Happy Mardi Gras! Here at the Castle Fat Tuesday is one of our favorite holidays. Mainly because we like to eat King Cake. But there are a lot of misconceptions about Mardi Gras. Often  I get asked some pretty crazy questions about Mardi Gras and what it represents. So much so that I thought that I would share just a few fun facts about Mardi Gras with you.

What is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French.

The Mardi Gras season or Carnival season begins on January 6, Epiphany, the day that the Wise Men found the baby Jesus, and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday the beginning of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of lent, so Fat Tuesday has always been a celebration of enjoying all things before Lent begins.

What are the official colors of Mardi Gras and what do they mean?

The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, which represents Justice.

Gold, which represents Power.

Green which represents Faith.

How old is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras dates back to March of 1699!

So…. really old!

Is Mardi Gras only in New Orleans on Bourbon Street?

Nope.

And it’s not all about boobs and beads either.

Several parades take place all over the city of New Orleans .

Including family neighborhoods.

It’s also celebrated coastally.

Mobile, Alabama claims to be the 1st city in North America to host Mardi Gras.

What is King Cake and when do you eat it?

King Cake is very similar to a cinnamon roll.

It is sometimes filled  cream cheese, raspberry filling etc.

My favorite King Cake is with a simple butter, sugar and cinnamon filling.

What sets King Cake apart from other cakes is that a small baby, representing Jesus, is hidden inside the cake.

Whoever finds the baby is said to have good luck for the rest of the year.

So Yummy!

King Cake is only eaten during the Mardi Gras season.

Fact: It’s illegal to ride a float in New Orleans without wearing a mask!

As crazy as it sounds, this is true and was put into law at the beginning of NOLA celebrating the Mardi Gras season.

The theory behind it was to get rid of social constraints for the day.

If no one knew who you were, then you were allowed to mingle with all classes of people.

Today is just tradition that the city still enforces.

So that’s all of the fun facts about Mardi Gras that I have for you today.

While I am certainly no expert about all  things Mardi Gras, I hope that I’ve given you a few fun things to think about on Fat Tuesday!

Happy Mardi Gras Y’all!

Until next time….

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Last week when I shared my hot chocolate bar, I promised to also share with you how I made my snowmen marshmallows and my hot cocoa bombs. I shared my snowmen with you a few days ago, so today is the day I share How to make hot cocoa bombs with you.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect all of the questions that have come my way about the bombs.

It seems that they are one hot item this year!

I’m no expert, but I can give you a little insight into how I made mine.

To be honest, they are one of the easiest and the hardest things I’ve ever made.

By that I mean that I am on my second or more batch and I’m still figuring out the best way to make them.

The first time around I found a tutorial on Pinterest that wasn’t all that complete.

After much more research I came across a how to from In Karina’s Kitchen and all of the pieces fell into place.

Supplies:

• mold
• chocolate – I used Sweet Tooth Fairy Meltables
• spoon
• glass measuring cup
• non-stick skillet
• hot cocoa mix
• sprinkles
• marshmallows
• gloves
  

  How To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

• Step 1:

I bought my mold here.  Remember that I said that it was a hot item?

Well, it’s out of stock at this time.

However, there are a ton of other places that sell the molds also.

If you are going to make a lot of bombs I recommend getting more than one mold.

My mold has 6 cups, which makes 3 bombs.

Melt your chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Stir well.

Repeat until chocolate is completely melted.

Step 2:

There are a couple of ways to coat the chocolate mold.

My favorite is to drop a spoonful of melted chocolate into the mold.

Then using the back of the spoon, spread a thin layer of chocolate, covering all of the mold.

Make sure to bring the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until the chocolate has completely set.

( My neighbor cut her bomb mold apart, then dropped in chocolate then swirled the mold around to cover all  sides of each half bomb.)

Step 3:

After 5 minutes, pull the mold from the freezer and spread another thin layer of chocolate on to the first layer of chocolate.

Again making sure that you are bringing the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold.

Put into the freezer for another 5 minutes or until completely set.

Step 4:

Gently remove the chocolate from the mold.

Slow and easy are the keys here.

If your chocolate isn’t set, it could break or crack.

I did find that if I had a tiny crack or piece come off at the top I could put more chocolate onto that area, put it in the freezer, and them remove it.

9 times out of 10 that would fix the problem.

Step 5:

Once you have removed the bomb halves from the mold, it’s time to even out the top rim and put the bomb together.

I found that putting a non-stick skillet on top of a burner on the lowest heat worked the best for me.

Heat the pan, place he bomb cavity side down and gently twist the bomb.

It will melt the bomb slightly and create a flat area that will allow you to put the two bombs together.

Melt the first half of the bomb.

Step 6:

Flip the half over and add hot chocolate, marshmallows and sprinkles.

Step 7:

Melt your other bomb half and quickly place it on top of the half you just filled with goodies.

Gently press together to seal the bomb.

If any melted chocolate seeps out you can gently wipe it off.

Step 8:

I set bombs immediately into a cupcake liner and let them set up.

Once they have had time to set, you can decorate them however you wish.

Here, I’ve made a snowman hot coco bomb by adding a face using icing and ear muffs using M & M’s.

On the chocolate bombs, I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the bombs and immediately added sprinkles.

I found these clear plastic 3 x 3 boxes and added some shredded paper in the bottom.

Once the bombs were decorated and all decorations were dry, I added the bombs to them.

Tie on a cute bow and your hot cocoa bombs are almost complete!

Several people asked how do you make the bombs explode?

As an afterthought I made these instructions on my computer, cut them out and taped them to the side of the box.

However, my neighbor who is much smarter than me, found some pretty Avery labels and printed her instructions out.

Peel and stick.

So much easier!

I tested the white chocolate bombs out on The Hubs and he said it’s the best hot chocolate he’s ever had.

And not to be left out my youngest took a chocolate one home and said the same.

I’ll put these into the Pinterest win column!

Before I go, here are just a few tips to help you make the best bombs ever.

• make sure you don’t over heat the chocolate. It will burn or become hard to work with.
• use chocolate candy melts. I used a different chocolate the first time and it was a mess as it wasn’t already tempered. Trust me on this one!
• handle the bombs as little as possible.  It IS chocolate and will melt. You can leave fingerprints and marks that make it look like a mess! Wear gloves to help keep it smooth and clean.
• Don’t over fill the inside of the bomb. Keep the edges of the bombs clean so that they will melt together.
• Make sure that your chocolate is set before removing from the mold. If you don’t it will break or crack. You know the chocolate is set when it looks clean and shiny!
• Your bombs should last up to two weeks after you make them. To extend that time I put them into the refrigerator until I’m ready to deliver them.

That’s it! If you decide to make some, I’d love to hear any tips or tricks that you come up with. And, as always, please send me pictures!

Until next time…

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My good friends, Cindy from Cloches and Lavender and Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip rounded up a few fun ladies for a Christmas home tour. Each of us are sharing a room, or rooms, in our home decorated with all things Christmas.

When it came time to decide which room I wanted to share, my thoughts went to my living room.

I mean, it is where most of the pretty is.

But then I looked out of the living room window and saw this.

It’s where we spend a lot of our time.

We ARE outside people and it IS Texas.

Todays high is expected to be 77.

Perfect patio sitting weather!

I knew that I wanted to share the room that we love to be in as much as possible.

Our patio.

The Patio

When you walk outside the back door off of our living room, this is the “room” that you see.

We have set up a mini living room with swivel chairs to watch TV, relax, read books or just watch the kids in the pool.

For the Christmas season I’ve added red and white throw pillows and navy and white buffalo plaid throws to keep us warm and toasty.

Greenery, berries, and pinecones adorned with red ribbon are hung from each of the back windows.

As you step out of the backdoor, a cute red truck Christmas doormat is flanked by two large red poinsettias.

Don’t you just love all of the cute doormats that are available now?

This corner is the home for a few trees, poinsettias and a Merry sign that the Queens made a few years ago at their annual party.

This is such a pretty corner in the daylight, but it really shines at night!

Across from the trees, at the end of the sitting area we have a drink center that sits directly under the TV.

We don’t use it for drinks in the winter, but we do serve off of it in the fall and winter when we watch football.

Today I’ve got a few poinsettias and a snowflake lantern decorating it, as well as a fun pink flamingo!

Here’s a picture of the seating area looking in from the pool area.

We just put up a pergola over the dining table.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.

Already I can tell that in the brutal Texas summer we will have much needed shade.

And in the winter it will give us protection from the elements.

I couldn’t wait to start decorating this area.

I’m nowhere near done, but hanging the sleigh and giving my table a centerpiece really gave this area a festive feel.

Not the best picture, but I couldn’t not share the area at the end of the table.

Just a fun vignette full of Christmas cheer.

At the other end of the table I’ve placed a light up snowman trio.

As you could tell from earlier pictures, our house backs up to the neighborhood park.

So we like to decorate for the daytime as well as the night time.

Speaking of the the patio at night…

At night it’s magical!

With everything lighted there is just enough light to see the entire space and still give your that Christmas magic feel!

While it’s not the prettiest room in our house, it’s definitely one of our favorites!

Thank you for stopping by, it was so good to have you here.

Now it’s time to visit the rest of the Christmas Home Tour participants!

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It finally feels like we may have a Winter season here in North Texas. We went from weather in the 70’s down into the 40’s and 50’s. Which may not seem that cold to you, but here we are dragging out the coats. With the weather getting cooler, it’s time to bust out one of my favorite things. A big mug of hot cocoa! So today I’m sharing how to set up a Christmas hot cocoa bar. Disclaimer, I’m no expert on hot cocoa bars, this is just how my family likes to do it.

Step 1:

Find a great spot for your bar and add lots of Christmas decor.

I’m setting mine up next to my coffee maker on the buffet in the breakfast room.

For us, it just makes sense.

However, your bar can go anywhere that you want it to go!

Your bar just wouldn’t be as festive without a few Christmas decorations.

I added in my sweet little reindeer, as well as greenery, red Christmas bulbs and lots of plaid.

Step 2:

Add Hot cocoa and all of the trimmings!

*hot cocoa – We use The Hubs family recipe, but Swiss Miss is a good one too.

*marshmallows – mini, fluff, large, peeps, dehydrated – thank goodness they come in all shapes, colors and sizes!

*Sea Salted Caramel  

*Whipped Cream

*Sprinkles– they bring the fun to the party!

*White and Chocolate chips – for added flavor

*Candy Canes – great stir sticks and add a little peppermint kick

*Cookies – who doesn’t like cookies?

*Hot Cocoa Bombs – yummy!

*Candy

*Chocolate Fudge Sauce

And these are just a few things to start with!

I like to keep most of my ingredients in pretty containers with lids.

Freshness counts!

Also, since most of my containers are not see through I add small tags to each container for convenience.

I love these mini dehydrated marshmallows, they never get stale!

Speaking of marshmallows, I love these hand painted snowmen.

They are just the cutest floating around in your cup.

Want to know how to make them?

I’ll be sharing how next week!

What cup of cocoa would be complete without sprinkles?

I just add them to the top of a little marshmallow fluff or whip cream.

Guaranteed happiness every time!

We’ve all seen these cute Hot Chocolate Bombs, right?

I can’t tell you how fun they are and best of all they are delicious!

The Hubs said that they made the best cup of hot chocolate that he has ever had!

Along with a good cup of chocolate, I like to eat a little something.

Like cookies!

These pirouettes are this weeks favorite, next week it might be something different!

Step 3:

Make sure that you have plenty of serving utensils.

One essential item is something to stir your hot chocolate.

I like to offer a variety with spoons, stir sticks, and candy canes!

Other essential items are scoops and small spoons.

I even put out small tongs for things like the marshmallow snowmen.

Also, you can never have enough napkins on hand.

Ever.

Step 4:

Lifts and Levels with tall things in the back.

If you are limited on space like I am,  put things in the back up on a lift if they aren’t tall.

A lift is anything the can add height.

In this case I used a oblong plaid tin about 3 inches thick and 6 inches long.

Then added a Level, which is a small white tray.

Not only does it look good, now my family can easily reach the hot cocoa and the candy canes without making a mess.

And just like that your Hot Cocoa bar is complete.

Now all that’s left to do is sit back and enjoy a great cup of hot cocoa!

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It’s Christmas Eve and the festivities have begun here at the castle. So before all of the crazy begins, I wanted to take a moment and wish you and your family the very best holiday season. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

All of my boys will be home for a few days, which is a rare occurrence, so I will be taking some time off. This momma’s got to get her family time in when she can.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back after New Years and have the start of a bathroom reno to share with you!

Until then….

Merry Christmas and the best of 2019!

Have you ever read DIY articles about what to do with your “extra” closets? Yeah, me too. I used to laugh hysterically. Ain’t nobody that I know got an extra closet! Until I did. Empty nesting is good for something. So I made mine into a wrapping closet. My one guilty indulgence. Unfortunately, from time to time, mine blows up and its time to start  cleaning out the wrapping closet. In a big way!

See what I mean? Being a small closet, thankfully it also makes me clean it up in a timely manner. There is no room to do otherwise. Also, Christmas is the perfect time to change things out and tidy up a little bit. Here’s how I do it!

Here at the castle, the stockings are hung. The tree is up and the elves have finished sprinkling Christmas decor through out the castle. So, what’s a girl to do? Why break out the Christmas crafts at the castle, of course!

For the first time in many years, I have almost all of my Christmas stuff done! I’d love to pat myself on the back, however it’s mostly due to my car being in the shop off and on for the last month! Certainly not because this girl is rocking it! When you are forced to stay home it’s amazing how much you get done. Who knew?

What happens at the Christmas party, stays at the Christmas party. Especially the Queen’s Christmas party!

When the Queens get together it’s always fun, this year was no exception. We ate, laughed, cried, told crazy stories, made a craft and had a cookie exchange.  In other words, a normal night with the Queens!

I’ll have a blue Christmas with a big splash of hot pink, please!  My dining room colors are blue and hot pink, which just happen to be my favorite colors. So naturally, when it came time to decorate the dining room I couldn’t help but think that they would also be perfect Christmas colors.

And boy, did I find some hot pink! It’s so hot that it was truly hard to get pictures that didn’t hurt my eyes. But, I love it!

The elves have been busy decorating here at the castle. Of course, they always start in the heart of the home, the kitchen. This years theme is simple, less fuss and not as over the top as in years past. It’s a black, white and red Christmas kitchen!

I don’t buy all new stuff from year to year, instead I like to mix and match a few new things with old things from years past. Don’t get me wrong. It’s tempting, however every time I consider it I hear my sweet Granny’s sarcastic voice saying “Well, aren’t we Miss Aster!” For those of you that are younger than dirt, that was her way of saying that we aren’t made of money. And even if we were, money doesn’t grow on trees! Thrifty was her middle name.

Anybody who’s had children has probably heard “I want a pony for Christmas!”. My great niece, Beep, is in love with ponies. In fact, her Grandparents on her Dad’s side bought her a pony recently. She’s crazy about horses.

So when a neighbor of mine was moving and had this horse themed table and chairs for sale I couldn’t resist. ( I thought  I had taken a picture of the before, but no. My bad.)  This table is the quintessential DIY project. The base, or horse part, was originally a cigar ashtray.

I can’t believe the holidays are just around the corner!  With that in mind, I’m trying to stay ahead of the game by getting as many of the little things done as possible. Although, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget something! While at my grocery store today, I found some really cute items that would not only be great gifts, but wonderful hostess gifts for the holidays! So I thought that I would share them with you.

Some of the items are a little more expensive, like these reindeer, however most are so reasonable priced you’ll be tempted to buy quite a few of them to gift to your favorite people.

Happy November! Can you believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner? With cooler weather, it puts me in the mood to make a few handmade Christmas gifts.

It’s also the perfect time for Ten on the 10th! I can’t wait to see what Christmas gift ideas my blog friends have this month!

I know that we haven’t even celebrated Halloween, but the big holidays are just around the corner. Yikes! If you are like me, I like to plan ahead of time so that my holidays are a little less stressful. Today I’m sharing a few things to do  for the holidays now.

You know, things that will leave you feeling a little more like wonder woman and a little less stressed out!

As I was getting ready for Memorial day, I could not help but be thankful to all of the brave men and women who have served or are serving our country. There is not enough thanks in the world for what you do!

I’m a firm believer that getting ready for Memorial Day should be simple and easy. Here at the castle, we definitely have a low key Memorial Day.  Not a lot of decorating. More lets get together, have fun and eat some wonderful barbecue that the Hubs grills. Maybe swim or play a few games. I love every minute with my family!

Merry Christmas! I’m a little last posting today. It’s cold and wet outside. As I write this, I’m sitting by the Christmas tree in my comfy clothes, there is a fire in the fireplace and hot tea at my elbow. What more could a girl ask for?

Normally, three days before Christmas I would be in a mad rush buying last minute gifts, baking, and wrapping presents. You know the drill. Actually, I have to admit that, for the first time in as long as I can remember – which admittedly isn’t all that long – I’m ready for Christmas!

The Queen’s Christmas party always kicks off my holiday season.  It is fun, crazy, loud, and full of all things merry!

I honestly cannot imagine the holidays without these seven crazy women! So how did we celebrate this year? I’m glad you asked. We did a lot!

Christmas in the family room is pretty traditional here at the castle.  Well, there may be a bit of whimsy here and there just for a little fun! The elves have been busy flinging tinsel, wrapping presents and decorating. So come on in for a peek.

My favorite thing in the family room is the Christmas tree. I love to light a fire at night and sit by the tree reading a book.

It is officially time to start planning the Queen’s Christmas party! The past few years, we have been trying to mix things up a bit by starting new a fun things to do. We’ve been together so long that it was time to change things up a bit. A week or so ago, Queen Siana sent me a picture on Facebook, suggesting a Christmas sock exchange!

My first response was “A what?” However, after looking at the photo from Thinkerete Lifestyle on Facebook, I was hooked. 

Wishing You A Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year!

Thanks for stoping by and reading this year. I hope you have a Merry Christmas! I’ll be taking a break this next week to spend time with family and recharge. See you next year!

May you and your family have a happy and joyous Christmas!

Tammy

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and decided to share my Christmas home tour!

I resisted sharing my home with you this year, mainly because my knee surgery has slowed me WAY down. So much so that I didn’t even put everything out this year. I know that the Hubs is laughing as he reads this. I cut back, but I’m sure he doesn’t think so!

The Queen’s Christmas is always one of my favorite celebrations. This year was certainly no different! Every year eight of us get together and celebrate the Christmas season.

Normally, we would get together, eat, play few games and open gifts from each other. We always have a wonderful time, but over the years it seemed like we needed a change. So this year, instead of eat, play and gift, we decided to change things up a bit!

My new front porch wreath is probably one of my most favorite wreaths I’ve ever had!

In fact, it’s more of a decoration than it is a wreath.  For the past few years, I have been using the same wreath.  To say that it was a little sad and tired was an understatement, but I couldn’t find anything I loved to replace it. It was definitely time for a change!

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I’m giving Bubble Wands for Easter to all my littles! I was recently at a link Party surfing around and found the cutest enchanted bubble wands. I had to make some. Not gonna lie, if you want a tutorial that is creative and fun keep reading. However, if you want an EXACT and informative one Rena Klingenberg at Jewelry Making Journal.com has a fantastic tutorial.   I am gonna warn you right up front, this post is a little long and has a ton of pictures. So get a drink, settle in and enjoy!

Supply List

16 or 18 gauge wire – 9″ long for a large wand or 6″ long for a small one (copper or brass)

24 gauge wire for stringing beads

beads

wire cutter

file for smoothing wire ends

Round nose pliers

Flat nose pliers

Chain nose pliers

Ring mandrel – don’t panic if you don’t have one of these – I didn’t either! I just used a piece of PVC

Fine Sharpie

Danger Will Robinson! Read this entire post before attempting to make a wand. Trust me. you’ll thank me later! Your welcome.

I wanted a large wand so I cut my wire 9″ long.  The tutorial called for a file, but I was too lazy to hunt one up so I just used sandpaper to smooth out my wire ends. No sharp ends for my littles!

Next, using my fine sharpie, I marked the wire 2″ from one end.

Sorry this is a little blurry! It’s time to make the bubble blowing loop. This can be any shape, but I felt like since I was a bubble wand novice the circle would probably be the easiest.

Leaving the 2″ end of wire straight, wrap the wire around the PVC to form a circle. Now don’t panic like I did if the circle isn’t super tight. Mine wasn’t. It still turned out cute!

Using your flat nosed pliers make a bend in the stem below the circle you just made. You want to center the main wire stem directly under the circle. Like a lollipop.

Using your flat nose pliers firmly grip the circle and wrap the straight 2″ wire ( two or three times) around the main stem of your bubble wand right below the circle. You can use pliers, but I found it was just as easy to use my fingers.

Cut of any excess wire. Use your chain nose pliers to squeeze down the cut wire end so that it doesn’t stick out and catch or scratch something.

Time to make the handle. This step is super easy. It’s also where I messed up! Find the half way point of your bubble wand stem and mark with a sharpie. Place the mid point wire against the handle of your sharpie marker and wrap the end of your wand stem around the marker making a round or tear drop shape.

So far so good right? WRONG! You are suppose to have enough leftover wire  after wrapping the end around the sharpie to get creative and make a fun design. Where did I go wrong? I should have made the adjustment for using the PVC instead of the mandrel at a ring size of 15. Yeah… math was never my strong suit. Back to the drawing board.

This time I cut my wire 12″ long. Now repeat all of the steps up to and including wrapping your wire around the sharpie. NOW, you should have plenty of leftover wire to get creative!

See the difference? Now if you want a no fuss teeny, tiny end do the 9″. If you want to go all out and make yourself a really enchanted bubble wand you want the 12″. Up to you.

Now is when you use your 24 gauge wire and the beads to embellish your bubble wands. I left some plain and really blinged out some of the others. I made some wands big and some little. What I realized that you don’t have to be exact with any of this. Thank goodness or I would have had a mess. It’s so hard for me to color in the lines people!!!

I bought some bubbles and tied the wands onto the bottles with coordinating ribbon.

Then I packaged them up in these cute bags, added some eggs, chocolate and a few other toys.

I tied it all up with some tulle and my bubble wands for Easter were ready to be delivered to all of my littles!

I think my bubble wands turned out pretty cute. Maybe not as cute as Rena’s, but I’m happy with them and hope that my littles are too! If you decide to make any, I would love to  know how yours turned out!

Until next time…

                    Tammy

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Flaunt it Friday #297