How did this become a trend to be out of town or busy with after-work events right before my parties?!? ;) I think it started with Halloween 2002 when the Choral Project sang at the National Cathedral in October, plus I was moving out of my apartment & into the duplex at the same time! For Mardi Gras 2005, when our work kickoff event was local but required me out at events every evening & back for early meetings the next morning, I'd come home around 11pm & do party prep until I couldn't keep my eyes open. Then NANOG in LA was the week before Halloween 2005, but that was only a week so I worked around it, decorating before I left, working on mad scientist tags on the flight, etc. This past Halloween it was my own fault for going to Oktoberfest when I was invited, and I only planned to stay after Oktoberfest vs. before so I'd be in town for our concert, which was moved to when I was gone anyway! ;) Now we have kickoff in Vegas this time, plus I'm staying the weekend after to see a highschool friend who lives there, so I'm missing both pre-party weekends, leaving me only 5 days when I get back before the party! Perhaps some might say that the parties aren't enough and that I have to create extra excitement for myself...? ;)
Mardi Gras party prep so far
4 dozen creole chicken skewers done - seasoned & underbaked on sticks then frozen
9 dozen spinach balls done - this time underbaked then frozen vs only frozen raw
double-batch crab triangles done (192 bite-sized wedges) - in freezer
11 dozen sugar cookies baked, but not iced or decorated yet
2 cream cheese fleur-de-lis formed - in fridge
bought brie & pastry
bought sliced cheese
bought crackers
bought grape juice for punch
bought everything for shrimp mold
bought everything for king cake
updated Mardi Gras recipes page with new content & photos, plus Google AdSense
new elaborate white curly wig complete to go with 18th century French court lavender & white lace dress
house is CLEAN & ready for decorating!!!
Does this make me a slacker? ;)
At my mom's urging, plus she paid for the initial 3 hr cleaning as a birthday present, I've committed I will now have my house cleaned professionally once each month. This means I have to have surfaces clear, clothes put away, etc, for them to be able to clean! My house has been pretty presentable since I took the Christmas decorations down, since I've been trying to keep it picked up, but I'm bad about putting away clothes, and leaving stuff on the kitchen counter...so with the multimedia frantic frenzy plus packing & clearing surfaces, I didn't get to bed until 5:15am and had to be up at 8:15 since the housecleaners were scheduled for 8:30-9am so they could be done before I needed to leave for the airport. That forced me to have so many things done that while they were cleaning I could relax a bit, clean out my wallet, purse & laptop bag for flight use, make sure I packed eveything ($25 extra for 9lbs over weight and I didn't bring an extra checkable bag...doh!), and even weed through some webcam captures from Halloween 2005 & 2006, since those are being edited by a friend who volunteered...whew! I have to say that leaving my house sparkling & smelling clean, including my bed made, is a very nice feeling. :)
Mardi Gras party prep still to do
I won't get back until Sunday night before the party, plus I'm working all day the Friday before the party, so there is plenty to do! Decorating should be just one evening since it's just Mardi Gras, the cookie decorating takes two evenings because the royal icing must set completely before painting the gold luster dust on top. Since everything is cooked & mixed that can be before the night before, I think it'll be fine, but I don't think I have the time for a Wednesday alto even that week...darn!
still need to
set up the webcams & test upload & broadcast
decorate the sugar cookie masks & fleur-de-lis
take in lavender dress to fit
new mask hopefully
possible matching shoes that were originally planned for the dress but ran out of time
BevMo to buy Hurricane mix, maybe rum - still need to check inventory
check cider - hopefully next batch will be ready for drinking by the party?
need pineapple juice
Fair warning - no more Mardi Gras party progress until I get back from Vegas! :)
