Happy Halloween, Y'all!

We have had lots of rain this week and were worried that it might spoil the Halloween festivities, but it should all be cleared out later this afternoon.  To be honest, this is the first year in a while that we have prepared for Halloween and Trick or Treaters. Our two younger kids have been away at college so Troy and I would usually go out or watch a movie.

When the kids were younger, we enjoyed decorating, finding the right costumes, trick or treating, etc.  Every year we made sure to watch the Martha Stewart one hour Halloween special to get ideas for unique decorations and treats.  This year, our daughter is home and she LOVES Halloween. So, we have been getting in the spirit and enjoying it once again.

We made cupcakes with our own spooky frosting...

And carved pumpkins...

Can you guess the inspiration for her design?

Our neighbor goes all out for Halloween.
 Have you seen these animated window displays?

It takes weeks of preparation for his display.

Halloween is a big deal in our neighborhood.

I saw this sign on a mailbox while taking Spot for a walk.

Hocus Pocus!

Some houses are spooky, some just cute and fun!
 Each year around 500 kids trick or treat in our neighborhood.

What are your plans this Halloween? I hope your night is SPOOKTACULAR!!

Our 2019 Autumn Bucket list update 10/19

Happy Friday, Friends.

Hope you have been enjoying this lovely fall weather, lately. I know we sure have! It has been nice to have the highs in the 70's and 80's (instead of the 90's!). One night this week, the lows dipped into the 40's!

Our fall bucket list is off to a great start. Here is what we have been up to:

Visit Laurel, MS

We had a wonderful weekend trip to visit the town where HGTV's Home Town is filmed. While we did not get to meet Erin and Ben, we certainly can see why they LOVE their home town!  Here are some pics of our trip.

Sweet Somethings Bakery in Downtown Laurel
(Our B&B was upstairs, above the bakery)

Beautiful foyer outside the rooms

Opposite side of the foyer

This is a photo from the website of the B&B of one of the beautiful rooms like the one we stayed in.
It was a lovely place to stay. Plus, you wake up to the smell of cinnamon rolls baking downstairs.

Downtown Laurel Mural

Laurel Mercantile Mural

Inside Laurel Mercantile

More of inside Laurel Mercantile

Scotsman Co gifts inside of Laurel Mercantile

Beautiful downtown Laurel at night 

Trip to Texas

We were able to make this trip as planned. We were so lucky to spend some time with our family AND eat some Texas BBQ! Plus, we watched the LSU game and they won! So, it was a great time!

This was our first time eating Killen's BBQ. It will definitely not be the last!

Killen's Barbecue is truly the best in Pearland, TX

We were all feeling it! Geaux Tigers!!

My sister-in-law asked me to help her re-create a pretty wreath she found on Pinterest.
We used some cotton boll, faux eucalyptus and finished it off with a lovely blue and white bow.

Decorate for Fall - Anne

I have done some fall decorating and shared it on a previous post in September.

Attend our Fall Festival

This was held at our church last Sunday and it was such a fun evening!  We were really busy with our Trunk or Treat and did not get many pictures. But I was able to get a couple before the little ones came for their treats. We enjoyed seeing all of the costumes and visiting with everyone. We also had some delicious chili and hot dogs with all of the fixings cooked by our friends, Buddy and Gina.

"Truck" or Treat in an LSU Football theme. Troy made the field and goal posts himself.
(If anyone is interested, comment or email me and he can do a blog post on how he did it.)

Early evening Trunk or Treat festivities

We brought light-up mini footballs and a hoop for the kids to throw the ball.
 The kids liked this activity as much as the candy.

Cute little Trunk or Treater

Cardboard box maze

Next month, we will give an update on the rest of the bucket list which will include a recent fishing trip that Troy took and a little trip to Covington we have planned. Plus, it won't be long before the Louisiana satsumas are ready for picking. Stay tuned...

Anne's Shrimp and Corn Bisque

Something about fall makes me want to cook (and eat) soup. While I have many good soup recipes,  this one is a family favorite!  Here in Louisiana, we are so lucky to have access to quality, fresh seafood and we always have shrimp in the freezer.  I am also lucky because my hubby does not mind helping peel the shrimp. He has a fast technique of running the prong of a fork down the back and it removes the shell and the vein at the same time. I made good use of some smaller (gumbo sized) shrimp for this recipe.

Shrimp & Corn Bisque Recipe

Ingredients:

2 lbs of gumbo sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
(sprinkle raw shrimp with cajun seasoning)
1 bag frozen gold & white corn
1 can creamed corn
1/2 block cream cheese, cubed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup of water or seafood stock
1 stick butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 small onion, finely diced
Cajun seasoning to taste, such as Tony Chacere's
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Fresh cracked pepper to taste (I used tricolor)

In a medium pot, melt butter. Once melted, add diced onions and cook until translucent.  Add flour and whisk until combined and cooked through. Add cajun seasoning, celery salt, garlic powder and pepper. Add creamed corn, frozen corn and cream cheese. Cook until combined. Add water or stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Let this simmer about 10-15 minutes so that the corn and onions have a chance to cook. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink in color. Add the whipping cream and parsley and let it heat through. (Note: do not allow your soup to boil after you add the cream.) Serve warm with french bread.

I have included pictures as a step by step guide below.