The Royal Wedding and Me

I looked each day in my mailbox for my invite to the royal wedding uniting Kate and William and alas, not even a “Save the Date” ever arrived. Well, never mind, I can attend in my own special way.

As with Princess Anne, (we share the same birthday don’t ya know), Fergie and Andrew and Diana and Charles, I get myself up at 4 a.m. to participate in all the pageantry. This year, I have requested the day off from work and have arranged all my wedding party supplies. I am having fresh cinnamon rolls (well, Pillsbury makes them but I am baking them), bloody mary’s, and a delicious brunch casserole with ham, olives, cheese and eggs.

My tiara is ready to go, my alarm is set and I may have on my PJs but I will be watching on my big screen as the queen and everyone else arrives. I can offer my own fashion critique (seriously, is that Princess Anne ever going to get any style?) and I cannot wait to see what my friend Kate is wearing. Will it be that rumpled tissue paper look that Diana chose, or will it be something fitted without all those bows and mutton sleeves? At least Kate won’t be as heavily corseted as Fergie, who looked so nice, then exploded after the wedding and became a Weight Watchers spokesperson. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean a princess has to make money too, right?

Kate is a lucky girl. She went to the same college a prince and future king attended and managed to not only snag him but to hold onto him for 7 years. He has a new bald spot on the top of his head that I am pretty sure he did not have when she met him so I guess she really is in love. All my best to the happy couple and I will forgive them for not inviting me as I am sure my invite was “lost in the mail.” I will be there in spirit anyway. And by the way, I have absolutely perfected my royal wave. I have practicing it all week!

Photos from Access Hollywood

Wreaths for Your Door and More

SPRING IS HERE –at least in some parts of the country. Here in Rochester we had snow yesterday but we are always hopeful for Easter and all that spring brings.

At Tuesday Morning we have an amazing variety of spring wreaths in the store right now. They are so colorful and bright, made of geraniums, hydrangeas, apple blossoms and a wonderful mix of spring flowers.

Wreaths can be showcased in so many places. As a designer, I once had a client with twin daughters and we had a pair of wreaths made to go above their twin beds. The little girls loved them and thought of them as “crowns.” These tiny girls are grown now and their mom says they took the wreaths with them to college to hang above their beds as a little “smile from home.”

Of course your front door is the perfect place for a welcoming wreath but I have seen them all over the house. They can hang on the armoire door, in a powder room, a laundry room, a kitchen or on the side door into the garage that no one ever “decorates.” At the holidays, I have a matching pair of berry wreaths flocked with snow I hang side by side on my twin bookcases.

A wreath can hang over an entry mirror (suspend it from fishing line from a tiny nail midway into the mirror) or perfectly over a fireplace. Light it with tiny lights, to give you a happy glow no matter the season. Check out your local Tuesday Morning store to find the perfect wreath.

Remember, if you have wreath on your front door and a bird family tries to nest there, just put an artificial bird on the wreath and the live birds will think another one lives there. This is a BECKY KNOWS EVERYTHING SUPER TIP JUST FOR YOU.

Mom's Excellent Adventure

A few weeks ago my 86 year old mother began her “excellent adventure.” She traveled to San Francisco to visit Bonnie and her family. Bonnie made all the plans and set to precision all the variables: how to get Mom to the airport, wheelchair access, credentials for me to walk her to the gate, Bonnie’s daughters home for their break from college, etc., etc. Of course the biggest variable of all was Mom’s ability to go that far from home and stay with Bonnie for 9 days. But she did it and I wanted to share with you the funny stuff.

Crazy Stuff Mom did on the Trip

1. The night before the trip I traveled to Lorain to spend the night at Mom’s so I could take her to the airport – she had a 9:00 a.m. flight (which of course means we left her house at 5:30 for the 35 minute drive). Mom had a productive day and by that I mean she had her hair done and a pedicure, complete with jewel inserts. I arrived in Lorain to find her in 17 degree weather wearing flip flops to protect her new toe look. We go to dinner where Mom bites down on a crunchy baguette and cracks the cap on her front tooth. I am thinking this is now Bonnie’s problem.

2. We get to the airport easily and stand in line to check her bag (none of that leaving it at the curb – she is convinced it won’t get to the proper place). We also get her boarding pass, a wheelchair and an escort pass for me. Our wheelchair attendant was Elizabeth and Mom whispered to ask me what her tip should be. When I said $5.00, Mom choked.

3. OK she is off. I wait at the gate until the plane backs up. Bonnie safely gets her at the other end in San Fran. Bonnie promptly takes her to lunch since she is apparently going to die if she doesn’t eat lunch no matter what time zone she is in.

4. She announces to Bonnie she has a broken cap and won’t go to a dentist. I didn’t realize she had so few teeth and uses her front teeth to chew, like a squirrel…so now Bonnie has to figure out how to feed her soft foods for the next 9 days. Sorry Bonnie.

5. Bonnie lives in Modesto and has a fab new house with its own pool house/guest cottage, so Mom opts to stay there and I am thinking Bonnie is one lucky girl since Mom can do what she wants out there and not drive anyone too nuts. Mom is skittish about meeting Bonnie’s dog, Dodger but all goes well since he is a cutie pie.

6. Bonnie calls me and says she has to make “Snaggle Tooth” a different soup each day as that is pretty much all she can eat. She makes French onion, potato leek, tomato, etc.

7. Bonnie takes her to a casino where she wins $338 using “Mom Math” which she means she only counts her winnings, not the money she spent betting. Mom is thrilled and I say “good thing!” as Mom is very cranky when someone wins other than herself.

8. Mom tells Bonnie she figures she is “healthy from the head down but not so hot from the head up.” I mean she is deaf, has one bad eye and we won’t discuss her hair. Her mind is still very sharp though and with her foot troubles from her diabetes I think she is healthier up than down and so does Bonnie. (Her ears are really getting huge, so that would be a negative on the head up theory).

9. The funniest thing that happened though is the photo Bonnie sent me of herself and Mom wearing the same dress. She titled it “Bitch Stole My Look” from the Joan River’s Fashion Police show (if you have never seen this you must watch – it is hysterical). They both own the same dress and are looking so cute, much like my Tete Menka and her daughter Vivian who wore the same clothes until Tete passed away at 80 some years old. Pretty sure Bon is not going to make this a trend.

10. Bonnie travels with Mom back to Cleveland and spends a few days there, finding a good dentist, a podiatrist and buys her a new toaster. That Bonnie is one great daughter and sister. Mom is home and couldn’t wait to tell all her friends about her “excellent adventure.”

Wine is a Must at Book Club

Recently my sister Bonnie joined a book club looking to have some fun. Apparently it is a little bit too serious for her. Maybe she should join my daughter’s group in Boston. They make you take a shot if you don’t read the book. Now that sounds like a good time!

Bonnie writes:

The book club I joined at our local library will take anyone, and it was of course not the kind I have been dying to be invited to for years.......the "wine-swilling-don't really read the book-but just gossip with ladies kind". The librarian in charge actually expects us to read the books and be prepared to discuss. She evens emails us discussion questions to refer to. I just couldn’t get into our latest book, the highly acclaimed, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson. Only the third month and I was checking to see if the movie version was available! (I so fondly recall an episode of "Cheers" when Sam labored through reading War and Peace to impress Diane only to discover, "It's a MOVIE??!!) Back at home, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version of the book I was supposed to read. It was days before the book club and my husband Paul kept making air quotes when we talked about "the book" and "the plot" and my anticipated participation in the discussion. I decided to return to the book and spent a good bit of time playing "open book test" with our discussion questions and passed last night with flying colors! I know, I know, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. But it kept me involved in book club such as it is. Oh look, June's choice will be Eat, Pray Love. Actually have read it already-SCORE!! And yes, the book is way better than the movie.

That Parisian Look

You see it everywhere now, in rugs and lampshades and pillows and furniture. I am talking about the wonderful new look of linen with prints of Paris and French words written in both block and script.

These new/old items have become popular as accents anywhere in the home. Remember the rooster look of a few years ago? You could find rooster prints on dishtowels, tablecloths and napkins. And there were plates with roosters, cookie jars and giant accent roosters. So many of my design clients were into this look and it was difficult to convince some of them that we should stay away from the ordinary and look for the unusual. It is still out there but has diminished in popularity although there are still a lot of collectors out there still buying rooster.

At Tuesday Morning whenever we get in any merchandise with London or Paris prints they sell immediately. Last week we had a round ottoman with stained, turned legs that I quickly took a photo of for you as I knew it wouldn’t last. I was right – we sold it in 2 days. We currently have tea-stained linen pillows, some dishtowels and a few adorable small lamps with linen printed shades.

You can bring that little bit of Paris into your home without spending too much. Check out what is available online or in your local overstock stores! Au Revoir!