Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Are you Ready???

Last week was KJ's Freshman Orientation at Ole Miss.  Even though I've been through this once before with T, it was a great refresher with a lot of new information. 



We got to Oxford Wednesday night, completed early registration, got set up in our dorm rooms and had dinner w/ my wonderful Godson, Z.  He was still on campus for ROTC but drove back to Cincy Friday afternoon.  We had dinner at Old Venice (personal fave!) and I was so tired I went back to the dorm and settled in with my book.  I didn't sleep good that night but Thursday night I was out like a like by 9 PM and slept like a rock star!  KJ's orientation roommate got in late Wednesday night and we all went out for breakfast before Orientation officially kicked-off.  She was from the same small town as T's very own Pony Boy!  What are the chances??

As this was not my first rodeo, I was very prepared for my 2-night stay in the dorm.  I had my fan, my own pillow and blankie, my own towels, my make-up mirror and even a small lamp, plenty of water and snacks.  I felt bad for some of the kids and parents who had to fly in to Memphis, rent a car, etc.  Some of them had never even stepped foot on campus before and you can just see the looks of utter confusion and anxiety on their faces. 

I think I actually learned more at KJ's orientation versus T's.  I was so overwhelmed way back then.  T had graduated from high school on a Thursday (I think) and we were at Orientation two days later.  It was a lot to take in.  I was much more relaxed and confident knowing daughter #2 will be in good hands.  Ole Miss does an OUTSTANDING job of disseminating information and allieviating any fears you (or your child!) may have.  It's truly a family atmosphere and several administrators give out their personal cell phone numbers.  How awesome is that???


Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Harry & Megs

When I initially saw Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, step onto the steps of St. George's at Windsor Castle, I was a little disappointed.  I thought her gown was a little plain.  Elegant but very plain.  But, as the day went on and we heard more and more about the gown, the veil and the significance of the flowers in her bouquet, I thought the wedding gown was very appropriate and uniquely Meghan's style.  I think if she had gone a little more glitzy, she would have been labeled as an upstart American divorcee.

Clare Waight Keller is the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy and, according to the palace, Meghan and Waight Keller “worked closely together” when designing the royal wedding dress, which “epitomises a timeless minimal elegance referencing the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy and showcasing the expert craftsmanship of its world-renowned Parisian couture atelier founded in 1952.”

The simple, yet regal Givenchy wedding dress designed by Clare Waight Keller featured a stunning white bateau neck wedding gown with a hand-embroidered 16.5-foot silk tulle veil with flowers representing all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.

Meghan paid tribute to all 53 countries of the Commonwealth with her 5-meter long wedding veil, which represented the flowers of each Commonwealth country. Meghan also incorporated two flowers with personal meaning: Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which is grown outside her Nottingham Cottage home with Prince Harry, and California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the state flower from her place of birth. Meghan’s veil also included “crops of wheat are delicately embroidered and blend into the flora, to symbolise love and charity,” the release said.
The silk and organza wedding veil took hundreds of hours of sewing, and workers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine, according to the release about Meghan’s royal wedding dress. I think the veil was my favorite part.  I loved the symbolism! 

What a beautiful shot of the veil and the entrance to St. George's covered in flowers. 
 
 
This kid is totally McCauley Culkin-ing it.  #HomeAlone

 
 
 
Meghan’s veil was topped with Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, which was on loan from Queen Elizabeth. The Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, which was made in 1932 with a centre brooch of 10 diamonds dating back to 1893, features a band of 11 sections of diamonds and platinum.
The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch,” a release about Meghan’s tiara said. “This brooch was given as a present to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York. The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to The Queen in 1953. The Bride is wearing earrings and bracelet made by Cartier.
 
 
 
I also loved Meghan's make-up.  She looked so fresh and natural! 
 

 


 


 
 
And this, is a total James Bond moment.  Harry looks like a total stud and Meghan's arms in that Stella McCartney dress are everything!  And the Jag!!!

Monday, May 21, 2018

Wedding Hangover

Were you one of the crazy ones (like me!) who woke up super early Saturday morning to watch the Royal Wedding or did you watch a recap at a later time?  I woke up early for Diana and Charles and Kate and Will; I wasn't going to miss this one! 

Let's first talk about the most important but often overlooked factor of the day -- the weather!!!  The sun was shining, beautiful blue skies and London was in her glory!!  You don't get many perfect weather days in the dreary UK but Saturday was definitely one of them! 

I'm always impressed by the military precision in which the Palace organizes events.  I'm a stickler for being on-time (which, to me, equals "early") and they had arrivals on a tight, tight timeline.  Once the Queen arrived, that was it.  No tardy relations barreling through St. George's doors trying to slip into their seats unnoticed.  https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/the-royals/timeline-how-the-royal-wedding-will-unfold-1.3935417

And now on to the fashion!  Here are some of my favorite guest looks from Saturday: 

George and Amal Clooney

Diana's brother, Charles, Earl of Spencer, and his wife.

James Corden and his wife.  I love everything about her dress and fascinator -- the color, the cut and her accessories.  I had no idea his wife was so pretty!

Kitty Spencer, Diana's niece.  She's stunning! 

Pippa! 

Sarah Ferguson looked lovely in a combination of navy and pink. 

James Blount and his wife, Sofia Wellesley.  I think she was the best dressed guest at the wedding.  Quintessential British day wedding wear and a fabulous smile and fascinator!
 
David Beckham (notice I did not include a pic of Victoria.  That's because she looked like she was going to a funeral.  She always looks miserable!)
 
 
And now for the rest of the guests:
 
Oprah (could have ditched the sunglasses).  I do like her shoes, though! 

I like Serena's dress and fascinator but the necklace was distracting. 


OMG.  These two. 
All I can say is "bless their hearts." 
Eugenie looks like a 1960's flight attendant and her dress is too short for a Royal wedding (dress code is "at or below the knee"). 
 
But, I guess it's better than this: 

Friday, May 18, 2018

Get Your Popcorn!!!

I love going to a good movie, getting a big obnoxious tub of popcorn (to share of course!) and a Coke Icee.  I've got to have the Coke Icee.  The "trailers" are always a highlight although I've never understood why they're called "trailers" if they are actually "previews."  
 

"Deadpool 2" opened today and so far the reviews are super great!  I've read reviews that said the movie is funnier and sharper than the first.  Ryan Reynolds is so damn funny (his Facebook page is hysterical) and one reviewer said Josh Brolin is a great villain (Cable).  We saw "Avengers" a couple of weekends ago and liked it.  I'm not a huge comic book-turned movie fan but I will watch Spider Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Super Man, Thor.  I tried to watch Black Panther and just couldn't get into it, I won't watch Ant Man and Incredible Hulk is not one of my favorites.  And I can't stand Scarlett Johannson so I could totally do without any "Black Widow" scenes. 

"Solo," the newest Star Wars installment, opens next weekend.  Meh.  I haven't watch the last couple of Star Wars movies and I've done just fine thank you very much.   

I still want to see "Life of the Party" with Melissa McCarthy (that's gonna be me come August when KJ heads off to Ole Miss).  https://youtu.be/T1B1CxmAXLk  One of the movie critics I listen to on the radio said "Book Club" was one of the funniest movies she's reviewed all year.  Surprising.  I think that's one of those movies that can wait until it comes out on Pay Per View or Netflix. 

I'm not a fan of re-makes and think the new "Overboard" (Anna Farris, Eva Longoria) looks horrible.  Why mess with a good thing?  However, I think June will be a good movie month:  "Ocean's 8" (speaking of re-makes!), "The Incredibles 2" (let's face it; we all just want to hear Samuel L. Jackson ask "Where's.  My.  Super.  Suit??!!") and the latest "Jurassic Park" movie all open in June. 

"The Spy Who Dumped Me" with Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon and Sam Heughan looks pretty funny!  It opens in August.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZsYiWBgFOk  The live-action "Little Mermaid" also opens in August https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4LfNLtVQqE  This Little Mermaid version is different than the Disney cartoon we all know and love.  This story line reminds me a lot of the book "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman.http://alicehoffman.com/books/the-museum-of-extraordinary-things/synopsis

The Fall has some good movies coming up "Where'd you go Bernadette?" (great book!) opens in October as well as "Venom" with Tom Hardy.  "Robin Hood," "Creed 2," "Wreck-it-Ralph" (one of Coach Cos's favorites!) and "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen bio-pic) all open in November.  The live-action "Nutcracker" also opens in November. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIBw9dSVKdU

Holiday movies include:  "AquaMan" with Jason Mamoa (December) and the "Mary Poppins" remake which looks pretty good -- Emily Blount plays the title character.  Pip pip!!!

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Royal Wedding

Only a few more days until the Royal Wedding!  And I am totally geeking out!  The pomp!  The circumstance! 
Regent Street, London

The Queen!  Lots of handsome Princes.  And Princesses wearing ugly hats! 
Eugenie and Beatrice


The gown!  Which designer will she wear?  Will the designer be Canadian?  American?  British?  What about the Tiara??  https://www.townandcountrymag.com/the-scene/weddings/g17805394/royal-wedding-tiaras-throughout-history/?src=arb_fb_ob_d&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=arb_fb_ob_d
For her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, Princess Elizabeth –who would become Queen Elizabeth II – wore Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara, consisting of 47 diamond bars using stones taken from a necklace Queen Mary had been given by Queen Victoria. The Fringe Tiara, passed on to Princess Elizabeth's mother in 1936, was loaned to the young Princess as the "something borrowed" element of her wedding outfit.  The Queen would loan the sparkling keepsake to her own daughter Princess Anne for her wedding to Mark Phillips in November 1973. 
 
When she married Prince Charles in 1981, Princess Diana famously wore a stunning ivory silk taffeta gown with puffed shoulders and a billowing skirt by Elizabeth and David Emanuel. Diana's diamond encrusted piece was not from the royal collection but from her own aristocratic family's treasure trove: the century-old Spencer Tiara worn by her mother and sisters on their own wedding days.
 
Kate Middleton married Prince William on April 29, 2011 wearing a custom Alexander McQueen gown and the Queen Mother’s Cartier Halo Tiara. The glittering headpiece features 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds.
 
In 1960, when she prepared to walk down the aisle to marry Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Queen Elizabeth II's little sister chose a statement-making accessory for her wedding day – the Poltimore Tiara. Rather than borrowing from the royal collection according to tradition, however, glamorous Princess Margaret chose to wear this stunning creation, made by Garrard in the 1870s, which she had bought at auction the year before her wedding.


Will Prince George be a page boy?  Princess Charlotte a flower girl??   Here they are at Auntie Pippa's wedding: 
At Auntie Pippa's wedding

Who's on the guest list?  Will Elton John be there?  David and Victoria?  Any other Spice Girls? 
 http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/royal-wedding-2018

I purchased the mug and tea towel below from BBC on-line for my bar cart and my sweet friend LCM recently gave me a tea towel set with Double Decker buses to commerate our first annual girls Double Decker weekend in Oxford (Mississippi). 
I love the mug because it has the cutest little Queen's Guard inside! 

I  have no idea what I'm going to do with the tea towel (other than display it on my bar cart with my new mug) but I just adore the fact that the American flag is also included! 
 
This this Alison Gardiner mug is also available from the BBC Shops: 

 
Thank God I didn't order this Ed Sheeran/Meghan Markle plate (I mean, all gingers basically look the same, right???): 
 
Ms. Markle has some pretty big shoes to fill!
 


 

 


 

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Met Gala 2018

In case you've been living under a rock this week or your internet's been out for a few days, Monday was the annual Met Gala (formally known as the Costume Institute Gala).  Held the first Monday of each May, this year's theme was "Heavenly Bodies:  Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."  The exhibition runs until October 2018 and includes pieces donated from the Vatican. 
https://www.vogue.com/article/met-gala-2018-theme-heavenly-bodies-fashion-and-the-catholic-imagination

Like everyone else who was live tweeting that night, I love seeing the different interpretations of the exhibition (while the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute annual charity affair is not a "themed" event, many guests and designers choose to wear creations with a (sometimes not so) subtle nod to the show. 

While I may not necessarily like some of the outfits, I do appreciate the beauty of the workmanship and design.  Here are some of the thoughts I had while sitting on the couch in my sweats and being all judge-y: 

I thought Amanda Seyfriend looked like she stepped out of a Raphael or Bottecilli painting.  Her hair, make-up, gown and accessories were stunning! 


I mean, come on.  That close-up is pure perfection.  When she turned and looked at the cameras, she owned that moment. 

Cardi B.  She's a couple of months pregnant and looked radiant. 

I love Gigi Hadid and her gown was reminiscent of a church stained glass window.
 
J-Lo.  That leg! 

Kate Upton played it safe but from the shoulder's up she looked like a Renaissance princess.

Kim Kardashian.

While I respect and support the message, the presentation just seemed off to me. 

Lynda Carter (the original Wonder Woman).  Regal.  Elegant.

Madonna

Rosie Huntington-Whitley.  An angel. 

Rihanna. 

Scarlett Johanssen.  This was awful.  There.  I said it. 


Sarah Jessica Parker reminded me of the Queen of Hearts. 
 
Zendaya's take on Joan of Arc.  I like it. 
 
At first I did not care for this look (that hair bow was throwing me off) but the Vera Wang gown is basically, incredibly, the Sistine Chapel. 


I love the edgy boots and her make-up was flawless! 

Olivia Munn.  This outfit looks better in black and white.  The color really didn't suit her complexion. 
 
Love Ashley Graham.  I think this would be better for an awards show, the Oscars or the Grammy's perhaps.  A little too safe. 
 

Total Pageviews

My Blog List

Some of My Favorite Quotes

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -- Dr. Seuss

"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." -- Sophia Loren



"There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." -- Sylvia Plath

“Life is too important to be taken seriously.” – Oscar Wilde

If people are truly, madly, deeply in love with each other, they will find a way.~Gilda Radner

“Never judge a day by its weather. Sunshine is uplifting; rain, nourishing; wind, exhilarating; snow, cleansing; hail, stimulating. Any weather is better than none.” -- Author Unknown

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." -- Sophia Loren

"I know I'm vulgar, but would you have me any other way?" -- Elizabeth Taylor

"After thirty, a body has a mind of its own." -- Bette Midler

"Cherish forever what makes you unique, 'cuz you're really a yawn if it goes." -- Bette Midler

“I know I can be diva-ish sometimes, but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is." -- Mariah Carey

"I want minimum information given with maximum politeness." -- Jackie Kennedy Onassis

"I've been called a diva, queen diva, diva supreme, and I love it. However, that's really for others to decide, not me." -- Aretha Franklin

"No one loves a party more than I. I am a people person." -- Aretha Franklin

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." -- Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Blogging Resources for Women
 
Designed by Munchkin Land Designs • Copyright 2011 • All Rights Reserved