Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Crawfish boils are a fun, festive way to celebrate Mardi Gras! "Laissez les bons temps rouler" means "Let the good times roll!"   So that's what we did...we had a great time this past weekend celebrating one of Justin's friends 31st birthdays with a crawfish boil!!  Several of our friends came in from out of town to join in on the celebrating...then we had several other friends that we've made here in Marshall show up too.  We ended up with quite a turn-out!  The crawfish turned out delicious and everyone had a great time eating, drinking, playing washers, shooting guns, dancing, playing drinking games, and just being merry!!

My husband, Justin, on the left and the birthday boy on the right getting ready for the crawfish boil.

My brother-in-law designed and built this crawfish pot!! Pretty cool, huh?!

 This was either before or after the target shooting and I just captured the moment, lol!

 Digging in to dem mudbugs!!

 Beautiful mudbugs!!!

 Cheese!!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

If you're from the East Texas area, then you know what Canton is!!  For those of you that aren't from around here, Canton is a trade days, "flea market", type event that takes place the weekend of the first Monday every month in Canton, Texas.  Don't let "flea market" fool you...Canton is acres of many, many, many stores, boutiques, and individuals coming together to sell their goods and creations.  Much of it is homemade. You will walk up and have no idea where to begin, it can be quite overwhelming!!
Now, a little bit more about me....if I see something that I think I can make instead of buy, I will certainly try to.  I always figure that you can make things cheaper than buying it from a store or boutique, right??  Well, when Mom and I went to Canton in October I saw a Christmas tree made completely of Christmas ball ornaments and they wanted $80 for it...and while I debated on buying it, the frugalness came out it me and I decided I could make it myself for so much less!  So to Hobby Lobby I went (I believe I've said that before)!!  I bought a metal topiary for the base, and wire, and bunches of Christmas balls.  When I got home, I figured out that I had bought the wrong kind of wire...it had NO structure to it!  UGH!!  So, my wonderful, smart hubby found some wire in the garage and had to spin the wire using his drill to make it thick enough...it worked great....but that's not all he did.  He also wrapped more wire around the topiary because it didn't have enough surface area to attach the balls to.  So, once we had all that done, I got to attaching the balls.  Of course, I didn't buy enough, so I had to go back to Hob Lob the next week....attached those balls and STILL didn't have enough....went back to Hob Lob another day and finally got the exact amount that I needed!!! So, this "simple" project took about 2 months to finish as I grew tired of it quickly!  However, I am so thrilled with the result....although, the final cost was around $125!!!  I guess I should have stuck with the one at Canton, but now I get to enjoy my own creation....plus Justin even feels a sense of pride when looking at it since he helped.  I didn't guess that he would care so much, but he compliments the tree every time he sees it! :)

Bowfishing

Bowfishing is one of my husband's favorite things to do...next to duck hunting, of course.  I LOVE being on the water, so when he asked if I would bowfish with him if he bought me a bow, I was game!  His parents live on a lake that's great for fishing for carp and gar.  I went on several fishing trips with him before I ever shot my first one!!  We went bowfishing one evening  in March after my wedding shower.  The carp were spawning and I got 8 that night!!!  So, I went from never shooting any to shooting 8 in one night!!  Everyone on the boat got at least 6 that night.  It was an awesome experience...so much fun, adrenaline, and excitement!  It's a fun sport that I'm glad I've entered into with the hubs ;)

This was my first carp to ever shoot.

 

This is my brother-in-law on left and husband on right.

This is from another trip during the day that we came out with 0 fish!

Trick~or~Treat

I haven't cooked much this week...this is not typical for me and I can't really figure out why the week was so out of the ordinary, but oh well.  I plan to get back into my routine this coming week.  Monday night I baked a whole chicken in the oven.  My husband isn't really a chicken-lover...he prefers beef, pork, and seafood.  He wasn't thrilled that I was cooking chicken, but I was so happy to hear him say that night that it was the BEST chicken he had EVER eaten!!  Now, those words are music to my ears, but my hubby seems to get a little dramatic when he is sitting over a plate of delicious food.  Anyway, here's what I did (sorry for no pics, just imagine it and your mouth will water!)---by the way, this recipe came from Anna!
-take out all the "stuff" inside the bird
-stuff the bird with whole garlic cloves, chopped onion, rosemary, and sliced lemons
-oil the chicken down...I used canola oil
-then season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Tony's...whatever you like
-cook in oven at 450 for about an hour and 15 minutes
I served this with some mashed potatoes that I had leftover and I added to them: Ranch dressing, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream...oh and a little extra butter!  They were FAB!

Today I was feeling a little crafty and my step-son, Noah, had mentioned that he didn't have a bag to carry his candy in for Halloween.  To Hobby Lobby I went!!!  Here's what we ended up with.  I think he likes it, but as with any other male, he's not very vocal about it ;)