Photo by: divemasterking2000

Mardi Gras was once an enormous celebration before the start of Lent and it’s now a huge party filled with parades, drinking, dancing and beads. Before the start of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Roman Catholics would turn up the fun and indulge in all the food and drinks they would be missing during the fasting. That’s where the name Fat Tuesday came from. These days, the celebration lives on and the partying is turned up in cities all around the world.

When most people think of Mardi Gras they’re thinking about the foolish and fun times on Bourbon Street in the city of New Orleans. Most forget that Baton Rouge has it’s own Mardi Gras season. Baton Rouge has many events that take place throughout the year, the biggest of which is Mardi Gras.

Photo by: biskuit

Every year the city hosts many Mardi Gras parades, the largest one being held in historic Spanish Town. So whether you celebrate with friends at your Baton Rouge apartment or catch some beads at one of the Mardi Gras street parades, you are sure to have a fun filled time during Baton Rouge Mardi Gras. Find more entertaining things to do and Baton Rouge events at the city’s website.

Photo by: Bernard Pollack

If you are employed with a job you enjoy, now is the time to increase your skills and do whatever it takes to help your company through this tough time. But, if you’re not employed or you are seeing layoffs in your industry, you may be looking for a new career.

Career Fields to Think About

The following is a list of the best careers that seem to be less affected by a troubled economy:

• Healthcare and pharmaceutical – Healthcare will always be a top career, and during tough economic times people have a number of stress related illnesses.
• Education – There will always be a need for educating children, youth and adults on all levels.
• Computer-Technology – Our world is becoming more and more high-tech, so having the skills to know the inner workings of computers and computer systems is always needed.
• Accounting – Tax laws are changing every year and during tough economic times people are looking for more ways to save money on their taxes.
• Environment – The green movement is still growing, so it may be a good time to consider this field.

Top 10 Occupations

Now, to be a little more specific, the top 10 careers that have been stable, expanding and always need more workers are:

1. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
2. Physician Assistant
3. Medical Assistants
4. Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
5. Computer Application Software Engineers
6. Physical Therapist Aides
7. Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors
8. Database Administrators
9. Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
10. Dental Hygienists

Improve Your Skills

Everyone is making adjustments during these tough economic times. Now would be a great time to take some online classes and broaden your knowledge so that you will have more career choices available to you. If you have time in the evening and on weekends you could start working on a degree in a top field, or if you are unemployed, check out the Baton Rogue jobs near you.

Holiday Centerpiece Bowl

Supplies

• crystal or silver glass bowl, a pedestal looks great too
• colored glass ornaments, different sizes (in the color scheme you have decided to use
• sprigs of greenery
• shredded metallic tinsel

This Christmas decoration is super easy and can be assembled in a matter of minutes. Pick the container that you want to use, arrange the colored balls you have decided on and if you think it needs a little something more, add a few springs of greenery or even shredded tinsel.

Photo by: Thom Watson

Homemade Ornaments

Supplies

• colored and clear glass Christmas tree balls
• spray adhesive
• white craft glue
• glitter
• shredded metallic tinsel and feathers

Easy, easy, and looks great! If you are using a color scheme remember to stick with it. The clear balls can be filled with shredded tinsel or feathers, or you can take the top off the ball, spray adhesive inside, add glitter and shake. The colored balls can be decorated on the outside. Make a design with the craft glue, sprinkle with glitter, and hang to dry.

Quick and Easy Wreaths

Supplies

• real or fake evergreen wreath
• ribbon or already made bow
• decorations for your theme
• glue gun
• spray snow

Wreaths are wonderful to decorate inside and outside your Baton Rouge apartment, over the mantle or in kitchen, and the real evergreen ones will add the holiday fragrance, too. Take your wreath, decide if you want the bow on the top or the bottom, and attach with wire or a pipe cleaner. Arrange your decorations until you have them the way you want. THEN attach using a hot glue gun. If you think it needs a little more, spray a light coating of spray snow, or use some spray glitter.

Kissing Ball

Supplies

• large glass Christmas tree ball (10 inch)
• sprig of real or fake mistletoe
• 1 yard of 2-inch wide satin ribbon
• glue gun

Have a little romance in your Baton Rouge apartment by hanging a kissing ball in the hallway. Choose a ball, clear or colored, glue a sprig of mistletoe to the top so it is hanging down, tie a ribbon at the top of the ball, clip the ends of the ribbon in a V and hang in a busy traffic area in your apartment.

Photo by: 7-how-7

Holiday Tray

Supplies

• 14 x 16 gold or silver frame (or whatever color you want)
• nice wrapping paper to go with the color of your frame

Remove all the hardware from the back of the frame, place cardboard insert on your wrapping paper, trace and cut out. Put back together and place on your coffee table with a couple of stemware glasses full of miniature colored balls. Your friends will be asking you to make this do it yourself decoration for their home!

Photo By: Joe Shlabotnik

Adult Sports in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge sports are popular, due in part to the year-round temperate weather in the area. From LSU intramurals, to the city’s Parks and Recreation department, there are endless choices for residents young and old. Just a visit to the YMCA, for example, will reveal a number of sporting activities for adults. A spot on the adult flag football league is a great way to meet people and stay fit, while both men’s and women’s basketball leagues offer participants the chance to play with a competitive edge. Volleyball is another popular choice for adults, and again, a fantastic way to meet people in a new city. The YMCA is a dominant presence in Baton Rouge, with eight locations scattered throughout the area.

If group sports is not your thing, consider private tennis lessons. The Capital One Tennis Center at City Park is newly renovated and offers a complete program for both kids and adults. Adult novice and adult novice plus tennis leagues also meet at Baton Rouge’s Independence Tennis Center.

Of course, you can’t live in the south without improving your golf game. The region is home to many challenging courses, both public and private. For a reasonable fee, golfers of any level can play on seven courses throughout the area.

If your residence in Baton Rouge is a result of an affiliation to Louisiana State University, you can also participate in the Intramural sports program at the school. In order to register, you have to be a UREC member, which includes any full-time or part-time LSU student, as well as staff, faculty or alum. If you are eligible, you can join teams from soccer to table tennis to kickball.

Living in Baton Rouge apartments gives you the opportunity to stay fit and competitive. No matter what your sport, chances are you’ll be able to join in and make new friends in the Baton Rouge sporting community. For more information on Baton Rouge clubs for sports and athletics, check out the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce.

Getting There

If you’ve never ridden on the Baton Rouge Public transportation system, you may not be aware that there are buses that travel around the city throughout the day and into the night that can transport you anywhere in the city. You can check out the Capital Area Transit System (CATS)website and find out everything you want to know.

Baton Rouge Transit Routes

With buses that cover all of Baton Rouge, CATS also offers transfers and free stops to LSU and Southern University. They also run the Route 16 Capital Par Trolley, which is also free. To find out all their routes, check out the CAT citywide and CBD route maps.

Public Transportation Rates

Along with routes all over the city, the Baton Rouge transportation system is also very affordable. Adult rates are $1.75 with riders over the age of sixty-two paying a low 35 cents. People with the disabilities, students up through high school, and anyone with a Medicare card can also ride for the same low rate. Children under the age of five ride for free.

There are also passes that can be bought for unlimited rides. Buy a single day pass for four dollars, a seven day pass for $19 or a thirty-one day pass for $56. The bus system also has routes on LSU’s campus, and students and faculty can ride the bus for free with a valid campus ID.

Why Take Public Transit

If you live in an apartment in the city, taking the bus is probably the easiest way to get around. There are a lot of benefits to taking the bus rather than driving yourself. During a time of high gas prices, using the Baton Rouge transportation system just makes sense. It’s a stress free, inexpensive way to get around. And, it’s relaxing to just sit back and let someone else do the work for you.

Expedia.com

The ability to bundle car rentals, hotel reservations and plane tickets not only makes planning a vacation easier, but it can end up being a lot cheaper than if you reserved all of these individually. Expedia.com also has a “Deals and Offers” section where you can find great deals on hotels, flights, cruises and car rentals. You can also find last minute deals for the unplanned vacation.

Hot Wire

Hotwire.com is similar to Expedia because it allows you to reserve and make plans for every aspect of your vacation, but it also offers planning tools to make planning your vacation a little easier. The Price Watcher tool allows you to get the best deal on a vacation. All you have to do is enter your needs and Hotwire will track the price as it goes up and down alerting you to the best rates.

Rocky Mountain Ski Vacations

If you want to spend your winter vacation skiing, shoeing and snowmobiling, the Rocky Mountains are the place to go. Check out the best deals on airfare to ski locations out west on the Rocky Mountain Vacations website. Also get info on the best rates at the different ski lodges and hotels. Not only can you find great winter vacation packages in the US, you can also find ski vacation deals in Canada, Europe and South America on the website.

Low Fares

If you’re overwhelmed with all of the travel and discount sites on the internet, LowFares.com is the site for you. Just type in the info you’re looking for, and it will match you with the online travel site that best meets your needs. You can see the deals that all of the travel sites are offering rather than searching each individual one.

Yahoo Trip Planner

If you’re still stuck on where you should go for winter vacation, use Yahoo Trip Planner to get some ideas. People plan trips, save them and share them with this online tool. You can also use it to plan and organize a trip you’d like to take. Plan several trips and choose the one you’re really dying to take.

If you want to get out of your Baton Rouge home this winter and explore some snowy slopes or lounge on the beach in the tropics, these are the best travel sites to help you find discount vacations.

Apartment Therapy bloggers aim to help people make their living spaces beautiful and functional, regardless of size, by providing design inspiration and resources. They accomplish this is a variety of ways…

Apartment Accessory Suggestions

You’ll find new and old, innovative and traditional apartment living products all over the site. Often there are tons of information from the community in the comments section. So you can get honest feedback about these products before you purchase them.

Question/Suggestion Section

This section is perfect for those who have a specific design problem. Do you have a great thrift store find, perhaps a chair, and need ideas as to how to reupholster it? Ask ApartmentTherapy. Or if you discovered a great new product like office chair sidegear, share it with the Apartment Therapy community.

Photo By: Decor8

Apartment and House Tours

Wanna take a peak into how other people live? You can do exactly that on ApartmentTherapy.com. Check out their home tours, taking notice of any and every element you find attractive. There are literally countless home tours on the site that you can browse to get ideas for your own space.

And so much more!

Photo by: Oliver Hammond

However, if you’re new to the area or looking at Baton Rouge apartments for a place to put down roots, you might be in the dark about Baton Rouge shopping. If that’s the case, we’re going to turn on the light and point you toward some of the best Baton Rouge shops in town.

Mall at Cortana

Hailed as the largest mall in the state of Louisiana, the Mall at Cortana has over 110 specialty stores alone. With a slew of large stores like Macy’s, Sears, Dillard’s, and JC Penney, Baton Rouge shopping at the Mall at Cortana will be an all day affair. With a place the size of the Mall at Cortana, you’ll certainly get hungry, which is why great restaurants can be found throughout the mall.

Along with 12 different restaurants, there is also a food court that sells everything from corn dogs to Chinese food to Philly cheese steaks. And, if you have little ones in tow, be sure to check out the children’s area where kids can play while parents sit and watch.

Mall of Louisiana

If upscale shopping is what you’re looking for in the city of Baton Rouge, you need to check out the Mall of Louisiana. Along with anchor stores like Dillard’s, Macy’s, Sears and JC Penney, you’ll also find many smaller boutiques such as Abercrombie Kids, Williams Sonoma, Ann Taylor, Talbot’s, Victoria’s Secret and Love Culture.

There are also numerous restaurants throughout the mall along with specialty stores such as Club Libby Lu, Build a Bear Workshop and CC’s Community Coffee House. And, for movies lovers, there’s a 14 screen movie theater on the premises.

Tanger Outlets

Just outside of the city of Baton Rouge is a gold mine for bargain hunters. Tanger Outlet Mall in Gonzales is a shopper’s paradise. Everything from Liz Claiborne to Old Navy to Polo Ralph Lauren is represented at Tanger and it’s some of the best Baton Rouge shopping you’ll find.

Whether you’re looking for a bargain, an afternoon of sightseeing, or just a chance to do some retail therapy, you will not be disappointed with what Baton Rouge has to offer!

Photo by: Chiceaux Lynch

For well over a century, each fall this most sacred of seasons is celebrated in many ways throughout Baton Rouge. But, perhaps the most memorable (and yes, slightly over-the-top) form of cheering on the team is at a LSU tailgating party.

What’s so Great about Game Day at LSU?

Tailgating in Baton Rouge is as old as LSU college football itself. A whopping 100,000-plus fans gather on campus each home game Saturday to support their LSU football team and have been known to start the partying up to 24 hours before kickoff.

Tailgating on game day occurs at a variety of on-campus sites, from open fields to random grassy areas in the midst of campus buildings. Of course, ticket holders generally enjoy the privilege of permit-only parking lots, so check online first to see where parking and tailgating is allowed on game day. Fans erect tents, set up barbeques, open the coolers and declare the party started, often on Friday evening.

Photo by: Kimberly Payne

LSU Tailgating Rules

The university itself encourages tailgaters, but if you plan to set up shop, you’ll need to follow a few campus rules. First of all, be respectful of LSU property and the property of others, as well as the fans of the visiting team. The university discourages use of glass bottles, and does not allow cookers in reserved lots. They also forbid live musical bands at tailgating sites and ask that all flammables (i.e. charcoal), be disposed of properly and safely.

Tailgating Food Ideas

If you need tailgating ideas, all you need to do is take a stroll through the many parties that take place on game day. Tailgating food becomes an art form in Cajun country. From spicy Boudin (dirty rice in the form of a sausage) to crawfish etouffee, the barbeques at LSU games don’t just offer up the ordinary burgers and dogs. Jambalaya, gumbo and other deep south favorites can be found in abundance. To wet your whistle, you can partake in some traditional game day Bourbon – or pace yourself with a beer or two.

Photo by: Kimberly Payne

So when game day arrives, check the weather report (rain is a common backdrop to LSU tailgate parties), grab your poncho if needed, sunscreen for when the clouds clear and head down to campus. LSU fans take their tailgating as seriously as they do their football. So get ready to party with the Tigers at a tailgate you’ll never forget!

Photo by: David Fairfield

Where Did Halloween Originate?

The word “Halloween,” has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from All Hallows Eve. November 1, “All Hollows Day” (or “All Saints Day”), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31.

One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. The villagers did not want to be possessed so on the night of October 31, they would dress up in ghoulish costumes and parade noisily around the neighborhood, to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

Why Do We Trick or Treat?

It’s also said that the American tradition of “trick-or-treating” likely dates back to the England parades for All Souls’ Day. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them “soul cakes” which are pastries. In return for the soul cakes, the poor citizens would promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives.

The church encouraged handing out the soul cakes as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, called “going a-souling” was eventually taken up by children who would visit the neighborhood houses and be given ale, food and money.

Photo by: Erik

How Did Jack-O’-Lanterns Come to Be?

Hollowed-out turnips with embers or candles inside, became a popular Halloween decoration in Ireland and Scotland a few hundred years ago. It is said they would ward off spirits on Halloween, and they also represented the souls of the dead. Irish families who emigrated to America brought the tradition with them, but they replaced the turnips with pumpkins. Since pumpkins are a lot easier to carve than turnips, people began pumpkin carving, adding frightening faces and other designs into their jack-o’-lanterns.

Why the Costumes and Big Bowls of Candy?

The tradition of dressing in Halloween costumes began long ago. The townspeople thought they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

The moral of the story? If you plan to leave your Baton Rouge Apartment on Halloween night, leave a bowl of goodies on your doorstep and don’t forget to wear your mask!