Saturday, April 30, 2011

Shop and Share Lilly for A Good Cause

Bless her little heart! Little Baby Julia Donohue has brain cancer and spine cancer. An event at Lilly Pulitzer in Ardmore, PA has been planned for this precious little girl! It's on May 4th from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. and 10% of the event sales will benefit Julia. R.s.v.p. and spend the evening enjoying appetizers, desserts, and beverages, while you "Shop and Share" for Julia!!! If you cannot get to the store, call them at 610.658.0387 and place your order over the phone. You KNOW you want something Lilly...Mother's Day is coming up, so buy something for your Mama...this is a great opportunity to give back, Lilly-istas!

Go to Lilly Pulitzer and pick out what you want to buy, then call the store in Ardmore. You can even call them now and thru May 4th. Just be sure to mention you are "Shopping for Julia"!




You can learn more about Julia's journey by visiting Caring Bridge .

Friday, April 29, 2011

ROYAL WEDDING

'Twas the night before the fairy-tale Royal Wedding...Husband was sent off to sleep in the cottage out back, The Royal Wedding Official Programme was laid out so that I might be able to follow along with the service, the Book of Common Prayer was also at my side, and the Cartier alarm clock set for 3:00 a.m.!
At 3:00 a.m. I heard the sound of the posh clock ringing for me to get up...as I waited a few minutes to muster the energy to crawl out of bed, the Bell Towers appropriately rang very British-y on my iPhone! Feet to floor! Much to do before BBC America began their coverage of the event.

I pulled myself together and donned my Lilly PJ's in the 'Pick of the Bunch' pattern. Yes, I wore my comfy PJ's to watch the Royal Wedding:)

My pink Royal Slippers are monogrammed in green...

Mlle. Coco Chanel does NOT like waking up at 3:00 a.m.--but, all the same, she looks pretty cute in her PJ's!





Of course the pajamas have a tiara-motif pattern...just for my little Princess!



Her cute little topknot barrette...perfect for Miss Coco!


I decided that it would be just myself and Miss Coco watching the wedding together. I wanted to soak up every single detail of the entire event...with no interuptions:)

Since we were both gonna lounge around on the bed, I prepared a Royal Tea. Savories, scones, sweets, and a special dessert are served at a Royal Tea. Champagne/Sherry are also served. The Queen of England quite possibly serves a Royal Tea to her guests at Buckingham Palace.

I set up a small tea table in the corner of the bedroom, with all the accoutrements needed for a Royal Tea...


Pink roses and babies breath in a Waterford vase...


The tiered tea tray, with the savories on the bottom plate, the scones on the middle plate, and the sweets on the top plate--all placed on top of pretty dainty doilies. Tea foods should be eaten in that order--from the bottom to the top of tray.


Tiara sparkling on the tea tray...

The first course--savories...closed-faced, tiara-shaped cucumber sandwiches. Closed-faced sandwiches should be eated with the fingers and remember to use the 3-finger rule {use the thumb, index & middle finger} Take dainty bites--don't put the whole tea sandwich in your mouth at one time--that would be tacky.



The second course--British scones. There are several methods of eating scones; this is the one that I prefer.

With the serving tongs provided, place a scone onto your tea plate. Spoon small dallops {just enough for a single scone} of jam and clotted cream onto your plate. Never spoon directly onto the scone. Break off a piece of the scone as you would do with a roll and put only that piece into your mouth. Use your knife to dab the edge of the scone with jam, then clotted cream. Sip a little tea and repeat! Between bites, remember to rest the knife on the upper right side of your tea plate, with the cutting edge of the blade facing the center of the plate.


I made fresh Strawberry Preserves earlier this week and this jam was wonderful on the scones!



Remember, the clotted cream is added after the jam onto the scone.

The sweets are the third course. Y'all it was just me, so I tried to go soft on the sweets. Ha!



The teapot holds the steaming hot water. Since I chose tea sachets today, the tea was steeped in the teacup, not in the teapot.


'Royal Wedding Tea' from Harney Tea was a must-have for my Royal Tea. This tea was commissioned by the Historic Royal Palaces organization. It's a Chinese mutan white tea with almond, coconut, and vanilla to taste and a floral abundance of pink rosebuds & petals. Perfect for this special morning!


You may purchase either loose tea, tea sachets, or teabags. I love tea sachets, as they are a better quality of tea than the teabag, while a bit quicker and easier to steep than loose tea. If you are served hot water and a tea sachet, place the tea sachet into your teacup and allow it steep in the water for approximately five minutes. Do not dunk the tea sachet of wrap it around your teaspooon to drain it. Place the used tea sachet on a separate saucer--never onto your tea saucer.

Remember that the tea goes into the teacup first...then you would add sugar {loose or cubed}, if you prefer. Today I used a sugar scuttle to hold the sugar cubes...a pretty touch to the tea table! If you take lemon with your tea, you would add a lemon slice {not a lemon wedge, ugh!} after the sugar is added.


Remember that milk is added to tea {not cream} and it goes in last. You would not use milk and lemon together because the acid from the lemon will curdle the milk.

A waste bowl {also called a slop bowl} is used for the spent leaves after steeping or the dregs of the tea not sipped! I had a lot of dregs this morning 'cuz I was Tweeting so much about the Royal Wedding and not paying attention to my tea temperature!




I used a white battenburg Tea Cozy to keep my hot water HOT!



The cozy bed tray set for my Royal Tea...in bed!



Dainty pink tea plates and teacups and saucers placed on a white battenburg placemat. I used a dessert fork, luncheon knife, and dessert spoon, in addition to the teapot-motif teaspoon. {A dainty doily was also placed under the teacup}



When handling the teacup, place the index finger through the handle, with the thumb placed on the top of the handle to support the grip, and the second finger below the handle for added security. The next two fingers naturally follow the curve of the other fingers. It is considered an affection to raise the pinkie finger while sipping tea. Also, you should look into the teacup while sipping your tea.

Remember to softly fold the liquid when adding sugar or milk and then place the teaspooon on the saucer behind the handle.



Serviettes are used at teatime. I added a silver tiara-motif napkin ring for my Royal Tea. The serviette is a tea napkin, 12" square. It is picked up and unfolded on the lap. A tea serviette is opened completely. Proper etiquette dictates that you blot your lipstick with a tissue before taking tea or using any cloth napkin at the table. When using a serviette, blot the corner of your mouth and don't use the serviette as a handkerchief.



Of course, Miss Royal Janice had a tiara-motif placecard holder and pink gingham place card...making it just a little bit more prissy!




Just like millions of others in the world today, I am so happy that I was able to watch this royal event. As I'm writing this post, I have almost finished watching it for the SECOND time and for sure it will not be the LAST time:)

I must say that British ladies certainly know how to dress appropriately inside of a church sanctuary! The beautiful hats {Fascinators} will surely be all the rage in the United States after this wedding.

William and Kate, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge...So young, so in love, so beautiful, so happy...Their wedding just leaves me excited for both them and what their futures hold.


As they stood on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, I could not help but think of Princess Diana. How very sad that she was not there with them.

It was time for my fourth and final course of The Royal Tea...a special dessert of strawberry sorbet, whipped topping, and a fresh strawberry glaze. After their first public kiss, I lifted my 'Alaina' Waterford goblet of champagne and toasted them out loud {in my best British accent, of course} "May you have good health, happiness, and peace together"!

The royal dessert and champage...

Miss Coco and I had a fabulous morning and she is now down for her afternoon nap...wearing her little Princess tee-shirt!


Thank you for joining me today. I've now got to take my royal self to Petsmart to buy some dog food! Ta Ta!

Monday, April 25, 2011

IN FULL ROYAL WEDDING MODE

I've been busy y'all...reading every magazine and tabloid I could get my hands on--studying up on the Royal Wedding plans. My focus has been all about Kate Middleton! I'm so excited to see William and Kate's wedding on Friday...can hardly wait!



Aren't they a beautiful couple? Of course, the engagement dress is gorgeous and I'm sure a lot of young girls are looking for the knock off of this one! Kate and William look very much in love in this photo, don't they? Young, smart, beautiful, ROYAL, and in the prime of their lives!



Lucky Kate...she's wearing Princess Diana's ring! How very honored she must feel.



Don't y'all think Kate has the most beautiful hair? Love the color and the style.


Kate has the whole package...beautiful hair, classic face, great figure, and she's a fashion plate--that will keep us all clamoring to copy everything she does and wears!


On top of all that...Miss Kate Middleton is a very smart young lady!

Y'all, I HAVE TO HAVE THIS RED SUIT! LOVE:)


LOVE the Fascinators Kate wears!

The feathered Fascinators will surely become a new trend in the States! A definite must-have, now that Kate has made them so fashionable for the young crowd.

Drooling over this outfit!


Another thing I like about Kate...PRINCE HARRY LOVES HER TOO!

From the gown to the crown, I'm all over this Royal Wedding story. In addition to my tabloid reading, I've been watching the William & Kate movie on Lifetime over & over, Googling Kate Middleton like an online stalker, and of course keeping up-to-date with the television news networks' coverage of the event.

Many of you have emailed me to find out if I'm having a 'Royal Wedding' party. Well, due to the fact that even my British friends are NOT interested in the whole thing, my viewing party will consist of Mlle Coco Chanel and myself. That's just fine with me. We have a 'little something' planned and of course, I will be Tweeting from 4:00 a.m. on Friday...until the entire event is over! I told my husband he needs to sleep out back in the Cottage, 'cuz me and Miss Coco need to have the television turned up loud and we cannot be disturbed. He's up for that...bless his heart!

Maybe you are suffering from "Royal Wedding Fatigue" or you are just not interested, but I cannot stop myself from being thrilled to death to be able to revel in the pomp and ceremony of the wedding of the most likely future King of England.

If you are planning on watching the coverage, here's a timeline that I found online:



~9:00 a.m. London time (4:00 a.m. EST)
1,900 wedding guests are scheduled to arrive between 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (London time) at Westminister Abbey.

~10:50 a.m. London time (5:50 a.m. EST)
Kate and her Father, Mike Middleton, will depart Buckingham Palace via car--a somewhat controversial decision as it is the first time since 1963 that a royal bride has not arrived at the Church by horse-drawn carriage. Their car will travel along The Mall, passing by Clarence House, Whitehall, and Parliament Square.

~11:00 a.m. London time (6:00 a.m. EST)
The service begins at 11:00 a.m. sharp (London time). The Dean of Westminister will conduct the church service, however William and Kate will be married by Rowan Douglas Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. *FYI from Miss Janice: There will be no kiss at the altar..."that's just not done at Westminister Abbey"!

~12:00 p.m. London time (7:00 a.m. EST)
Following the ceremony, Prince William and Princess Catherine, now husband and wife, will return to Buckingham Palace in a procession of horse-drawn coaches, passing by thousands of well-wishers who will be lining the streets.

~12:30 p.m. London time (7:30 a.m. EST)
Once back at the Palace, the newlyweds will be met by the Queen and enjoy a swanky champagne reception. The couple will also take a moment to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where they will wave and perhaps even kiss for the crowds and cameras.

~7:00 p.m. London time (2:00 p.m. EST)
Following that epic soiree, the Prince of Wales (William's father Charles) will host a private dinner and dance, also at Buckingham Palace. This event will be for just the bride and groom's closest friends and family.

Consider this my Royal Invitation to you to join me on Twitter Friday morning at 4:00 a.m. See you then! {I will also be back on the blog on Friday to post about my viewing party with little Miss Coco.}

Things Go Better With Coke

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I gave up Diet Caffeine Free Coke for Lent. I remember the Ash Wednesday service...The Priest said "Don't talk about what you give up. Don't go around moaning about it." Well, other than a mention here and there, I did not AND I made it. NO COKE during Lent!

Last night I celebrated and enjoyed a DCF Coke with some popcorn while watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Ahh! Things do go better with Coke. I was raised on this stuff. Can't help loving it. Over the years I've gone from drinking Regular Coke Classic, {Co' Cola to us Southerners} tried the New Coke {eww}, Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Coke, Coke Zero, and now my Coke of choice is Diet Caffeine-Free Coke!

Welcome back to my frig DCF Coke!!!

I also celebrated the official start of "Open-Toe Shoe Season" and "White Pants Season". I feel like I'm late to the game here in South Florida where all the Yankees have been wearing white shoes, flip flops, and summer wear all winter! :-)

So bring on the seersucker, Jack Rogers, patent leather, linen fabrics, and white shoes! I'm ready now:)

Moving on...I'm now in FULL ROYAL WEDDING MODE!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!

Up VERY early this morning, I started off Easter with a hot cup of tea {from my 'Bordallo Pinheiro' china and a Strawberry Cross Bun...yum yum! Thank goodness the gym is closed today so I don't have to deal with the guilt of eating BAD and not working out!!!















Happy Easter to y'all! Of course, this morning I attended Easter service at Church:) LOVE my Church!

The Ladies Church Garden Club and the Altar Guild did a wonderful job! Take a look at the Altar...

The needlepoint kneeler cushions at the Altar Rail are stunning!

Of course, on Easter Sunday, MOST people are dressed in their 'Sunday Best Easter Outfit'. From my front-row seat, {got there just in time to get the last seat--UP FRONT, Lord have mercy!} I saw everyone. One gentleman looked very dapper in his seersucker jacket. There were several beautiful hats and many bright colored linen suits. Then...there was the white sandals with stockings. The blue jeans with tennis shoes and topsiders? I love topsiders also, but on Easter Sunday? After the service, one of the ladies on the Altar Guild was working at the Altar and it was then that I realized she and I were the only Lilly-clad girls present!!!

After Church, I went straight home {no shopping!} for a traditional Easter Sunday Dinner of Honeybaked Ham, green bean casserole, cream corn, mashed potatoes, salad, and Sister Schubert rolls. Since the gym is closed today {YAY for that}, I'm gonna have a relaxing day and watch Miss Coco dig into her little Easter basket.

"HERE'S WHAT WORE" Decided to go blue this Easter with the Worth shift Lace, 'Aquamarine in the Slim', by Lilly.





Love the pattern, with the ladies {also dressed in Lilly} in a fountain...



The bodice has the most beautiful lace detailing...




I broke out my white Revas and carried a little white Bermuda bag to celebrate the first day of 'White Shoe Season'. My white cardi throw is from Land's End. I wore my rollring wedding band by Cartier, my pearl necklace, and my Ralph Lauren pearl earrings & bracelet. My ponytail was adorned with an aqua ribbon and my fragrance of choice for the day was 'Wink' by Lilly.





"HERE'S WHAT MISS COCO WORE" Her little Easter dress is pink and green and has a bunny-motif print! Her topknot is adorned with a pink ribbon bow.





Little Miss Coco's Easter basket...she has a new baby {named Rabbit} and some bone-zes and cookies!





Miss Coco digging in...





I hope y'all have a wonderful Easter Sunday! Thank you for visiting with me today.