Camp Fire

Collect leaves and sticks

Place the wood chips and leaves on top of each other mixing them.

It should look a little like this.

Use a lighter until you see a good fire.

Family Thanksgiving Tradition~ Praline Candy

From my family to yours!!

The best candy in NEW ORLEANS!!

First step to sweetness is 1cup of evaporated milk.

Next step is butter, butter, and more BUTTER!!

Allow sugars, milk and butter to come to a boil.

Now the goood stuff.....add 1teaspoon of vanilla extract.

While your mix is boiling, spray your pan with butter.

Now, throw in your PECANS!!

Pour this wonderful greatness in a pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 15mins. Break candy into medium size piece candies and SERVE!!! 

Re-enactment of the March to Washington (Martin Luther King Jr.)

New Orleans Historic St. Patrick Cemetery

The Catholic Church built St. Patrick Cemeteries 1, 2, and 3 to accommodate the Irish immigrants who streamed into New Orleans during the 1840s, fleeing the difficult times in Ireland. The St. Patrick cemeteries have the typical above ground family tombs a visitor to New Orleans expects to see.

This was huge!! I was told by my grandpa that people are buried above ground because our ground are to moist to dig 8 feet deep. 

These tombs must have cost a fortune. 

Hot-water Cornbread (Honey's Recipe)

                  Hot-water cornbread is one of my grandmothers favorite things to prepare. It is fairly easy to make, but has more meaning to her than it just tasting simply delicious to her grandkids. She use to make this for her little sister and brothers when their parents sharecropped. They were very poor and had to make meals with what they had. Corn meal and sugar was easier to purchase than meat, so some night hot-water cornbread is all that would fill their belly's. My Grandmother takes great pride in her hot-water cornbread, as it reminds her of her parents and the times she shared with her siblings.

Her main ingredients! No eggs needed

Cornmeal

My favorite ingredient...SUGAR!!!

You mix them together in a large bowl.

HOT BOILING WATER 

Add it to your flour and sugar. Stir briskly until completely mixed. Ummmmm!

This is what it looks like once mixed with hot water =)

Use a vegetable oil. Allow oil to get really hot. When you hear it popping, you'll know it's ready!!

Take spoon fulls of the cornbread mix and place into oil. Leave in oil until it gets golden brown

Hot-water Cornbread!!!!!

The Texas Renaissance Festival

This was a first time experience for my daughters......and they LOVE IT!!!
They asked, if we could do it next year and dress up!

We visited the park during the All Hallows Eve themed weekend. They were PRINCESS ZOMBIES!!!!

I want. To suck......your blooooood. Sike!

Martin Luther King Jr. Museum Exhibition

Heading to Atlanta!!!

I was so excited to get here.  One of our greatest during The Civil Rights Movement!! I can remember hearing about this historical site when I was in the 3rd grade. It's surreal to be standing here =)

Shoes worn by Martin Luther King Jr. ,  Rosa Parks and other  who participated in the March for Freedom to Washington.

This was a video of The March to Washington.  It gave you a real perspective of  how powerful this March was. They walked linked up so they wouldn't be pulled apart by the police and sang old Negro Spirituals to encourage them on the way.

Pictures from the exhibit

Congo Square

Welcome to The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park

In Louisiana's French and Spanish colonial era of the 18th century, slaves were commonly allowed Sundays off from their work. They were allowed to gather in the "Place des Negres", "Place Publique", later "Circus Square" or informally "Place Congo" at the "back of town", where the slaves would set up market, sing, dance, and play music. 

In the southern corner of Armstrong Park is Congo Square, an open space where slaves and free blacks gathered throughout the 19th century for meetings, open markets, and the African dance and drumming celebrations that played a substantial role in the development of jazz. Local voodoo practitioners still consider Congo Square a spiritual base and gather at the Square for rituals.

In the southern corner of Armstrong Park is Congo Square, an open space where slaves and free blacks gathered throughout the 19th century for meetings, open markets, and the African dance and drumming celebrations that played a substantial role in the development of jazz. Local voodoo practitioners still consider Congo Square a spiritual base and gather at the Square for rituals.

     

New Orleans Artist Interpretation of Congo Square