Fleur de Aleta

I'm happy to be participating in Jade's "Happiness Is" What makes me Happy today? Knowing that tomorrow is the start of NaBloWriMo! Woot! It's when brave bloggers dust off the keyboards and click away each day. That's write, for 31 days straight you create a post for your blog. It sounds daunting, doesn't it? But it's not! It's actually a lot of fun and it gives you a good kick in the tush to know that you can do it :) Hope my bloggy friends will join in with the NaBloWriMo :)

(Grab the button on the right sidebar) Welcome to “ABC of Your State” ~ This challenge is based on friends and bloggers asking about Louisiana, as well as my interest in travel and learning about other places. Please feel welcome to join in. M is for ~Mighty Mississippi. While you're in the French Quarter, head over to the Riverwalk, where you'll find tickets to go on a boat ride - The Paddle Wheel Tour. I did this with my good friend, Kristen, not long ago. It's very relaxing. ~Mardi Gras. It's not just for New Orleans, it's in the neighboring cities as well, on the Westbank, Metairie, Chalmette, North Shore. The city shuts down for a day (and night) of partying! If you want wild - go to New Orleans. If you want family oriented, go to the neighboring cities. Either way, you'll have fun. Yell, "Throw me something, Mister" and catch beads, plastic cups, frisbees, stuffed animals, blinking necklaces. You'll come back w...

Question 8 - What did you eat today? Simple enough. My husband is a great cook. I have to start with that. I'm good at keeping the house clean, but cooking? Eh, not so much. My husband has the perfect omelet down pat. He uses "fake eggs" (that's what we call the egg substitute, no cholesterol) with low fat cheese and chopped up bell pepper. I don't care for meat in the omelet. It's yummy! Lunch, well, it can be either a "heat me up meal" (what I coined for the frozen dinners) or "road kill" (left overs that my parents send over and those are Dad's words)... Supper, that's the question of the day. Sometimes soup, sometimes my husband will barbecue, sometimes we go out to eat.

I have a confession to make. Greg says that I'm mean. i think animals are just so darn cute when they are sleeping. The cat curls into a ball and does the "broken neck" turn, you know that "I feel comfortable and can trust where I am" look. The dog, well, she doesn't care what position she's in as long as she's next to you. They are just too cute... and I can't help it. When I see our cat and dog sleeping, I have to pet them, thereby waking them up.. sometimes just for a brief moment and then they go right back to sleep. I don't try to scare them or anything. Greg says I'm mean by doing that...

I'm happy to be participating in Jade's "Happiness Is" That one sentence above sums up this post. I'm happy to focus on the joy in life. It's a choice. There are so many things that are negative in this world. Sometimes we have to hunt through the dust and darkness to find that little glimmer of hope... but the good news is that we have the choice to do so. My husband is always saying, "Make it a good day." That's the truth. A lot of things are not in our control, but our attitude is the one beautiful thing that we can take charge of. We CAN make it a good day. I'm happy to focus on the joy in life. Thank you, Jade, for the weekly reminders :)

(Grab the button on the right sidebar) Welcome to “ABC of Your State” ~ This challenge is based on friends and bloggers asking about Louisiana, as well as my interest in travel and learning about other places. Please feel welcome to join in. L is for ~ Longue Vue House and Gardens. On the merging lines of New Orleans and Metairie, tucked away is a lovely home and beautiful gardens. The house reminded us of Biltmore, where we went for our honeymoon. I blogged about the house, if you’d like to read more, click here . ~Lafreniere Park. Want to get out of New Orleans and into more of the suburbs? Metairie is a great place to go. It’s as much of a restaurant meca as New Orleans. Lafreniere Park is one of the largest parks in Metairie and the drive goes around a lake. There are rabbits, roosters, chickens, ducks, geese, swans and all sorts of feathered friends living in the park. ~LPO. Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’re lucky, you’ll be in t...

30 Question Challenge Question 7: Five Pet Peeves 1) Tapping or Slapping the table. You need to make a point, do it with your words, not by abusing the table top. 2) Texting and Driving. Talking on the phone and driving. For some people, the driving becomes SECONDARY in these equations. They don’t notice they are swerving into another lane or the light has changed colors or they didn’t see that right turn they had to make while in the left lane. 3) Too close talkers. This is my space. You’re invading it. Back up! (And can I offer you a breath mint?) 4) People who complain that it’s always someone else’s fault and never take any responsibility for their actions or life style. 5) Bad table manners. I’d prefer not to see what you’re drinking or chewing or have to duck from flying food. Closed mouth chewing, it’s a good thing.

I have a confession to make about my Mom. We didn't always get along. Our's wasn't a loud, horrible, break the bond rebellion, but it was there. Me wanting to stretch wings and Mom wanting me to land safely. For the Mom's out there with young teens... it'll get worse for a while. Just remember yourself at that age. Kids think they have enough experience under their belt and enough wisdom to garner good ideas and the right path to make.. and sometimes the young adults need to make the mistakes. We all do, young and old. But love always finds a way to bring it back together. Mom and I went through a silence in our relationship, but we made it through. I'm all the more grateful, because of everything we've gone through and how she's been there for me. Today is my Mom's birthday. I love you, Mom. Thank you for being there, for letting me make the mistakes and for holding me in your arms when I needed to cry and for lifting me back up when I was ...

I'm happy to be participating in Jade's "Happiness Is" I'm happy to be a Mac! I used to be a PC, while my husband was a Mac. I would go to his computer and toy with the iPhoto and learn about the iMovie. Ohhhh, those iMovies are so cool. I first became a Mac when my husband gave me his iPhone (he upgraded to a iPhone4).. and then again when we bought a iPad. It was until I had a Mac Mini that I took the Mac label though. It looks a little different from a PC point of view, but with a touch of training - ZOOM, I was hooked! I can't ever go back :) Happy to be a Mac :)

(Grab the button on the right sidebar) Welcome to “ABC of Your State” ~ This challenge is based on friends and bloggers asking about Louisiana, as well as my interest in travel and learning about other places. Please feel welcome to join in. K is for ~Katrina. I wish I could tell you that New Orleans is fully recovered, but that isn't the case. You can see the damage spread through out New Orleans, Chalmette and even here and there in Metairie. There are "Katrina tours" but I've never been on one and don't need to. I have the memories. I even have the magnet "My refrigerator survived Katrina" (which is a major accomplishment, believe me)... I can't say that I can recommend the tours, there's too much burned into my mind about that hurricane. It brought out the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Mother Nature is everywhere. Nobody on earth can escape her... On my Picasa site, I have pictures that I took s...

30 Question Challenge Question 6: View on Mainstream Music Well, this is going to be a short post, because heck if I know what mainstream music is. I’m not a song snob. If I like it, I like it, but don’t ask me the singer or group or type of music. Or even the name of the song, Lol. If we’re talking Pop Rock as mainstream, mostly I like it. But I also like Classical songs and Country tunes and Oldies (my parents’ childhood oldies music). If we’re talking Rap as mainstream, eh… there are songs few and far between that I like coined as rap, but there are some.

I've been to New York City, before 9/11. I had a crappy little camera with me. But I treasure those pictures. I've seen NYC skyline after 9/11 and it reflected that hollow emotion of loss. One of my bloggy friends is from NYC. She told me that they constructed a memorial for the towers. Supposed to be a fantastic design and then she joked, "without any bathrooms!" Only, she was serious too. I want to go back to NYC in the next few years. To our fireman, our soldiers, our police officers, those who serve and protect. God Bless You and Thank You. To those who lost loved ones ~ prayers each year in memory. God keep us strong and safe.

I'm happy to be participating in Jade's "Happiness Is" Happiness is Photography What is it about taking pictures? I think a lot of it has to do with art, but there are very special times in life too. I love to capture the moment. I'm also someone who loves to look back on pictures. The Internet has made that so easy - post a picture and you can look at it quickly and repeatedly with ease. I remember after Katrina, I put all of the pictures I could online. If a hurricane comes again, I have those scanned pictures at least... Memories are precious. When I see the picture of black sand beach, it takes me back to our time in Hawaii.... when I see the Diamondhead Volcano, I remember "oh my gosh, that long, long, take your breath away climb" to the top of it and that sense of accomplishment from doing so. When I see pictures from our wedding, January 3, 2009, I know how fortunate I am to have that day with the man of my dreams. I don't need pictur...

(Grab the button on the right sidebar) Welcome to “ABC of Your State” ~ This challenge is based on friends and bloggers asking about Louisiana, as well as my interest in travel and learning about other places. P lease feel welcome to join in. J is for… ~ Jazz. The best place to go for Jazz music is Preservation Hall. It's along Bourbon Street, but not a "typical bar" type atmosphere. If you stop by there during the day, you can find out if there's a performance that night and who is playing. I don't recall the guy who was there when we went just recently, but he was fantastic with the horn! ~ Julia Street. For those who want to take a stroll down artsy lane, go to Julia Street. It's in the "Warehouse District" of New Orleans, close to the French Quarter. There are some nights where the art galleries will open all the doors and serve wine and appetizers. ~ Jean Lafitte Park. If you don't want to go on a swamp to...

30 Question Challenge Question 5: Things you want to say to an ex. What a doozy of a question! Ok, which ex? I know most woman might respond with, “I hope she cheats on you like you did on me” or “I hope someone doesn’t tell you the truth, just like you lied to me” or “I hope she is as horrible to you, blah, blah, blah”.. you know the old “eye for an eye” thingy. Me? What would I say to an ex… ok, here it goes and this is for both of them: I hope you are living a great life! I hope it’s so wonderful that you never think of me. I hope that you closed that chapter in your life and that it’s in the past. That you lived, learned and moved on, because I have. Truly, I hope you are happy. I can’t wish for otherwise, because I’m too darn happy with my life, with the love of my life. I don’t want any bad karma by wishing something otherwise on another person and I don’t have any ill will towards you. Oh and I don’t regret my past. Because it is part of who I am today and I’m happy in t...

I have a confession to make... I use a fork and knife when I eat. Oh, that doesn't sound like a confession, right? But I use it for just about everything! Yes, I will eat chicken with a fork and knife. If there is corn on the cob, I will use the knife to cut the corn off of the cob and use a fork. Believe me, I can do a great job with a rack of ribs using the fork and knife too! (Mind you, I'll use a spoon when warranted as well)... Even for sandwiches, if I can get away with it, I'll cut it into pieces and eat it, though I WILL eat a sandwich without a utensil. But then again, I'm not into eating a lot of bread, so I don't eat many sandwiches. I don't know why I'm like this.... my family will pick up food with their fingers and eat. My husband teases me about it. In fact, one day, he cooked this awesome, delicious ribs and it was so good, it was finger licking good... when I grabbed the rib to eat it without a utensil, he threatened to take the came...

I didn't sleep last night, because of the storm. At 5am, we received an automated phone call that there was a tornado alert in our area. We received 2 of those types of calls within a 30 minute span. We went out in the weather. Call us crazy. All because we needed fat free cheese. We couldn't make an omelet without cheese! So, we called some local grocery stores to find out if any were open for the storm and lucked out. At 5am, my street was already flooded (picture below). We had to go down a bunch of different streets, turn around, try other routes, but we did make it to the grocery store. When we saw other people there, I said, "At least we're not the only idiots going to the grocery store in the middle of a tropical storm." On the drive back home, I was grateful Greg was driving. I had to cover my eyes when we went through some deep waters on the streets. Below is a picture of the canal on W. Napoleon - very high.

My husband sent me this link . I had to laugh. I remember when they came out. My Dad started to collect them, because he didn't think they would last that long in print. I have a few of them too and after reading that link , makes me want to go buy something with them!

I'm happy to be participating in Jade's "Happiness Is" Happiness Is Beads I love to make jewelry . Seeing all the pretty shades of colors and sparkles, it makes me smile. Put me in a bead store and I'm like a little kid in a candy store. Only, it's a lot more expensive than the candy. But, I'm not going to write about the jewelry I make.. the beads I'm talking about right now are Mardi Gras beads. Those plastic, cheap "Throw me something, Mister" trinkets. My Mom's school collects the beads and then uses the beads in their art classes. I think this is SO cool! They twist or cut the beads so they are individual little rounds and then glue them on a painting, to give a 3D appearance. Below are some pictures. Some pictures are completed with the beads, others are not, so you can see the process. Seeing the beads being used this way makes me want to be a kid again! MARDI GRAS KING CAKE (Below picture you can see the beads on some of...

I had the Chevy Malibu since 2003 and put less than 58,000 miles on the car. It was in good condition, new tires, new paint job, new battery, the engine looked great, etc. It was no wonder we had a lot of people stopping by to look at the car (it helps that we parked it on a street that gets a fair amount of traffic). It was bought by the parents of two twin daughters, both of them about to start college. One of the twins wanted the vehicle. I was so happy when it sold. I had no mortgage on it, so it wasn't as though we were rushing to sell. But it's just me and my husband.. and we had three vehicles. The Malibu was gathering dust, so better to sell it to someone who could use it. When the parents paid for the vehicle and drove off with the Malibu, I said a little prayer... that the daughter would take good care of the car and that the car would keep her safe. I know that sounds silly.. but there you go. And now, for something totally different.... the saying is...