The Royal Wedding Extravaganza

My Loyal Readers,

Most little girls at some point in their childhood dream of being a princess, me included. So, why would I pass up the chance to see another girl get her shot in becoming a princess? Yes, I was one of those people who woke up to watch the Royal Wedding. While I didn't wake up for the beginning of the process at 3 AM, I did wake up at about 5:45. I am running on about 3 hours of sleep right now, but it was so worth getting up to watch. Prince William and Kate Middleton, or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are absolutely precious. You can tell how in love they are.

Courtesy: ABC, GMA

You can scoff at the Royal Wedding and be tired of seeing it on the news, but it is so neat to see history in the making. I watched it "live" on the news for a longer amount of time than I will admit to. Those of you who watched can share this with your future children or grandchildren.The pageantry of the whole thing was wonderful to watch. Kate's dress was absolutely stunning. She stepped out of the car and my jaw dropped. The dress is so similar to what I want someday, in fact, it reminds me of my great grandmother's dress. What really impressed me was that she did her own hair and makeup! Westminster Abbey looked flawless. I loved how they brought in natural plants and trees to give the wedding a classic and elegant look. I am sure many brides are wishing that their wedding would go off without a hitch just like the Royal Wedding!

Courtesy: People, Nick Edwards

I must say that one of my favorite moments was when Kate was walking down the aisle and Prince William and Prince Harry were facing the back of the Abbey with their backs to her. You could tell William was antsy wanting to look at her, because he kept fidgeting. Harry would turn around and smile and tell Will about her. You could read his lips with parts of what he was saying, "She's coming" and "She's beautiful!" Finally, Will couldn't take it and turned to see her. The joy on his face was the sweetest thing. He seemed mesmerized by her... like a true fairytale! :)

Courtesy: Fox News

The crowd was magnificent at about 1.5 million people. I can't believe how well behaved they were. When, Kate said "I do" the crowd was watching on the screen outside. They cheered so loudly that the wedding party could hear the roar inside Westminster Abbey where Kate smiled at the sound. The sweet glances and smiles Will and Kate shared during the wedding were priceless!

Courtesy: AP, Oli Scarff

Courtesy: AP, Oli Scarff

Courtesy: Getty Images, Christopher Furlong

The wedding was one hour long and the procession leaving was just about as long. Kate walked in as a commoner and left as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She will also be called a princess on occasion as far as I understood. They rode in a carriage made in the early 1900's leaving the Abbey. The happy couple waved to the crowd and grinned from ear to ear the whole way to Buckingham Palace. Her sister, Pippa, Prince Harry, and the children rode in carriages as well... as did Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Courtesy: People, Toby Melville

Courtesy: AP, John Super

Courtesy: Fox News

The long awaited moment by the crowd was the kiss from the balcony where the couple and the royal family gathered. People camped out for DAYS in order to have a spot to see this moment. They got a kiss... two in fact!

Courtesy: Fox News

Courtesy: AP, Matt Dunham

The Royal Wedding was absolutely beautiful. It's like a modern Cinderella story.

Courtesy: Getty Images, Sean Gallup

Now just for fun, find out your Royal Wedding name. Start with Lord or Lady. Your first name should be one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet and the last part is the name of the street you grew up on. Have fun!


Yours truly,
Lady Eloise Gracie of Kensington

Wish Me Not

I wish ____________.

I wonder how many times people say "I wish" everyday? It is such a dangerous phrase. We (males and females) get so caught up in wishing for what we don't have that we miss what we do have. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things that would be pretty nice right now... I WISH I didn't have to take finals. I WISH I could jump on a plane to Anywhere, Earth right now. Then I think how blessed I am to actually be in college and how I live in what I consider to be one of the best countries in the world. I can dream and plan, but there is a time for everything.

I don't think it is bad to wish for things, just don't wish for things to happen all the time. I can't stand hearing people complain all the time about how their life sucks and how they wish it was different. Yes, life isn't always sunny, but realize that life would be pretty boring if it went your way all the time. Please don't wish your life away!


Wishes, wishes, wishes... don't miss out on today.

Content on the Coast

I have to say that one of my favorite places in the world is a North Carolina beach. I will go in a moments notice during any season. I don't like a beach that has a hundred people on it, though. I like to look down the shore and only see a few people... or maybe no one. It gives a sense of ownership, as if I don't have to share the beauty with anyone.

There is something special about the salt air coming off the ocean. The ocean is healing, both mentally and physically. The wind in your hair and toes scrunched in the sand, there's no other feeling like it. Just sit back and breathe.

Take the time to find a quiet beach to take a vacation. Then try something for me: leave the computer at home, turn off the cell phone (only for emergencies), unplug the television, put away the iPod, and park the car for the weekend. We get so wrapped up in our fast paced society that we lose sight of the beautiful things around us. When someone doesn't pick the phone up nowadays we keep calling until they answer. I remember the time of not having cell phones and no one panicked. I don't have a cell phone with email on it because I don't want people asking me why I didn't respond to the message they sent me.

I refuse to let my life revolve around other people ALL the time. The world has become so used to instant gratification that it is becoming a problem... almost an addiction. A click here and there and our emails, messages, and phone calls are taken care of. I'm not against technology, I just like to be able to step back and take a break from it all. The beach is the perfect place for this escape.

In the morning, get up early enough to watch the sunrise. Well worth the early hour, trust me! During the day, nap on the beach and listen to the sound of the salt water crashing in waves against the beach... it is like nature's lullaby. When the day comes to a close, sit back and watch the sunset. The fire in the sky is a wonderful sight, because I know that the next night I will see another one of a kind masterpiece from God's paintbrush.

My favorite thing to do at the beach is to look at the stars and the ocean by moonlight. I like to take out a blanket and sit in a rocking chair to watch them sparkle like glitter in the sky. If you're lucky you may see a shooting star... wish for a little more time in paradise. :-)

Stick to Your Ribs

In the South we have a phrase that some people may not know. It is "stick to your ribs." This refers to a food that will keep you from being hungry for a while. For example, a bowl of sugar cereal is not going to keep you full. However, something like Brunswick stew or corn pudding is very filling. It is similar to foods which are also known as "hearty foods."

It is days like today that I would love some good, home cooked Southern food (warning to the reader: REAL Southern food is to be eaten with caution... too much can give you a heart attack). Rotisserie chicken begins to lose its appeal after a while and cereal does not cut it.

Cereal in a Chinese take out container. Excellent.

I consider good, southern food to be the original family recipes passed down through the generations. Like fried okra, fresh peas, pulled pork BBQ, collards, cabbage, cornbread (fried or baked), and the casserole dishes. Casseroles are a Southern thing. Casseroles are good for any occasion: funerals, new baby arrival, a quick "get together", when someone is sick, etc. Look in any church cookbook... especially a Baptist cookbook. About 1/2 of the book is going to be casserole recipes, 1/4 dessert recipes, and the last 1/2 is going to be miscellaneous things that could even include homemade counter cleaners. Any Southern woman worth a grain of salt is going to have at least 3 of these cookbooks in her kitchen cabinet.

Family BBQ in January, 2011.

In the South we also like to put up vegetables. This is sadly becoming a thing of the past, but my family still does it some. Black eyed peas, fresh peas, or tomato sauce are a few of my favorites. I really love homemade pickles. You have never tasted good pickles unless they are canned in a Southern woman's kitchen. And you are REALLY missing out if you have never had homemade jelly (this is not jam). I love jelly made with pears, apples, or Scuppernong grapes (the purples ones, not the green ones) from the backyard.

Scuppernong Grapes, by Will Cook

Southern food is a necessity, kind of like a cold Coke on a hot summer day.Come on down South for a taste of what we call "mama's cookin'." You are missing out if you don't have some food that will stick to your ribs!

For the Love of G.G. Music

My great grandmother, Ina Mae, was the quintessential southern lady. When I was born she wanted me to call her "Great Grandmother." It came out as G.G. As the first great-grandchild I had the naming rights. :)

G.G. loved classical music. Love isn't strong enough, she ADORED classical music. A very talented pianist, she dreamed of going to Juilliard. She grew up on a gorgeous farm that she called the "Homeplace" and was one of many children. She was actually accepted to Juilliard, but could not afford to attend school there with so many children in the family. Instead she decided to attend Meredith College where she graduated in 1936. I will graduate from the same school 77 years after she did. It kind of blows my mind!

As a child going to G.G.'s house there was always classical music playing. On days she was feeling spunky she played it so loudly that you could hear it before you even entered the house. It was always on in at least three rooms of the house so you could hear it in every other room. I never questioned it being on all the time. If it was off when I came into the house I would go over to the little radio in the kitchen and turn it on. The house just didn't seem right if it was off. I would dance and pretend I was a ballerina when no one was watching (which I'm sure they were). I also loved to lay on the couch and just listen to the music flow out of the radio.

G.G. taught me the love of hearing a live symphony. She was a donor to the North Carolina Symphony and would attend as many of their concerts as she could. This love also transferred to me. I really like to go hear the symphony on their open rehearsal days. I could sit there for hours and just listen... maybe take a little work so I can try to be a little productive!

She was the only person I knew who listened to this kind of music, so I called it "G.G. Music." I didn't realize until later in my childhood (elementary school) that it actually had a name -- classical music. The love of this music transferred to me through ballet and tap and eventually playing the violin. Music is such a big part of me.

When G.G. had to move from her house to assisted living I refused to go inside the house. I sat in the car and watched people move her things out, tossing things in the dumpster or into a moving van. That house held so many memories and I didn't want to see it empty and destroy the happy images.

I used to go visit G.G. every Sunday after church to take her a biscuit and talk with her. Sunday's were our time to visit. Towards the end of her life I remember walking into her room and realizing her classical music wasn't on. I tried to cheer her up and turn the music on when I heard her say softly, "Off." I turned it off and went closer to hear what she had to say. I was very confused as to why she didn't want it on so I questioned her. I will never forget the sadness in her eyes were and the way her little wrinkled face frowned. G.G. told me that she didn't like to listen to it anymore... it no longer made her happy. I was speechless and changed the subject. When I left her that day I got in my car and fell apart. The music that I had associated my entire life with making my grandmother happy now saddened her. I just couldn't understand... it was almost like the music had died in her. I couldn't listen to it for a while without getting upset.

Sometimes, now, when I am in the car by myself I will turn on the local classical station and listen to the music as I drive. It helps me think of her and how much I still love classical music. I get lost listening to it. I listen to all kinds of music, but no other kind of music can make me feel the way classical does. Classical music makes your imagination come alive. You can make what you want out of the music. It's kind of like reading a book vs. watching the movie. The movie NEVER turns out the way you want it to. The characters aren't the way you imagined them, the lines are worded terribly, and you can't stand the director's way of using his "artistic drive." With classical music, no one is wrong in how they interpret the feeling of the music. You can let it lead you... it sweeps you away.

Classical music transfers me to what feels like another time. It is like breathing art... take the time to sit back and listen every once in a while.

Jerk a Knot in It

As far as I know "jerk a knot in it" is a Southern phrase. You can either be told to do this or have it done to you.

For example, this phrase can be used as an early warning system. If I was told as a child to jerk a knot in it, this generally meant that I had better straighten up or reap the consequences. When my cousin was little my Nannie had a spatula in the drawer by the stove. It had a smiley face on one side and a sad face on the other. She would tell her that young ladies behave and that she was going to jerk a knot in her if she didn't behave. You can imagine which side of the spoon she would get if my Nannie had ever used it for more than stirring grits (or course this was more playful banter than actual threat). See below for more consequences.

I wonder if it would really leave a smiley face print?

If this phrase is used as a verb it can likely result in having your hide torn up. It would go about like this, "You are on strike three. Don't make me jerk a knot in you." Panic begins to set in... you have really done it this time. Don't even try to run, because you can't outrun an angry Southern woman (my Nannie chased me through the backyard one time when I ran away from her -- it was more fun then anger!). You may even have to pick out your own switch to have your leg fried with. Or, the nearest object may be grabbed instead... something along the lines of a spatula, a flip flop, a fly swatter, and the list goes on. Feel free to tell me any other ones you can think of. If you were being smart mouthed you could even get your mouth washed out with soap or hot sauce. I never got hot sauce, but I did experience the soap a time or two. Not pleasant.

I have to put this in just for those of you who are horrified after reading this. This is not abusive if handled the right way. Obviously I was not traumatized by this since I am joking about it now. Now a days we all just tease about it. I didn't really experience much of this, because I was horrified at the very idea of having a knot jerked in me. Of course I would push my limits as far as I could, but I usually sat in time out and looked at that hateful wallpaper for what felt like hours (nice visual image, right). On rare occasions I may have had those DREADED words spoken to me: I'm disappointed in you. I still hate hearing that phrase directed to ANYONE! That would tear me apart. You can also be threatened to have a knot jerked in you if you are having a hissy fit. This is not a pretty combination.

This phrase may sound kind of odd, but it's just another one of those Southern thangs.



Source: Google Images