Mardi Gras - Krewe of Janus

I haven't been to any sort of Mardi Gras celebration since I went with our high school band. So when an invitation to attend the Krewe of Janus parade came from my friend Nannette, this year's Queen, I knew I had to go.

My friend Sheryl and I drove up on Friday and immediately went to the world premiere of the movie New Hope. This was a Christian based movie about the effects of a teen suicide. It was very moving - so much so that when I was telling the kids about the movie when I got home my nephew Jacob asked me to stop because I was crying. Again. See it if you have the opportunity.

We were able to visit with the writer/director and actors after
the movie. They all did a fabulous job.

Next, we went to downtown West Monroe for the Krewe of Janus pet parade on Saturday. Having never been to a pet parade I wasn't sure what to expect but it was adorable to see all the furry animals decked out in their finest Mardi Gras attire.

Saturday night found us with friends of Nannette's (the Queen) for the viewing of the parade. It all seemed so orderly before the parade began but once the floats started rolling by, it was no holds barred trying to get those beads. And that was just from my friend Sheryl. (I kid. I kid.)

It was so fun to hoot and holler for beads. I was shocked that some parade goers actually would look at you and shake their heads no that they weren't giving you beads. Seriously?!

One man called me over and gave me a thong. What did he see that said she needs this? Whatever it was thank you!

The whole weekend was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year. I'll definitely take the kids for their first Mardi Gras experience.

Mardi Gras - Krewe of Janus 2012, a set on Flickr.

Feeling Wicked!

I have been to New York City a lot in my life and have had the opportunity to see Wicked on broadway during my travels - but unfortunately I never took that opportunity. Oh how I wish that I had.


When I saw that Wicked was coming back to Austin I immediately bought tickets for me, my mom and my sister as a Christmas present.

On the day of the show, my mom ended up being sick so it was just me and my sister. We showed up late so missed the very beginning of the show. Even that couldn't take away from the amazingness of the show. Oh how we loved it!

My friend Kristin is a huge fan of the show and kept telling me I would love it but I thought, eh it will be ok. No. It was. Amazing!


When my niece Sydni heard we were going she was so upset. So, of course I had to get tickets to take her and my nephew Jacob both to see it. My other nephew Caleb turned down the invitation so my sister and I took them both by ourselves. I'm so happy that they both loved it as much as we did.

Bridal Shower Dish Towel Cake

Bridal Shower Dish Towel Cake

I love Pinterest. Like really love it. There are so many wonderful things on there just waiting to be made.


This bridal shower cake made out of dish towels came to be because I saw a picture on Pinterest and knew I'd make it eventually. Well the time finally came when I got my invitation for my cousin's fiancée's wedding shower.

It was fairly simple to make. The shape of the bottom layer gave me some problems but all in all it was simple. I had such fun putting it all together.


Supplies:

8 piece kitchen tool set with utensil caddy
Wooden cutting board
Wooden spoons
Whisk
Sifter
Scoops of love scooper
1 set of 3 dish towels (coordinating colors)
1 set of 6 wash cloths (coordinating colors)
Popcorn bowl
Packing tape
Can of soup or nuts
Ribbon
Bow

Instructions:

Wrap the bowl and caddy in dish towels. Use packing tape to keep towels down.

You can also make round circles out of cardboard boxes. If you go this route you can use pins or hot glue to keep everything in place.


Take the can of soup or nuts (empty nuts can) to use as a stand for the caddy. Add the caddy to the can securing with packing tape. Spread the last dish towel across the popcorn bowl to peek out of both ends. Place the can and caddy on top of the dish towel.


Start adding the utensils and extra kitchen items. Make a fan out of the wash cloths and double over and place between the utensils. Add ribbon to a few of the utensils.

Add ribbon and bows to the bowls if desired. Place finished "cake" on the cutting board.

I planned to add a "W" to the bottom layer for their last name but just ran out of time.

my partial bucket list

I've never written down a bucket list before. Oh I have things rolling through my head about what I would love to do - and I've done many of them - but just never got around to writing anything down. Until I saw this contest and decided to kick my list into gear. Once I started writing things down, I had to pare it down because there is so much I still want to do.

Now some of these are doable I just haven't done them yet. The others are ones that might require a bit of difficulty in accomplishing. But they can be accomplished.

Bucket List

1. Take cooking classes in Italy
2. Go to my namesake place in Spain and say "these are my people!"
3. Ride a NASCAR around a track at 150mph
4. Stand on the sidelines of a Dallas Cowboys football game
5. Live in a log cabin
6. Take photographs off automatic setting
7. Take a road trip across the US
8. Sit on the players bench at a hockey game
9. Spend a couple of weeks in Orlando exploring Universal, Disney World and Sea World
10. Swim with the dolphins
11. Read the "Classics" that should have been read in school
12. Read on the beaches of Hawaii
13. Enjoy Mardi Gras in New Orleans (didn't appreciate it when I went in high school)
14. Ride a dog sled in Alaska
15. Take a cruise

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

We will always remember.....

On that life-changing date ten years ago I was actually home sleeping when the attacks happened. My life was so different back then. I was lucky that I had an amazing boss and was able to take off work for a year, only working two days a week from home, after my sister went back to work once she had my triplet niece and nephews.

On that Tuesday morning I was catching up on sleep at my mom's house when she came in to give me the phone from my boss's chief of staff. He was calling to tell me they were all ok at the US Capital in Washington, DC. I had no clue what he was talking about. He told me we were being attacked and to turn on the television.


(photo from www.september11news.com)

With that one statement, our lives would never be the same. I don't think anyone's life has ever been the same since that dreadful day.

After that call, my mother and I turned on the television and sat in utter silence watching it all unfold. When I saw those stunning and heartbreaking images on television I couldn't even grasp the seriousness of it all. I was in such shock.

Images of my own visit with my mom and aunt to New York city in May 1997 played through my head. We visited the World Trade Center on that trip and to this day I'm grateful we had that experience.

The main thought in my mind watching all this was to get to the kids and hold them tight. It was so hard to try and shield them from the news when all I could do was watch it on the screen and cry. I had to force myself not to watch it while they were up because at one-year old they had no idea of the horrendous act of violence we had just suffered. And I didn't want them to know of that kind of hate ever, much less at such a young age.

It's no longer possible to shield them from that kind of hatred or violence when everyday we see it on the news. But I can still hold them tight and tell them how much I love them. And I gladly do that every day I see them.

We will never forget....

Truly the most magical place of all...Magic Kingdom

I think the Walt Disney World park I most wanted to visit was Magic Kingdom. Just because who doesn't love castles? And I couldn't wait to ride Dumbo's ears (that totally sounds wrong) and a teacup. We ended up going to Magic Kingdom over several days by taking advantage of the magical hours afforded us by staying at a Disney Resort.

Diane and I and the boys went here first while Granny Gran and Sydni spent some quality time at the hotel. Our first site of the castle was late at night and it was stunning to see Cinderella's castle lit up in different colors.

Because the lines weren't too long, we headed over to Frontierland so Diane and the boys could ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They loved it and wanted to ride on Splash Mountain but we didn't want to be soaked all night long.

Then it was on to Adventureland to see the Pirates of the Carribean followed by a ride on The Magic Carpets of Alladin. I rode with Caleb and he had control over the carpet and that little boy went up and down and up and down. Then up and down again.

Then we went to one of my favorite places - Fantasyland. Now who doesn't want to go for a ride on Dumbo after seeing all those commercials with people having fun flying around with those big 'ole ears? It was so much fun! Jacob was my co-pilot and that little monkey was even more brutal with the controls than Caleb was.

We also hit up Peter Pan's Flight where Jacob said this had the potential to be a dangerous ride because we are suspended in the air riding in a hot air balloon. Then Snow White's Scary Adventure which isn't so very scary.

And who can go to Fantasyland without going on "it's a small world"?? They do such a good job with those puppets. They remind me so much of my Madame Alexander dolls so that may be why I like them so much.

When we went back with GG and Sydni, we all went together to see a performance in front of the castle. All the princesses were there and so were Robin Hood, Donald Duck and more characters!



Then we went to Tomorrowland to see Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. It was such a treat! I love me some Mike Wazowski (so much that I got a shirt of his face) and this was seriously funny. They involved the audience (Sydni and I were on the smile cam) and just made it one of the best treats of the day.



One of the rides I had been wanting to ride the most was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. And it did not disappoint. I had to fight Sydni to let me spin us as we were shooting at people. So much fun!



The next visit it was pouring down rain. We split up and Diane and the boys went to ride some of the more adventurous rides like Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway.

The Tea Cups we saved to ride when Granny Gran and Sydni joined us at Magic Kingdom so I headed that direction with them. We couldn't wait any longer, and actually lost Diane and the boys so the three of us got in and rode our hearts out in those tea cups. I've been waiting my whole life to ride that thing so I savored every moment.

We took Sydni to ride the ones I had ridden already and knew she would enjoy. She had a ball. Then we all joined up together again for another turn in the cups and to see Stitch's Great Escape.

Without a doubt Magic Kingdom is the park we took the most advantage of but we thoroughly enjoyed them all. I'm already anticipating the next trip!

Disney's Magic Kingdom, a set on Flickr.