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 :)