Friday, June 29, 2012

"40 sucks" idea (Or 40 blows)

My best friend "back home" turns 40 before I do (yea!)...I found this ever so cute idea on Pinterest via another blog (Alli's Crafty Creations).  And since I am in Louisiana this summer,  I get to hand deliver it to her with a big hug:



Another similar idea on Pinterest.
Pinned Image


I couldn't find the cute lollipops I wanted, and I was short on time, so I went with "40 blows" using bubblegum.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

A trip on the River Road: Oak Alley Plantation and Noble's


Noble's Restaurant was established in 1895 in Lutcher, Louisiana (outside New Orleans). It's a beautiful building full of history.  We stopped by for a quick lunch today, and boy was it yummy (Fried shrimp caesar salad, fried fish, gumbo and more!).  The restaurant is also filled with antiques from back in the day.


Before refrigerators, there were "ice boxes"

After lunch, we crossed the Mississippi River and rode by three Plantations on the "river road" between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  (I say "rode by" because we didn't pay for the tours.  With 4 adults and 2 children, each Plantation would have costs nearly $90!)


The main house:
What's New

One of the slave quarters:

The book "Brer Rabbit" was first recorded at Laura Plantation. Apparently the slaves from west-Africa used to tell the story at the plantation.

We rode by St. Joseph Plantation, which is actually two big homes.
They are filming a new movie "12 years a slave" with Brad Pitt at one of the homes now. (I applied to be an extra on set and will tell you if that happens!)

AND....Louisiana's most famous plantation, Oak AlleyLocated on the Mississippi River between the historic Louisiana cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Oak Alley Plantation has been called the "Grande Dame of the Great River Road".


Front of the house:

My sweet daugher, age 6-1/2.

My silly son, age 5.

Back of the house (2012):

We had gone to the Oak Alley Plantation five years ago (2007) when my kids were just babies..

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Two New Orleans' Classics

Two MUST haves in the New Orleans area...


(I love not only their Cajun Kringle and King Cake but also the everyday bakery treats like Pecan Praline Petit Fours or Turtles!)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Laurel Valley Plantation in Lafourche Parish, La.

Laurel Valley Plantation is the largest surviving 19th and 20th century sugar plantation in the United States. (yes nearly 200 years old!) It's located outside Thibodaux, Louisiana.  I brought the kids while on vacation.


The country store is a museum of rural life antiques and also sells crafts and artworks made by local residents of the Bayou Lafourche area.

Feed bags, 50-cents




Chickens, goats, turkeys, picks and more!
 Dress (from 1900)

There have been 10 movies made at Laurel Valley, from 1987 through 2004, including Interview with a Vampire (Tom Cruise) and Ray (Ray Charles movie).

 Imagine working the sugar canes field on this "tractor". Yikes.

There is a collection of old tractors.

 
Pick up a map in the general store for a drive through tour of the village.The driving tour is a couple of miles through a working cane field to Laurel Valley Village where you’ll see tenant houses from the 1800s and a school house built in 1906.


Not sure if this was the school house or a chapel.

 
Sugar cane is not normally "cut" until the fall, so the cane behind my son will double, if not triple, in size before harvest time.




Monday, June 18, 2012

Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, LA

I grew up in South Louisiana, in what is considered "Cajun country".  My kids love the culture & food, and I try to teach them about the Cajun life whenever I can.  So while on vacation in Louisiana, we visited a local museum which was full of Cajun Culture, The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve's Weltands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux:



Learned about sugarcane:


My daughter loved the fancy Mardi Gras gown:

After touring the little museum, we walked along the bayou and visited with some ducks.

A natural mud bath, Louisiana Style

In Florida, our yard is mostly sand. 
But in Louisiana, it's mostly dirt.
So my kids had their first "mud bath" this week!!



Saturday, June 16, 2012

Happy Father's Day Pop Pop!

The kids call my dad "Pop Pop" so thanks to Pineterest we were able to find some great ideas with the word POP! 
Check out all the fun stuff:


Of course, popcorn and a popcorn bucket:

Printable: Pop You Put the Fizz in my Life

Ring Pops (of course the kids picked those) and Pop-Its fireworks:

And blow-pops (Best Pop Printable):

WE LOVE YOU POP POP!