Baton Rouge stop three in Louisiana

Finally day three and four in Baton Rouge.  We will be back in three weeks for the St. Patricks Day parade.  Our reservations are made.

More on this Italian Olive Salad at the end of this post.

I could walk around my sister's yard forever... just enjoy spring in Baton Rouge starting to begin.

Now for this delish salad, the picture below is before I added the tri-color pasta.

Muffuletta Pasta Salad

Six ingredients only

cube hard salami

cube ham

(bought one slice each from Deli, about 1/4 inch slice)

cube provolone cheese

sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese

add one pound of cooked tri-color pasta (important let pasta cool before you mix with cheese)

Finally.. half a 32 oz jar of the Italian Olive Salad, sprinkle more parmesan before serving.

Mix and enjoy warm or cold

In Louisiana I had several brands of this olive salad in a jar to choose from. In Texas ... nothing yet.  So I used one jar of sliced green salad olives and a jar of Marzetti's pickled carrots, cauliflower and pepperchini.  chopped (not the same but worked)

Makes 16-20 servings, great for a crowd.

Chris Botti Rocks!

My hubbie found this artist first!  Now we all love him.  He is a trumpet player (reminds me of my Dad when he would play his horn around the house) Chris' band was wonderful, no intermission, just played all the way through.  We watched him in a Lafayette auditorium and it was up close and personal with a brand new sound system in the place.  This was day two of our Louisiana weekend.

Yep he looked just like this! 

You can google Botti Lafayette on youtube and see where he let a military wife come up on stage and play the drums during the last song.  Her husband is in Iraq.  So Chris wanted her husband to see her.

And yes.. he dated Katie at one point.  Just a fun fact.

If you ever get the chance, go see him.

Second best part (1st the concert of course) Free parking,  free champagne and a date night with my sister and brother-in-law from Baton Rouge.



Weekend in Louisiana!

If you haven't been to Louisiana, I just can't explain it!  I love going home, don't we all.

This is the Mardi Gras tree that greeted us at the airport.

We did some shopping.  

My Mom decorated too!

Napkins my Mom was using, yes I come by using fun cocktail napkins naturally.

My daughter Ann Marie made this for her Nanny.  I thought she might like to see it in action.

More to come...This was just stop one, we enjoyed three Louisiana cities this past weekend.  Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

Next up Chris Botti concert review!

My gift to you.. a cupcake party!

Melissa Lester from A Little Lovliness has given me permission to share her most adorable and fun daughter's cupcake birthday party.

This is my Valentine gift to all of you!

I found Melissa's blog while blog surfing one day about a year ago.  Melissa is from Alabama and totally "Southern".  I first started sending my girl's pictures of her son's outfits, because we always knew that boys could be dressed as cute as girls.  She is extremeley tallented.  She sewed the above aprons as party favors for the girls and guests. And yes she gives you many tutorials, she did make the fabulous centerpiece in the first shot.   She asked me to mention her friend and fabulous photographer.... Allison Hilyer Photography.  She said that Allison used a Shaby Chic finish on the photos.


Enjoy this explosion of girlyness!  You will have to go backwards through posts to enjoy the entire party and adorable party girls.  There actually was a Lynley.. just spelled a little different from my daughter's spelling.


Thanks Melissa for your wonderful inspirational quotes and lovely photos all year long. 


Once again meet Melissa here and join Mary Ashley's party.
A lotta Loveliness!

Yum and fun!

Sharing with
Marty at a Stroll thru Life
Lady Katherines Tea Party
Kim at Wow me Wednesday
Between Naps on the Porch
Cindy, My Romantic Home Show and Tell
Frou Frou Friday
Donna with Funky Junk Interiors

Happy Love

Flowers just make me smile!

and this was day one below picture... they looked like this for three days, then I replaced the water with warm water and within two hours they looked like the above.  They have been full bloom now for four days.  If you want flowers that will last a long time at home, these are for you.  Unless you can't stand their powerful fragrance.  We had to move them from the kitchen to the living room.

Mardi Gras comes to my house!

My love for everything Louisiana and everyone in Louisiana can shine bright during Mardi Gras.  I am even planning a Mardi Gras dinner next month.  But have started decorating now...

Mr. Jester hiding in the feather boa.  Thanks Jill

Even the mantel got in on the fun.

A little side table with silver stacked trays and gobs of beads.  Overabundance screams Mardi Gras, don't you think.

Finally the dining room table.  I haven't changed out the plates yet, I have purple and green chargers somewhere....

I feel like royalty when I use this glass, thanks Barbara.

Most of these trinkets were gifts, beads grabbed from parades!  I have never been to New Orleans Mardi Gras.  Kind of always scared me a little.  But I do embrace the holiday.  Wish my state shut down for a couple days for Fat Tuesday.  March 8th this year!

Have you ever been?

Sharing with
At the Picket Fence
My Romantic Home

Sale - everything in the place

Everything was 20 percent off at Laurie Anna's Vintage Home - to make room for spring merchandise.  So I took some things off their hands.

Love birds perched on my new pedastaled plate holder.

I found that burlap ribbon I have been wanting half the price of Ballards.

This iron hand to hold jewelry, soap...

or how about an apple!

These fake candles are the most fun, color is really celery green, they are battery operated and on a timer, they come on for six hours and off for eighteen and really look real.

But this is my favorite... an oval stand.  They had it displayed with a ceramic platter, I think an oval silver platter would work too.  Or what would you fill it with as is?  I need ideas?

Sharing with
Linda at Coastal Charm
Kim with Wow us Wednesday

Shopping... Canton

I got to tag along with my daughter, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law to Canton.  Pavillions were closed to due water break with the freeze in Texas.  But stores were open, really the only reason we went anyway.  Here is some window shopping for you and then I'll show you what I came home with. 

Laurie Anna's Vintage Home up first.

The lady that does the florals there is amazing. She created the crown below and it is perched on top of a bird cage. 

Then onto Paul Micheal's just across the street.

This is only half the store... warehouse sized place.

Time has run out on the window shopping.
What I found in my next post.