Happy Birthday to my Sister!!!

They say that when you have a sister you always have a friend. As I get older I have started to believe that the old adages are true. You know the one's that they put on greeting cards and hokey pillows and throws. Here are a few.. "A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost"; "Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life" (I don't know if I care for that one); "More than Santa Claus, your sister knows when you've been bad and good"; "Sisters are different flowers from the same garden"... My sister Jacque turns 37 today...she quickly contradicted me last night when I wished her a happy 38th...I will be 40 this year, so my only excuse for the the faux pas is old age. I have always been the typical big sister...bossy, protective and jealous of the baby. When we were kids there was always fighting and arguing going on and it felt like we could never agree on anything. We were completely different...I was a little bit country and she was a little bit rock n roll, if you know what I mean. I was rebellious and always got in trouble, she was sweet and quiet and although she did as much as I did, she never got caught..I like to say she was sneakier...When we were kids I tormented her by telling her she was adopted and she belonged to the maid...She would believe me and cry, but what a goofball...we didn't have a maid...She wore glasses and was skinny and awkward...I was always heavier and terrible in sports; she has dark skin and dark hair, I have blond hair and the palest complexion you've ever seen..I like to say "I'm opaque"...She was always sunny and positive, I was doom and gloom...She has a tongue as sharp as a razor, I am more tactful and worry more about how someone will take what I say...The differences are so numerous I would be here until next week listing them all. However, as many differences as there are, there are twice as many similarities. There is no denying that she is my oldest friend, my confidant, and my alter ego. She has been there through every moment in my life, the good, bad and ugly. She will be the one I will turn to when I'm old and gray and my children hate me because I smother them. As we age and life moves on, she will continue to be the anchor to my past. The one person who has known me her entire life and the person who whether she likes it or not will always be connected to me by the hand of God. As I watch my girls grow up I can see the two of us in them. Sami is strong, to the point and as bossy as Lucy VanPelt. Secilia is willful, funny and has the coordination of a gold medal gymnast. They fight like a pack of dogs and if one says black, the other will say white. But when the dust has settled they love each other unconditionally. The sight of them hugging and holding hands makes my heart leap with joy to know they will always have each other. Hopefully they have the relationship that Jacque and I share. We may not always agree, but when the dust settles we love each other unconditionally. So to the Godmother of my girls, the baker extraordinaire, the fastest drink slinger in the South, the biggest pain in my rear end for 37 years...here's to you!!! I love you and I look forward to seeing you with chin hair, cellulite, jowls, and corny bunion feet at the age of 101....but that would make me 103, so there's a possibility I might miss it....Love you and my favorite corny, mushy sister quote.."Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship." Happy Birthday!!!

High School Musical Birthday Party...by an "ape" !!!

I've been putting some older pictures on my computer onto disc the last few weeks and I have been reminiscing on some of the girls different birthday parties. I have posted Sami's most recent birthday party but I thought I would post a few from Secilia's most recent party....It really turned out quite well, now keep in mind, I am an ape...I can copy anything, so some of the decorating ideas were from different ideas I got online. If I could remember the sites I would give them credit, but I truly don't remember. Besides, what do they say??? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery!!!



Check out this great cake made by Iced and Sliced

Ladies and gentleman turn your attention to the center ring!!!

Turquoise circus tent ring from Old Gold Boutique. via michi girl

How fantastic is this ring??? I really want one...what little girl didn't want to run off and join the circus...oh...only me? Hmmmm...oh well, I was a weird kid, alas, my dream will never come true...SOLD OUT!!!

Here comes Peter Cottontail!!!

Can you believe Easter is right around the corner...I'm telling you, I had no idea it was so early this year. I don't know why this surprises me, I am Catholic. I know when Lent starts you have approximately 40 days to go before Easter...All I can say is my brain is hiatus!!! Anyway, I decided today would be a great day to start decorating my front porch for the upcoming holiday. The little one and I went to Big Lots, which I have to tell you is one of my favorite places to shop for holiday crafts. I decided not to use the mesh ribbon I have used for the last couple of holidays, mainly because I don't have time to order it, but, I also wanted something different. I found some of the most precious baskets. They were slanted and a fun fuschia color. I think they might be for periodicals or magazines or something, but I loved the color and they didn't have a handle, which is what I was looking for. They (Big Lots) had some fake tulips in a pot wrapped in bright yellow paper. They aren't the best looking faux flowers I have seen, but they will work for $4...I bought two pots..oh..and the baskets were also $4...I purchased one bunch of unpotted pink tulips for $4, then cut them and planted them into the pot with the yellow flowers. Then $1 for green basket grass and some precious little pin wheels to put in the back of the arrangement....I did have to cut the wooden dowel on the pinwheels to shorten them up a bit, but after I did that, they were perfect. I picked up a very cute kitchen mat for $5, however, I will use it for a front door mat. Phew!!!My work for the day is finally done....I really love the way it turned out. As soon as the weather cooperates, I will find some nice ferns or something to put around the porch and maybe some pink and yellow throw pillows for the white wicker chairs and couch to add some color...I LOVE SPRING!!! It can't come soon enough, well maybe a few more weeks of winter so I can take some of this weight off before boating season...but that's another story...enjoy my pics and let me know what you think.



Precious welcome mat $5





Basket with tulip pot, added pink tulips, grass filler and pinwheel..$13












Total for all decorations from Big Lots....$30

Time is on my side...yes it is!!

It's been almost a week without Facebook, and it really hasn't been as much of a struggle as I thought it would be...sure it would be nice to know what's going on with some of my friends, but honestly, I think they all probably gave it up for Lent too...right? Ok, that's what I'm telling myself....anyway, I have had a little more time on my hands and along with giving up Facebook, I also have decided I'm going to try and cook healthier meals for the peeps. I am going to share some of my favorite new found recipes with you...as well as the calorie and fat content. I know if your family is like mine, it's hard to pass off healthy food as something wonderful, but my new found cookbook has really helped. I will post some of the ones we have tried and rate them on how good they are...My new found kitchen companion is Taste of Home Guilt Free Cooking....356 home style recipes for healthier living.... I purchased mine at Sam's Club, but I have included the link to Barnes and Noble...


HAM AND MUSHROOM FETTUCCINE

12 ounces uncooked fettuccine
3/4 cup fully cooked lean ham, cubed (I used the cubed ham you can get at the grocery near the sausage)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed ( I omitted this, I'm not a big rosemary fan)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/4 fat free evaporated milk ( I used an entire 12 oz. can)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 Tablespoons reduced fat sour cream


1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet
saute ham in oil until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to skillet; saute for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; saute 3 minutes longer.

2. Stir in flour, rosemary and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add peas and sour cream. Cook 2 minutes longer. Drain fettuccine; stir into mushroom mixture. Add ham; heat through.

Prep time/total time
25 min.
Yield
6 servings

One serving
334 calories
8 g fat
1 g saturated fat
29 mg cholesterol
876 mg sodium
46 carbohydrates
3 g fiber
21 g protein


**** 4 out of 5 stars



I hope you all enjoy this one...My kids loved it!!!

The Party's Over

Well, we made it through Mardi Gras...now starts the Lenten Season. If you are Catholic you know that it is time for penance, fasting and reflection. Now brace yourself...I have made my Lenten sacrifice and I truly think it may be the hardest thing ever...I am giving up Facebook until Easter....Wow...there I said it. It is an absolute sacrifice and I hope and pray I can hold myself to my promise. Which brings me to this question? What did I do before Facebook? It seems like a silly question, but I truly don't remember. That is a real shame and I am hoping that this break from technology will renew some energy and fire into my life. I'm a pretty social person, so being out of the loop will probably be one of the hardest things ever, but I must remember the incredible sacrifice that was given to all of us...putting a computer down for 40 days pales in comparison.

Saints Win!!! Saints Win!!! Saints Win!!!

I've waited to post anything about the Saints on my blog as I am so emotional about the win it was hard to find the right thing to say. As a life long Saints fan, I have had my fill of ups and downs with this team. There have been times when I just couldn't believe how bad they were, but most of the time, I have always been proud of our team. Although I am not a New Orleans resident, I, and most of the Gulf Coast area, consider them to be "Our Team". We have cheered for them and rooted them on through the good times and bad. I never wore a bag or called them the "Aint's", but I have had my share of cussing at a television screen on a Sunday afternoon. Since the beginning of the season, we have all known this was a great team. They are all strong, intelligent, compassionate guys, who have adopted the Katrina ravaged Gulf Coast into their hearts. You could tell by the way they played every game, that this season was special. As they won game after game the emotions strengthened. The fair weathered fans started crawling out of the woodwork and jumping on the bandwagon. That's ok, true fan's don't mind, it's just more energy to keep these boys pumped up....Then it happened, we were in the playoffs and the only thing standing between us and the NFC Championship was one of our own...Brett Favre. Who would have believed that a boy who rooted for the Saints his entire life, was now the one that could take it all away from them. That particular night I had fever and was practically delirious, but I watched in anticipation with the rest of this region.It truly was a spectacular game and although Brett gave his best, it wasn't good enough to stop "our boys"....The Saints won the NFC Championship and they were going to the Super Bowl....OMG!!!!! It meant so much to this area and to New Orleans to have this happen... years of waiting, hoping and rejection had just been squashed and we had finally proved everyone wrong....WE ARE CHAMPIONS! Here we come Miami...the Saints are marching in...The whole Gulf Coast had been rocking since that day...black and gold everywhere, Fleur de Lis everywhere, it had totally taken the place of the Mardi Gras season that most of us would have been celebrating...We all had Drew Brees on the brain. I just can't put into words what the last few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl were like, it was euphoric. Then game day....it truly is all a blur, the sportscasters counted us out, the celebrities in attendance counted us out, everyone was betting the Colts were going to take it...And keep in mind, the Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, is also a hometown boy, who rooted for the Saints his entire life...maybe by default because his daddy was one of the most beloved Saints that ever played. We all still love Archie. But we couldn't let our feelings for a former player stand in the way of our dream. You could tell when they took the field that nobody was standing in their way. The gutsy calls by Sean Payton were mind blowing, he is truly the King of Calls...and Prince Drew Brees was unstoppable...With every second of the clock, my heart pounded harder and harder. I don't remember the commercials, the commentary or what anyone said to me that night. I do remember the incredible joy and elation when Drew Brees took a knee at 44 seconds left on the clock, to win the 44th Super Bowl, in the 44th year of the franchise and with the 44th President in office. It was destiny and I am still trying to come down from the high I have felt since Sunday. I have cried and cried, and next to the birth of my children and the day I married my husband, I don't think I have ever felt so much joy. I love the Saints, I love the Gulf Coast and I love the fact that they are all back with a vengeance. We are strong, faithful and hopeful....GOD BLESS YOU BOYS AND GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!

Slacker!!!

Ok...so I'm slacking again on my blog posts...I knew it would happen...but we've been extremely busy around here with the Saints winning the Super Bowl and all...GEAUX SAINTS!!!! We have also been doing our Mardi Gras duties...two balls, parades and parties. Things are starting to slow down and I am preparing for Valentines day. The girls have to bring a snack for school...Sami has already requested cupcakes, but I found the cutest snack. Had I not already committed to the cupcakes I would be doing this precious idea...check it out from La T Da