Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Are We Too Connected???????

First, let me say, Company Girls, you are the BEST!! If you are not a part of Company Girls, then go to Rachel Anne's blog, at www.HomeSantuary.blogspot.com, and check us out. We're a fun group of gals for sure! Now, on to today's entry............

I bet if you are reading this blog, you enjoy your computer! Aren't they just amazing machines? I mean whatever did we do without the internet? We can find out anything we want or need to know about any subject. We can stay connected with friends far and near. But, I've been wondering, is there such a thing as being "too connected." Technology today is magical and fantastic. There's email, texting and phoning, all usually in the palm of our hand. I read an article on this matter the other day and the author stated that, "technology blocks our ability to live the good life by gulping up available time that could, and often should, be spent on other more productive activities..and by putting up a barrier that gets in the way of relationships and experiences that could otherwise be more enriching." Ugh! that caused me to stop and think.
My Blackberry

She went on to say that most of us would be embarrassed to admit how many hours we spend on our Blackberrys, I-Phones, and computers. Now, let me be the first o admit, I LOVE, do you hear me, I LOVE my Blackberry and my desktop and laptop computers!! To tell you the truth, I can hardly imagine life without them. BUT!!!!!! there definitely was life before them and somehow I managed just fine and folks got in touch with me when they needed too, it just wasn't while I was in Wal-Mart, driving down the road, etc. And, guess what, we all survived during those days.

My Laptop

I was in a hospital waiting room this morning and someone's cell phone rang. They answered it and held a full fledged conversation loud enough for the entire room to hear, and it obviously wasn't concerning a crisis situation. Of course, that is not the first time that has happened to me. It happens more regularly than I care to recall. Why do folks think that the entire world is interested in their conversation and further more, how can they be so rude? I attended a funeral this afternoon and in the program they asked that everyone please silence their cell phones. That should not have to be mentioned should it? I mean shouldn't we realize that a funeral, a church service and such is no place for a cell phone?

My Desktop Computer

In my wondering, I couldn't help but think about the Lord and how much better off we would all be if we were as "connected" to HIM as we are our phones and computers. WOW!! can you even imagine? And, again, don't get me wrong, I do not think that HE minds our having these items, but I do believe it is HIS desire that we keep them in balance. I'm reminded of the scripture about "in all things moderation."


I have definitely been asking myself if "my technological gadgets are in charge of me, or I am in charge of them." I'm afraid that I would have to admit that more times than I care to admit, they have been "in charge of me."

I would not want to go back to the days before all these wonderful inventions. There are so many "pluses" to them, but I do believe that if we allow them to constantly interrupt our lives, problems are likely to arise.

May we strive to find HIS perfect balance in all areas of our lives.


Friday, February 19, 2010

Remembering When...........


In recent weeks I have been going through old photos that my Mom had collected over the years. There were many photos of me from birth through about 18 years of age. Seeing these photos brought back a lot of memories that I felt were worthy of sharing.

I remember..........

going out to my Dad's shop building and watching him work on his old "Model T" and likely asking him a million questions while I was out there.

my Mom making us matching dresses for Easter and my thinking we were so pretty in them.

us going to the Dairy Queen to get a "cone with a curl on top."

vaguely when Mom brought home a baby boy about 3 years after I was born.


1 year old



sitting by the radio every afternoon at 4:00 to listen to the Uncle Remas Show. I would use my imagination to visualize the story that was being read.

us going to my paternal Grandparents house on Saturday evenings in time to watch The Lawrence Welk Show. I loved the Lennon Sisters and dreamed of being "one" when I grew up. ~big smile~

when we got our first TV. I was 8 years old and was so excited.

going to sleep almost every night to the singing of George Beverly Shea and Burl Ives. My Dad would always put record albums on to play at night when we went to bed.


3 years old


getting so excited when my maternal Grandmother would come to see us and we would get to go to the train station to pick her up.

loving spending the night with my paternal Grandparents and sleeping with my Grandmother.

taking a bad fall against a concrete step, hitting my head and having to have stitches and screaming as though I was going to die.

saturday evenings Mom would always wash my hair and roll it on rubber type rollers so that I would have perfect Shirley Temple curls for Sunday morning.


6 years old


loving my first grade teacher, Mrs. Wilma Morton.

realizing after I got my first pair of glasses that trees had leaves.

when my parents told me that my Dad had "surrendered to the ministry." I really did not fully understand what that meant, but I did know that he would be preaching at a church and we would be moving to a new place and I would changing schools. It sounded pretty exciting to me!


8 years old


going with my Dad to make visits at the Nursing Home and him telling me about the folks that were there.

our family traveling in less than desirable conditions from Arkansas to Virginia to see my Mom's family and my loving every minute of it. At one point the only way we could afford to make the trip was to camp out along the way. There were no interstate highways and travel was slow on two lane highways, especially when you had to stop early enough in the day to pitch the tent. Of course, there was no such thing as air conditioning in vehicles.

hating to practice the piano and my Mom telling me how much it meant to her for me to take lessons and learn to play.

Being so excited when I was 12 years old and Dad and Mom told my brother and I that Mom was going to have another baby.

babysitting for 50 cents an hour and coming home with $2.50 and feeling like I had all the money in the world.

doing our neighbors ironing for 25 cents a piece. Yes, that's right, 25 cents!!!

my Mom ironing my new baby brother's diapers. Yep, that's right!


Senior Picture


some of my most fun times were spent at church camp in the summer.

moving in the middle of my Junior year of high school to a new city and a new school. I already had my class ring, and we were not able to afford for me to get another class ring, so that was what I wore and I was so proud of it. Class rings were a "big deal" in 1970.

my brother (that is 3 years younger than me) playing the guitar and my singing with him. We sang for several banquets and gatherings during our high school years.

the first boy I ever kissed. We went behind the church after services one Sunday evening. Imagine what might have happened had I, the preacher's daughter, gotten caught. ~chuckle~

spending many a Saturday night at the local skating rink, skating my heart out and enjoying every minute of it.

I could go on and on with many memories, but these are some that crossed my mind as I began this post. If you are under 40 years old and reading this, then you likely (if you do not know me) think that I am at least 75 years old. I say that because of all the changes that have taken place since my first 18 years of age. I often wonder what kind of memories my children's generation will have. They will certainly be different memories, but I'm sure they will be just as special, but vastly different. And, then I can't help but think of the memories my Grandchildren will have one day. Oh, my, that's another subject altogether. ~smile~

Wishing for you many happy memories!



Sunday, February 14, 2010

A Valentine Memory............

valentine's dayImage by kristinamay via Flickr
When asked to recall a memorable Valentine's, I didn't have to think very long or very hard. It was on or near Valentine's Day, 1966, that Hubby took me to the Sweetheart Banquet at our church. Now, you need to know that my Dad was the pastor of the church and we lived in the church parsonage that was right next door to the church. Since I was "only" 13 years old at the time, my Dad would only allow Hubby to walk me across the way to the Sweetheart Banquet. That way it wouldn't really be an "official" date, but more or less, he would be escorting me to the banquet. ~smile~

I could not eat or sleep for days beforehand due to such excitement. My Mom made me the prettiest dress to wear. It was red and white dotted swiss with an empire waist. I wore black patent leather heels and felt like a queen the entire night. At the end of the evening I felt for sure that one day we would become husband and wife. And, 5+ years later we did. I will spare you all the details of how it all came to be, but just know that we do have one of the most interesting "love stories" of all times. When Hubby and I went to the banquet, my family lived in Louisiana. When Hubby and I married my family lived in Virginia and Hubby and his family still lived in Louisiana. So, most of our courtship was done long distance. But, without a doubt, it was a part of God's plan for our lives or it would have otherwise never happened. We all know that He can take what we think is impossible and make it possible.

Happy Valentine's DayImage by elbfoto via Flickr

That was 44 years ago and we will have been married 39 years this June 6th. When we took our vows, we took them for life. Divorce has never been an option for us and while the way has not always been easy, we knew that with God's help we could weather any storm that came our way. The Lord has blessed our union with a son and a daughter and they and their families are the delight of our lives.

I am sorry that I am unable to post pictures of us at that time, but I am out of town at the time of this post and do not have a photo with me or a way to scan it in to my laptop. But, just take my word for it, we were a pretty "dorky" looking couple at the time. Our children even asked us (when they were younger) what we saw in each other. Guess that's a pretty good hint that they thought we were pretty pitiful looking. ~chuckle~


God has blessed us in more ways than we could ever count and we are grateful to Him. I pray that our lives have been and will always be a witness to Him and His redeeming love.

Valentine's will always hold a very special place in our hearts, it was the beginning of us.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]


MckLinky Blog Hop

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Greetings from Oklahoma.

IHubby and I left this past Tuesday headed to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where our daughter, husband and our Grandson live. We had to take an alternate route because our usual route through Little Rock was covered in snow and a travel advisory was issued. So, we had different scenery on this trip and it was quite enjoyable and we had a beautiful day of travel.

Oklahoma has been hit rather hard this winter with the "white stuff" and we were hopeful that we would not get involved in any while we were here. Well, how funny, but our home town in North Louisiana is getting heavy snow today and it is shutting down schools and businesses left and right. We cannot believe it. But, just between you and me, Hubby and I are really quite glad to be missing it. We're not fans of snow and it should be long gone by the time we get home next Tuesday.

We have been keeping our 16 month old Grandson since arriving and he and has entertained his Poppa and CiCi royally. He's such a happy little boy and has developed the cutest little deep laugh since we last saw him at Christmas. It is so amazing how quickly they change in just 6 weeks.

We decided to get out this morning and we did a little shopping and then took him out to lunch. He behaved so nicely and when we got home he was definitely ready for a nap and we were too. ~smile~

It is cloudy and cold here, but there's no rain or snow, so we're not complaining. I have a big pot of chili cooking on the stove , so it looks and smells like winter here.

Happy Valentine's day!Image by DonnaGrayson via Flickr

It's a bit hard to believe that Valentine's Day is this Sunday, just doesn't seem that much time of the New Year should have already gone by. It was 44 years ago that Hubby took me to my first Sweetheart Banquet and then almost 38 years ago took me to be his wife. Good grief, that sounds like a r-e-a-l-l-y long time ago. God blessed me with a special man that has continued to love me all these years, been a wonderful Father to our two children and now a fabulous Poppa to our two Grandchildren. Valentine's Day just gives us another opportunity to celebrate our love.

I wish for all my Company Girl friends a wonderful week-end and a Happy Hearts Day! For more Company Girl talk check out http://www.homesantuary.com/rachelanne/




Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Entry #1


For today February 8, 2010

Outside my window............are barren trees, a pot of unhappy pansies and more moisture.

I am thinking...........that I need some sunshine in the worst kind of way!

I am thankful for..........a new day to live and to live for HIM who gives me life.

From the kitchen...........I'll be preparing Chicken Enchiladas and will share some with a young couple in our church that had twins prematurely and are facing tough days as they try to care for them. I could write a whole blog on what their facing, but will just ask that you please remember them in prayer.

I am wearing........ PJ pants and a long sleeve T, my usual morning attire until I get my "real" clothes on.

I am creating..........my first entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook

I am going.........to Oklahoma in the morning to see our 16 month old Grandson and his parents (his Mom is our daughter) Well, hubby says we may need to leave this afternoon to stay ahead of the bad weather. Ugh!

I am reading............the Bible Study by Beth Moore, "Living Beyond Ourselves" and Sarah Palin's, "Going Rouge."

I am hoping.........the weather will be better than is predicted in Oklahoma while we are there. :o)

I am hearing.............the roar across our state over the Saints victory in the Super Bowl last night. What a wonderful boost to our down-trodden state.

Around the house...........several things to be done in order for us to be gone a week, inside plants to be watered, someone lined out to care for the dogs, etc.

One my favorite things is ..........watching our 16 month old Grandson and 4 month old Granddaughter grow and change.

A few plans for the rest of the week..............enjoying our family in Ok. and going to an "Affair of the Heart" next Sat. in Oklahoma City with my daughter.

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing............


This is a picture of a table arrangement I used for a dinner I had this past Thursday evening. I was quite proud of the way it turned out, not bad for an amateur! ~smile~ Need I say, I wanted something "Valentiney" looking.

For more Simple Woman's Daybook check out
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/





Thursday, February 4, 2010

A "Who Dat" gal............



Okay, I suppose if you are presently living on planet earth, you likely are aware that the Super Bowl is taking place this Sunday evening. Now, you must understand that I am NOT a football fan in any shape, form or description. But, since I am a Louisiana gal, I feel that I MUST get "into" the spirit for the upcoming game. Don't you agree? And, you must know too, that I am NOT a t-shirt wearing kind of gal either. I have nothing against t-shirts at all, in fact, I think a lot of them are really cute, but I've just never been one to wear them. Again, there are just some things that we have to do and I HAD to get a Saints t-shirt to sport around this week-end and show my support for my state team. I mean really! I must confess that I spent way too much time searching for just the right one too. It had to be cute! You can only imagine all the folks selling t-shirts around here, out of shops, the trunks of cars, on empty parking lots, you name it. So, I had a lot of places to check out and finally found the one that "rang my chimes" and for a most reasonable price.

You see, this whole deal with the Saints playing in the Super Bowl is a huge boost to our state and giving us a chance to SHINE. Our beloved state has grown use to getting a bad "rap" and our self esteem has really been diminished in recent years. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 just almost did us in and we're still recovering from it. I am in the Northern end of the state and while we did not get the brunt of the storm, the entire state (and those nearby) reaped the effects. So, we have definitely earned our right to the "limelight!" ~smile!

You may be wondering about the "Who Dat" on my shirt. Well, the NFL tried to take credit for that in the past days but they were quickly informed that that wasn't about to happen. It seems that the phrase was adopted by The Saints in 1983 as their chant. I'll let you "Google" it if you want to know more. ~another smile~

I imagine most of you are familiar with the Fleur de Lis and that too, is associated with the Saints here in Louisiana. It is also often used in decoration and can be associated with royalty. I have a decorative one hanging on my door and then the flag we are currently flying in our yard is a Fleur de Lis design too. Little did I know when I put these up that the entire state would be hanging and flying Fleur de Lis' for the Super Bowl. Yea, for me!!




And, I am thrilled that Drew Brees in the Saints quarterback. What a great guy! I am so pleased when I see an outstanding athlete take a stand for Christ. There are so many "little guys" watching these men and what an opportunity it is for them to be a Christian witness.

I imagine I will be watching the game Sunday evening and Hubby will keep me informed as to what is going on. I have no idea about football. I do know what a football is and I do know what a touchdown is. Other than that, I'm very challenged in the area of football. But, I do hope that our Saints will bring home the title. You may feel the entire state "rock and roll" if such should happen. I'll be doing my part by cheering them on!

A happy Super Bowl week-end to you all!