New Orleans was a short road trip away; in college, we'd finish up Rush and head to New Orleans for the week-end, no big deal. Most of my memories, honestly, are filled with quite a bit of debauchery, including too many Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's, resulting in things that will remain unmentioned, and the infamous Lucky Dogs that look much better going down.
But then I remembered all the other exciting aspects of New Orleans and its culture, the music, the architecture and history, the Mardi Gras parades with the elaborate floats, colors, and costumes, and the food--crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, beignets at Cafe du Monde, and King Cakes.
It was at that moment that I decided we would have a Mardi Gras party of our own--family friendly style. We wouldn't be able to go to New Orleans, but we'd bring New Orleans to us:
Trey and I made our own Mardi Gras masks, using sequins, glitter, and feathers, and stock metallic masks, all from the Dollar Tree.
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We ate King Cake--from Kroger for $6. (If you want to get really authentic, you can order them online straight from New Orleans, but with shipping, they're nearly $50.)
And we had our own Mardi Gras parade, consisting of me standing on my "float" (ok, so it was the couch), tossing beads and coins (again from the Dollar Tree) at my kids while singing "When the Saints Come Marchin' In." I'm sure we were a sight--my husband just watched us and shook his head--but it was a lot of fun.
This was our second year having our own Mardi Gras party, and I intend to make it a family tradition. Maybe next year we'll add some jambalaya to the mix (though Trey won't eat it). And who knows, maybe one year we'll actually make a float--or at least dress up the couch!
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