Pictoral Update - Part 1

Here are some more pictures...these are dating back a few weeks to the taping of Live with Regis and Kelly. This is the second time we have been in the audience when they come to New Orleans. Always fun to be a part of the production and watch how it all works. We were there for two shows. One live and the next one was taped for later in the week. This was the week after Megan had gotten voted off Idol...so she was there to perform and sang, I go walkin after midnight....I liked Megan, her voice is very unique. But she wasn't near as made up on Regis and Kelly as they had fixed her up on Idol....Still a beautiful girl.

Then...after the second taping....they said, stick around...Miley is going to come out and tape her appearance for the Thursday show. So she popped out and sang her song twice and then did an interview. What a surprise for the few little girls that were in the audience....they were so excited.

Harry Hamlin was there promoting his new television show....Harper's Island (I think that's the name)....I'm not a big fan of his.

Billy Ray Cyrus was also there on the live Monday show.....didn't think I was a fan, but he was a very gracious interview and actually a great singer....better than his daughter~Regis and kelly were kind and gracious to the audience during the breaks. Kelly LOVES New Orleans and is very fascinated with the area.

Emeril was on the show cooking. He is a local celebrity and pops up all over the place. Also, Chris Paul and Reggie Bush were on the show.

Okay...back to the playoff game.....sorry the pictures are out of order....This is Chris Paul being interviewed by ESPN after the game. He is our MVP....CP3.

As usual, we always see some celebrities at the games.....this is Lil' Wayne - I am so not a fan, but he is hot stuff on the music scene. Here he was getting emotional during the game. Also, Reggie Bush was there...sitting near Lil' Wayne. He is the star of the New Orleans Saints and also Kim Kardashian's boyfriend. And, we saw Emeril....like I said he pops up all over.

Love these girls though....Brittany and Sarah.

Here is one of the voodoo dolls they gave us....to use against the other team...I know, kind of satanic, but I prayed over mine and made it Holy.

Before the game...Brittany, Hugo the Hornet, and Sarah.

Pictoral Update

I'm adding a bunch of pictures to show you what we've been up to lately. But blogger won't let me add anymore right now...so this may be two posts. I wanted to work backwards with my pictures...but you'll see them as I can post them.

Today we went to the Hornet's playoff game. They are in the playoffs with the Denver Nuggets. This was the third game and today we finally won. The house was full and had a lot of energy. We were given Hornet Voodoo dolls to use during the game when Denver had the ball. Also, there was a t-shirt given to every attendant. Looking forward to the game on Monday....and Brittany and I may try and get tickets. Jose went with us...Ashley couldn't come today, she was taking two tests, the Praxis, that are required for her teaching degree. Sarah T. came with us too..it was her first pro game.
Last weekend we went to the French Quarter Fest....one of our favorite festivals. The French Quarter is filled with people, food and music stages. We went to two different stages and enjoyed some great food and also had fun with our friends Sam and Candice.

Yum....crawfish at the Zydeco stage.

Terry and I also attend the PGA golf tournament yesterday at the Louisiana TPC. It was a great day, but a little hot. When we got home last night and watched some highlights on the Golf Network, we were on TV....sitting just off the green of the 8th hole. Fun!

Early this morning, I dropped Terry and Jose back off at the course and they watched the tournament until we picked them up to head to the New Orleans Arena for the basketball game.

Some of us will probably head back tomorrow for the finish of the tournament. It is being televised live on CBS if you have a chance to watch and look for us...LOL, or just enjoy the game and beautiful scenery...it makes for nice napping while you watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! It sure has been a busy week around here.....and the weekend is proving to be even busier. Monday we went downtown for the taping of Live with Regis and Kelly...we stayed for the second taping and got to see lots of guests. I will post pictures soon.

Tuesday I woke up sick......I took meds all day and rested. Wednesday, much better and I was off to the dentist for my check up and cleaning. Then I went and bought groceries for the week and for our Easter Dinner. Thursday, I worked out in the yard, finishing up planting all my annuals. The yard looks so nice and I am looking forward to watching everything grow and bloom. I will post garden pictures soon as well.

Thursday evening, Brittany and I went to a movie. Friday I woke up ready to clean the house and start preparing my dinner for Sunday. Sometime in the afternoon, I had a relapse....I am blaming it on the powder I put on the carpet before vacuuming....I could feel it in my lungs. I will never use it again! I have been coughing and have been sick since....but, no time to stop. I had to finish up everything in preparation for church on Sunday as well.

Today I've been preparing my casseroles for Sunday and Brittany and I made the Easter Basket Cake below. It is just a bundt cake, turned upside down with edible grass and Reese pieces eggs, I thought they were prettier than jelly beans.

Terry was out this morning and brought me back some Easter flowers. He is sweet! I boiled eggs yesterday and Brittany colored them for me. We will be making deviled eggs out of them tomorrows.

I would love to take a late afternoon nap, but Terry is preaching at Manantial DeVida tonight. This is Jose's dad's church. It is their anniversary weekend, so it is a special service. I am going to go with Terry....hopefully it won't be a late evening.

After church tomorrow, we are going to have some friends over for dinner....then hopefully we can relax and play games....It's also the Master's weekend, so we will be watching the final round, I am sure.

Wishing everyone a great Easter Sunday and a Happy Spring!

What's been going on?

Here are a few pictures to catch everyone up on what's been going on in my world. The weather has been great and I've been enjoying the yard and my swing. I have some bedding plants that need to go in the ground tomorrow and my little anole lizards are enjoying Spring as well. Here is a little guy that likes to hang out on my swing, he was posing for the camera.Brittany's boyfriend, Justin was down for a few days last week. He left yesterday. We planned a few events while he was here. First, we went to Avery Island - the home of Tabasco. It is an amazing place. We've lived in Louisiana 17 years, and have never been there. If you live here, I suggest you go! First there is a tour of the Tabasco factory, which is very interesting. Then you can drive and/or walk through the gardens. The garden is basically just the island which is about 2 miles, by 3 miles and is actually a salt dome. Salt is mined out of the island as well. In the gardens, there is a bird sanctuary where egrets nest. Also, the wildlife is abundant. Alligators are out everywhere and there are "Beware of Alligator" signs. We saw 26 and I am sure there were many right before us that we missed.

Of course, most of you know my fascination with alligators, so getting out and walking near them was a must. It was cool, but the sun was out and the alligators love to sun themselves on the banks.
We also went to the NO Hornets game on Sunday evening. They were playing the San Antonio Spurs and it was sold out. We were joined by our friends Sam and Candace. We had a great time.

We love attending the home games....a lot of team spirit and they fill the time outs and half times with a lot of fun events. I like to take the binoculars and stake out the crowd....we always find some celebrities in the mix.

I know the picture below is dark...taken from far away....but it is Eva Longoria-Parker. Her husband Tony plays for the Spurs.
The girls and I will be attending our annual women's retreat in Alexandria this weekend. We are looking forward to it, we always have a good time. Thirteen ladies will be attending from our church.

I can't believe that Easter is just a little over a week away......it will be Summer before we know it!

Garden Pictures

So, my friend Judy inspired me to take some pictures of my garden....nothing really interesting yet - kind of raggedly looking....but what I enjoy more than my plants are my little green lizards...anoles are their names. You can read about them here. This afternoon I went outside and this little guy was sitting on a palm frawn. I noticed he was eating something....looked like a wet paper town piece. Then I noticed he was pulling his skin off of his foot and eating it. He let me stand right next to him and watch. He was molting and kind of wet....so he was sunning himself and eating his skin...I know, gross...but it was interesting.
Here he has a piece of skin in his mouth. I went in an got my camera and the more pictures I took, the closer he came. Terry was mowing the lawn and he would lift his head and look around me and watch Terry mowing.

My garden is full of these little guys and when I plant, I usually find their eggs. Then we wait for the babies to come up and hang out in the plants...they are adorable.

These lizards have quite the personality. They are very aware of their surroundings and get used to people that are suppose to be around. When my little nephews visited last summer, those poor lizards were running for their lives.

I know....lots of pictures. But, I couldn't decide which ones to post....so I posted them all.

Now on to the plants....To start with, this is my little Sago Palm nursery. Each year when we cut the old prawns off our Sago Palm, I can't stand to throw out the little pods growing on the side....so I stick them in old pots with leftover dirt. No scientific way of doing it, I just pretty much throw them in and then set the pots on the side of the house, behind the fence. By the end of the summer, I have several small palms. I basically give them away, I don't have anywhere else to plant one. So, if you need a palm...let me know. Those of you up North, they are fun to grow....you can put them in a pot and bring them in, in the winter. My Mom loves watching them grow.

The rest of these plants are ones that have already come up on their own, or never left over the winter.

Geranium - I bought this at the end of last season, on clearance for .50 cents...I couldn't stand to see it sitting there on the rack dying. It is thriving with several buds.

This is a pencil plant, I bought a cutting at a garage sale and it is fun to watch grow....I need to stake it.

This is a bad picture of my Hens and Chickens....I brought them from Mom and Dad's house when they moved....she had several pots and was going to leave them at their old house. They love the Louisiana weather.

A nice little begonia that starting blooming early.

This is a giant Mum that I can't kill....not that I am trying...but I can't tell you how many times I cut it back because it gets so big. It blooms in the spring...I cut it back....it blooms in the summer...I cut it back....then in the Fall it is huge and full of blooms.

Impatience...I think

This is my Hydrangea...I planted two last summer. I didn't cut them back until January, because they were still full of leaves...I really don't know what I am doing, but they are sprouting again.

Okay, so it's not a beautiful garden journal - but it's something...enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

So today is St. Patrick's day....I must admit, not a big deal for me. Never has been. I remember getting pinched in school for not wearing green. I'm not even sure of my heritage...really, I was just told that my family was from Southern Illinois!! Leprechauns have always freaked me out and I don't drink beer. So again, not a huge deal for me.



Of course here in New Orleans - any reason to celebrate. So it is fun to go to the St. Patrick's Day parades. They throw beads, stuffed animals, cups, etc, just like a Mardi Gras parade...but also, cabbages, carrots, and potatoes. So by the time you leave the parade you have a whole bag full of stuff to go home and make your Irish Stew.

I don't know this lady...just found the pictures to show the cabbages being thrown.

We are experiencing a beautiful Spring. We had rain for the past three days, but we needed it. Today it is beautiful and sunny. I've been playing around in my flower beds...just amazing watching the buds, blooms and greenery coming out of the ground....it happens so fast, you can almost watch them unfold. Looking forward to going and getting some bedding plants, but also waiting to see what comes up, so I know where to plant. I am just a buy it and plant it gardener....I forget what comes back and what doesn't. So - it's always fun in the Spring to watch and learn.

This weekend Terry and I are going to Jackson, MS. Brittany and Justin bought Terry tickets for a Gaither Concert for Christmas.....it seemed like a long way off back then, but here we are near the end of March. We have been to Jackson several times...mostly for Youth Camp and then of course driving through on the way up North. I'm not sure what else we may do while we are there for entertainment....but we will find something. I asked my friend Heather for some suggestions, since she used to live and work there. Personally, I am not a huge Gaither fan, but I've been to some concerts in the past with Terry and they are good...very talented musicians and singers. All in all, it will be good to get away for the weekend.

Haven't Posted in a While

Well, it's been a while since I posted. Brittany signed me up for Facebook and I have been spending all my computer free time on there catching up with a lot of friends that I haven't communicated with for over 25 years. It's been interesting.

I do have some fun pictures of Mardi Gras to post. Ashley and I spent Lundi Gras down on St. Charles with our friend Sarah. We watched two parades that evening. They were both beautiful, but Harry Connick, Jr's Krewe was absolutely amazing. The floats were huge and all electrified with confetti and spot lights. OH...and I didn't see Harry, we kept waiting, but it was reported on the news that he had a family emergency and wasn't able to ride. But, John Belushi, Joan River, Brian Batt and others rode in the parade.

On Mardi Gras day, Terry and I went downtown in the early afternoon...we caught the end of the Rex parade and saw some of the truck parades later. We did have a nice afternoon downtown, the weather was absolutely beautiful. We had a nice lunch and then grabbed a caramel apple and some coffee and sat and just did some people watching...my favorite.

And....last, but not least, a little Public Service Announcement. While the girls and I were waiting on the parades to begin, Ashley noticed this nice guy in front of us, who had not trimmed his eyebrows in quite some time. We were amazed. He was married, his wife was right next to him. I kept wondering, why doesn't she insist on him trimming those brows....so wives....please help make sure that your husband is trimmed!