#25daysofholidayspirit

Way back on the 1st of December I was full of excitement and holiday cheer! This was before work handed me its usual amount of headaches and prior to my always eventful aerial adventures. 

After Thanksgiving I was ready for Christmas. Ready for the festive lights, the movie marathons, the jingly songs, the wrapping and trimmings, the gift giving, the FUN! So I thought up a snazzy little hashtag to use (#25daysofholidayspirit) and began my quest to post a holiday related Instagram every day leading up to Christmas. Some days I had trouble coming up with an intriguing subject to feature, other days I felt like the only spirit I had was one belonging to Ebenezer Scrooge! But I kept on, always finding something to highlight. 

So without further ado, for those who may not follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I give you my 25 Days of Holiday Spirit (2014 edition):

"Despite it being 75 degrees outside today I'm kicking off my #25daysofholidayspirit hashtag for the month of #December! So look forward to more #holidaycheer comin' atcha!"

 

"Day 2 of my #25daysofholidayspirit fun! #Netflix has helped supplement my #Christmasmovie options greatly this year! From #cheesy to #classic, #sappy to #sad I've been on a cinematic viewing spree!"

"Day 3 of #25daysofholidayspirit finds me writing #Christmascards by the closest thing I have to a #fireplace!"

Day 4 = video from Luna Fete

"It's too stinkin' warm outside to be in the #25daysofholidayspirit mood tonight so I shall feature a non #Yuletide themed post of this cool #lightshow called #LunaFete that [Sara] and I went to this evening!"

"I ordered #retro/#vintage #holiday #postagestamps off of #etsy to #dressup my #Christmascards! I #adore all things #antique and am so #happy to be sending these out this year :)"

"I'm #pretending it isn't 80 degrees outside right now by listening to my favorite #Hanson #Christmasalbum!"

"Finally! It is starting to (sorta) feel like #winter! May even turn the #heat on tonight!"

 "This may be the only #snowflake I see in #NewOrleans and I am 100% okay with that!"

"#Pitiful little #poinsettia has about as much #holidaycheer as I do today. Alas, the #25daysofholidayspirit must go on."

"Did a little #baking last night for the #workfolks! Three different types of #monkeybread. Really I just wanted to use my #Christmastree plates ;)"

"On this 11th day of my #25daysofholidayspirit I bring you a #tbt of [Bryan] and me sitting on the lap of ol' #SantaClaus!"

"A #festive #spirit for my #fridaynight! Great way to kick off the #weekend :)"

"#Lightlooking at the #RooseveltHotel #downtown with [Sara] and [Zack] :)" 

"Tied up in #bows today: getting that #wrapping done! I love #giving #presents!" 

"#NewOrleans peeps should definitely cruise by this house on #StCharlesAve! So pretty!"

"A touch of #blood with my #peppermint #ring seems fitting on this crazy #Tuesday. Feeling a little like #Scrooge today." 

"Feeling #nostalgic tonight as I nibble on my favorite #Christmascandy! My #pawpaw always gave us these #peppermint #candies around the holidays when we were kids :)" 

"#Sittingbythetree on this #dreary evening, #reflecting on the #holidayseason and what it really means."

"Early #Christmaspresent to myself! A [Zack] original :) I've been pining over this piece for months and now it's all mine!!!"

"'I'll just run in and run out' I said, 'it won't be so bad.' HA! The #mall on the #Saturday before #Christmas is a #madhouse?! Despite the #hustleandbustle I was able to check a few things off of my #list!"

"I have enjoyed my #Christmastree so much this year! Each evening coming home from the #chaos of work/life and turning the #lights on has brought me such #joy :)"

"It may be a #rainy day in #NewOrleans but #Sucre is cranking out the orders for #Christmas! Poor #UPS can barely keep up!"

"Watching a #cheesy #ABCFamily #Christmasmovie under my new #cozy #plaid #blanket!" 

"Mom made #rumcake!"

"#Andtoallagoodnight! I had fun counting down to #Christmas via #instagram :) Hope you enjoyed!"

Christmas Movies

I have been on a Christmas movie screening marathon since right after Thanksgiving! Netflix is full of cheesy-made-for-tv flicks + a few classics. Thus far I have watched:

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Happy Christmas
• Holiday in Handcuffs
• I'll Be Home for Christmas
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Bad Santa
• 12 Dates of Christmas
• Four Christmases
• Scrooged
• The Family Stone
• Edward Scissorhands (yes, I consider this a Christmas movie)
• Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
• Holiday Engagement
• Christmas with the Kranks
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Desperately Seeking Santa
• Christmas Vacation
• Home Alone

3BF Christmas Outing

The three best friends celebrated Christmas last weekend by getting fancy and heading downtown! The Roosevelt Hotel decks out their lobby with tons of lights and trees attracting many gazers and selfie-takers. We wandered through the trimmings and indulged in some pre-dinner cocktails at the Sazerac Bar before snapping our group shot.

Dinner reservations were made at Ivy back uptown where we shared and savored a fine meal of seared scallops, beef tartare, tuna crude, paneed rabbit, and braised pork cheeks. Everything was absolutely delicious!

After exchanging gifts…I'll post a picture soon of the hilarious mug Sara gave us… we drove down St. Charles to see the oaks all lit up! 

It was really nice to take a breather from the rush of work to relax and appreciate each other's company :)

Super Loss in the Superdome

Brie's aunt and uncle were kind enough to give us their seats for the Saints v. Panthers game last week. Unfortunately for Saints lovers everywhere the Panthers wiped the field with us as we stumbled through a game ending in 41-10. It was pitiful. Tyler was loving it though since he is a hardcore Panthers fan!

A packed dome before the slaughter | blissfully unaware of the craptastic game we were about to witness

It is always fun to be AT the game, but man this one was painful to watch :(

Luna Fete

Unfortunately, I can't seem to get my videos to upload so you'll have to trust the shots to show you how cool Luna Fete was! 

A free-to-the-public 9 minute light spectacular telling the story of New Orleans projected onto Gallier Hall downtown = pretty awesome!  

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was spent away from family yet again this year, but not all tradition was lost. I made an apple pie as I do most years (I need to remember the recipe this time, it was delicious!) and I spent my second annual turkey day with the Akey clan + Zack. Instead of being at Sara's house, dinner was served on the north shore at her parent's place. It was fun getting a glimpse into Sara's family life--seeing her room that looks like it hasn't changed much since high school, laughing at all of the pictures of her and her brother on the fridge, checking out her old swing set/play house, etc. The day was spent casually watching football, listening to stories about Sara and Curtis's childhood, a friendly competition of Heads Up, and lots of gorging on excellent food! To cap the evening off I fell victim to a refrigerator water dispenser malfunction when attempting to fill my water bottle up for the drive back south. This technological fail resulted in a soaked foot, full shoe and a small puddle in their kitchen floor but luckily we were able to stop the water fountain quickly enough! Never a dull moment. 

Multi-Cultural Pot Luck

The Confection Studio held its 2nd annual Thanksgiving Pot Luck last week. Our table was filled with tons of delicious dishes, from egg rolls and pupusas to corn casserole and tacos. We had quite the variety to fill our sturdy paper plates! I brought sliced venison salami that dad gave me when they came to visit the other month along with Robert's Better Cheddar and crackers. Yum!

If you left hungry there was no one to blame but yourself. Turns out 15 lbs. of mashed potatoes was not necessary, but man were they tasty!!

Funky Beets

I worked the Louisiana SPCA's Howling Success fundraiser with Sara and Tariq the other weekend. We served up this "Funky Beets" creation for the masquerade crowd

chocolate cake + bacon feuilletine + goat cheese mousse + shaved candied beets + micro greens tossed in a boubron lime syrup topped with a dusting of finely shaved dark chocolate

I made myself a mini version sans goat cheese mousse (try as I might, I do NOT like goat cheese) and it was quite tasty! The bourbon lime syrup also made a delightful addition to my vodka Sprite!

You Know...

When I go home...

...you know I am going to go to Kenney's (2x in one day this last trip--winning!)

 ...you know I am going to poke around and try to get into the abandoned church near the cabin

 ...and you know I am going to make a trip through Goshen Pass

Other Things

Besides going home this month I have...

Hosted a successful game night at the house. Attended my 5th annual PoBoy Festival at which I happily devoured a fried lobster poboy. Celebrated Sara's birthday with co-workers & friends. Accessorized with various vintage purses/wallets. Lost a glove. Spent around a week battling a cold that I am blaming on a combination of bi-polar weather trends in NOLA and germs associated with airport travel. Drank a bacon infused Old Fashioned--not as tasty as I would have liked. Indulged in a guilty pleasure marathon viewing of the entire Twilight franchise. Acquired blisters on both heels from new boots that I like too much to not wear. Awwwed over pictures of a friend's newborn son. Purged yet another bag of clothing from my closet. Watched the Saints lose at home more than I care to talk about. Hired a couple of folks and let one go. Attempted to replicate Olive Garden's chicken & gnocchi soup with acceptable results. Turned the heat on in the house. Turned the AC on in the house. Purchased retro/antique holiday postage stamps to use on my Christmas cards. RSVPed to a friend's wedding. Became hooked on the Serial podcast.

November has flown by!

Olden Days

One of my favorite things to do when I visit home is to go through old photographs: especially at my grandparent's house. I often day dream about what life was like 20, 50, 70 years ago. What would it have been like to grow up in the 1940s? What was a typical day like for the teenage version of my parents? How the heck did people stay in touch before technology connected everyone to everything all the time?? The closest I can get to answers is by looking at pictures and requesting stories from the people who experienced it all first hand. 

Here are a few treasures I came across while going through a box of photos with Maw-maw:

Paw-paw, on the far left, still makes that menacing face when he knows someone is taking his picture haha! He is accompanied by his sister, Juanita, two brothers, Jr. & Maurice, and dad, John, in this fun family shot circa 1932

Maw-maw's parents, Johnny & Lucille c. 1950

Maw-maw rocking some short shorts in 1951

 Orville & Lillian, or as I have always called them, Paw-paw and Maw-maw as a young couple. Early 1950s. So much black hair!

And, not an old photo, but a photo of an old dog tag. Paw-paw's tag which he carries it in his wallet these days. He scratched into the back "November 27, 1943", his enlistment date, with a knife but it is barely visible now as it has been rubbed nearly smooth over the years. 

Though he arrived in Germany towards the end of the war at the tender age of 17, he stood guard during the Nuremberg Trials and represented his unit at Patton's funeral before heading back stateside in 1946 and being honorably discharged the day before his 20th birthday. 

I love learning these things about family and look forward to provoking conversations about life in the olden days :)

Girl's Weekend

Earlier this month I made a trip home and was able to tag along for Girl's Weekend with mom, Nita and Judy. We hit up a bunch of Goodwills and consignment shops instead of the traditional craft shows this year but did not abandon our outlet mall custom. Per usual we bought more than we needed, ate more than we should have, and spent more time giggling than anything else! 

Early morning selfies with our loot

 Grandmaw joined us this year :) Her expression was applicable most of the time!

A slightly better selfie inside the car

Dale, our annual photographer, snapped the gang at the end of our adventure!

I have missed a few Girl's Weekends since moving down south, but I am super thankful when I do make it home for them. We always have the most fun and create happy memories :)