A Southern Life: my take on traditions, food, sights and more.
-
Happy New Year
2013 Hope everyone is having a wonderful time on this first day of 2013. I am looking forward to all that 2013 will bring. As most of the country is winding down from the holidays, New Orleans is just taking a bit of a breather to gear up for the upcoming Mardi Gras season. This…
-
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from A Southern Life in New Orleans.
-
Caroling in the Park
Beautiful music abound here in New Orleans. You may be familiar with the beautiful caroling that takes place at Jackson Square. What you may not know about is the smaller caroling events that take place in neighborhood parks around the city. We had one of these in our neighborhood recently at Palmer Park. Our crowd…
-
Christmas Scenes on the Avenue (St. Charles, that is)
I was walking the dog yesterday when I came across Santa Claus lying in the middle of St. Charles Avenue. This wasn’t a mall Santa with too many toddies after a stressful day of wishes, but a twenty foot tall fiberglass guy! He was accompanied by workers from a company that produces Mardi Gras parades…
-
Wreaths and Garlands and Doors . . . Oh My!
I took a walk down State Street here in New Orleans. It is a lovely tree lined street with beautiful homes and gardens. I want to share the doors with their festive wreaths and garlands and bows.
-
Christmas in the Country
My friends Jimmy and David have a fantastic second home an hour north of New Orleans in rural St. Tammany Parish. Over twenty years they have transformed a barren piece of land into an estate with a fantastic house, lake, gardens, a greenhouse, and a commercial nursery. The latest addition – just in time for…
-
Music in the Air
In New Orleans, there is never a shortage of great music to enjoy and that is especially the case at Christmas time. There are many places to enjoy free concerts by great musicians and some you can join in creating the music yourself. One of the more unusual opportunities to join in is presented by…
-
Ornaments, New Orleans Style
Decorating our Christmas tree is like a walk down memory lane. We phased out the shiny glass balls many years ago. Each of our ornaments is unique, and most have a story behind them. We have a sterling “Our First Christmas”, but what I really remember from that year is the cute ornaments that Shell…
-
More Christmas Decorations
More Christmas Decorations You’ve seen Christi’s decorations, and now it’s my turn! I’m a fairly spontaneous decorator, but I’ve got a couple of guiding principles. First, I love fresh greenery. We had a tradition when I was little – “getting the pine”. We’d go out to the woods and my father would chop down a…
-
Christmas in New Orleans
New Orleans is a great place to visit and live anytime but I think it is just especially magical at Christmas time. There is so much to enjoy! In addition to the beautiful Christmas decorations, there are the Reveillon dinners, the caroling at Jackson Square and in Palmer Park and . . . well, obviously,…
-
New Orleans Christmas Mantel
Glad you could come and join us here in New Orleans where we are gearing up for tons of fun in the city and plenty here at home as well. Lots of posts coming up to tell you about the caroling, the dinners, the decorating, and . . . well, let’s just say it is…
-
Meanwhile . . . Back at the Ranch
Both my husband’s parents came from ranching families, and I realized early on that cattle were in his genes. They have passed on, but Ed inherited the ranch that has been in his father’s family since 1877. That’s how a city girl from New Orleans happens to be running cattle long distance in Atascosa County,…
-
Riding the New Orleans Streetcar
One of the most iconic and enduring symbols of New Orleans is the streetcar. It is a great way for visitors to get around and see the city and it also a great way for locals to get to locations along the line and avoid having to find parking! We are 3 blocks away from…
-
New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
It’s Monday and I was in the mood for red beans and rice. Just like my grandmother used to do, I put the beans on early so they could cook themselves while I worked. Except I was sitting in front of the computer all day rather than doing the laundry. Red beans and rice is…
-
Porch Sittin’ in New Orleans
November has brought some lovely cool weather to New Orleans. Chilly mornings warm up to glorious afternoons that fade into spectacular evenings. As the days are shorter, we have a more limited time in the evening to enjoy sitting on the porch to catch those last rays of sunlight. This particular evening, we enjoyed the…