Today, February 3, 2012 is National Go Red Day to support women’s heart disease.

I am pulling red out of my closet to show my support for a cause that has touched close to home! Every family tree has their own medical history issues and for mine it’s heart disease on every branch. Many relatives have undergone bypass surgery and some have lost their fight, so today I am wearing red in honor of them. It just so happens that my grandmother’s favorite color was red and she was a heart surgery survivor for many years.

Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women and that more women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined?!?

Unfortunately, heart disease is often silent, hidden and misunderstood.

Currently some eight million women in the U.S. are living with heart disease, yet only one in six women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat. In fact, 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

Join the American Heart Association to help shed light on this issue
by participating in Go Red For Women.

Go to Go Red for Women to learn more about women’s heart disease
including the sign and symptoms of a heart attack.

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This is the last Wordless Wednesday before the Super Bowl and that means one more game and then it’s over until August. *sniff *sniff

Sorry it’s late. My WiFi is teaching me lessons in patience and is reminiscent of the days of dial-up.
Hopefully, I can get it fixed today!

Happy Wordless Wednesday and Thanks for Linking Up at Nola Mommy!

We changed from our #9 Drew Brees jerseys into #15 Tebow jerseys between games.
Unfortunately, both teams needed more luck that day.

The little one says he sticking with NOLA & the Saints!
There’s always next year!

Geaux Giants! We’ll be cheering for Nola’s own Eli Manning #10 and the Giants!

Here’s a little more information about both events:

Birthday Pawties (For children 5 yrs. old and up)

Each Pawty includes: Click here for the Birthday Pawty Brochure

• Private Pawty Room for Two Hours
• Room Decorations
• Birthday Bone Lanyard for Honoree
• 1 year La/SPCA Membership for Honoree
• Educational Presentation
• Tour of the LA/SPCA’s Animal Rescue and Care Center
• Puppy/Kitty Playtime
• Choice of Two (2) Activities from the Activity List
• Goody Bags for all Guests

Critter Cinema

Second Friday Evening of the Month
6:30 – 9:30pm
For kids ages 5-10
Please bring sleeping bag and pillow (PJ’s are welcome)
COST
$25 per participant*

Please note: LA/SPCA cuddle critters provided. Please leave others at home.

2012 DATES
January 13th, February 10th, March 19th, April 13th, May 11th, June 8th, July 13th, August 10th, September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, December 14th

For further information about either even, please call Stephanie at 504-762-3314
or email Stephanie@la-spca.org
Space is limited.

Follow @NolaTricia

Honestly, I have always eaten shrimp creole and it is mostly shrimp creole that is found on menus around New Orleans. Sometimes when shrimp season is closed and our stash of Louisiana shrimp from the freezer is depleted, I substitute chicken for shrimp. It’s a very easy and flavorful dish to put together and will appeal to your entire family. Try it with chicken or shrimp and serve with long grain, jasmine or brown rice.

This morning I had to cross the longest bridge over water in North America.
It’s 24 miles long and had bumper to bumper traffic! Ugh!

But when I looked over towards the city,
there was a beautiful sunrise with rays of light over the city.
I grabbed my cell phone, snapped these photos, and realized there was no need to stress.
I said a quick prayer, still made it on time and have some promising projects in the pipeline.
The point of this story is that today, I was thankful for this peaceful moment
that was made possible thanks to traffic.

Thank you for linking up here at Nola Mommy!

Fleur de Light Candles are making a difference in the lives of those struggling with hunger. Through the sales of their See the Light, Feed the Hungry Candles, in cooperation with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadania, they have been able to feed over 19,000 people since August 2011!

I first took notice of the See the Light, Feed the Hungry Candles while working on a blogging project for Second Harvest’s Hunger Action Month last September. I can honestly say that prior to that project, I was not aware how widespread and devastating the problem of hunger is across South Louisiana. The founder of Fleur de Light Candles, Sondra Berger, recalled her parent’s depression era stories of battling food shortages and knew that she wanted to make a difference. It was a quote by Mother Theresa that says, “If you can’t feed one hundred people, feed just one,” that inspired her.

For almost 100 years, Luxury Pasta has been bringing families around the dinner table for pasta filled meals. Pasta is such a versatile ingredient and can be made into a dish that fits your family and now through the Luxury Pasta Moments Photo Contest, Luxury Pasta wants to know what home means to you.

Through the Luxury Pasta Facebook Page they are hosting a Pasta Moments Photo Contest!
The grand prize is a Kindle Fire!
The contest ends March 4, 2012 and will also have weekly giveaways!

Go to the Luxury Pasta Facebook Page and enter a photo containing pasta
and the completed caption,

“Somewhere in America, home is…”. 

“Somewhere in America, home is preparing dinner with my son!”

Ever since my son attended cooking school for kids he loves to help me in the kitchen.
He’s a pretty good mini-chef and last week we made Baked Ziti for the first time.

Since he is becoming more selective (that is a nice way of saying PICKY!)  about what he eats,
I have tried including him more in the cooking process
because he’s more open to eating what he cooks!

Here is our recipe for Baked Ziti:

Disclosure: Sponsored post by Luxury Pasta. As always, all opinions are 100% my own!
Follow @NolaTricia

The Times-Picayune, New Orleans’ newspaper, began compiling recipes soon after the storm and eventually this cookbook came to be. I am recommending this cookbook because the 250 recipes are delicious and because each recipe tells a story. It is hard to describe how New Orleans cuisine is so intertwined in the city’s culture. No matter the occasion, there is food and not just any food, really good food. Food with flavor, spice, and stories!

 Cooking Up a Storm includes the very best of classic and contemporary New Orleans cuisine, from seafood and meat to desserts and cocktails. But it also tells the story, recipe by recipe, of one of the great food cities in the world, and the determination of its citizens to preserve and safeguard their culinary legacy.

Many of you are familiar with Courtney and Tripp Roth from Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

Tripp lost his fight with EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa) on January 14, 2012 at the age of 2 years and 8 months.  Courtney blogged about her son’s battle with this horrific disease that causes blisters and sores of the skin with any pressure or friction at “EBing a Mommy.”

While facing the unthinkable, she displayed strength, grace, and unwavering faith.

Please pray for the Roth family today as they celebrate the life of Tripp and the impact he had on so many people. Pray for God’s comfort and peace for Courtney and her family.

If you have kleenex handy, read her poem “I’ll Need a Pinky Swear“

“Driven by creative innovation and through playful virtual reality, TrashCanKidz will bring about change in the lives of millions of orphaned, vulnerable and street children world-wide.” via TrashCanKidz.com

When you adopt a TrashCanKidz you will also get access to their online virtual reality game which takes place in The Forgotten World. Your character will help make the world a better place all while while helping real children living on the streets.

The unique thing about TrashCanKidz is the only way to purchase one is by having an ambassador code. When you purchase your own TrashCanKidz you will be given an ambassador code to share with your friends. When 15 people purchase a TrashCanKidz using your ambassador code your child will be able to select another TrashCanKidz for free!

I wouldn’t give you this information about this eye-opening product without sharing my code!
So here is is:

324329918

My son selected Slam, an 8 year old, who is cool, mischievous, and boastful! He likes skate boarding, stunts, and practical jokes.

When your TrashCanKidz arrives it comes in a carrying bag shaped like a trash can. Slam also came with a hat.

Slam in his carrying case!

My son learning more about how TrashCanKidz are helping kids around the world.

Playing the online game in the Forgotten World! Just to note: We did have a few issues with the online game freezing but we have been having issues with our WiFi so I’m not sure if it is the online program or our WiFi. Just wanted to give you a head’s up.

You can learn more about Slam and the other TrashCanKidz on the Web here:

Disclosure: I received a TrashCanKidz in order to facilitate this review through Mom Select. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.