A Friend's Milestone

One of my San Francisco gals is on her way to middle-age....

Always good to have a sense of humor!!

Good Hearted

Gestures of love; I was the recipient of an abundance! Nothing is more true than thinking with your heart  or speaking from your heart. Did emotions run high and love reign center stage because of a wedding? NAH... Not to generalize, but my opinion is that women are innately love givers! The women in my life seem to be so.

Kind, generous beyond belief and thoughtful in the sharing of their love and friendship, my girlfriends express these emotions in many ways. How do I possibly thank each of them for the gifts they bestowed ?........

my royal crown jewels

A sparkling tiara was gifted me....



corks floating in the fountain

 Champagne flowed effortlessly...

A cake was ordered and baked specifically with our theme in mind..... IT WAS DELICIOUS!

A candlelit table was set for dinner.....  and that meal was handmade by a team of the best friends!

Handmade chocolates were set in gift bags at each place setting. A brimming box of assorted vintage hats was a part of the celebration - via a Grandmother gone for many years.

At the close of the evening we were asked to take a seat in order to play a game.  One of the sweetest gestures was about to come....

One of our mothers has been residing in an assisted living situation. Her beautifully collected belongings needed to be packed and stowed away - no longer to grace a china hutch in the home where she raised her children - MY FRIENDS. These good hearted women decided to honor each one of us party-goers by placing a piece of their Mother's Waterford Crystal in our homes instead. We drew numbers and picked a bag filled with a secret memento. This thought from their heart brought tears to my eyes. I chose a gift that contained two Irish Coffee mugs. I will be sure to find a place of importance for them.

Good old heartfelt joy was shared globally that day in an enormous Abbey miles from here. Good hearted intentions, words from the heart and love in many forms was also had right here at home.

I HEART THESE WOMEN !!

Four Squares of Food & Friendship

In the form of continuous outdoor eating... many picnics were enjoyed this weekend! As one of my sweet hat-adorned-girlfriends said - "we enjoyed four square meals a day". Ain't it the truth! We just may have exceeded that number. These picnics were robust, right along with our laughter. The food was beautiful and made with love - just like our friendship!



royal servant?

Spending two nights away from my own cares and home - and for that matter for anyone to be allowed this luxury - is a blessing. We had waited to embrace the whole ROYAL WEDDING extravaganza for months. Everyone sure brought their A-game! The wedding hats were everything from funny, to beautiful, to outlandish. None quite so unfortunate.... OKAY - U - G - L -Y ! as the two worn by an unnamed pair of princesses. Playing dress up at fifty-something  is just as fun as it is when you're a child!

Unfortunately some hats were so intrusive that the faces of some of the gals are blocked... Dang it!
Here are some individual head shots!

These women donned finery - fit for a Queen! I, on the other hand, was the What Not to Wear version! An outcast akin to Eugenie & Beatrice (sorry gals!)  HA! Where's Stacy London when you need her??

There are stories and photos galore. Some of them not as irreverent and silly. Much kindness and love make the times I share with these women beyond special. THEY ARE SOME OF MY FOUND TREASURES!  I'll share more tomorrow.

Royalty For A Day

Soon, very soon ... oh how long we've waited! I will be attending a party that will see me as the secondary-guest-of-honor, the BIG honor to the Royal wedding couple - Prince Wm. and his bride Kate! I found this silly, yet interesting article on hats that was intended to keep us up to speed on the Brit tradition of headwear at functions! Read on  ~ (forewarned it's a tad long)




just some ole thing I have lying around

Bowlers, baker boys, top hats, boaters, deerstalkers and countless ladies creations have been worn by royals and commoners alike through the centuries — a beloved tradition that will be in full force at Prince William and Kate Middleton's April 29 wedding.
Bookmakers are betting on the color of Queen Elizabeth II's hat — odds are on yellow — and the designer making the princess-to-be's honeymoon headpiece. The salmon-colored tricorn hat that Princess Diana wore as she left for her honeymoon in 1981 spawned hundreds of copies.
"We're British — hats are just what we do," Shirley Hex, a milliner who made hats for the queen, the queen's mother and Diana, told The Associated Press. "Choosing the right hat is important for the person wearing it, but it's also important for a designer. The right hat can make a career."
Theories abound on why Britain, compared to other European nations, became a country of mad hatters — an expression referring to the Alice in Wonderland character whose loopy persona was based on the many milliners who suffered neurological damage as they inhaled the mercury used to cure pelts. *(wow - huh??)

And take note of this last line ~
Britain's lousy weather might have contributed to the national obsession, but experts say it's the royal family that has kept it alive.
Well, the royal fam may have kept the tradition alive, but me and my girlfriends will do our darnedest to help the movement along!

I just have to add this other silly tid-bit.....

Laugh all you want, but I will get to be Queen for the day and my royal court & I are taking this way over the top!! Such a good way to live your life!