Thankful

I'm so happy that my parents were in Idaho this year, for Thanksgiving. The boys and I are going to miss them so much when they head back to Maine in the next week or so...I can't even stand to think about it. I'm extra-thankful that they have been here to help me recuperate from gallbladder surgery this week - - while it is an outpatient procedure (like most surgeries these days) I can tell you that it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. Ouch! I really didn't feel well at all today, but I'm hoping that I'll be on the mend in the next day or so. I don't enjoy sitting around!



Here's what Thanksgiving dinner looks like when you've just had your gallbladder removed. I can tell you that the mashed potatoes agreed with me, so that's probably what I'll be eating for the next few days. We spent the afternoon relaxing, and now I'm getting ready to tuck the boys in (after we finish watching Elf, of course).

These boys of mine have it pretty good. It is a regular occurrence to be sitting on Nana's sofa in the evening, eating an ice cream cone, sometimes while getting a "lotion foot rub". Lucky boys!

The Wee Little Patient

Poor Griffer. He's had a rough week. He was sick last Tuesday, while I was kicking my heels up in New Orleans. In fact, in case you were wondering about the level of my mother's awesomeness, he threw up all over her, and she didn't bat an eyelash. She and my father spent the rest of the day taking extra-special care of him in my absence, ensuring that I didn't need to worry about him. Unfortunately, he was back at it early this morning (throwing up, that is), so we're off to the doctor this afternoon. He's had a cold for weeks that just won't go away, and the doctor thinks it sounds like a sinus infection. I'm hoping that is the case and that he'll soon be on the mend.

So, for today, life is on hold while we snuggle in the family room, and watch lots and lots of cartoons. And do laundry. And Lysol-wipe everything.

New Orleans: Food, Food, Food

In the short amount of time that Steve and I stayed in New Orleans, we managed to eat a lot of wonderful food. I keep thinking of Julia Roberts in the movie Eat, Pray, Love - - that every bite I put into my mouth was going to be savored and enjoyed...and, it was. Besides beignets and cafe au lait, we made sure to indulge in other local favorites, such as gumbo, red beans and rice, hush puppies, catfish, and pralines. We had been given quite a few recommendations for restaurants, but found that our favorites ended up being places that we just happened to stumble upon.

Pecan Pie and cocktails at Pere Antoine on Royal Street, French Quarter

10-cent martinis with lunch, Bacco on Chartres, French Quarter

The most unbelievable Portobello Mushroom Bisque at The Marigny Brasserie, Frenchmen Street

We ate a couple of times at a great place called Stanley on Chartres...take a look at their website and read the "our story" section. We both had gumbo at Stanley and it was absolutely delicious. They also served a wonderful hearts of romaine salad, which we ordered both times we were there.

I do wish I'd eaten a Po'Boy while I was there, and also some bananas foster. Next time!

**Just wanted to add....I am having a terrible time uploading pictures to Blogger. I can upload them, but no longer seem to be able to move them to where I want them in my post, as I'm composing it. Is anyone else having this issue? It is driving me nuts!**

New Orleans: Cafe Du Monde

Lets start at Cafe Du Monde, shall we? Cafe Du Monde was first established in the 1862 in New Orleans in the French Market at 800 Decatur Street. Pretty much, if you go to New Orleans, you have to go to Cafe Du Monde and eat beignets. Beignets are pretty much fried square

donutes, heavily doused with powdered sugar. They are delicious!

We headed straight to Cafe Du Monde the morning after I arrived in New Orleans, found ourselves a table and ordered some beignets and cafe au lait. Cafe au lait is coffee with chicory, mixed half and half with hot milk. Chicory comes from the root of the endive plant (a type of lettuce, oddly enough) - - it is roasted and ground and mixed with the coffee. The chicory cuts the bitterness of dark-roasted coffee. Cafe Du Monde serves only cafe au lait, beignets, milk, juice, iced and frozen cafe au lait. It is open 24-hours per day, and is always busy. I think it is a great place to go and people-watch.

Beautiful New Orleans

Decatur Street, New Orleans

I've just returned home after three days in New Orleans, Louisiana, where I went to spend some time with Steve before he left the country for his second deployment to Iraq. I was so lucky to have my parents here in Idaho, so that I could take this trip, as the boys stayed home with them. The trip was nothing short of wonderful! We had been to New Orleans before, back in 2004 for a quick weekend, but at the time I was pretty busy tending to a 10-month old baby, and didn't feel as though I was really able to take in my surroundings. Not the case this time, though! We did tons of walking, sight-seeing, and enjoying all of the fabulous local food. So, stay tuned for the next few days, and I'll tell you all about it!