Happy New Year! (and the end of LSU football - Thank goodness)!

Sean, Sid and I decided to stay in Arkansas until after the new year! We decided over the weekend between Christmas and NYE that we would stay home and cook up something yummy! Shocking, I know! Cooking was easy, the biggest challenge was trying to stay awake until midnight. You put a baby that weighs nearly 20 lbs and a long staircase in the mix - it makes for 3 tired adults! Oh, and not to mention the furry baby who likes to play, too :) Needless to say, we pulled off our meal AND staying up until 12! Go us!

Before NYE, on Tuesday, we had a bowl game to watch. Not a very important one, but none the less, our TIGERS were playing in the Music City bowl in Tennessee against the Notre Dame. Let's just say we Tiger fans are beyond glad this season is overrrrr! Good riddance! Kickoff was at 2. To be honest, the game snuck up on us. I'm pretty sure I can speak for all family members when I say that when you're on the mountain, you completely lose all concept of time! We knew the game was on the 30th, but on Tuesday morning, we didn't realize it was the 30th! So last minute planning had us scrambling to come up with game day food! Have no fear - we succeeded. We whipped up some guac and queso (with the standard Corona Lite), then wings and garlic parm oven baked fries for later!

Ok so anyway - we lost - the season is over - we still love you LSU - and that's a wrap for the season. Byyyyyye bye!!!

Now on to New Year's Eve. Our friends The Boltons gave us a cookbook from Carmine's in NYC a few years ago. There is a great recipe for Penne alla Vodka. It's pretty simple, but you would never know it for all of its flavor.

We started with cocktails! Then moved into wine with dinner, followed by another cocktail while playing a new card game, then champagne with dessert and ringing in the new year!!

Regardless of our summer place setting, and the quality of the photo, the meal was really good!

We worked really hard to stay awake. And let me tell you, it was hard. Sean and I were determined, but convincing my mother was hard work! She was a trooper though, and even Louis stayed awake (not really) for the occasion! We were all acting a little crazy knowing we had to stay up so late (gosh I seriously sound so old!)

Sid went to bed at his usual time :)

Yep, Sean is holding one of Louis' chipmunks

Only one cocktail!

After dinner, we made another cocktail and played a new card game. I don't remember what it was called. Five Crowns or something like that? Regardless - my mom cheated. Seriously, can you believe that? Ok not really - but she had some serious luck! I was terrible! I couldn't keep the rules straight in my head. Blame it on the alcohol!

I should mention that the lowest number wins...

SHUT it!

It was really fun, even though I did terrible. I stepped it up the next night when we played again and I came in 2nd! Woo Hoo!

For dessert I made Ina Garten's Tres Leches cake from one of my new cookbooks I got for Christmas. We are aware it's not exactly an Italian dessert, but it was darn good all the same!

We were done playing cards, done drinking, done eating, all that was left to do was stay up until 12. We flip flopped back and forth between some NYE TV specials. Nothing too earth shattering. But - we made it to midnight and even had one little bit of champs left to toast! Happy 2015 everyone! Let's make it a good one!

On New Year's Day, we organized some of my mom's kitchen stuff, watched football, and ate some yummy peas and pone bread.

We had such an awesome time on the mountain. Unfortunately it was coooold and grey our entire trip practically, so we weren't able to get outdoors much. But we made the best of being stuck inside. We look forward to our next trip up!