Football, an Anniversary, and a Birthday. Oh my!

When life gets busy, it's so much harder for me to remember to blog. I absolutely love keeping up with it, so I'm sorry for the random blogging spurts and hiatuses! So here's a recap of the end of January.

Both the Saints and LSU lost their championship games. It was a very sad time for Louisiana football...and for my household.

Jordan was so loud during the Saints game that Buster decided to sit IN MY LAP on the couch

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary at Restaurant August in New Orleans. I seriously can't believe it's already been two years! So much has happened in that time, but the best thing is that I get to spend every day coming home to my best friend (and my sweet Buster Boo!).

Napa wine and the sunset on the way to dinner

We were already pretty obsessed with John Besh, but this dining experience definitely took our obsession to a whole new level. Amazing! They don't have a corkage fee, so we brought our favorite bottle of Napa wine from our first anniversary.

I was a little disappointed that their only available reservations for a Sunday night were 5:30 or 9:30. Apparently older people know what they're doing - a 5:30 reservation means amazing and attentive service. Who knew! We felt like the only people in the whole restaurant (which definitely wasn't the case). The meal was just to die for. Prepare for mouth watering to begin.

Amazing P&J oysters, gnocchi tossed with blue crab and black truffle, and a fancy egg thingy

Speckled trout Pontchartrain (AKA the best thing I've ever eaten in my life) and Sugar & spice duckling

A chocolate torte and Père Roux’s banana rum cake. I take it back...the banana rum cake may be the best thing I've ever eaten!

So our second anniversary was a success. I highly recommend Restaurant August! It was seriously one of the best meals I've ever had. And the best part? My mom gave me his massive cookbook two years ago, and come to find out my two favorite dishes are in there! I doubt I can recreate them, but here's to trying! Speckled trout Pontchartrain and Père Roux’s banana rum cake, here I come!

The week after our anniversary was Jordan's birthday. He decided he wanted lobster at our house instead of going out to dinner (because let's face it...nothing was going to be better than that meal the week before!). I made a caesar salad, creamy parmesan risotto, and got the lobsters steamed at the grocery. Yum!

Risotto was a request because of our crazy food network obsession. It turned out to be easier than I thought. And so yummy! I may have to lay off the Kraft mac and cheese as a side during the week and replace it with a more sophisticated risotto.

In other news, we're heading to the Sandals in Ocho Rios Jamaica for Mardi Gras! Jordan found a crazy deal on someone's time share, so we're going on an all inclusive 7 day trip. Random and very quick planning process, but my goodness...I can't WAIT!! T minus 16 days!!!!!

Hmmmm...now may be time to attempt to work off those amazing meals I just showed you haha

So excited!!

"The Game"

This weekend is a very big weekend for football in New Orleans. The Saints are in the playoffs and are playing in the dome on Saturday...AND LSU is in the National Championship on Monday which is in New Orleans this year! LSU being in the National Championship is incredibly exciting to me. If they win they will have accomplished a completely undefeated season, which is not very common for my favorite college football team.

Geaux Tigers!!!

My mom called me yesterday telling me that my dad got me and my brother tickets for "the game." She was so excited about it, so I automatically assumed it was for the National Championship. I didn't get to go to the National Championship last time LSU was in it (which was coincidentally also in New Orleans), and she knew it would mean so much to me to be able to be there this year. After an entire day of jumping around and screaming because I was so excited, I called my brother to talk about our plans for the big day. When I told him I was taking a half day off from work he was very confused. The conversation went something like this.

Joey: "Why would you need to take time off on a Saturday?"
Me: "A SATURDAY? The game is on Monday, you dummy!"
Joey: "Steph, you do know we're going to the SAINTS game, right?"
Me: "Ohhhhh....."

Geaux Tigers...oops...Saints!

So if you're in New Orleans this weekend, be very careful when referencing "the game." There have already been many incidences involving making plans for "the game" when the person I was talking to wasn't talking about the same game as me. Anyway, it's not very often that there are two huge games in such a small period of time in the same place. This weekend will definitely be one for the record books!!

Sweetness in a Jar

In my "do it yourself" frenzy, I made hot chocolate in a jar for some of our family members. Just wanted to share the recipe (I found courtesy of Lauren Conrad's blog).

Ingredients
mason jars (I got mine at Kmart of all places)
2 cups powered sugar
1 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 pinch cayenne pepper (evidently I have very heavy handed pinches - don't put too much or it becomes actual "hot" chocolate! sorry family...just pretend you didn't hear that part)


1. Mix together all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

2. Divide powder mixture into mason jars leaving room for chocolate chips and marshmallows. Then add a layer of chips and a layer of marshmallows on top of the mix.

3. Add a tag that says Combine 1/2 cup of this mix with warm milk. Sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Enjoy! 

Do It Yourself Photo Coasters

I grew up loving to make my own presents for friends and family. Some years it ends up being a little too difficult to come up with a great idea, but this year I stumbled across a boatload of do it yourself inspiration. After making myself a photo tile, I decided my family members would love photo coasters. My grandmother lives in a gorgeous apartment, but doesn't have much space for "stuff." Instead of making a tile to display, I thought she would enjoy coasters a little more. I kind of made up my own steps for this, and again was surprised by how easy it was!

First up was a trip to Lowes. I found 4x4 tiles in the bathroom section and bought 24 of them. They were only 19 cents a piece! Next I decided to buy cabinet door stoppers to use on the bottom of my coasters. These were a little more expensive than I figured because you need 4 per tile. They were about $2.50 for 12. I think they were a good choice because they stick very well to the tiles and don't slide on a table like felt or cork.

So here are the super easy steps. You can get all you need from Lowes and Walmart - 4x4 bathroom tiles, cabinet stoppers, Mod Podge, a foam brush, and pictures. After buying your supplies, use a wet towel to wipe down the front and back of your tiles. This is to get all of the dust and grit off of them. Next, attach the cabinet stoppers to the back of all of your tiles (they stick right on and seem to stay very well without having to use glue). Cut your pictures down to size. I like a little bit of the tile to show, so I cut my pictures to about 3.5 x 3.5. Using a foam brush, brush on some mod podge to the tiles. Center your pictures and smooth out any bubbles. Let it dry for about 15 to 20 minutes. (Letting it dry is an important step. I'm not usually a very patient person, but it really does need to dry fully in between coats to prevent bubbling of the picture and the Mod Podge.) After it's dry, add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the pictures. I used a paper towel to wipe some of them down before just to make sure there wasn't any dog hair or fuzz on then.

Make sure to let it dry completely. Add another coat of Mod Podge. I went with two thick coats because it seemed like enough to seal it. From what I've read, you should probably let the coasters dry for a few weeks before putting any condensation on top. I think it takes the Mod Podge a little while to completely seal and become waterproof. I also learned to wait a few days to stack them on top of each other - you can stack them using tissue in between, but if you don't the coasters stick together a bit.

They came out even better than I thought they would, and everyone I gave them to absolutely loved them! (Clearly I had to make myself some because I was jealous I wanted to test them out to make sure they didn't have any issues)

Next up in the do it yourself series - homemade hot chocolate and gingerbread man crayons!

Things I'm Thankful For - Friendsgiving Edition

"Friendsgiving" has become a really fun tradition. Last year, me and Jordan decided to host a dinner party for our friends and have everyone bring their favorite Thanksgiving side. I always love a good reason to use all of our wedding presents, so I was really excited about our very first Friendsgiving. The idea went over so well that our friends requested another one in July. The tradition has lasted and last weekend we had the third Friendsgiving at our house.

It has expanded so much that this year we had 24 people and two turkeys. I'm still not sure how we all fit in my house comfortably AND ended up with leftovers. It truly was a fabulous time! I think the best decision I made was to switch to using paper and plastic instead of my china. Number one: I don't have enough china for 24 people. Number two: so much easier to clean up!

See what I mean? It was a lot of people! There was even an appearance by cookie monster. And some wrist bands to reminisce about our interesting wristband incident a few weeks earlier.

Good friends, good food, and a good time!

My family Thanksgiving was amazing as well. I love that Thanksgiving reminds you of all of the things in your life you are greatful for. And my family and friends are definitely up there on that list!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Maybe one day I'll stick to posting regularly...

Evidently I ignore my blog every other month. Sorry! School has been pretty crazy, and my little family takes up a lot of my time (in a good way).

I love my boys!

Ok, let's start catching you up on the past two months. For my birthday, my hubby surprised me by throwing a fondue party at our house. It's a long story, but he absolutely hates The Melting Pot...so I was really surprised by his idea. We also don't own a fondue pot, so we had to borrow a bunch from friends, family, and neighbors. It turned out to be a really good time! It's definitely something I'd be interested in doing again.

Sangria, meat, chocolate, and jumbo marshmallows...what more could you want?

Later on that weekend, my mom had us over for a birthday dinner. My mom is an amazing cook so the meal was to die for (as usual). She bought a few bottles of my favorite napa wine, cooked an Italian inspired meal, and made chocolate covered strawberries filled with cheesecake for dessert. YUM! And of course the company was perfect. I love getting time to spend with my family, especially my grandma. She's one of my best friends and I love her so much!

Cakebread wine, strawberry dessert, my amazing family, and a birthday painting by my mom!

Judge all you want, but I still love Hanson. I've loved them since I was in grammar school, and my love for them hasn't changed. They still make good music and their concerts are so much fun. For this concert they let fans vote on which album they wanted to be played in its entirety at the concert...and luckily it was Middle of Nowhere, their very first album. Man did it take me back to when I was 12 (sidenote: did you know that they came out almost 15 years ago? Makes you feel old, huh?).

Woohoo!

Before you completely judge me, watch this video. It's my favorite song from their most recent album. Ignore Taylor's beard.

Ok, that's all I have for now. Stay tuned for a series of my catching you posts that will include our anual LSU tailgate, my love of Taylor Swift, and fall clothing. Man, I'm just so interesting! haha

Weekend Art Market Date

Growing up, me and my mom spent a lot of weekends at different art markets around town in New Orleans. We always had that interest in common. There was something amazingly fun about spending time with my best friend/mom and looking at all kinds of artwork. Our absolute favorite market has always been the monthly art market at Palmer Park.

Some artwork we liked this weekend

A little over a year ago my mom decided to do something she had always wanted to do. She decided to finally become a part of the art market scene. My mom has always been an amazing artist, but it took a lot of convincing to get her interested in selling her work. She now has a pretty nice business going selling floor mats, paintings, and ceramics - Jan Salzer Art.

My mom's first time being in the Palmer Park Art Market

This weekend she took a break from sitting in her booth to have the chance to explore the art market with me - just like we had done so many times growing up. As always there was amazing artwork, live music, and homemade strawberry lemonaid (sadly they didn't have the Fry Bar this time - these french fries are to die for).

Cool artwork, the live music, and the strawberry lemonaid stand - can't get much better!

Even if you don't want to, it's very hard to resist buying things in the fun environment. Luckily, I only ended up spending $2 on this really cool serenity glass. Read the meaning behind it. Everyone needs a piece of serenity glass in their lives.

And after a fun day listening to live music, brousing various booths, and sipping on strawberry lemonaid, we had to do the only other thing that would make the day perfect. We went to the Southern Yacht Club for some gumbo. I have to say, this was one of the best mother daughter dates we've had to date! Love you, mom.

My Crazy Buster

Since I haven't posted regularly in a ridiculously long time, you haven't had any updates on my crazy, crazy puppy. (He's sort of one of my favorite topics of discussion) You know how people say dogs start to look like their owners after a while? Well, apparently mine just latched onto our quirkiness instead. I have so many stories about the weird things he does, but lately this is my favorite strange habit.

"Me? Quirky? No way!"

Here's the scenario. Buster looks at the laundry room door (where we keep his treats), and I (being a pushover even to a puppy) give in and get him a bone. Next he walks around the house anxiously, whining and pacing all around the house - in and out of every room. If for some reason one of the doors in the house is closed, he will whine at it until I open it. Not quite sure why, but he likes to walk into every single room with his bone.

Anxious, pacing puppy

My best guess is that he's trying to find a good hiding place for it, because next he goes to work looking for a place to bury it. Yes, you read that correctly. He paces around until he can find a good place to bury his bone...inside. His current favorite bury locations are: on the guest bed, in the lining of his bed in our room, on the couch in the living room, or under his bed in the living room.

Completely normal, right?

It seriously feels like hide and seek. As soon as I figure out where the bone is, he will move it to a new location. Guess he can't trust his hiding spot for more than a few minutes. His other favorites include under the day bed, in the bathroom, in the laundry basket, and on the couch in the man cave. After much pacing, wining, burying, and relocating, he will finally sit down to eat his bone he worked so hard to protect.

Yum!

So there you have it, folks! My dog is a strange one, but I love him to pieces. Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be many more crazy Buster posts!

You can't help but love him!

All I want for Christmas is you...

I had an interesting Christmas to say the least. Since this blog is devoted to happiness, I’ll go ahead and skip most of it and leave you with this picture.

Bah Humbug!

 My family has a rather recent tradition of playing games that involve prizes at holiday functions. It started out as a grown up Easter egg hunt two years ago. Each egg had a number inside, and those numbers corresponded to prizes…some amazing and some not so much. Since we had so much fun running around that Easter two years ago, my mom decided to have a candy cane hunt the next year for Christmas. We loved it that time too and ended up playing again this year.

Can I just say right now how much I suck at this game? Me, my hubby, and my brother are all really competitive. For some reason when I go to search for candy canes or Easter eggs, I freeze and end up with nothing. Maybe it’s because both of the boys have really long legs and have a head start? Maybe it’s because I never know exactly what to search for because my mom is so sneaky about it? (this year she wouldn’t tell us what to look for – there were ornaments, buttons, candy canes, and walnuts)

Anyway, I always end up with the least amount of eggs/candy canes by FAR. Ending up with just a few numbers isn’t always a bad thing in this game. My mom always makes sure to put in a few really great prizes and a few very terrible prizes, so you never know what you will end up with. She also created certain numbers that mean you can trade prizes before knowing what is inside of them. This makes for a very interesting and complicated game, depending on the mood of the participants.

Every other year it has worked out ok and I ended up with ok prizes. This year was the exception. While my brother and hubby were opening prizes such as good wine, gourmet salts, absolute vodka with bloody mary mix, and a $50 bill...I found myself opening up a can of monkey butt paste, a plastic monkey oven mit, a weird card game, and a Tiffany’s box which contained a note that said to give everyone in the room a hug.

Merry Christmas!

I totally lost at Christmas. Haha It was a lot of fun though! My grandma was in tears from laughing so hard. At the end of it all, my mom told me "It's ok sweetie! Next year we'll switch the game and play something you have a chance at...like POKER!" Knowing my mom, I'm sure it will end up being the most complicated, made-up game in the world. We shall see how that works out come Easter! Hope all of you had a very merry Christmas!!