More Mardi Gras

Last night, it was time for this again



Mardi Gras is serving as a nice placeholder between Halloween Horror Nights.  

I am discovering that we view the parade in an area that is mostly locals and Mardi Gras die hards...and they are wild! Loud and wild! You can hear for yourself in this video...and, just an FYI, that guy shouted, "I love you" to every single person in the parade that wasn't riding a float!

But he was not nearly as bad as his 'friend' who was obviously on drugs - or high - or maybe both.  He was out of control! Tan shorts and black shirt.

And then...guess who came and stood right next to me?   Shadow dancing.  He honestly could not stand still!

Throwing beads from the floats...we now have 176 of them (after 3 parades).  What will we do with them?  Probably throw them away.  But it is funny how, when you are there, catching those beads becomes so important.  

"I love you"

"I love you"

"I love you"

"I love you"

"I love you"

"I love you"

"I love you"
Yes, he even yelled it to the
woman assigned to clean
up the horse doodoo

"I love you"

"I love you"
You get the idea...

After the parade, we went over to the concert to watch a little of The Fray before calling it a night.  

 All 176 bead necklaces separated by color

Weekly Meal Planning

I will be the first one to admit that I have not been very good about making dinners for Zack and me.  We eat out far more often than we should because it's just the two of us and it is easy to become lazy and not cook.

To hold myself accountable, I am going to try to post a weekly menu plan and also, at the end of the week, evaluate how well I stuck to it.

So here goes:

Saturday:
Spaghetti and corn
I am used to making spaghetti the hard way.  Because I am Italian, a recipe has been handed down for homemade sauce and meatballs that are to die for.  But lately, I just make it the quick way...cook the noodles, heat up spaghetti sauce from a jar, and serve.  Zack loves it either way so my rationale has been why go through all the extra work.   However, I may start making my own sauce again (just not this week) and then freeze a bunch.  

Sunday 
Panko crusted chicken tenders and garlic knots
This is another favorite of Zack's and is pretty quick and easy to make.  Win/Win

Monday 
Tacos
For Zack, this equates to throwing some taco seasoned meat into a taco shell.  But for me, I like tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream on my taco along with the meat.

Tuesday  
Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and green beans
I have to work this day so I want something quick and easy and not difficult to make.  This fits the need. 

Wednesday 
Pizza Night
I have to work Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday next week (which is highly unusual).  I am planning on being exhausted by Wednesday night and will not be in he mood to cook.  Also, since I work until 6:30 that night, I probably won't be home until close to 7:00.

Thursday Night
Cheese Ravioli and Asparagus
Zack loves anything that has spaghetti sauce on it.  Sometimes I will eat the ravioli without the sauce.  I plan to use the other half of the jar from Saturday night. 

Friday Night
BBQ Ribs and corn on the cob
Ribs are usually very cheap and this is one of my favorite meals.  I use Sweet Baby Rays sauce, add a little bit of water, brown sugar, and ketchup and then bake (covered) in a roasting pan at 350* for about 2.5 hours adding more sauce and basting the ribs every half hour.  Makes them very tender and flavorful.  

Saturday Night
Eat out
Saturday night is Mardi Gras night so we will either stop and eat on the way to Universal or eat once we get to Universal.  

EPCOT Friday

C.J. was meeting friends at EPCOT today to celebrate a birthday (not his).  He wanted to be able to leave early but did not want to pay the $20.00 parking fee to take his own car so he asked us if we (Zack and me) wanted to go...but we would hang out on our own while he was with his friends.  EPCOT??? Yes, please!

It was an unbelievably beautiful day out - sunny and about 80*.   The annual Flower and Garden Festival was also going on.  When the kids were little, we made weekly EPCOT visits in March and April because the weather was usually perfect so I have great memories of the Flower and Garden Festival.  

Zack and I were able to go on Spaceship Earth, have lunch, go on Test Track, Mission Space, Universe of Energy, Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth again - with C.J. Well, I did.  Zack waited for us outside and fed goldfish crackers to a squirrel.

We also walked through Innoventions and saw some things we'd like to try the next time we are there and stopped in Club Cool to sample some sodas from around the world.  

We ate fish and chips outside for lunch and I found myself feeding french fries to 3 ducks. I mean...how could I resist?

Picture overload...I had no idea I had taken so many until I was editing them.