Friday, December 21, 2012

What a Difference a Year Makes!

What a difference a year makes! I don't have a copy of Jace's "official" 2011 Santa photo, but he was crying in it. Here's one taken at a photos shoot about a month before Christmas. Such a little guy!



And here is my little guy enjoying Santa's lap this year. Santa even called him the other night to check up on him and to remind him to be a good boy.



Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Great Santa Caper

We are calling this "The Great Santa Caper". First of all, my husband (aka, 'the kidnapper') is sometimes a funny prankster. Yesterday morning that was apparent. He decided to kidnap Santa.

There's the target, totally unaware of the impending threat.



In his bathrobe, the kidnapper sneaked across the street in broad daylight - target in sight.





The neighbors didn't notice their Santa was missing, so a ransom note was written.

"We have Santa. Don't call police. Don't do anything stupid."

And delivered.



As we went out for the evening, Santa was left inside wistfully looking across to his home - but maybe enjoying the warmth indoors.



Max kept watch.



If the kidnapper hadn't grown tired of waiting for his telephoned ransom demand (whole cashews and two Christmas cookies) to be delivered, perhaps Santa would still be waiting at our door.



But, the kidnapper's patience wore thin. Santa was returned unharmed...perhaps remembering how nice it was to be inside, out of the cold, and maybe knowing who loves him best. Much laughter ensued, but no cashews, no cookies.



When the kidnapper was questioned by this house detective, he said he's retired and has time to think up fun things to do to torment his neighbors. He could do worse.

Friday, November 16, 2012

It Started with a Hankie

It started with a hankie. My new daughter in law gave me a gift on her wedding day to my son. It was an embroidered handkerchief - too pretty to use - with the sweetest message from her to me. It touched my heart.



I opted to have it framed. But then I went on a little shopping spree and found a collage frame. I decided to use it for the handkerchief and other wedding mementos. My friend Jen had given them a triple handful of her lovely Jen Stones as wedding favors. They had Steve and Sandy's names on them and their wedding date. They have mine, so it hasn't made it into the frame yet. Nor has the wedding photo I will include. Their photographer hasn't sent their photos yet. It does have their invitation and its hand-lettered envelope, a starfish on green ribbon that served as an aisle decoration, a piece of excess sash ribbon from Sandy's dress and a cork from a bottle of wine used in the pitchers full of sangria that Steve made.



I am pleased with this shadowbox frame filled with reminders of their beach wedding. It will be even nicer when the remaining pieces are installed. --- And my new daughter in law wants me to make one for her too. Hers won't have the hankie.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Halloween with Jace

Halloween with Jace is always fun. This year he went as an airplane pilot. His mama found the cutest authentic looking jacket and hat with flaps. They added some goggles, brown pants and shoes. I bought a glow in the dark ghostly bucket to hold his candy, and he was all set to beg for candy on my mother's street - arguably the very best trick-or-treat neighborhood for generations!


Here's the Jack-o-Lantern that met Jace at our house.




Second cuz Celeste rocks his goggles!


We all had fun. Jace's great grandma enjoyed all the kids who stopped by in costumes, and of course she enjoyed seeing her own grandson and great grandson. Great Aunt Angie and her family, just down the street, had fun with Jace too. It's a whole 365 days til the next time!

Friday, October 12, 2012

New Orleans - The French Quarter

I'd always wanted to visit New Orleans, and finally had the opportunity while in coastal Mississippi for my son's wedding. One day we drove into the Big Easy and enjoyed lunch in the French Quarter.

Cafe Amelie's shrimp and grits was my favorite part of the trip. Yummy goodness tucked away on Rue Royale!



Some scenes in The French Quarter. (Are all the skulls and skeletons related to voodoo, or to Halloween?)



Having seen the streets in many European cities, the French Quarter scenes perhaps didn't have as much 'oomph' to me as they might have in the past (of course we were not there in the evening, nor during Mardi Gras.) Also, the French Quarter seemed a bit tired and dirty - possibly due to the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina. In counterpoint, Jackson Square was very clean and bright. Artists with their wares rimmed the fence around the square.



Jace made friends wherever we went - just as his daddy had done as a toddler. In New Orleans he won this scary character over, and a female street musician loved him too. Two of three derelicts who strolled by toward dusk appreciated his friendly, "Hi!" and let us know that the third one of them wasn't trustworthy. Whiskey bottles in the streets were becoming frequent sightings. That's when we decided to head back to Ocean Springs.



We did not have time to ride in the carriages for a better overview of the city. We didn't do any of the de riguer touristy things such as have a beignet nor Breakfast at Brennan's. We didn't have time to visit the zoo or the aquarium, both of which had been recommended highly by the clerk in the nice toy store. We did walk along the levee overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. There was lots of construction in that area. I'm sure there is much more to New Orleans to see and do, but I have at least marked it off my bucket list. Krispy Kreme doughnuts will suffice for beignets for me. At least I had those great shrimp and grits!