Mardi Gras

It's that time of year again...we are gearing up for Mardi Gras!

As most of you know, the hubs is from the New Orleans area, so we've made it a little tradition since we have been married to get down there for at least a parade or two. This year the mister will actually be riding in a parade, which will be really fun to see him a top his float, flinging beads to the masses while in costume!

As I'm nearing 9 months pregnant, there are a few things I'm already lamenting regarding this trip.  I will be tired, can't walk far or stand for too long, can't stay up very late, but mostly....I'm lamenting the loss of this rare opportunity to look amazing in an evening gown.

The past couple of years, we have attended the Endymion Extravaganza, the ball after the Endymion parade.  It is a true black tie event and there are some amazing dresses there!  But me?  Oh, I'll just be in a muu muu and some crocks. 

But in the midst of all the preparation, I've been secretly day-dreaming of the dress of my dreams that I'll (maybe) get to one day wear.  

I remember a dress that a friend of ours wore to my sister's wedding.  It was a metallic jacquard burnout on chiffon over a colorful underlay.  It was really beautiful!  I asked who the designer was: Aidan Mattox.  I have been obsessed with his gowns ever since!  They are really much more beautiful in person, gorgeous materials and a perfect fit!

 

 

 

 

 

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Holiday Getaway

How is it already January 8th?!!??  The last few weeks have gone by so fast, and we did virtually nothing over the holidays to prepare for baby Daly.  It's not panic time yet, but I feel like it's getting close!

While I had great aspirations of finishing the nursery and arranging folded onesies into our new nursery cabinet between brisk strolls around the neighborhood or prenatal yoga, the reality is that we were out of town a lot and I ate my weight in chocolate.

But I was able to squeeze in a mini-vacation with the daddy-to-be, which was a great distraction from my extremely long to-do list.

Since we were already in Mississippi visiting family, we thought we'd first stop into New Orleans for a friend's wedding and brunch the next morning at one of our favorite spots, Antoine's.  This is a special place for us, because this is where we dined the night we were engaged.  Out of tradition, we ordered the Baked Alaska for desert, which really turned some heads and sparked a great deal of jealousy amongst the fellow patrons.  Some people just know how to order...

After brunch, we headed to The Grand at Point Clear for a few days.

Photos courtesy The Grand website

Neither of us had been to The Grand, and I must say, it was rather magical.  We arrived just in time to see the gorgeous blood-red sunset on the water before heading to dinner.  When we returned from dinner, the hotel's holiday lights were all lit up and it was beautiful.

While we were down there, we stopped into downtown Fairhope and found some great boutiques.  My fav was "lulu & me", a fantastic fabric and home decor boutique where I found some beautiful fabric for the nursery.

They also had these charming paper mache candelabras in the window, which I fell in love with.  I may have to try to recreate these on my own.

And by far the best restaurant we went to on our stay was The Wash House. 

 If you go to the Fairhope area, you must, must, MUST go to this place.  I wish I had taken photos of the amazing food we ate, but it's rather romantically intimate in there and I didn't want to spoil the mood for other diners.

It is located in a sort of backyard barn, and the inside is cozy and whimsical, with light-wrapped branches hanging from the ceiling and a brick fireplace.  And the food was absolutely amazing.  

The trip was short, but it was such a treat being able to spend time away from the real world with only my husband for a few days before we begin the marathon to April and then a new life with baby.

I hope your holidays were peaceful and relaxing!

Weekend Re-cap

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!  We had such a delightful time watching the parades this weekend.  New Orleans is one of those amazing cities where you can relish in tradition, but there is also always something new to enjoy!  Here are a few of the new spots we went while visiting (and don't worry, we still hit up the good ole boys like the Carousel Bar at the Montelone and Pat O's!)...

 After watching the Friday night parades, we stopped into Capdeville, a charming hole in the wall off of Camp Street, near Gallier Hall.  It was dimly lit with exposed brick and fun wallpaper and food was delish.  Nothing like a hearty burger or fried red beans and rice to re-charge you after a long night of parade-watching!
 

A friend we were with brought us these yummy macaroons from Sucre.  We did not make it to the actual store, but they have so many goodies online!  Any of their sweet treats would be a perfect Mardi Gras (or anytime, really) gift.  By the way, do you know what the Mardi Gras colors stand for?

Purple-Justice        Green-Faith         Gold-Power

Another restaraunt we tried was Manning's, and yes, of the Archie/Olivia/Peyton/Eli/Cooper variety.  It's basically a nice sports bar with TVs on the wall, a section of recliners, and OK food.  It wasn't nearly low-key or trendy as Capdeville, but come on?  We had to check it out!  There were tons of Manning family photos on the walls, and I absolutely fell in love with the ceiling of our dining room!  Those oatmeals walls with that warm tobacco ceiling was gorge.  Wondering if I could DIY that ceiling in our den...!!