aunt "Big Boy"(don't ask) and Uncle Robert and family.

All of my mom's family has nicknames. This is my Aunt "Cooter's" family. One of her son's and his family did not come. Her husband, "Uncle Charlie" several years ago. She had another son, "Bubbie" who died on December 22, 1973. That was his birthday. It is also Sarah's birthday which made the day a more happier occasion again.

My mom and her brother and sisters. My mom is the one on the left.

My mom's family had not all been together for Christmas or any celebration in many, many years. It seems the only time we all got together was for funerals. This past summer it was discussed and finally decided upon to have a family reunion. It was held at my brother's house on December 13. It was priceless. I am so glad that we did it. Not everyone was there, but it was truly a success. Everyone talked of when we would do it again. I feel as though I was given a gift.

ThanksChristmas 09

Randy, his brother Tommy, and his dad.

These are great grandchildren of Randy's mom and dad.

Randy's dad, doesn't he look festive in his red shirt?

Randy's family always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve at his parent's home. When his mom died over 7 years ago, his dad was not up to having the celebration at his house for a few years. We wanted to keep the tradition going so we have held it at various homes the past 7 years, including one at our house. The past two years it has been back at Randy's dad's house. Last year, Mr. Brooks was ready for it to be back at his house. We had there again this year. We have changed the day we have it. It is now the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we call it ThanksChristmas. This is a few pictures of this year's ThanksChristmas.

Snow at 316 Bruce Hyatt Road

What a thrill it was to have the snow Friday evening and Friday night. I know it was not much, but for southwest Louisiana it was a decent amount of the white stuff. I do know that the anticipation of the snow and the actually falling of it was very uplifting and almost cleansing for me. The anticipation started on Thursday. I arrived at school on Friday as excited as the students. When we were told to start calling parents to tell them that we would be getting out at noon, my excitement grew. By one I had all my kiddos out the door, and I went home. I made sure plants were protected. I made sure there was plenty of wood on the porch for the fireplace. I made a fire, and began heating up the pot of gumbo I made the night before. When Randy got home, the snow was falling and I was outside already taking pictures.

Randy and I brought a mattress into the living room and slept in front of the fireplace Friday night. In fact we kept it there all day Saturday , and spent the night in front of the fire again that night. It was fun. I baked cookies Friday night and I baked muffins Saturday. The cold just seem to put me in a baking mood. I think I must have drank a quart of hot chocolate too!

Saturday morning, we walked around outside right at daylight. Watching the scene change with the rising of the sun was a wonderful experience. I later rode the 4 wheeler on the trail at the back of the property. There was not much snow there except in open places, but I had a wonderful time back there taking pictures of what I dd see. I will post those pictures at a later date.

I am grateful for our little snowfall. I saw its beauty and was able to thank the One who is in charge of it.







This is what it looked like as it first began to come down.

This is what the barn looked like as it was snowing. This is right at dark.

The road up to our house highlighted with snow.

I was up and outside about 6:30. There was such a peace surrounding the snowy beauty.

So pretty!

This is the site of many camp outs and shoot outs. Doesn't it look much different?

I liked the contrast of colors and the little ice drops hanging off the leaves

First Fire of the Season

I always look forward to a fire in the fireplace, especially that first one. There is something about a fire that warms not only the outside but also the inside. One can stare into those golden flames and reflect on things of importance or things that are not so important. I love to sit close to it with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate...not too many things are better than that.

The first time we built a fire in our fireplace, we also roasted wienies and marshmallows. We do that at least two or three times each winter. We have always said that we were going to fix foil dinners in the coals, but have not done that so far. Perhaps this year we will.

Fire creates both warmth and light. Both things can mend a weary soul. I am grateful for the fireplace in our home and the warmth and light it provides to my soul.

The Pitter Patter of Little Feet

Puppies and little boys always go together.

She is now living the life of Riley.

Those eyes have soul.

Living rural like we do means that everyone else in the world(or so it seems) feels like our place is the perfect place to dump their unwanted animals. We have been adopted by many dogs since we moved here. Some have stayed and become family pets. Some have just passed through. Our latest is a little brown puppy that can not be more than 3 months old. She has a beautiful cocoa colored coat that prompted Sarah to name her Cocoa. She appears to be a lab mix, perhaps collie being a part of her pedigree. Since she is just a baby she has been given a place in the garage. She also makes frequent trips into the house. Sitting in Randy's lap is a favorite activity of hers..........and his.

We have had some sad and pitiful dogs dropped on us. They always come here just skin and bones and scared to death. Those that are allowed to stay eventually fatten up and grow to realize that we are not going to hurt them. Several months back I posted about a dog that showed up here that had the appearance of a coyote. That dog is still here. We named her Dingo because she seems so wild. She has a crippled leg and is still afraid of us, although I have gotten her to eat out of my hand.

This latest addition to our menagerie is the best looking dog that has been left for us. She is very sweet natured, and it appears that she was well taken care of for she has a shiny coat and a fat, round tummy. We have come to the conclusion and question that if this is the puppy that was unwanted, what did her brother and sisters look like? I have the feeling that Cocoa will be with us for a long time.

Weekend Fun

Liam will give others a ride too.

There was a visit from Daniel. Liam calls him "Unkiel".

That looks like a happy boy.

I think he will be driving it before too long.

Two beauties and a "sweetie".

We picked all of those in minutes...there is 10 times that many on the ground now.

Too much 4-wheeling makes a guy tired.

Rocking is always a fun activity.

A few weekends ago, Sarah and Liam came over. We had a great weekend full of 4-wheeler rides and picking pecans. My niece Skylar spent Saturday and Saturday night with us. Daniel even came in for the weekend...and washed a LOT of clothes. Here are some pictures of that beautiful weekend.