The Blue & The Gray ~

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).  Home improvement.  Our house is almost 33 years old and had paneling when it was built.  It was the style of the day.  All of that had been removed except for 2 bedrooms.

By the way, yesterday Don & I went to a movie and saw all the paneling you'll ever want to see...go see"Mud" with Matthew McConaughey!!   ;)

Back to my story...let's call one "the boys room" and the other, "Jen's room".  Even though  they're all grown up. Even though they do not live here anymore.  Even though we love them a lot, we don't want them back.  For good.  

So the boys room looked like this (ignore the tape, it's there to mark studs):

Jen's room had been painted, it was yellow.  So I brushed a few colors on the paneling to decide.  I knew I was going for a blue-gray.  (Note...you cannot put blue-gray on top of yellow)

Grays have undertones, people.  Some are pinkish, some are brown (griege), some are green and some are blue.  I wanted a rustic-coastal-cottage-beach-nautical look (got that?) and instead of sheetrock, we had beadboard put in with new trim, crown and base molding.  

In process:

While I happily brought home paint samples, my time was running out to choose a color. 

First off, it was Smoke.  Smoke looks good. Everyone says so.  No, Smoke looks too green to me.  It must be Mr. Rainier Gray, I can't live without Mt. Rainier Gray.  That's it.  For sure.  No. Too purplish.  With north facing windows, I needed to go somewhere else.  Silver Gray.  Good neutral color.  OK.

No, no and no. I kept coming back to my favorite....Benjamin Moore's Nimbus Gray.  

To quote Candice Olson:

Nimbus Gray:  As dense as the cloud for which it's named, this cool mid-tone blue-gray evokes memories of an early walk on a deserted wind-swept beach.

Well OK then.  

But Nimbus Gray was just a bit too dark. It's not enough that Benjamin Moore has thousands of colors, I have to create one of my own.  

I went to the paint store and told the guy that I wanted Nimbus Gray lightened 25% (only 75% of the colorant added).  He said, "Ma'am, if you do that you're basically going to have the next color up on the card, Silver Gray."

I knew he was wrong.  I had studied the formulas.  

Behold:



An excellent color. 

I love it.

Pretty!  Darkish in late evening.

And dreamy in the morning. 

Now I just need to get the beds fixed and some art on the walls.  I might even paint some furniture.  

~The End ~

Spring afternoon at Oak Alley ~

As a native Louisianian, I admit I haven't done much traveling in my home state.  But it's never too late to be a tourist right in your own backyard, right?  Right!  So, Don & I took off for a bayou backroads trip one weekend.

It was a glorious spring day, cool and breezy, and practically perfect.  We drove to Lafayette, and then down to Avery Island where Tabasco is made.  It was a fun visit.  Don used to go there for work many years ago when he was just a young whipper snapper mechanic, and I always wanted to see it.

After Avery Island, we headed out through Franklin, Morgan City, Thibodaux and finally got to our destination...River Road and Oak Alley Plantation.  I've always wanted to go!   So pretty.  There are 28 oak trees planted in the front of the house creating a breezeway from the Mississippi River (also 28 oaks in the back).  The builder put 28 columns on the veranda of the house, a tribute to the mighty oaks.  Oak Alley is a sugarcane plantation.  

There's a gift shop and restaurant.  If you go, stop in and eat pecan pralines at the gift shop.  They're delectable....don't ask me how I know.  You can walk around the grounds by yourself but you do need to buy a ticket to tour the house.  Of course the house looks bigger in movies.  Isn't that always the way it is?  Waiting for our tour to begin.



Our guide showed us some family pictures of the past owners of Oak Alley.  



The master bedroom. I didn't bring my camera so these shots are from my phone.




I fell in love with the cradle.  It's the only furniture that's original to the house from when it was built, in the 1830's.  Just think of those babies who were rocked and loved there. 




The last owner (Josephine Stewart) of Oak Alley died in 1972 but before she died, she set up a foundation so that Oak Alley would survive and remain a gift, to be open to the public.  

What a gorgeous setting for a wedding (they do those there).  Concert (they do a few smaller ones).  Craft show (every spring, fun!) 





How to get there:



You've probably seen Oak Alley in the movies or on TV.   Wheel of Fortune was there, twice I think.  Here's some others:  

Midnight Bayou
October 2008 by Lifetime. Starring Faye Dunaway, Jerry O’Connell and Lauren Stamile. 

Ghost Hunters
August 2008. Paranormal investigation and interviews with Oak Alley Plantation tour guides.

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte
Bette Davis. Exterior shots only. 

Nightrider
1978, David Selby and Kim Cattrall. 

Dixie: Changing Habits
September 1982. For CBS television, starring Suzanne Pleshette and Cloris Leachman. Filmed entirely on location at Oak Alley Plantation and the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Days of Our Lives
NBC Daytime, filmed at Oak Alley mid 1984 during the World's Fair in New Orleans. One day, dawn to dark, film session of Peter Reckell (Bo Brady) and Kristian Alfonso (Hope Welch). Aired on NBC in August 1984.

The Long Hot Summer
A made-for-TV version of the original. Don Johnson, Cybill Shepherd, Jason Robards.

Interview with the Vampire
Starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Based on the Anne Rice best seller.  October 1993.

Primary Colors
John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates... based on the novel "Primary Colors" by Joe Klein. A southern governor's campaign to win the Democratic nomination to run for President.

~ Oak Alley Plantation ~

(from Google images)

Let the Sunshine In ~

Fact: We had a gloomy winter around here.  Day after day of rain, cloudy and wet.

I was ready to pack up and head for the hills (which hills, I didn't know).

Fall and winter have always been my favorite seasons - cool, clear, crisp and mostly dry.  No pollen, no steamy days and nights, and no tropical storms.  We were robbed!

But this week we've hit the jackpot.  We're in the middle of the most magnificent weather EVER!



I went to my park today.  I call it "mine" because I claim it.  I love the view of the I-210 bridge from here.  It's a beautiful bridge but if you don't see it from this spot, you never know that.




As I walked today I tried to soak it all in.  I wasn't alone, lots of people out enjoying the park - kids, dogs, people taking pictures.

This is the Indian Bay Pavilion.  It's such a pretty place for family reunions and picnics.



This is what makes a perfect park: walking paths, well mowed grass, playgrounds, restrooms, fountains, boat launch, plenty of benches and a fun splash pad (steamy days...).  

And, and - (this is so coincidental) - the park is very close to Target!  

You gotta love that.

Well done, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury!!

Perfect weather in a perfect park...March 27, 2013, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Never trust a pirate ~

OK, while I still remember all the fun we had, it's a good time to put a few words down.  One week of blue seas and warm winds!  I wish I could say sunny skies, but it was overcast most of the week.  I can think of a lot of good things to do in cloudy weather - and a cruise is at top of that list.

On Jan. 19, 2013 we set sail aboard the Crown Princess, leaving from Galveston.  Our crew:  Don & me, Charles & Lou Ellen, Zack & Andrea, Ernie & Belle.  We were headed to Roatan (Honduras), Belize, and Cozumel.

I didn't take many photos. Some are out of focus.  But I wanted to remember the fun so I threw them in anyway.  Here's a little video:





This was our first trip on Princess.  Some things were good, some need improving...it was a nice ship.  Pretty decor, large dining rooms, clean and quiet staterooms - at least ours was.

Princess caters to an older demographic and everything is rather sedate.  Sometimes sedate can be good.  Not always.

Cabin:  Our cabin was on the Caribe deck, which pretty much means we hit the jackpot.  We had a large balcony (9x9) with 2 lounge chairs, a nice table, and a couple of foot stools.   I had breakfast (room service) every morning on my balcony.  Luxury, people!!  If I wanted to relax or nap out there though, I ended up using pillows to make my chair comfortable.

Sadly, the love for our cabin ended with the balcony.  The shower was teeny-tiny.  In the end though...it's all about the bed, and the bed was no good.  Pillows were worse.  I'm picky but all of our beds on Carnival cruises have been outstanding.  Perfect.  And, after our plush towels and thick robes on Carnival, we assumed all cruises have the same.  No.  No, no and no.   Princess has a lot of catching up to do in that area.

Food: We ate in the Michelangelo Dining Rm.  It was kind of pretty and most nights we had our own super-star waiters, Zoran and Paolo.  No kidding, they were awesome.  Zoran is Serbian and we loved chatting with him.  We made reservations each night just so we could get our table in his section.  Some of the food was delicious.  Many nights I ordered the Fettucini Chicken Alfredo.  Yummy!  Desserts were average (missed my Warm Melting Chocolate Cake!).  The best thing I ate all week at dinner was Goat Cheese Souffle.  It was excellent!!

Most of the time for lunch we ate in the International Cafe, a small place right near the Piazza.  Good salads, small sandwiches, desserts.  Everything included in the price except gelato, which was $1.50 for 3 scoops.  We got some only one day...what were we thinking???

Our last night onboard we ate at The Crown Grill (specialty restaurant w/ upcharge).  It was so delicious.  They had a tray with fabulous cuts of meat available and all we had to do is choose!   Don & I both picked the ribeye w/ a side of lobster.  It was a grand meal and that's why I included the steak pictures on my video.

Fun:  Laughing and storytelling, on steroids. Each night at dinner we'd have a topic (or two) and go around the table with it.  Crazy ancestors, alcoholism, snakes (wait - it gets better!) church, testimony meeting, wills, hunting, kids, football, Lance Armstrong, in-laws, and of course - cruising!!  Funny waiters + good storytellers + people who love to laugh = a good time was had by all.

We went to a couple of shows in the theatre.  The highlight of the entertainment was the Princess Pop Star competition.  Think of it as cruise ship meets American Idol...lasted several nights and ended with the finale.  Some singers were good, a few were outstanding, some were awful and some were odd.  Our favorite was a cowboy named Bobby (retired deputy) who sang "For the Good Times". We ended up meeting him, his wife and their friends several times during the week and we had an instant friendship.  We sure enjoyed meeting those folks.  They were from Cameron, TX.  Another person of note in the Pop Star race was Matthew.  He was different.  His singing wasn't entirely bad.  It wasn't entirely good either.  He tried to connect with the crowd by weaving in and out of the audience.  It looked like he was marching through a war camp, looking for deserters.  Matthew had an eye for Diana, a blonde singer, and he set his cap for her.  Oh, we watched the pursuit.  Crash and burn.

One night late we played a round of Pirate's Dice.  You know what they say...never trust a pirate. Fun!!  Speaking of games, we were excited to try our luck at Princess Trivia.  Lou Ellen and I had such a good record on our last Carnival Cruise that I was sure we were gonna mop the floor.  That would be a no.  For one thing, the people on Princess have no clue how to run trivia games.  They allow too much time between questions.  Please! And who knows what the winners got - there was no ship on a stick while they asked your name and did some jokes.  It was sedate, that's what it was.  And still...we did not win!!!   For the record...Robert Palmer is dead and there are 206 bones in the human body.

OK, that's it for tonight.  When I get to it, I'll do another post - Inauguration Day fun, our ports of call and may add a few photos.  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of...diet coke!  ;)

Paging Michael Bublé... ♪

I love Christmas music (mostly).  The last 15 years or so I've shown a stubborn loyalty to Mannheim Steamroller and didn't want to hear much else.  OK, so I'm a hard nut to crack.  

This year however, I've been completely enamored of Michael Bublé.  His album "Christmas" came out over a year ago but it didn't take for me until this past season.  My favorite:

Pretty much anyone who rode in the Pilot with me had to make peace with Michael Bublé.  And me, singing.  Loud. And I'm not sorry.  Not one little bit.

We had a sweet Christmas.  We missed Jason & the girls, but seeing them via Skype was a hoot.  

Jen was off Christmas Eve and that was good but drats, she had to work Christmas Day.  Oh well, it was great fun anyway. And how fantastic to have Justin & Barbara here.  And of course Victor (their dog-baby).  Such pretty pictures! (Justin Duplantis Photography) Here's a few...I have no clue why Don was wearing an old white T-shirt, but maybe he was waiting for this:

I love, love, loved my tree this year. Last year, it was an all gold theme but I missed my red berry clusters, so this year I brought them back and added the Ballard burlap ribbon for a rustic-traditional look.  My berry clusters are old...they were bought at Hobby Lobby many years ago and they don't even carry them anymore.  But they still look bright and pretty and I'm keeping them.

What a man...Don gave me the Frye bag I was wishing for!  Yes, it came with a dust cover.

The object of my affection.  It's buttery soft leather and smells like boot-shop heaven.



BTW, my scarf was crocheted by Barbara (my daughter in law).  Pretty cool for someone just beginning to learn!

For Christmas Eve dinner we invited the Coffmans to come eat with us.  This shot of their boys in front of my tree brings back memories!!  Our boys looked JUST like that at the same age.  Love.

We have our traditions and for Christmas Eve dinner, we always have Shrimp Gumbo, added some crabmeat to the pot too.  Of course we had ham, rolls and other snacks too. 

And then there were the desserts...Fantasy Fudge, Peanut Butter Pie, and Barbara's special cookies:  

Wishes for 2013:

* No dropping off a cliff (fiscal or other) 

* Smooth seas, calm winds and sunny days

* Do it: (at least) 26 Random Acts of Kindness 

* Hugs and smiles to all

And Michael Bublé...I'm expecting you next Christmas!

(if it seems like I've written Michael Bublé's name too much it's b/c I am tickled to be able to make the "e" with an accent mark like this: é)

The Voice, "Hallelujah"

Love this song. Always have.

It's a heartfelt tribute for those who died 
at Sandy Hook School in Connecticut.  

Powerful.  

God bless us all.

Bless All the Dear Children

I've never been to Connecticut but I always wanted to live in a little town like the fictional Stars Hollow (from Gilmore Girls).  I loved Lorelai and Rory.  I wanted a funny, beautiful town with a town square, a Luke's Diner, a Dragonfly Inn, a friend named Sookie, a neighbor named Babette, and of course Paris and Lane have to come too. The truth is, there is no Stars Hollow.  Bad things happen everywhere.

On Friday, when the first reports of came back of the horror at Sandy Hook School in Connecticut I began to tremble and wanting to talk - I sent texts to family and close friends.  Through the day, the full horror was revealed - the principal, the school psychologist, some teachers and staff and 20 little children were killed.  

In the blink of an eye I counted my chickens...where are my children? Where are my grandgirls?  And then, a sick feeling knowing that at ages 7 and 9, they're the same age-group as those who were killed.

I'm sad but really furious, too. How dare he - the killer - take away the life of those little ones? They are the innocent, the helpless, and the ones who bring us hope and love.

It's just too, too terrible.  I'm sad for the families of those lost,  and for the whole town.  They must cry and go on and honor those who were lost and rebuild  their lives.  It's as if the very heart of Christmas has been stolen away from all of us- the love, the joy, the wonder of the season. 

So I cry.  And pray.  Today while leading music at church, my heart was breaking when I was leading "Away in a Manger" for the closing hymn.  I made it through and kept directing but as tears sprang to my eyes, I could not sing.  The lyrics to the last verse are:

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever and love me I pray

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care

And fit us for heaven to live with thee there. 

I hope I can feel the spirit of Christmas.  I want that.  And I hope those who lost their own babies, feel the presence of angels as they mourn and prepare to bury their little ones.