Beads and cake and resolutions

Watch out for flying beads!

I just licked the last bite of hip cake* off my fingers before uploading these photos.  We've cleaned up most of the dishes from our impromptu Mardi Gras party, and the recycling has been taken out.  We used to host a Mardi Gras party in Virginia because I could never get my act together to have a Christmas party, but I never thought I'd have one here, seeing as we're Yankees and all. But we live close enough to the parade route in town to walk to the parade, so I invited some friends to park at our house and walk, although my husband informed me that most people don't consider a mile a short walk.  So to compensate, we fed everyone jambalaya, brownies, and hip cakes. It was an "eat what you're giving up" party, so we also had chips, soda, beer and wine, cookies, and some people under age 10 had gum. 

Showing off the loot and eating moon pies.
All of these beads are now in a bag to be given back to a friend who has a float.

It was also a happy birthday party for my oldest, whose actual fourteenth birthday is tomorrow. He has grown about 6 inches this year, and did not ask for Legos.



He started out like this.

I'm still formulating my Lenten resolutions, but among them will be giving up sweets and talking about getting old, avoiding mulling on regrets, and reading some of the books I bought last year and never read. At the top of the pile are a couple of local authors, one a priest from Malayasia on mission here who has written about the saints and the other a man who lived with the homeless for a year.  At confession the other day, the priest told me to sign up to take Communion to shut-ins, so I suppose I have to do that. (Does that count as a spiritual and a corporal act of mercy?) And that same priest has organized small group study circles at our parish and assigned people to certain groups, so I will be going to one of those. This priest is very proactive, but also much loved, so he doesn't come off as pushy.

Now I am going to sleep off my sugar coma before Mass tomorrow morning.

*Recipe for hip cakes:
-Heat oven to 350
-Combine one box yellow cake mix with 1 stick melted butter and 1 egg. Mix well and pat into 9x13 pan.
-Combine 8 oz cream cheese, 1 box powdered sugar, and 2 eggs. Mix well and spread on top of cake mix.
-Bake about 45 minutes until set and golden on edges.
-Eat one for each hip.