strolling around the Caldwell Zoo...

Russell organized a friend's outing that was also kid friendly - we spent a day at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Tx! As we have so many little ones in our group, this was a perfect adventure and I was very proud of the turn out. I'm not sure if I took more pictures of babies or animals, but here's a look into our day at the zoo!

There is just something about the wonderment in someone's eyes when they see or learn something new. Probably my favorite part of the day was seeing all my friends teach their child (or children) about the animals we were there to see.

{Brown Bear is Parker's favorite book and Shelley was so excited to show him a real brown bear!}

{new friends or old friends, we all had fun!}

{It was a hot day, but there was a lot of shading for the visitors and the tenants.}

 {Ever heard of a Bongo? Hey, look! I just taught you something!}

{This venomous cottonmouth snake just stared at me...as if he were thinking "If only that glass weren't there little lady, I'd bite your FACE!}

 {Uncle Precious!}

{When it just got too hot I opted for a cherry snow cone! I went from sweating to goosebumps in seconds.}

{Leslie? We're coming to find you...}

{Did you know I used to collect elephants? That is until Mimi heard about it and all i got for Christmas and birthdays were elephant things!}

{I was most excited to see the giraffes. They are such funny looking creatures, no? With weird horns and hairy tails. Must be nice to have a built in fly swatter!}

It is such a short trip from Shreveport, I recommend it for all families as a nice day trip. Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a wonderful holiday :)

 

blueberry picking...and a little baking!

A few days ago Mama, Lauren, the kiddos, Mrs. Gerry, her friend visiting from France and I went to Frierson, LA to pick blueberries at Shuqualak Farms. It was a hot day so we waited until right before sunset to drive out there, but after finding bushes in the shade our buckets were quickly filled to the brim with blue gold.

Hudson got the hang of it very quickly :)

When you're done with your bucket, they measure your pickings and give you a free blueberry popsicle. It is to-die-for! It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Next is deciding what all to make with all of your berries. I decided to make blueberry muffins for my book club on Thursday. I found the recipe found here.

Delicious! Anyone have any recipes for blueberries they would like to share?

Blue Southern Comfort Foods...

Thanks to Chris Jay and his 20x49.com blog, Katie and I found out about the new restaurant Blue Southern Comfort Foods on Louisiana Avenue. I couldn't put it better than Chris, "Blue is small, off-the-beaten-path, and lacking in signage, but food lovers should make the effort to seek it out." And so we did -seek it out - that is. After passing the building the first time, we parked and made our way through the blue door into the tiny but quaint dining area.

Katie ordered the pulled pork over cheese grits with a side of broccoli casserole. Although the main dish was good, we both agreed it needed a sauce or gravy to make it great. 

 However, the Blue Burger is where it's at! A perfectly cooked patty topped with shredded gruyère and homemade bacon marmalade on a sour dough bun...i mean, come on! This combination was a perfect mesh between sweet and salty. I'm a fan. Gullo's may be Katie and my next food adventure!

What's your favorite burger place?

dancing into the weekend...

This dancing Nana has had me laughing for most of the week!

 I hope I am as spirited as she is at 88 years old!

(be sure to listen to the very end)

I could dance all f**ing day too, Nana. Happy Weekend!

House for Hope...

Have you visited the House for Hope yet? I just love walking through homes and seeing how things are laid out, getting ideas on paint colors, new gadgets and creative design. Mr. T and I went to Island Park off Clyde Fant on Saturday to check her out. My favorite part of the floor plan was the open kitchen overlooking the living room area right when you walk in.

Beautiful kitchen countertops, backsplash, and cabinetry, new appliances, and built-in shelving. Wow.

A walk in pantry is a little bit of a dream of mine- I mean look at how organized you can be in this space!

 The bedrooms were okay, but I feel in love with this painting on the wall. Thinking of trying to recreate it...

Mr. T liked the lighting and I liked the iron work up the stairwell. 

 The first room you come to upstairs is a media room. T was most impressed with the built-in speakers - I like the leather reclining chairs :)

Double sinks, pretty tile, and a place for towels? Does the Duchess of Cambridge live here? I kid, I kid. We really do love our 1940s home with all of it's charm and it kind of felt like we were cheating on her with this new 2013 model, but it can't hurt to look around, right?