*Insert huge cheesy grin here*

I am so completely geeked over what is coming in the mail! Lookie...

It's a hair sword (or stick, if you want to be all technical & not-fun), based on Eowyn's sword from the Lord of the Rings movies! NightBlooming at Etsy custom made it for me & she said it went out in the mail today! I am so completely stoked it isn't even funny! Muahahaha!
Sweet... :-D

Tea & Crumpet

Okay, time for a couple of pictures from the Ladies' Tea at church and an introduction to the newest fluffy member of the family.

First up, we have a shot of my tea table, done in blues, since that's what my china pattern is. I got napkins rings this year from good ol' Wally World & placed a red rose in each for a touch of Christmasy color. Above the forks, I placed favours for each guest. They were squares of Ghiradelli dark chocolate in a sheer bag, tied with a tea-themed charm on a ribbon.

The center-piece was a miniature scene of a living room, complete with a tea set, Christmas tree, gifts & nativity set. There's also a pair of red high heels by one of the chairs & a curious kitty checking out the bowl of strawberries (made years ago by your truly) on the coffee table. The blue & tan thingy in front of the tree is a Jill-in-the-Box that I made in a class, also years ago.

The Mothership's table, done in her Old Country Roses pattern.

~~~~~~~

Well, that was the 'Tea' section, now for the 'Crumpet' part.

Meet Crumpet.

We adopted her a month or so ago from the local Humane Society. Mom & I went to give Peanut 'moral support' when she went to pick out Lexi, her new house cat. We saw this adorable little Siamese mix who kept kneading the other kittens she was curled up with & just had to hold her. One thing led to another & Mom talked Dad into letting us adopt her.

She is a deal. Her motor is loud as all-get-out & she has enough energy for 4 cats. She's also a cuddler & is slowly winning Boo over. Boo just doesn't like getting caught letting Crumpet lick her or play with her. Must keep up the aloof & dignified reputation, you know.

Tea Time!

We had another ladies tea at church last Sunday & Mom was assigned to make all the scones this year.

Which means I was assigned to help make all the scones. (I'm not really upset, just think it's funny that Mom being on a committe means I am too.)

We used the same recipe as last year & made 7 double batches. That's a lot of cream cheese. Dad helped mix several of the batches up.

Anyway, I started mixing batches about 6:30 Friday evening, worked from 12-8am at UMY, then took a couple hour nap before starting again. Mom & I took most of our dishes & decorations out to the church Saturday evening where I also did the PowerPoint announcements. When we got back home, I got my second wind & played music videos on youtube all night while I baked. Until 6:30am. I slept until 9:45-ish while Mom finished up the scones, then got ready to go. We had to have our tables ready to go by 3pm, so we decorated & then the shindig started at 4pm.

After the meal was over I tried to stay at the table for the program, but the long hours were catching up to me. I ended up crashing on the couch in the fireside room for about an hour then it was time to clean up.

I crashed so hard when we got home. I have pictures that I'll post as soon as I find my camera in one of the boxes.

Oh yeah, I've been home sick from work the last three nights, but at least now I have my voice back.

Back To The Accent

I've been stuck in a British accent again. I blame all the movies I've been watching. Absolutely everything has been either (that's pronounced I-ther, of course...) British or set in England.

The Importance of Being Earnest... Mansfield Park... An Ideal Husband... the new Pride & Prejudice... the 6-hour A&E Pride & Prejudice... and of course, Doctor Who...

And with Colin Firth being in several of those movies, I now have a touch of a thing for him, especially as Mr. Darcy. *sigh*

It also doesn't help that I've been researching clothing from the 1870's, especially '74-'76, in hopes of getting into doing a little re-enacting at Old Cowtown Museum. Ready-made corsets are not cheap & the thought of making one is a little daunting, but a friend has connections & he can hook me up with some people who have experience in making them. Oh, did you know that it is nigh impossible to find Battenburg lace fabric or trim? If my dress plan is (eventually) approved by the museum, I'll likely have to buy several tablecloths &/or curtains & alter them for the skirt & trim. Just call me Scarlett... ;-P

They Can't Do This To Me!

Givenchy has discontinued my favourite perfume, Organza Indecence. The cost has skyrocketed. I got a bottle a couple years ago from eBay for about $35. The retail price then was 70 to 80-some dollars. Now a bottle the same size costs anywhere from $120 to (brace yourselves) $200!

I rarely find a perfume I like as much as I do this one. And the bottle - Oo-la-la!

It bothers The Mothership's sinuses so I try not to wear it when I'll be in a vehicle with her. I just don't know what I'm going to wear when my supply runs out. *sob*

Knives & Jewelry...

...What more can a girl ask for?

So, I'm having this jewelry party tonight. While I'm there, I'll be wearing a pretty little spoon-handle ring, a bracelet with teacup charms & a sparkly necklace. Ooh, can't forget the earrings. In my pocket, I will have my little Leatherman. And in & on my pretty, sparkly purse, will (as always) be this & these.

Heh. I can just feel the lecture coming my way from The Mothership...

I Have Good Taste

Of course good taste = expensive.

Like this vase for $130 from the Smithsonian store.

Or the Lorelei vase from Van Briggle Art Pottery in Colorado Springs I saw while on vacation.

For a mere $275. They did have one there in the show room that had a few tiny, tiny cracks on the inside lip that they were willing to let go for $155. Sad to say, I was very tempted.

For Sale - Queen Anne II Dollhouse Kit

After I got my work comp settlement from Cessna, I splurged & got my dream dollhouse. (Yes, I know it's a kids' toy - shut up) The Queen Anne II by Real Good Toys. Three floors, thirteen rooms, one a hidden tower room. I have all the rooms planned out & some of the furniture & other stuff stored.
Only problem is, my car is likely officially dead & I have some other unexpected expenses, so the dollhouse is going to have to go. It's a kit, un-assembled (I was scared to try the assembly & wiring for electricity on something this expensive. And no, I didn't pay full price.), so it'll be fairly easy to ship in the two boxes I got it in.

It's a sturdy kit, 3/8 inch plywood, 50"W x 24"D x 49"H and in 1-inch scale. (1 inch equals 1 foot.)

If anyone is interested, drop me an email. The original MSRP is $1075.00, but I could let it go for probably $700. Or just make me an offer & I'll see what we can work out.

Christmas Tea

We had our Christmas Tea at church last Sunday. After second service, all the chairs were picked up in the Worship Center & we set out 29 tables. Each lady had one table to decorate (Mom had two & another lady helped set everything up & hostessed for her). There were so many beatiful tables. One lady even had the same china pattern (Old Britain Castles by Johnson Brothers) as me, except in red. Hers were even vintage.

Here is my table. I didn't have enough place settings to do them all in my Castle plates, so several were sets of Mom's. I put an oil lamp of Mom's in the center, filled with blue oil (of course), surrounded by a strand of blue & gold beads & blue Christmas ornaments. I even managed to prop up a blue glass peacock. It was very stubborn little bird. I had my little teaparty teapot (similar to this one but a lot prettier) there & the creamers were little kitties.

"Every well-bred petty crook knows that the small, concealable weapons always go to the far left of the place setting." ~ Inara Serra, Firefly Heart of Gold episode

The gun is a little butane lighter. Unfortunately, it doesn't work extremely well. Actually it hardly works at all, but it's good for some laughs. A tea table just wouldn't have that LG touch if there wasn't something wacky on it... *grin*

Update: The recipes I made are posted here & here.

Carols & Crumpets

It's that time again - tea time! Woo-hoo! (Real lady-like, ain't I...)

This year it's a Christmas Tea, hence the title "Carols & Crumpets", & is a fundraiser for the Women's Ministry. I've spent today baking scones & shortbread & going through china with the Mothership. I'll post recipes later.

By the by, Mom is now a murderer of... Furby's! Twice today she bumped the Furby's in the closet & woke them up. The next several hours we heard odd mechanical voices emanating from said closet. Just as they shut up the first time, Mom had to get in the closet & bumped them again. This time, she knocked one off it's shelf (an accident, or so she claims) & killed it. The best part was as that happened, the other one said "Ooooh, scary!"

Another quick Furby story - Viking Dad is notorious for giving rather lengthy devotions. One day, (I was in college & so unfortunately missed it) Dad was once again getting long-winded, & in the midst of a pause, one of the Furby's, who was playing hide-&-seek, announced "BO-RING." I so wish I had been there. I heard Dad was not amused.

Anyway, back to the point of the post. Uhh, what was the point? Oh, right - tea. Yeah, okay...

Lost my train of thought here... Oh! Mom & I were both pretty worn out earlier, not awake yet or something & I went back to her room to see her flopped on her bed. I was cold so as we talked I crawled in the other side. We decided to nap & Mom said "We can tell Dad we're having a committee meeting." I like committee meetings. Napping is one of my favourite hobbies.

The tea is tomorrow afternoon, it's now 11:07pm & we ain't done yet. Good thing I took the night off at work...

The Good Ol' Days..

... When the men were men & the women were glad of it. (Sorry - that's a Viking Dad quote.)

I recently watched two Fred Astaire movies & loved loved LOVED the top hats, ties & tails. And of course Ginger's gowns - all frothy & covered in feathers (I'm not big on sequins). They looked so snazzy & elegant. Of course, Fred can't compare to Cary.

Ahh, Cary - my dream man. *sigh*

I love suits & the whole dressing up thing. (This coming from someone who wears t-shirts, lots & lots of t-shirts.)

And Cary is so debonair. And handsome. And... I'd better stop drooling now.

Cary *big sigh & fluttering lashes*

If The Shoe Fits, Buy It

I've decided I need a pair of sassy red heels. Something I can wear with churchy clothes or jeans. A vintage-y full shoe with a curvy, 4 inch french heel. (I'm not picky at all, am I?)

I ran across a pair that were very cute & then I looked at the price - $400! Who in their right mind would pay that much money for a pair of shoes?

Oooh! These are cute, but unfortunately, not practical for me.

Sweet candy Moses! These ones were originally $600!

Oh well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not finding anything I like. I'd have to go out & buy clothes that match the shoes before wearing them...

Tom-boyish Girly-Girl

The Mothership routinely has a 'talk' with me on my apparent obsession with guns. She's worried that a certain guy (that I would date in a heartbeat were he to ever ask me) will read this here blog & freak out & therefore never make a move.

I don't think I'm obsessed with guns & knives, I just like them a lot. I think they're fun & useful and I've almost always carried a pocketknife (or switchblade) with me - to work, to school, around running errands & sometimes even to church (if I'm wearing jeans instead of a dress). I've even saved lives with my knives - horsey lives, but lives nonetheless.

Mom is a very girlie-girl, very feminine and I can't picture her with a gun or knife in her hands. I'm still shocked that she rode ol' Pebbles once on the farm. She loves pink and dolls and ruffles and lace. I hated pink for years after making the foolish mistake of painting my bedroom pink & choosing pink carpet when I was 12.

I grew up as a bit of a tomboy. I had the horses & I was smack in between 2 boys in the birth order. I never dated growing up, partly because I could beat all the guys I knew arm-wrestling. I mean, come on, who really wants to date a guy you're capable of beating up?

I've softened up some since then. My entry-way is painted pink - a darker pink though. I love the shabby-chic look and Victorian houses. I go to tea parties but I also want to go to sniper school and drag-race a 'Hemi 'Cuda.

Mom & I were discussing this while decorating for the tea and I said I would be perfectly comfortable going to a tea room wearing a nice dress and concealed-carrying a .45.

Heh. That got a look.

Tea Time

Yesterday was the Ladies Tea Party at church. We had about 100 ladies in attendance and it was so much fun. Most of the china was provided by Mom & me, along with several other ladies in the church. Diana, Karla & Betty did the food while Mom & I decorated with the help of my aunts & Traci. The main color - pink.

A lot of the women wore hats & dressed up.
We had cheesecakes, several bundt cakes, canapes, little pinwheel sandwiches, creme puffs with chocolate & raspberry drizzles & lemon curd and fresh pineapple, strawberries & kiwi.

Ooooh, don't forget the chocolate-dipped strawberries!

These are some of the tea cups & tea pots we used. Grace, bless her heart, stayed afterward & washed all of the china for us. I was dreading having to do that.

I was a hostess, table-refiller & greeter. I borrowed Mom's hat & had to go buy a dress to match. One fella at church told me that hats should be worn more often. I agree.

Mom & I are considering planning the tea party for next year. My aunt said we need to wait about 6 months before thinking about it so we can all recover from this one.

Tea Time

Our Women's Ministry at church is hosting a tea party this Sunday afternoon. Mom & I are two of the hostesses. We both volunteered our tea pots & cups, which meant counting all of them.

Tell me, what does a single lady who never entertains need with 15 china tea cups and 3 tea pots? At least they're all pretty & were on sale for at least 40 % off....

Now I need to find a frou-frou hat to wear, just because I can.

Pictures to come (maybe)

We're Having A Tea Party, Dahling

Just got back from taking tea at Aunt Hattie's with Lil'Un and SIL Kat. We each had the Vanderbilt sandwich - Lil'Un's was minus everything but the croissant & turkey. Kat & I split the tea - raspberry - and scones. Lil'Un snitched parts of my scone, picking out the cranberries. She didn't like the Devonshire cream either. Kat & I thought that was the best part.
After eating we discovered the hats, gloves & necklaces they have in the back hallway for people to use while having their tea parties. So we played dress-up for a while.
Kat put together this stunning ensemble with hot pink boa and little boater.
(That's me in the blue, by the way... Don't run away screaming...)

Wedding Plans

I don't remember what got me to thinking on this, but last summer while we were preparing for Peanut's wedding, Mom started planning mine.

She had found a book that showed how to make roses out of fabric. I will admit, they are gorgeous, Victorian and very 'me'. She said if I want these in my wedding, I need to hurry up and pick my colors so she could get started on them.

Hurry up!?!

I've never even been on real date and she's wanting me to pick my wedding colors!

On the other hand, after cleaning up from Peanut's wedding, Dad offered to pay me & whoever I marry $4000 if we elope. The previous offer had been $1000 to the other three. Flanders also said he'd pitch with $1000.

Whee-hee! Five-thousand buck-a-roonies!

I do have my wedding dress picked out, sorta. I'd have to make it and I haven't sewn since 4-H...

Picture from Victorian Fashions & Costumes From Harper's Bazar 1867-1898, page 98.

Shoes!

I love shoes. Especially ones with high heels. And also if they are a teensy bit funky. Like my high-heeled tennis shoes below.

And, no, I don't go running in these. ;-)

I also like vintagey looking ones like this pair.

In fact, I like them so well, I also got them in brown. Remember, if the shoe fits, buy it in every color!

Cuddly

Yay! Finally another word to describe my shape. (I'm in shape. Round is a shape...) Cuddly certainly sounds better than fat. I still need to work on a Buff - Not Fluff campaign, though. (That phrase has been blatantly stolen from my friend Nic.)

"If" For Girls

Found this great little poem, based on Rudyard Kipling's "If", over at Modestly Yours.

"If" for Girls

If you can hear the whispering about you
And never yield to deal in whispers, too;
If you can bravely smile when loved ones doubt you
And never doubt, in turn, what loved ones do;
If you can keep a sweet and gentle spirit
In spite of fame or fortune, rank or place,
And though you win your goal or only near it,
Can win with poise or lose with equal grace;

If you can meet with Unbelief, believing,
And hallow in your heart, a simple creed,
If you can meet Deception, undeceiving,
And learn to look to God for all you need;
If you can be what girls should be to mothers:
Chums in joy and comrades in distress,
And be unto others as you'd have the others
Be unto you - - no more, and yet no less;

If you can keep within your heart the power
To say that firm, unconquerable "No,"
If you can brave a present shadowed hour
Rather than yield to build a future woe;
If you can love, yet not let loving master,
But keep yourself within your own self's clasp,
And not let Dreaming lead you to disaster
Nor Pity's fascination loose your grasp;

If you can lock your heart on confidences
Nor ever needlessly in turn confide;
If you can put behind you all pretenses
Of mock humility or foolish pride;
If you can keep the simple, homely virtue
Of walking right with God - - then have no fear
That anything in all the world can hurt you - -
And - - which is more - - you'll be a Woman, dear.