A Whole Lot of Catching Up

I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging for over a week but last week just flew right by without me catching you up on this thrilling life I'm leading.   (insert much sarcasm)

First up, let's see the hilariously boring clothing selections going allllll the way back to March 9th and we'll mix in some dinner and boring household tasks to see how long we can drag this out.  

#1- I picked up two pairs of these shorts at Wallyworld.  I needed house/yard shorts and these fit the bill, plus they are super cheap.   These are the black ones, size small but honestly I should have gotten the XS. I grabbed the navy ones as well.  The t-shirt is an old one from Gruene Hall.  March 9

Don't you love little Rouxby Sue's favorite napping spot.  I lose her and I finally follow the snoring.

#2- One of those spring days where shorts and a sweatshirt were the perfect combo. This skort is from Target last year.  It's a small and if I were buying another I'd try it on because this one runs small. The sweatshirt is old, from a local boutique, but the brand is Shiraleah and it's the perfect spring sweatshirt.  This is a medium and I've tried my darnedest to shrink this thing but I end up tucking it in to keep the bagginess in check. March 11

March 9th was a nice day and  we made homemade pizzas in our Ooni.  It's pizza season again!!

This year I'm going to perfect that homemade crust and learn to cook a lot more things in that Ooni.

Before the oven.   

 And after, they aren't always beautiful but they are delicious! 

March 10th brought more nice weather and I ventured out to the garden for a lettuce harvest.

Then I whipped up some egg salad, and made myself a delicious lunch.   It's egg salad on top of fresh arugula from the garden, topped with cherry tomatoes.   Our local Central Market sells these in the ready to eat section and I love the combo but it's a bit pricey.  The peppery arugula is the perfect accompaniment to the creamy egg salad.

Then for dinner we had a Hello Fresh meal of Moo Shu Pork Bowls

This one was really good and it was a quick meal to prepare as well.  Hubster approved 👍

Then on Wednesday I whipped up this little extra side dish that came with our Hello Fresh delivery.

Greek Tortelloni Salad

I ate it about 3 different times for lunch.   I thought it was especially yummy, hubster wanted meat. Haha

If I were home alone I'd have this with a nice glass of white wine for dinner and be uber happy!

I'm a simple girl.

That evening for dinner we had a lovely Chili Pepper Crunch Pasta served alongside our garden fresh lettuce mixture for a salad and some garlic bread.  The garlic bread came with a Hello Fresh meal. 

Let's get back to clothing for a minute, this is exhilarating material don't you think! 😂

#1-Looks like March 12 brought some chilly temps so I decked myself in my favorite old Orpheus sweatshirt.  This is our Mardi Gras krewe so I have no link for you.  The black leggings are a Nordstrom sale purchase every year because they are the BEST leggings.  Zelle live in leggings.  I've started buying the ⅞ length because I'm vertically challenged and I got tired of the bunching at the ankles.  They launder like a dream so they get worn a LOT in the winter especially.   I also always throw a pair in my suitcase when we travel and I've never regretted the tiny amount of space they take up.  

#2 & #3 - Both looks are from the same day, the 13th, it started out cool but warmed up nicely.

The skort you've seen before, it's old from Costco and 32 degrees, it was a size small but it's in the donation bin now.  It's hard to tell in the pic but it's way too big in the waist and I got tired of fighting with it all day.    32 degrees generally on the larger side.  The sweatshirt is an old Patagonia but I absolutely love it.  It's big and soft and a variation of it is available here.   The more you wash and dry it the better it gets.  The t-shirt is from a now defunct restaurant in New Orleans, The Ugly Dog Saloon.  We were walking the dogs so I tossed on my Birkenstock sandals.  I call these my BirkenCrocs because they are made of the material that Crocs are made from.  I've had them for years but they still make them.  

I did some exciting things on March 12th.

It was cold out so I pulled all my diffusers to the kitchen and cleaned them.  Note: this is not all of them, I had to do them in shifts.  

But my all time favorite diffuser is back to her old self just diffusing away.

If your diffusers aren't working as well as they used to, pull them and give them a good cleaning especially that metal diffuser button in the bottom, makes a world of difference.

Then my March Nuuly order arrived and I had to stop and try on my rentals.

There's 3 pair of shorts, a spring sweater, a top and a pair of ecru pants.

You'll see a few items coming up later. But I wish renting clothing was something I did a LOT sooner when I started my weight loss journey.   I've spent money on things I never was able to wear and that's heartbreaking to me and the bank account.   I started doing the rentals last October and then I stopped for a few months then I picked back up in March because my summer clothing choices are minimal.  I'll probably do it for a few months as I build my wardrobe back up because I'm in the maintenance phase and not planning to lose any more weight.  

Time for dinner and another Hello Fresh meal.  This time it was Cheddar Cheeseburger Boats.  I'm just going be honest, not my favorite.  Hubster said it was okay but he'd prefer we not order that meal again.

It also made a TON, I mean like 8 servings.  Thank goodness the man loves leftovers!

Let's get to another clothing mashup because this is turning into a novel!

#1- The skort is another 32 degrees skort from Costco.  This one is an XS and it fits MUCH better!

The t-shirt is old from a fundraiser for Lone Star Bulldog Rescue, this was March 14, we had to run to the Farmers Market and to buy garden veggies to get planted after this, hopefully, last cold snap moves out.

#2 - Obviously St. Patrick's Day- the jeans were an Amazon Vine item I reviewed. They are ok but are too big, these are a small so you definitely need to size down.   The t-shirt is so old I have zero recollection of where it came from.  It says Lucky Charms and has a leprechaun on it and is comfy.   It comes out once a year then back to the holiday clothing storage bin. 

#3- There are those Zelle live in leggings again and my new this year red Orpheus ¼ zip pullover.

March 16th was a chilly day. I did switch out my socks and add some kind of shoes to take Miss Rouxby Sue to the vet that afternoon. 

Went AWOL and didn't take any photos for quite a few days, and sadly one of those was one of my rented shorts that I LOVE.   I'm pretty sure I'll end up purchasing those!   That's another fun thing, if you love something in your bag they give you the option to purchase it at a discounted rate.

Let's resume clothing and also, let's hope I never backlog these again. I'm sure you are all getting incredibly bored!

#1- Acupuncture day on the 18th so I grabbed that 32 degrees skort and my Universal Threads t-shirt from Target.  I have quite a few of these tees and they launder perfectly and are quite inexpensive.  I wear a Small and I'd say they are true to size, I also dry them and have no issues with shrinkage.

#2- Next up, little Rouxby Sue joins again and I'm wearing those old Judy Blue shorts that you've seen a bazillion times by now.   The t-shirt I picked up in my hometown of Paducah, Ky.  I grabbed mine at Barrel & Bond which is an amazing bourbon bar in downtown.  It's several years old but it's my reminder of home every time I wear it. Thursday the 19th

#3- It's FriYay and I'm wearing an old Zelle skort from Nordstrom. Zelle's athleisure wear is perfection.  I'm also sporting my Creed '24 t-shirt. The Abogg and I went to see them in Dallas when he was home visiting.  Incidentally, the Summer of 99 tour was our second Creed concert.  I took him to see Creed in Nashville in 1999 at the ripe old age of 8.  I  love going to concerts with my boy and he didn't fall asleep in the backseat on the way home this time

We're heading down the home stretch peeps!!

#1- We are breaking away from clothing and talking pajamas for a bit.  If you aren't on the JoySpun pajama train from good old Wallyworld, you best hop on quick!  I have several pairs of these pajamas and they are hands down my favorites.  They are so soft, launder like a dream, don't shrink and are pretty inexpensive.  Like I have high end pj's that if you didn't look at the tags you couldn't tell the difference.  These are new and here is the link.  I wear a Small, they run try to size too.  Pardon the messy hair and glasses, I was about to shower.  

#2- These are a pair of shorts from my Nuuly rental.  These are from Pistola and are quite comfortable. I will enjoy the heck out of them for the month I have them then I will pack them up and send them back.  The price to buy them isn't as big of a discount as I would like to see and I like another pair of the shorts way better.  Although, if these pop up in the thrift store section later in the summer at a good price, I wouldn't hesitate to grab them.   The shirt is another old shirt from my favorite restaurant in Destin, Fl. Boshamps  Man, I'd give a lot to have some of that Alabama Feta dip right about now.

#3- We're going to back up a bit because after I took the pj pic I realized I didn't get a picture of my Saturday night outfit.   We went to a local Irish pub for dinner with the neighbors. Before I jumped in the shower, I threw it all back on before it went in the hamper, hence the reason the shorts are quite wrinkled.    I mean I picked them up off my closet floor after all.  The sweater is another rental item from Nuuly.  I did a quick search and didn't find this exact sweater but hopefully you can see it on Nuuly.  It's a size small and I'd say it is true to size on the small end.  I wouldn't go up a size because it's not supposed to be oversized.  This particular one must have been washed a lot because it's pretty faded, while I like it I don't think I would get my money's worth from this one.      The shorts are from Target, I picked them up on a whim and absolutely love them.  They are the brand, A New Day and I have the cream in a size 2.  I do think they run a tad large because I have plenty of room in the 2.  The Sperry topsiders were from last year, they did a special collab with Nordstrom.  I have worn these as much as I wore my Sperry's in the 80's ya'll. They are still the bomb diggity in shoes making my 80's preppy self so happy.

Last night for dinner we had some Salmon from Central Market, it was preseasoned with a Honey Aleppo flavor and I baked it in the oven.  The asparagus was straight out of the garden-we've been hoarding it from Reggie who will eat it as fast as we pick it if we let him.    Roasted in a little olive oil and salt and pepper for a delicious side.  The bread is also from Central Market and is Hubster's favorite cheddar jalapeno.  It took longer for my oven to heat up than it did to make dinner.  Salmon and asparagus in the oven together, then I pulled them out and popped the bread in to warm it up and dinner was ready.  

Whew, almost done!!  You might need a prize for hanging with me this long. 

We are finally arriving at today and the end of this incredibly long post.

I'm wearing last year's Target specials.  The sweatshirt is Grayson Threads and I grabbed it the minute I saw it in the store last summer.  Between the gorgeous blue and the lemon I was sold.  It's a small and intended to be oversized so I'd say it's true to size.   The shorts have Vinyl as the brand but I couldn't find anything similar on the Target site. These are the boxer style that was so popular last year but I love them, even though they are a tad big.  I have on a t-shirt underneath but I never ended up taking my sweatshirt off today.  It was almost 100 yesterday and today we hung out in the 70's, I'm cool with that.    I had to take miss Rouxby Sue to the vet for a recheck this morning hence the reason I'm dressed in something more presentable. 

Before we left I whipped up some food. Another Hello Fresh bonus Sweet & Spicy Avocado Toast with Feta.  You are supposed to have it on Ciabatta bread but I'm not a Ciabatta fan so I used some toasting bread from Central Market.  It was delicious and I have more than enough for 2 more days of yumminess. 

Lastly, is a picture of sweet Rouxby waiting patiently.  They had a couple of emergencies come in so we had to wait quite a bit. Thankfully she didn't fuss about it but took her a nap on the floor and was rewarded with plenty of squeeze can cheese for her patience.  She had the beginnings of a UTI from being in heat so we had to go in for a recheck.  She's all good and feeling much better about this whole being a girl thing.

And as they say....That's All Folks!

If you hung with me you deserve a treat.  Also, if you'd like to see or hear more about the Nuuly rental let me know.  My sweet DIL AprilMayJune uses Rent the Runway.  She needs office wear for a week or so out of the month so it's much easier for her to rent than buy.  She especially loves it when she's going on vacation, she can rent clothing to take on vacation and not end up spending money or specialty stuff that she might never wear again. 

Time to walk the dogs and make some dinner.

Peace, Love and Spring dreams everyone!!

Samma 

Life of a Throw Girl

Hey Peeps!

I've been meaning to do this post for a few weeks ever since we got home from our amazing two week stay in the city of New Orleans.   In case you're new around these parts we head out every year to attend Mardi Gras.  Until 2023, Hubster was our only rider in the family but in lieu of a large family vacation that year we brought along all 3 kiddos and their spouses/significant others at the time.   Side note: all of them have married since then so we are officially a family of 8 in every sense of the word! haha   I've been riding with Hubster since then.   At some point I'll go back and give you a general recap of what our 2 weeks looks like but today the plan is to show you how parade day goes.

We ride in the Krewe of Orpheus and not being biased or anything, the MOST beautiful of parades.  To tell you a little about the Krewe I've swiped the information directly from their website.

The Krewe of Orpheus, derives its name from the mortal Orpheus, son of the god Apollo and the muse Calliope. One of the city’s “super krewes”, Orpheus is consciously nonexclusive and New Orleans most diverse krewe boasting 1,300 members from all walks of life. The parade rolls on Lundi Gras and culminates with the Orpheuscapade, a black-tie party that draws thousands of revelers to welcome the floats through the convention center as they are entertained by world-renowned musicians.

​

Founded in 1993 by a small group including Harry Connick, Jr., Harry Connick, Sr. and Captain Sonny Borey, the Krewe of Orpheus is a Mardi Gras organization open to all men and women of good character and spirited personality.

You may have also seen my many posts about decorating tambourines, as that is our Krewe's signature throw but we also throw alllll the other things as well.   Without any more fanfare here is what parade day looks like for us.  One other note, my sweet Hubster is the Sergeant for our float (Smokey Mary caboose) and he gets to pre-load our throws on Sunday since he has other duties to assist the Lieutenant on parade day.  This year Abogg was allowed in early as well, the Lieutenant had a knee replacement a few months prior and the young knees had to be called in to action.   What does this mean you ask?   It means AprilMayJune and I got to skip the back breaking work on Monday morning of loading our throws, which saves us several hours and a lot of energy.  We also got Sunday morning to spend sipping adult beverages and shopping.  Got to spend a little one on one time with my DIL 💕

Let's get the day rolling shall we?

We need to be over in the convention center by 9am so it's up and dressed for the day.

We will be in these clothes until about 2 or 3 in the morning so comfort is key.  Our costumes go on over our clothing and we keep our costumes on at the ball.   Those are compression socks pushed down around my ankles that I'll pull up before the parade starts, they really help with swelling because we are stuck in one standing position for several hours.

Now let's run down to the M club at our favorite Marriott hotel and grab some breakfast.

They usually have grits, which are incredible, but today was oatmeal.  I took a hard pass and had some eggs, toast and bacon.   Hubster was kind enough to hold my plate so I could grab a pic.   While I finished up my coffee, Hubster ran back to the convention center and I made a quick trip back to the room to grab the bag of tambourines and Charlie the Chicken.  We didn't preload those items for fear of someone accidentally crunching them.

You can see, I also grabbed a sweatshirt. It was overcast and a bit chilly out this morning.  I'll run back to the hotel before the loading call to drop it off.   (The hotel is across the street from the convention center but it's still a good little walk).  Charlie and I have become big buddies, I hope the recipient loves him!

The big bag holds the tambourines.

(The recipient ended up being about a 6 year old girl...who sobbed when I gave him to her so Charlie is in good hands!) 

That's our spots, Hubster sent a pic to tell me to hurry up and get over and get to unpacking.

You can see, it's a tiny space for a lot of stuff.

That's me in there, working away. Ripping everything out of plastic bags and tossing garbage over the sides.   We do our best to minimize the trash on the float. 

I'm not nearly done unpacking but you can see the tiny space we're confined to on the float.

Hey Charlie!!  He's hanging out in the wagon until I'm ready for him on the float.

You can see behind Charlie the bags of throws awaiting pick up from other riders.  That is a fraction of the bags you can see.  We are a throw heavy parade for sure!

We have a designated entrance at the convention center and this is the view when you walk into the area.  Fortunately, our float is right as you walk in on the left.  The floats are in the order of which they will leave the convention center for the parade staging area.   This is a well oiled machine. 

Looking to the right as you come in, the floats are magnificent even in the fluorescent lighting.

We're on a signature float so we always know exactly where our float is in the parade, but they have a big poster with the entire float procession lineup posted as you come in.   

Don't think we are working in silence either.  There's always a brass band marching around the convention center getting everyone in the mood.

The party starts early for us!

Sergeant Hubster checking in on the Abogg and AprilMayJune to see if they are doing ok and need anything.  I was probably over there yapping too.  They were directly behind us on the float.

Here's some of the trash being tossed off the floats.  This is only a fraction, but the convention center staff has that cleaned up in no time after we start pulling out.  They are amazing workers!

Charlie and I have finished unpacking all the throws.

I'm really gonna miss ole' Charlie

Charlie is going to watch out for everything because it's 1 pm and we need to go eat our Buffett lunch.

Here's my plate, apparently we are carbo loading!   That was jambalaya, Mac & cheese, and potato salad.  There was also fried chicken but I'm not really a fried chicken fan so I skipped that part. Hubster and gang thought it was really good though.   Honestly, lunch is always delicious, not what you'd expect.  I'm pretty sure I went back and grabbed a second helping of jambalaya though. 

Let's take a quick walk around the convention center and look at the floats.  I'm sorry I didn't do a video because by this time the tractors are getting hooked up with the generators so the hall is filled with music, laughter and general revelry.

Photo dump commencing & these pics have not been edited and they were taken rather quickly because we are running behind to get dressed.

I've tried to put the title to the float but sometimes the concept drawings and the actual final float design change.   Mistakes on labeling are mine alone.

   

This is the lead float containing the theme for the parade this year.  All the World's A Stage         

Our esteemed Monarch's float Mr Noah Wyle

 

The full view from the front of the Monarch float

Another signature float:  The Trojan Horse

The engine to our Smokey Mary train

I loved this one!

And All the Men and Women Merely Players

Domingo

Stunning work done by our float builders.

Come Not Between a Dragon and His Wrath

Padian II 

These pieces are hand painted, each single piece. 

The Devil Can Site Scripture for his Purpose

Mullany

One more signature float, The Captain's Galleon

They had the lights working, just waiting on the tractor

The Rhythm of Orpheus float

Another incredible float.

Love Looks Not With The Eyes, But With the Mind

Feichter 

This is Very Midsummer Mandness

Fletcher

I thought these bats were so stinking cute!

Lord What Fools These Mortals Be

Franklin

Leviathan, an incredible signature float

This float is so incredible at night, he breathes smoke and the lights and his head turns.

Truly beautiful coming down the street.

Winter Comes Can Spring Be Far Behind

Cheramie

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Mason

 A quick pass by our float to make sure Charlie is hanging in there.

I've found my costume, we were the last of our float to get dressed, whoops.

I'm going to stop here and tell you that the people who work hard to make our lives easy are amazing.  Our costumes are pressed and hanging for us, separated by float/lieutenant.  There is an attendant available to help you get dressed, make sure you have all parts of your costume, do any minor alterations you may need and they have drinks available for you.    And most of all, there's a big smile on all their faces even though I know they are exhausted too.  

I'm all dressed!   I'll be wearing this for a LONG time. This is a polyester satin material that does not breathe.   I'll be a sweat bomb in no time.

LOOOOOK!   It's our Monarch, Noah Wyle getting a ride to his float!

Shortly after this pic, Joey Fatone jumped on the back.  There was much fun being had in that cart.

We're on the float and ready to roll.  

 A kiss for the Hubster for not making fun of me for all the extra beads I grabbed last minute and for pre-loading all those bags. 

And look, the Abogg and AprilMayJune are ready to roll too! 

They usually ride on the top level but I'm so glad they were down on the lower level with us this year!

I'm smiling because I actually have my feet on the floor of the float already.  

Usually I'm about halfway through the parade route before I get a solid place to stand.

Don't worry, we are required to wear a harness the whole time, so no one is falling out

It's a little inside joke for our sweet friend Heap.  

The lady on the floor behind Hubster was so nervous. It was her first ride ever and she was about to make herself sick.   She had a blast by the way!!   Once that parade starts, your nerves go out the window when you see all those people screaming and waiting for throws.  It's like being a rock star!  Plus the music is blaring and the atmosphere is electric.   

And this is what our dear friends were doing while they were killing time before they had to get ready for the ball.      We'll see you folks soon!

Here we are at the staging area.  Couple of things to note, it is approximately 5:15 pm, we've been busy as bees since 9 am.   We have just finished our pre-parade snack at the staging area.  We always have sandwiches, chips and a dessert.  Let's just say they do a good job keeping food in everyone because the adult beverages are plentiful and we don't want anyone getting over served.   It's also our last chance to walk around, stretch our legs before we climb on for the ride.   We start at 6:30 and we roll into the convention center around 9:30-10:00 so it's a long stretch standing in one spot.  

It's 6:30 and we're rolling!

Meanwhile, our friends have gotten dressed up and have made their way to the ball.

The ladies are looking lovely!! 

Big H and sweet S and looking mighty fine! 

The pics end for awhile here, I'm horrible about stopping and taking the parade in because I'm throwing like a crazy woman.   When we arrive in the convention center, we clear the float and then I make a beeline for a real bathroom then hit the table for some food while the rest of the parade rolls in.  I'm absolutely famished when I get off the float then I'm ready to roll again as soon as Harry takes the stage.

As you can see, no fun is had at the ball.

I should also note that Noah Wyle's wife Sara, is a doll.  

Then the dancing and general foolishness continues!

We're dancing and singing and having the best time and lo and behold the Hubster comes back from the men's room and has met a new friend.

Mr. Will Forte himself.   Also, another incredibly nice guy but I don't think he showed off any MacGruber skills.

Then Mr Joey Fatone joined the party band playing and the place went wild.

I mean, did we have a night or what?!

See, no fun at all was had.

Look at these two lovely ladies with me!  They are so beautiful inside and out and I have so much fun when we are together.   

Hubster and sweet S were having some fun!

Heap and T were enjoying the night too!

Find yourself some friends like these and your life will be so wonderful!

Hu

Good bye Smokey Mary, see you next year.

This girl is hitting the sack.

I hope you enjoyed this very long post and got a glimpse into just one day of Mardi Gras for us.

Would you like to join us?  The Krewe of Orpheus will be taking applications soon for new riders and we'd love to celebrate with you!  

Krewe of Orpheus

Peace, Love, & Beads!

Samma