I watched, did you?

Of course, I am talking about the Royal Wedding. I did not get up at 4AM to watch it. I did DVR it at 4AM. First I recorded it off the NBC Today Show. That's the channel I watched when Charles and Diana were married. Then when I got up around 6:15I switched to the BBC World News. I felt their coverage and vantage points were superior to the NBC station so I stopped taping NBC and switched the DVR to BBC.



Oh my gosh, the dress was gorgeous and elegant and perfection. I felt Kate really got it right. And all of those interior shots of Westminster Abbey were breathtaking.



What was the Queen thinking about? She was very solemn at this moment.



I hope the couple is always this joyful.



Oh, to be their wedding photographer! What an honor that would be!



I got caught up in the pageantry and did not want to get ready for work.



I was so wishing I was there to witness this magnificent event in person.



Every beautiful moment was recorded.



Wasn't the coach magnificent?




I see one of the flower girls was not enthralled with the goings on.



The BBC had a correspondent in one of the flyover planes. Wasn't that cool?



I love this candid shot.



There's the kiss. Did you know NBC had a countdown to the kiss clock? That actually worked out well for me since I was getting ready for work. I saw 21 minutes to the kiss on the clock so I ran and showered and still had time to view the kiss live.



An acknowledgement to the crowd.



And off to start their new life. Sorry, no more photos. This is the last I saw of the wedding. I had to go to work after that.

I took all but the very first photo off my television with my own camera. The first photo is by Mark Thompson and Getty Images.

I am hostessing my Royal Wedding Tea on Sunday. I will post about it on
Sunday or Monday.

Royal Wedding Correspondence

Do you remember when I did the post on watching my mailbox for the Royal Wedding invitation? Well I had convinced myself that I would be going to the wedding. The reason why I was so hopeful was because my Sister had made some inquiries to the Queen and other royals offering her services as a live event painter for the wedding. She knew that the Royals would probably use someone from Britain but she researched it and could not find anyone who provided this service in Britain.

For those of you who are newer to my blog, my sister is an artist and she has a business doing live event painting for weddings and special events.




Anyway, she received these letters in response to her inquiries. She also received an email from the Queen's cousin who is an event planner. The woman said she
was intrigued by my Sister's business (she had not heard of live event painting) and she said she would keep my Sister in mind for the Queen's events in the coming year. The Queen has a Diamond Jubilee next year.

So fingers crossed everyone. My Sister could be hired for a Royal event after all!
I am her trusty assistant who can take the photos of the event which will be used as reference for the finished painting. One can dream, right?

Easter Festivities

Today I had my Father and Sister over for brunch. First, there was church and then we went to my condo for Easter Brunch. We started with a salad of baby spinach, goat cheese, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, and slivered almonds with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.



Orange juice was served from my hydrangea pitcher.



A daytime view of the table setting.



I made the same french toast recipe I used for last year's Wimbledon Breakfast. It's an overnight baked french toast with maple syrup and cream cheese. So yummy and so easy. I got the recipe from the Angel of the Sea Bed and Breakfast cookbook.

My Sister made a Swedish Apple Pie and we had it for dessert.



In the evening, I invited my Sister and 4 friends over for dessert. Everyone brought something. We had fruit salad with blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries and a sweet cream dip. Also, brownies, lemon cookies, more Swedish apple pie and a chocolate mousse layer cake. That's it pictured above.



It really was quite spectacular looking. We couldn't wait to cut into it.



It was just as spectacular on the inside. And delicious too!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

Easter Table Preview

 

If I'm having guests over for a meal, I always like to set my table in advance to make sure the presentation is as nice as the food I serve.

Tomorrow I will have my Dad and Sister over for Easter brunch in the afternoon and then at night friends are coming over for dessert. I have a special Easter egg cake just waiting to be cut! I'm making baked french toast as the entree.

I played with the tablescape tonight. The prep work was already done, white tablecloth washed and pressed, napkins ironed, groceries and flowers purchased.

I thought the white tablecloth would look very elegant under the lavender
table runner I planned to use. This runner is so cool, it has little led lights running down the middle of it. I've been saving it for Easter.

The tablescape still needs tweaking. I'm sure it will look a lot better with food on the plates.

I wish you all a very Happy Easter. I'll share photos of my Easter table in the next few days.

 

I found a new store- Jack + Toba

Last weekend after the Bedford Polecapping, I decided to explore the Bedford area on foot. I came upon a really cool shop on Great Road. It's called Jack + Toba.



The store is named after the late parents of owner Suzy Adler Watters. I met Suzy in the afternoon at her store. I love the mix of vintage and modern items.



I purchased this candle. As I burn it right now I can smell a wonderful exotic yet subtle scent. Not too overpowering at all and just how I like it. It's made by Tatine out of Chicago. Suzy only purchases items for her store from companies that she believes in. She has to like the owner as well as the product.



Ooh, I love this all leather trunk. Could I find a spot for it in my home? Not right now but I did really like it.



This trunk would look great at the end of my bed or as a coffee table.



A fine example of industrial chic.




This fun umbrella is guaranteed not to blow inside out.



Aren't these fish sweet? They're made from driftwood from a Maine artist.



Cool window, I can see this in my living room.



There's that trunk again, used as a table.




Overview of the store.



Like this chippy table? The merchandising is fabulous in this store.




My parcels are wrapped. I leave with that happy feeling I have when I find a great new store. When the owner immediately acknowledges me and I can see how passionate she is about her business, I have to smile. I am in my happy place and I know I will return.

You'll find Jack + Toba at 72 Great Road in Bedford.

About a Blog

I've been blogging for nearly 3 years. And I think it's quite the task to define my blog as I go back over more than 300 posts.

My original intention was to start a blog to showcase my photography. Then I posted photographs with stories. Then it became more personal and I began to tell more stories about my life. I added a playlist and tried to match the songs to the posts.

I think I only did three rants on my blog. One was about my car accident in 2009, one was about things going wrong at the condo I own, and the last one was about Sears because they deserve it.



From reading my blog, you may guess I am a foodie. I will not divulge my approximate weight gain since I started blogging! From my blog you will also discover I am coffee obsessed and enjoy an occasional spot of tea.




Mostly, you will discover that I share my home with my 3 cats, love my family and friends, have quite a sense of humor and can't imagine living anywhere but New England.

Click on the button on the sidebar to visit Sarah at Modern Country Style and read all about the Define Your Blog party.