Fall in South Texas

The days are still warm, flying by, and bringing showers which is good for a drought ridden Texas.  Lake Mathis is full again after too many years of piers sticking up out of a drained lake bed.  Halloween has come and gone and I've just packed away the last of it's décor, 

though a few pumpkins remain around the house for Thanksgiving.  Speaking of pumpkins, I thought I'd post a few pictures of Bebe hunting down the perfect pumpkin for carving.

There were so many to choose from.

In the end, she found herself one that was just her size. :)

 

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Christmas Ornament

If you thought you were done with Christmas, hold your horses...err reindeer?!

Bebe made this sweet ornament for daddy, with my help, of course.  We got the idea from The Crafty Crow blog some time back.  Here are some more pics.  

We used a brown acrylic paint from Walmart and dad's Sharpie marker and red paint marker.  I found a pack of white ornaments in a box, a mix of shiny and matte.  The mattes work best, as the prints didn't smear nearly as bad.  With a 1 yr. old, the no smearing part of the task was a challenge, but as you can tell from the images, the imperfections made it all the better.  I wrote her name in sharpie on one side and the year on the other.  I loved the finished product, a great thing to do in the classroom, with grand kids, or with your own children. 

Christmas Dinner

Christmas day was particularly delightful.  Bebe played with her new kitchen from eight in the morning until bed time.  Big Sissy experimented with her flat iron, dad watched sports (and helped from time to time in the kitchen-he'd be cross if I didn't mention), and I whipped up the lunch.  

~Breakfast~

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Bread

Community Coffee

~Lunch~

Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans, Pears, & Raspberry Vinaigrette

English Pea Salad

Sauteed Green Beans in Garlic, Onion, and Bacon

Rum Infused Sweet Potato Casserole

Honey Glazed Ham

Cranberry Sauce

Yeast Rolls

Assorted Olives

Cherry Pie, Orange Fluff, Molasses Cookies

Sweet Plantation Mint Tea, Wine

Merry Christmas

Tis the Season

for scarring your children for life.

Yea, Sissy

Big Sissy's Christmas card design was chosen out of all the designs submitted in her middle school.  She's thrilled and so are we.  Here's a picture of her Christmas card.  The school will send this out as their holiday card to all the parents, administrators, etc.

We are so happy for her!

Big Sissy's Christmas Wish List

In no particular order...

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Yep; that's a pig.  We live in the city.  In a residential neighborhood.  It may just as well have been a hippopotamus; odds for each are equally likely, nil.

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 Why does a 13 yr. old need a cell phone, really?

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I really have no opposition to this gift aside from the fact that she hates to read.  I hate to admit it, but it's true.  I can't even pay her to read in the summer.  When asked, "why a Nook?" she responded, "so I can play games on it."  Gasp.

Folks, I'm just not ready for her in make up.  Especially curious as to why she wants one of these huge color pallets.  I'm envisioning images of Tammy Faye & Bozo the Clown.  Pray she keeps within reason.

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Apparently this trapper's hat/scarf/mitten concoction is all the rage.  It also comes with a pretty hefty price tag of around $130.  Did I mention we live in Texas?  We may get four cold days all season.

And lastly...

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The Jersey cow made it, most recently, on her list of wants.  This list, obviously, does not take budget and/or city zoning & ordinances into consideration.

Does anyone else have a teen whose list is as absurd as this one?  Definitely not made it easy on us this year.

At least little sissy was easy to buy for.

available @ Wal-Mart

A sweet little kitchen set is always fun for little ones.

Vote on your Favorite Thanksgiving Day Pie

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Favorite Thanksgiving Day Pie
	Apple
	Cherry
	Pumpkin
	Pecan
	Lemon Meringue
	Chocolate Cream
	Coconut Cream
	Buttermilk
	Sweet Potato
	Blueberry
	Peach
pollcode.com free polls

Quiz Time: Favorite Thanksgiving Day Side Dish?

What's your favorite Thanksgiving Day dinner side dish?
	Dressing/Stuffing
	Cranberry Sauce/Relish
	Mashed Potatoes
	Green Bean Casserole
	Sweet Potato Casserole
	Broccoli Rice Casserole
	Corn Casserole
pollcode.com free polls

In Honor of our Veterans

God Bless 

Pumpkins

Dia de los Muertos Festival

Last night, Big Sissy and I had a date to the Dia de los Muertos festival, just the two of us.  Daddy kept teeny tiny home out of the cool night air and watched the finale of the World Series.  Sissy and I truly appreciate the art of Dia de los Muertos which is traditionally celebrated November 2nd, but was held early in Corpus Christi this year.  Here are some pictures...

art

fun for the young

and old, alike

even whole families

and dancers

murals on the buildings

sissy holding her shopping loot

fancy ladies

and mariachis

It was a fun night.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Bread

Here's a recipe from a great website dedicated to yams or sweet potatoes.  Loving all things Luizianne, this webpage was right up my alley and found just in time for the holidays; let the baking commence and the good times roll!

Preparation Time: 1 1/2 Hours

"Both sweet potatoes and pumpkins are indigenous to South Louisiana and are most often cooked in desserts or sweetened casseroles. Here, the two are combined with a simple bread mix to create a quick and easy bread recipe that is sure to please."

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cooked sweet potatoes, cubed OR 8-ounce can of sweet potatoes (I used canned variety)

3/4 cup cooked pumpkin, cubed OR 8-ounce can of pumpkin (I used canned here, too)

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 tbsps cinnamon

2 tbsps nutmeg

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsps baking soda

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup raisins, (I'd say this is optional for those who just don't care for raisins)
1 cup pecans (I only had a 2 oz. pkg. of chopped pecans which seemed to be plenty)
pecan halves for garnish (I'd also say this is optional since pecans are pricey these days)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a saucepot, boil sweet potatoes and pumpkin cubes until tender. Drain, mash and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and eggs until creamy. Add oil, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Mix on high speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients alternately with water. Beat until well blended. Stir in raisins and pecans. Pour batter into a large greased cake pan (I used two greased loaf pans). Bake for one hour or until golden brown (I baked for an 1-1/2 since I was using loaf pans, but just keep a watchful eye.  You know your oven best) . Garnish with pecan halves or for an added touch, glaze with Louisiana cane syrup.

Note: Canned sweet potatoes and pumpkin are precooked. (In other words, if you're using the canned variety, skip the boiling and just add the canned pumpkin and sweet potato to your egg mixture.)

Yield: 6 Servings (or 2 loaves)

Recipe Courtesy:

Lafitte's Landing Restaurant at Bittersweet Plantation
404 Claiborne St.
Donaldsonville, LA 70346
Phone: (225) 473-1232

sharing @ Designs by Gollum

Just Around the Corner

We've already begun our holiday shopping, picking up little things here and there, and if there's one thing holiday shopping conjures up, it's holiday cravings.

Do you get those? 

Just the thought of Christmas makes my mouth water for sweet-treat deliveries by the postman.  When I was a kid, I especially loved getting fruit cakes (don't laugh) and gift baskets in the mail.  My granddaddy always sent a fruit cake from Collins Street Bakery, and our relatives from New York would enroll us in fruit/dessert of the month clubs. Those deliveries were almost as exciting as Christmas morning.  Lately, I've been perusing the online sites of all my favorite treats.  I have a few...

Bear Claws, Brittle, Baskets; oh my!  River Street Sweets for truly southern treats.

Gambino's Half & Half- You have to go to their website to check these Doberge cakes!

Collin Street Bakery!

Do you have any favorites from your neck of the woods?  Please share : )

I LOVE Halloween!

Decorating!

We especially love the art in Tim Burton's creations such as Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas

so when I find decor that reminds me of the artwork in his films, I buy it up.  I also fancy Dia de los Muertos inspired pieces which is next on my want list for Halloween decorations.  

Happy Father's Day

THANK YOU, DAD!  We love you.

Getting Ready for Breakfast in Bed (Blackberry Muffins)

Tomorrow is Father's Day (I'm sure I need not remind you) and we are gearing up.  Yesterday, my neighbor brought two containers full of fresh blackberries so I poked around on the net to see what recipes I could whip up.  Hubs mentioned muffins and so I had the idea to serve him breakfast in bed on the big day.  On the menu will be a cup of Community Coffee's Hazelnut Roast, Blackberry Muffins served with Saint Paula's (Patron Saint of Southern Cuisine) Blackberry Compound Butter, and fruit salad.  I hope Dad enjoys it.  Bebe already signed the Father's Day card (only got a little of the ink on herself) and I've already wrapped the presents.

Here's the recipe I found for muffins on a fellow blogger's page.  The muffins turned out great!  I'm looking forward to trying out more tasty treats from this Ms. Judy's page and I hope you'll do the same : )

Blackberry Muffins

1 cup buttermilk (could use regular milk)

1/4 cup oil (I use Canola)

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

2 eggs

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt                         

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (could use frozen)

  In a mixing bowl, add milk, oil, eggs, melted butter,  vanilla and sugars.  Mix well with mixer.   Add in flours, salt, soda, and baking powder and continue mixing. Fold in blackberries. Spray a muffin pan and fill each cup almost to the brim. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes.   Makes 12 muffins.  Enjoy!- Recipe courtesy of Judy @ A Southern Lady Cooks.

 

For our supper menu, I'll fry chicken and serve it with a Pea Salad and Squash Casserole,.  Banana Pudding will be for dessert.  I think we will eat supper after the beach, don't want to be walking around with a "food baby" showing.

For Dad

"My Father could use a little mercy, now

The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground

His work is almost over

It won't be long

He won't be around

I love my Father

He could use some mercy, now"- Mary Gauthier

"My brother could use a little mercy, now

He's a stranger to freedom

He's shackled to his fear and his doubt

the pain that he lives in is almost more than living will allow

I love my brother

He could use some mercy, now"

Memorial Day

 For the times...

 photo credit

when families grew Victory Gardens,

 Photo Credit

 and rationed,

  Photo Credit: African-American and white soldiers during World War II, March 1, 1945

 

WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots)
Photo Credit: National Archives. U.S. Airforce photo - public domain

and ALL Americans went to war, even the women...




















Thank you for your service to the people of the United States of America.