Florida Welcomes You

Congratulations Clark! You hit a funnybone with that one. As soon as I saw it I chuckled, which is always a good thing. Besides, my husband really liked your 'stooped over' entry a lot. Having lived on the east and west coast of Florida for most of my life...I know exactly what that entry means! Loved it. (Now contact me and let me know which gift cert you want and where to send it.)

Now for some honorable mentions~

Becky G for the lyrics to the Hokey Pokey. Singing the lyrics while actually looking at the picture was pretty good. (Although Traveling Mercies Ministry did put the title entry in first.)

Steve nearly won with his entry of~ Criminals beware. We have dentures and are not afraid to use them! I liked how it included both the signs...very good! And really....SO close to winning, nearly a tie.

The last entry by Ashley~ 'She'll be comin' round the nursing home' was one of my favorites as well, but mostly because it belonged to my daughter. (Don't tell her she wasn't actually eligible to win since she lives in our house), but I have to give her some credit for a witty entry.

I hope everyone enjoyed the contest, even a little bit. I think I might make it a once a month event...what do you, my loyal readers, think of that?!

Time's Up!

The winner will be posted later this afternoon! Thanks for all the entries and actual comments left on the blog. I knew there were readers out there, but sometimes you all stay hidden!

Check back later!

My First Ever "Caption Contest"

My husband and I sat around trying to think of a creative name for this picture. A catchy phrase. Something witty for a title. We came up with a few, but thought this picture would be perfect for this blog's first ever caption contest!

This picture is posted in front of one of our town's nursing homes. I've never seen anything like it.

So here's the deal~ post your title for this picture. You can post as many titles as you want to. My family will pick a winner by Tuesday at noon and post the title here. The winner will receive a $5 Sonic gift card or a $5 Walmart gift card...your choice!

Remember~ my children will be reading this.

Spring Has Sprung!

Note~ none of these trees/shrubs are in my yard. I have my wonderful neighbors (across the street and on both sides of me) to thank for my lovely springtime view!

I can identify the wisteria and azaleas...anyone know what the other 2 flowers (the white ones) are?

Spice It Up Wednesday!

Here's an interesting one for those not from around here.

Yes, you read that correctly. You are to "Slap Ya Mama". How offensive can that be!?!

The creators of Slap Ya Mama give this explanation for the name of their cajun spice on their website~

The name of "SLAP YA MAMA" came about when the creator of the seasoning jokingly said, "When you use this seasoning, the food taste so good that it will make you want to go home and slap ya mama because she could never make something taste that great."

Slap Ya Mama is made just up the road from here in Ville Platte. They even bring their van and deliver the spice to our local Walmart. The shelves are FULL of it, and everyone has heard of it...so there's nothing offensive in writing "Slap Ya Mama" on the grocery list!

A Post of Praise!

Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
The earth is filled with His glory

It's rising up, all around

It's the anthem of the Lord's renown

And together we sing

Everyone sing!

If you have something to Praise the Lord about, post it as a comment! This can be a post full of praise to Him. (And you can read some of the lyrics and sing along with the newly added song....you can't hear that song and not PRAISE HIM!)

Oooooh. It's been a long week.

This weekend we had our annual women's conference at church, with guest speaker Carol Kent. She was fantastic! But in the midst of all of that...no blog posting is getting done.

I hate for y'all not to have a place to read, so check out my husband's blog of activities going on in our fair state. It's out his backyard!

http://musingaboutministry.blogspot.com/2009/03/ministers-at-mansion.html

Spice It Up Wednesday!

Remember the old song~
One of these things is not like the other,
One of these things just doesn't belong...

Do you see what doesn't seem to belong!?

Specialty Meat Salesman

Small Town Influence

I didn't realize when I posted this that I would have such an impact on our little town. The 'powers that be' must be checking in on my blog and being informed of changes that need to happen. Ends up the day after I posted about the sad condition of Louisiana roads, this came rolling down our street~

Sure enough, many of the roads in town have gotten complete makeovers! We aren't talking the fill and smack down kind of "fixing". This is serious resurfacing! If you haven't been out on the roads lately, you'll hardly recognize them. You might even be able to put off your alignment job another 6 months!

Spice It Up Wednesday!

I remember my Mom boiling shrimp and crabs in Zatarains when I was growing up. It was a smell so strong that you could hardly breathe if you got a big whiff of it. It made for some tasty sea treats! I suppose folks around here use it in crawfish boils, but I'm not really sure. I just know it comes in BULK packages in our local stores!

Jazz It Up With Zatarains! (Info from http://www.zatarains.com/ )

No conversation about the vibrant city of New Orleans would be complete without talking about the succulent seafood dishes and distinctive flavor of New Orleans–style cuisine. At the heart of all this delicious discussion would surely be the name Zatarain's. That's because Zatarain's has been an important part of New Orleans–style cooking for more than 100 years and a key ingredient in the city's rich cultural heritage.

Today, families everywhere have fallen in love with the delicious flavor of these zesty seasoned products and recipes. The reason for the popularity of Zatarain's is that it truly captures the flavor and rich texture of New Orleans–style cooking.

The tradition for making such amazing food was started well before the turn of the century by a man named Emile A. Zatarain, Sr. In 1889, he obtained the company's first product trademark and started to market root beer.

Shortly after, he began to produce mustards, pickled vegetables, and extracts. As the business grew, so did the demand for a broader range of products. Through their expertise in blending spices, the company established a reputation for making only the most authentic New Orleans–style food. In 1963, the Zatarain family sold the business and it was relocated to Gretna, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.

Today, Zatarain's is the nation's leading maker of New Orleans–style foods, priding itself on great taste, high quality and a devotion to the city’s cuisine. Since 1889, Zatarain's has been the authority on the fun and flavor of New Orleans. Interestingly, Zatarain's is as much a tradition at backyard barbeques as it is at formal dinners. It's amazing to think that, from such humble beginnings, the company has grown to make over 200 food products from Rice Dinner Mixes, Pasta Dinner Mixed, Breadings, Seasonings and Spices to Seafood Boils, Stuffing Mixes and other products based on authentic New Orleans–style foods and seafood preparation.

Contrasted Concrete

"You know why I like Texas?" my 10 year-old asked as we drove along on the busy, full roads of Houston.

Why?
"Because the roads are so wide...

and smooth....

and white."

Flag Fanatics

You know that whole 'everything is bigger in Texas' phrase?

Texas Trip

I made a weekend visit to Houston for a terrific women's conference. That meant leaving the fine state of Louisiana, traveling through unfamiliar areas to a huge city. Out in the middle of Texas flatland this popped up~

Did you know they grow rice in Texas?? Hmph. I bet it doesn't even taste good. Well, at least not nearly as good as Louisiana rice....

Look! It's A Cow!

Will I ever tire of saying that?!

My family might get tired of hearing it. This picture was taken at the end of my street. I don't mean a few blocks away, a mile or so down yonder. I mean...back out of the driveway and go to the stop sign....there is a field of cows.

I loved the idea of a cow being within camera viewfinder of the stop sign at the end of my block, so I got my baby girl all hurrying and scurrying to get the picture. I even stopped short of the sign and told her to stand outside the car to take it. Fortunately, she gets just as excited about picture taking as I do so she was an easy sell.

So thanks to my baby girl for snapping this shot, and a shout-out to all my city friends who can't believe I live in such a rural place!

I think I'll name the cow and adopt it as my 'pretend pet'.....hmmm.....

Spice It Up Wednesday!

For this first installment of 'Spice It Up Wednesday' I knew I had to begin with the grandfather of all spices. This is the backbone of cajun cooking in almost every house.

Tony Chachere's

Recently when a friend was explaining how to cook a crawfish pasta dish, she told me to boil the pasta in the "Tony's water". Of course I had to ask...what is Tony's water? Around here instead of boiling something in salted water it gets boiled in Tony's water. It adds a bit more kick to everything. Tony's really does go on EVERYTHING.

Tony Chachere's isn't just found in our little corner of Louisiana. This stuff is everywhere! I have seen it in stores from Michigan to South Florida, but those places can't make the claim we can...it's produced within 25 miles of my house. It is truly a Louisiana thing!

To show the fame that our local spice has, here are some places you can find Tony Chachere's~

Facebook has a fanclub you can join here.

Tony has his own little dance on YouTube.

Tony and Jared have joined up to sell Subway sandwiches too!

Stay Tuned...

With the questions following a recent post on some cajun spices/ herbs/ flavorings, I've decided to begin a series on Wednesdays called "Spice It Up Wednesdays". Maybe it will help hump day become more flavorful and exciting!

The first installment will be posted tomorrow.

Time Flies