Decadence at its best!! Who dat? New Orleans...

New Orleans Saints, fleur-de'lis, & french architecture everywhere! Who dat?? All I know is that New Orleans is a lot of fun!!! It's not just plastic beads, obscene t-shirts and hurricane glasses... I was lucky enough to get to go with my husband, for the 3rd time, while he had classes to attend, to this beautiful city! It does not disappoint...we had to come home just to rest and detox after taking in the entertainment!

This trip was much different from the last one 3 years ago. It was 18 months post Katrina and visibly different. Then you could still see water lines on the restaurant walls, cement bridge supports and buildings. Quite a few businesses were still closed. This trip the restaurants and buildings had been repainted or somehow removed the water lines, the weather had faded or removed the lines from the bridge supports and it appeared that the stores were reopened.

It is renowned for it's variety of music and in the 7 or 8 blocks of Bourbon Street the choices are not disappointing. We listened to jazz, blues, rock, karaoke, and a funny dueling piano act.

What I love the most is the French architecture and interior design of the whole French Quarter. The vivid colors that represent Europe and iron balconies(where they do still throw beads and try to entice the women to show their stuff) are everywhere. The courthouse' whole first level is made of white marble. Jackson Square is gated with ornate decorations and street vendors selling artwork. Horse drawn carriages await to take you on various tours of historic homes or the bayou. I bought a poster with pictures of the various entry doors that hang in the French Quarter. Royale Street (runs parallel to Bourbon Street) was home to many different kinds of shops, from antique stores to French linen and décor items.. There are also novelty shops that sell alligator heads, claws, and all sorts of curios and souvenirs.

On one of my previous trips, I attended a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. We started by making roux, the gravy-like base of gumbo and jumbalaya, then pralines. The best part was eating the goodies and learning insider tips for making the items. There are a number of places that host cooking classes and offer different cajun fare. This was one event that is worth repeating.

Brennan's is a world renowned restaurant on Royale Street where the dessert called bananas foster was invented because the owner would receive large quantities of bananas on the boats and needed to use them somehow. The owners of Brennan's also owns the Red Fish Grill restaurant on Bourbon Street that makes awesome po-boys and other seafood dishes. Our other favorite restaurant is G.W. Finns, located just off Bourbon Street.

Out looking around, I found a new home furnishing store named "home and garden" in the mall. They were showing very light, white-washed woods, aquas, and natural linens to create a restful and elegant decor. Check them out at http://www.handg.com/ . Big , elegant furnishings that didn't look as heavy because it WAS painted lighter colors.

Have I enticed you yet? Take a trip to New Orleans for a fun, fun time!

Remodel update: Knobs should not be that hard of a choice, but in my case it is! I love knobs and know just how much they can transform a space…the choices and prices are limitless. I had ordered some knobs (actually handles) from the kitchen department at Johnson Madison Lumber, but knew I wanted some more generic knobs for the laundry room cabinets, so I went to IKEA for those.

Design quote of the week: “Beauty is the quality of harmonious relationships. A formula to produce it does not exist."- Frank A. Parsons