Lazy Summer Afternoon

Today was one of those relaxing weekends. I hardly did anything but lay around in the A/C and read a good book. My husband worked a little on organizing the garage. After relocating a year ago we are finally getting to the garage. I did my part last weekend by weeding out my holiday decorations. We've decided we need to clean house. I can't believe everything we've accumulated in the past few years. It's nice feeling to declutter and organize the closets, attic, office, and such. It's been a great time to work in the house because it's been so hot and miserable outdoors. However, I suppose that's just summer in Houston. One day it's nice and the next day it feels like living in an oven wrapped in a wet blanket. It makes me yearn for my native California. I use to enjoy summer when I grew up on the west coast. Now I look forward to fall. Texas is really hot during the summer. We lived nearly 5 years in Austin. I must admit it was hot but not nearly as humid as Houston. I found a great little ice cream shop nearby. It's become our little weekend retreat. We like to reward our hard work by indulging in some frozen heaven. It really helps cool us off. My favorite is strawberry. I like to go out for ice cream instead of keeping it in the house. I think I would be tempted to eat the whole carton during a hot weekend, Ha. How are you spending your summer so far?

My New Specs

Yesterday I picked up my new eye glasses. I normally wear my contacts but my new frames look absolutely fabulous. Very chic! They totally made the outfit and gave me yet another style. I think I'm actually going to start wearing glasses more often. I'm terrible on my frames. I use them only when I watch television at night when I take off my make up and contacts. At night I'm embarrassed to admit I toss them onto my bed stand. I was so hard on the last pair that the screw actually came out. I kept telling myself I was going to run to the office to have them fix them but I never did. Instead I stuck a pin to hold them together. Not fashionable at all! I've worn contacts for nearly 12 years and never leave the house with my glasses on. However, my neglectful behavior finally caught up with me. I was having issues with my left eye. At first I thought I had strained while on the computer too long. After about 3 days I knew it was not strained and something was wrong. I made an appointment at my eye doctor and found out that I had infection in my left eye. Who knows how I got it. I've been traveling a lot int he past couple of weeks. He prescribed some medication (eye drops) and told me not to wear contacts. WHAT!!! I told my husband that I had to buy new glasses. No way could I be seen in the old frames. Besides, I think the prescription had changed since I wore them last. It's my fault for procrastinating. I'm usually on top of everything else but this area of eye care hasn't been a priority. I've gotten so use to popping my contacts in and out that I rarely need to use glasses. Now my back was against the wall and I was forced to buy another set of frames. I'm glad I did because the new glasses are really chic and trendy and looks great with my red hair. I just colored my hair 3 shades of red and I love it! I suppose it all worked itself out in the end.

Happy Independence Day

Hope y'all have a wonderful, relaxing, and safe holiday weekend.

Let's talk BBQ

It's grilling season and the other night my husband grilled the best chicken EVAH! We both love teriyaki chicken but the other afternoon when I was at the grocery store I accidentally grabbed another sauce. Boy, I'm so happy that I made the error because the new sauce was excellent. It's KC Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk. Y'all, it's so good over chicken with grilled pineapple. I made a teriyaki rice as a side and fresh fruit. Thought I'd share. Any good grilling tips for summer? What's your favorite things to grill?

Clothes Make the Man

MY RETRO MAN

Don't you wish men looked like men of the 1950's? They really had style back then. I'm one of those lucky gals who has a husband that wears a suit and tie to work. And I must admit he looks very sharp in his threads. He also loves to wear hats. He looks good in them too. I'm a firm believer that accessories make an entire outfit. You can slip into a dress but when you add the pumps, earrings, bracelets and handbag, now you've got an outfit. Same with men. If you have a hat, cool shoes, watch, or a snazzy necktie, you're instantly cool and the ladies fall weak in the knees.

Recently I've started purchasing monogrammed handkerchiefs for my husband. At first he wasn't that excited and kept forgetting about them. However, I started carrying one in my purse and when he began to sweat (we live in Houston y'all) I'd pull one out and he would blot his face and neck. This really worked well and he began carrying them in his pocket. You wouldn't believe how many compliments he gets on his monogrammed hankie's from women. We also began investing in more hats. He looks very retro sporting his hats and people go crazy for them.




However, my husband's favorite accessory are his neckties. I think all men look classy and handsome in a necktie. I think that's one of the most attractive looks for a man. I recently came across a fabulous blog called TIEPEDIA at www.tiepedia.com This is a fantastic blog full of great ideas, funny stories, and neckties (of course). If you have a minute swing by and introduce yourselves to Matt. He's a great guy.

Back from New Orleans

Hi Y'all! I'm back from our trip to New Orleans. I had a so much fun visiting family and friends. We ate like kings or should I say I ate like a queen. I've had my fill of shrimp. Seriously, I've had enough shrimp for the entire year. A lot of people are nervous about the seafood in New Orleans due to the oil spill in the Gulf. However, we get a lot of our shrimp and fish from Lake Pontchartrain. Lake Pontchartrain is clean from oil. And there's shrimp and catfish farms that are also oil free. It's the oyesters we have to worry about it and the restaurants are very careful about where they receive their seafood.

I think it's terrible what has happened in the Gulf. It makes me want to cry when I see the brown pelicans. Things were just starting to get back to normal after the hurricane. You don't see the blue tarps on the rooftops, old local shops have now open, and people are starting to return after nearly 5 years. For this to happen makes my heart really go out to those in Southern Louisiana. And poor New Orleans! The oil spill has scared the tourist. They think that the seafood is toxic. I'm telling ya from first hand experience it's been one of the best trips to NOLA I've taken in years. The food is great and the French Quarter wasn't crowded. If you want to go to New Orleans this is the time to book your trip.

They have the Louisiana Seafood Festival in the French Quarter during June. We happened to catch the tail end of it. They didn't serve oyesters but they did serve blacken catfish, red fish, and andouille and gator sausages. The gumbo was delish! I had so much food that I have to diet for the rest of the month. Again, this was one of the best memories I've had visiting the French Quarter and I use to live in there.


This was taking as we walked through the French Quarter. I love this area because it has a lot of my favorite shops located here. One of my favorite shops in the French Quarter is called Santa's Quarters. They have a ton of Christmas decorations all New Orleans. I have a alligator and street car ornament that I purchased a few years ago. I love them!!!









This is the St. Louis Cathedral. It's the heart of the French Quarter. On the back side they have a statue of Jesus raising his arms. At night there is a spot light shining on the statue that makes a giant shadow of Jesus that reflects off the church. It's pretty amazing when you see it. I tried to get a snap shot but it didn't turn out. Bummer!





















Here's a vintage Mardi Gras dress worn by one of the past Mardi Gras queens. I love all the cool customes.
















Below you'll see some pictures of the infamous Cafe Du Monde. Of course you can't come to New Orleans without ordering beignets. They are beyond delicious. Who knew that fried dough and powdered sugar could be so good.










As you walk through the streets you'll see musicians playing pretty much on every street corner. This was a great jazz band we watched while cooling off outside the French Market.














The FRENCH MARKET!!! I use to love shopping here on the weekends when we lived in NOLA. You can find the most unusual things here from jewelry, foods, linens, clothing, etc. I use to buy a lot of my Christmas gifts for my relatives back in California. I never had to worry about someone else buying the same thing.

Take'n it Easy in the Big Easy

We're heading to New Orleans. My husband has a conference down in the Big Easy. I'm so excited because we get to see family & friends during our stay. Monday was my B-Day but we are celebrating in NOLA. I'm planning on having my Birthday dinner at Arnaud's. They have fantastic cuisine and live brass band in the evenings. I'm also going to hit all my favorite little boutiques off Magazine Street. Yippee! We'll be staying at the hotel where the conference is being held. I also plan on relaxing and soaking in some rays by the pool. We'll be in NOLA for an entire week so I have plenty of time to enjoy everything.

I can't believe it's been over 6 years since we moved from New Orleans. We were discussing it last night. I asked hubby, "Have we really lived in Texas that long?" In a way it seems like yesterday but on the other hand it feels like a lifetime ago. I enjoy Texas and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to live in Austin/Houston. But it still doesn't feel like home. Something about New Orleans always feels so warm & fuzzy (familiar) when you go back. It's not just family and friends but the whole New Orleans culture. There's just a way of life back there that's hard to explain to someone who's never been. Sure the music and fantastic Creole food is really great but the people really make it special. When I close my eyes I can smell the sweet pralines in the air, the sounds of the Dixie bands, and the old shabby ceiling fans slicing through the thick humid air. Of course I don't love the hot humid summers but I think I'll be too busy to notice or care.

C-Ya when I get back!!!