"The King Cake is GONE"

I adore Mardi Gras, so this year I tried as hard as I could to honor the celebration and my favorite US city. Last year, Lily wasn't quite ready for a Mardi Gras bash (being only a week old, I can't blame her. Let's face it, on a newborn's feeding schedule, I wasn't looking to party, either). So this year we began working our way into Mardi Gras celebrations. Hopefully by her tenth birthday (which happens to fall on Mardi Gras - yes, I researched this) we'll have our own MTV special. Just watch me.

So how do you start to celebrate Mardi Gras? Well first you need some Mardi Gras shoes:



Then you need a Mardi Gras breakfast. Mardi Gras breakfasts consist of beignets, which I was up and over the Mardi Gras Moon to make....but I forgot to get powdered sugar. Hey, we're starting slow, remember? At least I got the good coffee. I'll get it right next year!

Then, you dress in purple, gold or green (or a combination of two. Never a combo of all three. Come on, now do I really have to tell you why?). You go to work and work real hard. Then you come home and get ready for Mardi Gras Dinner. This year, we did a low country boil. A smaller version, though, because only three members of the family have enough teeth to handle this kind of food, and one of those three is not permitted seating at the table. So we prepped the table for our demi boil:



We strapped the baby in...


And I took a moment to really appreciate the true and profound meaning of Fat Tuesday. Amen.



Mardi Gras also means King Cake. Apparently novice King Cake buyers like myself who are rookie/tacky enough NOT to order it straight off of Bourbon Street (I am so ashamed) need to arrive at their local Publix somewhere around 8am to procure a King Cake for the night of. I did not do this so when my purply-gold self waltzed into the store on my own imaginary Mardi Gras float, I was quickly deflated as the mean baker-lady told me in a very firm tone "the King Cake is GONE". How rude. So I said a little prayer for her and had to settle for cupcakes instead. Next year, I'm making it myself. You just wait. I'm gonna nail this if it kills me!