Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras!

I have so many wonderful memories of Mardi Gras from growing up in New Orleans. I remember some of the costumes I wore, the ladder seats we sat in, scavenging the ground for beads, watching the St. Aug band play, and eating Popeye’s chicken.

Those memories spurred me into having our own little Mardi Gras party despite the fact that we are 600 miles from the real event.

Like most parties I host, I was planning on decorating and cleaning right up to the minute when guests walk in the front door.

This time that plan backfired on me.

Our party was set for 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon. I thought…plenty of time to cook and work on things. That’s a great plan exept that I became sick at 6:00pm the night before the party. I mean, I went down quick and was in bed by 8:15.

In came my superhero husband. He cleaned and cooked up a storm. Without him there would have been no party. I was still in bed when it was only one hour until the party and went back to bed about an hour after the party.

So, our decorations were minimal. Not my best work but it is what it is. After all, I’m pretty sure everyone was there for the crawfish pasta and king cake, anyway.

My mom sent the adorable mask along with Mardi Gras plates, napkins, and shirts for the party. The mask was placed in a flower vase filled with purple beads. I added the gold signs which read, “Let the Good Times Roll,” and the same in french,”Laissez Le Bons Temps Rouler.”

The only other decoration I put up for the party was the “Parades” sign. I actually wasn’t able to finish the sign since I got sick so the last parade, Crescent City, has a lighter coat of paint than the others.

And no I haven’t gone back to complete the sign. I got things to do.

I remember getting up early on Mardi Gras day to get to our spot on the parade route. First came Zulu and the thrill of them throwing decorated coconuts, Rex with the huge cow float, and then the truck parades, Elks and Crescent City, which each had over 120 floats in a row.

Steps in creating the sign:

1) Paint large board purple

2) Print out the names of the parades and arrange on the board.

3) Take the slip of paper with the parade name on it and turn it over. Color the letters with a white crayon (you are coloring on the back of the paper).

4) Turn the paper over so that the crayon will make contact with the board.

5) Trace the letters with a pen onto the board.

6) Lift the paper up and you will see a faint outline of the parade name.

7) Color inside the letters with paint.

Go here to see our Mardi Gras wreath.

Do you have any favorite Mardi Gras memories?

9 thoughts on “Happy Mardi Gras

  1. Happy Mardi Gras!! I remember going with you all one year and having a great time. 🙂 I just like the huge neighborhood party feel of it all. Walking for (seemingly) miles in either direction and people having fun, listening to music, and seeing the clever costumes people come up with each year.

  2. I think I have two favourite Mardi Gras memories. The first one was back in 2003 since I think that was one of my fist times and it was most definitely Alex’s first time. It was a cold day and he was bundled up standing on the ladder and I bought that crazy pimp hat from one of the street vendors.

    2010 was another good time. The weather was a lot warmer and this time both boys were old enough to get their own beads and Caroline was a magnet for stuffed todys. I remember we stuck around to see Drew Brees who was the king of one of the parades.

  3. The first time Bob and I took Alex to the parade…he was probably 3,he got hit in the face with a bag of beads…the bad news he got hit and cried. The good news is that he recovered fine and the beads in the bag were very cool! I think your decorations are fine and you are right, you cannot eat the decorations. Thank heavens for Derek’s cooking skills.

  4. I have never been, but my son is a die hard Saints Fan, so maybe I need to take him. Or maybe we’ll just stay home and throw a Mardi Gras party.

  5. Wow! Hope you’re feeling better! Praise God for awesome husband! I have never been to New Orleans, know nothing about Mardi Gras but I sure love the bright colors and your sign. Maybe someday I’ll get there?

  6. Yay, Mardi Gras!!! I have many of the same memories you mentioned since our families spent many a year together :-). 1984 was a memorable year for me: I dressed like Punky Brewster and–undoubtedly because I looked so much like her–took home a prized Zulu coconut, which we kept as a trophy in the freezer for an ungodly number of years. Was able to snag a King Cake this year from Whole Foods, but it didn’t quite compare to Randazzo’s, or even McKenzie’s. . .(not that I’m complaining or anything). Thanks for sharing!

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