Mardi Gras party

Mardi Gras 2012 is over. Well, it really hasn't even started since it isn't until Tuesday. But my night-before-the-parade-party is over and O.M.G. It was totally awesome. I loved it. I do regret feeling a little bit like a bride in that I know everyone if having a great time but I really don't get to talk to guests as much as I'd like.

total number of guests: 167

best investment: two bartenders/helpers. They cost $325 but totally worth it.

culinary hit: my red beans and rice is tasty. People love it. I take no credit. It's the wonderful andouille from G&W that makes it so good. I took my regular recipe and multiplied by 15 to make enough to fill a giant pot. My National rice cooker churned out enough rice to go with the red beans.

best Mardi Gras dress: MINE! An awesome retro DVF I picked up on the clearance rack at Neiman's. It screams Mardi Gras. (that's me in the green and black dress with my friends Amy and Janet)

how many beers: 275. We had about 40 left over. About 1/2 bottles, 1/2 cans. Almost all AB and Schlafly products.

Favorite beer: hands down- the vintage Busch can.

wine: I bought one of those giant boxes and that was pretty much gone, as well as about 5 additional bottles.

strangest thing people drank: coffee flavored Patron? Someone drank the whole bottle.

bourbon or vodka? Bourbon won. About 3 large bottles consumed. Rye too. Old fashioned's were popular.

Jagermeister, really? Yes really. About 1.75 liters of it. I read in Food and Wine or some other high brow magazine that the best way to liven up a party was to freeze Jagermeister and offer shots. Suddenly a bunch of 40 year olds remember when they were 21 and the party is a lot more fun.

time people left: about midnight

glad I purchased: 2 giant Rubbermaid recycling trash cans. Empties went in there and could be taken out to the dumpsters in the morning.

most surprising guest: a friend from law school who came with a school dad. I was really happy to see him. He was always such a gentleman, making sure us girls stayed safe at those crazy Mardi Gras parties in the mid 1990's.

guest break down: high school: 15%, family 5%, college 15%, work 25%, school parents 30%, neighborhood 10%.

best success: People went in the parlor! They had little choice with that many people in here.

nicest hostess gift: a St. Louis cheese plate from the Initial Design in WG. I had coveted its cousins the dish towel and Christmas ornament at Sign of the Arrow. Love it!

best thing about having a giant party: the house is as clean as its ever been. The laundry is in drawers. Everything is clean. The toys are put away. There are flowers and the house smells good.

3 stupidest things I saw the day of the Grand Parade: guy in drunken stupor walking down the SB Highway 55 on ramp in the dark about to merge into traffic on foot. Guys picking bricks out of my sidewalk and throwing them. Crazy meth head guy hitting a hipster in the head with a beer bottle.