Celebrating Mardi Gras in the West

Christmas is over. 2012 is here. Valentine's Day is around the corner. 


That must mean that king cake season is close at hand. 

For those of who you are unfamiliar with king cake and its consumption, check out this post from last year.  

Although Mardi Gras itself isn't until February 22nd, Matt and I decided to begin our king cake consumption early this year. 

Thanks to my new KitchenAid standing mixer, a fabulous Christmas gift from my grandparents, I was able to make my king cake this year without developing hand cramps (from all of the kneading of the dough). 

This is my third time making a king cake and I have continued to modify the recipe each time in an effort to create a king cake that rivals those sold in New Orleans.


I can dream, can't I?

I tend to create chaos when I bake, so I don't have any charming photos of the process but this is what the king cake looks like fresh out of the oven (and undecorated). 

Matt lent mission-critical support by helping me ice the king cake...

As well as helping me with the strategic sprinkling of purple, green, and yellow sugars.

The proud baker (I felt like I was holding a baby). 

 Matt savoring the king cake (with Mardi Gras beads on), with the iconic New Orleans radio station WWOZ playing in the background. 
Go here if you are interested in checking out the local Nawlins music scene (Click 'Listen Now'). 

 Matt with matching Mardi Gras cup!

Happy Mardi Gras season, everybody!

p.s. I am totally planning on one day posting photos of this entire process, along with my recipe. Just shoot me an email if you can't wait until then and want to try out my recipe! 

Welcome to Our Home!

Hellloooo! So glad that you could visit....please come inside. 

Would you like something to drink? 
Let me just run to the kitchen. 

We can sit here with our beverages of choice....

...And enjoy the view.

On second thought, let's sip our drinks on our huge, comfy couch. 

And, if the mood strikes us, we can grab a guitar, banjo, drum, or flute from our music corner.

Or maybe you would prefer to peruse our bookshelf. 

...And check out our taste in art (if you like this, check out the artist's totally cool blog).

Or our souvenirs from places near and dear to our hearts ...

Feeling a little tired, guest? Fancying a nap? 

Well, that's too bad. Because our guest bedroom...

...is under construction.

But feel free to take a nap in our room.

Which is slightly more put together.

What? Leaving so soon?

Make sure to visit the little boy/girl's room on the way out.

Thanks for stopping by! Come visit us again soon!

Love,

Nicole and Matt

Working Hard to Settle In

After unpacking everything from the moving truck, Matt and I hightailed it out of the apartment to celebrate Christmas a second time with my parents, brother, and grandparents and then to ring in the New Year with dear family friends.


After the weekend was over, it was time for us to head back to our new home...where we had a lot of unpacking, painting, and decorating to do.

Some people say that you develop a sense of husband/wife roles based on what you observed in your home (i.e. what your parents did). My dad was always (in my memory) pretty laid back about how things were decorated and seemed to let my mom make most of the decisions about paint colors, bathroom fixtures, couches, etc.

I am sure that my dad would have spoken up if my mom was contemplating something that he utterly detested but I don't think I can recall him ever having an extremely strong opinion on, say, the color or pattern of a duvet cover.


I expected that my husband would also be this way. That whoever I married would have more of a laissez-faire attitude...which would conveniently enable me to decorate any way that I saw fit.

Was I ever wrong! Matt has an opinion on everything. And his own vision of what our home should look like. And his own criteria for deciding on kitchen appliances, couches, wall paint colors....the list goes on.


He can deny it all he wants but, I assure you, I speak the truth. 

This drove me absolutely crazy when we were engaged and registering for our wedding gifts. 


But after 2.5 years of marriage, I have come to really appreciate that Matt cares about our home. 


Now, when I look around our apartment, I love that it is more "our" style rather than just my style. 

Check in a few days to see what "our" style looks like!