Happy 29th Chris!!!

 Happy Birthday Chris!!!

These are some of our favorite pics of you growing up!!!

What a cutie!!!

Hope you have a great day!!!

We love you!!!

New addition to the family....

 Over the weekend our electricity went out 

because we had a bad storm blow through

 with lightening, and thunder and torrential rain and the

whole nine yards.

The power wasn't suppose to come back on

until Sunday night

(it went out on Friday night)

...so we bought a generator.

We have been wanting to get one for quite a while

because who knows when you might need one...especially

 living by the gulf.

 He adds a lot of decorum to the house...

 ...just so we can have this....

 ...and this...

Luckily our power came back on early Sunday morning

so we didn't have to go through another whole day

of heat and darkness!!!

I think we are going to name him Gus...

because he is very grumpy and loud...

and he is very expensive to feed...

but he is a good friend to have around in a pinch!!!

Arise and Shine Forth...

 Last night our youth performed their pageant that they

have been working on for months. They did such an awesome job!!!

The music was fabulous, the dancing was fabulous, the story of the

restoration of the church and the early saints in Louisiana was also fabulous.

A sister in our stake, Sister Rachel Ross, wrote the story and music after 

studying the history of the church in our area.

While the kids were practicing, I was asked to help with the scenery,

my favorite kind of helping!!! I took these pictures right after I was done

with the painting. The rest of the artists came after and added trees and more sky and completed the look.

I thought they even looked better last night on the stage with the

lights and the actors!!!

I had so much fun painting these temples!!!

I am so glad they asked me to help and be included

in such an awesome project!!!

Happy Birthday to me.....!!!!!

  

Wayne needed to go on a work trip to New Orleans

over my Birthday so of course I went too....

We had two nights in the Marriott on Sasol.

(thank you for the Birthday present!!!) 

Unfortunately, it rained most of the time we were there but 

we had a fabulous time. 

 Only in New Orleans would you see

red chandeliers, they were awesome...

so of course I had to take a picture of them...

  

We arrived about 7:30 in the evening so we just 

checked out around our hotel before

calling it a night....

Harrah's casino was right across the street so we went in

to check out the night life.

 Loved the large Marti Gras masks in the 

Marti Gras room....

we didn't stay long...it was kind of smoky.

 Wayne had to go to work the next morning,

so I walked to the Riverwalk

to do some shopping...

it was too rainy to do much else.

  

Tried out the Beignets 

(fried bread...fabulous!!!)

at the famous Cafe Du Monde... I saved some for Wayne

beacuse I didn't know if we would get back there

or not... but they are much better hot!!!

 

And some very hot and spicy, seafood Gumbo for lunch...

it made my nose run...but I loved it!!!

 Then I watched the paddle boats on the

Mississippi...

  

This picture is out of sequence but oh well,

we did go back to Cafe Du Monde...

 ....and a ferry.

Then Wayne arrived back at the hotel earlier than he thought...

because of the rain...so we walked to the French Quarter...

Love the cute balconies...

  

We went into the "House of Voodoo" just for fun.

The floor was cool and completely tiled with broken

tiles.

 Do you love the skeleton mirror?

...and, of course, Wayne!!!

Then we continued our walk to Jackson square and went inside
 St. Louis Cathedral. 

Everything was in French....

This is on the inside above the front door.

We took a couple pictures of random things...

ljke this horse post which was cool...

...and the gas lights that they have lit even in the daytime.

We got stopped by a train...even though we were walking... 

it was a long train...it took forever.

That night we ate at the Palace Cafe... a really nice restaurant

just next to our hotel...

We had the chicken....mine was rotisserie grilled

on top of truffled potatoes with argula lettuce on top.

It was fabulous!!!

Waynes had pesto on top of the chichen

and layered on tomatoes and grilled potatoes.

Then we walked around a bit more and saw the trollies...

The famous blue dogs on the side of some building...

...and the insecterium...but just from the outside.

...and Wayne surprised me with a bracelet from

one of my favorite stores.

I love it!!!

The next day we had to come home but we 

 stopped at Wayne's work first and then we

took a ferry across the Mississippi.

And came home...it was a great trip and a really
fun birthday!!!

Tea Time...

 Julie and I decided that we wanted to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee

of Queen Elizabeth ll by having our very own tea party. I know that the official jubilee was a couple of week ago but this week both of our husbands were out of town on business and we had time to really make it special.

We went all out and even got dressed up...Julie in her cute hat..

(I don't have a hat but I do have a bow in my hair) and

I have on my pearls.

 Julie made cucumber sandwiches

and I made deviled eggs.

   

 I polished my moms silver...

  

The top one in this picture has my great grandfather's 

initials engraved in the handle ( J.A. for John Thomas Appleby Jr.) or it could be my great, great grandfather's whose name was also John Thomas Appleby Sr. and the sugar spoon has my mom's initials

in the handle... E.A. for Eudora Ellen Appleby.

While I was getting ready I kept thinking how much easier this would be if I had a maid...like they do on Downton Abbey...

But if I lived during that time...I might not have had a maid...

OOHHH...

I might have even been a maid....

I think I am just fine cleaning my own house....

and living with modern conveniences... 

but I think what I would really like is 
to have my own cook!!!

Anyway...I have a few tea cups, which were also my mom's, and

a sugar bowl and creamer but I 

did not have a tea pot...so I decided to go to the antique store

to see if I could find one.

There were probably 20 different tea pots to choose from. Most of them were modern and didn't seem to fit the occasion...

but then I found this one... 

Made in England...it is a Gibson Staffordshire teapot....

and I was surprised and pleased at how reasonable it was.

I don't usually care for gold but I knew my tea cups had gold edges so even though it doesn't match it would look as cute as possible...

Plus it is a bit worn, especially on the handle, but it has personality

and probably a cool history.

I love it!!! 

  

 During tea we watched

"Lost in Austen" a cute take off from

"Pride and Prejudice." 

"

 And we worked on our paper dolls...which are actually fabric...

They are so cute and have a bunch of really cute clothes to go

with them.

We didn't get them quite finished...

The little blond pony-tailed girl is done and has on one of the outfits...

...but we can finish them up during out next tea party...

Sooo fun...!!!

Our first tomato of the season!!!

 Wooo Hoooo!!!!

We have been watching this little tomato for the last few

days because it has finally starting to turn red!!!

So Wayne told me this morning before he went to work

that we had better pick it before our

squirrel friends decided to have a taste.

(That is what happened last year to most of our tomatoes)

The funny thing is....this tomato came off of our smallest plant!!!
Go figure!!!

 We are thinking the tomato plants are not getting enough sun

and maybe next year we will have to move it away from the house. 

We will just keep trying.

Our beans did pretty well...we will probably still get some more

beans before they are through.