Prayer Request for my Sister

I'm a little hesitant to post this because it's pretty personal and if my sister knew that I'm discussing her situation here she'd be livid....I think. So, to make a very long story short, she's going through some difficult times right now and is in tears nearly everytime I speak to her. Her marriage is falling apart, as well as other appliances and things around her house. When it rains it pours, right?

I try to talk to her and lift her up. I try to be encouraging without badmouthing my brother in law. I try to let her know that she's a strong woman etc. She's not a very strong Christian but seems to be turning to the church for comfort.

At any rate, pray for her please! Pray for her eyes and heart to be open to whatever the Lord has in store for her. Pray for strength to endure. Pray for peace in her heart and with herself. Pray for clarity. And just, please pray for whatever else you can think of that might apply to her situation.

I have talked to her until I'm blue in the face and sounding like a broken record. I don't know what else to say to her. Pray that the Lord gives me the right words and right time to say them to her.

Thanks for reading and "listening".

Count Your Blessings

On Friday night, I went to a movie with my sister. We went to see Blindside. Now, as I sit here at my lovely little computer on Thanksgiving Eve, I ponder the blessings in my life. The hymn "Count Your Blessings" is going through my head right now. You know the chorus:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

But have you spent time to ponder the verses?

Verse 1:
When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Verse 2:
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Verse 3:
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think the Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Verse 4:
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Count your blessings, name them one by one.....Have you done that today?

Blogger Christmas Piano Recital

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been busy....as you can see.







Thanks for watching!!!

Broken Tooth

My Little Bird began losing her baby teeth in January of this year. Right after Christmas! Eleven short months later, while climbing down the slide ladder during a park play day, she slipped and hit one of the steps with her permanent tooth. This was her second tooth to give to the Tooth Fairy when she began losing teeth.

It broke. I felt so bad. I should've been right there to catch her...but I wasn't. As we exited the park, I was on the cell phone with the dentist informing them that we were on our way in for tooth repair....mud, dirt, and all. Little Bird would not even close her mouth for the entire ride. When she spoke, it was quite funny as she didn't want to close her mouth or use her tongue to form words.

The dentist was great! He took us right in and got us settled into the chair. His assistant came in and got Xray's of Little Bird's teeth to see if any damage was done to the root. He tells me that the tooth is still forming and that the root hasn't finished developing yet. It is because of this that he can't put a "cap" on the tooth. He chooses instead to put a filling on it. The same sort of filling that they use to fill cavities.

He explained every little thing to Little Bird. Every time he touched a tool, he explained to her what it was used for, let her examine the tool, and even let her touch the end of it. I was severly impressed!!!

Since he had to numb her mouth in order to work on it, he explained to her that he would use a special numbing gel that tasted like bubble gum. As he placed that on her gum, he talked to her the whole time! I was concerned that she would go ballistic when she saw the needle but he had a system all worked out so that she never saw it!

He had turned to get the syringe, but held it down below her line of sight while at the same time, reaching up for the light above her to adjust it so that it was in her eyes...causing her to close her eyes. At the same time, he made his move.

When I brush her hair at home, I encounter tangles that are sometimes so bad it causes her to cry. Sometimes she'll even scream. So, we've developed a technique where she will squeeze my knees with her hands when it hurts instead of screaming out loud. As the dentist was giving her the novacaine injection, he was talking to her the whole time. I was holding her hand and also telling her to squeeze when it hurt. She was so brave! What a trooper!!

To make a long story a little shorter, she now has a little filling on that gap you see. It looks just fine, like nothing happened but because it isn't a real tooth, it isn't as strong and now we have to "baby" it. No more biting right into an apple or baby carrots and such things. :(

Blogger Piano Recital just for you!

In case you didn't know it, I'm a pianist. I began taking piano lessons at the ripe young age of 6 years old. My parents didn't have a piano for me to practice on at home so my mom would walk me the few blocks to the church we were attending at the time so that I practice on the sanctuary piano. That Christmas, my parents purchased a studio console Baldwin. I remember the evening it was delivered. My piano teacher, Mrs. Thelma Addison, was there with her oldest daughter who played a few classical pieces on it. I was in awe! It was such a pretty piano! I remember my teacher telling me not to touch it or practice on it without washing my hands first. It was very important to take care of it! My mother still has that piano, however, it also has a few knocks and nicks here and there. The middle C key looks kind of funny. Some of the bass notes sound like the string is broken. We still play on it though at Christmas and my girls love to practice on it.

In light of all that, I have been practicing some pieces here at home that I would love to share with ya'll. This first piece is called "Beboparology" by Noah Baerman from a student jazz book.

This piece is called "Boogie Gumbo" that is also out of a student jazz book. This one was played on a piano that I gave to a student at Oxford University. It had a stuck key.



This last piece is "Princess" by Suzanne Ciani. It isn't perfect because I was hurriedly recording it while my Kangaroo was taking a nap.



I hope you've enjoyed my little Blogger recital. Stay tuned for more!

Twelfth Anniversary Adventure, Part 4

I woke up to the smell of coffee brewing in our little Day's Inn hotel room this morning. I rolled over and looked at the clock, groaning a little when I saw the clock and read 7:07 a.m. Another early morning. Oh well, there was a lot of other stuff I wanted to get up to see and do before we began our drive back home.

Hubby mentioned that he was hungry and wanted to find some breakfast somewhere. Since it was Sunday morning, I wasn't sure that we would find any restaurants open for breakfast. All of the cute little restaurants that we passed by at dinner time were closed on Sunday except for one or two that offered brunch and even that wasn't being served until 10 a.m. So, we got up, got dressed, plugged in a Points of Interest thing into the GPS and were directed a few miles down the road to a Shoney's. I thought all of the Shoney's restaurants had been closed, but was pleasantly surprised to see this one is still kicking.

We arrived at the restaurant, were greeted and seated, and made our way to the breakfast buffet. Now, hubby said he was hungry but I'll be honest with ya'll...I wasn't in the least bit hungry. I was still digesting dinner from the night before! However, since it is breakfast and I knew I'd be getting hungry later, I opted to eat a biscuit or two. I probably shouldn't have done that but... oh, well... live and learn.

Leaving the restaurant, we went back down to the historic district to visit the Fort St. Jean Baptiste museum and state historic site. How very interesting! I learned things about Louisiana history that I don't (or can't) recall ever being taught in high school. I have so many questions now that I feel the need to enroll in a history class!!!

Anyway, we viewed a film and wandered around the museum for a little bit before venturing out to the boardwalk and short hike to the reconstructed fort. It was so quiet at this time of morning that I just knew we were all alone. I was surprised to see a few re-enactors at the fort going about their daily chores.

Tommy, the re-enactor, readies his musket for a firing demonstration.

The fort Church

The barracks, or sleeping quarters, where 8 soldiers would sleep. Looks comfy huh?

After visiting with the re-enactors for a bit, we went by to wander through the American Cemetery which is believed to be one of the oldest cemeteries in the Louisiana Purchase!!! Rumor has it that the oldest surviving tombstone in this cemetery dates back to 1796. This cemetery is also the film location of Shelby's funeral scene in the movie "Steel Magnolias" which was written by a Natchitoches native!!! How cool is that!?

We looked around, smelled the roses that were blooming, looked at the watch and said, "Honey, I've had fun but it's time to go." to which we "pointed the carriage toward the barn and let the horses have their heads".

On the way out of Natchitoches we made a short detour past St. Augustine Catholic Church in Isle Breville. This church has been holding worship services at this location since 1803!! I would have loved to see the inside of it, but it was Sunday morning and people were still there. I'm sure I would look out of place in my tourist clothes with camera hanging from my neck. Maybe next time I'm in the area I'll go in but this time I just opted to get a shot of the front of the church and move on.

Hubby decided to stay off course and instead of getting back on Hwy 1, we took Hwy 71 South to intersect with Hwy 190 East bound before hitting the interstate just west of Baton Rouge.

Ahhh, what a memorable trip! There is so much to see and do in the historic town of Natchitoches and not enough time in a weekend to do it all. However, there will be more opportunities for me in the future and I plan to return this spring to see the big re-enactment at the fort that will be performed the 2nd weekend of March, 2010.

I hope that you've enjoyed reading my journal of our Twelfth Anniversary Adventure as much as I've enjoyed re-living it by typing it all out!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Twelfth Anniversary Adventure, Part 3

As we drove into Natchitoches, we kept seeing these signs along the roadway directing us to a plantation here or a little church house there. I had planned to visit the Cane River National Heritage area. I had plugged the address into the GPS unit and it directed us straight to the Cane River offices, which were closed on Saturday. However, right there in the parking lot was a sign with directions to some of the plantations.

One that I had wanted to visit was Oakland Plantation. The plantations in this part of the state may not beas extravagant as the ones further south, but they are still very interesting to learn about. The Oakland Plantation in particular is fascinating due to the fact that it remained in the same family the entire time! Built in the 1820's, it was never sold or handed over to others until the early 1990's when the National Park service was contacted for ownership transfer.

We spent a good part of our afternoon here before going on into the historical district of Natchitoches.

A look down Front Street, right on the Cane River lake.

What a beautiful little town! I had heard that the oldest store in the state was here, is still in business, and even more intriguing, is still operated by the same family!!! DH and I walked in and spotted an old Coca Cola cooler right away. We opened the top and lo and behold, there were 6 oz. Cokes in the little green bottles!!! Ice Cold!! What a treat! I find it interesting that the drink tastes better when it's in one of those little bottles. The taste of the product when in the plastic bottles just doesn't hold a candle to the glass bottle.

We walked around the store for a bit and saw some vintage toys that we remembered from our own childhood! We even purchased two little wooden boats with the rubber band operated paddle wheels for the girls. Then we wandered across the street to the little park and walked around looking for at least one geocache. There were many more that I wanted to hunt for but we didn't have time and hubby really isn't as gung-ho about it as I am.

Hunny is helping me hunt for the cache.

After bushwhacking for the geocache, I finally decided to get a stick and poke all around the hiding place. On the 3rd poke I heard what I was listening for. A distinctive thunking sound of wood meeting a plastic container. There it was! Why didn't I think of getting the stick sooner!? I would have saved much valuable time.

The prize!!

Being worn out from that little escapade, we decided to go find a hotel (a Day's Inn), get settled, relax a little, and then return to the historic district for dinner in one of the restaurants on the Riverwalk. There were a few to choose from, and they all looked interesting, but we walked past them and decided to eat at the last one we came to, Antoon's Riverfront Restaurant.

When we walked in, I was quite surprised at the atmosphere. It was very relaxed and casual with no frills. We pored over the menu for quite a while before deciding what to purchase. Hubby ordered his standard seafood platter while I had some difficulty making my choice. The choices on the menu looked absolutely divine and I couldn't settle for just one!

As I read the menu, I would think to myself, "Oh my, that looks good! Oh, but this looks good too!" and so it would go. I finally told the waitress that I would go with their Catfish Gumbeaux featuring Blacked Catfish topped with Seafood Gumbo and served with shrimp, rice, and garlic bread. She left our table and went to another before turning to go back to the kitchen with our order. As she passed, I stopped her and changed my order to the Potatoe Louisiane which is a baked potato filled with a creame sauce with baby shrimp, crawfish, and mushrooms then topped with grilled jumbo shrimp. OMG! This was some heavenly stuff!!!!

While we dined, we met and chatted with a sweet young lady who was visiting the United States for the very first time on her first solo trip. She hailed from Holland and was enjoying her stay at a Natchitoches Bed and Breakfast while waiting for an aunt to arrive from Texas. She was such a delight and I regret that I didn't get any contact information from her to keep in touch. I suppose I could chalk it up to a divine encounter and hope that I made as much of an impression on her as she did on me.

After dinner, I was glad that we had parked so far away and made the initial stroll down the "blvd" to eat. I was so stuffed that I was happy for the exercise to get back to the vehicle. Plus it was a nice little romantic stroll. What a beautiful evening!

If you're still reading this, Thank you for humoring me with all of your attention! Our adventure continues in Part 4.

Part 1

Part 2

Twelfth Anniversary Adventure, Part 2

After finally dozing off to sleep at Neal's Cypress Inn, DH woke me up at ... get this... 6 A.M.!!! There is no such thing as sleeping late when on a trip with him. I sleep later when I stay home with the kids!! So, anyway, he says to me, "Let's get out of here and go find some breakfast." To which I responded, "Um, honey? The only places around here that serve breakfast would be a Bed and BREAKFAST!!!" He looks at me and gives me a Tim Allen growl. Hmmph.

I got up, got dressed, and we were outta there within 10 minutes on the hunt for some breakfast somewhere. As we pulled out of the hotel parking lot, we turned to the right to go back into the New Roads historical district. Not finding anything on that route, we turned around to head out of town and get some more distance on our road trip. As we passed back by the hotel, we spotted what looked like a bar.... or video poker joint. But, there were cars and other vehicles there....at 7 a.m. Sooo, we stopped to investigate. It was indeed a video poker place but in the back of the building through another entrance was a quaint little cafe....serving non other than BREAKFAST!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Hubby ordered a breakfast of 2 fried pork chops, with 2 eggs, hashbrowns, and biscuits. I had the same except that I got chicken fried steak. The cooks here apparently know how to cook eggs only one way. Well done. Even though I ordered mine Over Medium and Hubby ordered his Over Light....we rec'd them well done. I was hungry and anxious to get on our way so I didn't do any complaining.

As we resumed our travels on Hwy 1, we passed through many quaint little towns that. One of those was Morganza, LA where we stopped to take a picture of the cute little St. Ann's Catholic Church building. There are many of these little churches all along Hwy 1.

We crossed over the Atchafalaya River and entered Simmesport, LA which is home to Dan & Evelyn's Cafe/Mini Mart where we had been advised to stop for a bite. We had just finished breakfast and were not ready for a snack or lunch so we passed on by but not without noticing the blue tarp still on the roof of Dan & Evelyn's. I assume this is due to last year's Hurricane Gustav.

Moving on through Simmesport, we noticed a small park on the left side of the highway. At first, we weren't going to stop but then we noticed a historical marker. Hubby turned the truck around and went back to investigate. What a cute little park! As it turns out, this location was the site of a civil war Confederate Fort Humbug. The Battle of Yellow Bayou was fought May 18, 1864. It was the last battle of Banks' Red River Campaign. General Richard Taylor's Confederate army tried but failed to prevent the Union army crossing the Atachafalaya River at Simmesport.

Continuing along Hwy 1, we notice that the many sugar cane fields that we had been passing are now beginning to give way to rice, barley, soybean, cotton, and other crops. We pass through the Couchon de Lait capital, Mansura, LA where it's probably worth a stop if you want to stretch your legs.

Upon reaching Marksville, LA, we stopped at Marksville State Historic Site to learn about prehistoric Native American Indian ceremonial center and walk around the seven mounds that were discovered here. The pottery found here is very similar to Hopewell of Ohio and Illinois. There is also a wonderful museum and tour guide Anne is just full of information!

Isn't this just the cutest thing? It's a pine straw basket made by the curators and other friends of the museum. It is believed that the indians made similar baskets.

After getting some touring advice from Anne (the museum tour guide), we decided to move on to Natchitoches for some more sight seeing, dining, and to get a room for the night. Continuing our drive along Hwy 1, we noticed the fields changing again. This time, they were pecan orchards. Lots and lots of pecan orchards!

Located right on Hwy 1 are two wonderful little gift shops and pecan stores. Little Eva Pecan Plantation is on the right (heading north) and is situated in an old train depot building the owners salvaged. You will find several different varieties of pecans in the back of the depot along with a sampling table. There are several jars of candied pecans in varying flavors to try out before you buy! Even Bourbon covered pecans! Yum!

Within sight of Little Eva's across the street you will find Natchitoches Pecans where there are more varieties, samples, and gifts. Be sure you stop and check them out during your travels.

Still with me? Read Part 3 for more of our adventure.

Part 1

Part 4

Twelfth Anniversary Adventure, Part 1

DH and I celebrated our 12 happy years together by embarking on a small road trip. How many times have you driven down the road, through a small town, passed a little road going somewhere, and thought, "I wonder what this little place is all about?". Well, I had been looking up some info about Louisiana's Hwy 1. This historical roadway was once the main route from the most southeastern tip of Louisiana at Grand Isle, to the most northwestern community of Rodessa. The route is dotted with small communities and quaint little church houses.

We began our adventure in Vacherie, LA. "Vacherie" means "Cattle Ranch" and the place is a regional area of St. James Parish settled by the Germans and early Acadians. Near Vacherie are a number of old plantation homes such as Laura Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation, and perhaps one of the most photographed plantations, Oak Alley. Built between 1837 and 1839 by Jacques T. Roman, this example of Greek Revival architecture is famous for its alley of 28 evenly spaced live oak trees. They are believed to be at least 100 years older than "Big House".

The other photographers around there.

Nottoway Plantation, another jewel along Hwy 1.

From there, we moved north through historic Donaldsonville to Plaquemine where we stopped to look at and learn about the Plaquemine Locks. As long as I have lived in this area, I have never seen the Locks and had no idea about the history of the area. Did you know that the man who designed it, Colonel George W. Goethals, is the same man who went on to become the chief

engineer and builder of the Panama Canal? I didn't!!!

Inside the Plaquemine Museum.

Bayou Plaquemine - Passageway of Acadians after

deportation of 1755 from Canada to the Southwest Attakapas.

At this point of our trip, I had WANTED to stop in Port Allen but it was getting late and we wanted to get on into New Roads. There were also some things I wanted to see there but we made the decision to just get some dinner and a room and move on the next morning. Port Allen and New Roads are close enough to our home that we could make a day trip to see the attractions and learn more about the history of that area.

In New Roads, we ate dinner at Satterfield's, which is right on the banks of the False River.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a humongous preserved alligator sporting a spectacular grin. Our waitress seated us near the window wall overlooking the water. Surprisingly, we were only the 3rd couple seated in the restaurant. I had expected many more on a Friday evening. However, just below the restaurant is a bar where there were a good many patrons hanging out and enjoying the evening.

Our food was wonderful and quickly served! We started our meal with a shrimp cocktail, followed by a seafood platter for hubby which featured fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, soft shell crab and stuffed shrimp along with parsley potatoes. It also came with a garden salad. I opted for the crawfish pie with a puffed pastry shell which soon appeared in front of me accompanied by fresh steamed vegetables of snap beans, squash, zucchini, and sweet red bell pepper strips and a stuffed baked potato. I cannot even imagine how many calories this meal had but that was the flakiest pastry crust I have ever bitten into!

There are several B&B's in New Roads to choose from. I certainly recommend you do your research and make reservations before you visit the area, as the two hotels here are not where you really want to lay your body down. We ended up in Neal's Cypress Inn located right there on Hwy 1. I really can't say much about the place. Don't let the website fool ya. The pictures make it look much better. The only positive thing about our night there was that I didn't see any bedbugs!! **shudder**

Part 2 of our adventure begins here.

Part 3

Part 4