Wait, didn't I just do that?

I'm having one of those days where I look around and am shocked that I need to go to the grocery, do laundry, and clean out the girls' room.  I swear I did all that just yesterday.  But, I guess I will do it again today.  Oh I also woke up to find no bread.  How??  I just made some!

Maybe following this new diet fad, the Mediterranean, is factoring in here.  It involves eating like the Greeks and so far the parts I am following are lots of olive oil and at least 7 glasses of wine a week, which just means that the Greeks have a glass of wine with dinner (at least).  I sure hope Nespor's has their sale in March because my wine fridge is almost empty.  Since alcohol brings out peoples' true personalities, I think it is quite revealing that I get tired when I drink.  I am just so tired every night and want to sit on the couch with Sean watching comedies.  It is going to take a lot of caffeine to overcome my true personality today and get some crap done because I am clearly not getting anything done after dinner each night!

The salt worked!

As always, if I manage to find salt for the driveway and think it is a huge victory, then we don't get the storm.  I would be happy to fill the back of my garage with bags of salt if it will keep us from having any more snow days.  Kids so disappointed to have school this week but I'm cool with it.  Today is Emily/Mommy day, as I have trained her to call it, so she reminds me to spend time with her and not just let her watch Dora all day while I get stuff done around the house.  Since I rushed to get everything done this weekend thinking we'd be trapped inside a few more days, I am kind of at a loss of what to do today.

I'm sure there is a long to-do list on my phone somewhere but I keep getting distracted by my secret pinterest board for the next house.  Location being considered/discussed/debated obsessively as we continue to be completely overwhelmed by options.  The only thing we know without a doubt is the the kitchen will be white, ha.  Other than that the two paths are quite different and we can clearly see each one.  Feel free to weigh in with your wisdom about what is important in choosing a place to live.  We know there are many pros and cons to every location but surely we have overlooked some.  Trying to remember that both are great choices and nothing is permanent since Sean's job can go anywhere.  Also trying to remember the Pottery Barn trap of falling in love with the idea of something, forgetting the reality of how we really live.  Yes, I'd love to order everything needed to throw a lovely dinner in my backyard with party lights and rustic tables and beverage stations, but the reality is that just trying to find a date that 50% of my friends are available is a ton of work in itself so it rarely happens.  So there you go, this is what keeps me up at night.  That and pots and pots of green tea.  And sometimes this cool guy:

Day 5 and 6???

Not sure if I can handle two more snow day but that's what may be on tap.  I'm sure I'll be out with the rest of the town scavenging at the grocery store this afternoon.  I have no hope of finding salt so I hope this half a bag can get us through.  May have to keep the car at the bottom of the driveway just in case.  I don't know how many days I can be trapped at home.  Thankfully this weekend we have had a number of social events to get us out.  Amazing how much networking you can do at children's birthday parties too, I've learned a lot of interesting stuff this weekend.  I might need a private shadow blog.

Just made Patrick his monkey bread.  Clearly snow just makes me want to bake and eat.  Good thing we aren't going anywhere tropical for spring break!

Day Two

Snow day novelty has worn off.  Anna played in the snow for a few minutes yesterday and even though they were all excited by the new sleds I bought them on clearance at Target, no one has used them.  I told Patrick to go out and play and he scoffed, said it is too cold, but could he have some ice cream for breakfast?  So mad that I said no.  Sean has to drive the Acadia to work so I am going no where today.  The girls are having sleepover friend here to entertain them and I see even more TV in the plans for the littles...  We better be able to make it out tonight.

Snow Day, Angela Style

We knew yesterday afternoon that school and army were officially canceled today.  Don't tell Canada that army is off or they may finally invade, having had more than their share of winter for as long as they have existed, however long that is, does anyone know/care?  Canada is due for a beach vacation though.  No worries about Mexico invading, they weep at the sight of snow and we've got plenty of it.  Also, Mexico has already invaded and think they have won.  Fine, fine, we will let the winners pick our produce, work in our factories, clean our houses and do our yards.  We give up, they won.  But back to the snow, it may win here, but we will enjoy it Angela style.

For those of you who don't know Angela and her sidekick Joe, you are missing out and they really need a blog so you can learn from them too.  Angela has always enjoyed life to the fullest and is always planning her next adventure.  They just finished their sailing classes or something down someplace warm because they are getting ready to buy a boat and live on it.  If you think that sounds like hell, keep in mind they don't have kids.  Now that boat sounds pretty peaceful, right?  Anyway, this day is dedicated to Angela!

Last night I threw together this recipe from pinterest and it actually turned out:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/overnight-peaches-cream-french-toast-50400000116330/

I figured I would need the extra motivation to get up and deal with high energy snow day kids.  It did not disappoint.

Megan and Sean also ate it but Patrick declared it "stupid" and spit it out.  He then requested monkey bread.  There is a limit to what I can whip up on a moment's notice.  I do not keep canned biscuits on hand, shocking I know.

The kids were actually being pretty good, all happy to have a snow day, so I decided to do what Angela would do next, namely go in the hot tub.  Awesome idea, Angela.  Sean shoveled it off and I styled myself in bikini (which I don't wear in public, no worries) and big snow boots.  I promise, no photos.  I did get one of Sean shoveling, hard to see with the snow and trees.

Okay, you really can't see him at all and too bad because he was in his speedo.  The snow has continued since then, here is an updated shot:

A friend has offered to come use his snowblower on our mountain driveway so I have bread and caramel bars ready as payment.  It's still coming down though, it can wait until the storm ends.  Kids are hoping for a repeat tomorrow but we've pretty much had two 4 day weekends in a row already, I don't need a third.  We have sitters coming both nights this weekend and we will be ready to get out!

Weather mystery

Why does it feel like 4 degrees in the Dillons' parking lot when the car says it is 28 degrees out?  This is more than wind chill kicking in, it is absolutely bone chilling.  It does make me buy more food though, all I want to do is cook and eat and bake and eat and also have some nice red wine....  Looking at a snow day on Thursday and perhaps Friday, because the kids need some MORE days off school this month.  We are ready though, Emily picked out a bag of marshmallows for "hot chocolate milk".   And I have another 40 pounds of salt ready for the driveway.

Geocaching is a word?

Sunday had gorgeous weather so we took the kids out of the house.  I drove the littles to an empty parking lot to ride their tricycles.  Emily enjoyed the cookie portion of that adventure while Patrick kept zooming around me, narrating his race.  He refused to do any of the tricks while I was videotaping him though.  Meanwhile Sean took the big girls to do some geocaching.  It got a little crazy I guess, his arms are scratched up.

 Sean let Megan climb up this to find the box...

 Picking a treasure from the box.  I love the part where they put some junkity-junk from our house back in the box.  Finally, a use for that stuff!

 I can't get this photo to turn, annoying, sorry.  This was a cool one where the box was attached to a log and then put in a hole in the ground.

We met up after a while and Patrick joined them.  He loved it, especially when he found a whistle in the prize box and put it in his mouth and managed to blow it three times before Sean stopped him.  Oh, the lure of a whistle...  I tried to keep him from blowing it in the house when they got home but he could barely resist it.  He took it to bed with him and we could hear him blowing it on and off for a while.  I went to take it away from him after he fell asleep and I couldn't find it.  Then Sean went to look and found it still in his hand.  He pried it away from him and I hid it.  First thing Patrick did in the morning was ask me for a flash light so he could find his whistle.  I suggested that perhaps the whistle fairy took it away.  He scoffed.  Sure, all on board with the tooth fairy, who forgot to come last week after he lost his first tooth, whoops, but a whistle fairy is a ridiculous concept.  He was planning to take that to school of course.  I told his teacher and she was most grateful for the whistle fairy.  I did have to offer it back to him to get him to sit in the pink princess booster seat on the way home from school though.  He was good about only using it outside today at least.  Stood right outside the back door and blew it for a while.  Very literal.  Unfortunately I could still hear him.  I'm not sure where it is currently, I fear it's in his backpack.  I should go hunting...

Monday eating

There are two reactions to the topic of kale.  You either feel guilty for not eating more of it or you wonder why anyone would eat garnish.  I finally tried a good recipe for it, thanks to the Wintergreen Keenans for passing it on:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-Salad-with-Dates-Parmesan-and-Almonds-51137020

Too lazy to click links, here you go:

• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches kale, stems removed, leaves shredded or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 8 dates, pitted and chopped
• 2 1/2 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a peeler

print a shopping list for this recipeview wine pairings

preparation

In a bowl, whisk juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper flakes. Add kale; toss well. Let sit 20 minutes. Mix in oil. Refrigerate for up to 1 day, or serve immediately. In a dry pan, toast almonds over medium heat, tossing constantly, until color deepens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add almonds, dates and Parmesan to kale; serve.

I used half the amount of kale because that stuff explodes as you chop it up, just grows and grows.  For the dates I used the "extra fancy medjool dates".  If you think you hate dates you should try these.  Also great wrapped in bacon and stuffed with blue cheese, but perhaps not as healthy as in a kale salad?  

I tried this chicken chili today, also sent on from Wintergreen.  Seemed rather simple but was amazing.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creamy-White-Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Yield: 7 servings.

Ate so much that I feel sick just reading these recipes.  Time to put a child to bed, more later...

Current House Obsession

Thanks to Carrie for her well executed recruitment plan that includes amazing house listings.  This one is "slightly" (har) out of our price range but good for builder inspiration at least.  Drool along:

http://www.crye-leike.com/1500-gale-ln/nashville/ar/tid-nashville-mlsnum-1424531

Fake pennies, why?

I keep finding fake pennies in my laundry, which isn't as annoying as Kleenex but still makes me wonder why I keep finding them.  First of all, why do they make fake pennies?  How much are the toy people saving by making fake ones, let alone the energy and resources that go into them, only to have them thrown away by the laundry police?  Don't they know that pennies are free?  Look around, I bet you can see a penny laying right by you now.  Kids don't even stop to pick them up anymore, well except for Patrick who clearly can't pass up a fake one either.  I won't waste my energy for less than a quarter.  Ah, the lure of the quarter... a hold over from the laundromat days, precious quarters.  I can't imagine how valuable those would be if I was still paying by the load.  Oh my, we would have some serious laundry guidelines and rules if I was paying like that.  Certainly no more dumping the clean clothes back into the laundry room because the girls are too lazy to figure out if it's clean or dirty...

Sean has figured out a brilliant way to avoid the maddening task of getting the children to put on socks, shoes and coats and get buckled in the car.  He now says that he will go read some studies while I get them ready and then he'll join us.  Again, the blessing/curse of unlimited anytime work, hard to pass up.  All those pennies add up on paper at least and someday the kids will blow through it going to college.  Another 4% tuition raise at ND and I'm sure other colleges are keeping up.  Wheee!

Emily and Mommy Morning

Why of course, I am blogging during Emily and Mommy morning because I couldn't take the begging anymore and I let her watch My Little Pony.  I resisted for a long time just because I loath that "show". Then I figured I could make her happy for 22 minutes while I blog about her and embarrass her forever.  So here we go, some Emily stories:

1.  When Emily farts she laughs and then says, "no say that, my butt".  I asked her where she learned that and she said, "my not know", which is her favorite phrase.  We are working to correct "my" to "I" and then we'll move on to other grammar.  I don't know where it comes from, she hears us speak correctly all the time.  My Little Pony??

2.  Emily is being crabby and extra demanding these days and I finally figured out that it may be due to the longer preschool days now that they are back in the real preschool building.  Patrick is the same way, so perhaps this is just an adjustment problem.  I had been debating what to do for preschool next year since the Catholic school is also offering a 3 year old program and the cost and hours are similar to FUMC where we have gone since we moved here.  MCS starts at 7:42am though, whereas FUMC starts at 9am.  Either way I'd have to drive on the days Emily goes to school because it would be a tight squeeze getting all four kids and car seat and booster into Sean's sleek sports car, or rather into the Civic which is about the size of a sleek sports car but fractionally less cool.  We could just get Sean a new and bigger vehicle and solve that problem but that adds a bit to the overall cost of preschool.

3.  Emily has no interest in potty training now so we aren't bothering with the spring break trip to Kiawah since she can't go to the kids' camp program in pull-ups.  We will use the savings from not traveling to pay for pull-ups for eternity now.  I'm not sure what her deal is, probably wants to stay the baby.  Should I stop carrying her everywhere?

Well, I should probably take her out to find a decent gift for Sean since muddy boots weren't a big hit.  Sean ordered me macaroons last week and they were supposed to arrive today.  They arrived less than 24 hours after he ordered them and I finished them up today!  They were all fabulous except the ones that are flower flavored.  We need to put a stop to that trend.  It's like eating soap and I pass.

I forgot to post that I picked up a King Cake for Fat Tuesday.  They have been fighting since last Fat Tuesday about who would get the baby.  I finally let Anna win that war since I was afraid to let her eat any before we left for Shrek the Musical.  She hadn't thrown up since early that morning and claimed she was fine.  I take very few chances though and packed a barf bag in my purse.  I thought the only thing worse than throwing up at a show would be having to squeeze by 20 people to get to the aisle to go finish throwing up.  No problems though, except she will be pissed when she figures out that per annual tradition, I throw that baby out as soon as I find it on the floor.

Tonight the club is offering free babysitting during dinner so we signed up for that as soon as I heard.  If they keep doing stuff like this we will definitely stay members.  This is worth several months of dues, plus we are able to make our food minimum in the knick of time.  We've had great food there lately too, things are looking up.  Sean needs to golf more so I am encouraging him to add the golf membership back on.  He missed out on a lot last year, lots to make up for!  Maybe that can be his Valentine's Day present??  Let's vote.

Natural Consequences and (Lisa) Taylor Luck

It's been a couple weeks of kids home every single day, between alternating who is sick and who has random days off school.  I was afraid to even plan something to do today figuring that someone would ruin my kid-free Wednesday.  I pulled it off though and I wish I could report something productive that I did other than do a taste comparison between three different Harney green teas.  Not even I care what the results were,  so I won't bore anyone but I will say they smell much, much worse than they taste.  These are the snobby green teas, the one that guy recommended.  I feel like he was judging my love of tropical green tea so I branched out.  Why am I still talking about this?  Oh yes, because I had way too much caffeine and something lack of attention something.

So Megan signed up to do the science fair this year, optional for her grade.  I signed the permission slip but didn't really have any information or guidelines.  I did find some online this week and clearly Megan had no clue about that either.  What happened is that Megan and her friend just wanted an excuse to put worms in toothpaste to see what would result.  They have no concept of hypothesis, scientific method, variables, data, charts, reports, bibliographies.  Nope, they were focused on playing with worms, facts about worms, photos of worms, the life cycle of worms diagram, what font to use, what colors to use.  I am definitely a hands off parent when it comes to homework and projects because I already went to school and now it's their turn.  They need to learn the natural consequences of doing or not doing their work.  It would be fantastic if somehow, someday they ended up with work ethic because it seems a lot of people are missing that.  But back to the science fair, if we can ever get this angry printer to start working I will print out the random stuff Megan emailed me for this project and she can tape it to the board and turn it in.  I don't know if there are consequences for not turning in something that is optional or for turning in something that is not really what they want, but we'll all find out together.

Oh and in (Lisa, not Caroline and Andy) Taylor Luck, I posted on facebook about the lovely, thoughtful, romantic gifts I ordered for Sean for Valentine's Day.  He left his boots in Miami and no one could seem to mail them to us, no matter how many times he called, so I decided I would order him some new ones to replace those.  I picked out two pairs, figured he could try them on and keep what he liked.  I opened the first box and this is what I saw:

 My first thought was, "Are these Sean's old boots that he left in Miami?".  But those boots weren't this worn and dirty.  Sean wears his boots out to dinner and to church, not to someplace muddy to hike or whatever other people do in boots.  Then I realized that these were the new boots I ordered.  I was in total shock and disgusted really.  I immediately called Zappos to let them know what happened and that we did not put them in this condition and therefore do not charge me for them.  The lady wasn't surprised, just explained that they have such a high volume of business that they can't check them all.  She was happy to send out a replacement pair overnight but after seeing how these would look in a year, I didn't want them anymore.  The real point here is, WHO returns shoes in this condition???  A scammer, that's who.  Sounds like someone who would also deduct cat food off their taxes as "pest control". I digress.

In other Taylor luck I tried to squeeze in a quick car wash between school pick ups and the car wash broke while I was in it. It just kept spraying purple foam on the back.  I guess it wasn't total bad luck though because for once someone was actually working there and was able to refund my money, which I then took to another car wash after picking up the girls in a foam covered car.  Just made it look like I tore out of the car wash halfway through... the idiot who suddenly remembered to go pick up her kids.

Oh wait, I also wanted to show you all the awesome Valentine cards the kids put together for their classmates:

Yep, I let them pick out their favorite character cards at Target and I made them write their own names on them.  Look closely to see what contribution I made to the project: I poured two glasses of wine.  Both for me.  Just doing a taste test.  I was cooking and needed to finish one bottle and open another, what better time to see which one I like best.  Right?  Right.  And this is what I was cooking:

Made a kid-friendly chili (that everyone including Sean didn't like) to offset that Chicken Country Captain recipe I found in House Beautiful.  It's supposed to be a Southern traditional dish but I think it was a joke.  It's kind of like jambalaya in that it contains many random ingredients and is like a thick soup with rice.  I left out the raisins (that surely had to be a joke).  I'd include the recipe but no one wants it.  Hey Heather, I still have gallons of it if you want to try it!  Not that bad really, just nothing my kids would ever, ever eat.  This photo also illustrates that I need smaller pots or a bigger stovetop because the yellow one only fits on the middle burner.  I either have to alternate what I'm cooking or let one pot hang over the edge... the edge that the kids constantly run past.  There is a lot of yelling about this as they constantly ignore my advice to stay away and thus not catch their hair on fire as it flutters past.  I am all for natural consequences but hair on fire is taking it too far.  Next kitchen or kitchen remodel will include an induction cooktop and it will be in a safer location, surrounded by white cabinets and two glasses of wine.

These people are fools

I just read this on the Daily Beast:

Indiana Students: No Gays at Prom

A group of several students, parents, and at least one teacher at Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Indiana, is lobbying for a “traditional prom” that would ban gay students from attending. Administrators at Sullivan High School are not in support of the movement, so the group is considering the possibility of a “separate but equal” prom at which no gays will be allowed. “We want to make the public see that we love the homosexuals, but we don’t think it’s right nor should it be accepted,” said student Bonnie McCammon. A countercampaign has been launched by those who believe prom should be enjoyed by all students, and one gay student spoke in support of the school, calling it very accepting of same-sex couples and gay students.

=============================================

Clearly this is wrong on many levels and Bonnie doesn't understand what love means.  Also, Bonnie is overlooking the key fact that a gay prom date is an excellent choice and what many parents should hope their daughters have.  Let's break this down with some stereotypes, which held true for my gay prom date:

1. Extremely dapper in a tux.

2. Excellent dancer and doesn't desert you on the dance floor when Abba comes on.

3. No one ends up pregnant.

I suppose these days gay guys don't have to go with their girlfriend from running and would rather go with a boyfriend and that might be what is ruffling Bonnie's feathers.  Why does Bonnie care?  Do they shame her on the dance floor with their dancing skills?  Poor young Bonnie, she can't possibly understand the wrath headed her way...

More Night Circus

 Amanda and I.... creative vs boring.  Hey, at least I kept the mask on, until dinner...

 Amy, SueLynn, Kimberly, Dina, Nancy and Eileen, all on the Krewe.  And all very creative!  Krewe was supposed to have a red accent like the people in the book who follow the Night Circus around.

 Here is Phyllis, whom many people did not recognize with her new blond hair.  She is the creative genius behind it all, this is her baby.  She has a great creative team to work with too and they will spend today discussing what to do next year while we clean up this year...

 Forgot to tell our friends to hit the photo station, whoops.  It was lost in the chaos.

 I told Dina I would post her pole dancing photos.

 Amy and Kimberly help the strong man out.

 The hall of mirrors where everyone entered, ticket booth at the entrance.

 The snow tree, this one was Dina's baby.  I need to go pick up my bling ornaments...

 The juggler lady, this is in no particular order apparently.

 More Krewe.  Amazing how many different black and white dresses are out there.

 Penny in her latex dress.  It was impressive and I am wondering if someone helped her cut it off last night.  Her tattoos are fake, pretty sure most of the ones last night were, at least the crazy ones on the Krewe.

 The yoga contortionists.  After a few minutes the body paint stuff started ripping off from their contortions.  They were impressive and you could tell how hard the guy was working because steam was coming off his head.

 Crystal, Linda and I keeping our masks on, such good sports.

 Marsee is another one who finally made it for the first time.  It was such a great night getting to hang out with all our school and preschool friends without kids around.  Not that you could talk much with the music but we used a lot of gestures.  So much dancing that my knees hurt today. I also have little cuts under my fingernails from holding up my sequined dress all night.  Those things are sharp.  Good thing I'm returning it!  Megan is disappointed, wanted to use it for dress up.  Yeah, that's a $1500 dress, I only rent those!

 Had to post this one of Andy and Sean because poor Sean is in very few photos, he just went around taking them of me and everyone I pointed to all night.  Andy is the best new realtor in town who was helping us to find a bigger house here until we gave up due to lack of existing homes with detached garages.  I think this one will work a while longer and who knows, maybe that magical lot will finally open up and we can build what we want.  Or I will remodel here.  Or we will head to a city with a pro football team.  Nights like this definitely make us want to stay.  Such great friends here.

 Heather and I and her adorable little top hat!  Two of her boys were throwing up as we were catching the bus back to town, I fear today might be rough for her.  Or Brian?!

 Okay, funniest part of the night was when I asked Heather who the guy near her was... umm, it was Brian.  I totally did not recognize him in the mask and even looking at this photo I am a little unsure still.

 My favorite belly dancer, I did not get the shot I wanted but feel free to surf back to last year's St Patrick's Day parade... I think this is the same gal.  She also did a lot of sword balancing.  Brave in a crowd of drinking people.

 More of the performers.  The bendy people now have their body paint peeled off.

 Sara and Andy who had poor Davis home with the real flu.  Patrick had been so looking forward to his birthday party but it had to be postponed a couple weeks.  No postponing Mardi Gras, glad they could join us!

 Just some crowd scene, starting to fill up.

 Not super pretty but so good...

 My good sport food models!

 Oh Pete, enjoying the Phil Collins, "can you feel it, coming in the air tonight?" song that I can't stand, that I requested never be played again, and that the band claims 5 people requested. So they kicked off the night with that song for the 4th year in a row.  I guess now it's tradition and I need to get on board but I'm pretty sure all 5 of those requests were from Pete, wearing various masks.

 Oh, we are a sparkly group!  Heather, Sara, Marsee, me and Gretchen.  Notice my red nails, that was my accent for the night.  Going to remove it right now...  Oh and one downside to having our table next to the heater was that it totally flattened our hair.  And now to go wash out the can of hairspray...

 Shot of the band, they adhered to the black and white dress code and one guy even went all clown on us.  Creeping me out.

Blurry band. No shots of all the people who joined the band on stage but I assure you it wasn't me.  That would be my nightmare.  And now I need to shower and then go see if the tent stayed up all night...

Mardi Gras 2013: The Night Circus

This year the creative core of the Krewe of Allegawaho really outdid themselves. They found a horse arena out west of town and set up a black and white circus tent all based on the book The Night Circus. They hired a bunch of side show acts and the band, Groove Therapy, for the fourth year in a row. Cox Brothers catered again, as always food an important part. I'm on the food committee and did a few practical things like reserve the heaters, tables, chairs and plates. Clearly my priorities are being warm and fed.  I did help craft a few of the centerpieces but that was the extent of my creativity.

 I was sure to pick a table far away from the snake people.

 The banners that hung above the stage.

 Kelly sure thinks Kevin is hilarious as they set up the candy and dessert table.

 Warning: excessive monkey pictures.  Love the dress.

 Ah, the sweets table.  I'm still not a fan of king cake, even with black and white frosting.

Dina and the monkey.

 The bar, an important side tent.

 The bartenders, maybe look familiar from Bluestem?

 Kimberly and the monkey, best shot of the night.

 Oh wait, now it's Barry and monkey.

Happiest couple at Mardi Gras!  Matt and Mary made an appearance early before heading home to their newly adopted baby, born on Thursday.  Shawn and Jarrod then had their new baby boy's adoption finalized on Friday, so much to celebrate.  Unfortunately their appearance was also brief because they were so sick.  They came just for the Krewe introductions and song.  Jarrod and Kevin rapped and it was impressive.  Hannah, Amy and Kevin also formed a band to play Good Times.  Thankfully the whole Krewe did not need to be involved in the musical portion of the show.

 Here is the barn cat who kept getting into everything.  I suspect at some point during the evening this cat was eating off a table.  We didn't set them up until the last minute.

Here is one of the tables before the circus chaos.  More soon...