A Sugar Cookie Yeehaw!

Not. It's tea!

TLC gifted me this cute box of tea a couple of weeks ago. (And, funny story, I had given her a sack—the very same day—with some goodies in it, including a “Candy Cane” tea! Great minds think alike, apparently…)

Anyway, this tea is beyond YUMMO. It absolutely, positively tastes like a sugar cookie. (How’d they do that?)

Since it’s decaf, it’s perfect for those nights in front of the telly (Hallmark Channel has the BEST Christmas movies EVER!) when you want something sweet but you really, truly shouldn’t have those peppermint Hershey's Kisses or M&Ms that seem to be calling your name. I put one Truvia packet in a cup of this deliciousness. (I’m sure Ms. “I’m-Not-As-Addicted-To-Sugar-As-My-MamaELC” TLC would leave sweeteners out. Although, she might use a teensy bit of honey. Good for her! For moi? The sweeter the better. No apologies.)

Try this some cold night soon…I’m betting you’ll like it!

Love and Smooches and Hugs, Sweet Friends Everywhere…Happy Weekend...

nola, part one

As ELC mentioned, My Hubby (MH) and I were able to escape to New Orleans the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was a fabulous getaway, filled with food, food and MORE food. I tried to save up as many calories as I could before we left so I could splurge! After Little Leighton's Celiac diagnosis, we eat gluten-free (GF) with her as much as possible, so she never feels left-out or "different" with us. Because we knew Grammy and Pa-Pa had filled their cupboards with extra yummy GF treats for Our Girl (they always take such good care of her!), we thought it would be okay to eat "gluten-full" on our trip. (And we were able to really relax, knowing LL was having the BEST time bein' a "country gal!")

As ELC also mentioned, we traveled via Southwest Airlines. I firmly believe they are the BEST. They are efficient. Clean. Consistently on-time. And Love Field in Dallas is, well, just LOVELY! (Tee hee hee.)

Once we arrived in NOLA, we immediately hopped in a cab and sped to our hotel--the Omni Royal in the French Quarter. The location was prime--within walking distance to (almost) everything we wanted to see, tour and eat. The destinations we couldn't walk to? We took a cab (and only thought our lives were truly at risk once). After we checked in, we freshened up and headed down the block to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. We knew this particular place was quite tourist-y, yet also a can't-miss. Guess what? We loved it! It was quite crowded, filled with people of all ages, though our favourite acquaintances that evening happened to be two sweet cousins (maybe 75ish?) from the North--both ladies were precious. (One of them was a HUGE Patriots fan, but sweetly obliged me as I lamented my frustrations regarding Tom Brady, his first Baby Mama and Giselle. She told me she was certain his parents were very disappointed in the way he handled his relationship with Bridget.) Though I wish I would have snapped more photos, this is the only one I have from there:

Yes, that's my reflection, taking a semi-selfie in the spinning (yes, spinning! hence "carousel!") bar. YIPPEE!

After that, we skipped down to Acme Oyster House for the most scrumptious charbroiled oysters. Buttery. Garlicky. DELISH. At the end of our trip, we both agreed that we wished we would have gone back there for another dozen.

The next morning, we slept "late" (ahem, 7:45!) and quickly dressed to beat the long line at Cafe du Monde for their WORLD FAMOUS beignets. They are fluffy, little, fried pillows of dough, doused in powdered sugar. You have to make sure you don't exhale as you're taking a bite because the sugar will go flyin' all over you, your black jeans and purse. (Obviously that happened to me. Three times. Oops!)

After breakfast, we strolled around Jackson Square and the French Market. Then it was time to eat again! HA! This time it was a muffuletta at Central Grocery for lunch. MH and I split a whole sandwich, and, I kid you not, it was larger than my head. Tasty, nonetheless! The olive "salad" they use to top the muffuletta? Divine!

After a long nap at the hotel (what a treat!), we gussied up and headed to dinner at Peche. I had heard their "fish sticks" were not to be missed. They weren't! MH and I also shared crab claws in a tangy chili pepper vinegar "sauce" for an appetizer. I could have guzzled the vinegar. Straight up. We also each had a green salad--though simple in design, it was topped with, hands down, the best, most creamiest (redundant?) feta cheese I have ever tasted. Feta is easily my favourite cheese. I nearly fainted! To accompany my fancy beer-battered fish sticks, I had pan-fried Brussels sprouts in the same insanely good chili vinegar. MH ordered the smothered catfish and a side of white beans. The white beans were PHENOMENAL. I would have happily ordered a second "helping" so I wouldn't have had to share. Because we both clearly hadn't consumed enough (HA!), we ordered dessert--a pineapple rum cake with homemade caramel ice cream. It was then that I wished I owned a fancier pair of yoga pants I could have worn that would have allowed for lots o' stretch.

Stay tuned for Part TWO!

You Better Watch Out!

Tomorrow is December 1^st. Picture us in SHOCK. Eyes wide. Mouths open. Home Alone kind of shock, you know? We suspect all of y’all are with us on this one.

November was full of our good intentions. To post. At least twice a week. Then there was illness. Lots o’ illness. We've forgiven Little Leighton (LL) for giving every one of us her lovely cold. Thank goodness we all had had our flu shots.

This past week involved cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking (gluten-free), traveling (for TLC et al to Grammy and Pa-Pa’s country casa), eating, resting, eating some more, coughing (My Sweet Hubby's horrid cough is going on three weeks), more cleaning, and beaucoups of playing with LL. (On one outing, in the Jeep, around our place, LL got to see an armadillo! She wasn't too sure what to think, but she'd tell you Pa-Pa picked it up in his hands. Uh, no. No, he didn't. He did get out of the Jeep and chase after it to get a picture!) 

The Three Leighton Gals enjoyed a get-together/date (at the cutest coffee shop/café ever called Beans & Franks in Stephenville) Friday morn with Sunny, Nelly and Nelly’s PRECIOUS (ALL CAPS AND BOLDED) new baby boy—H3. (His three names all start with “H”! How adorable is that? Seriously.) We also lucked into a fabulous sale going on at a fun store next to the coffee shop. Woo Hoo!

Today was devoted to decorating our homes for the holidays. Trees. Christmas trinkets everywhere! Outdoor wreaths, etc. We’ll share some pictures when we’ve both completed this task. My efforts won't be totally finished until at least Thursday. What can I say? I'm getting slower each and every year I'm on this Earth. Sigh.

I believe Ms. TLC owes y’all some posts on New Orleans. She swears they’re a’comin’. We shall see, won’t we, Dear Friends? If I were y'all, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

Get ready…Here Comes Santa Claus! He’ll be arriving before we all can blink—twice.

Smooches and Hugs…

p.s.: I predict some Yummies and Yeehaws may make an appearance this month!

Fizzle . . .

…not “Shoot.” "Shoot" not as in gun. "Shoot" as a way to express frustration or anger. "Fizzle" is the word I’m desperately trying to use when I’m being Grammy Nanny to Princess Little Leighton (LL).

Last week, in spite of all the illness plaguing our two families, and because all of us Sickies seemed to be finally on the mend/turning the corner, TLC and Her Hubby (HH) made a well-deserved and highly anticipated trip to New Orleans! TLC had visited this amazing city with me and My Hubby (MH) twice in her lifetime. Once when she was about 12 and then again when she was 19ish. HH had never experienced it. Their trip had been planned for over two months. Pre-IckinessSickiness. When our colds/coughs/congestion descended upon us (beginning with LL), we all thought their adventure might not happen. Good news...it did!

MH and I met TLC and HH at a Target in Colleyville last Thursday morn. We chauffeured LL to our country casa for three nights/four days of FUN! Her Mama and Daddy flew to NOLA via Southwest Airlines. (Going and coming were stress-free, lovely experiences. Thank you. Thank you, Southwest. Very much!)

I now must digress and go down another, short path:

Growing up, we (me and my siblings—my younger brother and two younger sisters) weren’t allowed to say “Shut Up.” Or call each other—or anyone else—“Stupid.” Worse words were certainly not permitted. There were consequences. Mostly “The Lecture” we preferred not to be subjected to—for the one millionth time.

It wasn’t until I attended college (My third and final!) that I discovered I had quite the “potty mouth.” Seemed like everyone said some awfully questionable words. Entirely too often. That, as y’all know by now, the way we communicate, is habit. Strictly, unequivocally, habit. The more you say tacky/bad/inappropriate/mean/useless words, the more you want to say them. The more you NEED to say them. And the more you, therefore, do.

I became a Step-Mom at the age of 24. To MH 's four sons. They ranged in age from 2 to 12. Three of them eventually came to live with us. It was IMPERATIVE that I not ever use cuss words. I worked hard to accomplish this goal. I’d say, overall, I was quite successful. Occasionally, I might have let a few of those words fly out of my mouth—but 98% of the time it was when I was around (adult) friends. I swear (teeheehee!) I never, ever used the really, truly bad words. You know what they are.

Once I gave birth to TLC, it wasn’t that difficult to squelch my potty mouth. I’d been doing it for over seven years. I, having been raised to speak as appropriately and kindly as possible, was quite clear on my job as a parent to have TLC find "nice" words  with which to express her feelings. Words that did not include “stupid" and “shut up.” All the “F” words. The “D” word (Darn was okay, in my opinion.). The other "S" word (and I don't mean "shoot"). Etc.

By the time TLC got to high school, we had grandkids that inspired MH and I to, once again, commit ourselves to decent, acceptable language. Even though, at this point, TLC was beginning to use some of those bad words! Typically, as she approached the age of adulthood, I let these lapses in her judgment slide. You pick your battles, right?

It was soon after TLC learned she was pregnant that we both began to notice our daily usage of those not-so-nice words creeping up to an almost out-of-control level. We vowed to get our mouths/habits/words in check. Which I believe we have done. "Mission accomplished."

A few months ago, when LL really started to talk and mimic a lot of what we all were saying, TLC asked me not to use the word “shoot.” Believing I was going above-and-beyond The Call of Grammy Duty in keeping the super bad words virtually non-existent/spoken, I tried to continue to get away with some "shoots" here and there. TLC patiently explained she was worried LL would mispronounce it—at her Methodist Church pre-school—and stayed on my case whenever she caught me saying it. It was true. Almost every time I've said it, I'm trying to change LL’s diaper and inevitably causing myself extra time and work by putting said diaper on upside down—or tearing off one or both of the dang--oops, that's not allowed, either--I mean, dadgum (I'll have to check on that one.) adhesive fasteners. Hence, I began My Determined Crusade to use the word “fizzle.”

I’m not sure that’s the best substitute—but it’s my "word of choice." If y’all know of a strong, but satisfying, word that might be better, do, please, let me know.

By yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, after playing non-stop with LL for three days and evenings, inside and outside (only to have a break during LL’s naps and at night), I was trying to get LL ready to be put in her carseat in MH's truck for the trip East to her home, when, low and behold and, naturally, I had some diaper issues. I slipped. I said: “Shoot.”

LL chimed in: Shoot, Grammy. Shoot. Shoot. SHOOT!

Grammy: Now listen, LL, Grammy shouldn’t have said that. Okay? Grammy is very sorry. Grammy should have said “fizzle.” 

"Pizzle," LL chirped, as she smiled. Then she giggled and said: “Shoot, Grammy! Shoot, shoot, shoot!"

Sigh. A Grammy’s challenge to be perfect is never done. Never. Ever. Ever.

{Look for TLC’s New Orleans’ posts—coming to a blog near you ASAP!}

If you’re American, I wish you the Happiest Thanksgiving! If you’re not, I wish you a Wonderful Week!  Feel free to have some turkey and dressing, smashed taters and green bean casserole, and pumpkin and/or pecan pie! You’ll LOVE all of these traditional yummies. Trust me on this.

smooches, Dear Friends...