Another excuse for cake!

It’s Fat Tuesday and I’m up late. 

I just had to post a few of my favorite pictures from today.  I know there are some of you who stop by that are family or friends and you just want a quick update on my life.  Then there are the others that found me one way or another and would like to see what’s new on the jewelry scene (and hopefully there are those of you who would like to see both!).  Today’s pictures are clearly for the first crowd. 🙂

We had a first today…while I was snapping up the little guy’s outfit he reached down and grabbed his toes.  He was so happy to find something new to play with!  He’s been tugging on his toes the rest of the evening. Here’s a shot from his first discovery this afternoon –

Did you celebrate Mardi Gras in any way?  I’ve been reading the blogs of a few ladies who are getting ready to meet in New Orleans and set sail on a beading cruise!  Really.  Sound like fun to me.  New Orleans brings back great memories…that was the last vacation that my husband and I took alone (several years ago!).  I used to live there when I was in the 2nd and 3rd grade.  I remember vividly the fun we had at the Mardi Gras parades and how the people on the floats always threw big bags of beads to my Mom.  And I remember my doll Lucy who I still have with the painted fingernails and her poor head that keeps falling off.  Another memory was standing outside of my school, St. Julian Eymard, and hearing the bad news that Elvis Presley had died.  Wow, where am I going with this?  Fat Tuesday!

A couple years ago we received a mysterious package in the mail from a bakery in New Orleans.  It was a colorful King Cake.  Are you familiar with the tradition of the King Cake?  There is a wonderful (long) history of the cake here…scroll all the way down to get to the bottom line about the hidden baby.  No one took credit for sending us that cake to this day.   I suspect it was my Dad or my sister in law.  After that, we’ve been ordering a cake every year and the kids just can’t wait to see who finds the baby in their slice.  This year I decided to make my own version.  My sister in law sent me a great recipe (which involves a yeast bread), but I knew I wouldn’t have time to make the real thing.  This is what I came up with…at least it is still along the lines of a brightly decorated crown!  And I won’t tell you what we hid inside since we didn’t have a little plastic baby! 🙂

It seems we always find a reason for another cake around here!