Mardi Gras 2014

On Saturday, we hosted our annual Mardi Gras party.  We both really enjoy hosting this party. By the time Mardi Gras rolls around, I am fed up with winter and homesick for Baton Rouge. This party takes the edge off my homesickness. I didn't get any pics from the party because I was too busy talking, but I did get some pics of the decorations and the kids before the party started.

 I embroidered the kids' shirts and James' shirt. The design for James' shirt was my favorite of the two. The kids' shirts came out cute, but the design was hard for the machine to handle. I threw one shirt away because the machine chewed the fabric up when it got to the Mardi Gras beads. I left the beads off of Samuel's shirt because I was afraid of the same thing happening.

 We took our baby gates down for the party and Samuel had a blast getting to run around where ever he wanted. He fully embraced the spirit of Mardi Gras and dumped a cupful of Hurricane on himself.  He is also ready for a parade now. His daddy taught him how to throw doubloons.

I got my mask at a local costume/party supply store called Johnny Brock's. We took the kids in there with us. It is big store. James says it is like the Wal-Mart of costumes. They have a huge assortment of merchandise, some of which nice and some of which is, well, just party junk. When we walked out of the store, Samuel said, "Junk, junk, junk." He was polite about it though. He waited until we were out of earshot of the employees. Haha. We got a big laugh out of that.

I made jambalaya for the first time in a couple of years. It came out pretty well, except that the rice was a little gummy. James made some delicious red beans & rice, but I didn't get a photo of that either.

We had a great time catching up with our friends, some of whom we had not seen in quite some time. Thanks to everyone to joined us!

A note to your protestant self: today marks the first day of Lent. Do not try to eat at a seafood restaurant on a Friday night until *after* Easter. There will be a two hour wait for a table. We seem to forget that every year.

Mardi Gras wreath

Here's a photo of our Mardi Gras wreath that I made yesterday.




I spent less than $20 on the materials! I got everything at Michael's, and I had to return a couple of items that I had purchaced a few weeks ago. The return gave me a $20 credit. The cost of the materials does exclude the mask. I found it in my box of Mardi Gras decorations. I used it on the mantle last year.

I'm pretty pleased with the way the wreath turned out. It is much nicer than what graced our front door last Mardi Gras. Some of you may remember that tacky plastic green and purple sign I had put up. Don't worry. I threw it away after Mardi Gras last year. Ha!

Happy Mardi Gras!

We had a Mardi Gras party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We had a houseful of about 15 adults and 5 kids - mostly our neighbors and some friends from church. James made red beans and rice and gumbo, and I made spinach dip, crawfish dip, & coleslaw. We got two king cakes from a local bakery, and they were pretty good. Not as good as Ambrosia's in Baton Rouge, but good. We hoped to have homemade pralines, but I tried 3 times and James tired twice. We have successfully made them several times in the past, but we couldn't make it happen Saturday. All I ended up with was a bunch of burnt sugar and hot pecans. James got a batch that tasted OK, but they we not the right color at all. Pralines are supposed to be a light brown color, but these we the color of dark chocolate. I was afraid to serve them, so I threw them out. We didn't take many pictures at the party. James was busy bartending most of the night, and I was trying to make the rounds and make sure I got the chance to speak with everyone. So, here are some pictures of our decorations.

Front Door

Foyer

Foyer again. This picture is out of focus, but you get the idea.

Kitchen island

Fireplace

Dinning room

Kitchen table