Friday Five: Memories New and Old

 

While her mother looked at the cookbooks on the library shelves recently, Iris pulled out a little book with a pink cover. "We Love Madeleines" was the title and she insisted it go home with them. 

Several recent birthdays introduced her to CAKE (always said in full capitals). She loves looking at the little cakes in the library book. So today, Iris and Nana baked madeleines. We didn't use a recipe from the library book, but one from my French Patisserie book by Will Torrent. 

Oh how well they turned out! It was hard to finish lunch knowing that the CAKE was waiting. We each ate one and shared one, then sent some home for after dinner, and saved a couple for Grandpa. 

This week marks our 44th wedding anniversary. We met in junior high school and were friends long before we courted. Back in those days, we had professional studio photos taken. They were expensive, but worth it. 

I loved my bouquet, and the long veil I wore. When our youngest daughter married, I removed the daisy trim from the veil and hand-beaded the edge with little gold and silver beads. I'm glad it was used again. 

Here we are with our best man and matron of honour. It was the era of brown tuxedos and huge bowties, and floppy hats. It reflects the fashion of the time and I'm quite happy that it does. 

Marriage is full of ups and downs, hard times and good times. I'm so glad that we are still best friends. When disagreements come, we can discuss and come to a compromise. There is no one I'd rather share my life with, and I thank God for my husband every day. 

In spite of the dry, dry weather, Queen Anne's Lace and wild Sweet Peas flourish. I picked this little bouquet for the boat last weekend and it lasted a long time. In my garden zinnias and dahlias are blooming. 

This weekend we are going camping with the family. There's been a fair bit of texting/calling/e-mailing back and forth as we arrange the next few days. I'm looking forward to it so much. 

Happy Weekend!

An Autumn Wedding

My nephew was married on Saturday down in Vancouver, Washington. The venue was Cape Horn Estate on the Columbia River Gorge, overlooking the river and surrounded by mountains and autumn-colored trees.

It was a lovely affair, simple and elegant. Lots of greenery and white flowers that complemented the country feel of the building.

The photos include one of the couple's first dance, and of the groom's parents, my brother and sister-in-law. My brother's hair has lightened considerably, but it was once as dark as his son's. 
  

White, green and gold. A ceremony filled with personal touches. A delicious meal. Conversations with family whom I see all too seldom. Warmth inside that belied the steady drizzle outside.

And now I'm home again, curled up by the fire with a cup of tea, reliving the moments.

Joining with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Judith.

I spoke too soon....

How could I forget the groom? And the family wedding photos? And the groomsmen?

There will be more to come. For some I'll have to wait for the professional photos.

Above is the groom encouraging his nephew, the ringbearer, to walk down that long aisle. He did a great job. 

The sweet flower girls were too shy.

And the four bridesmaids, standing in a pool of light. So beautiful.

Each of the groomsmen had a pocket square that matched the sashes on the bridal attendants' dresses. Don't they look handsome in their tail coats?

Although this is a bit blurred, it's a wonderful shot - the groom kicking up his heels as he and the bride walk back down the aisle after the ceremony.

One Last Wedding Post

I've had several people ask to see a picture of the veil when I, the original owner, wore it. So, with a little trepidation, here it is. I scanned in a studio photo from 33 years ago. 

You can see the daisies around the edge, and the juliet cap I wore. The daisies were removed and replaced with gold and silver glass bugle beads.

Ashley removed the everything from the cap and redid it with extra fabric and lace to match her bridal gown (we ordered extra) and then added some beads.

You can see that Ashley wore the cap much more forward and higher on her head. I chose a more low-key placement.

Here Ashley's sister and I were putting on her veil.

Here you can see just a bit of the beading in the lower left corner. It really complemented the sparkle in the dress and her jewelry. 

I look at these photos at least once a day, remembering what a joyful occasion it was, and so thankful for my three beautiful children and their equally beautiful spouses. And for my wonderful husband. Life is good because God is good.

I'm feeling quite behind on all the fall decorating posts up in blogland already. I'm one to cling to summer as long as possible. And this week has been one of putting things away, resting a little more and starting my studies once again. Next week should be more normal for me, whatever normal is!

Oh, the Flowers

The Bride has always loved yellow roses. For her wedding she wanted rich, saturated colours of golden yellow, rich red, orange and dark wines and pinks.

This is her bouquet. She wanted a wild, loose look, which was achieved by adding berries, snapdragons, eggplant callas, and those fascinating folded flowers whose name escapes me.

Eggplant ribbon, intricately tied around each bouquet was so pretty.

Here is a bridesmaid's bouquet, a smaller version of the Bride's. They just glowed. Each bouquet was lovingly put together by either the Bride's sister-in-law (who also made the cake) or a close family friend. 

Four of us gathered the day before the wedding to prepare the flowers. Oh what a fun day it was. We met at our friend's place overlooking the water. On her deck we cut stems, stripped leaves, arranged and chatted. The Friend and the Sister-in-law did the bouquets, and corsages, while the Sister and I put together the table arrangements and other flowers.

Dahlias are just so varied - so many shapes and colours. We had big buckets of them. Some were used for the tables, others for the Bride's Flower Trees - curly willow branches placed in buckets with bunches of flowers tied on with jute.

Clustered around the old farm equipment at the Historical Site the flower trees added fresh colour to the venue.

More beautiful dahlias. 

Here is the preparation site for the flowers. Flower vases lined the deck. In keeping with the Bride's wish for casual and vintagey, the vases were purchased from thrift stores in various shades of green, pink, purple, gold and clear glass. 

And one last shot of the glowing flowers.

All of the photos in this post, except for the last two, were shot by Katie, the Sister-in-law. She volunteered to take lots of photos of the details of the wedding while the rest of us were busy with other things. I'm so glad she did.

Beautiful Day

These are a few candid shots that I took at the wedding. This first one is of the Bride at her brother and sister-in-law's home, where we dressed for the wedding.

Here is the Bride and her sister the Matron of Honour in the car to drive to the church.

On the steps of the church sanctuary with her bridal party. Her attendants were all in ivory silk dupioni dresses with different coloured sashes. The Bride sewed the dresses with just a little help with the handsewn finishing. I'm very pleased with the beading on the veil - it added just enough sparkle and complemented the sparkle in the wedding gown. 

The head table. All the flowers were so beautiful. And today my house has bouquets in every room!

Thank you to all you wonderful readers who thought of us yesterday. Blogging creates a sense of community that sometimes surprises me. 

I didn't take many photos because my daughter-in-law told me that she would be sure to record all the special details that went into the wedding. I'm sure I'll be posting more wedding photos until you are all sick of them.

 It was a beautiful, beautiful day. My heart is full of moments that I will mull over and treasure for a lifetime.

Missing Blogging

I've missed catching up on my blogging friends' activities this past week. There just hasn't been time. That little girl pictured above wearing her grandmother's heels and purse, now 20 years older, is the reason. 

She's always had a great sense of fashion. Yes, the rhinoceros beetle is alive. They are really very docile. She was born in the jungle and grew up with bugs and such. 

On Saturday, she'll be walking down the aisle, preceded by her older sister as matron of honour. It's going to be a wonderful celebration, full of beauty, God's presence, and fun!


And afterwards, I hope to get back to posting more regularly. I've missed you all.

A Fun Day

There were flowers...

and fruit....

and goodies galore!

Presents...

and friends and family, with plenty of love, laughter and good wishes. (Here I am with my daughters - two by birth, one by love.)

Yes, it was a bridal shower, and it was so much fun. How blessed we are to have friends. Being together with some of them today made me realize how much I miss getting together with them regularly.

We're less than 2 weeks away from the wedding. Excitement builds. Lists are written, accomplished and items ticked off. I can hardly wait!

Finishing Things

Lately, it seems that I have so many UNfinished projects lying around the house. Not just for the wedding, although there is a stack of those. Decorating and renovating are unending, but I can let those go for awhile. Wedding stuff, not so much.

But I have finished a few things. The veil, for instance. It's beaded, all 422 inches of the perimeter and looks very nice, if I do say so myself. No photos, tradition must be preserved you know.

Today I finished the "ring book." It's not a pillow, but it will be used for carrying the rings down the aisle by a cute little ringbearer.

I saw this idea quite awhile ago (sorry I can't remember where). We wanted a meaningful book, but one we were willing to cut up. I wouldn't use a Bible. Browsing around the thrift store recently I found this old hymnal and thought it might work. It was in pretty bad shape. I inserted new end papers, gluing ribbons behind them for tying the book shut, clamped the pages together and cut out a box with a ruler and my X-acto knife. I sealed the edges of the box with PVA glue and lightly glued the pages together. The pages are very soft, hence the fuzzy look in the corners. But they are all sealed up so they won't shed.

This afternoon I stitched a couple of silk flowers for the front - colours of the wedding, and secured the binding with book repair tape. Simple writing with a gold pen and voilà, a "ring box."

That's my own ring in the box. I think it looks quite pretty there after 33 years. The Bride-and-Groom-to-be have not yet seen this, and have to give final approval, but I hope they like it. I do.

I'm linking this post to Vintage Black, at the French Cupboard, and to Show and Share Day at Just a Girl, And Made by You Monday at Skip to my Lou.

Beading and Thinking

Every day I sit on the couch and spend some time beading. This mini muffin tin is perfect for keeping the beads organized. Still, when the veil is finished I think there will be tiny beads tucked into the couch crevices.
I can only do this fiddly work for about an hour or two before my patience wears thin. The veil is long, so this is going to take awhile. I get about 18 inches done per day. I haven't measured the total length, but I'm pleased with the progress. You can see the original veil here.

We don't want the veil highly embellished because it might detract from the dress. Can't say too much, you know. The Bride was up last weekend and we revisited the dress in the store. Of course, the sample is too big, and clipping the back only accomplishes so much, but she needed to reassure herself about the dress. She is going to be a Beautiful Bride.

A tiny point of stress. The wedding is September 4. The dress is scheduled to arrive August 20. We HOPE the alterations will be minor. I'm praying.

She wanted to feel "bride-ish" when we got home, so she pinned the veil to the back of her head and sat on the couch while we talked, tossing her head once in awhile to feel the veil. So cute.

These are strange days. I sit and do my handwork and think. I think about the events and processes that brought us to this place we're in today. The years in Ecuador, the move to Victoria all seemed good at the time, even though there were the usual difficulties of life. This last year has been a struggle, no question about it, in more ways than I can share.

As I sit and bead my daughter's wedding veil my thoughts turn to my nephew Colin who declines more everyday. I bead for the bright and happy future I pray for my daughter and I think about the sadness of a young life diminishing. God's ways are not my ways, and I must remind myself of that. Life is truly a mixed drink, full to the brim of joyfully sweet moments, bitter disappointments, bewildering grey days, and mellow rhythms. And in all of those moments, God is present.