Month: November 2008

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The city is dressing for Christmas

New Orleans is a beautiful town anyway but when she dresses for Christmas, there’s a magic in the air that no one can deny.  Not if you have been here to see it anyway.  You can feel the Christmas spirit all over the city.  My place is no exception.

Christmas is my favorite time of year by far.  The love that this city shows it citizens is just heart warming and my ‘Angle tree’ has only shown me even more that this is where I was born and this is where I’ll die.  I can’t imagine another city with more heart and soul than New Orleans.

Just look at some of the famous people that have come from here if you don’t  believe it.  Look at Emeril and what he did for his employees through the Katrina mess.  He took care of everyone that worked for him by paying them every week just like they were still working until they returned to his restaurant when it was back in business.  Now that’s a man with a heart and he’s not the only one.

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Well are you as stuffed as I am?

Talk about a Thanksgiving feast, well we sure had one.  We had turkey of course but also gumbo, dirty rice, green beans, sweet potatoes and just about anything else you can think of.  I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore.  I think we have enough leftovers to feed a couple more families.

We had 5 families that we had invited for Thanksgiving that wouldn’t have had a Thanksgiving meal otherwise.  I was so proud to be able to do that for those families.  They were so thankful to us for doing what we did.  I did it for them because they have all suffered so much for so long that I wanted them to have something to be thankful for and a community that cares is something to be thankful for.

I hope your Thanksgiving was as blessed as mine was.  Mine was full of love, food, good friends and family, and new friends too.  What more could anyone ask for?

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Are you planning a feast?

Well there are 10 Turkeys to be cooked, 5 hams, 25 pounds of potatoes, more green beans than I can count and more food than you can imagine.  Of course we have to have some traditional New Orleans food like Gumbo, dirty rice and such.

I think I just gained 10 pounds just thinking about all of the food.  Cakes, pies, banana pudding and more deserts than you can imagine too.  The cooking will begin tomorrow so I have a busy day ahead of me.  Hey, do you like carrot cake?  Well here’s a great recipe for it that I guarantee you will love!

Carrot Cake

2 cups grated carrots
1 small can of crushed pineapple not drained
1 1/2 cups Wesson oil (doesn’t have to be Wesson oil)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (may use 2 if desired but I use 1)
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Cream oil and sugar together. Add Carrots, pineapple and nuts. Add eggs one
at a time and beat well. Add dry ingredients sifted together.

Bake in 3 layers at 350 degrees approximately 45 minutes or until done by
sticking a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.

Frosting for Carrot Cake

1 8 ounce package of creamed cheese
1 stick of margarine
1 box of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of chopped pecans

Have cheese and margarine soft. Set out of refrigerator a few hours.
Use electric mixer to mix in powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts.

Put in refrigerator after you frost it to make it set better after frosting.

Enjoy!!!!

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Angel tree update

I told you about putting up an ‘Angel Tree’ in my establishment a few days ago.  Well I thought I would update you on it’s progress.  A local business has donated 10 Game Boys and 10 games for it for children on the tree.  Another local store has donated turkeys for every ‘Angel’ on the tree.  Then another business has donated $15 gift cards for every one on the tree so the children can get what ever they want.

Angel requests are still coming in as more families learn that it’s up already so as fast as an ‘Angel’ is taken, there’s almost another to replace it.  Luckily a lot of local churches have come to offer gifts for the children and families too.  There is a lot of need this year in our community unfortunately with so many still trying to rebuild their lives but that’s one of the things that makes New Orleans a great city, people really care about each other and my little ‘Angel tree’ is proof.

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Darn hot water heater went out

Why do they call them a ‘hot water heater’ when it should be a ‘cold water heater’?  Sorry, I just have those types of thoughts from time to time.  Anyway, mine when out.  I had to call my handy man to come repair it or replace it if that’s what it needs.  It shouldn’t need replacing since it’s only a couple years old.  He said he thinks it’s just the heating element has gone bad since it isn’t that old.

One things for sure, I hate to spend any money needlessly right now.  There are too many holidays just around the corner to have to buy myself a water heater for a Christmas present for myself.  Doesn’t sound like much of a present unless I want to take a nice hot bath and then it sounds like a pretty darn good present.  Don’t you think?  This makes 2 out of 3 so I wonder what’s next?  First my copier and now this.

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Britney Spears

Britney Spears is also from Louisiana as most of you probably know.  Bless her heart, she’s finally getting her life back together.  She is a prime example of a young girl that got too much too soon and fell from grace.  She is doing much better now thank God.

So much so that she’s working hard on a comeback and doing quite well with it from what I understand.  She also has gotten permission from the courts to bring her two young sons home to visit with her family.  This poor girl has fought back hard only to have one of her sons rushed to the hospital while here because of a severe allergic reaction to something he ate.  I bet that scared the living daylights out of her.  First of all just because it’s her son and second of all, because she lost custody and the first time she’s allowed to take them out of California, this happens.

Britney, honey, you are on the top of my prayer list along with your sons.  I wish you only good things and hope and pray your comeback is a total comeback and not just musically.  Hang in there hon!!!

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My darn printer went out

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because it’s not like it’s a new printer or anything like that but my darn printer went out.  In fact, now that I think of it, it’s been a pretty good printer because I’ve had it for about 9 years or so.  You know, it might be a good thing it went out too because now I can get one of those new and improved all in one type printers.

Do you know what I’m talking about?  One that is a copier, printer, scanner, fax machine and will even wash your dishes.  I’m kidding about the dish washing part but it could happen one day.  Anyway I was looking for a new one online and guess what I found?  I found a HP Photosmart C4580 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, Copier.

I use my printer for making copies and printing pictures more than anything else but this is one of the best for the money.  I like saving money, especially this close to Christmas.  Of all the darn times for something to go out.  I wonder what’s next.  Things like this tend to run in 3’s you know.  Yeah it’s an old wives tale but it works too.  At least it tends to work for me anyway.

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Proud to honor Veterans

I am so very proud to honor Veterans today.  They deserve far more than just one day though.  They deserve a whole week.  They have done so much for our country that they should get a bonus check from the government on Veterans Day.  What do you think?  Should we try and get something like that for them?  I think it’s the least our country owes them.  So here’s to all of you that have ever served and to those of you that are serving now.

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Angel Tree

Every year, we put up an ‘Angel Tree’ in my establishment.  Local families in need come to me with the names of their children to place on the tree with a short list of items they want for Christmas.  I have done this for many years and this year, I decided to put the tree up early to allow for more childrens names and also to give people that want to help, more time to buy the gifts for the children.

I accept names of children from newborn to 18.  The only thing that is one the Angel card is if the child is a boy or a girl, how old they are and three items they would like to have.  I have seen items from tennis shoes to PSP’s put on the list but usually there are affordable things and nothing elaborate.

One child asked for nothing for himself.  He only wanted three things for him to give to his parents and younger sister.  This was a 10 year old ‘Man’ and I took his card personally.  I guess I adopted the family that year for Christmas because I also invited them to my home for Christmas dinner.  It was one of the best Christmases I can remember having.  Yes the young man got plenty as did the whole family.

You see, they had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and were trying to get their lives back together.  I felt honored to be able to help them.  Their mother still works for me and he even has a little part time job in the evenings taking out the trash and picking up around the outside of the place for me.  He does a great job too.  They are a very humble family and grateful for anything anyone does to help them.

So if you see an ‘Angel Tree’ somewhere, you should know that you are someones ‘Angel’ when you take that child, family or elderly persons name and buy them gifts.  We are all someones ‘Guardian Angel’ sometimes in our lives if we choose to be.  Please choose to be.