Joyeux Noel et lassiez les bon temps rouler!

No I don't speak French, but we had a Louisiana bayou Christmas this year. And that's Cajun (well, French) for "Merry Christmas and Let the good times roll!" See my Mom was born and raised with deep Louisiana roots down in Baton Rouge.

After fleeing the shin-high snow in MN we flew to the ATL to see his parents and family before joining mine in New Orleans and Baton Rouge for a few days. See my family loves N'awlins- the food, the attitude, the casino, etc, but especially the food and especially the French Quarter. Mom planned out our 2 and a half days around consuming some of the best seafood in the Gulf or really anywhere.

First was dinner at Mr. B's Bistro and then Pat O's in the Quarter. Mr. B's was maybe one of the best meals I'd eaten in all of 2010. Seriously. Mom, Courtney and I all got the Revellion menu- a special New Orleans Christmas tradition. It's a menu that's prixe fixe and supposedly the best they've got. Andrew got the tasty and addicting New Orleans barbecue shrimp. Don't think grill or BBQ sauce. Think deep, buttery, flavorful seafood broth with perfectly cooked and ready to peel shrimp. I had the scallops and red fish with butter sauce and some amazing gumbo (both seafood and ya-ya) complete with my personal favorite pecan pie.

Andrew and I at Pat O'Brien's

Then we woke up to Cafe du Monde with some cafe au lait and bignetes and the unavoidable powdered-sugar-covered fingers. We then headed over the the N.O. School of Cooking that Mom booked for us- we watched them cook (and then we ate) crab and corn bisque, shrimp creole, bread pudding and amazing pralines. Pecan pralines. That's "pa-caan praw-leens" in Louisiana- none of that "pee-can pray-leens" stuff.

The cooking school in the French Quarter

Watching the chef make the bisque...

and cooling some pralines

Anyway we hoped on the trolley after waking around Jackson Square, visiting the old French Market, and stopping by Harrah's Casino. (Please note: I proudly walked out of there with the same $10 I went in with. It was my first encounter with a slot machine and I battled it back to break even!) We headed to Brigtsen's for dinner past Uptown and the Garden district. Another great Revellion menu and delicious dinner.

A quick glimpse of a trolley at Lee's Circle

Before heading to see my family and stay at Grandma's in Baton Rouge, we stopped for brunch with some great friends of ours who've grown up in N'awlins their whole lives. It was great to see such sweet friends.

It was Christmas Eve and Mom had made her gumbo (chicken and sausage) that's always good and Grandma (and Court) whipped up some of her famous chicken and dumplings. Those are my comfort foods. I've never tried to make either on my own for fear that I'd be dissatisfied with every bite compared to theirs!

Andrew and I headed back to N. O. since we were flying out of there and spent the day back at Cafe du Monde, mufaletta lunch at the favorite Cafe Maspero's, and topped it off with dinner at Felix's Oyster House (a family favorite for oysters). In between all that eating we managed to walk a lot, window shop, see the a Katrina exhibit near St. Louis Cathedral, and a 4-D movie at the WW2 History Museum. Hubby loved it!

The gorgeous sky on our walk back from the movie to our hotel- Lee's Circle again

Anyway, we're back on a plane heading home with snow covered everything out the windows.

Celebrations

Time with our Minnesota family, a birthday, and our early Christmas means lots of fun and celebrating.

We had our staff training this week on Strengths Finder tests. Very interesting. Staff training means lots of hanging out with our second family up here in ole MN: our staff team. We had a Christmas party, then girls' night out, a night in with hubs (when I attempted and failed at making mushroom risotto), then dinner with Laura and dessert with Samm.

And now let me tell you about my sweet, thoughtful husband. My birthday was Friday. I got home Thursday night and outside our door was a rose and a note to get some bags packed for the next night. And he had a petit four waiting for me! Wow. A man after my heart!

After work he whisked me away to the Depot hotel on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It's a hotorical hotel that used to be in this old train depot. There's also an attached indoor ice rink.

Due to my love of Mexican food, Andrew found this amazing Latin restaurant on Nicollet:

We did a little shopping, saw the Holidazzle parade and had an awesome birthday dinner at Masa complete with tres leches cake. so. good. Here we are enjoying that cake!

Yum! Then my great friend Hannah came in town and after a little more shopping (thank you birthday gift cards!) and we got to hang out. I tried to show her the ropes of driving and surviving in 10 degree weather. Ha. THEN my hubby took me out to see A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie (check out that pic courtesy of a google search). He's so thoughtful (and a trooper- he's taken me so so many plays!) That was Saturday.

And here was my personal favorite character...the Ghost of Christmas Present. I laughed a lot because he was funny but mainly how awkward it was that he didn't have a shirt on under his big ole robe. Ha. Quite humorous (and weird).

Sunday we flew down to Atlanta and were met at the airport by my father in law. We had a blast at a sort of family Christmas party/hang out. Complete with parker house sandwiches, chicken salad, broccoli salad, fudge, pecan bars, apple cider, and a rowdy game of Guesstures. Which I must add the women won. Thank you very much.

snowed in

With a blizzard hitting us overnight and through most of today, we're hanging out at our place. Serious winds, heavy snow and slightly warmer temps (in the 20s instead of teens) means wetter snow all which add up to me NOT willing to brave the storm and drive. I woke up this morning to the apartment people snow-blowing the sidewalk- the winter equivalent of the landscaping guy coming in the summer. A big plow came and plowed our parking lot, which along with the snow-blower guy were totally futile since a foot of snow fell over the next few hours anyway. Even up here they're calling it a blizzard so I'm going to trust them not to go anywhere!

The snow heaped on our patio. On the far right is a gate that you obviously can't open anymore. Out our bedroom window, the snow it up to our window! It's snowed more than a 15 inches just today- so there's probably nearly 2 feet of snow on the ground!

Another view of our patio. The bow has been blowing like crazy from the snowy wind.
The view from our dining room:

All this means I've been cooped up and have another blog post this week! I thought I'd share some of our Christmas decorations I've put up over the past few weeks:

Our tree! We won't be in town as long this year and it was 10 degrees and snowing when we went looking for a tree- which means I was no longer as interested in finding "the prefect one" for our place, but rather escaping to a heater. Anyway, hubs spotted this one and we love it!

We used ornaments from last year and obviously far less with our mini tree. Matte champagne, chocolate glittery balls and antiqued glass orbs and leaves along with a few rustic snowflakes and some silvery ones too:

Here's the floating shelf behind the tree with some added greenery and pine cones:

Pre-snow I went around our apartment and "borrowed" some tree clippings :) Evergreens are everywhere so there were several types of pine and those red branches are from a northern dogwood bush. I had a couple of glass vases and tied some left over ribbon and set them flanking our fireplace.
A little centerpiece I threw together with a candle and a couple sets of potpourri/vase fillers:
Our Christmas Card display I bought a few years ago:

Moving on from the living room...I kept seeing little banners on different blogs so I de-cluttered our fridge and added this makeshift Christmas reminder:

I also added a few big bows on a metal sunburst hanging in our kitchen, a bow in on our patio, pulled out some green pillows for our couches and packed up some of the fall-colored burnt orange ones, added vintage glass votives with Christmas tree smelling candles. Unfortunately we can't remember what our stockings looked like last year or where we put them! We're also questioning if we ever even bought some last year. Ha. Either way, we'll get some soon.

On another note, here's our first houseplant! Ha, I missed the green thumb gene so I opted for this "drought resistant" blue atoll. So far...so good!

It's definitely growing, but here is a picture of what it originally looked like:

Not living in vain

It's Wednesday and I am taking it slow this week. It's been a busy semester and I'm taking a mini break. Slept in a little, brought my incredibly encouraging hubby breakfast in bed (note it's cereal not a gourmet breakfast, ha!)...

...got ready, came to Panera (and got the mac and cheese yum!) and am now journaling, listening and reading. What a sweet escape.

I'm listening to:

"It is well"

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

So now our semester is coming to a close. Students have finals next week. We have staff training. I'm tired! This semester has been good, but as I described it to Andrew as a "plowing" season. It's felt laborious, and there have been great things happening, but lots of harder things also. From battling with the administration of the school where we minister, having lots of young believers (which is FUN but also means LOTS of hard conversations praying for convictions), to even feeling alone in the sense of having female peers with "job" stuff. I am blessed to get to do what I do. Such a blessing. I don't think I'd want to be doing anything else right now. I am looking forward to Christmas break though.

I'm reading:

Psalm 127:

"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

Wish I would've read this a few weeks or months ago! In laboring on the college campus for student to grow and know Christ more, it will be hard. THat's why it's called labor! But I must know and live my life, make my schedule, set my expectations in light of the LORD doing all the work. God doesn't say not to build, not to watch, he just says it won't happen without the Lord. I easily forget to trust the Lord. I don't want any area of my life to be "in vain." Wouldn't that defeat what it actually means to be a Christian? Christ is not a compartment of my life, but the center. He touches and influences everything I do: grocery shopping, Christmas gift getting, cooking dinner, decorating our apartment, hanging out with 18 or 19 year old. I want to do it all trusting and remembering 'Unless the Lord' in all that I do.

Weekend in MN

It was hard to come back to Minnesota after a week in the much warmer South, but I'm getting used to it again. 17 feels ok! ...and that is mercy from the Lord!

We actually went to see the college we work at play in a football quarter finals game. Drumroll please...they won! 12-7. It was really exciting. And I was so warm! That's because I had smartwool long johns, fleece pants under jeans, 3 pair of wool socks, 2 pair gloves, 2 jackets and 4 shirts on. Haha. But really! It was so much fun. To watch a football game while snowing was a really fun experience.

Sunday night all the married couples (8 couples)on our staff team got together and had a combined small group. Every Sunday we meet in our normal small groups (4 couples) and talk about our marriages. We talk through our fights, walk through arguments, share fun date ideas, and really talk about life and marriage. It really is sweet community for us and encouraging that there are 3 other couples we know really well who are also striving (and failing and repenting and needing Jesus) like we are in marriage. Anyway, we had a potluck dinner and I was assigned to bring dessert. So wondering how I could feed a large chuck of people, I turned to Paula Deen. I know Andrew loves pound cake (his Mom makes a good one!) so I whipped up some of her "Southwest Georgia Pound Cake" of course adding chocolate chips for my chocolate-obessesed husband. It was so good! I didn't dare omit the 1/2 pound of butter in this one but did sub half-and-half for the heavy cream. Baby steps. Anyway, it was SO good.

We had the group of college guys hubs mentors over for dinner last night. They're great! I really have had to learn how in the world to cook for guys- especially college football players! Now as a rule I just double everything! Here was out menu tonight- mind you that we had an all day meeting so I only had a little over an hour to throw it all together: baked chicken cordon bleu casserole, roasted garlic red potatoes, sauteed corn, garlic bread, and the rest of the leftover pound cake that I made the other night for our married small group. Here's how comical the measurements were though: 8 chicken breasts, large hunk of ham, 4 cups cheese, 2 lbs corn, 2 huge sourdough french loaves, 5lbs potatoes! We do have maybe one meal left over though, which is nice!

Tonight we wanted to try some orecchiette pasta I'd bought recently. So I cooked up this recipe and added some chicken and a little cream and broth. It was a good mix up with pancetta and was overall pretty good.

In the spirit of learning to embrace living in MN, here are a few more reasons I like living in the "tundra":

1) You can go grocery shopping and your car acts as a fridge/freezer. I do actually love that I actually can go shopping and leave stuff in my car and it'd be just as cold in my freezer!

2) SEAT WARMERS. Thanks you JESUS that upon getting my car, pre-dating Andrew/even considering living north of the Mason-Dixon line, you were gracious to provide for seat warmers. They are a reminder that you love me everyday.

3) Snow is so pretty right after it falls. I often drive and feel like I'm in a winter wonderland. (The only thing is, that then it gets brown and slushy, but we're staying positive here)