Swamp Land Sights

If I didn't know any better, I would say that New Orleans was it's own little country. From the foreign language coming out of our taxi driver's mouth (even though he was speaking English) to the scary sights on Bourbon Street, we at least had an interesting vacation.
Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative for our four day stay. I had packed light to avoid any checked baggage on our flight and had planned for warm weather. With my little toes
braving the elements, we crammed as much sight seeing in as possible. New Orleans did have many great architectural elements strewn throughout the city. We toured 2 old plantations and strolled the streets, admiring the sites. I especially enjoyed purusing one of the bizarre above-ground cemetaries that New Orleans has as a result of it's position below sea level. Some of the graves are extremely lavish!
We tried to go authentic, sampling the most unusual foods we could. The large selection of fried foods got old fast. But I loved the shrimp and other non-fried seafood options. Daniel's crawfish were too cute!
We took a swamp a tour with a guide who regaled us with many of his favorite swamp recipes, giving in-depth cooking instructions for swamp rat, mushrooms, and edible plants. All I wanted was to see an Alligator. I guess they covered that by having a baby Al aquariumized in their headquarters shack. Not exactly the live encounter I had hoped for. Though he was a cute little guy.
Everywhere we went, we were innundated with the Mardi Gras tourism

No More Granny Piano!

I enjoy having a piano in my home. I don't always play as often as I should or would like, but it is still a nice addition. We bought an inexpensive Kimball console piano about 8 years ago and it has been a good little piano all along, at least sound wise. My husband has been bugging me for years to get rid of the "Ugly Granny Piano!" Well, we don't have room or money for the baby grand he would rather see gracing our home. So, I thought I would give my old piano a makeover in the hopes that it would stop further harassment from my husband. It was a long process because of all the sanding. I even coerced my husband to assist me in this part. The staining was a breeze. After several weeks of sitting in our garage, the new and improved piano was allowed back in our living room. My husband even graciously admitted it was the best home improvement project we've undertaken. I am exstatic with the results!!!

Knit-Twit

This is my first knitting project ever! I have played around with knitting a few times in the past and was a little familiar with the basic knit and purl stitches. But, I have never actually made something from a pattern.

I probably should have started with a more basic pattern that did not require use of 4 knitting needles (at a time), stitch markers, stitch holders and attaching a thumb. But that just wouldn't be me. I find what I like and adjust my skills as necessary. Of course, I consulted my mother-in-law and youtube. I love that you can type in knitting terms and get a little tutorial from your home computer. Amazing! I actually thought the pattern was fairly simple once I got into it. I am sure I could do a better job were I to do a second pair. But, I am not a perfectionist. I am perfectly content with my cozy wrist warmers. They make me feel frilly and feminine while simulatneously feeling like a rough & tough boxer. Who could ask for more?

Christmas in Park City

This Christmas we wanted snow. We decided to go light on gifts and spend some money on a trip to Park City. We stayed in a small condo near the SLC Winter Olympic venue sites. We headed up Christmas Eve day not truly knowing where we were going to be staying. Luckily, we got it sorted out during the drive up and stayed in a condo we found on Craig's List. We were in a one bedroom condo with 2 queen beds, a small kitchenette and bathroom. We opened our Christmas Eve gifts which were pajamas for the kids and Star Wars Lego PS3 game for the family. So everyone got to play the game in their new pjs. The kids went to bed while Dad & Mom played the PS3. While asleep, Santa came and strung lights all across the condo and made a Christmas light tree to put our presents under. That must have been tricky considering all the kids were asleep in that room.
Christmas morning we ate spinach quiche and then had fun opening everyone's gifts. Favorites included: Payton--remote control truck, Ash--life-like kitten, Logan--pack of hot wheels cars, Taylor--play phone. After the thrill of opening Christmas gifts had subsided, we bundled ourselves for an afternoon of sledding. We found a steep hill that fit the bill, but Payton was the only one tough enough to trudge up the hill more than just a couple of times. The other kids became chilled and spent half the time in the car. That evening, we snacked on guacamole and chips, sausage and cheese and crackers while we watched the Chevy Chase Christmas movie. Saturday we spent at the Gateway in SLC. We took the kids to the Discovery Gateway where they were able to experiment and play in many different areas. After a lunch break, we explored the Clarke Planetarium. Our last day in Park City, we had to get some more snow time in. This time we found a back road with almost no traffic-perfect for sledding. The kids had more fun on this hill. We also pulled the sled behind the car for Daniel's benefit; a throw-back to his younger days. We visited my sister and brother for a couple hours before driving my brother to the SLC airport on the way back home. It was definitely worth the trip We may have to do another away-from-home Christmas next year as well.

Dance Recital

Ashlynn was in a pre-jazz dance class offered by Dixie College. She began in October and basically had 2 months involvement. Ash loves to dance so I thought this would be great for her. I have to say I was a little disappointed with the class. The instructor was trying to teach them too many things too fast. The performance was to the song "Let it Snow" with Christmas pjs as their costumes. It was a cute idea but the kids were just all over the place. Obviously I don't expect perfection in this age group, but I would expect the instructor to tone down the requirements to fit the age group and abilities of the dancers. So, starting tomorrow, Ashlynn will begin a dance class with a different group and instructor.

Christmas at Home Depot

While looking for some Christmas decorations at Home Depot, we came across some fun accessories. Luckily, I had my camera with me to document the fun looks.

A Quiet Thanksgiving

It may have been when we lived in Tulsa that we last had a quiet Thanksgiving with just our immediate family. So I was looking forward to the holiday.
Since we were going solo this year, I decided to use the opportunity to experiment with our dishes. Nothing too crazy, mind you. I really enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving menu and look forward to eating dishes we only eat at that one special time of the year. That being said, I feel you can always improve on a classic.
I prepped much of the dinner the day before to avoid some amount of the havoc that Thanksgiving preperation brings. I don't know if it actually reduced any havoc or just spread it out over the two days. This was our menu...

1. Maple-brined turkey
2. Spinach & artichoke stuffing
3. Mashed potato puffs
4. Famous Dan's Yams
5. Rolls
6. Confetti Corn
7. Deviled Eggs
8. Stuffed Celery
9. Lime Tart
10. Apple Pie

I was a little disappointed in the potatoes, the rolls and the corn which were nothing special for the added effort. I won't be making them again. Everything else was good. My favorite was the stuffing which was an Emeril recipe. I liked that it was different and had a great flavor. Of course I love spinach.

Overall, the holiday was a success. I must admit, however, that I missed the big family event that Thanksgiving should be. We'll see what happens next year...