Operation Bridal Shower: Success

     Hello, viewers.

     I just got back from Anwen's bridal shower a little while ago, and I think it went very well.  There were roughly 15 guests, 18, if you count the few small children in attendance.

     The food and desserts that Wren, Anwen's sister (whom I shall call Gia), and I made seemed to meet with everyone's approval.  Among other things, there were red velvet cupcakes, individual cheesecakes in tiny mason jars, and cheesecake stuffed strawberries. 

     The location was Wren's parents' house, which is quite lovely.  It was an outdoor event, and their yard is equally lovely.  The outdoor bar and shaded patio tables were useful in keeping us from melting in the hot April sun.  I know, sounds strange right?  Hot April sun...  Here are a few pictures of decorations, and such.  In the last one, you'll see Wren's very nice mum, whom I shall refer to as Lottie

     After everyone had a cold drink, and ate, and mingled, and all that, dessert was served, whilst Anwen opened her gifts, with the help of her small nephew.  She got some very nice things, including three aprons, one of which she got from me. 

     When she had done, we played some games, such as the paper-clip game, where everyone gets three clothes pins, which they clip on their clothes, and everytime someone says the word "wedding" in random conversation, the person who catches them saying it gets to steal one of their pins.  Anwen playfully wheedled pins out of her sister and I, using her bridal status.  Then there were trivia games, one of which was played by the guests, who were given a list of facts about the bride and groom (favourite colour, favourite candy, prefers coffee or tea, etc.), and if we thought the fact pertained to the bride, we'd hold up a pair of paper lips, and if the groom, a paper moustache.  Apparently, I know them both pretty well; I only missed one question, which applied to both of them.  The other trivia game was for the bride to play.  Wren had asked the groom (who shall be known as Johnny) some trivia about himself, and for every question Anwen answered incorrectly, she had to put a piece of gum in her mouth, and continue to answer the questions, as her wad of gum grew.  It was all quite fun.

     For the bridal shower favours, there were succulent plants in mason jars. 

     I chose this one.  It is my new pet plant.  I had one once, whom I had named Simon Beauregard Remington, otherwise known as Remy.  Alas, he is no more.  My new pet plant is called Sir Erik Anthony III.  Let us hope his life is not as short as was his predecessor.

     After more mingling, and merry making, the guest began to leave, and we helped Anwen pack her gifts into her car, and then the rest of us went home.  It was a very nice bridal shower, and I'm glad to have been a co-host.  The next things on my list, are to make hair garlands for Wren and Gia, and start saving up for the hen weekend (or "bachelorette" weekend, as some would have it).

     On a side note, I'm very glad that I opted to wear my mint-green chiffon, because Wren and Gia's dresses were also varying shades of mint-green, and the tablecloths were mint-green, and the bride's mum and nephew showed up wearing mint-green, and Anwen accused us of some sort of conspiracy, and it was all very amusing. 

    Here we are, with our matching dresses, and our moustaches. 

From left to right: Wren, Gia, me (the one whose face you aren't allowed to see), and our lovely bride Anwen.

     Anyways, there you have it, viewers; one more event crossed off my wedding checklist.

     Good day to you all.

Bridal Shower Outfit: Revised

     Hello, viewers.

    Less than 24 hours away from the bridal shower now, and, as my post title indicates, I've made a last minute outfit change.  I didn't account for summer weather in April, but where I live, I might have seen that coming.  The blush dress I had picked might have been fine by itself, without the black over-jacket and such, but after talking with the maid-of-honour and the other bridesmaid today, and discovering that they had both randomly picked a blue/blue-green dress to wear, I decided it'd probably be more fitting all around if I wear the mint green chiffon summer dress I had chosen for the reception.  I'll just have to figure out something else for to wear to that.

    I have a few different jewelry options, which I'll make a final decision on in the morning. 

    I spent most of the day at the maid-of-honour's house today (her name in my blog shall be Wren), baking, and preparing food for tomorrow.  Thus far, things seem to be running smoothly, for the most part.  I shall blog again soon, and relate the details and highlights of the shower.

     Until then viewers, peace be with thee.

Random Rambling

     Hello viewers.

     I hope you've all had a pleasant day.  Mine was rather exhausting.  Not that I did anything remotely active, or fatigue-inducing; "exhausted" is simply my general state of being, as some of you may have gathered from previous posts. 

     It was a decent day, though, for the most part.  I spent the first have of the day in bed, watching old movies.  Then, I made vanilla chai scones, which I had with a cup of masala chai tea.  It was lovely.  Look how lovely it is, next to my lovely book.

     Then, I took a moment and admired the gift my friend (the one my mum and I house-sat for) brought me back from Hawaii.  She bought my mum and I each a piece of jewelry made by locals in Maui. 

     I quite love it.  It goes with alot of my clothing, including my bridesmaid outfit.  And look; although it's hard to tell from this photo, one of the beads is shaped like a butterfly. 
Note: The Solemn Wood Nymph loves butterflies.

     Then, my mum and I worked on my bridesmaid dress a bit.  You see, not only is it a bit to large, it was also evidentally meant for a tall person, and I am prodigiously small of stature, as befits a wood nymph.  I was examining this in my mirror, and gathered some of the chiffon folds behind me, which somehow instantly made the dress appear to fit perfectly, besides giving it a snazzy-looking train in the back.  My mum happened to walk past my room at the moment, and she had exactly the same thought.  So, she shortened the hem of the lining, and will later sew the gathers in the back for me. 

     Having been tired already, the fitting process fatigued me yet more, so I retired to my room, and did some needle-work, and personal study.

     The day concluded with Theocratic Ministry School, which my mum and I attend on Thursday evenings.  I enjoyed it as usual, despite my fatigue, although when we were visiting in the lobby afterwards, the fluorescent lighting caused me to swoon, as it tends to do (I dare say it has a personal grudge against me), and I collapsed against my poor mum, and had to be assisted out of the building by one of our friends.  Fortunately, as I was in the lobby at the time, I don't think anyone else noticed.  Haha.  There was my bit of excitement for the day~

     Anyways, I'm off to bed early tonight.  Good night, viewers.  Sleep well.

Bridesmaid Accessories

     Good morrow, comrades.

     I have at length completed my bridesmaid outfit.  As with the dresses, Anwen has allowed the other bridesmaids and I to choose our own accessories, provided that they adhere to the wedding's theme and colour palette. 

     I decided that a garland would be appropriately woodsy, and, rather than purchasing one online, I decided to make my own.  To make it, I bought a plain garland of twigs, and removed some of them to achieve the desired width.  I then cut up a stalk of false pussy-willow, and wove the pieces through the twigs, attaching them with bits of thin green twine.  Then, I took a couple of green butterflies I found at a craft store, and painted details on them with acrylic paint, and wired those to the twigs as well.

Here it is.  What thinkest thou?

 

 

 

     For my earrings, I went on a website called etsy.com, which features a wide variety of handmade products.  I found a lovely little pair of bronze earrings made with jade and Czech glass beads that went rather well with my garland.  Furthermore, in the description, they were called "Wood Nymph earrings."  I thought it fitting, therefore, I have ordered them.

 

 

 

     Pretty, no?  They should arrive in about a week.  My dress will soon be here as well, and then I can try on my outfit all together.

 

     Fare you well, viewers.  I wish you all a good day, or night, as the case may be.





A Tale of Two Cities

     Good day, viewers

      I hope you're all quite well.  I, myself am a bit under the weather today, and therefore am spending the day in bed (something new for me, quoi?). 

     While I partook of a cup of tea and a piece of cheesecake whilst wearing a 10-sizes-too-large sweatshirt, I watched A Tale of Two Cities: Live in Concert, which I rented from amazon.com.  Old-fashioned as I am, it's amazing how technology often lends itself to my reclusive lifestyle. 

     A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is beautiful, inspirational, humourous, angsty, and incredibly sad.  Needless to say, I quite love it.  I fully intend to purchase the book, one or two of the film adaptations, the stage musical (the one I rented), and the audio soundtrack.

     Here's a little character profile I made for the main character, Sydney Carton, who has become one my favourite literary characters.  Before you proceed to read it, however, I ought to tell you that it contains "spoilers".  Personally, I love spoilers, but I understand not everyone does.  So, you have been forewarned, and may now judge for yourself whether or not you wish to continue reading.

 

     About Him: A ne'er-do-well alchoholic/English barrister with a dismal life, who falls in love with Lucie Manette, and wants to turn his life around for her sake. When she marries Darnay, he adopts them as his "family", content to be near her, and later becomes attached to the Darnays' little girl. When Darnay gets arrested for his aristocratic backround (the story is set during the French Revolution), Carton disguises himself and selflessly takes his place in prison to keep his adopted family together out of love for Lucie, saying that he'd "give his life to keep the life she loves beside her." On the way to excecution, he comforts an innocent seamstress who is also doomed to die. When his turn comes, he muses that dying for those he loves is the best thing that he could have done with his life, and imagines Lucie weeping for him, and naming a son after him, who would live a better life than he had, which events, he felt, would give meaning to his "meaningless" life. He then bravely and serenely goes to his death. Downside: He dies.     

     Sad though the ending is, it's the spirit of self-sacrifice and display of selfless love that strikes a chord in the reader's heart, and renders the character a beloved hero.  Though I confess, I couldn't help wishing that the Scarlet Pimpernel would somehow jump from his own story into this one and save Sydney at the last minute.  'Twould be a very unexpected ending, would it not?
    

Bridesmaid Dress Procured!

     Good morrow, viewers.

     I am very pleased to say, that I have at last found a suitable bridesmaid dress for Anwen's wedding.

     You see, the maid of honour, the bride's sister (who is the other bridesmaid) and I were instructed to each select a floor-length, brown chiffon gown, and a pair of brown ballet flats with bows.  We're supposed to look cohesive, but unique.  The ceremony is to be held in a redwood forest near the coast (a suitable location for a Wood Nymph such as I, n'est-ce pas?).  The various shades of brown will suit the theme and venue nicely.  Accessories haven't been selected just yet. I'm excited to find out what she chooses.

     It has been quite a challenge finding a dress of the proper description (I already have my shoes, by the way, a pair of chocolate brown suede flats with side-bows I found on amazon.com).  I browsed a few bridal websites with no success, and then turned to amazon with little more.  I went to a local bridal shop yesterday morning, and tried on various chiffon gowns, and though there were a couple of pretty ones, they didn't suit the purpose, or my budget.  Finally, I went on ebay, and found a floor-length, one-shouldered, coffee-coloured chiffon gown, in my size and price range.  I already know the style will work for me, as it is very similar to a blue gown I have that my sister-in-law brought back for me from Cambodia.  I sent the picture to Anwen, and she approved.

     So, here is my latte-coloured gown, and my chocolate-brown shoes.  I shall look delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

    

Bridal Shower Outfit

     Good day, viewers.

     Here we are, at the beginning of a new month. 

     A dear friend of mine (I shall refer to her as her Anwen) is getting married in a few months, and I have the honour of being a bridesmaid.

     The bridal shower is later this month, and, advance-planner that I am, I have my outfit basically planned out.

     Since blush pink is one of the wedding colours, I bought a blush-coloured dress, and a belt/shoes to wear with it.

 

 

     To tie in with the black accents on the shoes, and the black rose earrings I intend to wear, I'm planning on wearing a black outer-garmet of some sort.  Here are my two options: a shawl, and a lace shrug.  It's a trifle difficult to take a good picture of one's self in the mirror with a very old mobile, with a bookshelf in the way, but you get the general effect.  Which looks better?