New Orleans

I can't believe it is November. I can't believe the election will be over tonight. I've already voted. It only took about 15 minutes of waiting, and 1 minute of voting.

We had a busy October. After Nick's conference, he had to finish preparing to take his big Professional Engineering test. This is a test that all engineers have to take after working for four years. It lasted from 7:00 a.m. to about 6:00 p.m. He was worn out.

To celebrate that October (and a lot of extra work for Nick) is over we decided to go on a trip. We also thought of it as a belated birthday celebration for both of us. We left our Millie with my sister and brother-in-law so we could go to New Orleans with my parents.

Our only plans were to eat Friday night at Commander's Palace, see Les Mis on Saturday afternoon, and eat at GW Fins on Saturday night. Commander's Place's bread pudding souffle is the best bread pudding  I've ever had! The rest of the time we enjoyed walking around, looking in some shops, and stopping for a drink every now and then.

We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast on Magazine Street. It is called the Terrell House. The house was lovely, and the breakfast was wonderful! This was my first stay in a bed and breakfast were we actually ate breakfast with other guest at the dining room table.

We downloaded the music on the way down so we could be familiar with it. We also listened to it on the way home. I'm still singing these songs in my head.. 

Our rooms were on the third floor. There were two bedrooms with a sitting area in between them. These are the third floor stairs.

This is the courtyard. They were setting up for a wedding on Saturday. 

On Saturday we strolled down Magazine Street before heading to the French Quarter. We found a place to eat lunch, and then we went to Armstrong Park where the theater was located. We went to the 2:00 show. The play was wonderful!

After theplay, we walked across the French Quarter to Cafe Du Monde. 

I had to get a beignet and cafe au lait.

 This was the only photographed food of the trip.

We walked by the river before heading to dinner.

We were worn out from walking all day (and going up and down the stairs in the B and B). However, it was a wonderful trip. 

Here are a few more shots of our bed and breakfast before we left. We were able to go in a few of the other rooms because they were being cleaned. There were so many little details I didn't get a chance to photograph. It was a great place to stay. 

Thank you Spooners for keeping Millie. We had a fabulous time. We loved the B and B, food, and the play!

Halloween

I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween. There is no particular reason. I just don't get that into it. I didn't buy candy to give out. I didn't even buy Millie a costume. 

 I wasn't going to dress her up at all. Then I realized we have a cheer leading uniform that may be a little big, but it works for Halloween. I think the shakers add a lot to it. We dressed up yesterday to go play at a friend's house, and we are going to a party at our church tonight.

(I think she knows she is supporting a team with a 1-7 record, and she-along with every Auburn fan- doesn't seem happy about it.)

 When Millie is old enough to trick-or-treat and pick out her own costume, I'll be all for it. But until then, I'm not spending much time or thought or money on Halloween festivities.

I know I sound like a downer. I do love fall and pumpkins. And I'm enjoying getting out all of my fall attire. 

I'm also looking forward to Thanksgiving. That's a holiday I can really enjoy! 

Our Weekend

We had a good weekend. I documented it through I Phone photos. 

This photo was actually taken on Wednesday, but Millie likes to Swiffer. I swiffered a lot on Friday. I was trying to get our kitchen floors as clean as I could. Millie likes it so much that I had to hide it from her this weekend.

This is a new favorite thing. This was Friday night. We think she needs a tent for Christmas. Right now her and Nick are just sitting under this blanket reading a book. 

Cousins came to play on our new yard toy. It may be a small play-set, but it provides loads of fun!

We would have loved to get a big play-set with swings and a big slide, but we don't have enough room in the yard. 

Stephen found the Mardi Gras mask from Nick's conference.  

Then Millie wouldn't stop taking it on and off. I had to hide this with the swiffer. 

We also made our first fire of the season. It was only 60 degrees outside at the time, but we were freezing. 

 Today after church we joined our Sunday School class for lunch at Lake Martin. A sweet couple offered to host everybody at their lake house. We all brought a dish and visited for hours.

Millie had a fun time chasing the dog and playing with the couple's high school daughter. We left a little after 3:00, and Millie slept from then until after 6:00. I had to wake her up. I'm worried she won't go back to sleep now. 

It was a lovely weekend. We also did a lot of cleaning and home repairs. I'm glad it is cooling off. I love having fires, and I'm happy that I can wear scarves now. 

I've been cooking some new things too that I hope to share soon. 

Have a good week. 

House Lift

We recently had to give our a house a lift. It was literally falling down the hill.

We started noticing this a few months ago.

 This is our dining room. The wall started popping out.

 And cracks started appearing everywhere.

So we had to get the foundation fixed. We are the third house in our neighborhood this month to have this done.

The worst part, besides the cost, was digging up our plants. They put them back in place, but I'm not sure if all of them will make it yet.

  They also dug up our front porch. Each board is covering a big hole.

I thought it was funny that they brought their microwave for their lunch break. I have no idea what they ate. 

Here are the after pictures. These plants look fine. 

 I'm not sure how well these are going to end up.

Can you see the crack? This was after the job was done. It was a lot bigger. 

 Our poor porch. It is now multi-colored.

It is sad to spend so much money on our house, and I didn't even get to re-do a room. Or knock out a wall. Or re-do a bathroom. But at least our house is secure......for now.

Now we have to repaint the front of the house to fix all the cracks. We are also going to paint our kitchen just because we don't like the color. 

So I need your help. What color would you recommend painting the dining room and living room (pictured above)? And what would you paint our kitchen (pictured below)? Sorry, it is not a great picture of the kitchen. One day we want to get rid of the ugly chandelier and re-do the lighting.

I am open to any suggestions. Decorating is not one of my strengths.