Graeter’s ice cream. You know your jealous.
Thought I’d start on a high note.
Today is cold and dreary. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with a massive mug of cocoa (kind of like the beauty to the left, eh?) and watch episodes of The King of Queens. Last night I made homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner with Swedish Lingionberry wine. Ted says it’s his favorite meal that I’ve made so far in this house. He had scarfed down a full plate and was on his way to seconds before I was even halfway through. Not a bad way to pay a compliment. :-) He even walked in the door and commented on how good it smelled, which sure beats Tuesday’s comment of *sniff sniff* “what smells like rotten feet?” For the record, it was the bay scallops cooking in the Bowtie Alfredo Pasta with veggies and fresh scallops that I was making. And yes, he liked it.
We (by we I mean Ted) sawed off 5/8 of an inch of our bathroom door for us last night so the bathroom rug will fit under it as it opens and closes. Not such a big deal normally but since the tile on that floor is freezing in the morning when we wake up and go into the bathroom to get ready, being able to have a rug down makes it much cozier. This morning our rental water softener was installed. Since it was just hooked up and hasn’t really had much of a chance to get through the pipes yet I can’t say that its made a big difference yet. We’re hoping it does though. In the process of installing the softener the installation guy discovered a leak in the hideous utility sink I’ve been dreaming of getting rid of. What this means is that there’s a small area of our new basement carpet over by the washer/dryer that is soaking wet. Excellent. So we’ll have to dry that out tonight and either buy and install a new pipe under the sink to prevent further leaks and damage, or we can just get a new non-creepy utility sink! (Ted, are you reading this?)
I found a place to take my wedding dress to get cleaned (yeah, I’m a little behind on things right now – hoping that spilled beer & campfire smell comes out now…) I decided to call ahead and check out their prices before I made the 30 minutes each way trek over there. Good thing I did because they’re out of their tree if they think I’m paying $170 to have my wedding dress cleaned! I found a much more reasonable option about 2 blocks from our house in Anderson. So I think I’ll drop it off there tomorrow morning instead.
Speaking of wedding dresses, this morning Extra informed me that Prince William and Kate (excuse me – Katharine, as she is now being called) are engaged and planning a royal wedding. I am thrilled I never have to plan another wedding. We both think our wedding turned out great and we’re really proud that we did everything for it DIY. But sometimes planning it was a huge headache-inducing pain in the butt. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not excited to see what they plan! I bet it’s going to be fabulous!! I can’t even imagine the pressure though. The wedding will most likely be televised and watched (read: scrutinized and brutally judged) by millions of people all over the world – regular folks, other brides-to-be looking for inspiration, fashion designers, celebrities, etc.
When it comes to weddings I’m of the opinion that if you aren’t the bride or groom you should probably keep your mouth zipped on what you think about this bridesmaid dress or that wedding gown, if you like the meal choices or not, if you think it’s too lavish and expensive or a redneck’s dream. Unless of course you are specifically asked. Not because it’s not okay to have an opinion, but because it’s not always the most helpful thing to voice that opinion. Brides who are not marrying into royalty often get more advice, pressure, opinions, ideas and suggestions than they can handle or even want for that matter. I imagine for a queen-to-be having to live up to all the hype and standards that everyone is setting for her is a million times more stressful. On the other hand the girl’s probably got the hook up with designers, coordinators and planners galore – she may not have to do a darn thing but say “yes” or “no.” I mean she’s been engaged for 5 minutes and her choice of dress and church are already under attack. People are already speculating if she’ll get married at the church where Diana & Charles got married or at Westminster Abbey – but that’s where Diana’s funeral was held. And will she wear a copy of Diana’s gown, or will she choose one of her own favorite designers? Is she going to follow in Diana’s footsteps with “Kate Couture?” I don’t really care. I think no matter what she & William choose, it’ll be a lovely, gorgeous, schmoozing with elegance affair. And if it’s televised, I’d probably tune in and watch it to check out all the cool details they choose – they seem like a hip, modern couple. I’d be interested to see how they combine their personal style with royal tradition. Ah, a royal wedding – warms the heart.
Oh! And today is the day you’ve been waiting for. I’ve finally got a picture of Solo for you. World, meet Solo:
