Sometimes Joy Comes in Different Packages

Like getting into your University of choice for nursing school! Yeah!
And so next week I begin at UT Arlington!

I SPY ~ NOLA Style

I love to walk around the Big Easy and just take in the sights ~ It always amazes me how unique South Louisiana is, and how much I love it more each time that I am fortunate enough to visit.  My dream ~ to own a simple townhouse there so that I can go as often as I like, stay as long as I would like, people watch til my heart's content, eat all of the yumminess of NOLA, and most importantly listen ~ to the sounds, the music, the language - it all makes my heart go pitter patter. 

While there over New Years, I spied:

The River Bank while enjoying my 50th Birthday Celebration on a Dinner Jazz Cruise with my Honey Husband and my sister and Hubby!

Crawfish Boulettes - for breakfast, of course!

Beautifully hand woven rugs

Beads and a garter belt - overlooked, I'm sure, since last years' Mardi Gras

A protege perhaps?

The symbol of the city that I love

A BUMPER crop of satsumas this year - NOPE they are not kumquats although they look like it!

Beads, of course!

Fried green tomatoes - again, yes, for breakfast if you please!

The beautiful Cajun French language

A bit of VooDoo

Plenty of Mirlitons at the Farmers Market

And of course an alligator eating a burrito!! 

It's all about the iron

I just love rusty old iron pieces, and I especially love iron that is showcased on beautiful fences, houses and courtyards like in NOLA ~ just a few pictures of pieces that I saw while out and about in the Big Easy over New Years Eve.

Turning 50 in Cajun Country

So Honey and I headed to my beloved Cottage in South Louisiana to celebrate the dreaded 5 - 0.  It was actually Christmas Eve, but I decided to fight it with everything in me and really do it up good by celebrating on New Year's Eve in New Orleans ~ that suited me just fine, and we had a GREAT time!
Just a few shots of the Louisiana I love prior to the party that I loved!

Crawfish traps in South Louisiana, near Iota

Fleur de Lise on the fence across from Dwyers Cafe' - Lafayette

Water Tower in Estherwood, LA

Love the mossy oaks

Bald Eagle in its nest on the I10 span going into NOLA

It's Fall Ya'll ~

Sweet Pea's Daddy had to work on Saturday, so MeMe and Poppee got to have the little thing for the day ~ which, of course, meant FIELD TRIP!  That's one of my favorite things to go - get in the car, and go ~ just about anywhere!
Saturday we went to the Pumpkin Patch on Hall Johnson Road in Grapevine, Texas ~ it was just adorable!   She wasn't nearly as impressed with the decor' as I was - but she sure was impressed with the yellow slide!!

That little yellow slide was her delight!

We so give thanks for Ms. Paisley!

It's gonna be a Girl ~

My BFF (of 21 years and counting ~ how'd we get this old?!?) is going to be a Grandma! Actually, she prefers to be called Dini ~ which is cute - she's to cute to be a Grandma, or Granny, and certainly not a Maw Maw type!!! Since I live in the Fort Worth area, and baby girl will call Lafayette, La home ~ I was given the honor of doing DECOR' - oh YEAH!! I had a BLAST doing them ~ got tons of great ideas from "PINTEREST" ~ my new favorite site in the whole wide web! and had lots of help from my "local" BFF ~ Lorrie!

Can't wait to officially welcome Baby Paityn into the world sometime later this month!

ADORABLE diaper cake that my TXBFF and I made ~ it was stunning and elegant - loved that it wasn't so "baby"!  

This is my GRANDMAW gift to my BFF - she was sort of in denial ~
baby wash, diapers, bottles, pacifiers - she's gonna need them~

I strung a clothes line across the mantel and hung the Mommy~to~Be's baby dresses - precious!

P~A~I~T~Y~N

Cupcakes made out of receiving blankets and new born caps - set in coffee filters
So CUTE~looks like they lost their cheeries on top!  ;@)

Just a bunny basket FULL of goodies - stuff just stuffed all in there
with the bunny on top - cute!!

This was cuter in my head!!  the wind somewhat blew my "lollies"
but they were still adorable!

Can't wait to meet the little sweetie!

The Joy of Life ~

Just a Cajun Girl ~ living "the joy of life ~ "