We have celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday, this week (reminder HERE), and we have wrapped up the Carnival season with Mardi Gras, yesterday. We got to celebrate mostly like I'd hoped (how I wanted to HERE), however there were a couple of changes...
In the wearing of some Mardi Gras colors, I didn't quite get even my own parade done. However...we did do our shrimp & sausage boils, including potatoes & corn:
Since the kiddos don't do seafood or potatoes (whiners), we boiled the shrimp & potatoes in Zatarain's
and then, in a separate pot, boiled turkey & beef sausage with corn in a creole seasoning
...along with some red beans & rice (plus some plain white rice for the kiddos):
Hubby & I mixed the shrimp & sausage boils to have served with the red beans & rice. YUM!
Then we got to follow the evening up with King Cake & Hurricane Mocktails (aka - non-alcoholic):
And guess who got da baby!
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| One of the babies that was sent to me. I set the baby back in my cake for a quick pic. It was actually further into the piece, originally... |
~ SIDE NOTE: Lil Guy now wants King Cake for his birthday next year. Hey! It's during carnival season...
OK, back to regularly scheduled programming...
While we enjoyed our King Cake & Hurricanes, I turned on some Mardi Gras music on TV. We have AT&T U-Verse, and this is a provider that uses Music Choice. Their Sounds of the Seasons station was labeled as "Mardi Gras". That was exciting! However, much like their Halloween music, about a quarter of (...like a French quarter of it *snort*) was decent. But we were having fun.
I picked up some things from the Dollar Tree to help out with this celebration, as well as future ones!
Much of that came from the dollar store! Only 2 of the masks were gotten, quite some time back, from Party City for about $4-6. And...some of the stuff in the pic came in the same packaging together! It was a major score! So we have stuff to decorate (even ourselves) with for upcoming years during Carnival & Mardi Gras!
Wanna know what else I got from the dollar store? The hurricane glasses! Yep...they are actually small hurricane vases, but how perfect to use? I also found a package of the super long, super colorful, super bendy straws, too. It was a great trip!
I also imagined what it would have looked like if I had my own All AM~Erica Krewe parade of 1. So...I bring you more AM~Erica Silly-Selfies: Mardi Gras. You're welcome:
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Also, a page on Facebook, and also has a Twitter account, called 'Unvirtuous Abbey' (check out the page HERE) that has a geeky & pop culture take on religious thought. It's very well done!
Yesterday, Unvirtuous Abbey brought this up :
"For those trying to figure out what wine goes best goes best with pancakes, we pray. (Hint: red, white or rose!)"
Then a favorite wine shop of mine, Cork & Barrel in the Englewood district, had a fabulous post about Shrove Tuesday (the same day as Mardi Gras):
"Today is NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY! Time for a celebration don't you think? Come on in and get you some...wine that is. Wine for your pancakes, wine on your pancakes, wine between your pancakes. Oh forget the pancakes...just have the wine."
Well, it got me thinking...what if I had a pancake or two...and make a syrup with Antioxidant-Fortified Jesus Water? So I did! We had just a smidgen of AoFJW left in a bottle, plus a smaller smidgen of coffee left in the coffee pot. I put those in a pot with some sugar & boiled it to make a syrup! Yes. I. Did.
So...I enjoyed a pancake to try my syrup with. I may want to make a larger batch of that syrup!
Mmmmmm...
Since it's also National Pancake Day, IHOP does offer a free shortstack on Shrove Tuesday. Just FYI for the future...
Pancakes for breakfast, a whole array of NOLA fare for lunch/dinner, King Cake & Hurricanes...no wonder it's Fat Tuesday!
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Now that we have fattened our selves up, and we now finished with major festivities...it's Ash Wednesday. Time to dial it back, bring it down, and turn the focus on a solemn & prayerful time. It's a wilderness we enter on the way to the cross. It's about focussing on the stripping away of something that turn our attention from God to replace it with the focus on God, or adding in something that will help us keep focus on God to get us thru our journey.
It's a 40-day journey (not including Sundays). It's a spiritual penance we take during this time. It's not a society-driven practice. Click HERE for my other thoughts on Lent.
Today is Ash Wednesday. Many will have that dark smudge on their forehead or hand. It's usually in the shape of the cross as it's our focus on Christ's destination that saved ALL of us.
Catholic churches do the imposition of ashes thru the day; then there are Protestant churches that may have an afternoon &/or evening service for Ash Wednesday to kick off Lent, and will more than likely include the imposition of ashes on the forehead or hand.
I am one that looks forward to the refocussing. I've already been called for some other things after I entered into a wilderness (reminder HERE).
Well, I'm headed on journey, my friends. I invite you to come with me on it. And, on Easter, it will culminate into the amazing glory of the Resurrection! I take my first step today...
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
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