A Royal Knot

Picture courtesy of Pexels

Raise your hand if you were up at 4:30 to watch Harry & Meghan get married. I didn't set my alarm but I woke up at 4:00, thought "It's too early", again at 4:30 and thought "I'll catch it on replay". Then at 5:30 Laika woke me up to go outside so I got my coffee going (no tea for this girl) and turned on the telly. I turned it on just in time to see Sarah Ferguson arrive. Doesn't she look fabulous?
Speaking of looking fabulous: Serena Williams. She appeared to be very inconspicuous and didn't seem to make a spectacle of herself. I'm sorry, but some of those hats were ridiculous, and not in a good way. I just don't get the little "half-hats" sitting cock-eyed on the head. Not everybody can pull that off, for sure.
Let me back up a bit. I watched some of the "pre-wedding" shows on Friday night. Why in the world does some of the media have to zero in on Meghan's ethnicity? She is a beautiful American woman who will become a princess and will become royalty by marriage. Does it really matter that she is biracial? I'll go ahead and answer that right now: NO. It just makes my blood boil to hear the media mention ethnicity. In my opinion, that just separates us more and doesn't bring us together as Americans. That's another reason I've stopped watching tv for the most part.
Who would have known that Prince Harry would be so handsome after seeing those pictures of him in his adolescence?  I just love Harry's and William's relationship. They've been through so much in their lives; it's touching to see how close they are. When I watched Friday night I noticed how William is balding, but Harry appeared to have a full head of hair, but Saturday, as they greeted the ministers there, was a good shot of Harry's back of his head. Oops...looks like he is balding as well.
No doubt, Harry & Meghan are a striking couple. I don't keep up with all of the goings on with the Royal Family (I didn't even know Kate was pregnant until after she had her youngest), but how great is it that Diana's boys have continued their mother's causes and have continued her legacy?
Someone said to me that Meghan's life is about to drastically change, but I beg to differ.  She's used to paparazzi, she knows how to conduct herself in public, she's already done so much in the way of humanitarian efforts, she just hasn't had a title or done it in the name of a royal family. I think she unknowingly has been groomed for this moment in her life and I think she's going to do GREAT. She's poised, classy, and elegant.
Didn't the Queen & Prince Phillip look great? I was amazed at how, even at 92, steady Queen Elizabeth is on her feet, how steady her gait is. What an incredible woman!
Prince Charles appeared to be asleep during the preaching, didn't he? Bishop Curry was a bit long-winded. I think they should have given him a time limit. The sermon was good, but I'm just sayin'.
Oh, that cellist!!! Only 19 years old but what poise! Absolutely beautiful. It was good to see Prince Charles actually talking with Meghan's mom...good to know he can be "real" and not too "royal"!
Overall, what a beautiful wedding, a mix of British and American culture. A wonderful blending of both of their worlds. I'm expecting this couple to do great things together!

Cluttered Hodgepodge

First day back to the Hodgepodge & I've picked a doozy! I'm just going to jump in and see where it takes me!

1. What would you say is your biggest day to day challenge?
Finding time to do it all. There just aren't enough hours in a day, and I'm the type of person who needs her 8 hours of sleep!

2. May 16th is National Biographers Day. What's a biography you really enjoyed reading? Is this a genre you read regularly?
Any biography about a Holocaust victim enthralls me. I'm a bit obsessed with that time period for some reason.

3. How important is keeping a clean house? Do you need to de-clutter your life?
It's nice to have a clean house, but keeping it? Eh. That's something altogether different. Right now I'm in the midst of decluttering my room at school. I'm tossing all the things I've had since I lived in Ga. (over 20 years ago) & SC (14 years ago). Oh, but Joyce asked about our HOUSE! Well...my desk is an absolute mess. Who am I kidding? It's not just my desk! Now that CH & I have the house to ourselves (with the exception of YS who mainly stays in the basement when he's home-which is rare) I seem to have taken up just putting stuff down somewhere & not picking it back up.
Oh. Joyce asked about decluttering my life! I'm working at it, but...see the answer to #1.

4. You're the 8th dwarf. What's your name?
Too many pans in the fire. No, wait. That would be a Native American name.

5. What's surprised you the most about your life or life in general?
I don't know that anything surprises me about my life. I always knew I'd get married and have kids. I guess the thing that surprises me most about life, in general, is how easily it is to keep going when bad things happen around you. Life truly does go on!

6. Insert your own random thought here.
About that decluttering: MS graduates from Law School in 2 weeks! 2 weeks, y'all! Then he'll come home, study for the bar, and move on with his life. He plans on living with us while he studies which means I've got to get the desk cleaned off since it's in the room where he'll be staying. It's a good thing Friday is our last day of school!

Don't forget to visit Joyce (by clicking on the Wed. Hodgepodge picture above) to see how everyone else answered!

{State of the Kitchen} Tying Up Loose Ends

I've had people ask me if I'm enjoying my new kitchen and I reply "I'm starting to". There are still times when I have flashbacks to last summer & just get angry. So I'm not there yet, but it's definitely getting there! It's time to tie up loose ends and just be completely done with it.  I still have to have the walls & ceiling painted, but those people are out of my house.
Here is a tour of my kitchen:

1. Pantry Cabinet

I wanted someplace to put my microwave so it wouldn't take up space on my countertop. The shelf is reinforced to hold the weight. The 3 shelves where I store my small appliances (mixer, toaster, breadmaker, slow cooker, electric skillet) roll out. 

2. Drawer

I bought some bamboo dividers to put in the drawer to separate my knives and other utensils. 

3. Pot Cabinet

2 shelves that slide out independently of each other.

Racks on both sides hold the lids.

4.  Blind Corner Cabinet

2 shelves pull out of the cabinet.

Those 2 shelves slide over to reveal 2 more shelves.

Those 2 shelves slide out for easy access. 

Now for the other side of the kitchen:

5.  Utensil drawer

Double-decker partitions for different utensils. The top slides back to reveal the bottom.

6.  Pan cabinet

Cookie sheets, racks, and cutting boards are stored here.

7. Spice Cabinet

All of the doors have the soft close feature, except for the spice cabinet.  I like having my pantry redone (seen just behind the spice cabinet). I have plenty of space; in fact, I have a couple of cabinets with not a lot in them. Especially the lazy susan; I have very little in there because I just don't know what to put in there. 

I'm still trying to get used to having the oven under the stove instead of on the other side of the kitchen. And, I'm still trying to remember where I put some things! 

I really like the undercabinet lighting, although it is just a tad too bright. We haven't had a dimmer put on yet, so it's rare when I have all of the lights on at one time. I do love coming home and seeing my kitchen when I come up the stairs, especially when it's clean. 

As I said, I still have to have my ceiling and walls painted. One of my sisters suggested painting the open area a sage green and the area where the cabinets are the same color as the grout.  I just have to call the lady I want to do it, set it up, buy the paint, and let her get to work.  Once that's done, there will be more pictures!