A few things before Thanksgiving.

My new Christmas cd.

I am loving this new album my hubby got for me.  I have quite the collection of Christmas music, but this is not your run-of-the-mill Christmas cd.  It's very bluesy, jazzy, and straight out of New Orleans.  I promise you will thank me if you get this cd.

Our Christmas tree.

We put our tree up this week with a little help from G-man.  Ok, so he decorated it with his cars {really, he was sticking them in the tree}.  We went with silver and green and added the disco balls this year.  I am obsessing over them.  They are so shiny and sparkly and lovely.

{the boys after working really hard}

{O Christmas tree}

{disco balls}

Our thankful tree.

We finally made our thankful tree today.  I used a flower pot that I already had on hand.  It happened to be a chalkboard pot that you can write on, which was perfect for what I needed.  I used a leaf template to cut out some leaves, yarn for the string, and rice in the flower pot to hold the branch.  Thanks to daddy and Gray for the branch.  They had to fight off a ton of mosquitos just to pick this special branch.  I love the how the tree turned out and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.

As I mentioned earlier, we are having Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws.  I am so excited about having a cajun Thanksgiving.  I certainly don't want to show up empty-handed, so when I saw this recipe here, I knew it would be a perfect dish to bring the hostess.  How delish does this look?

 

Here's what you'll need:

I don't think I could go wrong with these.  Let's just hope they turn out this pretty!  Check out Hostess blog for the entire recipe.

That about covers it for this wonderful Thanksgiving week.  I am so excited about about being with our families these next few days.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving...eat lots of turkey and pumpkin pie!

Jack Johnson en Concert

We have tickets for the 8th row to see Jack Johnson in concert tonight and I'm super excited!  We have been huge Jack Johnson fans for years now, and now we get to see him live.  This is a great opportunity because he doesn't tour around here very often.

His music has been a huge part of our lives, from the death of Ava, to our wedding, to the birth of Grayson.  There are certain songs that are so dear to my heart and when I hear them, they take me right back into some very emotional times in our lives.  It will certainly be a special night for me and Jamie, and I'm sure the baby will enjoy the music, too...even if from the belly.

I love all of his music, but one song that really stands out is "Better Together."  What is your favorite Jack Johnson song? 

  

Things I'm loving right now.

5 things that make me happy...

::My new Iphone apps.  I downloaded a few new applications for Grayson on my phone.  "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Old McDonald" are both interactive books that allow children touch the screen and play along to the music.  Grayson always loves playing with my phone, but now I can't detach it from his hands.  Works well in public!  I also downloaded "Knocking," which is the most amazing app I've seen yet.  First you have to add friends or family to your list by using their username.  Then you can 'knock' them.  If they accept, it turns to a live video of whatever your phone camera captures.  Jamie and I 'knock' each other all day while he's at work.  It's great because he can see Grayson throughout the day.

::Paper pinwheels.  I'm loving handmade paper pinwheels right now.  I've been seeing them used for decorations at parties and showers.  They couldn't be more adorable.  You can easily make them simply by looking up the tutorial online.  They also make a great summer project for kids.

::Spring weather.  Spring has sprung.  I love spring.  The sun is beaming down and the air is so perfectly crisp.  You can actually hang outside without being miserably hot.  But it doesn't last long.  This time of year is always so busy, too.  Birthday parties, t-ball games, and weddings are very abundant right now because it's so beautiful out.  All I want to do is be outdoors!

::Children's music.  I am always on the lookout for music that is great for children, but is easy for adults to enjoy as well.  I came across Elizabeth Mitchell and Charlie Hope.  Both of these ladies have beautiful, mellow voices that are so unique.  Grayson and I equally love listening to them.  Some of the songs are traditional songs we all grew up listening to and some are original...they are all great!

Check out these albums.  You can get them both on Itunes.

Love these!

::Adirondack chairs for kids.  I have always loved adirondack chairs.  They have such a classic beach look and they are so comfy to sit in.  Now you can get them in kiddy sizes in an array of colors.  Since Gray loves little chairs and being outdoors, I bought a couple of these chairs in red from The Company Store.  They also remind me of being on vacation and I love having things at home that take me back to the beach.  Mine haven't come in yet, but I know Gray and Alex will love these chairs.  Wouldn't mind having a few adult sized ones, too!

Oh When the Saints Go Marching In!

The feeling is in the air and it is pretty awesome.  I love being from Louisiana.  We have so much culture and there is always a reason to party.  Everywhere you turn, people are decked out in Saints gear, from babies to pets, and every store is selling anything and everything Saints!  The best part is the delicious cajun food.  My husband made a huge pot of beef sauce piquant, one of his best dishes.  Yum!  

These past few days have been such a blast getting ready for the game.  Although I am not throwing a party, we have several parties that we've been invited to and we will for sure have a great time.  Would have been so much fun to decorate for a party though!  I think if I had a little boy's birthday party coming up, it would for sure be the Saints theme.  How cute would that be?  Hmm...maybe for Gray's 2nd birthday party!

   

A few details you may be interested in:

• The adorable boxers came from my mother at the Polkadot Giraffe.  She can monogram just about anything.
• I found the cute fleur de lis Saints cookies from Terra Cotta, a local bakery.  Wish I could say I made them, but I didn't.
• My husband ordered the fleur de lis chocolates from Taigan online.  This is a must-see website, so you should check it out.  We got several boxes that will make awesome gifts for the hostesses.
• I also ordered the cd cases from Beau-coup, a website that has party favors for any and every occasion.  I use these cases all the time.  I even had them for our wedding.  Just add a cute label, and they make a perfect and easy favor.

For the cds, we chose some classics from all the great New Orleans musicians and put some of our fav songs on there as well from other local artists.  Here is the playlist:

1. Welcome to New Orleans- Galactic
2. Zydeco Who Dat- Rockin' Dopsie, Jr.
3. Fever for the Bayou- Tab Benoit
4. Dream Come Alive- Keith Frank
5. Ay-te Te Fee- Clifton Chenier
6. Hey Pocky Way- Neville Brothers
7. They All Asked for You- Rockin' Dopsie, Jr.
8. Golden Crown- Tab Benoit
9. It Keeps Rainin'- Robert Plant
10. Pet De Kat Krewe- Terrance Simien
11. Zydeco Bushhog- Corey Ledet
12. Blue Monday- Randy Newman
13. Promise Me One Thing- Corey Ledet
14. I'm Coming Home- Clifton Chenier
15. When the Saints Go Marching In- Fats Domino
16. Halftime- Ying Yang Twins

I hope you all have a wonderful time watching the Super Bowl and a great weekend.  I'll be back on Monday, hopefully with a smile on my face from the whoopin' we're gonna give the Colts!=)

Music to my ears

Jamie and I have always had one thing in common...music! He has introduced me to lots of artists I did not know about. Most of them have become favs of mine! I was looking at our playlists on Itunes and came across our Wedding CD! I've been listening to it, and it's too good not to share!

1. Crazy Love by Van Morrison

2. Hold You in My Arms by Ray LaMontagne

3. Stir It Up by Bob Marley

4. F-Stop Blues by Jack Johnson

5. Love's Lips by Tab Benoit

6. By My Side by Ben Harper

7. Beautiful Woman by John Butler Trio

8. Beauty of the Days Gone By by Van Morrison

9. These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding

10. Crazy by Gnarles Barkley

11. One More Time by Keith Frank

12. Angel by Jack Johnson

13. What Am I to You by Norah Jones

14. Mollina by James Hunter

15. Get You In by Better Than Ezra

16. Rainbow by Jack Johnson

17. Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James

18. Musicien Avec Un Coeur Casse by Pine Leaf Boys

It is a timeless collection of music and I hope you enjoy the songs as we do! I fall in love over and over!

Pics of the Grayson's party will follow shortly...very shortly!