Royal Wedding.

April twenty-ninth, two thousand eleven. A celebratory event in British history. The much-anticipated Royal Wedding of the century. Enter Wills and Kate.


Now, post nuptials, they will be officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Wills. Born a prince. Grandson of the Queen. Second in line to the throne of England.

Kate. Born a commoner. Humble descendant of a working class coal-mining family.

But in this official wedding photo you would never know. They make a picture-perfect pair. Regal and royal-looking as can be. Simple and striking at the same time.




I was bent and determined to catch every minute of the live coverage being aired on our west coast of Canada. So the alarm was set for 0100 hours. I know. One o'clock in the morning. You'd think Wills and Kate would have taken us westies into consideration and, for our sleeping-in benefit, might at least have had the ceremony commence a couple of hours later.

Oh well. Maybe Harry and Pippa will be a little more compassionate.

Kidding.

I honestly wouldn't have missed this event for anything. The groom looked dashing in his Irish Guard uniform. The bride ravishing in her luxurious dress, so sophisticated yet so simple. And for what my opinion's worth, I thought it was an unexpectedly modest gown. Except maybe for the, eh, rather plunging neckline. Miss Pippa's frock seemingly suffered the same deficit. But really. Reflecting on what might have been... the dress was perfect.

And oh, but I loved the endless hours of entertainment... commentators gossiping on all that fashion and finery brought together in one place.

The Queen looked her typical sombre self. Didn't smile much, despite that cheery, daffodil enssemble. HRH Mellow Yellow.

Blinding brooch. Ah-ooh.

And did you see those beady eyes give the dazzling bride the royal go-over! A condescending head-to-toe if ever I saw one! Ever-composed Kate didn't even flinch. Go, girl.

For an 85-year-old lady, though, she looked mighty swell.

As did the dapper Duke of Edinburgh, although it seemed he was challenged with gravity as he climbed into the coach, post-ceremony.

Did you catch that?!

Camilla. Perhaps for the first time in my life, I felt a little sorry for this stepmother to the groom-of-the-hour. Her presence accentuated the absence of Diana, and perhaps ignited some awkward memories for Camilla.

But she looked every bit the part, linked on the arm of her Prince. Then again, unbeknownst to the vast majority, she's had years of practice linking herself to him. No small wonder they look so comfortable with each other.

Two questions for Victoria Beckham.

One. How in the world did that fascinator of yours stay in place?

And two. Can you smile, lady? At all?

You'd look mighty more complimentary beside that handsome husband of yours.

Sour Puss Posh.


And oh those adorning fascinators! Absolutely fascinating, to say the least. Subtle and sophisticated. Brilliant and brash. This wedding of the year definitely showed off the world's best and worst of accessorizing!
 
I'm sure I haven't seen them all, but here's my TFW. Top Five Worst.
 

What was she thinking? Maybe she wasn't thinking. But I'm thinking she looks totally freaky... the overstimulating octopus bow and the ghastly goth eyes. She needs help. Somebody please help her.

Loud, loud, loud. Look, look, look. Fresh from the garden with a peony bush blooming right out of my turban. At least the lipstick blended.

These two socialites were definitely in the market for turning heads. With these get-ups, I'm pretty sure they achieved the one thing they set out to do. New nose, or no new nose. They turned heads.

Flowers? Feathers? Guess being a princess, it's difficult to decide. But she clearly decided to match the big sister with her goth look. Ugh.

I couldn't help but notice the irony of the ceremony. The reverent scriptural reading of verses from Romans 12, but how much of it actually rang true with those guests? The Bishop of London and his mantra about love and self-love, and how the more we give of self, the richer we are in soul. Huh?

The whole show, of course, generated some interesting input from the girls.

Of the Archishop...
           "Whaaaat is he wearing?"

On Harry, removing his hat at the entrance to the Abbey...
          "Uh-oh. I think he forgot to do his hair."

On Prince Charles...
          "Wow. He's pretty ugly. Does he know that?"

As Harry checked out the bride coming down the aisle...
          "He's gonna get in big trouble. I don't think he's supposed to be peeking."

During the ceremony...
          "Why didn't Kate give William a ring? Did hers cost too much?"

Of the Bishop of London...
          "Sigh. Mom. I didn't understand a single word he just said."

Of the guests stammering through the hymns...
          "How come those people don't know the words?"

Of the choir boys...
          "Do they like wearing those frilly costumes?"

Of Harry chatting up Pippa on the balcony...
          "Hope his girlfriend's not watching. She's gonna be mad if she is."

To be honest, I think Harry was flirting with Pippa. Just sayin'. He sure looked like he was enjoying her company, anyway.

We were tired the next day, but the whole experience was well-worth losing a night's sleep over. We shared in a moment of history that the girlies will probably remember for a long time.

Easter Weekend.

Our Easter weekend was likely spent very different from most.

No spring gardening for us. No easter egg hunts.

Just three full days of Bible Conference. I was challenged again on living my life for the Lord. Sang praises of thanksgiving for a risen Saviour. Enjoyed the solemn gospel messages and appreciated my salvation anew. Listened intently to scriptural intrepretations from Ephesians 1 and 2.

Indeed. And I'm still wondering if I'm any the wiser. Elect? Maybe. Chosen? Maybe.

But saved? Absolutely! This I know for sure! Because of a moment in time when I realized that I was a sinner, and in faith simply accepted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour, I know I am going to heaven. The Word of God says,

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:32

Are you saved? Can you say that you know for sure?

My weekend was also filled with family and friends. A surprise visit from Allison. Home for a few days from Nicaragua to visit her ailing grandmother. Although sorry for her sadness, I was delighted for the lovely daughter-in-law hugs that came my way. I also got to catch up with some faraway friends that I haven't seen in a long time. L.o.n.g. time. Welcomed the latest newborns too, with their cooing and smiling that melted my heart. A few folks, I also noticed, were sporting some new grey hairs. And wrinkles too. Oh, don't worry. Because I'm pretty sure my abundance of both didn't go unnoticed.

Enjoy our collage of memories from Easter 2011.

Hello Again.

Been gone from here. For a while.

Sorry.

Guess life got a little busy. An unexpected deluge of running hither and yon, slowly crossing off items on my never-ending To-Do list... on which, I reluctantly confess, blogging appears to be ranked mighty low. Huh. Who would've thought?!

Too much stuff swirling in my head has put me in a tizzy.

I know that. Because one morning when I was warming up my coffee, I put the mug in the fridge and the half-and-half in the microwave. Thank goodness I caught myself before I took a swig of steamed Creamo.

Maria, do they sell Creamo in CT yet?

But, I think at this point, I'm gingerly crawling out of the tunnel. So, here's a few sane updates from the last few days.

1. Supper at the Olive Garden.

Failing, after several attempts, to acquire a babysitter for last Friday night, Stew and I concluded that we'd have to take the little ladies along with us on our dinner date to the Olive Garden. So much for uninterrupted conversation.

But, mmmm, how I love that place. Been forever and a day since I've eaten there. And boy, have I missed those warm, garlic breadsticks, and crunchy vinaigrette salad. And the tingle-your-tongue Chicken Marsala. Yum. Eee.

This was a first for the girlies at the Olive Garden, where the food definitely seemed to tickle their palates. And besides revelling in the excitement of a new dining experience, I think they thoroughly enjoyed getting in on Mom's and Dad's "dinner date".

Haha. I say, give them a few years.

2. Les Trois Petits Cochons.

The AIM French program seems to be a huge success at school. Amazes me how the girls can so easily memorize words and phrases with perfect pronounciation, while Mama here, even after six years of school French, can barely recall one tenth of what I once knew! A few words are slowly digging themselves out of the deep recesses of my memory, though, thanks to Histoires En Action regularly booming from my laptop.

We went to see Miss Alana who, alongside some of her co-Grade-4s, performed their French version of The Three Little Pigs. What awesome talent! So proud of you all! Truly "fantastique"!

With all the huffing and puffing, though, I was convinced they were going to serve the audience some delicious French cake at the end of the show.

Turns out I was mistaken.

Apparently, "je vais souffler votre maison" does not mean "soufflé on the house".

3. Spring is teasing us.

Last few days have been bright and sunny. Still enduring a few of those April Showers, but the May Flowers are gracing us with their presence. And gently lifting our droopy, wintered spirits.

Snapped this picture of the little ladies this morning on school premises.

Don't you love these cherry blossom trees? We anxiously wait for them to bloom every year, and their bountiful splendor never disappoints us. Wedding trees, we call them, and relish in their short-lived beauty.

SB. Day 10.

Sad to report, SB Day 10 did not materialize. Oh the day and the date came and went, yes, but so far as Fun Activities for Spring Break? Didn't happen.

Disobedience on the previous evening meant that both priveleges were forfeited. Shame. No bus ride to the mall. No lunch at the restaurant.

Wasn't like I didn't warn them.

But they sure were miffed with me. Drove me crazy all day Friday.

"Mom, I'm bored."
"Mom, can we please go to the mall on the bus?"
"Mom, I'm hungry."
"Mom, there's nothin' to do."

But they were left with their own imaginations, because I had plenty to do. Began by decluttering our walk-in closet. Filled a garbage bag full of unwanted clothing and a second garbage bag full of junk. Washed down the walls and the baseboard trim. Reorganized my existing garment collection. Then I invaded the bedroom. Repositioned the furniture. Looks nice, differently arranged. Even Stew was pleased with it. Just hope I don't get up from my beauty sleep one of these nights and mistake the dresser for the bathroom door.

Monday the girls go back to school.

I have one more day, this one ALL to myself, before I return to work on Tuesday

But the laundry is calling. The washer woman's work around here is never done.

SB. Day 9.

We set off this morning, ecstatic and giddy, arriving at our first destination by 10:00 o'clock. ChuckeCheese. Girls love that place... me? Not so much. But when we got there, for once the restaurant was next to empty, which meant there was no din (yay for me) and there were no line-ups (yay for the girls).

  

Then the golden coins ran out. Sigh.

So we moved on, choosing to eat our mid-day meal at the Golden Arches.

Moving on again, we checked in to Go Bananas. Girls were immediately off and running. I bought myself a Seattle's Best, found a nice quiet corner, and settled in to read my book. Finished it too!

By then the girls were damp and sweaty, and definitely shower-worthy. So we headed home.

I did a review of today's spending... look at this:

dropped $22 here...



and $10 here...



and $16 here.









Whoa. I think I just blew the budget!