Can I Keep It?

Mona's Creole Cuisine

This year, we celebrated Mona's Creole Cuisine for the Mona Lisa and Moon Pie Krewe parade in Slidell.  I cheated a bit and recycled last year's frog outfits.  We went as frog legs.  I stitched together a couple of pairs of legs for us to carry.  I wish I could have found a wheel chair to push us around in, but alas, that didn't pan out. Charlotte decorated a stroller for us that had a huge plate, knife and fork.  And a ginormous fly for us to eat!

I wasn't the only cheater. Charlotte's son Lowry, repackaged his nutria costume as nutria stew.

He had a giant pot around him for the walk painted with flames.

Charlotte's nephew, Christopher, is a chef.  He runs Christopher's on Cary across the street from the Arcade where we have the Red Beans and Rice Ball after.  His costume, as well as his parents' (Brenda and John) costumes, were a given.

Brenda's Moon Pie cart was tarted up like a dining table.

And Charlotte was a fabulous blue crab.

Charlotte's friends, Addy and Amy went as Wild Rice.

While Amy's dad travelled on his Hov-a-round as a crawfish.

The back of his chair was made up like the shell of the crustacean.  Really cute!

This was the Cereal Killers Krewe.

Of course, they were all properly outfitted as the cartoon characters from the box illustrations.  There was even a Capt'n Crunch, but we failed to bring batteries for the camera.  Waa-wa.

Always dark when we begin, the Flabeaux light our way. Lowry's buds comprised the majority of the torch bearers.

Moon Pie! MOON Pie! MOOOOON PIIIEEEEE!!!  Is still ringing in my ears.

It poured rain all day.  Fifteen minutes before we lined up?  It vanished, leaving a cool night for tossing Moon Pies to the cheering crowds. 

Can't wait until next year!

 

Putts Fore Pugs

Tomorrow is the 5th annual Putts Fore Pugs golf scramble.  The fun event is sponsored by the delightfully funny Maddie Lee over at Critter Sitters (901-758-9040) for Pug Rescue of Memphis.  It runs from 8:30 to 11:30 at the Cordova Country Club, 7400 Cordova Club Drive East, in, well, Cordova, Tennessee.  The cost is $80 per person or $320 per team.  The price includes 18 holes of golf, a gift bag full of surprises, a charming t-shirt (which may even have one of my designs on it) and a delishous buffet lunch. 

 

All of the profits from the event go directly to Pug Rescue.  And if you win the longest drive in either the men's or women's categories, you'll get a hand- painted plate by the Furry Godmother!

Come out to the beautiful greens and support a great cause.

Ze Craft Ees Faire! (Zali Helps a Mother Out)

New York, New York! What a whondurfull sound!  Ah LUVE ze New York!  I LUVE ze hotels! 

Ummm, no, dear.  We were in Nashville at the TACA Spring Show.  We didn't have to fly.  We drove.  Four hours.  You slept on my lap the whole time. 

What?  Ze Zali, he does not understahnd zees, "Nashveele". 

That's where we spent the last four days.  Nashville.  Music City.  Home of Country Music.

Yees, of course.  Zhat ees what I said.  Nashveele.  Eet does not take anytime to geet zhere. A few meenutes with a sandwheech eentermeesion.

 

Zali adores traveling.  By plane or car, he's a stellar companion.  Quiet and well behaved in the hotel, he only barked when some kids slammed a door at two in the morning. It was more of a "Hey!  Zees keeds today!  Ze people!  Zhey are sleeping!" than anything else.  He has a rolling backpack we call "the apartment".  Hud says when Zali disappears in it below the opening that he has gone to the pantry to make a sanwich.  Zali even has his own luggage, pictured above.  It's a round red suitcase that opens to reveal a stainless water  and food dish.  Its tag reads, "Globe Trotter".  The photo is a complete fluke.  Zali sleeps in the bed, on his back for better peepee airing, of course.

Not that he's spoiled or anything.  Nooooo.  Nuh-uh.  Nope.

Ahnd, ze muhzur and fahzur took mee weeth them to ze crafts fair!  Ze people came to ze booth to see how handsome ah ahm!  Oh, and maybee to buy some of ze muhzur paintings.  No!  I jest!  Zhey came to see me! 

The weather on the first day was lovely, but blustery.  Our neighbor's display was toppled by a huge gust of wind.  Show people are normally very nice and we all ran over to help her right it.  The second day started out sunshiney and bright, but it quickly turned sour.  Dark clouds spilled in.  Rain spat out of the sky in the most annoying fashion.  It wasn't enough to soak the festival goers, just irritate them.  It ended as sweetly as it began.  Cloudless on the third day, the temperatures climbed ten degrees higher than the previous two.

On the third day, Zali awoke a bit cranky.  The whites of his eyes were beet red.  He flopped his head on my arm when we awoke and ran his paws over his face.  Breakfast made him queasy.  I wrote out a note per his direction, that read, "So very sorry, but please do NOT pet me.  I am very tired.  --The Zali Lama".

Ten Sousand people have run zheir hands over my magnificent fuhr!  I refuse to be charmeeng today!  Non!

Aside from several strolls throughout the day up to the Parthenon in Centennial Park, he stayed in his apartment sleeping.  He awoke at closing to watch us tear down the tent.  Smiling, he asked me if we were going home?  I told him yes and he beamed with joy.

No, Joie!  Simone!  Ah mees Simone!

A few minutes with a sandwich intermission and we were home by ten.

*Happy Mother's Day out there!  I spent it with my two favorite men, Hud and Zali.

  Hope yours was equally fun.*