Glenn Campbell

Yes, I am probably too young and I am probably

going to sound like a dweeb by saying as a young

girl, I loved Glenn Campbell.

You have to remember I was the baby of 7 and the oldest

was 23 years older than me, so I had a wide range of music

to listen to and love.

I loved Glenn Campbell.

Last week as I was rocking one of the TES babies I

was thinking of an old Glenn Campbell song

and how it could be a mantra to life.

It made me go home and look up the words:

LET ME BE A LITTLE KINDER

glen campbell

LET ME BE A LITTLE KINDER

LET ME BE A LITTLE BLINDER

TO THE FAULTS OF THOSE ABOUT ME

LET ME PRAISE A LITTLE MORE

LET ME BE WHEN I AM WEARY,

JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE CHEERY

THINK A LITTLE MORE OF OTHERS

AND A LITTLE LESS OF ME.

LET ME BE A LITTLE BRAVER

WHEN TEMPTATIONS BID ME WAIVER

LET ME STRIVE A LITTLE HARDER

TO BE ALL THAT I SHOULD BE.

LET ME SERVE A LITTLE BETTER

THOSE THAT I AM STRIVING FOR

LET ME BE A LITTLE MEEKER

WITH THE BROTHER THAT IS WEAKER

THINK A LITTLE MORE OF OTHERS

AND A LITTLE LESS OF ME.

Is this not perfect lessons to live by?

It is my song of the week,

going to sing it in my head every time

I start to think I am better, that I don't have

patience. I am going to smile as I hear

Glenn Campbell sing in my head.

JIlaxing day

Heading to Plaquemine today to spend the day

with the Bean, her parents and BB's inlaws.

Going to play with the girls,

Jilly bean and Frankie's little one, Lizzie.

Going to watch us a good old Saints game

and grub on some Crawfish soup and

an apple crisp that is in the oven as I blog.

I can't get over just how much I miss that baby

after just one week of not seeing her.

I am sad that I won't see her trick or treat tomorrow.

Again I will say it,

she is the only thing that makes me wish I didn't have

a job to go to every day.

When my work days are over though

I know, somehow, I will have to be closer to her.

I would give up my dream of living my retirement years

on the water to be near her every day.

Her poor parents will probably get sick of seeing me

every day when that time comes but I know

one day, I will live near her and when she calls and

says, "Mumsie I want to come to your house"

It will take minutes not an hour to get there.

Happy Sunday to all!

Can it get any better?

I speak often of just how much I love my job.

Even on days that my body doesn't want to cooperate,

it is the job that gets me up and moving.

We have this beautiful new building but until three

weeks ago I was still in the old building.

It wasn't really working, I was not where the children

needed me to be. I was walking way more than my

body liked.

After proposing an idea to my principal and with the

support of the two assistant principles it was decided

that the nursing office would move into a small

outer office of the assistant principal.

I love my new space and, if it can be possible,

I love my job now even more.

I am in the life of the children again.

I am able to nurture more than I was able to before.

I am hands on and because of where I have been placed,

I am able to help the assistant principals with some of

our students who need the extra help from people who love

them. Many days in the last three weeks I have been able

to rock babies. I LOOVVVVEEEEE rocking children.

They climb into my lap and I just sway my fancy chair back and forth.

Sometimes it was for babies who were sick, running fever

and we were waiting for their parents.

Twice it was for children who just have a rough little time

with school, with life in general.

Sometimes instead of discipline or being reminded

of all they have done wrong, they just need to be rocked.

Yes, I know they still need the strong discipline

but that is not my part, my part if to nurture.

I am also so close that I can encourage those children

who struggle with rules.

Being able to offer incentives like helping me if they follow

the rules has helped some students have better days.

It is amazing what a troubled child will do to make ice bags

for the nurse. I have also been able to help one of our

students who loves to draw learn new techniques.

He asked me yesterday if I could be his art teacher....

So long story, short,

school nursing is not just about calling home for students

who are sick, more than just checking immunization records,

doing hearing and vision screenings.

It is even more about nurturing the whole child.

On days that are hard for me, HOBL says

"Retire, ga-gee"

I can't explain why that is not an option for me right now.

I am selfish.

I need to be needed by all these children whose lives

are not easy. It is these reasons that gets me up on days

that are hard and gets me dressed to go to TES.

finally!!!!

Oh how I have missed my computer and my blog!

My charger had broken and it took forever for my new one

to come in. I had decided if it didn't come in today I

was going to buy myself and IPad!

It came in, saved myself 500 dollars so I am HAPPY!

I will get back on tract tomorrow with my blogging life

but tonight, after a long week at work, I just want

to put on my pj's and lie around here, play on the computer,

scrap a bit and just enjoy this blustery weather...

A year in review:

It has been a year without Gina B. in the life

of TES. There have been many sad days since then

when we wish she was still here because often

we say,

"Gina would know what to do"

Yet there have been many good days at TES, too.

WE all feel as though Gina B. is still a part of TES,

Her picture sits on my desk in a frame marked

"Guardian angel"

and many employees come to see her, to leave messages to

her, to remember her.

There is a tree in our new atrium that is her tree,

planted in her honor.

The days continue on because I know, I really believe

that our Gina B. is in the best place, the highest honor,

the place where we all want to be when this

temporary life here is over.

I know that when I go there, because I work hard to assure

my space in heaven, it will be her right behind my daddy

waiting to greet me, with that big smile you see

above. This picture in my heart makes me smile.

I have often said that many days I forget she is gone

and those are the good days.

One year without Gina B. and it's okay today.

We continue to do good work with special children

often remembering

What would Gina b. do.

Love to all!

Smile today, it is what Gina b. would want.

annual pumpkin carving

As we waited for the other Riera's to awaken from a nap

JB and I played with the pups.

She has learned to art of open mouth kissing but is quite

stingy with giving them out, but this child loves the 4 legged set.

She loves her two boxers and they can make her LOL when

no one else can. Her Kitty is a source of entertainment for her.

Therefore, it did not surprise me when she offered a kiss

to Trixie, full mouth open.

She is so freaking cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was important to me that bean at least get her hands in some

pumpkin guts. Kd, before joining the Riera's had never carved

a pumpkin and Kelli had not either.

Unfortunately, Kel and baby girl left before we began carving

because she had to work, darn Chili's!

Back to the bean, she wasn't sure how she felt about

pumpkin guts but she had a taste off the top her DeDa removed.

She is interested in anything her parents are doing so she

watched as her mommy cleaned.

Even Mommee got in the carving action.

I love this picture. One of my favorites in a long time.

Mommee's jackolantern. She went with the classic face.

So proud of this woman, That in December she will be 91.

KD working at her carving.

She has improved tremendously over the last few years

on her pumpkin decorating skills, and she is cute,

so all is good.

The BEan with the finished products.

Thanking the Big Man for this wonderful gift that

has become part of our lives.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

my children are sabatogers

I have been telling these two children of mine I have to get a

picture for my Christmas cards.

They sabotage each photo op.

Yesterday I ask them to at least know I am going to

take at least one picture for my Christmas card.

What follows is what I have to choose from.

People may wonder why my Christmas cards are always

so funny.

I mean with what I have to work with, what are my choices?

I even think they are getting the Bean in on their antics.

What is BB doing? Pretending he is taking cheerleader pictures?

Baby girl is eating the Bean's head and Roddie has his

drama face on.

At least Kd understands this is important...

This one may have been "good enough"

but then Baby girl, who by the way, did not dress for the pictures

like I had asked, decided she had to corrupt the picture

with her infamous middle finger.

Even as I tried to hold it down, she managed to get it up.

Baby boy's "prom picture face"

and baby girl looking like The bean just passed gas...

This one will not do.

KD however continues to be the trooper.

Baby boy again making fun of my pictures

and baby girl making the evil eyes...

This year I may just leave the picture out.

Another day...

Yesterday my body denied me the plans

I had for my 30 year reunion.

Today it is okay, yesterday, I was quite upset about it.

I will try again next weekend as my class meets

at the French Food Festival.

Today, today is a brand new day.

Today my kiddies and their loves are coming

for our annual pumpkin carving,

The bean's first ever.

Homemade roast beef sandwiches

and french bread. Banana pudding and

homemade icecream made with HOBL's brand new

ice cream maker and the most important part...

pumpkin carving!

Going to take The bean to the pumpkin patch

for the first time.

I cannot wait to put her little hands in the

guts of a pumpkin to see what she thinks about that.

It's going to be a fantastic, fantastic day!

Pictures to follow, that is a given.

30 years have gone...

Tonight is my 30 year football game reunion.

It is a traditional thing at South Lafourche High school

that on homecoming night the classes of

10 year, 20 year, 30 year walk down the field for the game.

I was there for my 10 year walk and was too involved with

my life to do the 20 year one.

I have said many times, and I am not proud of it,

"I keep in touch with the ones I wanted to and the rest,

I don't really need to see"

I am ashamed of this statement but want to always be

honest here where I write my feelings.

I was so wrong, so wrong to make such a self-righteous statement.

This year, when Jade died I had many emotions.

I regretted not staying in better touch with those

who shared my childhood with me.

I could write a book of memories I have with so many

of these people I will see tonight.

We are getting older. Yes to many we are still young.

To my sisters, they still think I am a little one

and can't believe I am celebrating my 30 year renunion.

I have made many friends since I have moved to Thibodaux.

Two of those wonderful friends happen to be girls

who graduated with me in 1981 and I barely knew back then.

Tonight I will ride with one of those women to our old

football stadium to meet the other who is going early.

It is one of those things that you think you don't want

to do and then when you do it, you are so happy,

so blessed that you did.

It will be a good night.

Tonight I will see some who I have not seen in 30 years

and there will be many missing who have passed on to

another place, I choose to call heaven.

Tonight's going to be a good night.

collections vs. hoarding

I love the TLC show, hoarding.

I often watch it and cannot help but think about

how these people cannot see that it is not healthy to live

that way. When they speak, they explain about their

"collections" and how they can't part with them,

yet they can't seem to find them in their hoarding spaces.

I know, for me, I have way too many collections.

I have been a collector since I was a little girl.

If I like something, I never stop liking it and I seem to take

care of my collections.

For instance, I love journaling and I love collecting journals.

I have some that are not written in and I have many that

are filled to the hilt with my words, my thoughts.

They may never mean anything to anyone but me,

but they are stored in a place of honor in my bedroom.

On a bookshelf, lines a whole row of filled journals.

As Cami-girl explains them, they are my written novels.

Then there is my collection of scrap things.

If I fall in love with something as I have with scrapping,

I have a tendency to need all/most of the things

that go with the hobby.

I have a collection of stamps and a collection of cricut cartridges.

I am proud when people come to my home to "play"

with me in my scrap room.

Many of my people know to call or make a play date with

me if they have a project they want to work on

or just want to feel crafty.

I love not only sharing all my scrap collection with others

but I also get very excited to show others the craft of scrapping.

HOBL does not understand this one.

How when I am in the middle of a project, the scrap room cannot

be cleaned. I don't try and explain it, just tell

him that my scraproom is off limits to his OCD cleaning.

I don't have to explain because in our marriage,

although we joke sarcastically about our ways,

we both know that some things are to be respected

no matter how we feel about it.

He leaves my scrap room alone and I leave his side

of the closet alone.

It helps our marriage so much.

I also have a book collection.

I don't collect all books even though I love all books.

A book that lives in my home is either one I love,

can't live without or it has something about it that

brings me strong, good feelings.

There are others...

I have a cross stitch string collection,

have to have every color,

I have a coffee pot collection,

I own a wonderful miniature/dollhouse stuff collections.

I get so proud when the little kiddies come to my home

and one of the first places they want to go

is in my china cabinet that better than holding my wedding china,

holds most of my miniature collection.

It makes me happy that when they leave,

I have to wipe many lip and fingertip marks

off the glass of my china cabinet.

So what separates me from a hoarder.

I value my collections, I care for them

and each hold a place of honor in our home.

My home is neat and organized and if asked,

I can produce each collection and discuss it in its entirety.

One day, if ever I have a larger home,

I long to have an entire large room, dedicated to my collections.

It will hold a library, a wall full of book shelves to hold my

self-written "novels" as well as every book I have ever

fallen in love with since I was a child.

It will have a comfortable chair with a snuggie over the side of it.

I will have a space for crafting, whether it be scrapping or building

doll houses, It will be able to be messy until the project I am working on

is complete. If that home never comes it is perfectly fine

because in this home I love so much, each collection is perfectly

tucked into their own spaces of honor.

Pictures of the week

Not much time for words on these pictures..

first two are from Tues. Hugh's football game.

Saturday KD, Baby girl, Kel, myself and the bean

went to Oak alley after Pappy's bday party,

Cannot believe I forgot to take pics of the

50th birthday party...

Not happy about it at all.

Can she get any cuter????? I think not!

Sunday was Little Miki and Sayra's baby shower.

In December they will welcome their son, Sy

into the world.

C crochets the most beautiful heirloom blankets for the

great nieces and nephews, this one was for Lucy

the picture does it not justice.

She is so talented with this blanket stuff.

Tedi-girl is healing nicely from her knee surgery

and is just as cute as ever, loves her Nannie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOBL

Yes, my dear HOBL is 50 years old and unlike

any other birthdays he has ever had, he has asked

for a gathering for his birthday.

Today I will cook a chicken spaghetti for him

and a shrimp fricasse' for baby girl who's birthday

is Monday.

Kd and the bean are coming...

a red velvet cake has been ordered and I forget

sometimes just how much I love cooking for

company.

50 is a big deal for my HOBL.

I have missed him, I am glad he is home.

My life is easier when he is here and although

we don't do much when he is home,

there is a comfort and peace I have knowing he is here.

Our whole marriage has been a life that he went away to work.

It never bothered me as it bothers me now that we are

in our midlife years.

I am proud of our marriage. I am proud to tell people

we have grown up together.

I am proud he knows everything about me and I, him.

So today is his 50th and I am hoping that before he turns

60 our lives have come to a place where he is home every night.

Happy birthday, HOBL

I love you!

Grandpa, tell me bout the good old days

My new vehicle has XM radio which is one of my favorite

things about my new wheels.

Often I am surprised by an old song I have not heard in

some time. Yesterday it was the old Judd song,

GRANDPA, TELL ME BOUT THE GOOD OL'DAYS

Sometimes it feels like the worlds' gone crazy

grandpa, take me back to yesterday

when the line between right and wrong didn't

seem so hazy.

Did lovers really fall in love to stay,

and stand beside each other come what may?

Promises were something people kept

not something they would say.

Did families really bow their heads to pray

and daddy's really never go away...

...grandpa, everything is changing fast

they call it progress but I just don't know.

Oh how I loved that song back in the day,

and still do. Again, it is something I want for my

grandbaby.

The part of the song that makes me have "gro-cud"

(makes me want to cry)

AND DADDY'S REALLY NEVER GO AWAY

I think of all those children and their mommys and daddies

who have gone through divorces and I realize what

a true blessing it is for the children who never have

to worry about Daddy going away.

Go to Itunes and listen again to the oldie but goodie.

yada, yada, yada...

Yes, here I go about my weight, my health again.

All who follow this blog know how I need to loose weight

and I am so tired of those who say,

"I wish I had just 15 pounds to loose"

or other comments to feed me what I need to hear

to fool me into believing that I am okay.

Well, the fact of the matter is, I am not okay.

It is one thing when my back surgeon reminds me

that I have put on weight since my surgery and he

did not fix my back for me to put extra weight on it

to mess up the surgery.

It is another thing when for the third blood test in a row

my cholesterol, total, hdl, and Ldl, and triglycerides

are all abnormal. I see my doctor and friend, Dr. Pitre

all convinced that okay I am not going to get this weight in order

so I will just take cholesterol medication and at least

stop my heart from plaguing up.

Yet, my friend, she tells me no.

Medication is not what she recommends right now.

We have a conversation as to how I am fighting genetics

but she proves to me that this issue is strictly from

my poor eating habits and lack of exercise.

She insists that I can do this and I have to do this

and that putting me on medication will just give

me reasons to be lax, and in a year or two I will come

back to see her with 20 more pounds on my body and

diabetes and she will know she helped in that.

She reminds me that there are side effects to cholesterol meds.

that I should not have to worry about.

Instead of a prescription for a cholesterol lowering medication

she hands me a handwritten diet she wants me to follow

written on a little sticky pad paper because it is that simple.

I am challenged to loose 15 pounds in three months,

that is very doable, if I do what I am supposed to do.

If in three months it is not done, and my numbers continue to climb,

she will have no choice to put me on meds.

but she won't be happy about it.

So today I feel the motivation that I have been lacking for some time.

I hope it continues through the next three months so

when I go back for another blood test, I am not only happy

with those numbers but the numbers on the scale.

This is not about looking "hot"

(already know I have accomplished that lol)

This is about stopping diseases that I have complete control over.

I am a nurse, who must practice what I preach.

I may not be able to stop the damages that radiation has

done to my body but this, if I allow it,

will be completely my fault and I don't think

I can live with that knowledge.

You know this is coming

You know that after spending a weekend with my Jillybean

that you are going to be bombarded with pictures and yes,

even the cutest little video ever.

I am most happy about the fact that not only does the bean

know who I am but she is happy to come with me,

to leave her other MawMaw that she sees much more than

me to spend time with me.

She and I had the most fantastic time together.

My favorite memory?

At around 3 am, she was fussy so I went to her and began

to rock her. I closed my eyes so she would think I was sleeping

and it would be cool to do the same.

when she felt weightless and I thought she was asleep

I open my eyes to see this precious little girl just staring up

into my eyes, like she was so in love.

Right there, my heart melted even more for this

grandchild that I would die for.

Being with her reminds me of feeling I have forgotten

that I had when my own babies were her age.

Love, love, love, I Love this child

in a way that only a grandmother can understand.

MIghty optical Illusions

I am always looking for blogs to love/follow.

This morning I came across one called

Mighty optical Illusions.

It brought me back to a time when I was young

and loved books that sported optical illusions.

Evidently the owner of this blog likes it as much as I.

With our new technology, there are so many more

out there than the old black and white pictures

I used to love "back in the day".

If you are like me and love illusions, this

site is a must see place.

On a "what you doing today" note.

Heading the the bean,

her Mommy is on a well deserved bachelorette

party in Mississippi and tonight,

I get to keep her until tomorrow when her Mommy returns.

Today is going to be an awesome one for me!

Steve Jobs

I am not sure why I am so saddened about the

death of Steve Jobs, the face behind the name APPLE.

Yes, he was only 56 and had pancreatic cancer which

is one of those that, as of yet, there is no cure for.

That in itself is enough to make me saddened

but there is more to Steve Jobs than this and

that he led Apple to stardom.

He was a leader of our world, never letting

others doubt stop his vision.

When other companies were folding because

of the economy, he believed in "slow and steady"

not comparing APPLE to others.

He was there when Mac and the sayings

"Once you go Mac, you never go back"

Yet, again it is none of this that makes me saddened

by his death.

It is the man people said he was.

Although he was an icon, he still always spent time with

all even the lower man on the assembly lines.

When things got bad for Apple he received a pay check of

a dollar until things picked up.

Now that is a quality of a man that is just not seen that often.

To us, he was an Icon, no one we knew specifically but

a household name we all knew who was.

To his family, he was only a daddy, a husband, a son,

a brother.

For those family members, I wish them peace.

Tedi-girl

My Tedi-girl is having surgery today for

a nasty knee issue that has bothered her for some time.

Often her knee cap pops out of place which sends

her to the emergency room in much pain.

Through the process of testing they have found that it

is actually a genetic birth defect she has had and

the surgery is quite complicated to fix it.

They will either have to take a piece of her own hamstring

to stabilize the knee cap or use a cadaver ham string muscle.

Either way my lil god child has a long recovery and lots

of pain ahead which just makes me sick to my stomach.

This child is way too sweet to have to go through this

but you know the saying,

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger"

She is a trooper and will do this with a smile on her face.

I am going to meet them there early before work,

hoping I get to see her flying high on her

pre-op. shot....

should be good for a video or two...

Prayers for my lil girl, please.

HOME

COMING HOME

Gwyneth Paltrow, Country Strong.

IT'S A FOUR LETTER WORD,

A PLACE TO GO TO HEAL YOUR HURT

IT'S AN ALTAR, IT'S A SHELTER

ONE PLACE YOUR ALWAYS WELCOMED...

HOME...

THEY SAY IT'S WHERE THE HEART IS...

HOME...

Ahhhh, my childhood home, what memories I have there.

This picture was taken when it was new, way before

the last Collins baby lived there.

Yet when I look at it, good memories of a

wonderful childhood fill my head and heart.

This place, in my mind, will always be home.

It was not the building but the love that HOME provided.

I place where I longed to be on the long days of school.

I hope my own children have a sense of peace

when thinking back to their childhood homes.

I know it is not the building but the feeling

that where your parents are is home,

that there you are always welcomed

and you know you are loved.

I AM HAPPY TO SAY....

... my baby girl is gay.

Yes, I now have her permission to blog about

her life while joining the world of a gay woman.

We, her parents, her family, and those who loved her

have known this for some time.

I am proud, proud of the way she has handled herself.

It is an open subject in our home and when

she told us, my only tears were for the fact

that I don't want the world to be mean to her.

Her answer to that was true baby girl fashion,

"Mom when have a ever gave a f@#& what the world thought of me."

She is right, she doesn't care.

Her Aunt Donna, HOBL's sister who died many years ago

was also gay. This was back in the 80's when life was

very rough for gay people. The world has changed

and I like to believe that people like Donna have paved

the way so life could be easier for my baby girl.

There are still some however, who believe having a gay

child is a "cross to bear".

This makes me angry. This is not a cross, this is my child,

I do not care that she is gay, I care that she continues

to be a responsible adult, that her morals remain the same

as they were before. I proudly say to people that my

child is gay and I get many reactions, I do get angered by

those who believe this is something not to talk about.

She is my child, I love her unconditionally, and this,

really does not and should not, ever change the way I love her.

I understand that not all parents love their children

unconditionally and that makes me sad for them.

I say to BG, we have to be outspoken about this cause,

because we are to continue to carry the torch her Aunt Donna carried

back in the 80's, to change the way society looks at gay individuals.

As her daddy said, "I will put a sign in my yard saying,

"My daughter is gay"

if she would allow us to.

Baby girl is in an awesome relationship with a young woman

who is very smart and pretty,

who attends LSU and who we like very much.

I see baby girl with her, and her happiness and I smile,

because what I want for her is happiness,

same all parents should want for their children.

I adore you baby girl!

Lou's Mission

Sharing photo's of the most perfect day spent with

one of my favorite families.

Mr. Charles had a wonderful day yesterday, spent

with all his family.

Only one grandchild couldn't be there,

he was out of state for a college event.

Doing something like what we did yesterday is one of those

things that you are excited to attend but also nervous.

Once there, it was just like the "old days"

like time had not passed and reminiscing of

the good times filled all conversations.

Mr. Charles and Ms. Geri with their 5 children.

Holly, David, Tina, Ann and Peter.

The most amazing part of this day was the fact that

in just 4 months this Louvierre family raised

the most money out of all the teams for the ALS foundation.

In 4 months, they raised 16,000 dolllars!

That was not counting what they made in donations

for their team that was made yesterday.

Nothing but amazing.

Peter accepted the award for his family,

for Lou's mission.

What a wonderful family these Lou's are.